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Haematology parameters (N = 24) and serum biochemistry parameters (N = 35) were determined for wild Eurasian beavers (Castor fiber), between 6 months - 12 years old. Of the population tested in this study, N = 18 Eurasian beavers were from Norway and N = 17 originating from Bavaria but now living extensively in a reserve in England. All blood samples were collected from beavers via the ventral tail vein. All beavers were chemically restrained using inhalant isoflurane in 100% oxygen prior to blood sampling. Results were determined for haematological and serum biochemical parameters for the species and were compared between the two different populations with differences in means estimated and significant differences being noted. Standard blood parameters for the Eurasian beaver were determined and their ranges characterised using percentiles. Whilst the majority of blood parameters between the two populations showed no significant variation, haemoglobin, packed cell volume, mean cell haemoglobin and white blood cell counts showed significantly greater values (p<0.01) in the Bavarian origin population than the Norwegian; neutrophil counts, alpha 2 globulins, cholesterol, sodium: potassium ratios and phosphorus levels showed significantly (p<0.05) greater values in Bavarian versus Norwegian; and potassium, bile acids, gamma globulins, urea, creatinine and total calcium values levels showed significantly (p<0.05) greater values in Norwegian versus Bavarian relict populations. No significant differences were noted between male and female beavers or between sexually immature (<3 years old) and sexually mature (≥3 years old) beavers in the animals sampled. With Eurasian beaver reintroduction encouraged by legislation throughout Europe, knowledge of baseline blood values for the species and any variations therein is essential when assessing their health and welfare and the success or failure of any reintroduction program. This is the first study to produce base-line blood values and their variations for the Eurasian beaver.

Hantaviruses are RNA viruses (order Bunyavirales, family Hantaviridae) found in rodent, bat and insectivore reservoir-hosts and have been reported as an emerging significant zoonotic risk in Europe. As part of two native semiaquatic rodent restoration projects, tissue and urine samples were tested for hantavirus from water voles (Arvicola amphibius) (n=26, in 2015) and Eurasian beavers (Castor fiber) (n=20, covering 2010–2015) using a pan-hantavirus nested real-time PCR test. Kidney and lung samples were also analysed by light microscopy after haematoxylin and eosin staining of formalin-fixed paraffin wax sections. Individuals selected included those forming the source of release animals and from those already free-living in Britain in areas targeted for release, to identify existing reservoirs. For water voles all tested individuals were from Britain (n=26); for beavers some were from Britain (Scotland) (n=9) and some were samples from wild Norwegian (Telemark region) (n=6) and German (Bavaria region) animals (n=5) that formed the source of accepted wild populations currently present in Scotland. All samples tested from both species were negative for hantavirus RNA and showed no significant histopathological changes suggesting that reservoir infection with hantavirus in water voles in Britain and Eurasian beavers present in Britain, Norway and Bavaria, Germany, is unlikely.

Canine atopic dermatitis is a skin condition of an allergic origin which usually becomes apparent in dogs between the ages of one and three years. This is a particular problem for Guide Dogs for the Blind Association (GDBA) dogs as this is the age that dogs are finishing training and beginning their working life. Hence much time and money is spent on dogs which may have to be retired early due to this skin condition. Therefore, if dogs likely to go on and develop atopic dermatitis could be identified before beginning their training more efficient use of funds and facilities could be made by trainers and the society. A group of dogs passing through the GDBA kennels were studied for a period of three years. This involved collecting clinical and serological data, with the aim of identifying factors which could be used to isolate dogs likely to develop clinical signs of atopic dermatitis. In addition to GDBA dogs, groups of racing greyhounds, laboratory beagles and pet dogs were also examined in order to identify factors peculiar to the GDBA population. GDBA dogs provided an ideal opportunity to study a large number of dogs in a particular environment with excellent husbandry and recording of clinical histories. Both clinical and serological parameters were studied. Examination of clinical histories revealed that GDBA dogs demonstrating four or more episodes of atopic type skin disease before 15 months of age were at an increased risk of developing atopic dermatitis. Serological studies revealed that serum total IgE concentrations are unrelated to the age or parasite status of a dog. Rather there appears to be a range of serum total IgE concentrations in the canine population with some dogs showing high levels and other low. Although it has been suggested (de Week et al, 1998) that only dogs with high serum total IgE concentrations will go on to develop atopic dermatitis this was not always found to be the case as a number of atopic dogs was found to have low serum total IgE concentrations. Unlike serum total IgE, serum total IgG1 concentrations were found to be significantly higher in dogs affected by atopic dermatitis and/or parasitism. In addition serum total IgG1 concentrations were found to increase in dogs following hyposensitisation therapy and this appeared to be associated with the success of hyposensitisation. It is possible that measurement of serum total IgG1 concentrations could be used as an indicator of the success of hyposensitisation before a clinical improvement becomes apparent. When comparing intradermal skin test results and serological results in the same dogs, results do not often agree, possibly due to the different methodologies involved. Allergen exposure appears to influence antibody levels with dogs in different environments and at different times of year showing different serological results. Although allergen exposure can be assumed to be different in different environments an interesting method of identifying exactly which pollens a dog has been exposed to was developed. This involved examination of faecal samples for their pollen contents and revealed a large variety of pollens. This method could be used in the design of intradermal skin tests or serological tests which to date are primarily based on human pollen exposures. Examination of individual allergen responses revealed that atopic dogs appear more likely to demonstrate higher serological results against mould allergens than non- atopic dogs. This was the case even though very few dogs actually demonstrated positive intradermal skin test results against mould allergens. In summary, this study has disproved a number of hypotheses, including the belief that serum total IgE concentrations depend on the parasite status of an animal, and that it is not possible to compare different serological tests and expect a good correlation. The author has demonstrated that by examining the number of episodes of skin disease in dogs by particular ages, the serological response of individuals to particular allergens, especially moulds, and by assessing serum total IgG1 concentrations it is possible to identify dogs at risk of developing atopic dermatitis.

Firstly, no one is suggesting that the nuns are running around at night turning patients into toads! This attacks those advocating public governance as being motivated by anti-Catholic sentiment. There are many Catholic women in this community who choose to use contraception despite the Catholic Church's directive against it. Does that make them anti-Catholic? Of course not. They have simply made a decision not to allow the Catholic Church to make a personal health care decision for them. Those advocating public governance simply wish to have this community's health care needs determined by this community, and not by the Catholic Health Corporation, its delegates or any other special interest group.

Despite decades of technological advancements in blood-contacting medical devices, complications related to shear flow-induced blood trauma are still frequently observed in clinic. Blood trauma includes haemolysis, platelet activation, and degradation of High Molecular Weight von Willebrand Factor (HMW vWF) multimers, all of which are dependent on the exposure time and magnitude of shear stress. Specifically, accumulating evidence supports that when blood is exposed to shear stresses above a certain threshold, blood trauma ensues; however, it remains unclear how various constituents of blood are affected by discrete shears experimentally. The aim of this study was to expose blood to discrete shear stresses and evaluate blood trauma indices that reflect red cell, platelet, and vWF structure. Citrated human whole blood (n = 6) was collected and its haematocrit was adjusted to 30 ± 2% by adding either phosphate buffered saline (PBS) or polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). Viscosity of whole blood was adjusted to 3.0, 12.5, 22.5 and 37.5 mPa·s to yield stresses of 3, 6, 9, 12, 50, 90 and 150 Pa in a custom-developed shearing system. Blood samples were exposed to shear for 0, 300, 600 and 900 s. Haemolysis was measured using spectrophotometry, platelet activation using flow cytometry, and HMW vWF multimer degradation was quantified with gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting. For tolerance to 300, 600 and 900 s of exposure time, the critical threshold of haemolysis was reached after blood was exposed to 90 Pa for 600 s (P < 0.05), platelet activation and HMW vWF multimer degradation were 50 Pa for 600 s and 12 Pa for 300 s respectively (P < 0.05). Our experimental results provide simultaneous comparison of blood trauma indices and thus also the relation between shear duration and magnitude required to induce damage to red cells, platelets, and vWF. Our results also demonstrate that near-physiological shear stress (<12 Pa) is needed in order to completely avoid any form of blood trauma. Therefore, there is an urgent need to design low shear-flow medical devices in order to avoid blood trauma in this blood-contacting medical device field.

In the emergency of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, great efforts were made to quickly provide serology testing to the medical community however, these methods have been introduced into clinical practice without the complete validation usually required by the regulatory organizations. SARS-CoV-2 patient samples (n = 43) were analyzed alongside pre-pandemic control specimen (n = 50), confirmed respiratory infections (n = 50), inflammatory polyarthritis (n = 22) and positive for thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin (n = 30). Imprecision, diagnostic sensitivity and specificity and concordance were evaluated on IgG serologic assays from EuroImmun, Epitope Diagnostics (EDI), Abbott Diagnostics and DiaSorin and a rapid IgG/IgM test from Healgen. EDI and EuroImmun imprecision was 0.02–14.0% CV. Abbott and DiaSorin imprecision (CV) ranged from 5.2%–8.1% and 8.2%–9.6% respectively. Diagnostic sensitivity of the assays was 100% (CI: 80–100%) for Abbott, EDI and EuroImmun and 95% (CI: 73–100%) for DiaSorin at ≥14 days post PCR. Only the Abbott assay had a diagnostic specificity of 100% (CI: 91–100%). EuroImmun cross-reacted in 3 non-SARS-CoV-2 respiratory infections and 2 controls. The DiaSorin displayed more false negative results and cross-reacted in six cases across all conditions tested. EDI had one cross-reactive sample. The Healgen rapid test showed excellent sensitivity and specificity. Overall, concordance of the assays ranged from 76.1% to 97.9%. Serological tests for SARS-CoV-2 showed good analytical performance. The head-to-head analysis of samples revealed differences in results that may be linked to the use of nucleocapsid or spike proteins. The point of care device tested demonstrated adequate performance for antibody detection.

Flatting, or shared housing, is become an increasingly common living arrangement in Aotearoa New Zealand. Despite this, there remains a limited body of research about flatting, particularly in how it impacts marginalised groups. This paper provides a quantitative description of the characteristics and housing experiences of LGBTIQ+ people who flat in Aotearoa, and make comparisons to LGBTIQ+ people who are not flatting. Flatters were more likely to be younger, identify as queer, and earn lower incomes than non-flatters. Furthermore, they were more likely to have needed to move due to a poor relationship with someone in the household, were more likely to have experienced any housing discrimination, and were more likely to be worried about housing discrimination. Our data shows flatting is a site of vulnerability for LGBTIQ+ people, opening them up to discrimination within the home, which has implications for their safety and security of tenure. Increased research and policy are needed to protect the rights and safety of flatters, particularly those from the LGBTIQ+ community.

Hyperpolarised magnetic resonance imaging (HP  13 C-MRI) is an emerging clinical technique to detect [1- 13 C]lactate production in prostate cancer (PCa) following intravenous injection of hyperpolarised [1- 13 C]pyruvate. Here we differentiate clinically significant PCa from indolent disease in a low/intermediate-risk population by correlating [1- 13 C]lactate labelling on MRI with the percentage of Gleason pattern 4 (%GP4) disease. Using immunohistochemistry and spatial transcriptomics, we show that HP  13 C-MRI predominantly measures metabolism in the epithelial compartment of the tumour, rather than the stroma. MRI-derived tumour [1- 13 C]lactate labelling correlated with epithelial mRNA expression of the enzyme lactate dehydrogenase (LDHA and LDHB combined), and the ratio of lactate transporter expression between the epithelial and stromal compartments (epithelium-to-stroma MCT4). We observe similar changes in MCT4, LDHA, and LDHB between tumours with primary Gleason patterns 3 and 4 in an independent TCGA cohort. Therefore, HP  13 C-MRI can metabolically phenotype clinically significant disease based on underlying metabolic differences in the epithelial and stromal tumour compartments. Your paper will be accompanied by the following editor’s summary. Please let us know if there are any inaccuracies: ‘Hyperpolarised ¹³C-MRI is used to image cancer metabolism. Here the authors use this technique in prostate cancer and show that it can differentiate distinct disease states.

Verb and action knowledge deficits are reported in persons with Parkinson’s disease (PD), even in the absence of dementia or mild cognitive impairment. However, the impact of these deficits on combinatorial semantic processing is less well understood. Following on previous verb and action knowledge findings, we tested the hypothesis that PD impairs the ability to integrate event-based thematic fit information during online sentence processing. Specifically, we anticipated persons with PD with age-typical cognitive abilities would perform more poorly than healthy controls during a visual world paradigm task requiring participants to predict a target object constrained by the thematic fit of the agent-verb combination. Twenty-four PD and 24 healthy age-matched participants completed comprehensive neuropsychological assessments. We recorded participants’ eye movements as they heard predictive sentences ( The fisherman rocks the boat ) alongside target, agent-related, verb-related, and unrelated images. We tested effects of group (PD/control) on gaze using growth curve models. There were no significant differences between PD and control participants, suggesting that PD participants successfully and rapidly use combinatory thematic fit information to predict upcoming language. Baseline sentences with no predictive information (e.g., Look at the drum ) confirmed that groups showed equivalent sentence processing and eye movement patterns. Additionally, we conducted an exploratory analysis contrasting PD and controls’ performance on low-motion-content versus high-motion-content verbs. This analysis revealed fewer predictive fixations in high-motion sentences only for healthy older adults. PD participants may adapt to their disease by relying on spared, non-action-simulation-based language processing mechanisms, although this conclusion is speculative, as the analyses of high- vs. low-motion items was highly limited by the study design. These findings provide novel evidence that individuals with PD match healthy adults in their ability to use verb meaning to predict upcoming nouns despite previous findings of verb semantic impairment in PD across a variety of tasks.

Background The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of anxiety and depression in children and young people with life-limiting conditions. Methods A comparative cohort study was conducted, using primary and secondary care data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) in England. Anxiety and depression codes were identified using diagnostic, symptom and prescription codes. Incidence rates of anxiety and depression were compared across condition groups using Poisson regression, adjusting for sex, age, ethnicity, and deprivation status. Results A total of 25,313 children and young people were included in the study: 5527 with life-limiting conditions, 6729 with chronic conditions, and 13,057 with no long-term conditions. The incidence of anxiety (IRR adj : 1.39, 95% CI: 1.09–1.77) and depression (IRR adj : 1.41, 95% CI: 1.08–1.83) was significantly higher in children and young people with life-limiting conditions, compared to children and young people with no long-term conditions. Conclusions The higher incidence of anxiety and depression observed among children and young people with life-limiting conditions highlights the need for psychological support in this population, including further efforts to prevent, identify, and treat anxiety and depression. Impact The analysis of primary and secondary healthcare data from England revealed that the incidence of anxiety and depression was higher among children and young people with life-limiting conditions, compared to those with no long-term conditions. This is the first study to investigate the incidence of anxiety and depression in children and young people with a wide range of life-limiting conditions. The higher incidence of anxiety and depression observed in children and young people with life-limiting conditions highlights the need for psychological support aiming to prevent, identify, and treat anxiety and depression in this population group.