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  Clinical features of cats diagnosed with coccidioidomycosis in Arizona, 2004 - 2018

  Arbona, Nichole; Butkiewicz, Christine; Keyes, Minta; Shubitz, Lisa; Univ Arizona, Valley Fever Ctr Excellence (SAGE, 2020-02)

  Objectives: The goal of this study was to describe the clinical presentation, diagnosis and treatment of coccidioidomycosis in cats residing in a region endemic for Coccidioides species. Methods: A retrospective review of records was performed at both primary and tertiary care veterinary practices in Tucson and Phoenix, AZ. Data collected included signalment, clinical signs, physical exam findings, diagnostic test results, treatment and outcome. Results: Fifty-one feline cases were identified from six different veterinary hospitals. Cats presented with clinical signs and laboratory abnormalities similar to what has been seen in dogs, including respiratory illness (20/51), neutrophilia (24/31), monocytosis (17/31), and hyperglobulinemia (16/30). However, cats at diagnosis were typically significantly ill, with 31/51 having disseminated infection, most commonly to the skin (n=22). Additionally, 43/44 cats that had serum antibody tests performed were positive, and median titer at diagnosis was 1:32 (range 1:4 – ≥1:256). Serum antibody titers reduced significantly (P ≤0.001) in cats that responded to treatment compared with cats that did not clinically improve. 40/46 cats that were treated with oral flucaonzole responded and did not require additional therapy. Fourteen cats developed recurrent disease and all but 1 had antifungal therapy successfully reinstituted. Conclusions and relevance: Coccidioidomycosis is a disease of concern for cats residing in the region endemic for Coccidoides spp. Disease is most often disseminated at the time of diagnosis, possibly due to delays in presentation for care and recognition of the infection. Suspicion of disease, serum chemistries, blood cell counts, presence of antibody, and imaging aid in diagnosis of coccidioidomycosis in cats. Serum antibody reduction during treatment frequently correlated with an adequate response to medication. Consideration of coccidioidomycosis as a cause of illness will lead to earlier diagnosis and potentially better treatment outcomes in cats.  
• PUENTES Program: An Institutional Response Claiming for Bridges in a Time of Trumpeting Walls

  Castiello-Gutiérrez, Santiago; Camacho Lizárraga, Mónica Irene; Univ Arizona, Ctr Study Higher Educ (Springer Singapore, 2020-02-15)

  Following the 2016 U.S. presidential election and the government openly anti-immigrant rhetoric threatening to deport unauthorized immigrants (including students with DACA protection), several actors in Mexico organized to launch the PUENTES program to facilitate enrollment of Mexican students living in the U.S. at a Mexican HEI to finish their degrees. In this chapter we analyze, from a policy perspective, how a country can prepare to serve their once migrant citizens, now returning students, who need to be re-enrolled into the higher education system and therefore into the society. Key findings suggest that the program has been successful in the following ways: (1) It has provided visibility to the issue of forced migration back to Mexico; (2) It helped to expedite changes in legislation that now make it easier for anyone with partial studies outside Mexico to continue with their education in an HEI in the country; and (3) It provided an alternative, not only to students who faced deportation but also to those who willingly saw an opportunity to continue with their studies at an institution in their place of birth.
• DNA Methylation Across the Serotonin Transporter Gene Following Marital Separation: A Pilot Study

  Sbarra, David A; Cook, Chelsea C; Hasselmo, Karen; Noon, Muhammad S; Mehl, Matthias R; Univ Arizona, Data Sci Inst; Univ Arizona, Dept Psychol (OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC, 2019-12-12)

  Background Marital separation and divorce are stressful life transitions associated with increased risk for a range of poor mental and physical health outcomes. A key task for research in this area is to identify individual differences that may index risk for these adverse outcomes. Purpose To examine the association between DNA methylation across the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) and self-reported emotional distress following marital separation. Methods Genomic DNA methylation (from buffy coat fractions of whole blood) was quantified in a sample of 47 adults following a recent marital separation; concurrent with the blood draw, participants completed questionnaires on their psychological adjustment to the separation experience. Results Relatively greater methylation of SLC6A4 was associated with less subjective separation-related psychological distress, and this association held after accounting for participants' age, length of the relationship, time since the separation, and SLC6A4 genotype, b = -211.99, SE = 94.91, p = .03, 95% CI: -402.22, -25.21. Significantly stronger negative associations were observed between methylation and psychological adjustment among participants who had more recently separated from their former partner. Conclusions Although results derived from small samples must be considered preliminary and hypothesis generating, the current study raises new questions about the role of DNA methylation and psychosocial adaptation to stressful life events such as divorce, and the findings can inform future studies in this research area.
• Using multivariate statistical techniques and geochemical modelling to identify factors controlling the evolution of groundwater chemistry in a typical transitional area between Taihang Mountains and North China Plain

  Liu, Fei; Wang, Shou; Yeh, Tian‐Chyi Jim; Zhen, Pinna; Wang, Lishu; Shi, Liming; Univ Arizona, Dept Hydrol & Atmospher Sci (Wiley, 2020-01-29)

  Identifying the key factors controlling groundwater chemical evolution in mountain-plain transitional areas is crucial for the security of groundwater resources in both headwater basins and downstream plains. In this study, multivariate statistical techniques and geochemical modeling were used to analyze the groundwater chemical data from a typical headwater basin of the North China Plain. Groundwater samples were divided into three groups, which evolved from Group A with low mineralized Ca-HCO3 water, through Group B with moderate mineralized Ca-SO4-HCO3 water, to Group C with highly saline Ca-SO4 and Ca-Cl water. Water-rock interaction and nitrate contamination were mainly responsible for the variation in groundwater chemistry. Groundwater chemical compositions in Group A were mainly influenced by dissolution of carbonates and cation exchange, and suffered less nitrate contamination, closely relating to their locations in woodland and grassland with less pronounced human interference. Chemical evolution of groundwater in Groups B and C was gradually predominated by the dissolution of evaporites, reverse ion exchange, and anthropogenic factors. Additionally, the results of the inverse geochemical model showed that dedolomitization caused by gypsum dissolution, played a key role in the geochemical evolution from Group A to Group B. Heavy nitrate enrichment in most groundwater samples of Groups B and C was closely associated with the land-use patterns of farmland and residential areas. Apart from the high loads of chemical fertilizers in irrigation return flow as the main source for nitrate contamination, the stagnant zones, flood irrigation pattern, mine drainage and groundwater-exploitation reduction program were also important contributors for such high mineralization and heavy NO3- contents in Group C. The important findings of this work not only provide the conceptual framework for the headwater basin, but also have important implications for sustainable management of groundwater resources in other headwater basins of the North China Plain.
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  A Return to Musical and Middle Eastern Exploration

  Stuckey, Andrew; Faddoul, Simon (The University of Arizona., 2019-05)

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