An interaction index to predict turtle bycatch in a Mediterranean bottom trawl fishery

Incidental catch is the major threat to the survival of loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) in the Mediterranean and the main reason for their decline. More than 100,000 turtles are estimated to be caught annually due to fishing practices; 10–50% die. Bottom trawls are among the fishing gears exerting the worst impact on sea turtle populations, especially in the coastal waters of Tunisia and Libya, northern Adriatic Sea, the Mediterranean coastal areas of Turkey and Egypt, where the continental shelf is large and turtles in the demersal stage are commonly found also in winter. Seven adult-sized loggerhead turtles captured incidentally by bottom trawls in the central-northern Adriatic Sea and treated in rescue centres were tagged with satellite transmitters before release. In this paper Italian bottom trawl track data obtained from vessel monitoring systems (VMSs) were analysed by VMSbase R suite to identify the areas of maximum fishing effort in the Adriatic. These data were combined with satellite information on turtle distribution to provide an interaction index enabling prediction of potential trawl–turtle interaction hotspots and periods. The present pilot study can be considered as a risk-analysis approach directed at identifying the areas and times of possible trawling–turtle interactions in a Mediterranean trawl fishery. By identifying the areas and seasons at highest risk of turtle bycatch, the index here developed has the potential to provide key information to design and implement mitigation strategies. Vessel monitoring system is actually in force in several countries, therefore the approach here studied might have a worldwide application.     

DNA ADP-Ribosylation Stalls Replication and Is Reversed by RecF-Mediated Homologous Recombination and Nucleotide Excision Repair

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Evidences for genetic differentiation within the highly endemic and endangered annual fish Austrolebias nigrofasciatus (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae)

Samples of Austrolebias nigrofasciatus (n = 103), an endangered species of annual fish endemic to a small area of the Patos-Mirim lagoon system encompassing the São Gonçalo Channel lowlands, were collected from eight isolated temporary ponds, four located at the known distribution range of the species and four located along the Piratini River lowlands, where morphologically different individuals were found. In the laboratory, fragments of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (coI), cytochrome b (cytb) and nuclear rhodopsin (rho) genes were amplified, purified and sequenced for 100, 99 and 58 of these individuals, respectively. Samples were further analysed using phylogenetic and phylogeographic methods to evaluate the patterns of genetic diversity and differentiation presented within and between populations, while assessing their evolutionary history, in order to guide the application of further conservation strategies. We found that the four new populations from the Piratini River lowlands encompass a different lineage of A. nigrofasciatus that diverged from that encountered in the São Gonçalo Channel at approximately 0.165 M years before present, during a population expansion and did not yet attain reciprocal monophyly. This divergence was associated with a glacial event that was preceded by an interglacial period putatively associated with the dispersal. Moreover, significant levels of genetic differentiation and a high number of exclusive haplotypes could be encountered even in micro-geographical scales, as in the comparisons between populations located within the same major lineage, indicating each of them may encompass independent management units. Conservation actions are certainly urgent, especially in the face of signs of a recent bottleneck.     

医疗保险总额预付试点三级医院患者就医感受调查

目的 调查上海市实行医疗保险总额预付的三级医院中患者的就医感受。方法 经培训的调查员应用结构式调查问卷对上海市10家实行医疗保险总额预付的三级医院的699名患者进行面对面访谈，数据分析主要采用描述性统计。结果 城保患者对门诊医生明显减少处方金额（或处方天数）的感受强于非城保患者，城保和非城保患者的住院就医感受差异无显著统计学意义。结论 医疗保险总额预付对上海三级医院患者就医感受的总体效应似偏弱，而且有限的影响主要集中于门诊而非住院环节。     

Algal Population Growth Model Integrated with Toxicokinetics for Ecological Risk Assessment under Time-Varying Pesticide Exposure

An algal population growth model integrated with toxicokinetics was developed for assessing the effect of pesticides on population dynamics. This model is a simple one-compartment, first-order kinetic model in which toxicity (growth inhibition and mortality) depends on the intracellular effective concentration of a pesticide at a target site. The model's parameters were derived using an experimental study that investigated the effects of pretilachlor, bensulfuron-methyl, pentoxazone, and quinoclamine on the growth, mortality, and subsequent population recovery of the green alga Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata. Modeled and measured trajectories of algal population dynamics agreed well. The effect on population recovery was underestimated by the model that ignored the toxicokinetics. The four tested herbicides had a variety of toxicity characteristics and physicochemical properties, indicating the wide range of the model's applicability. Moreover, the developed model and the obtained model's parameters were extrapolated to predict long-term algal population dynamics under time-varying herbicide exposure. The calculated integral biomass lost compared with the control was considered a quantitative index of the population-level ecological risk. The model's prediction showed that the same exposure level (peak concentration is equivalent to EC50) indicated much different population-level effect depending on the herbicide.     

Combination of Hansen Robotic system with cryocatheter in a challenging parahisian accessory pathway ablation

A perceived distinctive feature of cryoablation is the stability (cryoadherence) of the catheter tip during cold temperatures at the desired location, even during tachycardia. We report the case report of a young patient with a parahisian accessory pathway where stability of the ablation catheter was not achieved despite using the cryocatheter with a steerable sheath. Ultimately, stability at the desired location was achieved robotically by means of Hansen system (Hansen Medical, Mountain View, CA, USA).