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3 μg/L were classified as positive and concentrations less then 3.5 μg/L were classified as negative. There was a significantly (P = .03) lower proportion of false-positive results (cats unlikely to have pancreatitis, n = 77, with a positive fPL, n = 8, 10%) than false-negative results (cats with definite or probable pancreatitis, n = 58, with a negative fPL result, n = 14, 24%). None of the selected biochemical tests were helpful diagnostically. Conclusion and clinical importance A positive Spec fPL result indicates that pancreatitis is a probable diagnosis, but the test cannot be used to rule the diagnosis out.In dogs and cats, unusual coat colour phenotypes may result from various phenomena, including chimerism. In the domestic cat, the tortoiseshell coat colour that combines red and non-red hairs is the most obvious way to identify chimeras in males. Several cases of tortoiseshell males have been reported, some of which were diagnosed as chimeras without any molecular confirmation. Here, we report the case of a female feline chimera identified thanks to its coat colour and confirmed through DNA profiling and a coat colour test. We ruled out the hypothesis of mosaicism and aneuploidy. All the data were consistent with a natural case of female chimerism.Recently, young COVID‐19 patients have presented with erythematous and purpuric acral lesions similar to chilblains1–3. Despite the scarcity of published cases, this topic has attracted significant mass media attention.4 Dermatologists have noted that more people than would be expected at this time of year are seeking medical attention for these chilblain‐like lesions. Some have suggested that people presenting with this manifestation should be tested and isolated2. Determining the accuracy of this association is therefore crucial. To establish the real prevalence of COVID‐19 in patients with acral skin lesions, we firstly evaluated all the cases of acral lesions presented in dermatology and paediatrics departments and family doctors’ offices in an eastern Spanish region over a three‐week period. Then we prospectively performed a SARS‐CoV‐2 PCR on nasopharyngeal aspirates taken from all available patients to determine whether their cutaneous manifestations were predictive of a positive result. To put our finditives out of 88 tests (14.8%). There are two possible explanations for the high proportion of negative results I) A high number of false negatives. II) The lesions are not related to SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. The low prevalence of an infected contact in our sample, after three weeks of strict confinement in Spain, makes the possibility of being infected in our cohort less likely. The diffusion of this entity by the mass media may have caused patients who would not normally consult to do so.9 . Other possible explanations include a concomitant parvovirus B19 outbreak10 or trauma‐induced lesions. Our study suggests that acral skin lesions are not a specific marker of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. Although larger prospective studies are needed, current evidence indicates that acral skin lesions should not be regarded as a sign of COVID‐19 in otherwise asymptomatic patients.Phytohormones are pivotal signalling compounds in higher plants, in which they exert their roles intracellularly, but are also released for cell-to-cell communication. In unicellular organisms, extracellularly released phytohormones can be involved in chemical crosstalk with other organisms. However, compared to higher plants, hardly any knowledge is available on the roles of phytohormones in green algae. Here, we studied phytohormone composition and extracellular release in aeroterrestrial Trebouxiophyceae. We investigated a) which phytohormones are produced and if they are released extracellularly, and if extracellular phytohormone levels are b) affected by environmental stimuli and c) differ between lichen-forming and non-lichen forming species. Three free-living microalgae, Apatococcus lobatus, Chloroidium ellipsoideum and Myrmecia bisecta, and three lichen-forming microalgae, Asterochloris glomerata, Trebouxia decolorans and Trebouxia sp., were studied. see more Algae were grown on solid media and the following cellular phytohormones were identified by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), abscisic acid (ABA), gibberellin A4 (GA4 ) and zeatin (ZT). Furthermore, IAA, IBA, ABA, jasmonic acid (JA), gibberellin A3 (GA3 ) and GA4 were found to be released extracellularly. IAA and ABA were released by all six species, and IAA was the most concentrated. Phytohormone release was affected by light and water availability, especially IAA in A. glomerata, Trebouxia sp. and C. ellipsoideum. No clear patterns were observed between lichen-forming and non-lichen forming species. The results are envisaged to contribute valuable baseline information for further studies into the roles of phytohormones in microalgae.Immune-mediated thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (iTTP) is a rare and life-threatening haematological emergency. Although therapeutic plasma exchange together with corticosteroids achieve successful outcomes, a considerable number of patients remain refractory to this treatment and require early initiation of intensive therapy. However, a method for the early identification of refractory iTTP is not available. To develop and validate a model for predicting the probability of refractory iTTP, a cohort of 265 consecutive iTTP patients from 17 large medical centres was retrospectively identified. The derivation cohort included 94 patients from 11 medical centres. For the validation cohort, we included 40 patients from the other six medical centres using geographical validation. An easy-to-use risk score system was generated, and its performance was assessed using internal and external validation cohorts. In the multivariable logistic analysis of the derivation cohort, three candidate predictors were entered into the final prediction model age, haemoglobin and creatinine. The prediction model had an area under the curve of 0·886 (95% CI 0·679-0·974) in the internal validation cohort and 0·862 (95% CI 0·625-0·999) in the external validation cohort. The calibration plots showed a high agreement between the predicted and observed outcomes. In conclusion, we developed and validated a highly accurate prediction model for the early identification of refractory iTTP. It has the potential to guide tailored therapy and is a step towards more personalized medicine.