Use of the traditional halibut hook of the Makah Tribe, the cibu.d, reduces bycatch in recreational halibut fisheries.

A previous study found that use of the traditional halibut hook (cibu.d) of the Makah Tribe in present day recreational Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) fisheries significantly reduced bycatch compared to paired 8/0 circle hooks. The study also found that the cibu.d had a significantly reduced catch of halibut, but that the reduction may have been due to manufacturing flaws in the cibu.d used in the study. In this two-phased study, we first compared the fishing performance of redesigned cibu.d made from four different materials: brass, stainless steel, plastic, and wood. In the second phase, we compared the fishing performance of the brass cibu.d with two common recreational fishing set-ups: a single large 16/0 circle hook and paired 8/0 circle hooks. The fishing performance of the redesigned cibu.d was not statistically different for cibu.d made of brass, stainless steel, or plastic. However, the cibu.d made from wood had significantly lower catch of halibut than the other cibu.d. We selected the brass cibu.d for the second phase of the study for continuity with the previous study of cibu.d and found that it had significantly less bycatch and a lower bycatch ratio than both the paired 8/0 and single 16/0 circle hooks. No significant differences were found in catch rates of halibut for paired 8/0 circle hooks, 16/0 circle hook, and the brass cibu.d. This study demonstrates that the improved catching performance of cibu.d on halibut and reduced bycatch compared to other popular approaches can be achieved by using brass cibu.d. Managers of recreational halibut fisheries should consider the use of cibu.d in areas where bycatch is a concern.

Resting state connectivity and cognitive performance in adults with cerebral autosomal-dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy.

Cognitive impairment is an inevitable feature of cerebral autosomal-dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL), affecting executive function, attention and processing speed from an early stage. Impairment is associated with structural markers such as lacunes, but associations with functional connectivity have not yet been reported. Twenty-two adults with genetically-confirmed CADASIL (11 male; aged 49.8 ± 11.2 years) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging at rest. Intrinsic attentional/executive networks were identified using group independent components analysis. A linear regression model tested voxel-wise associations between cognitive measures and component spatial maps, and Pearson correlations were performed with mean intra-component connectivity z-scores. Two frontoparietal components were associated with cognitive performance. Voxel-wise analyses showed an association between one component cluster and processing speed (left middle temporal gyrus; peak -48, -18, -14; ZE = 5.65, pFWE corr = 0.001). Mean connectivity in both components correlated with processing speed (r = 0.45, p = 0.043; r = 0.56, p = 0.008). Mean connectivity in one component correlated with faster Trailmaking B minus A time (r = -0.77, p < 0.001) and better executive performance (r = 0.56, p = 0.011). This preliminary study provides evidence for associations between cognitive performance and attentional network connectivity in CADASIL. Functional connectivity may be a useful biomarker of cognitive performance in this population.

Manifestaciones inusuales del feocromocitoma: Reporte de caso y revisión de la literatura / Unusual manifestations of phaeochromocytoma: A case report and a review of the literature

El feocromocitoma es un tumor de baja prevalencia que se origina en las células cromafines de la médula de las glándulas suprarrenales. Estos tumores como el tejido simpático normal se originan del neuroectodermo. La tríada clásica de presentación clínica es: hipertensión que puede ser persistente, paroxística o fluctuante, cefalea grave pulsátil acompañada de náuseas y/o vómito y palpitaciones con taquicardia o bradicardia refleja; pero también se pueden presentar un gran número de síntomas debido al exceso de catecolaminas plasmáticas, llegando incluso a producir un síndrome coronario agudo. Su diagnóstico se realiza por medio de la clínica (para la cual se requiere un alto grado de sospecha), el laboratorio y la imagenología. El tratamiento de elección es la resección quirúrgica del tumor por laparoscopia o cirugía abierta.

A phaeochromocytoma is a tumour of low prevalence that originates in the chromaffin cells of the medulla of the adrenal glands. These tumours, like normal sympathetic tissue, originate from neuroectoderm. The classic triad of clinical findings are: hypertension that can be persistent, paroxysmal or fluctuating, severe throbbing headache accompanied by nausea and/or vomiting, and palpitations with tachycardia or reflex bradycardia. It can also present with a myriad of symptoms due to the excess of plasma catecholamines, even producing an acute coronary syndrome. Diagnosis is made through the clinical (for which requires a high degree of suspicion), laboratory, and imaging findings. The treatment is surgical resection of the tumour by laparoscopy or open surgery.

Novel MRI detection of the ischemic penumbra: direct assessment of metabolic integrity.

We describe a novel magnetic resonance imaging technique to directly assess the metabolic integrity of penumbral tissue following stroke. For ischemically stressed tissue to be salvageable, it has to be capable of recovering aerobic metabolism (in place of anaerobic metabolism) on reperfusion. We probed ischemic brain tissue by altering the rate of oxygen delivery using a challenge of 100% oxygen ventilation. Any change from anaerobic to aerobic metabolism should alter the rate of lactate production and hence, levels of tissue lactate. Stroke was induced by permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion in rats. In Series 1 (n = 6), changes in tissue lactate during and following 100% oxygen challenge were monitored using (1)H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). Diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) and perfusion weighted imaging (PWI) were used to locate MRS voxels within the ischemic core, the homotopic contralateral striatum and within PWI/DWI mismatch (i.e. presumed penumbra). After 20 min of oxygen, lactate signal change was -16.1 ± 8.8% (mean ± SD) in PWI/DWI mismatch, +2.8 ± 5.1% in the ischemic core, and -0.6 ± 7.6% in the contralateral striatum. Return to air ventilation for 20 min resulted in a reversal, with lactate increasing by 46 ± 25.3% in the PWI/DWI mismatch, 6.6 ± 6.2% in the ischemic core, and -5 ± 11.4% in the contralateral striatum. In Series 2 (n = 6), a novel form of spectroscopic imaging was used to acquire lactate change maps to spatially identify regions of lactate change within the ischemic brain. This technique has potential clinical utility by identifying tissue that displays anaerobic metabolism capable of recovering aerobic metabolism when oxygen delivery is increased, which could provide a more precise assessment of penumbra.