Complete Migration Research Articles

Targeting mTOR-CCL20 Signaling May Improve Response to Docetaxel in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Patients with advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) usually show a dismal prognosis. It is this worthwhile to develop new, effective therapeutic regimens for these patients, such as molecular targeted therapy, which is promising as an alternative or combination treatment for HNSCC. The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, which plays an important role in the carcinogenesis of HNSCC, is the most frequently activated, and is thus worthy of further investigation. In this study, two human HNSCC cell lines, FaDu and SAS, were evaluated for cell growth with trypan blue staining and tumor growth using an orthotopic xenograft model. The immunohistochemical expression of mTOR in the subcutaneous xenograft model and the inhibitory effects of docetaxel on the growth and state of activation of the PI3K/mTOR pathway were also evaluated and examined by colony formation and Western blot, respectively. Cell proliferation and migration were measured by water-soluble tetrazolium salt (WST-1) and OrisTM cell migration assay, respectively. Furthermore, the effects of rapamycin and BEZ235, a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinases (PI3K) and mTOR inhibitor in combination with docetaxel or CCL20 were evaluated in the FaDu and SAS cells. The results showed that the expression of mTOR was significantly higher in the SAS and FaDu xenograft models than in the control. Docetaxel treatment significantly suppressed HNSCC cell proliferation and migration in vitro via the PI3K/mTOR/CCL-20 signaling pathway. Additionally, when administered in a dose-dependent fashion, mTOR inhibitors inhibited the growth and migration of the HNSCC cells. This combination was synergistic with docetaxel, resulting in almost complete cell growth and migration arrest. In conclusion, docetaxel significantly inhibited HNSCC cell proliferation and migration in vitro via the PI3K/mTOR/CCL-20 signaling pathway. The synergistic and additive activity of mTOR inhibitors combined with docetaxel shows potential as a new treatment strategy for HNSCC.

Sex‐specific migratory behaviors in a temperate ungulate

AbstractSexual segregation has been intensely studied across diverse ecosystems and taxa, but studies are often limited to periods when animals occupy distinct seasonal ranges. Some avian and marine studies have revealed that habitat segregation, when sexes differ spatially or temporally in use of the physical landscape, is common during the migratory period and characterized by sex‐specific differences in migratory behaviors. Recent research highlights the importance of understanding movement patterns in the context of the full annual life cycle and highlights the need to extend relevant theories of sexual segregation to the migratory period. We tested predictions from two leading hypotheses of sexual segregation, the forage‐selection hypothesis (FSH) and the reproductive strategy hypothesis (RSH) as applied to the migratory period. We collected global positioning system (GPS) location data for male and female mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in south‐central Wyoming and northwest Colorado and tested the main predictions of the FSH and RSH. Both sexes showed high fidelity to their migratory routes, but route fidelity was more variable in males. Males also started spring migrations earlier, ended spring and autumn migrations later, and spent 22% more time on stopover sites during spring migrations. Consequently, males took twice as long in spring and 44% longer in autumn to complete migration. Our results revealed clear sex‐specific migratory behaviors and supported predictions of the RSH that male foraging behaviors optimize body condition for the autumn rut, and females prioritize foraging while balancing reproductive constraints. Specifically, males timed their movements with spring green‐up as optimally as females, and the timing of male migrations and use of stopovers suggested that males prioritized time in areas of high‐quality forage. This refutes predictions of the FSH during the migratory period that males should consistently choose habitats with abundant, low‐quality forage. Our findings provide an important contribution to sexual segregation theory by extending relevant theories to understand male and female movements during the migratory period.

Management of proximal migration of double-J stents after Anderson-Hynes pyeloplasty in children

Proximal migration of double J stents after pediatric pyeloplasty is rare. Although retrograde removal of migrated stents is more common, the small calibre of the pediatric ureter may necessitate antegrade retrieval. Many techniques are described for the same in adults however, pediatric literature is sparse. We aim to describe the management of proximally displaced stents after pediatric pyeloplasty. This retrospective study included all children (<17 years age) who underwent retrieval of proximally displaced DJ stents after pyeloplasty between 2007 and 2019at a single institution. The retrograde technique employed ureteroscopic retrieval with a grasper while in the antegrade technique, an access sheath was placed percutaneously into a calyx and Nephroscopic retrieval was performed. There were 8 children (6 boys and 2 girls) of which 4 were infants. Median age was 3.5 (0.5-12) years and median follow-up was 7.5 (4-47) months. Two children had been referred with displaced stents after pyeloplasty from other centres. The incidence of proximal stent migration was 6/1644 (0.4%). Open pyeloplasty had been performed in seven while one child had undergone laparoscopic pyeloplasty. The lower coil of the migrated stent was in the renal pelvis in 6 (complete) and ureter in 2 (partial migration). Those with partial migration underwent successful ureteroscopic retrieval. Three infants required Antegrade stent removal while ureteroscopic retrieval was successful in an older child with complete stent migration. Nephrectomy for loss of function and redo pyeloplasty for pelvi-ureteric stricture was performed in one each. One child had self-limiting fever (Clavien 1) after stent removal. All had normal drainage on renogram after 6 months. The cause of proximal stent migration was likely to be an inadequate lower coil (<180°) in 5 children and a capacious pelvis with narrow ureter in one infant. The cause could not be ascertained in two children who were referred from other centres. The management algorithm for retrieval of proximally migrated DJ stents, is depicted in Fig.3. Proximal migration of DJ stent after pyeloplasty is a rare complication which may be safely managed with a stepwise approach using both Antegrade and retrograde techniques. Accurate stent length, adequate distal coil and appropriate placement are essential to avoid stent migration.

Conservation and Use of Latin American Maize Diversity: Pillar of Nutrition Security and Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Latin America is the center of domestication and diversity of maize, the second most cultivated crop worldwide. In this region, maize landraces are fundamental for food security, livelihoods, and culture. Nevertheless, genetic erosion (i.e., the loss of genetic diversity and variation in a crop) threatens the continued cultivation and in situ conservation of landrace diversity that is crucial to climate change adaptation and diverse uses of maize. We provide an overview of maize diversity in Latin America before discussing factors associated with persistence of large in situ maize diversity, causes for maize landrace abandonment by farmers, and strategies to enhance the cultivation of landraces. Among other factors, maize diversity is linked with: (1) small-holder farming, (2) the production of traditional food products, (3) traditional cropping systems, (4) cultivation in marginal areas, and (5) retention of control over the production system by the farmers. On the other hand, genetic erosion is associated with substitution of landraces with hybrid varieties or cash crops, and partial (off-farm labor) or complete migration to urban areas. Continued cultivation, and therefore on-farm conservation of genetic diversity held in maize landraces, can be encouraged by creating or strengthening market opportunities that make the cultivation of landraces and open pollinated varieties (OPVs) more profitable for farmers, supporting breeding programs that prioritize improvement of landraces and their special traits, and increasing the access to quality germplasm of landraces and landrace-derived OPVs.

45 Embryonic disc development invitro in ovine embryos

Embryonic mortality during the second week of pregnancy has an important economic impact on farming. At this time, the embryo undergoes critical developmental events that cannot be recapitulated invitro, limiting our understanding of these pregnancy losses. After the blastocyst stage, the hypoblast migrates to cover the inner surface of the embryo and the epiblast forms a flat embryonic disc (ED) that initiates gastrulation. The aim of this study was to develop an invitro culture system to support sheep embryo development after the blastocyst stage. Day 6/7 invitro-produced blastocysts were cultured over agarose gels to prevent attachment and allocated to different media: synthetic oviductal fluid with 10% fetal bovine serum (SOF-FBS, n=52), an invitro culture medium (hIVC, n=35) supporting ED formation in human embryos (Deglincerti et al. 2016 Nature 533, 251-254; https://doi.org/10.1038/nature17948), and chemically defined N2B27 medium (n=38) supporting ED formation in bovine embryos (Ramos-Ibeas et al. 2020 Reproduction 160, 579-589, https://doi.org/10.1530/REP-20-0243). At Day 14, survival and embryo area were recorded, the abundance of transcripts encoding interferon Tau (TP1) and metabolic enzymes was analysed by RT-qPCR, and the development of epiblast and hypoblast was assessed by immunostaining for SOX2 and SOX17. Embryo survival and size and the percentage of embryos achieving complete hypoblast migration were significantly reduced in SOF-FBS (Chi-squared test and one-way ANOVA; P&amp;lt;0.05). Only N2B27 medium supported epiblast survival in 11/28 embryos. TP1 expression increased at Day 14 in all culture conditions and metabolism-related genes revealed a shift from anaerobic glycolysis to oxidative phosphorylation after culture in hIVC and N2B27. Next, to promote epiblast development, we allocated blastocysts to N2B27 medium supplemented with activin A (n=45), rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK) inhibitor (ROCKi, n=42), or insulin growth factor 1 (IGF1, n=29). IGF1 reduced significantly the percentage of embryos showing an ED-like structure, whereas activin A supplementation significantly increased epiblast survival (Chi-squared test; P&amp;lt;0.05) and SOX2+ cell number was higher in embryos cultured with ROCK inhibitor. When we combined activin A and ROCKi supplementation (N2B27+A+R, n=151), SOX2+ cell number and the percentage of embryos showing an ED-like structure increased significantly (165.1±53.1 and 31/35 embryos with SOX2+ epiblast cells; ∼89%) compared with N2B27 alone (49.4±12.7 and 5/11; ∼45%) (one-way ANOVA and Chi-squared test; P&amp;lt;0.05). Moreover, 18/31 (∼58%) ED-like structures developed in N2B27+A+R lost the Rauber’s layer (polar trophoblast), and BRACHYURY expression, denoting the onset of gastrulation, was observed in 3/14. In conclusion, we have developed a culture system that supports complete hypoblast migration and ED development invitro, which represents a valuable tool to explore early embryo mortality in livestock species without the need for experimental animals.

Complete intracranial migration of ventriculoperitoneal shunt-a rare complication

Background: Ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) is one of the most common procedures for the treatment of hydrocephalus. However, there are a number of complications associated with it. Case Presentation: We aim to present a rare complication of complete intraventricular migration of the VPS system. Our patient was a 12-month-old child who presented 8 months following placement of a right VPS for congenital hydrocephalus. He complained of progressive enlargement of head and vomiting. Examination did not reveal any palpable shunt under the skin on head, neck, or torso. An X-ray showed the presence of the complete shunt coiled within the ventricles. The shunt was removed endoscopically and third ventriculostomy was performed. Conclusion: Complete intracranial migration of VPS is a rare complication and can be avoided by making a small burr hole and careful anchoring of shunt. Trans-cranial endoscope is a useful tool for retrieval in such case and avoid more invasive procedure.

An Efficient Algorithm Based on Spectrum Migration for High Frame Rate Ultrasound Imaging

The high frame rate (HFR) imaging technique requires only one emission event for imaging. Therefore, it can achieve ultrafast imaging with frame rates up to the kHz regime, which satisfies the frame rate requirements for imaging moving tissues in scientific research and clinics. Lu’s Fourier migration method is based on a non-diffraction beam to obtain HFR images and can improve computational speed and efficiency. However, in order to obtain high-quality images, Fourier migration needs to make full use of the spectrum of echo signals for imaging, which requires a large number of Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) points and increases the complexity of the hardware when the echo frequency is high. Here, an efficient algorithm using the spectrum migration technique based on the spectrum’s distribution characteristics is proposed to improve the imaging efficiency in HFR imaging. Since the actual echo signal spectrum is of limited bandwidth, low-frequency and high-frequency parts with low-energy have little contribution to the imaging spectrum. We transform the effective part that provides the main energy in the signal spectrum to the imaging spectrum while the ineffective spectrum components are not utilized for imaging. This can significantly reduce the number of Fourier transform points, improve Fourier imaging efficiency, and ensure the imaging quality. The proposed method is evaluated on simulated and experimental datasets. Results demonstrated that the proposed method could achieve equivalent image quality with a reduced point number for FFT compared to the complete spectrum migration. In this paper, it only requires a quarter of the FFT points used in the complete spectrum migration, which can improve the computational efficiency; thus, it is more suitable for real-time data processing. The proposed spectrum migration method has a specific significance for the study and clinical application of HFR imaging.

Successful Endoscopic Removal of a Transmural Internally Migrating Gossypiboma

AbstractAn accidentally retained sponge inside the body of a patient (gossypiboma) is a rare and serious adverse event after a surgical procedure with serious medicolegal implications and complications. It is commonly associated with abdominal surgeries with cholecystectomy most commonly implicated. Whorl-like appearance or mottled translucencies and radiopaque marker on imaging is diagnostic. Transmural migration into a hollow viscous has been infrequently reported. The preferred approach for the removal of gossypiboma is surgery. However, in cases of complete transmural migration, endoscopic removal remains a viable option.

Combining otolith elemental signatures with multivariate analytical models to verify the migratory pattern of Japanese Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus niphonius) in the southern Yellow Sea

Japanese Spanish mackerel, Scomberomorus niphonius, is a commercially important, highly migratory species that is widely distributed throughout the northwestern Pacific region. However, its life history and migratory patterns are only partially understood. This study used otolith chemistry to investigate the migratory pattern of S. niphonius in the southern Yellow Sea, an important fishing ground. Transverse sections of otoliths from 15 age-1 spawning or spent individuals, comprising up to one complete migration cycle, were analyzed from the core to the margin by using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The ratios of the element to Ca were integrated with microstructural analysis to produce age-related elemental profiles. Combining multielemental analysis of otolith composition with multivariate analytical models, we quantified structural changes in otolith chemistry profiles. Results revealed there were diverse changing patterns of otolith chemistry profiles for detected elements and the elements of Na, Mg, Sr and Ba were important for the chronological signal. Five clusters were identified through chronological clustering, representing the five life stages from the early stage to the spawning stage. Variation of Ba:Ca ratio was most informative, showing a step-decreasing pattern in the first four stages and a rebound in the spawning stage. These results support the hypothesized migratory pattern of S. niphonius: hatching and spending their early life in the coastal sandy ridges system of the southern Yellow Sea, migrating northeastward and offshore for feeding during juvenile stage, aggregating in early October and migrating outward to the Jeju Island for wintering, and returning to the coastal waters for spawning. This study demonstrated the value of life-history related otolith chemistry profiles combined with multivariate analytical models was a means to verify the migration patterns of S. niphonius at regional scales with potential application in fisheries assessment and management.

UPAR-expressing melanoma exosomes promote angiogenesis by VE-Cadherin, EGFR and uPAR overexpression and rise of ERK1,2 signaling in endothelial cells

Exosomes (Exos) have been reported to promote pre-metastatic niche formation, proliferation, angiogenesis and metastasis. We have investigated the role of uPAR in melanoma cell lines-derived Exos and their pro-angiogenic effects on human microvascular endothelial cells (HMVECs) and endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFCs). Melanoma Exos were isolated from conditioned media of A375 and M6 cells by differential centrifugation and filtration. Tunable Resistive Pulse Sensing (TRPS) and Nanoparticle tracking analysis were performed to analyze dimension and concentration of Exos. The CRISPR–Cas 9 technology was exploited to obtain a robust uPAR knockout. uPAR is expressed in melanoma Exos that are internalized by HMVECs and ECFCs, enhancing VE-Cadherin, EGFR and uPAR expression in endothelial cells that undergo a complete angiogenic program, including proliferation, migration and tube formation. uPAR loss reduced the pro-angiogenic effects of melanoma Exos in vitro and in vivo by inhibition of VE-Cadherin, EGFR and uPAR expression and of ERK1,2 signaling in endothelial cells. A similar effect was obtained with a peptide that inhibits uPAR–EGFR interaction and with the EGFR inhibitor Gefitinib, which also inhibited melanoma Exos-dependent EGFR phosphorylation. This study suggests that uPAR is required for the pro-angiogenic activity of melanoma Exos. We propose the identification of uPAR-expressing Exos as a potentially useful biomarker for assessing pro-angiogenic propensity and eventually monitoring the response to treatment in metastatic melanoma patients.

Complete migration of a composite mesh into small bowel incidentally found during laparotomy for colectomy in an asymptomatic patient: a case report

BackgroundComposite meshes are used for incisional hernia repair because they enable intraperitoneal mesh placement due to their dorsal surface, which is made of inert material. We report, for the first time, to our knowledge, a case of composite mesh migration detected incidentally during a laparotomy for colon cancer in an asymptomatic patient.Case presentationOur patient was a 71-year-old South Asian man who underwent ventral mesh repair following a postoperative complication after right hemicolectomy for colon cancer. The patient was diagnosed with a metachronous sigmoid cancer 5 years later, for which he underwent laparotomy. During laparotomy, a migrated mesh was incidentally found and extracted from his proximal ileum without any evidence of abscess or fistula formation.ConclusionTo our knowledge, this is the first report of an incidentally found migrated composite mesh from a bowel lumen in an asymptomatic patient.

The People’s Ledger: How to Democratize Money and Finance the Economy

The COVID-19 crisis underscored the urgency of digitizing sovereign money and ensuring universal access to banking services. It pushed two related ideas—the issuance of central bank digital currency and the provision of retail deposit accounts by central banks—to the forefront of the public policy debate. To date, however, the debate has not produced a coherent vision of how democratizing access to central bank money would—and should—transform and democratize the entire financial system. This lack of a systemic perspective obscures the enormity of the challenge and dilutes our ability to tackle it. This Article takes up that challenge. It offers a blueprint for a comprehensive restructuring of the central bank balance sheet as the basis for redesigning the core architecture of modern finance. Focusing on the U.S. Federal Reserve System (the Fed), the Article outlines a series of structural reforms that would radically redefine the role of a central bank as the ultimate public platform for generating, modulating, and allocating financial resources in a democratic economy—the People’s Ledger.On the liability side of the ledger, the Article envisions the complete migration of demand deposit accounts to the Fed’s balance sheet and explores the full range of new, more direct and flexible, monetary policy tools enabled by this shift. On the asset side, it advocates a comprehensive qualitative restructuring of the Fed’s investment portfolio, which would maximize its capacity to channel credit to productive uses in the nation’s economy. This compositional overhaul of the Fed’s balance sheet would fundamentally alter the operations and systemic footprints of private banks, funds, derivatives dealers, and other financial institutions and markets. Analyzing these structural implications, the Article shows how the proposed reforms would make the financial system less complex, more stable, and more efficient in serving the long-term needs of the American people.

Intrathoracic sleeve gastrectomy migration with gastric volvulus treated with laparoscopic repair and conversion to gastric bypass.

A 43 years old female with laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (SG) and an ‘anterior’ hiatal hernia repair 11 years ago, presented with 3 years history dysphagia and heartburn. Upper gastrointestinal barium showed an almost complete intrathoracic migration of the SG with a partial organoaxial volvulus. Upper endoscopy revealed a 10 cm hiatal hernia with grade B esophagitis. Laparoscopic revision surgery with reduction of the gastric sleeve, standard posterior hiatal hernia repair, resection of the narrowed remnant of the SG and conversion to a gastric bypass was performed. No postoperative complications occurred. The patient is asymptomatic at 2 years of follow-up. We present the technical standards for the management and discuss the suspected pathophysiology of this rare but challenging condition.

Fall migration of radio-tagged Broad-winged Hawks (Buteo platypterus) in California

Little is known about migration patterns of Broad-winged Hawks (Buteo platypterus) in the western United States apart from small numbers that have been recorded at migration monitoring sites. To better understand their movements in coastal California, we radio-tracked 5 juveniles (1 in 1994, and 4 from 2012 to 2015) during fall migration from the Marin Headlands (near San Francisco) to the US–Mexico border. One hawk died near the Headlands within 2–3 d of release and the other 4 crossed into Baja California in 4–6 flight days with no stopovers beyond the Headlands. Daily straight-line flight distances ranged from about 110 to 265 km (mean = 189 ± 47 km SD). Migration began 2.5–3 h after sunrise and ended a similar amount of time before sunset. Flight paths along mountain ranges, and radio signal patterns, indicated slope-soaring was a primary strategy. The detailed flight paths we identified will be helpful to better evaluate proposed renewable energy facilities, given their current rapid development and potential for killing birds. More study is needed to determine complete migration routes and breeding and wintering grounds of Broad-winged Hawks on the Pacific coast.

Embryonic disc formation following post-hatching bovine embryo development in vitro.

Failures during conceptus elongation are a major cause of pregnancy losses in ungulates, exerting a relevant economic impact on farming. The developmental events occurring during this period are poorly understood, mainly because this process cannot be recapitulated in vitro. Previous studies have established an in vitro post-hatching development (PHD) system that supports bovine embryo development beyond the blastocyst stage, based on agarose gel tunnels and serum- and glucose-enriched medium. Unfortunately, under this system embryonic disc formation is not achieved and embryos show notorious signs of apoptosis and necrosis. The objective of this study has been to develop an in vitro system able to support embryonic disc formation. We first compared post-hatching development inside agarose tunnels or free-floating over an agarose-coated dish in serum- and glucose-enriched medium (PHD medium). Culture inside agarose tunnels shaped embryo morphology by physical constriction, but it restricted embryo growth and did not provide any significant advantage in terms of development of hypoblast and epiblast lineages. In contrast to PHD medium, a chemically defined and enriched medium (N2B27) supported complete hypoblast migration and epiblast survival in vitro, even in the absence of agarose coating. Cells expressing the pluripotency marker SOX2 were observed in ~56% of the embryos and ~25% developed embryonic disc-like structures formed by SOX2+ cells. In summary, here we provide a culture system that supports trophectoderm proliferation, hypoblast migration and epiblast survival after the blastocyst stage.

Infection state can affect host migratory decisions

Organisms across a wide range of taxa use migration as a strategy to avoid, reduce or recover from parasitic infection. Previous work has identified three different processes by which migration can help reduce infection risk and/or costs: migratory escape from infection, migratory culling of infected individuals and migratory recovery from infection. However, most theoretical modelling of host migration in response to infection assumes that individuals have a single strategy during both infected and susceptible states, meaning an individual's state (susceptible or infected) is irrelevant to its decision to migrate. Here, we construct a model with two independent strategies of migration for an individual based on whether they are infected or susceptible, to study when the decision to migrate is favourable. We show that the best strategy for individuals of a given infection state is to either always migrate or never migrate. When infected and susceptible individuals differ in their migration strategy, this leads to partial migration at the population level (only some individuals migrate). Whereas previous theory showed that partial migration can be optimal in the face of infection, our work further parses out the contributors to partial or complete migration by determining which individuals in the population are involved in migration for different sets of conditions.

Whale geography: A species-centric approach applied to migration

Understanding the biogeography of a species begins by mapping its presence over time and space. The use of home ranges, breeding and feeding areas, migration paths and movement patterns between the two are also inherent to their ecology. However, this is an overly simplified view of life histories. It ignores nuanced and complex exchanges and responses to the environment and between conspecifics. Having previously advocated for a more species-centric approach in a discussion of ‘whale geography’, I look to better understand the driving factors of migrations, and the information streams guiding the movement, which is key to the biogeography of large whale species. First, I consider the processes underlying the navigation capacities of species to complete migration, and how, and over what scales, sensory information contributes to cognitive maps. I specifically draw on examples of large-scale, en masse migrators to then apply this to whales. I focus on the acoustic sense as the principal way whales gain and exchange information, drawing on a case study of grey whale ( Eschrichtius robustus) calling behaviour to illustrate my arguments. Their consistent employment of far-propagating calls appears to be tied to travel behaviours and probably aids navigation and social cohesion. The range over which calls are being propagated to conspecifics, or perhaps being echoed back to the individual, underlies the distance over which the cognitive maps are being both formed and employed. I believe understanding these processes edges us closer to understanding species biogeography.

Fully covered self-expanding metal stents for benign biliary stricture after orthotopic liver transplant: 5-year outcomes

Minimally invasive treatments of anastomotic benign biliary stricture (BBS) after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) include endoscopic placement of multiple plastic stents or fully covered self-expandable metal stents (FCSEMSs). No multiyear efficacy data are available on FCSEMS treatment after OLT. We prospectively studied long-term efficacy and safety of FCSEMS treatment in adults aged≥18 years with past OLT, cholangiographically confirmed BBS, and an indication for ERCP with stent placement. Stent removal was planned after 4 to 6 months, with subsequent follow-up until 5 years or stricture recurrence. Long-term outcomes were freedom from stricture recurrence, freedom from recurrent stent placement, and stent-related serious adverse events (SAEs). In 41 patients, long-term follow-up began after FCSEMS removal (n= 33) or observation of complete distal migration (CDM) (n= 8). On an intention-to-treat basis, the 5-year probability of remaining stent-free after FCSEMS removal or observation of CDM was 48.9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 33.2%-64.7%) among all patients and 60.9% (95% CI, 43.6%-78.2%) among 31 patients with over 4 months of FCSEMS indwell time. In 28 patients with stricture resolution at FCSEMS removal or observed CDM (median, 5.0 months indwell time), the 5-year probability of no stricture recurrence was 72.6% (95% CI, 55.3%-90%). Sixteen patients (39%) had at least 1 related SAE, most commonly cholangitis (n= 10). By 5 years after temporary FCSEMS treatment of post-OLT BBS, approximately half of all patients remained stent-free on an intention-to-treat basis. Stent-related SAEs (especially cholangitis) were common. FCSEMS placement is a viable long-term treatment option for patients with post-OLT BBS. (Clinical trial registration number: NCT01014390.).

SUN-067 Pituitary Dysfunction in Children with Ectopic Posterior Pituitary

Background: Imaging studies aid in the detection of structural abnormalities that may be associated with pituitary dysfunction, such as ectopic posterior pituitary (EPP). The location of the ectopic lobe can vary, but it is most commonly located along the median eminence in the floor of the third ventricle. An EPP could result from complete or partial defective neural migration during embryogenesis, which could explain the different loci of EPP. Affected individuals have either severe isolated growth hormone deficiency (IGHD) or combined pituitary hormone deficiencies (CPHD); diabetes insipidus is not a feature, indicating that the EPP is functioning normally. Aim: To detect the prevalence of IGHD or CPHD in children with EPP. In addition, to evaluate the association between the location of EPP and pituitary dysfunction. Methods: A retrospective chart review of MRI reports at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children (SCHC) from 2006-2018 that were found to have EPP. Pituitary hormone function was evaluated in the majority of the patient population. Results: Of the 26 patients with EPP, [16 males (M) and 10 females (F)], mean chronologic age was 5.98+5.18 yrs, only 20 patients had an endocrine evaluation at SCHC. Of the 20 children, 14 had CPHD and 4 had IGHD.Patients were classified into 3 groups (upper, middle & lower) according to EPP location along the pituitary stalk. Of the 21 patients with upper EPP, 17 had pituitary dysfunction (14 with CPHD, 3 with IGHD). Of the 4 children with middle EPP, only 1 had pituitary dysfunction which was IGHD. One patient had lower EPP with hyperprolactinemia. Diabetes insipidus was not identified in any of the children. Conclusion: Our study supports previous reports that CPHD and IGHD are frequent in patients with EPP. Similarly, our data further demonstrate that no cases of diabetes insipidus have been reported in children with EPP.In our study, EPP is most commonly located along the upper third of pituitary stalk at the median eminence level, with a higher prevalence of CPHD and IGHD, a finding similar to prior studies. No CPHD was reported in middle/lower but IGHD was found in the middle EPP group.

Spatial and temporal variation in the migration of Ruddy-headed Goose in southern South America using satellite tagging

SummaryRuddy-headed GooseChloephaga rubidicepsis the smallest of the five South American sheldgeese and has two separate populations: one sedentary, which resides in the Malvinas/Falkland Islands and one migratory that overwinters mainly in the Pampas region, Argentina and breeds in Southern Patagonia. The Ruddy-headed Goose’s continental population has decreased considerably, and recent estimates indicated that the population size is less than 800 individuals. In Argentina and Chile, this population is categorised as endangered. Understanding migration across vast landscapes is essential for the identification of factors affecting the survival of this endangered population and for the application of effective conservation measures. We aim to provide the first documentation of the complete migration cycle of Ruddy-headed Goose, and to analyse their annual migration in detail, including identification of stop-over, breeding and wintering sites, and to compare migration timing during spring and autumn migration. Adults were captured in the southern Pampas and equipped with solar satellite transmitters in 2015 and 2016. We analysed the influence of season (spring vs autumn migration) on the number and duration of stop-overs, distance travelled and overall migration speed using Generalized Linear Mixed Models. Our results showed that tracked geese used the eastern Patagonian route to reach their breeding grounds and take the same route after breeding. Spring migration was significantly faster than autumn migration, at least based on the number of days spent in their stop-overs. Stop-overs were closer to the final destination, either during spring and autumn migrations, though some of them were not used during subsequent migrations. Our migration cartography for Ruddy-headed Geese, together with the timing and location data, should be used to improve conservation efforts directed at this species and might contribute to the modification of the current status of ‘Least Concern’ under the IUCN criteria.