11 research outputs found
Household crowding index: A correlate of socioeconomic status and inter-pregnancy spacing in an urban setting
No full textObjectives: This paper examines the effect of household crowding on inter-pregnancy spacing and its association with socioeconomic indicators, among porous mothers delivered in an urban environment. Design: Cross sectional survey. Methods: Sociodemographic data were obtained on 2466 porous women delivering at eight hospitals in Greater Beirut over a one year period. Statistical methodology comprised Pearson χ 2 test and logistic regression analysis. Main results: A significant inverse relation was observed between household crowding and socioeconomic status, defined as education and occupation of women and their spouses. Inter-pregnancy spacing increased with higher levels of crowding. Further analysis suggested that this positive association was confounded by maternal demographic characteristics. Conclusions: These data have shown that household crowding, a correlate of low parental socioeconomic status, is associated with longer birth intervals. This association, however, seems to be largely explained by maternal age and parity.Abebe GM, 1996, E AFR MED J, V73, P552; Bahamdan K, 1996, INT J DERMATOL, V35, P405, DOI 10.1111-j.1365-4362.1996.tb03020.x; Baker D, 1998, J EPIDEMIOL COMMUN H, V52, P451; Baum A, 1978, HUMAN RESPONSE CROWD, P3; BLAKE J, 1981, DEMOGRAPHY, V18, P421, DOI 10.2307-2060941; BRABACK L, 1995, ARCH DIS CHILD, V72, P487; CENTERWALL BS, 1995, JAMA-J AM MED ASSOC, V273, P1755, DOI 10.1001-jama.273.22.1755; COGGON D, 1993, J EPIDEMIOL COMMUN H, V47, P345, DOI 10.1136-jech.47.5.345; DELLORCO V, 1995, AM J EPIDEMIOL, V142, P419; DRUCKER E, 1994, LANCET, V343, P1482, DOI 10.1016-S0140-6736(94)92588-7; EDWARDS JN, 1994, HOUSEHOLD CROWDING I, P1; EDWARDS JN, 1994, HOUSEHOLD CROWING IT, P131; EDWARDS JN, 1992, SOC BIOL, V39, P212; FIKREE FF, 1994, B WORLD HEALTH ORGAN, V72, P581; Fikree Fariyal F., 1993, JPMA (Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association), V43, P230; Freedman J., 1975, CROWDING BEHAV, P1; Fuller TD, 1996, SOC SCI MED, V42, P265, DOI 10.1016-0277-9536(95)00089-5; GALLE OR, 1978, SOCIAL DEMOGRAPHY, P95; George D., 1999, SPSS WINDOWS STEP ST, P151; Grant JC, 1997, ANN HUM GENET, V61, P143; JOHNSON DR, 1976, MILBANK FUND Q, V54, P321, DOI 10.2307-3349602; Keles N, 1999, ARCH ENVIRON HEALTH, V54, P48; KIEFFER EC, 1993, SOC SCI MED, V36, P557, DOI 10.1016-0277-9536(93)90416-2; Kirkwood BR, 1995, B WORLD HEALTH ORGAN, V73, P793; Lotstein DS, 1998, J RHEUMATOL, V25, P1720; MENDALL MA, 1992, LANCET, V339, P896, DOI 10.1016-0140-6736(92)90931-R; MILLER JE, 1994, J BIOSOC SCI, V26, P243; Nuwayhid IA, 1998, AM J EPIDEMIOL, V148, P375; OMRAN AR, 1971, CAROLINA POPULATION, V16, P147; Patterson CC, 1996, DIABETOLOGIA, V39, P1063, DOI 10.1007-BF00400655; Redlinger T, 1997, AM J PUBLIC HEALTH, V87, P1715, DOI 10.2105-AJPH.87.10.1715; RIVARA FP, 1985, PEDIATRICS, V76, P375; Rosenberg T, 1997, AM J PUBLIC HEALTH, V87, P1547, DOI 10.2105-AJPH.87.9.1547; Uday J., 1987, PSYCHOL CONSEQUENCES, P15; ZHU BP, 1999, NEW ENGL J MED, V340, P64314131
Corrigendum to ‘An international genome-wide meta-analysis of primary biliary cholangitis: Novel risk loci and candidate drugs’ [J Hepatol 2021;75(3):572–581]
No full text\ua9 2021It has come to our attention that the name of one of the authors in our manuscript was incorrectly spelled ‘Jinyoung Byan’; the correct spelling is ‘Jinyoung Byun’ as in the author list above. In addition, the excel files of the supplementary tables were not included during the online publication of our article. These have now been made available online. We apologize for any inconvenience caused
Long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in relation to gut integrity, growth and cognitive development of rural African children
No full textBackground
and
rationale:
Weaning
foods
fed
to
infants
in
rural
Gambia
are
often
contaminated,
resulting
in
infections
which
contribute
to
initiating
a
persistent
inflammation
of
the
gut.
This
enteropathy,
which
causes
intestinal
damage
and
malabsorption,
is
strongly
associated
with
the
high
degree
of
growth
faltering
seen
in
Gambian
infants.
There
is
evidence
that
supplementary
omega-3
long-chain
polyunsaturated
fatty
acids
(n-3
LCPs)
might
ameliorate
this
damage
by
reducing
gastro-intestinal
inflammation.
Additionally,
n-3
LCPs
have
been
shown
to
benefit
mental
development
and
problem-solving
ability
in
infants,
but
this
has
not
yet
been
tested
in
an
African
population.
Methods:
A
randomised,
double-blind,
controlled
trial
(500mg
combined
n-3
LCPs
per
day
for
six
months)
was
conducted
in
a
population
of
rural
African
infants
aged
3
months
-
9
months.
The
primary
outcomes
were
infant
anthropometric
indicators
and
gut
integrity
(measured
by
urinary
lactulose-mannitol
ratios).
Plasma
fatty
acid
status
(plasma
fatty
acid
profiles),
cognitive
development
(Willatts
Test
and
an
attention
assessment
at
12
months
of
age),
intestinal
mucosal
inflammation
(faecal
calprotectin),
and
daily
morbidities
were
the
secondary
outcome
measures.
Results:
One-hundred
and
seventy-two
Gambian
infants
completed
the
trial.
Except
for
an
increase
in
mid-upper-arm
circumference
z-scores
in
the
intervention
group
(95%
Cl:
0.06,0.56;
p=0.017),
no
significant
differences
between
treatment
groups
were
detected
for
growth
and
lactulose-mannitol
ratios
at
9
months.
At
12
months
mid-upper-arm
circumference
remained
greater
in
the
intervention
group,
and
significant
increases
in
skinfold
thicknesses
were
detected
(pSO.022
for
ali).
Supplementation
resulted
in
a
significant
increase
in
plasma
n-3
LCP
levels
(p<O.001)
and
decrease
in
n-6
LCP:n-3
LCP
ratios
(p<O.OOl).
Plasma
n-6
fatty
acid
levels
were
not
affected.
No
difference
was
detected
for
the
other
secondary
outcomes.
Conclusion:
Fish
oil
supplementation
proved
safe
and
successfully
increased
plasma
n-3
fatty
acid
status,
but
the
results
of
this
trial
do
not
support
the
use
of
supplementary
n-3
LCPs
in
young,
breast-fed,
rural
Gambian
infants
for
improving
overall
growth
performance,
intestinal
integrity,
and
cognitive
development,
or
reducing
intestinal
and
systemic
inflammatio
Phenotypic and molecular analysis of Helicobacter spp. and related micro-organisms identified in clinical & environmental specimens
No full textIncludes bibliographical references (p. 140-168)
Cormorant food habit and potential impacts on sport and commercial fisheries: an annotated bibliography
No full textcormorant_foodhabits_bib00.pdfPage 1 of 44
Cormorant Food Habit and Potential Impacts on Sport and Commercial Fisheries:
An Annotated Bibliography
John L. Trapp and Shauna L. Hanisch
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Office of Migratory Bird Management
Arlington, Virginia
February 2000
This list includes literature on the double-crested cormorant that contains: (1)
qualitative or quantitative descriptions of food habits, or (2) qualitative or quantitative
information on the impacts of cormorant predation on fish populations. The latter
category includes papers that discuss the various bioenergetics variables that may be
used in simulation models to assess impacts on prey populations.
1835 T
Audubon, J. J. 1835. Ornithological bibliography. Edinburgh.
Lewis (1929) quotes Audubon to the effect that "the food of double-crested
cormorants consisted of 'shrimps, lents, capelings, codlings, and other fishes.' It
was his [Audubon's] opinion that 'of the codlings especially they devour vast
numbers,' but recent investigations have not confirmed this."
1890 T
Warren, B. H. 1890. Report on the Birds of Pennsylvania. E. K. Meyers,
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. 434 pp.
Author notes (pp. 28-29) that a specimen of a fish (known locally as "buffalo-sucker")
taken from the stomach of a bird collected by James Thompson near
Erie on 26 October 1889 measured 8-9 inches in length.
1894 T
Curtis, C. P., Jr. 1894. The double-crested cormorant. Auk 11: 175.
"For the past ten years I have spent one day in the last part of September on the
Graves at the entrance to Boston Harbor [Massachusetts, where] . . . I generally
shoot four or five [double-crested cormorants] . . . and . . . I have . . . invariably
found the throat of the bird full of fish, generally the common sea-perch."
Mackay, G. H. 1894. Habits of the double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax
Page 2 of 44
dilophus) in Rhode Island. Auk 11: 18-25.
Fourteen pellets examined at Cormorant Rocks, off Seconnet Point, on 19 April
1892 were "composed almost entirely of fish bones, chiefly the bones of young
parrot-fishes (Labroids) and drums (Sciaenoids)," while one pellet "contained
three crabs (Cancer irroratus... [and] Panopeus sayi)." Five birds collected on
the same date all had eels (Anguilla vulgaris) in their gullets; one bird contained
an eel that was 16 inches long, while those in the other four birds were 7-11
inches long.
"Mr. Geo. A. Tapley of Revere, Mass., shot one of three [cormorants] (variety not
noted [but presumably double-crested]) which were standing on the edge of a
marsh in that place in the winter, at a time when there was much ice around.
They were engaged in eating a sculpin (Cottus scorpius...).”
1895 T
Chamberlain, C. 1895. An inland rookery of Phalacrocorax d. albociliatus.
Nidiologist 3: 29-30.
"Under the trees [containing double-crested cormorant nests at Clear Lake, Lake
County, California, in March 1895] were pieces of carp dropped from above.
Some pieces were from fish that must have been fifteen inches long. The carp
constitutes probably the sole food of these cormorants."
1904 T
Todd, W. E. C. 1904. The birds of Erie and Presque Isle, Erie County,
Pennsylvania. Ann. Carnegie Mus. 2(4): 481-596. [p. 308]
S. E. Bacon reported that a double-crested cormorant collected near Erie on 14
December 1901 contained two 10 inch perch, and added that "The fishermen
inform me that the birds when present often alight on the pond-net stakes."
1908
Chapman, F. M. 1908. Camps and Cruises of an Ornithologist. New York.
Chapman (p. 305) observed a perch lying on the ground among nests in a
cormorant colony at Shoal Lake, Manitoba, in June 1901.
1910 T
Ferry, J. F. 1910. Birds observed in Saskatchewan during the summer of 1909.
Page 3 of 44
Auk 27: 185-204.
At a double-crested cormorant colony at Big Quill Lake in July, "The young
appeared to be fed upon minnows, which they would sometimes disgorge in a
semi-digested state when alarmed."
1913 T
Wright, H. 1913. The birds of San Martin Island, Lower California. Condor 15:
207-210.
In describing a visit to this island in July 1913, Wright notes that "We became
very much interested in estimating the amount of fish these birds [from a double-crested
cormorant colony estimated at 348,480 nests] consumed per day. We
noted the amount each young cormorant threw up when molested, and found on
several occasions a bunch of fish as big as a man's two fists. This mass was
generally composed of surf fish, smelt, and sardines. I have heard of other
estimates of from three to six sardines a day for a cormorant, so I consider a half
pound of fish a day very conservative."
1915 T
Taverner, P. A. 1915. The double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) and
its relation to the salmon industries on the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Canada Geol.
Surv. Mus. Bull. 13 (Biol. Ser. 5), 24 pp.
Six fish species were identified in the 27 birds with food in their stomachs
collected along the GaspJ Peninsula, June-July 1914, with sculpin, herring,
flounder, and capelin being predominant. No salmon remains were found in
cormorant stomachs.
"From all reports, the salmon in the rivers have been lately increasing from year
to year. One experienced man says that ten or twelve years ago about thirty fish
were taken in the York river per year, while in 1913 from 120 to 130 were caught
by anglers. The cormorants are also generally increasing in number, the
rookeries are enlarging and new ones being established. These facts taken
together do not indicate that the cormorants are markedly harmful to the
salmon..."
1919
Pearson, T. G., C. S. Brimley, and H. H. Brimley. 1919. Birds of North Carolina.
North Carolina Geol. Econ. Surv. 4, 380 pp.
"The food of these cormorants must consist largely of eels, as eel remains are
constantly found in the nests and on the limbs of the trees, and the young when
Page 4 of 44
alarmed disgorge copiously fragments of partly digested eels. In the summer of
1905, H. H. Brimley saw an immature bird disgorge a portion of a large
watersnake (Natrix taxispilota) [p. 49]."
1922 T
Bent, A. C. 1922. Life histories of North American petrels and pelicans and their
allies. U.S. Natl. Mus. Bull. 121, 343 pp.
"On the New England coast they are frequently seen flying up the larger rivers
and tidal estuaries to fish, where they live largely on eels [p. 248-249]." Bent
also quotes extensively from Mackay (1894) and Taverner (1915).
Jackson, H. H. T. 1922. Some birds of Roosevelt Lake, Arizona. Condor 24: 22-25.
Three fish dropped by cormorants at nesting colonies in May 1916 included two
carp (Cyprinus carpio) and one largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides).
Stoddard, H. L. 1922. Bird notes from southern Wisconsin. Wilson Bull. 34: 67-79.
"The stomachs of seven adults shot April 10 [1921, along the Wisconsin
River near Sauk City] all contained fish. Five each held one large bullhead of
nearly a pound weight . . . while each of the others held a pike that would weigh
over a pound. Others examined from time to time contained partly digested
bullheads or more rarely other fish."
1924 T
Howell, A. H. 1924. Birds of Alabama. Alabama Dep. Game and Fish., Montgomery,
Alabama. 597 pp.
"Cormorants feed exclusively on fish: stomachs of two collected in the Mobile
River each contained remains of two gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum)
about 10 inches long, and one stomach contained, also, part of the tail of an eel
[p. 39]."
1925 T
Uhler, F. M. 1925. Report on the Economic Status of the Double-crested
Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus auritus) and Other Fish-eating Birds in
Minnesota and North Dakota. Unpublished manuscript report to Chief, Bureau of
Biological Survey, Washington, D.C.
Page 5 of 44
1926 T
Hall, E. R. 1926. Notes on water birds nesting at Pyramid Lake, Nevada. Condor
28: 87-91.
Fish disgorged by double-crested cormorant chicks on 26 July 1924 included 36
lake minnows (Leucidius pectinifer) and ten lake chubs (Siphateles obesus).
One adult disgorged five lake minnows, each 5.5" long (Table).
1927 T
Bailey, A. 1927. Notes on the birds of southeastern Alaska. Auk 44: 1-23.
"At Klawack [= Klawock], where they [double-crested cormorants] were fairly
common [in March 1920], they were feeding upon the schooling herring, in
company with other cormorants and gulls."
Munro, J. A. 1927. Observations on the double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax
auritus) on Lake Manitoba. Canadian Field-Nat. 41: 102-108.
Munro provides information on nine prey items found in stomachs (n = 10) or
regurgitations in July 1925, but the data are difficult to quantify in terms of
frequency of occurrence or relative abundance. He states that: "The number of
individual fish of different species found [regurgitated by cormorants] on the
reefs was in proportion to their local abundance in the waters close at hand."
Esox lucius. Northern Pike. One 14 inch fish was found in one stomach,
and seven fish (8-14 inches in length) were found regurgitated on nesting
islands. This and the pickerel were the only commercially important fish taken,
and Munro estimated that (in combination) these two species comprised one-third
of the fish taken or 25% of the entire diet. Other species included:
Stizostedion vitreum, pickerel; Perca flavescens, perch; Stizostedion canadense,
sauger; Moxostoma aureolum or Catostomus catostomus, mullet; Lota
maculose, Ling; Eucalia inconstans, brook stickleback; Notropis atherinoides,
lake shiner; Notropis spp., unidentified shiners; and unidentified crayfish.
Wetmore, A. 1927. The amount of food consumed by cormorants. Condor 29:
273-274.
Reports that double-crested cormorants of the Florida (P. auritus floridanus) race
housed at the National Zoo "thrive and live in perfect health for years" on a diet
of 0.75-1.00 lbs of fish/day, 6 days/week (not fed on Sundays).
1929
Page 6 of 44
Lewis, H. F. 1929. The Natural History of the Double-crested Cormorant
(Phalacrocorax auritus auritus (Lesson)). Ru-Mi-Lou Books, Ottawa, Canada.
Lewis (pp. 62-71) provides 13 quantifiable data sets on food habits, but only two
of these represent analysis of 30 or more samples (stomachs or regurgitated
pellets).
"In a letter dated December 3, 1928, Mr. Alexander Sprunt, Jr., of
Charleston, South Carolina, states, concerning this bird in his vicinity: 'It is rather
difficult to ascertain just exactly the scope of its feeding habits, but the following
items of food are certainly represented: gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum),
sea catfish (Felichthys felis and Galeichthys milberti), mullet Mugil cephalus),
common eel (Anguilla chrysypa), and an occasional shrimp (Palemon vulgaris).'"
"...Reuben Lloyd (in lit., 1929) ...says that the food of the colony at the
north end of Last Mountain Lake, Saskatchewan, consists chiefly of perch and
pike [p. 69]..."
"The files of the Biological Survey contain additional records of the food
of these birds in Minnesota, including the following items: Perca flavescens
(yellow perch), Abramis crysoleucus (golden shiner), catfish, part of a beetle,
and Centrarchidae that are probably Lepomis megalotes [p. 69]"
"Other records of the food of this species in the same state [Minnesota]
include an anonymous statement (1921) in 'Fins, Feathers, and Fur', official
bulletin of the Minnesota Game and Fish Department, that black bass, perch,
and sunfish were found in stomachs of double-crested cormorants taken at
Clearwater Lake, Minnesota, and the statement of Mr. P. O. Fryklund (in lit.,
1927) that he found many pike in a cormorant colony on Gull Rock, in that part of
the Lake of the Woods belonging to Minnesota [p. 69]"
1931 T
Munro, J. A., and W. A. Clemens. 1931. Waterfowl in relation to the spawning of
herring in British Columbia. Biol. Board Canada Bull. 17, 46 pp.
The stomach of a double-crested cormorant collected in Departure Bay on 11
March 1929 contained the remains of one herring (p30).
1932 T
Howell, A. H. 1932. Florida Bird Life. Florida Dep. Game and Fresh Water Fish.
597 pp.
"Examination of 72 stomachs of this species in the Biological Survey showed its
food to be about 99 per cent fish, the remainder comprising crabs, shrimps,
other crustaceans, and a frog. Thirty-six species of fishes were identified in the
Page 7 of 44
stomachs examined, including sea catfish, horned pout, gizzard shad, herring,
skipjack, sunfish, black bass, yellow perch, pigfish, spot, file fish, and toadfish"
[p92].
McAtee, W. L. 1932. Effectiveness in nature of the so-called protective
adaptations in the animal kingdom, chiefly as illustrated by the food habits of
nearctic birds. Smithsonian Misc. Coll. 85(7), 201 pp.
In an analysis of 237,399 "identifications" of animals recorded in stomachs of
80,000 birds (of an unspecified number and composition of species) collected in
nearctic America, 1885-1931, author tabulates relative abundance by family (pp.
111-120). Fifteen of the 54 families represented in 2,670 identifiable remains of
fish had a relative abundance of >1%, and 10 of these occurred in significantly
larger numbers than expected (indicated by *): Siluridae 3.7%, Catostomidae
2.3%, *Cyprinidae 18.0%, *Dorosomidae/Clupeidae 9.3%, *Engraulididae 1.9,
*Salmonidae 7.4%, *Argentinidae 1.1%, *Poeciliidae 19.8%, *Gasterosteidae
4.2%, *Centrarchidae 6.1%, *Percidae 6.4%, *Cottidae 7.0%, Gadidae 1.2%,
and Pleuronectidae/Soleidae 1.1%.
"One double-crested cormorant had eaten 16 Symphurus plagiusa [a
flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae; p118]."
Roberts, T. 1932. The Birds of Minnesota. Volume 1. Univ. Minnesota Press. 718
pp.
"Friends of the bird have tried to make it appear that the cormorant catches
mainly rough fish of little value, but there is reliable evidence to show that it
captures game-fish as well, if they chance to be in its way and it is able to run
them down. Under their tree nesting-places, as at lake Minnetonka, may be
found numerous fish that have been dropped by the young birds, and among
them the writer has identified crappies, sunfish, small bass, and pickerel, as well
as carp and bullpouts" [p. 171].
1936
Cottam, C., and F. M. Uhler. 1936. The role of fish-eating birds. Progr. Fish-Cult.
14: 1-14.
"Inland colonies [of the double-crested cormorant] are frequently condemned to
an unwarranted degree although some of them undoubtedly cause destruction to
valuable fish. Threat of complete destruction of one of the two remaining
colonies in one of the north central states was made because local sportsmen
believed the birds were responsible for the elimination of fish in a lake that
formerly had afforded some of the best fishing in the state. A careful
investigation revealed that excessive alkalinity of the water resulting from greatly
lowered levels throughout a period of many years, made the production of any
Page 8 of 44
valuable species of fish impossible in this lake. Stomach examination of a series
of these birds collected there showed that 75 percent of the food consisted of
the axolotl stage of the tiger salamander, 20 percent of bull-heads taken from an
adjoining prairie slough, and the remaining 5 percent of the five-spined
sticklebacks, which were the sole remaining fish capable of enduring the high
alkalinity occurring in the lake."
Mendall, H. L. 1936. The Home Life and the Economic Status of the Double-crested
Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus auritus). Univ. Maine Stud. 2nd Ser. No.
38, Maine Bull. 39(3): 1-159.
1940
Gabrielson, I. N., and S. G. Jewett. 1940. Birds of Oregon. Oregon State Coll.,
Corvallis, Oregon.
"Food of this cormorant consists very largely of fish and other aquatic life . . . .
Although fishermen sometimes claim that it destroys large numbers of
commercially valuable fish, examinations of some Oregon stomachs confirm our
belief that trash fish comprise a large percentage of its diet. Two stomachs from
Warner Valley each contained remains of one sucker (Catostomus warnerensis)
[Table] One stomach from Tillamook Bay (taken May 20) contained seven or
more Chitonotus pugetensis and remains of a few shrimp. Three stomachs
contained pieces of two species of crustaceans, bits of grass, and a mass of fish
remains, so digested as to be unidentifiable, that comprised 95% of the entire
contents. Another stomach taken at the same time in Tillamook Bay contained
the remains of six sculpins (Cotus asper), and another (taken January 1)
contained remains of one Chitonotus pugetensis. Two other stomachs were
practically empty and contained only tiny bits of fish bones and crustaceans
[p97]."
Todd, W. E. C. 1940. Birds of Western Pennsylvania. Univ. Pittsburgh Press. 710
pp.
"S. E. Bacon speaks of having taken two ten-inch perch from the gullet of a bird
that he shot at Erie, and adds that 'the fishermen inform me that the birds when
present often alight on the pond-net stakes.' [p45]"
1942
Bartholomew, G. A., Jr. 1942. The fishing activities of double-crested cormorants
on San Francisco Bay. Condor 44: 13-21.
Bartholomew describes flock-feeding activities of cormorants during the winter of
Page 9 of 44
1940-1941. "Mass fishing is an efficient way of obtaining food and a surprising
number of cormorants return to the surface with fish in their bills... based on
many hours of observation, I would suggest that one in every six or seven birds
returning to the surface has a fish [NOTE: this implies a success rate of 14-
17%]. The fish (possibly anchovies) caught in mass fishing seldom exceed five
inches in length and many are required to furnish an adequate meal."
While Bartholomew reports concentrations of up to 1,500-2,000 birds,
"Small flocks of fishing cormorants are more common than large ones and the
flocks most frequently seen on the Bay contain fewer than twenty birds." "As a
rule relatively fewer fish are caught by the members of the small flocks than by
the members of the larger groups."
Twice within three minutes on 10 November 1940, exceptionally large fish
were caught by a flock of 25 cormorants, with 1 bird surfacing with "a flounder
about eight inches long."
"On February 8, 1941, while watching birds in the Berkeley Aquatic Park,
Mr. [Herman V.] Leffler saw about ten double-crested cormorants . . . catching
perch (size unspecified), some of which were pregnant."
"Since during most of the fall and winter of 1940-41 the number of
cormorants in the central part of San Francisco Bay was about 2,000, they
caught and ate approximately one ton of fish daily. Nevertheless, it seems
improbable that these birds have any economic importance, for little commercial
fishing is done on the Bay. Cormorants do not compete with sport fishermen
because the only important game fish on the Bay is the introduced striped bass,
and this fish is usually too large for the birds to handle."
"No effort was made to determine by an examination of stomach contents
the kinds of fish eaten, but cormorants on San Francisco Bay have been seen
catching smelt, founder, and pipe fish, and they probably will eat any fish of a
reasonable size that they can catch."
1944
Gross, A. O. 1944. The present status of the double-crested cormorant on the
coast of Maine. Auk 61: 513-537.
1945 T
Cottam, C., and F. M. Uhler. 1945. Birds in Relation to Fishes. U.S. Fish Wildl.
Serv. Wildl. Leafl. 272, 16 pp.
In this revision of Cottam and Uhler (1937), the cormorant discussion remains
unchanged from the original (Cottam and Uhler 1936).
Page 10 of 44
1947
Baillie, J. L. 1947. The double-crested cormorant nesting in Ontario. Canadian
Field-Nat. 61: 119-126.
In August 1946, the author visited a nesting colony in Georgian Bay where
cormorants were said to be "detrimental to the black bass fishing... and to pound
net fishing."
"We visited the only nesting rock then occupied by cormorants (McCoy
Island) and an examination of the fish remains lying around the nests supported
our conclusion that the local ranges of the bass and the cormorants did not
overlap to any significant extent. At any rate, 17 of the 18 fishes examined at
the nests were yellow and log perch, suckers and rock bass (all of them under
six inches in length) and only one a small-mouthed black bass, 5 1/2 inches in
length. The rest of the cormorants' larder was made up of 21 crayfish (mostly
claws)... The perch, suckers, and rock bass are not important as sport fish. The
black bass fishing, for which the... region is famous, was poor in 1945 and 1946,
and it seems that the cormorants were made the scapegoats."
1949 T
Sprunt, Jr., A., and E. B. Chamberlain. 1949. South Carolina Bird Life. Contrib.
Charleston Mus. 11, Univ. South Carolina Press, Columbia, South Carolina. 585 pp.
"Food: Largely fish, about 99 per cent. Sea-catfish, gizzard shad, herring,
skipjack, sunfish, and toadfish have been found in stomach contents. Shrimp,
crabs, and other crustaceans are taken, and sometimes frogs [p. 74]."
1950 T
Scattergood, L. W. 1950. Observations on the food habits of the double-crested
cormorant, Phalacrocorax a. auritus. Auk 67: 506-508.
Of 35 cormorants collected in the Gulf of Maine (31 August and 2 October 1944,
22 July 1947, and 12 and 18 May 1949), 29 contained the remains of at least 10
species of fish. Sixty-seven regurgitations collected at a colony on Little White
Island, Maine, in 1949 contained the remains of 305 individuals of 15 species of
fish; four of the species had a relative abundance of greater than 10%.
1951 T
Trautman, C. G. 1951. Food habits of the double-crested cormorant. South
Dakota Conserv. Digest 18(11): 3-5 and 10.
Page 11 of 44
A total of 157 food samples (147 regurgitants of young and 10 stomach contents
of adults) were analyzed from colonies at four lakes, June-July 1949. Waubay
and Traverse lakes contained a large variety of prey species, including both
game and rough fish; Oakwood Lake had very few rough fish, but had been
stocked with bullheads, perch, walleyes, northerns, bass, and bluegills; and
Sand Lake was highly c
Barrett’s Oesophagus Surveillance Versus Endoscopy at Need Study (BOSS): a randomized controlled trial
No full textBackground & Aims:
Barrett’s esophagus (BE) is a precursor lesion for esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). Surveillance endoscopy aims to detect early malignant progression; although widely practiced, it has not previously been tested in a randomized trial.
Methods:
BOSS (Barrett’s Oesophagus Surveillance Versus Endoscopy at Need Study) was a randomized controlled trial at 109 centers in the United Kingdom. Patients with BE were randomized to 2-yearly surveillance endoscopy or “at-need” endoscopy, offered for symptoms only. Follow-up was a minimum of 10 years. The primary outcome was overall survival in the intention-to-treat population. Secondary outcomes included cancer-specific survival, time to diagnosis of EAC, stage of EAC at diagnosis, frequency of endoscopy, and serious adverse events related to interventions.
Results:
There were 3453 patients recruited; 1733 patients were randomized to surveillance and 1719 to at-need endoscopy. Median follow-up time was 12.8 years for the primary outcome. There was no evidence of a difference in overall survival between the surveillance arm (333 deaths among 1733 patients) and the at-need arm (356 deaths among 1719 patients; hazard ratio, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.82–1.10; stratified log-rank P = .503). There was no evidence of a difference for surveillance vs at-need endoscopy in cancer-specific survival (108 vs 106 deaths from any cancer; hazard ratio, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.77–1.33; P = .926), time to diagnosis of EAC (40 vs 31 patients had a diagnosis of EAC; hazard ratio, 1.32; 95% CI, 0.82–2.11; P = .254), or cancer stage at diagnosis. Eight surveillance patients (0.46%) and 7 at-need patients (0.41%) reported serious adverse events.
Conclusions:
Surveillance did not improve overall survival or cancer-specific survival. At-need endoscopy may be a safe alternative for low-risk patients. ClinicalTrials.gov, Number: NCT00987857
Pretreatment prediction of response to ursodeoxycholic acid in primary biliary cholangitis: development and validation of the UDCA response score
No full textBACKGROUND:
Treatment guidelines recommend a stepwise approach to primary biliary cholangitis: all patients begin treatment with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) monotherapy and those with an inadequate biochemical response after 12 months are subsequently considered for second-line therapies. However, as a result, patients at the highest risk can wait the longest for effective treatment. We determined whether UDCA response can be accurately predicted using pretreatment clinical parameters.
METHODS:
We did logistic regression analysis of pretreatment variables in a discovery cohort of patients in the UK with primary biliary cholangitis to derive the best-fitting model of UDCA response, defined as alkaline phosphatase less than 1·67 times the upper limit of normal (ULN), measured after 12 months of treatment with UDCA. We validated the model in an external cohort of patients with primary biliary cholangitis and treated with UDCA in Italy. Additionally, we assessed correlations between model predictions and key histological features, such as biliary injury and fibrosis, on liver biopsy samples.
FINDINGS:
2703 participants diagnosed with primary biliary cholangitis between Jan 1, 1998, and May 31, 2015, were included in the UK-PBC cohort for derivation of the model. The following pretreatment parameters were associated with lower probability of UDCA response: higher alkaline phosphatase concentration (p<0·0001), higher total bilirubin concentration (p=0·0003), lower aminotransferase concentration (p=0·0012), younger age (p<0·0001), longer interval from diagnosis to the start of UDCA treatment (treatment time lag, p<0·0001), and worsening of alkaline phosphatase concentration from diagnosis (p<0·0001). Based on these variables, we derived a predictive score of UDCA response. In the external validation cohort, 460 patients diagnosed with primary biliary cholangitis were treated with UDCA, with follow-up data until May 31, 2016. In this validation cohort, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the score was 0·83 (95% CI 0·79-0·87). In 20 liver biopsy samples from patients with primary biliary cholangitis, the UDCA response score was associated with ductular reaction (r=-0·556, p=0·0130) and intermediate hepatocytes (probability of response was 0·90 if intermediate hepatocytes were absent vs 0·51 if present).
INTERPRETATION:
We have derived and externally validated a model based on pretreatment variables that accurately predicts UDCA response. Association with histological features provides face validity. This model provides a basis to explore alternative approaches to treatment stratification in patients with primary biliary cholangitis.
FUNDING:
UK Medical Research Council and University of Milan-Bicocca
Pretreatment prediction of response to ursodeoxycholic acid in primary biliary cholangitis: development and validation of the UDCA Response Score
No full textBackground: Treatment guidelines recommend a stepwise approach to primary biliary cholangitis: all patients begin treatment with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) monotherapy and those with an inadequate biochemical response after 12 months are subsequently considered for second-line therapies. However, as a result, patients at the highest risk can wait the longest for effective treatment. We determined whether UDCA response can be accurately predicted using pretreatment clinical parameters. Methods: We did logistic regression analysis of pretreatment variables in a discovery cohort of patients in the UK with primary biliary cholangitis to derive the best-fitting model of UDCA response, defined as alkaline phosphatase less than 1·67 times the upper limit of normal (ULN), measured after 12 months of treatment with UDCA. We validated the model in an external cohort of patients with primary biliary cholangitis and treated with UDCA in Italy. Additionally, we assessed correlations between model predictions and key histological features, such as biliary injury and fibrosis, on liver biopsy samples. Findings: 2703 participants diagnosed with primary biliary cholangitis between Jan 1, 1998, and May 31, 2015, were included in the UK-PBC cohort for derivation of the model. The following pretreatment parameters were associated with lower probability of UDCA response: higher alkaline phosphatase concentration (p<0·0001), higher total bilirubin concentration (p=0·0003), lower aminotransferase concentration (p=0·0012), younger age (p<0·0001), longer interval from diagnosis to the start of UDCA treatment (treatment time lag, p<0·0001), and worsening of alkaline phosphatase concentration from diagnosis (p<0·0001). Based on these variables, we derived a predictive score of UDCA response. In the external validation cohort, 460 patients diagnosed with primary biliary cholangitis were treated with UDCA, with follow-up data until May 31, 2016. In this validation cohort, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the score was 0·83 (95% CI 0·79–0·87). In 20 liver biopsy samples from patients with primary biliary cholangitis, the UDCA response score was associated with ductular reaction (r=–0·556, p=0·0130) and intermediate hepatocytes (probability of response was 0·90 if intermediate hepatocytes were absent vs 0·51 if present). Interpretation: We have derived and externally validated a model based on pretreatment variables that accurately predicts UDCA response. Association with histological features provides face validity. This model provides a basis to explore alternative approaches to treatment stratification in patients with primary biliary cholangitis. Funding: UK Medical Research Council and University of Milan-Bicocca
X Chromosome Contribution to the Genetic Architecture of Primary Biliary Cholangitis
No full textBACKGROUND & AIMS: Genome-wide association studies in primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) have failed to find X chromosome (chrX) variants associated with the disease. Here, we specifically explore the chrX contribution to PBC, a sexually dimorphic complex autoimmune disease.METHODS: We performed a chrX-wide association study, including genotype data from 5 genome-wide association studies (from Italy, United Kingdom, Canada, China, and Japan; 5244 case patients and 11,875 control individuals).RESULTS: Single-marker association analyses found approximately 100 loci displaying P < 5* 10-4, with the most significant being a signal within the OTUD5 gene (rs3027490; P= 4.80* 10-6; odds ratio [OR], 1.39; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.028-1.88; Japanese cohort). Although the transethnic meta-analysis evidenced only a suggestive signal (rs2239452, mapping within the PIM2 gene; OR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.09-1.26; P= 9.93* 10-8), the population-specific meta-analysis showed a genome-wide significant locus in East Asian individuals pointing to the same region (rs7059064, mapping within the GRIPAP1 gene; P= 6.2* 10-9; OR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.21-1.46). Indeed, rs7059064 tags a unique linkage disequilibrium block including 7 genes: TIMM17B, PQBP1, PIM2, SLC35A2, OTUD5, KCND1, and GRIPAP1, as well as a superenhancer (GH0XJ048933 within OTUD5) targeting all these genes. GH0XJ048933 is also predicted to target FOXP3, the main T-regulatory cell lineage specification factor. Consistently, OTUD5 and FOXP3 RNA levels were up-regulated in PBCcase patients (1.75- and 1.64-fold, respectively).CONCLUSIONS: This work represents the first comprehensive study, to our knowledge, of the chrX contribution to the genetics of an autoimmune liver disease and shows a novel PBC-related genome-wide significant locus
