Increasing concern over the unfavourable population trends and data gaps for many mustelids highlight the need to improve existing monitoring methods, to enable more accurate population assessments. Here, we investigated the efficacy of two camera trapping techniques for the detection of small mustelids, specifically least weasels Mustela nivalis, and stoats M. erminea in England. We deployed two concurrent camera trap techniques - a Mostela (a camera trap enclosed within a box) and an external camera trap at 20 sampling sites during summer 2021. We measured the number of daily detections over time and calculated the probability of detection and occupancy for each species. Our results highlighted the efficacy of the Mostela at detecting weasels whilst significantly reducing the amount of video footage to review. Stoats, however, were rarely detected with either technique, although the external camera appeared to be more reliable than the Mostela. European polecats Mustela putorius were regularly detected inside the Mostela and were detected at a similar rate as the external cameras after an initial period of avoidance. The data collected from the Mostela also highlighted the nocturnal activity of polecats and diurnal activity of weasels. Here, the Mostela provided an effective method to detect and estimate the occupancy of weasels and this may be just as efficient for polecats if deployed for long enough.

1. Weasels (genus Mustela and Neogale) are of management concern as declining native species in some regions and invasive species in others. Regardless of the need to conserve or remove weasels, there is increasingly a need to use non-invasive monitoring methods to assess population trends.2. We conducted a literature review and held the first ever International Weasel Monitoring Symposium to synthesise information on historical and current non-invasive monitoring techniques for weasels. We also explored current limitations, opportunities, and areas of development to guide future research and long-term monitoring.3. Our literature search revealed that in the past 20 years, camera traps were the most commonly used non-invasive monitoring method (62% of studies), followed by track plates or scent stations designed to collect footprints (23%) and walking transects for tracks in snow or soil (8.7%).4. Experts agreed that the most promising non-invasive monitoring techniques available include use of citizen scientist reporting, detection dogs, detecting tracks, non-invasive genetic surveys, and enclosed or unenclosed camera trap systems. Because each technique has benefits and limitations, using a multi-method approach is likely required.5. There is a need for strong commitment to dedicated monitoring that is replicated over space and time such that trend data can be ascertained to better inform future management action. The diversity of non-invasive monitoring methods now available makes such monitoring possible with relatively minor commitments of funding and effort.

The successful onset of recovery of the European pine marten (Martes martes) in some parts of Britain through range expansion and, more recently translocation for reintroductions, has resulted in a strong interest in reintroduction projects throughout the country. However, the geographic scope and conservation goals of these initiatives are often local and lack consideration of how they fit within the wider context of national-scale pine marten conservation. Here, we aim to maximize conservation benefit strategically at a national level by developing a simple, transparent, and transferable framework based on landscape modelling methods and spatially explicit population viability analyses. Abstract photo. Two pine martens photographed in Scotland (© Robert Cruikshanks). Our new methodology has been developed specifically to inform decisions involving the spatial targeting of pine marten conservation measures. We began by applying habitat suitability and connectivity modelling at a national scale. Then, we performed spatially explicit life history simulations to assess the natural recovery of the species. This information was used to identify regions of interest for future reintroductions, and we performed subsequent simulations to assess the viability of a reintroduced population within each region. From all the regions assessed, we identified two that should be prioritized for further consideration based on our analyses of habitat suitability, connectivity and the viability of reintroduced populations. While our framework can be used to identify and prioritize regions of conservation value generally, our focus here is on the biological considerations associated with identifying suitable landscapes for pine marten reintroduction.

Monitoring rare and elusive species is critical in guiding appropriate conservation management measures. Mammalian carnivores are challenging to monitor directly, due to their generally nocturnal and solitary lifestyle, and relatively large home ranges. The European mink Mustela lutreola is a critically endangered, small, semi-aquatic carnivore and is one of the most threatened mammal species in Europe. In northern Spain, the European mink population is monitored regionally using different methods and approaches, making assessment of national population status difficult. There is an urgent need to 1) assess the efficacy of survey methods and 2) identify a standard monitoring methodology that can be deployed rapidly and inexpensively over large areas of the mink’s range. We deployed four methods—camera trapping, hair tubes, live trapping, and environmental DNA (eDNA) from water samples—to compare the probability of detecting European mink when present at 25 sampling sites within five 10 × 10 km2, and the economic cost and time required for each method. All four methods successfully detected European mink but the probability of detection varied by method. Camera trapping and hair tubes had the highest probability of detection; however, eDNA and live trapping detected mink in one 10 × 10 km2 where the latter two methods did not. For future European mink monitoring programs, we recommend a combination of at least two methods and suggest that camera traps or hair tubes are combined with live trapping or eDNA (depending on the scale and aims of the study), to gather critical information on distribution, occupancy and conservation status.

Locating colonies of rare bats can be a time consuming process, as it is often difficult to know where to focus survey effort. However, identifying peaks of bat activity via acoustic monitoring may provide insights into whether a colony is locally present, and help screen out sites with low potential. Using a triage approach, we developed a survey methodology for locating colonies of the woodland-specialist barbastelle bat (Barbastella barbastellus). We investigated whether woodland occupancy by a colony could be predicted by acoustic data, and assessed the influence of survey effort (number of acoustic detectors deployed) on detectability. The methodology was then trialled in citizen science surveys of 77 woodlands, with follow-up radio-tracking surveys by specialists being used to confirm presence or absence. Using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, we found that a threshold of four barbastelle passes recorded by at least one detector within one hour of sunset optimised the balance between the true- and false-positive rates. Subsequently, we found that a minimum survey effort of one detector per 6.25 hectares of woodland was needed to ensure a colony would be detected using this threshold, based on a survey sensitivity of 90%. Radio-tracking surveys in a subset of the woodlands, identified as having a high probability of being occupied by a colony based on acoustic monitoring, confirmed the presence of five previously unknown barbastelle maternity colonies. These results demonstrate that a triage system, in which high probability woodland sites are identified based on acoustic survey data, can be used to prioritise sites for future specialist surveys and conservation action.

The greater horseshoe bat Rhinolophus ferrumequinum is a rare species in the UK that relies heavily on undisturbed stone buildings in which to breed. Barn owls Tyto alba are also a protected species that roost and raise their broods in similar places. This overlap in roosting requirements can lead to barn owls moving into buildings containing well-established greater horseshoe bat maternity colonies. This in turn could result in disturbance and abandonment of the building by the bats. Such an event occurred at one of the largest greater horseshoe bat roosts in the UK in 2018 when the colony deserted the roost after barn owls moved in. We describe measures used to exclude the owls while retaining access for the bats, to encourage the colony to return. The suite of modifications consisted primarily of wooden baffles and smooth surfaces on the entrances and doorways. Monitoring showed that the interventions were effective in excluding barn owls whilst allowing bats to access the building. Exclusion of the owls resulted in the return of the greater horseshoe bat colony in similar numbers to 2017 when owls were absent (2022: 92% of the adults) and breeding resumed (2022: 93% of the juveniles in 2017). This paper is the first to evaluate the before and after effects of protecting a bat roost from disturbance or predation by other species.

The marbled polecat ( Vormela peregusna ) is a small mustelid that occurs from the Balkans to Mongolia and is listed as vulnerable under the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List. There are currently no efficient methods to monitor populations at a broad scale and most records come from opportunistic sightings. However, the elusive nature and unique pelage of the species often results in a lot of interest when sighted, with observations regularly being shared on social media platforms. Such records from social media can provide an extensive source of freely available information that could be used to inform the species’ distribution. In this study, we systematically collected marbled polecat records from five social media platforms by using a manual and automated search targeting the western range of the species. We identified 131 unique marbled polecat sightings originating mostly from Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The records confirmed the species’ presence in 92 50-km grid cells within the study area and outperformed other sources, such as GBIF and scientific literature searches. The combination of all three datasets resulted in 133 presence points, which was sufficient enough to perform further habitat suitability modelling and reliable alpha hull range estimates. The social media search was well suited to clarify broad distribution patterns of marbled polecat, but did not detect the species in areas where its presence was most uncertain. The results of the modelling work, however, can be used to target further dedicated survey work for the species. The framework used in this study can be applied to provide more detailed information on distribution and occurrence patterns for other rare or under-studied species.

Context: Correction of hyponatremia might represent an additional treatment for improving stroke patients' clinical outcomes. Objective: Admission hyponatremia is associated with worse clinical outcome in stroke patients, but whether normalization of hyponatremia improves outcome is unknown. We investigated whether normalization of hyponatremia affects patients' disability, mortality, and stroke recurrence within 3 months; length of hospitalization; and discharge destination. Design: This was a registry-based analysis of data collected between January 2016 and December 2018.We linked data from Swiss Stroke Registry (SSR) with electronic patients' records for extracting sodium values. Setting: We analyzed data of hospitalized patients treated at University Hospital of Basel. Patients: Stroke patients whose data and informed consent were available. Main outcome measure: Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score at 3 months. The tested hypothesis was formulated after SSR data collection but before linkage with electronic patients' records. Results: Of 1995 patients, 144 (7.2%) had hyponatremia on admission; 102 (70.8%) reached normonatremia, and 42 (29.2%) remained hyponatremic at discharge. An increase of initial sodium was associated with better functional outcome at 3 months (odds ratio [OR] 0.94; 95% CI, 0.90-0.99, for a shift to higher mRS per 1 mmol/L sodium increase). Compared with normonatremic patients, patients who remained hyponatremic at discharge had a worse functional outcome at 3 months (odds ratio 2.46; 95% CI, 1.20-5.03, for a shift to higher mRS). No effect was found on mortality, recurrence, or length of hospitalization. Conclusions: In hospitalized acute stroke patients, persistent hyponatremia is associated with worse functional outcome. Whether active correction of hyponatremia improves outcome remains to be determined in prospective studies.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:In Switzerland, the COVID-19 incidence during the first pandemic wave was high. Our aim was to assess the association of the outbreak with acute stroke care in Switzerland in spring 2020.METHODS:This was a retrospective analysis based on the Swiss Stroke Registry, which includes consecutive patients with acute cerebrovascular events admitted to Swiss Stroke Units and Stroke Centers. A linear model was fitted to the weekly admission from 2018 and 2019 and was used to quantify deviations from the expected weekly admissions from 13 March to 26 April 2020 (the "lockdown period"). Characteristics and 3-month outcome of patients admitted during the lockdown period were compared with patients admitted during the same calendar period of 2018 and 2019.RESULTS:In all, 28,310 patients admitted between 1 January 2018 and 26 April 2020 were included. Of these, 4491 (15.9%) were admitted in the periods March 13-April 26 of the years 2018-2020. During the lockdown in 2020, the weekly admissions dropped by up to 22% compared to rates expected from 2018 and 2019. During three consecutive weeks, weekly admissions fell below the 5% quantile (likelihood 0.38%). The proportion of intracerebral hemorrhage amongst all registered admissions increased from 7.1% to 9.3% (p = 0.006), and numerically less severe strokes were observed (median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale from 3 to 2, p = 0.07).CONCLUSIONS:Admissions and clinical severity of acute cerebrovascular events decreased substantially during the lockdown in Switzerland. Delivery and quality of acute stroke care were maintained.

The family Mustelidae is the largest among the order Carnivora. While we know a great deal about certain species, there is still a lack of information about many mustelids. We first investigated the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List species-level assessments for each mustelid species. Then, we undertook a systematic review of the scientific literature with the aim of identifying the primary threats and subthreats reported, and which species are most studied. Threats are defined by the IUCN as "the proximate human activities or processes that have impacted, are impacting, or may impact the status of the taxon". We analysed 1003 published articles. For each article, we collected year of publication, geographical zone of each study, species studied, and the threats and subthreats identified. The majority of species (62%) were classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, but 31 out of 63 species were found to be declining globally and only two species were increasing. The species studied and location of studies were biased, with 72% of studies undertaken in North America or Europe and focussing on very few species. A high proportion of species distributed predominantly in the tropics were categorised as declining, and threats linked with hunting, fishing, and logging were identified as the most common for mustelids by the IUCN Red List and in the scientific literature. Differences in the proportion of threats affecting each subfamily were also reported. The nature of threats varies in different parts of the world and between species. It is essential to undertake more research with a strong focus towards species in highly biodiverse regions. A greater understanding of threats such as wildlife pet trade, emerging diseases, and climate change must also be central to prevent declines.

After a significant population decline during the 20th century, populations of both greater and lesser horseshoe bats have increased over recent decades in Britain and populations of lesser horseshoe bats have increased in Ireland. Vincent Wildlife Trust (VWT) acquired 37 bat reserves since the 1980s with the aim to safeguard the sites and enhance the roosting and hibernation conditions in buildings that were often derelict and sub-optimal for bats. These measures have resulted in a strong population size increase of all colonies. However, populations have also been increasing throughout Britain and Ireland as a consequence of legal protection and milder winters resulting in higher survival rates. Therefore, it is not clear whether the measures that have taken place in VWT reserves have led to a greater increase than roosts that have not benefited from the same type of management. We aimed to compare population trends of horseshoe bat roosts under VWT management and non-VWT management from 1999 to 2020 in order to assess its effectiveness. For this, we analysed population trends at sites under different management types (VWT and non-VWT) for lesser horseshoe bats in Britain and Ireland and greater horseshoe bats in Britain. Our results indicated that populations in Britain under VWT management have increased by 366% (CI 225% - 580%) for greater horseshoe bats and 188% (CI 125% - 283%) for lesser horseshoe bats. Roosts that did not benefit from the same levels of management increased respectively by 164% (CI 132% - 199%) and 51% (CI 40% - 60%). In Ireland, populations of lesser horseshoe bats in VWT managed roosts increased by 217% (CI 118% - 364%) while non-VWT managed roosts remained stable (-0.44%; CI -23% - 29%). We conclude that management actions carried out by VWT of greater and lesser horseshoe bat roosts have helped populations recover at a faster rate by securing the integrity of buildings, improving access points and by providing optimal microclimatic conditions within the buildings.

We report 3 cases of Nasu-Hakola disease found in 2 families. These cases had identical clinical features with progressive spastic paraplegia and severe dementia after adolescence. They had no history of any skeletal symptoms, but roentgenographs of their bones presented characteristic evidence of polycystic osteodysplasia. All cases revealed not only manifestations of this condition in the central nervous system, but also peripheral neuropathy with axonal degeneration. The membranous structures in the adipose tissues appeared histochemically to be composed of a kind of compound glycolipid or glycoprotein. Histopathologically, the biopsied rectum showed the infiltration of many histiocytes in the mucosa and ultrastructurally, the granules in these histiocytes showed many membrane-bound vacuoles of different sizes. Interestingly, the histochemical reactivity of the material in the granules was very similar to that of membranous structures in adipose tissues. In the biochemical analysis of lipids in affected adipose tissues, no marked abnormalities were found in the patients. Nasu-Hakola disease is not a typical form of lysosomal storage disease, because lysosomal enzyme activities remain normal and there is no accumulation of urinary oligosaccharides and lipids, no vacuolation of lymphocytes, and no hepatosplenomegaly. However, histochemical findings suggest that the lysosomes may be secondarily involved in this disease, and that the formation of membranous structures might be related to the disturbance of glycolipid or glycoprotein metabolisms.

Introduction:Rapid treatment of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) depends on sufficient staffing which differs between Stroke Centers and Stroke Units in Switzerland. We studied the effect of admission time on performance measures of AIS treatment and related temporal trends over time.Patients and methods:We compared treatment rates, door-to-image-time, door-to-needle-time, and door-to-groin-puncture-time in stroke patients admitted during office hours (Monday-Friday 8:00-17:59) and non-office hours at all certified Stroke Centers and Stroke Units in Switzerland, as well as secular trends thereof between 2014 and 2019, using data from the Swiss Stroke Registry. Secondary outcomes were modified Rankin Scale and mortality at 3 months.Results:Data were eligible for analysis in 31,788 (90.2%) of 35,261 patients. Treatment rates for IVT/EVT were higher during non-office hours compared with office hours in Stroke Centers (40.8 vs 36.5%) and Stroke Units (21.8 vs 18.5%). Door-to-image-time and door-to-needle-time increased significantly during non-office hours. Median (IQR) door-to-groin-puncture-time at Stroke Centers was longer during non-office hours compared to office hours (84 (59-116) vs 95 (66-130) minutes). Admission during non-office hours was independently associated with worse functional outcome (1.11 [95%CI: 1.04-1.18]) and increased mortality (1.13 [95%CI: 1.01-1.27]). From 2014 to 2019, median door-to-groin-puncture-time improved and the treatment rate for wake-up strokes increased.Discussion and Conclusion:Despite differences in staffing, patient admission during non-office hours delayed IVT to a similar, modest degree at Stroke Centers and Stroke Units. A larger delay of EVT was observed during non-office hours, but Stroke Centers sped up delivery of EVT over time. Patients admitted during non-office hours had worse functional outcomes, which was not explained by treatment delays.

BACKGROUND:The effect of posterior spinal fusion (PSF) incorporating the pelvis on an ambulatory patient's ability to mobilize after the fusion is not well understood.AIM:To see whether a posterior spinal fusion with pelvic fixation using iliac or sacral alar iliac screws in ambulatory neuromuscular scoliosis (NMS) patients influences postoperative ambulatory ability.METHODS:A retrospective review of all patients with NMS that underwent PSF with fixation incorporating the pelvis between January 1, 2012 and February 29, 2019. A total of 118 patients were eligible, including 11 ambulatory patients. The primary outcome was the maintenance of ambulatory status postoperatively. Secondary outcomes included postoperative curve magnitude, pelvic obliquity, and complications, comprising infections, instrumentation failure, and any unplanned returns to the operative room.RESULTS:The ambulatory function was maintained in all 11 ambulatory NMS patients. One patient had an improvement in functional status with equipment-free ambulation postoperatively. An average postoperative follow-up was 19 mo. The overall complication rate was 19.4% (n = 23) with no significant differences between the groups in infection (P = 0.365), hardware failure (P = 0.505), and reoperation rate (P = 1.0). Ambulatory status did not affect complication rate (P = 0.967).CONCLUSION:Spinal fusion to the pelvis in ambulatory patients with NMS provides effective deformity correction without the reduction in ambulatory capabilities.

Abstract Molecular approaches to calculate effective population size estimates (Ne) are increasingly used as an alternative to long‐term demographic monitoring of wildlife populations. However, the complex ecology of most long‐lived species and the consequent uncertainties in model assumptions means that effective population size estimates are often imprecise. Although methods exist to incorporate age structure into Ne estimations for long‐lived species with overlapping generations, they are rarely used owing to the lack of relevant information for most wild populations. Here, we performed a case study on an elusive woodland bat, Myotis bechsteinii, to compare the use of the parentage assignment Ne estimator (EPA) with the more commonly used linkage disequilibrium (LD) Ne estimator in detecting long‐term population trends, and assessed the impacts of deploying different overall sample sizes. We used genotypic data from a previously published study, and simulated 48 contrasting demographic scenarios over 150 years using the life history characteristics of this species The LD method strongly outperformed the EPA method. As expected, smaller sample sizes resulted in a reduced ability to detect population trends. Nevertheless, even the smallest sample size tested (n = 30) could detect important changes (60%–80% decline) with the LD method. These results demonstrate that genetic approaches can be an effective way to monitor long‐lived species, such as bats, provided that they are undertaken over multiple decades.

Among 400 Aspergillus species from respiratory samples in Switzerland, Aspergillus fumigatus was the most frequent species. Non-fumigatus Aspergillus spp were more prevalent among solid organ transplant recipients and after azole exposure. Azole resistance was detected in 4 A fumigatus isolates, 3 of them with the "environmental" mutation TR34/L98H in the cyp51A gene.

AbstractAimsIn this study, we aimed to investigate whether body composition analysis (BCA) derived from bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA) could be used to monitor the hydration status of patients with acute heart failure (AHF) during intensified diuretic therapy.Methods and resultsThis observational, single‐centre study involved a novel, validated eight‐electrode segmental body composition analyser to perform BCA derived from BIVA with an alternating current of 100 μA at frequencies of 5, 7.5, 50, and 75 kHz. The BCA‐derived and BIVA‐derived parameters were estimated and compared with daily body weight measurements in hospitalized patients with AHF. A total of 867 BCA and BIVA assessments were conducted in 142 patients (56.3% men; age 76.8 ± 10.7 years). Daily changes in total body water (TBW) and extracellular water (ECW) were significantly associated with changes in body weight in 62.2% and 89.1% of all measurements, respectively (range, ±1 kg). Repeated measures correlation coefficients between weight loss and TBW loss resulted with rho 0.43, P < 0.01, confidence interval (CI) [0.36, 0.50] and rho 0.71, P > 0.01, CI [0.67, 0.75] for ECW loss. Between the first and last assessments, the mean weight loss was −2.5 kg, compared with the −2.6 L mean TBW loss and −1.7 L mean ECW loss. BIVA revealed an increase in mean Resistance R and mean Reactance Xc across all frequencies, with the subsequent reduction in body fluid (including corresponding body weight) between the first and last assessments.ConclusionsBody composition analysis derived from BIVA with a focus on ECW is a promising approach to detect changes in hydration status in patients undergoing intensified diuretic therapy. Defining personalized BIVA reference values using bioelectrical impedance devices is a promising approach to monitor hydration status.

Road vehicle collisions are likely to be an important contributory factor in the decline of the European hedgehog ( Erinaceus europaeus) in Britain. Here, a collaborative roadkill dataset collected from multiple projects across Britain was used to assess when, where and why hedgehog roadkill are more likely to occur. Seasonal trends were assessed using a Generalized Additive Model. There were few casualties in winter—the hibernation season for hedgehogs—with a gradual increase from February that reached a peak in July before declining thereafter. A sequential multi-level Habitat Suitability Modelling (HSM) framework was then used to identify areas showing a high probability of hedgehog roadkill occurrence throughout the entire British road network (∼400,000 km) based on multi-scale environmental determinants. The HSM predicted that grassland and urban habitat coverage were important in predicting the probability of roadkill at a national scale. Probabilities peaked at approximately 50% urban cover at a one km scale and increased linearly with grassland cover (improved and rough grassland). Areas predicted to experience high probabilities of hedgehog roadkill occurrence were therefore in urban and suburban environments, that is, where a mix of urban and grassland habitats occur. These areas covered 9% of the total British road network. In combination with information on the frequency with which particular locations have hedgehog road casualties, the framework can help to identify priority areas for mitigation measures.