Do Mesocarnivores Respond to the Seasonality in Management Practices in an Agroforestry Landscape?

In the Mediterranean, we find a mosaic of natural and cultural landscapes, where a variety of forest management practices created intermediate disturbance regimes that potentially increased biodiversity values. Nonetheless, it is essential to understand the species' long-term response to the dynamic management in agroecosystems, since the species tolerance to disturbance can change throughout the life cycle. Mammalian carnivores can be sensitive to human disturbance and are an essential part of ecosystems due to their regulatory and community structuring effects. We investigated the spatial response of five mesocarnivores species to spatially- and temporally- varying management practices in an agroforestry landscape. More specifically, we assessed the mesocarnivores' temporal changes in space use by implementing multi-season occupancy models in a Bayesian framework, using seasonal camera-trapping surveys for a 2-year period. All species had a weak response of local extinction to forestry management and livestock grazing pressure. For forest-dwelling species, occupancy was higher where productivity of perennial vegetation was high, while colonization between seasons was positively associated with vegetation cover. For habitat generalist species, we found that occupancy in the wet season increased with the distance to cattle exclusion plots. Most of these plots are pine stands which are subject to forestry interventions during winter. During the 2-year period we found seasonal fluctuations in occupancy for all species, with an overall slight decrease for three mesocarnivore species, while for the two forest-dwelling species there was an increase in occupancy between years. The weak species response to management practices supports the importance of traditional management for upholding a diverse mesocarnivore community in agroforestry systems but could also reflect these species' ecological plasticity and resilience to disturbance.

Predictors of OSA following adenotonsillectomy in children with trisomy 21.

OBJECTIVES: Given that 30%-50% of children with trisomy 21 have persistent obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) after adenotonsillectomy, we evaluated whether demographic, clinical and polysomnographic factors predicted persistent OSA and OSA severity after adenotonsillectomy. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Secondary care hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Retrospective review of 32 children with the diagnosis of trisomy 21 and OSA by polysomnography who underwent adenotonsillectomy, from January 2010 to December 2018. MAIN OUTCOME AND MEASURE: Non-parametric analysis was used to compare pre- and postoperative factors, and regression was used to model persistent OSA and OSA severity. RESULTS: Thirty-two children were included (17 males, median age 10.00 ± 8.00 years, median body mass index z-score 0.89 ± 1.25). Overall, adenotonsillectomy resulted in a significant improvement in median obstructive apnoea-hypopnoea index (oAHI) from 7.5 ± 8.95 to 4.40 ± 4.38 events per hour (P < .001) and in median OSA-18 score from 85.00 ± 12.00 to 61.00 ± 37.75 (P < .001). Persistent OSA was found in 56.25% of the children. Univariate regression suggests that postoperative OSA-18 score was associated with persistent OSA after adenotonsillectomy. Preoperative oAHI, preoperative oxygen desaturation index, pre- and postoperative OSA-18 scores correlated with OSA severity after adenotonsillectomy. However, in a multivariate model only the postoperative OSA-18 score correlated with OSA severity after adenotonsillectomy. CONCLUSIONS: Although adenotonsillectomy results in a significant improvement of OSA in children with trisomy 21, more than half of the children had persistent OSA. The postoperative OSA-18 score was associated both with persistent OSA and OSA severity after adenotonsillectomy.

Swallowing evaluation in patients who underwent Partial CO2 LASER Epiglottectomy for Sleep Apnea treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate swallowing in patients who underwent CO2 LASER Partial Epiglottectomy (CO2-LPE) for Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome and to assess the risk of aspiration with this technique. MATERIAL & METHODS: Chart review of adult patients who underwent CO2-LPE between 2016 and 2020, in a secondary care hospital. Patients underwent surgery for OSAS, in accordance to Drug Induced Sleep Endoscopy findings and an objective swallowing evaluation was done at least 6 months after surgery. Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10) questionnaire was applied and Volume-Viscosity Swallow Test (V-VST) and Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) were performed. Dysphagia was classified according to Dysphagia Outcome Severity Scale (DOSS). RESULTS: Eight patients were included in the study. The mean time between surgery and the swallowing evaluation was 50 (±13,2) months. Only 3 patients presented ≥ 3 points on EAT-10 questionnaire. Two patients presented signs of decreased efficacy of swallowing (piecemeal deglutition) but none had a decrease in safety, according to V-VST. Although 50% of the patients presented some pharyngeal residue on FEES, it was classified as trace to mild in most of the cases. No evidence of penetration or aspiration was identified (DOSS ≥ 6 in all patients). CONCLUSION: The CO2-LPE is a potential treatment for OSAS patients with epiglottic collapse and no evidence of swallowing safety compromise was found.

Auditory Brainstem Response in Preterm Infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze auditory brainstem response (ABR) findings of preterm and term infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) with perinatal problems. STUDY DESIGN: Case series with chart review. SETTING: Secondary care hospital. METHODS: Analysis consisted of a consecutive series of 101 infants (69 preterm and 32 term) admitted in the NICU of Hospital Fernando Fonseca between 2016 and 2018 with perinatal problems who underwent an ABR evaluation. RESULTS: The major perinatal problems identified were hyperbilirubinemia, intravenous gentamicin >5 days, mechanical ventilation >5 days, congenital cytomegalovirus infection, meningitis, and periventricular hemorrhage. Gentamicin use significantly increased the absolute latency of wave I in preterm infants (95% CI, 0.01-0.37; P = .037). Mechanical ventilation significantly decreased the latency of wave V and intervals I-V and III-V in preterm infants (95% CI, -0.35 to -0.22; P = .026; 95% CI, -0.33 to -0.00; P = .001; 95% CI, -0.46 to 0.12; P = .049). Congenital cytomegalovirus significantly decreased interval III-V in preterm infants (95% CI, -0.36 to -0.01; P = .042).Multivariate analysis revealed that gentamicin use, lower gestational age, and lower birth weight predicted an increased ABR threshold in preterm infants (95% CI, 1.64-15.31; P = .016; 95% CI -1.72 to -0.09; P = .030; 95% CI, -14.55 to -0.63; P = .033). ABR measurements in term infants were not significantly altered, with the exception of an increased latency of wave III with a lower gestational age (95% CI, -0.49 to -0.01; P = .038). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that perinatal problems in the NICU significantly impair the ABR threshold and the auditory pathway maturational process in preterm but not term infants.

Drug-Induced Sleep Endoscopy in Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

OBJECTIVE: To describe drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) findings in children with obstructive sleep apnea and to differentiate them between surgically naïve children and children who had adenotonsillectomy performed. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case series with chart review. SETTING: Secondary care hospital. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A cohort of 56 children with the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea was submitted to DISE and subsequent upper airway surgery: 23 were surgically naïve, and 33 had persistent obstructive sleep apnea after adenotonsillectomy. Comparisons between groups were calculated with chi-square test and Student's t test. Simple linear regression was used to model polysomnographic indices. RESULTS: In surgically naïve children, the most common sites of obstruction were the adenoids (78.2%) and the lateral pharyngeal walls/tonsils (82.6%). In children with persistent obstructive sleep apnea after adenotonsillectomy, the most common sites of obstruction were the adenoids (54.5%), followed by the supraglottis (48.5%) and the tongue base (45.5%). No correlation was found between obstructive apnea-hypopnea index and DISE findings. Simple linear regression revealed that the degree of obstruction at the tongue base (ß = -0.73; 95% CI, -1.22 to -0.25; P = .004) and the presence of multilevel obstruction (ß = -1.75; 95% CI, -3.20 to -0.30; P = .02) predicted saturation nadir in children with persistent obstructive sleep apnea after adenotonsillectomy. CONCLUSION: DISE findings differed between surgically naïve children and children with persistent obstructive sleep apnea after adenotonsillectomy. Increased obstruction at the level of the tongue base and the presence of multilevel obstruction predicted a lower saturation nadir in children with persistent obstructive sleep apnea after adenotonsillectomy.

The Unique Lipidomic Signatures of Saccharina latissima Can Be Used to Pinpoint Their Geographic Origin.

The aquaculture of macroalgae for human consumption and other high-end applications is experiencing unprecedented development in European countries, with the brown algae Saccharina latissima being the flag species. However, environmental conditions in open sea culture sites are often unique, which may impact the biochemical composition of cultured macroalgae. The present study compared the elemental compositions (CHNS), fatty acid profiles, and lipidomes of S. latissima originating from three distinct locations (France, Norway, and the United Kingdom). Significant differences were found in the elemental composition, with Norwegian samples displaying twice the lipid content of the others, and significantly less protein (2.6%, while French and UK samples contained 6.3% and 9.1%, respectively). The fatty acid profiles also differed considerably, with UK samples displaying a lower content of n-3 fatty acids (21.6%), resulting in a higher n-6/n-3 ratio. Regarding the lipidomic profile, samples from France were enriched in lyso lipids, while those from Norway displayed a particular signature of phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, and phosphatidylcholine. Samples from the UK featured higher levels of phosphatidylethanolamine and, in general, a lower content of galactolipids. These differences highlight the influence of site-specific environmental conditions in the shaping of macroalgae biochemical phenotypes and nutritional value. It is also important to highlight that differences recorded in the lipidome of S. latissima make it possible to pinpoint specific lipid species that are likely to represent origin biomarkers. This finding is relevant for future applications in the field of geographic origin traceability and food control.