Effect of feeding boxes on the behavior of stereotyping amur tigers (Panthera tigris altaica) in the Zurich Zoo,Zurich, Switzerland

The stereotyped pacing shown by the two Amur tigers in the Zurich Zoo was hypothesized as being caused by permanently frustrated appetitive foraging behavior. Several electrically controlled feeding boxes were installed and access to each box was possible only twice a day for 15 min at semi‐random times. The boxes had to be opened actively by the tigers. Two trials were carried out: one with solitary confinement, and one with paired confinement. During box feeding, the female's stereotyped pacing was significantly reduced from 16% (solitary confinement, conventional feeding) and 7% (paired confinement, conventional feeding) to 1% (solitary confinement) and less than 0.01% (paired confinement) of the daily observed time. The female's sleeping increased significantly in both solitary and paired confinement. The male only showed a significant reduction in stereotyped pacing behavior when kept with the female (conventional feeding: 10%; box feeding: <0.01% of the daily observed time). On days with a box‐feeding regime in paired confinement, the male spent 25% (83 min) of the observed time with active behavior at the feeding boxes. The results support the hypothesis that permanently frustrated appetitive foraging behavior causes stereotyped pacing in adult tigers. Zoo Biol 21:573–584, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

超声造影定量分析联合血清AFP、VEGFR-2、sTim-3对原发性肝癌TACE治疗疗效的预测价值

摘要 目的：探讨超声造影定量分析联合血清甲胎蛋白（AFP）、血管内皮生长因子受体-2（VEGFR-2）、可溶性T细胞免疫球蛋白粘蛋白分子3（sTim-3）对原发性肝癌肝动脉化疗栓塞（TACE）治疗疗效的预测价值。方法：选择2020年1月至2022年10月海军军医大学第二附属医院收治的原发性肝癌患者94例。行TACE治疗2个月,采用改良的实体瘤疗效评价标准评估患者疗效,根据不同疗效分为疗效不良组（n=32）和疗效良好组（n=62）。所有患者均行超声造影检查,比较两组超声造影定量分析参数、治疗前血清AFP、VEGFR-2、sTim-3水平,采用受试者工作特征（ROC）曲线分析超声造影定量分析参数联合血清AFP、VEGFR-2、sTim-3对原发性肝癌TACE治疗疗效的预测价值。结果：经TACE治疗,62例患者疗效良好、32例患者疗效不良,治疗有效率为65.96%。疗效良好组术前超声造影达峰时间、等增强开始时间显著长于疗效不良组（P<0.05）。疗效良好组术前血清AFP、VEGFR-2、sTim-3水平显著低于疗效不良组（P<0.05）。ROC曲线分析结果显示,超声造影定量分析联合血清AFP、VEGFR-2、sTim-3对原发性肝癌TACE治疗疗效预测的曲线下面积（AUC）为0.950,灵敏度为84.85%,特异度为82.12%,高于各指标单独检测。结论：超声造影定量分析参数、血清AFP、VEGFR-2、sTim-3水平可预测原发性肝癌患者TACE治疗的疗效,且联合诊断的预测效能更高。     

Response to atrial overdrive pacing during narrow QRS tachycardia. What is the mechanism?

A 35-year old lady with no pre-excitation on surface electrocardiogram underwent EP study for recurrent palpitation and documented adenosine responsive narrow QRS tachycardia. Regular narrow QRS tachycardia was induced with critical AH delay on programmed atrial stimulation. An atrial overdrive pacing (AOD) was performed during the tachycardia (Fig: 1 & 2). What is the response to AOD and what is the mechanism of tachycardia?     

AAI to DDD pacing mode inappropriate switches in a dual chamber pacemaker due to ventricular blanking period

A 90-year-old woman received a dual chamber pacemaker (PM) for a sick sinus syndrome. The PM was programmed with SafeR AAI-DD pacing mode at 60 bpm. During a standard follow up, some memorized electrograms (EGMs) were found in SafeR diagnostics, with atrial pacing (Ap) not followed by any ventricular sensing/pacing event, due to simultaneous junctional activity falling into ventricular blanking period during Ap and, for this reason, unsensed by the PM. Blanking periods can affect PM functioning if not revealed and adjusted.     

Conventional single-chamber pacemakers versus transcatheter pacing systems in a “real world” cohort of patients: A comparative prospective single-center study

PurposeDespite the developments in conventional transvenous pacemakers (VVI-PM), the procedure is still associated with significant complications. Although there are no prospective clinical trials that compared VVI-PM with transcatheter pacemaker systems (TPS).MethodsThis is a prospective, observational, single-center study that included all patients with an indication for a single-chamber pacemaker implant within a 4-year period. All clinical, ECG and echocardiographic characteristics at implant, electrical parameters, associated complications and mortality were analyzed. A Cox survival model and a Bayesian cohort analysis were performed for differences in complication rates between groups.ResultsThere were 443 patients included (198 TPS and 245 VVI-PM). The mean age was 81.5 years (TPS group, 79.2 ± 6.6 years; VVI-PM group, 83.5 ± 8.9 years). There was a male predominance in TPS group (123, 62.1% vs. 67, 27.3%; p < 0.001). The presence of systolic dysfunction and renal insufficiency were more frequent in VVI-PM group than in TPS patients. Mean follow-up was 22.3 ± 15.9 months. In a multivariable paired data the TPS group presented fewer complications than VVI-PM group (HR = 0.39 [0.15–0.98], p-value 0.013), but major complications were not different (6, 3% vs 14, 5.6% respectively, p = 0.1761). There was no difference in the mortality rate between the groups. The TPS group had less risk than VVI-PM group to have a complication, with a 96% of probability.ConclusionsTPS patients had a lower overall complication rate than VVI-PM patients including matched-pair samples using a Bayesian analysis. These results confirm the safety profile of TPS in clinical practice.     

Successful termination of ventricular tachycardia with intrinsic anti-tachycardia pacing

Intrinsic anti-tachycardia pacing (iATP) is a novel automated ATP algorithm that employs post-pacing interval (PPI) to design the next ATP sequence based on an analysis of the prior failed ATP sequence. A patient with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy received an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) (Cobalt™ XT DR, Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN, USA) following an episode of syncope due to macro-reentrant ventricular tachycardia (VT) (right bundle branch block configuration, cycle length [CL] 280 ms). The VF zone was set to VTCL <300 ms and iATP therapy was prescribed before and during capacitor charging. The iATP was initiated when VT recurred 3 months later. The first attempt with an assumption of 150 ms propagation time from the pacing site to the VT circuit (9 pulses) could not reset the VT, leaving a PPI of 650 ms. A subsequent attempt involving 20 pulses with an assumption of 250 ms propagation time terminated the VT. Failure to reach the circuit is a major cause of unsuccessful ATP. In this regard, iATP is expected to have theoretical advantages over empirical and traditional ATP therapies. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first intracardiac electrogram illustrating how automated precision ATP terminates VT in a clinical setting.     

Impacts of natural history and exhibit factors on carnivore welfare

To improve the welfare of nonhuman animals under professional care, zoological institutions are continuously utilizing new methods to identify factors that lead to optimal welfare. Comparative methods have historically been used in the field of evolutionary biology but are increasingly being applied in the field of animal welfare. In the current study, data were obtained from direct behavioral observation and institutional records representing 80 individual animals from 34 different species of the order Carnivora. Data were examined to determine if a variety of natural history and animal management factors impacted the welfare of animals in zoological institutions. Output variables indicating welfare status included behavioral diversity, pacing, offspring production, and infant mortality. Results suggested that generalist species have higher behavioral diversity and offspring production in zoos compared with their specialist counterparts. In addition, increased minimum distance from the public decreased pacing and increased offspring production, while increased maximum distance from the public and large enclosure size decreased infant mortality. These results have implications for future exhibit design or renovation, as well as management practices and priorities for future research.     

肝癌动脉化疗给药方式和剂型对药物代谢动力学影响研究

肝癌是全世界最常见的恶性肿瘤之一,而经导管肝动脉化疗栓塞（TACE）是治疗不能手术的中晚期肝癌的标准手段。从给 药方式上而言,相对于静脉系统化疗及单纯的肝动脉灌注,肝动脉化疗栓塞术,尤其是进行明胶海绵补充栓塞,可明显改善物代 谢动力学参数,既减少外周药物浓度和非靶器官毒性,又能增加局部药物浓度从而增强药物的治疗效果。从剂型上而言,阿霉素 碘化油乳剂能明显降低血药峰值浓度,并能选择性分布于肝脏肿瘤内,达到靶向治疗肝癌的目的。加用明胶海绵补充栓塞,上述 作用会更加明显。肝动脉化疗药微囊栓塞也能取得较明显的物代谢动力学优势,缓释、增加局部浓度、延长作用时间和减轻药物 不良反应。无论外周血药峰值浓度（Cmax）还是曲线下面积（AUC）,载药洗脱微球(DEB)栓塞均显著低于阿霉素碘化油乳剂栓塞, 从而取得比传统的化疗栓塞更好的肝癌治疗效果。对不同给药方式及载药剂型的物代谢动力学研究,将对不断提高TACE的疗 效和安全性有重要意义。     

Intrinsic anti-tachycardia pacing terminated ventricular tachycardia resistant to traditional anti-tachycardia pacing

Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) serve to reduce the risk of sudden death; however, ICD shocks worsen patient prognosis. Therefore, attempts have been made to terminate life-threatening arrhythmias without ICD shocks. A 71-year-old man with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy, who previously underwent cardiac resynchronization therapy-defibrillator (CRT-D) placement, was hospitalized for ventricular tachyarrhythmia (VT) that was refractory to traditional anti-tachycardia pacing (ATP). Endocardial and epicardial ablation failed to prevent VT recurrence. Since the CRT-D battery was exhausted, it was replaced with a Cobalt? XT HF CRT-D (Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN, USA), and the intrinsic ATP (iATP) algorithm was employed. Although VT recurred frequently, recurrent VTs were terminated by the iATP, which created a conduction block in the circuit without VT acceleration or shock. This is the first reported case wherein an iATP algorithm was effective against VT resistant to traditional anti-tachycardia pacing. This novel ATP algorithm has the potential to terminate refractory VT without ICD shocks and provide a better prognosis.