POSSUM

Coal ash (CA) is an industrial waste product that has been shown to contain several neurotoxic constituents such as cadmium, selenium, mercury, lead, and arsenic. Contaminant-laced leachates enter the environment via seepage, runoff, permitted discharge, or accidental spills from CA storage ponds or landfills which may pose a risk to wildlife residing in receiving waterways. In this study, we assessed 1) the presence and concentration of thirteen trace elements (Al, Ca, Mg, Cr, Cd, As, Se, Pb, Cu, Zn, Mn, Fe, B) in surface water and sediment grab samples using ICP-OES, 2) the temporal variability of trace elements using Pb-210 dated sediment core samples, 3) differences in species diversity using environmental DNA (eDNA) analyses, and 4) the presence and concentration of trace metals in banded killifish (Fundulus diaphanus) epaxial muscle tissue collected from waterways surrounding the Possum Point Power Station (Stafford, VA)...

OBJECTIVE: Surgery for esophageal cancer is associated with high mortality and morbidity, especially in low and middle-income countries. The recent enhanced recovery after surgery guidelines for esophagectomy (2018) which attempt to reduce complications and length of stay (LOS) have rarely been validated in these settings. This study aimed to analyse the effect of this protocol on short-term outcomes in our subset of patients. METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted to investigate the outcomes of enhanced recovery protocol (ERP) compared to standard pre-protocol care (PP) in patients who underwent esophagectomy for cancer (31 in ERP vs 61 in PP group) at Cancer Research Institute, Uttarakhand, India...

Combining genome assembly with population and functional genomics can provide valuable insights to development and evolution, as well as tools for species management. Here, we present a chromosome-level genome assembly of the common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula), a model marsupial threatened in parts of their native range in Australia, but also a major introduced pest in New Zealand. Functional genomics reveals post-natal activation of chemosensory and metabolic genes, reflecting unique adaptations to altricial birth and delayed weaning, a hallmark of marsupial development...

The interplay between ambient temperature and nutrition in wild herbivores is frequently overlooked, despite the fundamental importance of food. We tested whether different ambient temperatures (10°C, 18°C and 26°C) influenced the intake of protein by a marsupial herbivore, the common brushtail possum ( Trichosurus vulpecula ). At each temperature, possums were offered a choice of two foods containing different amounts of protein (57% versus 8%) for one week. Animals mixed a diet with a lower proportion of protein to non-protein (P : NP, 0...

The Leadbeater's possum ( Gymnobelideus leadbeateri ) is a critically endangered nocturnal marsupial with a restricted range in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. There are two genetically distinct populations divided by location: highland and lowland. Lowland possums exist in one remnant swamp forest and entered captivity in 2012 when ∼60 individuals remained. Today, with less than 20 lowland individuals remaining, any information that informs the yet-unsuccessful breeding program is critical...

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a zoonotic bacterial disease presenting public health, veterinary, and economic threats around the globe. Although cattle producers rely on regular testing and management practices to minimize domestic herd exposure, wildlife species around the world continue to be the main reservoirs for disease. Wildlife reservoirs for bTB include the Eurasian badger (Meles meles) in Great Britain and Ireland, the brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) in New Zealand, wild boar (Sus scrofa) in Spain, as well as white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in the United States and red deer (Cervus elaphus) in Spain...

To examine protective and risk factors for Buruli ulcer (BU), we conducted a case-control study of 245 adult BU cases and 481 postcode-matched controls across BU-endemic areas of Victoria, Australia. We calculated age- and sex-adjusted odds ratios for socio-environmental, host, and behavioral factors associated with BU by using conditional logistic regression. Odds of BU were >2-fold for persons with diabetes mellitus and persons working outdoors who had soil contact in BU-endemic areas (compared with indoor work) but were lower among persons who had bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccinations...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The Portsmouth-Physiological and Operative Severity Score for the enumeration of Mortality and Morbidity (P-POSSUM) is one of the scores that is used most frequently for determining the likelihood of mortality in patients undergoing emergency laparotomy. National Emergency Laparotomy Audit (NELA) presents a novel and validated score. Therefore, we aimed to compare the performance of the NELA and P-POSSUM mortality risk scores in predicting 30-day and 90-day mortality in patients undergoing emergency laparotomy...

Critical data on the impacts of fluoride (F) in food systems along the Eastern Africa Rift Valley System (EARS) is needed for public health risk assessment and for the development of strategies for ameliorating its deleterious effects among the affected communities. Long-term F overexposure causes dental and skeletal fluorosis, and leads to neurotoxicity, which impacts several important body functions. Investigating F exposure pathways is of essence to inform and safeguard public health of the affected communities...

BACKGROUND: As the perioperative risk of elderly patients with extremely unstable hip fractures (EUHFs) is relatively high and therapeutic effect is not satisfactory, new thera-peutic strategies need to be proposed urgently to improve the efficacy and clinical outcomes of such patients. AIM: To determine the influence of two surgical treatment modalities on postoperative cognitive function (CF) and delirium in elderly patients with EUHFs. METHODS: A total of 60 elderly patients consecutively diagnosed with EUHF between September 2020 and January 2022 in the Chongqing University Three Gorges Hospital were included...

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There has been a recent upsurge in human cases of leptospirosis in New Zealand, with wildlife a suspected emerging source, but up-to-date knowledge on this topic is lacking. We conducted a cross-sectional study in two farm environments to estimate Leptospira seroprevalence in wildlife and sympatric livestock, PCR/culture prevalence in wildlife, and compare seroprevalence and prevalence between species, sex, and age groups. Traps targeting house mice (Mus musculus), black rats (Rattus rattus), hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) and brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) were set for 10 trap-nights in March-April 2017 on a dairy (A) and a beef and sheep (B) farm...

Marsupostrongylus spp. are the metastrongyloid nematodes most commonly associated with verminous pneumonia in Australian marsupials. Currently, there is a scarcity of information regarding this parasite in the common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula). Thirty-four free-living possums submitted to two wildlife hospitals in Sydney, Australia, between 2008 and 2015 were diagnosed with verminous pneumonia on postmortem examination. The majority of possums presented ill with multiple comorbidities. However, only five cases had clinical signs of respiratory disease...

Bovine tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium bovis, has a unique and complex ecology in New Zealand. Unlike elsewhere in the world, the disease is maintained in Australian brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) and so they are considered a vector for disease transmission in New Zealand. Possums were initially introduced to the country in the 1800's to establish a fur industry but later becoming a recognized pest to native New Zealand flora and fauna. The TB programme in New Zealand (TBFree NZ Ltd) is managed by a not-for-profit limited company partnership between primary industries and government (OSPRI - Operational Solutions for Primary Industries) that uses the basic tenets of disease management, movement control and vector control to eliminate TB in farmed cattle and deer...

OBJECTIVE: We set out to assess the performance of the P-POSSUM and NELA risk prediction tool (NELA RPT), and hypothesized that combining them with the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) would significantly improve their performance. Emergency laparotomy (EL) is a high-risk surgical intervention, particularly for elderly patients with marked comorbidities and frailty. Accurate risk prediction is crucial for appropriate resource allocation, clinical decision making, and informed consent. Although patient frailty is a significant risk factor, the current risk prediction tools fail to take frailty into account...

AIMS: To apply molecular typing to DNA isolated from historical samples to determine Leptospira spp. infecting farmed and wild mammals in New Zealand. MATERIALS AND METHODS: DNA samples used in this study were extracted from urine, serum or kidney samples (or Leptospira spp. cultures isolated from them) collected between 2007 and 2017 from a range of domestic and wildlife mammalian species as part of different research projects at Massey University. Samples were included in the study if they met one of three criteria: samples that tested positive with a lipL32 PCR for pathogenic Leptospira ; samples that tested negative by lipL32 PCR but were recorded as positive to PCR for pathogenic Leptospira in the previous studies; or samples that were PCR-negative in all studies but were from animals with positive agglutination titres against serogroup Tarassovi...

BACKGROUND: Surgical risk prediction tools can facilitate shared decision-making and efficient allocation of perioperative resources. Such tools should be externally validated in target populations before implementation. METHODS: Predicted risk of 30-day mortality was retrospectively derived for surgical patients at Royal Perth Hospital from 2014 to 2021 using the Surgical Outcome Risk Tool (SORT) and the related NZRISK ( n =44 031, 53 395 operations). In a sub-population ( n =31 153), the Physiology and Operative Severity Score for the enumeration of Mortality (POSSUM) and the Portsmouth variant of this (P-POSSUM) were matched from the Copeland Risk Adjusted Barometer (C2-Ai, Cambridge, UK)...

INTRODUCTION: Patients with ovarian cancer who undergo multivisceral surgery usually require intensive care monitoring postoperatively. In view of the ever-fewer numbers of high-care/intensive care beds and the introduction of fast-track treatment concepts, it is increasingly being suggested that these patients should be cared for postoperatively in 24-h Post Anesthesia Care Units (PACU24). No analyses have been carried out to date to investigate whether such a postoperative care concept might be associated with a potential increase in postoperative complications in this patient cohort...

BACKGROUND: Oesophageal cancer is the eighth most common malignancy worldwide and is associated with a poor prognosis. Oesophagectomy remains the best prospect for a cure if diagnosed in the early disease stages. However, the procedure is associated with significant morbidity and mortality and is undertaken only after careful consideration. Appropriate patient selection, counselling and resource allocation is essential. Numerous risk models have been devised to guide surgeons in making these decisions...

Carnivores fulfil important ecological roles in natural systems yet can also jeopardise the persistence of threatened species. Understanding their diet is, therefore, essential for managing populations of carnivores, as well as those of their prey. This study was designed to better understand the diet of an Australian apex predator, the dingo, and determine whether it poses a threat to at-risk small macropods in two floristically different yet geographically close reserves in subtropical Australia. Based on an analysis of 512 scats, dingo diets comprised 34 different prey taxa, of which 50% were common between reserves...