Niveles de burnout y de exposición a conflicto ético de los profesionales de enfermería de cuidados intensivos / Levels of burnout and exposure to ethical conflict and assessment of the practice environment in nursing professionals of intensive care

Introducción: Los profesionales de enfermería que trabajan en unidades de cuidados intensivos (UCI) poseen un alto riesgo de desarrollar respuestas emocionales negativas, así como problemas emocionales y espirituales relacionados con cuestiones éticas. El diseño de estrategias efectivas que mejoren estos aspectos viene determinado por el conocimiento de los niveles de burnout y conflicto ético de dichos profesionales, así como la influencia que el entorno de la práctica puede tener en ellos. Objetivo: Analizar la relación existente entre niveles de burnout, exposición a conflicto ético y la percepción del ambiente de la práctica entre sí y con las variables sociodemográficas de los diferentes profesionales de enfermería de cuidados intensivos. Metodología: Estudio transversal correlacional en una UCI de un hospital universitario de nivel terciario. Se evaluó el nivel de burnout con la escala Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human-Services Survey; el nivel de conflicto ético, con el cuestionario de conflictividad ética para enfermeros, y la percepción del entorno, con la escala Practice-Environment-Scale of the Nursing-Work-Index. La asociación entre variables categóricas ha sido analizada mediante el test exacto de Fisher de chi-cuadrado (χ2). Resultados: Se evaluaron 39 enfermeras y 8 auxiliares, obteniendo una tasa de participación del 82,93%. El 31,10% de los profesionales de enfermería presentaron signos de burnout, el 14,89% consideraron que trabajan en un entorno desfavorable y el 87,23% presentaron un índice de exposición a conflicto ético medio-alto.El nivel educativo (χ2=11,084, p=0,011) y la categoría profesional (χ2=5,007, p=0,025) influyeron en el nivel de burnout, presentando las auxiliares mayores niveles del mismo...(AU)

Background: Nursing professionals working in intensive care units (ICU) are at high risk of developing negative emotional responses as well as emotional and spiritual problems related to ethical issues. The design of effective strategies that improve these aspects is determined by knowing the levels of burnout and ethical conflict of these professionals, as well as the influence that the practice environment might have on them. Objectives: To analyze the relationship between levels of burnout, the exposure to ethical conflicts and the perception of the practice environment among themselves and with sociodemographic variables of the different intensive care nursing professionals. Methods: Descriptive, correlational, cross-sectional, observational study in an ICU of a tertiary level university hospital. The level of burnout was evaluated with the Maslach Burnout Inventory Human Services Survey scale; the level of ethical conflict with the Ethical Conflict Questionnaire for Nurses; and the perception of the environment with the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed. The association between categorical variables was analyzed using Fisher's exact chi-square test (χ2). Results: 31 nurses and 8 nursing assistants were evaluated, which meant a participation rate of 82.93%. 31.10% of the nursing professionals presented signs of burnout, 14.89% considered that they work in an unfavorable environment and 87.23% presented a medium-high index of exposure to ethical conflict. The educational level (χ2=11.084, P=.011) and the professional category (χ2=5.007, P=.025) influenced the level of burnout: nursing assistants presented higher levels of this. When comparing the level of burnout with the environment and the index of ethical conflict, there were no statistically significant differences...(AU)

Levels of burnout and exposure to ethical conflict and assessment of the practice environment in nursing professionals of intensive care.

BACKGROUND: Nursing professionals working in Intensive Care Units (ICU) are at high risk of developing negative emotional responses as well as emotional and spiritual problems related to ethical issues. The design of effective strategies that improve these aspects is determined by knowing the levels of burnout and ethical conflict of these professionals, as well as the influence that the practice environment might have on them. OBJECTIVES: To analyze the relationship between levels of burnout, the exposure to ethical conflicts and the perception of the practice environment among themselves and with sociodemographic variables of the different intensive care nursing professionals. METHODS: Descriptive, correlational, cross-sectional, observational study in an ICU of a tertiary level university hospital. The level of burnout was evaluated with the Maslach Burnout Inventory Human Services Survey scale; the level of ethical conflict with the Ethical Conflict Questionnaire for Nurses and the perception of the environment with the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed. The association between categorical variables was analyzed using Fisher's exact chi-square test (χ2) RESULTS: 31 nurses and 8 nursing assistants were evaluated, which meant a participation rate of 82,93%. 31,10% of the nursing professionals presented signs of burnout, 14,89% considered that they work in an unfavorable environment and 87,23% presented a medium-high index of exposure to ethical conflict. The educational level (χ2=11.084, p=0.011) and the professional category (χ2=5.007, p=0.025) influenced the level of burnout: nursing assistants presented higher levels of this. When comparing the level of burnout with the environment and the index of ethical conflict, there were no statistically significant differences. CONCLUSIONS: The absence of association found in the study between Burnout and ethical conflict with the perception of the practice environment suggests that personal factors may influence its development.

[E-consultation as a tool for the relationship between Primary Care and Endocrinology. Impact of COVID-19 epidemic in its use]. / La e-consulta como herramienta para la relación entre Atención Primaria y Endocrinología. Impacto de la epidemia por COVID-19 en su uso.

INTRODUCTION: Electronic consultation (eConsultation) can precede, complete, or replace visits to the specialist. OBJECTIVE: To describe the profile of eConsultations issued from Primary Care (PC) to the Endocrinology Unit since their implementation in our hospital, to assess the response time and to evaluate changes in trends in relation to the COVID19 pandemic. A secondary objective is to evaluate the degree of satisfaction of PC specialists with this tool. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An observational retrospective study of Endocrinology eConsultations conducted from June 2019 to October 2020 analysing 2periods: pre-COVID and post-COVID. The degree of satisfaction of the Family and Community Medicine specialists was assessed by means of a questionnaire. RESULTS: 391 eConsultations were answered (69 pre-COVID and 322 post-COVID). The response time was less than 24h in 85% of them. A total of 35.3% were resolved without the need for visits or additional tests. Thyroid pathology was the most consulted. The incidence was significantly higher in the post-COVID period. The proportion of high resolution was significantly higher in the pre-COVID period. There were no differences in the rest of the parameters analysed in both periods. Thirty-nine point 2percent of PC specialists answered the survey. The degree of satisfaction of PC specialists was high. A total of 92.7% considered that the tool met their expectations and 90.5% were satisfied or very satisfied with its use. CONCLUSION: The COVID epidemic has driven the use of eConsultation in Endocrinology, which makes it possible to precede, complete or replace visits to the specialist, with a high degree of user satisfaction.

Hidden order across online extremist movements can be disrupted by nudging collective chemistry.

Disrupting the emergence and evolution of potentially violent online extremist movements is a crucial challenge. Extremism research has analyzed such movements in detail, focusing on individual- and movement-level characteristics. But are there system-level commonalities in the ways these movements emerge and grow? Here we compare the growth of the Boogaloos, a new and increasingly prominent U.S. extremist movement, to the growth of online support for ISIS, a militant, terrorist organization based in the Middle East that follows a radical version of Islam. We show that the early dynamics of these two online movements follow the same mathematical order despite their stark ideological, geographical, and cultural differences. The evolution of both movements, across scales, follows a single shockwave equation that accounts for heterogeneity in online interactions. These scientific properties suggest specific policies to address online extremism and radicalization. We show how actions by social media platforms could disrupt the onset and 'flatten the curve' of such online extremism by nudging its collective chemistry. Our results provide a system-level understanding of the emergence of extremist movements that yields fresh insight into their evolution and possible interventions to limit their growth.

Hidden resilience and adaptive dynamics of the global online hate ecology.

Online hate and extremist narratives have been linked to abhorrent real-world events, including a current surge in hate crimes1-6 and an alarming increase in youth suicides that result from social media vitriol7; inciting mass shootings such as the 2019 attack in Christchurch, stabbings and bombings8-11; recruitment of extremists12-16, including entrapment and sex-trafficking of girls as fighter brides17; threats against public figures, including the 2019 verbal attack against an anti-Brexit politician, and hybrid (racist-anti-women-anti-immigrant) hate threats against a US member of the British royal family18; and renewed anti-western hate in the 2019 post-ISIS landscape associated with support for Osama Bin Laden's son and Al Qaeda. Social media platforms seem to be losing the battle against online hate19,20 and urgently need new insights. Here we show that the key to understanding the resilience of online hate lies in its global network-of-network dynamics. Interconnected hate clusters form global 'hate highways' that-assisted by collective online adaptations-cross social media platforms, sometimes using 'back doors' even after being banned, as well as jumping between countries, continents and languages. Our mathematical model predicts that policing within a single platform (such as Facebook) can make matters worse, and will eventually generate global 'dark pools' in which online hate will flourish. We observe the current hate network rapidly rewiring and self-repairing at the micro level when attacked, in a way that mimics the formation of covalent bonds in chemistry. This understanding enables us to propose a policy matrix that can help to defeat online hate, classified by the preferred (or legally allowed) granularity of the intervention and top-down versus bottom-up nature. We provide quantitative assessments for the effects of each intervention. This policy matrix also offers a tool for tackling a broader class of illicit online behaviours21,22 such as financial fraud.

Emergent dynamics of extremes in a population driven by common information sources and new social media algorithms.

We quantify how and when extreme subpopulations emerge in a model society despite everyone having the same information and available resources - and show that counterintuitively these extremes will likely be enhanced over time by new social media algorithms designed to reduce division. We verify our analysis mathematically, and show it reproduces (a) the time-dependent behavior observed in controlled experiments on humans, (b) the findings of a recent study of online behavior by Facebook concerning the impact of 'soft' and 'hard' news, (c) the observed temporal emergence of extremes in U.S. House of Representatives voting, and (d) the real-time emergence of a division in national opinion during the ongoing peace process in Colombia. We uncover a novel societal tipping point which is a 'ghost' of a nearby saddle-node bifurcation from dynamical systems theory, and which provides a novel policy opportunity for preventing extremes from emerging.

Multiscale dynamical network mechanisms underlying aging of an online organism from birth to death.

We present the continuous-time evolution of an online organism network from birth to death which crosses all organizational and temporal scales, from individual components through to the mesoscopic and entire system scale. These continuous-time data reveal a lifespan driven by punctuated, real-time co-evolution of the structural and functional networks. Aging sees these structural and functional networks gradually diverge in terms of their small-worldness and eventually their connectivity. Dying emerges as an extended process associated with the formation of large but disjoint functional sub-networks together with an increasingly detached core. Our mathematical model quantifies the very different impacts that interventions will have on the overall lifetime, period of initial growth, peak of potency, and duration of old age, depending on when and how they are administered. In addition to their direct relevance to online extremism, our findings may offer insight into aging in other network systems of comparable complexity for which extensive in vivo data is not yet available.

Relationship of bovinemetric measurements and their proportion to Senepol animals' weight in Colombia / Relación de medidas bovinométricas y su proporcionalidad con el peso de animales Senepol en Colombia

ABSTRACT Objective. Evaluate the relationship between bovinemetric measurements and their proportion to the living weight of Senepol registered animals in Colombia. Materials and Methods. An analysis of variance of the weight and bovinemetric measurements was conducted on 1.402 animals, with information gathered on the technical visits (from 2008 to 2014) to 63 ranches belonging to ASOSENEPOL, located at the regions of: Caribbean, Interandean and Orinoquia - Amazonia Valleys. The animals were classified under sex, region and age group, and an analysis of multiple regression was made in order to select the bovinemetric measurements with the greatest effect on weight (p<0.0001). Results. In females: hip width and rump length were significant (p<0.0001). In males: hip width, rump length, rump height, body length and pin bone width were significant (p<0.0001). The variation in weight for females was related to bovinemetric measurements associated to meat production (thoracic perimeter, body length and rump height), with easy calving (hip width, pin bone width and rump length). For males, the variation in weight was observed in bovinemetric measurements associated to meat production like hip width, pin bone width, rump length, and testicular circumference. Conclusions. Bovinemetric measurements and weight differed among groups of present study, due to environmental factors, such as region, animal age and sex.

RESUMEN Objetivo. Evaluar la relación de las medidas bovinométricas y su proporcionalidad con el peso vivo de animales Senepol registrados en Colombia. Materiales y Métodos. Se realizó un análisis de varianza del peso y medidas bovinométricas para 1.402 animales mediante información recopilada durante las visitas técnicas entre los años 2008 a 2014, en 63 haciendas pertenecientes a ASOSENEPOL, ubicadas en las regiones: Caribe, Valles Interandinos y Orinoquía - Amazonía. Se clasificaron los animales en grupos por sexo, región y grupo etario, se realizó un análisis de regresión múltiple, con el fin de seleccionar las medidas bovinométricas con mayor efecto sobre el peso (p<0.0001). Resultados. En hembras: amplitud de cadera y longitud del anca (p<0.0001). En machos: amplitud de cadera, longitud del anca, altura al sacro, longitud corporal y amplitud de isquiones (p<0.0001). La variabilidad de peso entre hembras se relacionó a medidas bovinométricas asociadas a producción de carne (perímetro torácico, longitud corporal y altura al sacro) con facilidad de parto (amplitud de cadera, amplitud de isquiones, longitud del anca). Para machos, la variabilidad de peso se observó en las medidas asociadas a producción cárnica como amplitud de cadera, amplitud de isquiones, longitud del anca y circunferencia testicular. Conclusiones. Las medidas bovinométricas y el peso difirieron entre los grupos del presente estudio, por factores ambientales de entorno como la región, la edad del animal y el sexo.

Incidencia de cáncer en pacientes ambulatorios con enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica / Incidence of cancer in outpatients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Introducción. La relación entre la enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica (EPOC) y la incidencia global de cáncer es poco conocida. El objetivo del estudio fue analizar la incidencia de cáncer (tanto de localización pulmonar como extrapulmonar) en pacientes con EPOC en seguimiento en una consulta ambulatoria especializada, así como valorar su relación con el grado de obstrucción al flujo aéreo. Metodología. Estudio observacional prospectivo de una cohorte de 308 pacientes con EPOC en seguimiento en consultas ambulatorias de neumología durante el periodo comprendido entre enero de 2012 y diciembre de 2015. Las neoplasias diagnosticadas en este periodo se dividieron en pulmonares y extrapulmonares. Resultados. Las tasas de incidencia global de cáncer, de cáncer de pulmón (CP) y de cáncer extrapulmonar fueron de 10,3, 3,4 y 7,3 casos por 1.000 pacientes EPOC-año, respectivamente. Los tumores más frecuentes fueron el CP (31%), los del tracto genitourinario (29%) y digestivo (21%). Los estadios leve-moderado (gradosI-II de la GOLD 2009) y el incremento del índice paquetes-año (IPA) se relacionaron con un aumento en la aparición de neoplasias con un odds ratio (OR) de 2,16 (intervalo de confianza al 95% [IC95%]: 1,087-4,309; p=0,026) y 1,01 (IC95%:1,002-1,031; p=0,023), respectivamente. Conclusión. La incidencia de cáncer de localización extrapulmonar en pacientes con EPOC duplica a la de CP. Los estadiosI-II de la GOLD 2009 y el IPA se relacionan de forma significativa con la aparición de neoplasias (AU)

Introduction. The relationship between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and the overall incidence of cancer is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to analyse the incidence of cancer (pulmonary or extrapulmonary) in patients with COPD during follow-up in a specialised outpatient unit, as well as to assess its relationship with the degree of airflow obstruction. Methodology. A prospective observational study was conducted with a cohort of 308 patients with COPD in pulmonology outpatient follow-up consultations from January 2012 to December 2015. The diagnosed malignancies during this period were divided into pulmonary and extrapulmonary. Results. The overall incidence rate of cancer, lung cancer and extrapulmonary cancer were 10.3, 3.4 and 7.3 cases per 1,000 patients with COPD per year, respectively. The most common cancers were lung cancer (31%), genitourinary tract cancer (29%) and gastrointestinal cancer (21%). Mild-moderate stages (gradeI-II of the 2009 GOLD classification) and the increase in the pack-year index (PYI) were related to an increase in the onset of malignancies, with an odds ratio (OR) of 2.16 (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.087-4.309; P=.026) and 1.01 (95% CI: 1.002-1.031; P=.023), respectively. Conclusion. The incidence of extrapulmonary cancer in patients with COPD was twice that of lung cancer; stagesI-II of the 2009 GOLD classification and the PYI were significantly related to the onset of malignancies (AU)

Incidence of cancer in outpatients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. / Incidencia de cáncer en pacientes ambulatorios con enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica.

INTRODUCTION: The relationship between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and the overall incidence of cancer is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to analyse the incidence of cancer (pulmonary or extrapulmonary) in patients with COPD during follow-up in a specialised outpatient unit, as well as to assess its relationship with the degree of airflow obstruction. METHODOLOGY: A prospective observational study was conducted with a cohort of 308 patients with COPD in pulmonology outpatient follow-up consultations from January 2012 to December 2015. The diagnosed malignancies during this period were divided into pulmonary and extrapulmonary. RESULTS: The overall incidence rate of cancer, lung cancer and extrapulmonary cancer were 10.3, 3.4 and 7.3 cases per 1,000 patients with COPD per year, respectively. The most common cancers were lung cancer (31%), genitourinary tract cancer (29%) and gastrointestinal cancer (21%). Mild-moderate stages (gradeI-II of the 2009 GOLD classification) and the increase in the pack-year index (PYI) were related to an increase in the onset of malignancies, with an odds ratio (OR) of 2.16 (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.087-4.309; P=.026) and 1.01 (95% CI: 1.002-1.031; P=.023), respectively. CONCLUSION: The incidence of extrapulmonary cancer in patients with COPD was twice that of lung cancer; stagesI-II of the 2009 GOLD classification and the PYI were significantly related to the onset of malignancies.

Impact of 13-valent pneumococal conjugate polysaccharide vaccination in exacerbations rate of COPD patients with moderate to severe obstruction. / Impacto de la vacunación neumocócica de polisacáridos conjugados 13-valente en las exacerbaciones de pacientes con enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica con obstrucción al flujo aéreo moderada-muy grave.

OBJECTIVE: One of the major microorganisms described as the cause of exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is Streptococcus pneumoniae. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate polysaccharide vaccine (PCV13) on COPD patients with regard to the development of exacerbations and the possible differential effect according to the patient's phenotype. METHODS: Prospective observational study of patients with COPD and FEV1 ≤ 65% and 18-month follow-up. Main variables: vaccination status with PCV13, phenotype "exacerbator" or "non-exacerbator", number of exacerbations, hospitalization and deaths. A descriptive statistical analysis was performed according to the nature of the variable and an inferential analysis with CI95%, bivariate contrasts, and multivariate analysis. Significance level 5%. The statistical packages EPIDAT 3.0 and SPSS version 21.0 were used. RESULTS: 121 patients were included. Twenty-four percent were labeled as phenotype exacerbator. 36% were vaccinated with PCV13. During follow-up, 68% of patients had at least one exacerbation and 27% required hospitalization. We observed similarity (p> 0.05) in the number of exacerbations and deaths; however, the percentage of hospitalization in the vaccinated was 18%, compared to 32% in the non-vaccinated group. In the multivariate adjustment (controlling for the phenotype), an adjusted OR of 2.77 risk of hospitalization was observed in the non-vaccinated group (p = 0.044). CONCLUSIONS: Non-vaccination with PCV13 almost triples the risk of hospitalization in patients with COPD.

Simple visit behavior unifies complex Zika outbreaks.

New outbreaks of Zika in the U.S. are imminent. Human nature dictates that many individuals will continue to revisit affected 'Ground Zero' patches, whether out of choice, work or family reasons - yet this feature is missing from traditional epidemiological analyses. Here we show that this missing visit-revisit mechanism is by itself capable of explaining quantitatively the 2016 human Zika outbreaks in all three Ground Zero patches. Our findings reveal counterintuitive ways in which this human flow can be managed to tailor any future outbreak's duration, severity and time-to-peak. Effective public health planning can leverage these results to impact the evolution of future outbreaks via soft control of the overall human flow, as well as to suggest best-practice visitation behavior for local residents.

The use of gelatine in long-term storage (up to 48 hr) at 5°C preserves the pre-freezing and post-thawing quality of brown bear sperm.

Sedimentation of spermatozoa occurs during long-term liquid storage and this may produce deleterious changes. Our aim was to apply gelatine supplementation during long-term pre-freezing storage of bear sperm, applying final dilution and 6% glycerol at room temperature and cool in straws. We tested four models of sperm storage using a 1:1 dilution in TTF-ULE-Bear extender (TesT-fructose-egg yolk-glycerol 6%): (i) second 1:1 dilution at room temperature (RT), cooling at 5°C in a tube and final dilution (100 × 10(6)  sperm ml(-1) ) (Standard); (ii) final dilution at RT and cooling in a tube (FD-Tube); (iii) final dilution at RT and cooling in 0.25 ml plastic straw (FD-Straw); and (iv) final dilution at RT in extender supplemented with 1.5% gelatine (Gelatine) and cooling in a 0.25 ml plastic straw. A Standard sample was stored at 5°C for 1 hr (Control); the rest of the samples (Standard, FD-Tube, FD-Straw, Gelatine) were stored for 24 or 48 hrs before freezing (100 × 10(6)  sperm ml(-1) , glycerol 6%). The quality of the samples was assessed for motility by CASA, and viability (SYBR-14/propidium iodide-PI-; VIAB), acrosomal status (PNA-FITC/PI; iACR) and apoptotic status (YO-PRO-1/PI; YOPRO-) by flow cytometry. At pre-freezing, after 48 hr, Gelatine showed significantly higher viability (for VIAB and YOPRO-) and progressiveness (PM, LIN and STR). At 48 hr, Gelatine showed similar YOPRO-, iACR, LIN, STR and ALH respect to Control. At both 24 and 48 h post-thawing, Gelatine sample had similar scores for YOPRO-, iACR, LIN, STR, WOB and VIAB (only 24 hr) when compared with Control, and lower for TM, PM, rapidPM, VAP and ALH. No differences were found among others experimental groups with respect to Control. In conclusion, gelatine could be a suitable alternative to preserve the viability and progressive motility of brown bear ejaculates during long-term pre-freezing storage at 5°C.

New online ecology of adversarial aggregates: ISIS and beyond.

Support for an extremist entity such as Islamic State (ISIS) somehow manages to survive globally online despite considerable external pressure and may ultimately inspire acts by individuals having no history of extremism, membership in a terrorist faction, or direct links to leadership. Examining longitudinal records of online activity, we uncovered an ecology evolving on a daily time scale that drives online support, and we provide a mathematical theory that describes it. The ecology features self-organized aggregates (ad hoc groups formed via linkage to a Facebook page or analog) that proliferate preceding the onset of recent real-world campaigns and adopt novel adaptive mechanisms to enhance their survival. One of the predictions is that development of large, potentially potent pro-ISIS aggregates can be thwarted by targeting smaller ones.

Effect of colloid (Androcoll-Bear, Percoll, and PureSperm) selection on the freezability of brown bear (Ursus arctos) sperm.

The development of a species-specific conservation protocol that involves artificial insemination with frozen semen needs to validate an effective methodology for freezing semen. Colloid centrifugation has been suggested and widely applied as an effective tool for selecting animal spermatozoa for artificial breeding. The objective of the present study was to compare different methods of centrifugation, single layer using Androcoll-Bear and Percoll and double layer using PureSperm 100 (in two different discontinuous gradients 40%-80% and 45%-90%), for the selection of fresh brown bear sperm samples. In the before freezing group, all selected samples showed a higher progressive motility and viability (except Percoll for motility 43.0 ± 5.3 [P < 0.05]); all colloids except PureSperm 45/90% rendered samples with fewer damaged acrosomes. In the after thawing group, all tested centrifugation colloids showed a good capacity to decrease the number of damaged acrosomes. Furthermore, PureSperm treatment (45/90%) resulted in an increase in apoptotic-like changes not only immediately after thawing but also after the incubation test, leading us to suggest that this gradient could induce some kind of deleterious effects on the sperm samples. On the other hand, PureSperm treatment (40/80%) yielded a quality preservation capacity similar to Androcoll-Bear in number of damaged acrosomes, different relative to the control (control, 5.3 ± 0.6; PureSperm 80, 2.0 ± 0.3; Androcoll, 2.1 ± 0.9 [P < 0.05]) but a decrease in the number of viable spermatozoa recovered after thawing relative to the control (control, 21.2 ± 3.1; PureSperm 80, 13.7 ± 2.7 [P < 0.05]). In conclusion, Androcoll-Bear constitutes a useful tool for handling of brown bear ejaculates owing to its simple handling and procedure with a reliable sperm selection and freezability. This colloid yielded an improvement in several sperm parameters in brown bear frozen-thawed semen; the selected spermatozoa of fresh samples with this colloid showed a better resistance to freezing compared with the control sample not only for motility but also for viability.

Optimization of conditions for long-term prefreezing storage of brown bear sperm before cryopreservation.

Brown bear ejaculates are usually collected in field conditions and may need to be shipped to a laboratory for the application of reproductive biotechnologies before cryopreservation. The aim of this study was to extend the prefreezing step to 48 hours (1 hour vs. long-term storage [LS] to 24 and 48 hours) to enable the sample to be transported. The effects of storage temperature (experiment 1), glycerol concentration (experiment 2), and dilution rate (experiment 3) on sperm were evaluated. Electroejaculates from brown bears were stored under different experimental conditions and cryopreserved. The sperm motility and viability, apoptotic status, and acrosomal status of sperm were assessed before freezing (prefreezing), after thawing, and after 2-hour incubation at 37 °C (thermal stress test). In all experiments, one control sample was frozen using a standard protocol (control). In experiment 1, three temperatures during LS with 6% glycerol were tested: 5 °C (T5), 15 °C (T15), and room temperature (RT). The LS-T5 sample yielded the highest postthawing results for viability (42.4%), progressive motility (15.6%), and intact acrosome (83.1%) after 24 hours in comparison with the other temperatures (P < 0.05); for 48 hours, the LS-T5 sample reached higher total and progressive motility (25.9% and 9%, respectively) and nonapoptotic values (36.5%). Recovery rates revealed susceptibility to freezing at LS-15 or LS-RT samples at 24 hours (viability) or 48 hours (viability and motility). In experiment 2, samples were stored at 5 °C up to 48 hours and three glycerol concentrations were evaluated: 0% (0Gly), 3% (3Gly), and 6% (6Gly). Postthawing viability and motility increased progressively with the percentage of glycerol for 24 hours at 5 °C; 6% glycerol during 48-hour storage had beneficial effects on sperm cryopreservation. Besides, 6% glycerol had a clearly superior freezability for viability (42.7% and 40.8% for 24 hours and 48 hours, respectively) and motility (24 hours: total, 44.1%; progressive, 17.1%; 48 hours: total, 38.4%; progressive, 16%). In experiment 3, samples were stored up to 48 hours at 5 °C with 6% of glycerol and two dilution methods were evaluated: dilution 1:1 (average: 1782 × 10(6) sperm/mL; low) or final dilution (100 × 10(6) sperm/mL; high). Both dilution rates showed similar postthawing and postincubation results within 24 hours of long-term storage. After 48 hours, high dilution supported better postthawing quality. Both dilutions showed similar resistance to cryopreservation, except after 48 hours, when the high dilution reached a higher percent recovery rate of viability (38.8% vs. 21.6%, P < 0.05). In conclusion, our results suggested that the best conditions for long-term prefreezing storage (up to 48 hours) of brown bear electroejaculates are at 5 °C, at a concentration of 100 × 10(6) sperm/mL, and with 6% glycerol.

Alternative procedures for the cryopreservation of brown bear ejaculates depending on the flexibility of the "in cooling" period (5°C).

The adaptability of cryopreservation protocols for brown bear spermatozoa collected under field conditions and frozen in a nearby laboratory (transported for a few hours) or shipped to a reference laboratory for sex sorting (transported for a few days) was evaluated. Forty-nine electroejaculates from 15 mature brown bears were extended to 100×10(6) sperm/mL in a TES-Tris-Fructose based extender and cryopreserved (-20°C/min to -100°C and stored at -196°C). After thawing, the quality of the seminal samples was assessed for total (TM), progressive (PM) motility and kinetic parameters - by CASA -, and viability (VIAB), viable and non-apoptotic status (YOPRO-), high membrane mitochondrial potential (MIT) and intact acrosomes (iACR) - by flow cytometry -. In Experiment 1, we assessed different storage times (0, 0.5, 1 - control -, 4-5, 7-8 and 11-12 h) at 5°C from final dilution to freezing. After thawing, non-equilibrated samples (0 h) showed lower values of iACR, TM and PM. No significant differences were found for the different periods of equilibration tested. In Experiment 2, we evaluated three long-term storage times (24, 48 and 72 h) at 5°C before freezing using storage for 1h as control. The post-thawing quality of brown bear spermatozoa declined markedly after 48-72 h of pre-freezing. In conclusion, our findings suggest the possibility of extending the pre-freezing cooling period up to 24h post-collection without freezing. This knowledge should enable the adaptation of the freezing protocols for when a special handling conditions are required such as the shipment of seminal samples to technological centers for the pre-freezing application of enhancer spermatic biotechnologies.

Perturbation of the indigenous rat oral microbiome by ciprofloxacin dosing.

Mucosal surfaces such as the gut, vagina and oral cavity are colonized by microbiota that are an integral component of the healthy ecosystem. Recent molecular techniques make it feasible to correlate antimicrobial dosing levels with changes in microbiome composition. The objective of this study was to characterize the rat oral plaque microbiome composition at doses of ciprofloxacin that were considerably above and below nominal in vitro minimal inhibitory concentrations of a variety of gram-positive oral commensal bacteria. We exposed the oral cavities of rats to relatively low (0.1 µg ml(-1) ) and high (20 µg ml(-1)) doses of ciprofloxacin in the drinking water over a 3-day period. Plaque microbiota were characterized using 454 pyrosequencing. The rat indigenous community was dominated by the genera Rothia (74.4%) and Streptococcus (4.7%). Dosing at 0.1 µg ml(-1) was associated with changes in Rothia and Streptococcus species that were not significant, whereas dosing at 20 µg ml(-1) caused a pronounced (significant) reduction in the relative abundance of the Streptococcus genus. Taxonomic independent analysis indicated that the perturbation in the overall community structure attributed to dosing with ciprofloxacin at either the low or high dose was relatively low. The results suggest that it is feasible to use an antimicrobial dosing regimen to selectively target a specific subset of a mucosal microbiome for elimination with minimal perturbation of the entire community.