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Background Tinea corporis is a common superficial fungal infection caused by dermatophytes. It typically presents as well-defined, pruritic, annular papules and plaques with central hypopigmentation. The differential diagnosis includes pityriasis rosea, nummular dermatitis, plaque psoriasis, tinea versicolor, granuloma annulare, and discoid lupus. This article compares different presentations of tinea corporis in various skin types as classified by the Fitzpatrick scale. Recognizing varying presentations of tinea in patients of different skin tones will aid in early and appropriate diagnosis and treatment.

<title>Abstract</title> The gharial ( <italic>Gavialis gangeticus</italic> ) is a critically endangered crocodilian endemic to India and Nepal. Population declines in recent decades have necessitated the establishment of captive breeding and reintroduction programs. Unfortunately, ex-situ reproduction remains low. Due to their size and behavior, hands-on efforts to determine fecundity (eg., ultrasonography, sperm collection and analysis) can be difficult to implement in gharials. Perivitelline membrane (PVM)-bound sperm has been visualized within chelonian and crocodilian species as a method for confirming copulation and fertilization attempts. Here, we opportunistically collected five non-viable eggs from a female gharial within the Fort Worth Zoo harem and assessed them for the presence of sperm within the PVM. Eggs were opened, the PVM was gently removed from around the yolk of each egg, and sections of the PVM were assessed using a phase contrast microscope. The presence of sperm in all five eggs was confirmed. Furthermore, sperm presence was visualized without the use of fluorescent staining, demonstrating that costly fluorescent microscopy methods are not necessary for assessing sperm presence in the PVM of gharial eggs. The female in this study had never produced a viable egg while at the Fort Worth Zoo, and it was unknown whether this female was infertile or lacked mate compatibility with the resident male. While the ultimate cause of lack of viability of this female’s eggs could not be determined, these results confirm successful copulation and fertilization attempts – a first step towards assessing infertility in captive gharial females.

INTRODUCTIONThe Health Equity Scholars Program (HESP) addresses the critical need for a diverse, culturally competent workforce to study and treat older adults from underrepresented populations (URPs) with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD). The HESP offers tailored mentored training in AD/ADRD research concepts, aiming to develop successful independent researchers. It recruits Scholars from underrepresented backgrounds as well as those passionate about AD/ADRD health equity research.METHODSWe (1) describe the fundamental elements of the HESP, and (2) present preliminary data from the HESP program evaluation results performed by an outside agency, pre–post participation surveys, and Scholar accomplishments.RESULTSThe HESP Scholars reported high rates of proficiency, satisfaction, and competency in nearly all evaluated areas, and have been successful in obtaining grants, promotions, and publications.DISCUSSIONThese initial outcomes data suggest that the HESP is meeting its objective of diversifying the workforce in the field of AD/ADRD research and care.HighlightsThe Health Equity Scholars Program aims to cultivate a diverse and culturally competent workforce, who are well‐prepared to study and treat underrepresented older adults with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD).The program provides tailored mentored training in AD/ADRD research concepts, with the goal of nurturing successful independent researchers.Rigorous evaluation processes for applications ensure the selection of highly qualified Scholars.The program includes tailored training activities such as seminars and grant writing workshops, and tracks Scholar achievements while undergoing annual external evaluation to enhance its training program iteratively.

Bleeding can have a negative effect on the performance of a pavement, as the layer of asphalt on the surface can become slippery, reduce skid resistance, and lead to premature wear and tear. Therefore, predicting the bleeding area in asphalt pavements will help in maintaining better pavements, increasing the safety of the drivers, and delivering timely maintenance. The aim of the study is to develop a model using a highly sophisticated analysis tool called an artificial neural network (ANN) to predict the bleeding areas in asphalt pavements as output, with one hidden layer and several neurons and using several independent variables as inputs, such as lane annual average daily truck traffic, lane annual truck volume estimate, pavement thickness, average asphalt content, average annual temperature, annual total snowfall, and total annual precipitation. The Long-Term Pavement Performance database will be employed in this study to extract data for the states of Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico. The ideal architecture for forecasting the bleeding of asphalt pavements was concluded to be an ANN model with several neurons in one hidden layer and with 160 data sets, with R 2 = 0.71. A standalone ANN equation was also extracted. Additionally, a sensitivity analysis was conducted to determine the sensitivity of the model to a particular change in an input parameter.

To evaluate the pharmacokinetics of famciclovir and its metabolite penciclovir following a single dose administered orally and rectally in African elephants (Loxodonta africana). 15 African elephants (6 males and 9 females) of various ages. Famciclovir (15 mg/kg) was administered orally or per rectum once, with at least a three-week washout period between administrations. Blood was collected at 13 different timepoints per administration for 6 elephants, occurring between February and March 2020. An additional 9 elephants were sampled at variable timepoints per administration utilizing a sparse sampling design between July 2020 and January 2021. Plasma famciclovir and penciclovir levels were measured via HPLC and fluorescence detection. Pharmacokinetic analysis was completed in the summer of 2021 using noncompartmental analysis and nonlinear mixed-effects modeling. Famciclovir was not detected in any sample, suggesting complete metabolism. Key pharmacokinetic parameters for penciclovir following oral administration were time to maximum concentration (tmax; 2.12 hours), area under the concentration-versus-time curve (AUC; 33.93 μg·h/mL), maximum observed concentration (Cmax; 3.73 μg/mL), and absorption half-life (t1/2; 0.65 hours). Following rectal administration, the values were: tmax, 0.65 hours; AUC, 15.62 μg·h/mL; Cmax, 2.52 μg/mL; and absorption t1/2, 0.13 hours. Famciclovir was rapidly metabolized to penciclovir. Oral administration resulted in slower absorption but higher maximum plasma concentration and higher AUC compared to rectal administration. African elephants administered famciclovir via oral and rectal routes resulted in measurable serum penciclovir, and these findings may be utilized by clinicians treating viral infections in this species.

Background Organs from extreme ages have been sought after to help increase the donor pool and alleviate transplantation wait times. There has been a growing evolution of the use of pediatric donor kidneys, including the use of en bloc kidneys (EBK), to now separating them into single kidneys (SKT), allowing for transplantation of two recipients. This study reports our outcomes utilizing SKT. Methods A retrospective review of all SKT performed from 2014 to 2022 at our center was conducted. Donors >8 years of age or >25 kg in weight were excluded. Donor and recipient characteristics and outcomes were analyzed, comparing <18 kg and ≥18 kg donor cohorts. Results Between 2014 and 2022, 81 adults received SKT. Recipients' mean age, weight, and body mass index were 49 years (22-74), 74 kg (39-136), and 26.4 mg/m2 (19.6- 39.8), respectively. Donors' mean age, weight, and kidney size were 35.7 months (8-96), 17.8 kg (8-25), and 7.2 cm (4.5-8.5), respectively. At one year post-transplant, patient survival was 100%, graft survival was 98.7%, mean serum creatinine was 1.25 mg/dL, and mean glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was 68.3 ml/min. Hyperfiltration injury was seen in 43.75% of recipients. None of the outcomes correlated with any of the donor or recipient characteristics. Conclusion Our study shows excellent short-term outcomes of single pediatric kidney transplantation inadult recipients. Exploring a lower donor weight cut-off for SKT, compared to the current Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network's (OPTN's)≥18 kg, could expand the organ pool and lead to an increased number of transplants.

We created a database of lost and rediscovered tetrapod species, identified patterns in their distribution and factors influencing rediscovery. Tetrapod species are being lost at a faster rate than they are being rediscovered, due to slowing rates of rediscovery for amphibians, birds and mammals, and rapid rates of loss for reptiles. Finding lost species and preventing future losses should therefore be a conservation priority. By comparing the taxonomic and spatial distribution of lost and rediscovered tetrapod species, we have identified regions and taxa with many lost species in comparison to those that have been rediscovered-our results may help to prioritise search effort to find them. By identifying factors that influence rediscovery, we have improved our ability to broadly distinguish the types of species that are likely to be found from those that are not (because they are likely to be extinct). Some lost species, particularly those that are small and perceived to be uncharismatic, may have been neglected in terms of conservation effort, and other lost species may be hard to find due to their intrinsic characteristics and the characteristics of the environments they occupy (e.g. nocturnal species, fossorial species and species occupying habitats that are more difficult to survey such as wetlands). These lost species may genuinely await rediscovery. However, other lost species that possess characteristics associated with rediscovery (e.g. large species) and that are also associated with factors that negatively influence rediscovery (e.g. those occupying small islands) are more likely to be extinct. Our results may foster pragmatic search protocols that prioritise lost species likely to still exist.

Disease monitoring of amphibian assurance populations is an important buffer against ongoing global extinctions. This study documents a high incidence of neoplasia in a zoo-managed assurance population of Puerto Rican crested toads (Peltophryne lemur; PRCTs). Over 5 years, neoplasia was diagnosed in 17/49 (35%) submitted adult PRCTs and was the cause of death or euthanasia in 13/17 (72%). Most toads were male (16/17; 94%) and 6 to 11-years-old (average 8.1 years). Notably, seven toads (41%) had multiple neoplasms. Of the 29 neoplasms identified, 17 (59%) were cutaneous or subcutaneous. The most common neoplasms included mast cell tumors (MCTs; 8/29; 28%), histiocytic sarcomas (6/29; 21%), lymphoma/leukemia (4/29; 14%), and squamous cell carcinomas (3/29; 10%). Distant metastases were documented in 6/8 (75%) toads with MCTs. Causes for neoplasia in this population were not determined though may include genetic or environmental factors. Continued investigations of managed endangered amphibians will help elucidate mechanisms of carcinogenesis.

Tyleropappus was described in 1931 by Greenman and is characterized by its spiral, alternate leaves and epaleaceous receptacle. Throughout its taxonomic history, the genus was placed into the tribes Helenieae and Neurolaeneae, often treated as the sister genus of Geissopappus, which is currently a synonym of Calea. Later, Tyleropappus was synonymized with Calea; however, when its synonymization was proposed, the sole species in the genus, T. dichotomus, had not been synonymized under a previously described species nor properly transferred to Calea. Ongoing taxonomic studies in Neurolaeneae have provided opportunities to clarify the challenging taxonomic history of this monotypic genus. We confirm the synonymy of Tyleropappus in Calea; however, we recognize T. dichotomus as a distinct species that should be accepted in Calea. Nonetheless, the name C. dichotoma already exists, and is a synonym of C. ternifolia. Therefore, we propose the new name C. spiralis to accommodate this species, which is morphologically similar to C. linearifolia. The former can be distinguished from the latter by the spiral, alternate (vs. decussate) arrangement of leaves, receptacle epaleaceous (vs. oligopaleaceous) and cypselae hirsute (vs. glabrous). We also provide a detailed description of the species, the first map of its geographic occurrence, an illustration with diagnostic characters, and the first taxonomic key for the Nana clade of Calea.