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This study estimated the health burden and costs associated with gastroenteritis in the City of Hamilton (Ontario, Canada). The number of cases, number of different resource units used, and cost per resource unit were represented by probability distributions and point estimates. These were subsequently integrated in a stochastic model to estimate the overall burden and cost in the population and to depict the uncertainty of the estimates. The estimated mean annual cost per capita was Can$115. The estimated mean annual cost per case was Can$1,089 and was similar to other published figures. Gastroenteritis represented a significant burden in the study population, with costs high enough to justify prevention efforts. These results, currently the most accurate available estimates for a Canadian population, can inform future economic evaluations to determine the most cost effective measures for reducing the burden and cost of gastroenteritis in the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The simultaneous estimation of particulate organic carbon (POC), particulate inorganic carbon (PIC) and biogenic silica (BSi) export fluxes is key to the study of carbon export due to the hypothesized role of biominerals in the sinking of organic particles. This paper presents of the first attempts to measure downward fluxes of POC, PIC and BSi from the surface ocean using both the 234Th-238U and the 210Po-210Pb disequilibria and drifting sediments trap synchronously at the Porcupine Abyssal Plain in summer 2009. The combined use of the three techniques allowed us to analyze their suitability not only for POC flux estimates, but also as tracers of PIC and BSi fluxes. POC and biomineral/radionuclide ratios were measured in two size fractions to better understand differences between 234Th derived export and 210Po derived export. 210Po derived POC and biomineral fluxes were unexpectedly closer to POC and biomineral fluxes recorded by sediment traps than 234Th derived POC and biomineral fluxes which were higher than obtained from the other two approaches. We suggest that 210Po, because of its biogeochemical behavior, is a better proxy for POC and mineral fluxes than is 234Th in post bloom conditions. The contribution of smaller (1–53μm) particles to flux is also considered in order to explain the differences in derived fluxes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Continuous Plankton Recorder data suggest that the Irminger Sea supports a major proportion of the surface-living population of the copepod Calanus finmarchicus in the northern North Atlantic, but there have been few studies of its population dynamics in the region. In this paper, we document the seasonal changes in the demographic structure of C. finmarchicus in the Irminger Sea from a field programme during 2001/2002, and the associations between its developmental stages and various apparent bio-physical zones. Overwintering stages were found widely at depth (>500m) across the Irminger Sea, and surviving females were widely distributed in the surface waters the following spring. However, recruitment of the subsequent generation was concentrated around the fringes of the Irminger Sea basin, along the edges of the Irminger and East Greenland Currents, and not in the central basin. In late summer animals were found descending back to overwintering depths in the Central Irminger Sea. The key factors dictating this pattern of recruitment appear to be (a) the general circulation regime, (b) predation on eggs in the spring, possibly by the surviving G0 stock, and (c) mortality of first feeding naupliar stages in the central basin where food concentrations appear to be low throughout the year. We compared the demographic patterns in 2001/2002 with observations from the only previous major survey in 1963 and with data from the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) surveys. In both previous data sets, the basic structure of G0 ascent from the central basin and G1 recruitment around the fringes was a robust feature, suggesting that it is a recurrent phenomenon. The Irminger Sea is a complex mixing zone between polar and Atlantic water masses, and it has also been identified as a site of sporadic deep convection. The physical oceanographic characteristics of the region are therefore potentially sensitive to climate fluctuations. Despite this, the abundance of C. finmarchicus in the region, as measured by the CPR surveys, appears not to have responded to climate factors linked to the North Atlantic Oscillation Index, in contrast with the stocks in eastern Atlantic areas. We speculate that this may because biological factors (production and mortality), rather than transport processes are the key factors affecting the population dynamics in the Irminger Sea. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• The area analysed is autotrophic over an annual cycle. • Marine net biological production is estimated at 19 mmol m−2 d−1 in O 2 equivalents. • Different dynamics can explain productivity peaks in different times of the year. • Water is oxygen undersaturated during the whole winter period. As part of the OSMOSIS project, a fleet of gliders surveyed the Porcupine Abyssal Plain site (Northeast Atlantic) from September 2012 to September 2013. Salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen concentration and chlorophyll fluorescence were measured in the top 1000 m of the water column. Net community production (N) over an annual cycle using an oxygen-budget approach was compared to variations of several parameters (wind speed, mixing layer depth relative to euphotic depth, temperature, density, net heat flux) showing that the main theories (Critical Depth Hypothesis, Critical Turbulence Hypothesis, Heat-flux Hypothesis) can explain the switch between net heterotrophy to net autotrophy in different times of the year, The dynamics leading to an increase in productivity were related to shifts in regimes, such as the possible differences in nutrient concentration. The oxygen concentration profiles used for this study constitute a unique dataset spanning the entire productive season resulting in a data series longer than in previous studies. Net autotrophy was found at the site with a net production of (6.4 ± 1.9) mol m−2 in oxygen equivalents (or (4.3 ± 1.3) mol m−2 in carbon equivalents). The period exhibiting a deep chlorophyll maximum between 10 m and 40 m of depth contributed (1.5 ± 0.5) mol m−2 in oxygen equivalent to the total N. These results are greater than most previously published estimates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Symptom management is a cornerstone of quality oncology practice. The American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) established a Working Group to develop patient-reported outcome performance measures (PRO-PMs) for assessing symptom management during chemotherapy. [Extracted from the article]