Tourist Attitudes toward Elk Management in the Pine Ridge Region of Northwestern Nebraska

We interviewed 200 tourists at Fort Robinson State Park and Chadron State Park in the Pine Ridge region of northwestern Nebraska during July and August of 1997 to determine attitudes toward elk (Cervus elaphus) and elk management in Nebraska. Fifty-nine percent of the respondents were aware that elk occupied the Pine Ridge, 95% favored free-ranging elk, and 55% favored hunting as a means of managing the population. Nebraska residents were more aware of elk and elk hunting in the Pine Ridge than were nonresidents. Also, more residents had observed elk and were willing to drive longer distances to view elk in the Pine Ridge. Respondents in older age groups (55–64) were more knowledgeable about elk. More urban tourists were in favor of elk than those from rural communities, but attitudes toward elk hunting were similar between urban and rural residents. Seventy-six percent of respondents wanted an increase in the population of elk. Men were more aware of elk populations than women and more supportive of hunting as the best method to manage the population. We found no differences between gender for maintaining free-ranging elk, knowledge of hunting seasons, or willingness to drive, pay, or spend time to view elk. Our results revealed that tourists had positive attitudes toward free-ranging elk and management practices in Nebraska. Elk herds should be managed to provide maximum opportunity for both consumptive and non-consumptive uses while minimizing negative impacts to property owners and the ecosystem

Tourist Attitudes toward Elk Management in the Pine Ridge Region of Northwestern Nebraska

We interviewed 200 tourists at Fort Robinson State Park and Chadron State Park in the Pine Ridge region of northwestern Nebraska during July and August of 1997 to determine attitudes toward elk (Cervus elaphus) and elk management in Nebraska. Fifty-nine percent of the respondents were aware that elk occupied the Pine Ridge, 95% favored free-ranging elk, and 55% favored hunting as a means of managing the population. Nebraska residents were more aware of elk and elk hunting in the Pine Ridge than were nonresidents. Also, more residents had observed elk and were willing to drive longer distances to view elk in the Pine Ridge. Respondents in older age groups (55–64) were more knowledgeable about elk. More urban tourists were in favor of elk than those from rural communities, but attitudes toward elk hunting were similar between urban and rural residents. Seventy-six percent of respondents wanted an increase in the population of elk. Men were more aware of elk populations than women and more supportive of hunting as the best method to manage the population. We found no differences between gender for maintaining free-ranging elk, knowledge of hunting seasons, or willingness to drive, pay, or spend time to view elk. Our results revealed that tourists had positive attitudes toward free-ranging elk and management practices in Nebraska. Elk herds should be managed to provide maximum opportunity for both consumptive and non-consumptive uses while minimizing negative impacts to property owners and the ecosystem

Newborn screening for Pompe disease in Illinois: Experience with 684,290 infants

Statewide newborn screening for Pompe disease began in Illinois in 2015. As of 30 September 2019, a total of 684,290 infants had been screened and 395 infants (0.06%) were screen positive. A total of 29 cases of Pompe disease were identified (3 infantile, 26 late-onset). While many of the remainder were found to have normal alpha-glucosidase activity on the follow-up testing (234 of 395), other findings included 62 carriers, 39 infants with pseudodeficiency, and eight infants who could not be given a definitive diagnosis due to inconclusive follow-up testing

Pharmacokinetic Modeling of an Induction Regimen for In Vivo Combined Testing of Novel Drugs against Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Xenografts

Current regimens for induction therapy of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), or for re-induction post relapse, use a combination of vincristine (VCR), a glucocorticoid, and l-asparaginase (ASP) with or without an anthracycline. With cure rates now approximately 80%, robust pre-clinical models are necessary to prioritize active new drugs for clinical trials in relapsed/refractory patients, and the ability of these models to predict synergy/antagonism with established therapy is an essential attribute. In this study, we report optimization of an induction-type regimen by combining VCR, dexamethasone (DEX) and ASP (VXL) against ALL xenograft models established from patient biopsies in immune-deficient mice. We demonstrate that the VXL combination was synergistic in vitro against leukemia cell lines as well as in vivo against ALL xenografts. In vivo, VXL treatment caused delays in progression of individual xenografts ranging from 22 to >146 days. The median progression delay of xenografts derived from long-term surviving patients was 2-fold greater than that of xenografts derived from patients who died of their disease. Pharmacokinetic analysis revealed that systemic DEX exposure in mice increased 2-fold when administered in combination with VCR and ASP, consistent with clinical findings, which may contribute to the observed synergy between the 3 drugs. Finally, as proof-of-principle we tested the in vivo efficacy of combining VXL with either the Bcl-2/Bcl-xL/Bcl-w inhibitor, ABT-737, or arsenic trioxide to provide evidence of a robust in vivo platform to prioritize new drugs for clinical trials in children with relapsed/refractory ALL

Ethical Considerations in the Genetic Testing Laboratory

Ethical dilemmas are commonly encountered by genetic counselors, whether in the clinical or laboratory setting. This chapter describes common ethical dilemmas, conflicts, and challenges encountered in genetic testing laboratories. These situations include genetic testing of minors for adult-onset conditions, prenatal testing, the ethical impacts of incidental findings and unexpected test results, and conflicts of interest. This chapter also explores the genetic counselor’s role in addressing ethical issues. Resources are provided for managing these ethical dilemmas within the laboratory.</p