BAM/BAD are very common and under-appreciated causes of GI symptoms after cancer treatment. Health professionals should have a low threshold in suspecting this condition, as diagnosis and treatment can significantly improve quality of life.

Eastern Coyotes were first documented in central Labrador in 1995 and have recently been recorded in coastal Labrador and at three additional locations in central and western Labrador. Here we document additional records indicating range expansion and the possibility of an established population. We also examine the future management of the species in Labrador and its possible effect on this northern ecosystem.Key Words: Coyote, Canis latrans, range, distribution, management, Labrador. 12°C in July. Average annual precipitation is 1250 mm with an average snowfall accumulation of 3.5 to 4.5 m (Meades 1990*).We interviewed trappers in remote communities throughout Labrador and fur buyers to assess the occurrence of Coyotes in the annual fur harvests. We also collected three carcasses, one harvested by trappers; the other killed on the highway. Local Conservation Officers reported one sighting near Goose Bay, Labrador. We found no other records of Coyotes harvested in other areas of Labrador. ResultsThe first record of a Coyote in Labrador is that of an adult male, caught by a trapper on 14 January 1995, along the Churchill River (53°17'N, 60°15'W) approximately 2 km south east of Happy ValleyGoose Bay (Chubbs and Phillips 2002). This specimen was caught during a period of low trapping effort and which continues in Labrador today ( Figure 1 1998). No geographic barriers exist to discourageCoyotes from extending their range northward into Labrador. Delineation of Coyote range expansion in Labrador may have been delayed due to the absence of systematic surveys for carnivore species and because low fur prices in the last decade decreased trapping effort (only three trapped specimens over a ten-year period). It has been known for some time (Lehman et al. 1991;Pilgrim et al. 1998) that hybridization of Wolf and Coyote genotypes has occurred in Québec due to the rapid northeast progression of Coyotes. More recently it has also been shown that eastern Coyotes share a common evolutionary ancestry with the North American eastern Wolf (Wilson et al. 2000;Wilson et al. 2003). The larger size of eastern Coyotes may have contributed to their success in range expansion into Labrador. Eastern Coyotes make use of snow packed by human activities, especially snowmobile trails, facilitating their travel and dispersal (Crête and Larivière 2003). Coyotes possibly maintain viable populations in northern forests, due to their high adaptability, great mobility, and low trapping effort (Trembley et al. 1998).Although a breeding record or incidence of an adult female Coyote has not yet been recorded in Labrador, the five records reported here, four of which were adult males, provide evidence of an established population. Labrador's healthy Wolf population may be a controlling mechanism, preventing a rapid population increase that has been observed in insular Newfoundland and elsewhere where Wolves are absent. Wolves are intolerant of Coyotes, killing them where both species overlap, permitting Coyotes to exist at low densities on the edge ...

The movement patterns and demographic parameters were measured for caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) on George’s Island (Labrador, Canada) to determine if the population is separate from the Mealy Mountain Caribou Herd. Movements between George’s Island caribou and nearby Mealy Mountain caribou were examined through satellite telemetry (April 2005 to April 2006). Demographic information was collected through aerial classification surveys. The predator-free island is currently maintaining a density of 22.5-26.5 caribou/km2. Female survival appears high and the recruitment rate in late fall-early spring was 19.0-29.2% calves. Mainland caribou moved very little throughout the year, travelling no more than 53.7 km on average from their initial collaring locations. Also, satellite data indicated no mixing between animals on George’s Island and the mainland. The elevated caribou density and high proportion of calves suggest that George’s Island could at times be acting as a predator-free recruitment area and that George’s Island may be a subpopulation from which animals disperse to the mainland.

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Background: There is an increased interest in the impact that hearing loss has on general well-being,including overall quality of life (QOL), to improve and expand care that is provided to individuals withhearing loss.<br />Purpose: To evaluate QOL in adults with and without access to hearing health care (HHC).<br />Research Design: A cross-sectional study examined QOL across groups of individuals with and withouthearing loss.<br />Study Sample: One hundred eight participants from West Central and South Alabama received puretonehearing evaluations. Thirty-two adults had hearing within normal limits and 76 had at least a mildhearing loss in one ear.<br />Data Collection and Analysis: The Quality of Life Inventory (QOLI), the Charlson Comorbidity Index,and an Accessibility to Health Care questionnaire were administered to all participants. The QOLI outcomeswere used as the dependent variable for the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) statistical procedures.<br />Results: For adults with hearing loss who did not have access to HHC, lower QOL scores were reportedcompared with those with access to HHC, but this finding was not significant. Although ANCOVA resultsdid not suggest QOL differences across geographical regions, effect size calculations indicated thatadults with hearing loss who lived in the most rural regions of Alabama had lower reported QOL scoresthan their counterparts who had hearing within normal limits. Finally, those with higher incomes, whowere older, and who had fewer physical disorders reported higher QOL than those with lower incomes,who were younger, and who had more physical ailments.<br />Conclusions: Adults with hearing loss who live in regions without access to HHC might be at risk fordecreased QOL. A number of models for improving access to HHC will be necessary to decrease thispotential risk.<br />