A Palaearctic migratory raptor species tracks shifting prey availability within its wintering range in the Sahel.

Mid-winter movements of up to several hundreds of kilometres are typical for many migratory bird species wintering in Africa. Unpredictable temporary food concentrations are thought to result in random movements of such birds, whereas resightings and recoveries of marked birds suggest some degree of site fidelity. Only detailed (e.g. satellite) tracking of individual migrants can reveal the relative importance and the causes of site choice flexibility and fidelity. The present study investigates how mid-winter movements of a Palaearctic-African migratory raptor, Montagu's harrier Circus pygargus, in the Sahel of West Africa are related to the availability of food resources. Thirty harriers breeding or hatched in northern Europe were satellite tracked (2005-2009). On average, four home ranges, each separated by c. 200 km, were visited during one overwinter stay in the Sahel. Wintering home ranges were similar in size to breeding season home ranges (average over wintering and breeding home range size c. 200 km(2) ), and harriers showed high site fidelity between years. Most preferred habitat types in the Sahel were mosaics of grass- and cropland, indicating similar habitat preferences in both the breeding- and wintering seasons. The main prey of Montagu's harriers in the Sahel were grasshoppers Acrididae. Highest grasshopper numbers in the field occurred at relatively low vegetation greenness [normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) values 0.17-0.27]. We used NDVI as a proxy of food availability for harriers. During their overwinter stay, Montagu's harriers moved in a South-South-western direction between consecutive home ranges. The birds selected areas within the range of NDVI values associated with high grasshopper numbers, thus tracking a 'green belt' of predictable changes in highest grasshopper availability. Contrary to earlier hypotheses of random movements in the Sahelian-wintering quarters, the present study shows that Montagu's harriers visited distinct home ranges, they were site-faithful and tracked seasonal changes in food availability related to previous rainfall patterns, caused by the shifting Intertropical Convergence Zone. Itinerancy may be the rule rather than an exception among insectivorous birds wintering in African savannahs.

Forecast analysis of the incidence of tuberculosis in the province of Quebec.

BACKGROUND: While the overall population prevalence of tuberculosis in Quebec has been declining for many years, tuberculosis is still disproportionately more prevalent among the immigrant and Inuit communities. As such, the aim of this study was to forecast the incidence of tuberculosis in the Province of Quebec over time in order to examine the possible impact of future preventative and treatment programs geared to reducing such disparities. METHODS: A compartmental differential equation based on a Susceptible Exposed Latent Infectious Recovered (SELIR) model was simulated using the Euler method using Visual Basic for Applications in Excel. Demographic parameters were obtained from census data for the Province of Quebec and the model was fitted to past epidemiological data to extrapolate future values over the period 2015 to 2030. RESULTS: The trend of declining tuberculosis rates will continue in the general population, falling by 42% by 2030. The incidence among immigrants will decrease but never vanish, and may increase in the future. Among the Inuit, the incidence is expected to increase, reaching a maximum and then stabilizing, although if re-infection is taken into account it may continue to increase. Tuberculosis among non-indigenous Canadian born persons will continue to decline, with the disease almost eradicated in that group in the mid 21st century. CONCLUSIONS: While the incidence of tuberculosis in the Province of Quebec is expected to decrease overall, certain populations will remain at risk.

Genetic diversity in global populations of the critically endangered addax (Addax nasomaculatus) and its implications for conservation.

Threatened species are frequently patchily distributed across small wild populations, ex situ populations managed with varying levels of intensity and reintroduced populations. Best practice advocates for integrated management across in situ and ex situ populations. Wild addax (Addax nasomaculatus) now number fewer than 100 individuals, yet 1000 of addax remain in ex situ populations, which can provide addax for reintroductions, as has been the case in Tunisia since the mid-1980s. However, integrated management requires genetic data to ascertain the relationships between wild and ex situ populations that have incomplete knowledge of founder origins, management histories, and pedigrees. We undertook a global assessment of genetic diversity across wild, ex situ and reintroduced populations in Tunisia to assist conservation planning for this Critically Endangered species. We show that the remnant wild populations retain more mitochondrial haplotypes that are more diverse than the entirety of the ex situ populations across Europe, North America and the United Arab Emirates, and the reintroduced Tunisian population. Additionally, 1704 SNPs revealed that whilst population structure within the ex situ population is minimal, each population carries unique diversity. Finally, we show that careful selection of founders and subsequent genetic management is vital to ensure genetic diversity is provided to, and minimize drift and inbreeding within reintroductions. Our results highlight a vital need to conserve the last remaining wild addax population, and we provide a genetic foundation for determining integrated conservation strategies to prevent extinction and optimize future reintroductions.

[Pancreatic pseudocyst in children: about 7 cases]. / Le pseudokyste du pancréas chez l'enfant: à propos de 7 cas.

Pancreatic pseudocyst is a rare benign condition, in particular among children. It is an intra or extra pancreatic juice collection lacking of an epithelial lining. We conducted a retrospective study of 7 children whose medical record data were collected in the Department of Paediatric Surgery at the University Hospital Hassan II in Fez, over a period of 11 years, from 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2016. All children were male, their average age was 6.6 years (15 months - 12 years). An history of abdominal trauma was found in 4 cases, abdominal bloating, pain, vomiting and transit disorders were the primary reason for consultation. Clinical examination showed epigastric tenderness and an alteration of the general state in all cases. Abdominal ultrasound as well as abdominal CT scan helped to diagnose pancreatic pseudocyst before surgery. Six patients, out of a total of seven, underwent surgery; we opted for internal bypass (gastro-cystic anastomosis) in 4 cases, external bypass in 2 cases and therapeutic abstention in one case. Pancreatic pseudocysts are rare. Nevertheless, they are the most frequent (80% of pancreatic cystic lesions are pseudocysts and due to acute and/or chronic pancreatitis, pancreatic trauma or pancreatic ductal obstruction).

[Neonatal caecal perforation revealing congenital megacolon]. / Perforation cæcale néonatale inaugurale du diagnostic d'un mégacôlon congénital.

Spontaneous intestinal perforations are rare in a full term new-born. We report the case of an infant born at 41 weeks' gestation who, three days after birth, had pneumoperitoneum revealing congenital megacolon. Surgical exploration showed diastatic perforation of the cecum associated with a disparity in rectosigmoid caliber. The patient underwent emergency caecostomy after peritoneal washing. Histological examination of the biopsy specimens confirmed the diagnosis of congenital megacolon. The postoperative course was simple and radical treatment was performed six months later.

[Primary pseudotumoral calcinosis in children]. / Calcinose pseudo-tumorale primitive chez l'enfant.

Pseudotumoral calcinosis is a relatively rare benign tumor, characterized by calcium deposition in peri-articular soft tissues. We here report the case of a 15-year old boy with primary tumoral calcinosis of the left hip as well as a literature review. The patient underwent total mass resection. The postoperative course was simple. The patient showed no recurrence at 6-month follow-up.

[Tibial spine fractures in children]. / Fracture des épines tibiales chez l'enfant.

Tibial spine fractures are rare lesions which usually occur in adolescent athletes aged between 8 and 17 years. The treatment of displaced fractures requires surgical reduction and fixation in order to achieve adequate tension in the anterior cruciate ligament and to reduce the risk of laxity. This study aimed to report our experience in the treatment of tibial spine fractures in children. We conducted a retrospective study of 11 children with tibial spine fractures over a period of 7 years (2009-2016). The average age of our patients was 13 years and a half. A fall during sport was the main cause of tibial spine fractures in 73% of patients. Meyers and Mac Keever classification, modified by Zaricznyj, was used and allowed to classify the lesions into 4 types. Two cases were orthopedically treated while 9 cases underwent surgical reduction through arthrotomy and fixation using osteosuture. After an average follow-up of 3 years our results were good in 91% of cases, according to Lysholm functional score. Only one case with orthopedically treated type II fracture still had a mean Lysholm functional score. Surgical treatment for types II-IV fractures (with the exception of type I) should be used in order to ensure a good anterior cruciate ligament tonus. The prognosis of tibial spine fractures is good. Surgical reduction should be used when tibial spine fractures are associated with displacement in order to better verify anterior cruciate ligament integrity and to ensure a good knee stability.

[Lipoblastoma detected in older children: an unusual case and literature review]. / Lipoblastome découvert chez le grand enfant: description rare et revue de la littérature.

Lipoblastoma is a relatively rare benign tumor. It derives from embryonic white fat cells. It almost exclusively affects children less than 3 years of age. We report a case of lipoblastoma of the left thigh detected in an older child (11 years) and a literature review. Diagnosis was based on histology while surgical treatment was based on total resection of the mass. The postoperative course was simple with a follow-up period of 9 months.

Tuberculosis in quebec: a review of trends.

UNLABELLED: The aim of this research was to conduct a thorough review on the literature of tuberculosis in Canada and the Province of Quebec. To achieve this aim, an exhaustive literature review of tuberculosis in the Province of Quebec was undertaken. Data was collected with the goal of creating an epidemiological and public health evidence base to forecast the spread of tuberculosis. A keyword search strategy was used to find relevant articles from the peer-reviewed literature using the electronic search engine PubMed and a search of other relevant federal and provincial government databases. Twenty-nine peer-reviewed publications and twenty government reports containing information about the incidence or prevalence of tuberculosis in the Province of Quebec were included in the analysis. An analysis of the data revealed that while tuberculosis rates have been decreasing in both Canada and Quebec with an overall incidence below 3 per 100,000 of population in 2007, among immigrants and the Inuit communities in Quebec, the incidence and prevalence of the disease still remains high and reached 18 per 100,000 and 100 per 100,000, respectively in 2007. In general, while tuberculosis does not pose a significant burden to the general population, it does continue to affect certain sub-groups disproportionately, including select immigrants and Inuit communities in Quebec. Efforts to ensure that cost-effective healthcare interventions are delivered in a timely fashion should be pursued to reduce the associated morbidity and mortality of tuberculosis in the Province of Quebec. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: Funding for this research was provided to Medmetrics Inc., by McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Génome Québec and the Ministère de Développement Economique, Innovation et Exportation du Gouvernement du Québec. The authors also wish to thank Drs. John White and Marcel Behr, both of McGill University and Dr Suneil Malik of the Infectious Disease Program in the Office of Biotechnology, Genomics and Population Health at the Public Health Agency of Canada for comments and suggestions on earlier drafts of this manuscript.