Search

Macroalgal bloom-forming species occur in coastal systems worldwide. However, due to overlapping morphologies in some taxa, accurate taxonomic assessment and classification of these species can be quite challenging. We investigated the molecular and morphological characteristics of 153 specimens of bloom-forming Ulva located in and around Narragansett Bay, RI, USA. We analyzed sequences of the nuclear internal transcribed spacer 1 region ( ITS1) and the chloroplast-encoded rbcL; based on the ITS1 data, we grouped the specimens into nine operational taxonomic units ( OTUs). Eight of these OTUs have been previously reported to exist, while one is novel. Of the eight OTUs, all shared sequence identity with previously published sequences or differed by less than 1.5% sequence divergence for two molecular markers. Previously, 10 species names were reported for Ulva in Rhode Island (one blade and nine tube-forming species) based upon morphological classification alone. Of our nine OTUs, three contained blade-forming specimens ( U. lactuca, U. compressa, U. rigida), one OTU had a blade with a tubular stipe, and six contained unbranched and/or branched tubular morphologies (one of these six, U. compressa, had both a blade and a tube morphology). While the three blade-forming OTUs in Narragansett Bay can frequently be distinguished by careful observations of morphological characteristics, and spatial/temporal distribution, it is much more difficult to distinguish among the tube-forming specimens based upon morphology or distribution alone. Our data support the molecular species concept for Ulva, and indicate that molecular-based classifications of Ulva species are critical for proper species identification, and subsequent ecological assessment or mitigation of Ulva blooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the NE Pacific, Ulvaria obscura is a common component of 'green tide' blooms. It is also the only alga known to produce dopamine, which is released into seawater on sunny days when Ulvaria is emersed and then rehydrated. To better understand the mechanisms associated with dopamine release, we experimentally determined whether light quantity and quality, desiccation, temperature, exudates from conspecifics, and dissolved dopamine caused dopamine release. We also examined the effects of desiccation on Ulvaria's ability to photosynthesize, grow, and survive. Desiccation was the only factor that caused significant amounts of dopamine to be lost from U. obscura tissues. The loss of water from Ulvaria tissues was strongly and positively correlated with the loss of dopamine after rehydration. Only 56% of desiccated algae survived for 1 week, compared to 100% of undesiccated control algae. Desiccated algae lost 77% of their pigmented surface area and grew only 15% as much as undesiccated algae, which remained fully pigmented. The oxygen saturation of water containing Ulvaria that was desiccated and then rehydrated was significantly lower than that of seawater containing undesiccated algae. Thus, desiccation, which is coupled with dopamine release, is associated with the deterioration and death of some, but not all, tissues in Ulvaria. Although dopamine released into seawater can reduce the survival or growth of potential competitors, its release is associated with significant physiological stress and tissue mortality. However, the survival and continued growth of some Ulvaria tissues indicates that a net fitness benefit to release dopamine following desiccation cannot be ruled out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although a previous genetic mixed-stock analysis (gMSA) conducted in the early 1990s showed that marine-captured New York Bight Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus almost exclusively originated from the Hudson River, fish from southern U.S. rivers were well represented within this contemporary sample ( n = 364 fish), at least during the autumn. Widely distributed spawning stocks are therefore exposed to heavy fishing activity and habitat degradation in this relatively small area, illustrating the need for spatial management across multiple management jurisdictions and routine gMSA to account for temporal change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continuous year-round measurements of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) were collected in relation to leaf elongation and plant biomass in the shoal-grass, Halodule wrightii Aschers., within three different estuarine systems on the south Texas coast (Laguna Madre: May 1989 to September 1993; Corpus Christi Bay: February 1990 to September 1993; San Antonio Bay; May 1990 to April 1991). Large differences in water transparency at all three sites masked seasonal variations in surface insolation as reflected in average diffuse attenuation coefficient ( k) values ranging from 0.7 to 2.9 and differences in the maximum depth penetration of H. wrightii, which varied from 0.6 to about 1.3 m. The continuous presence of a chrysophyte (brown tide) algal bloom in Laguna Madre since 1990 led to significant decreases in spring leaf elongation rates and a nearly 50% decline in below-ground biomass, which was reflected in root:shoot ratio (RSR) values that declined from 5.4 in 1989 to 2.3 in 1992. Increased turbidity and lower light levels in San Antonio Bay also corresponded with diminished plant biomass and the subsequent loss of plants; at both locations, the annual quantum flux ranged from 2200 to 2400 mol myr, or about 18% of surface irradiance (SI). In contrast, H. wrightii populations growing at ca.1.2 m depths and characterized by high RSR values (≥4.0) were exposed to 5100 to 5700 mol myr, or about 41 to 46% SI. Under these conditions, plants were exposed to daily saturating levels of PAR ( H) of 3 to 8 h during the spring/summer period of maximum growth, compared to an average of 2 h in Laguna Madre (after 1990) and San Antonio Bay based on field-derived measurements of photosynthetic parameters. Leaf elongation in H. wrightii exhibited a clear circannual rhythm at all sites, regardless of underwater light levels and therefore was not a sensitive indicator of light stress. Instead, chronic long-term reductions in underwater PAR were most strongly reflected in total plant biomass. The higher light demand (18% SI) for H. wrightii in relation to many other seagrasses (11% SI; Duarte 1991) may be related to its higher photosynthetic light requirement, but may also reflect the different methods used to evaluate the minimum light requirements of seagrasses. In estuarine and coastal waters, which are characterized by large and unpredictable variations in water transparency, continuous measurements of in situ PAR are invaluable in assessing the growth and photosynthetic response of seagrasses to variations in underwater irradiance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ammonium and nitrate are important sources of inorganic nitrogen for coastal primary producers. Nitrate has higher energy requirement for uptake and assimilation, compared with ammonium, suggesting that it might be a more efficient nitrogen source for slow-growing, light-limited macroalgae. To address this hypothesis, we examined the nitrogen ecophysiology of Anotrichium crinitum, a rhodophyte macroalgae common in low-light habitats in New Zealand. We measured seasonal changes in seawater nitrate and ammonium concentrations and the concentration of nitrate and ammonium stored internally by A. crinitum. We determined the maximal uptake rates of nitrate and ammonium seasonally and grew A. crinitum in the laboratory with these nitrogen sources under two ecologically relevant saturating light levels. Our results show that field-harvested A. crinitum has a high affinity for ammonium and although it will grow when supplied exclusively with nitrate, internal nitrate pools are low and it is unable to take up nitrate without several days of acclimation to saturating light. Our data predict that A. crinitum would be able to sustain growth with ammonium as the sole source of nitrogen, a strategy that would help it survive under low-light conditions that prevail in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental changes associated with rapid climate change in the Arctic, such as the increased rates of sedimentation from climatic or anthropogenic sources, can enhance the impact of abiotic stressors on coastal ecosystems. High sedimentation rates can be detrimental to nearshore kelp abundance and distribution, possibly due to increased mortality at the spore settlement stage. Spore settlement and viability of the Arctic kelp Laminaria solidungula were examined through a series of lab-based sedimentation experiments. Spores were exposed to increasing sediment loads in three experimental designs simulating different sedimentation scenarios: sediment deposition above settled spores, settlement of spores on sediment-covered substrate, and simultaneous suspension of spores and sediments during settlement. Spore settlement was recorded upon completion of each experiment, and gametophyte abundance was assessed following a growth period with sediments removed to examine short-term spore viability via a gametophyte-to-settled-spore ratio. In all three types of sediment exposure, the addition of sediments caused a 30%-40% reduction in spore settlement relative to a no-sediment control. Spore settlement decreased significantly between the low and high sediment treatments when spores were settled onto sediment-covered substrates. In all experiments, increasing amounts of sediment had no significant effect on spore viability, indicating that spores that had settled under different short-term sediment conditions were viable. Our results indicate that depending on spore-sediment interaction type, higher rates of sedimentation resulting from increased sediment loading could affect L. solidungula spore settlement success with potential impacts on the long-term persistence of a diverse and productive benthic habitat., (© 2024 Phycological Society of America.)

Background: In DESTINY-Breast02, patients with HER2-positive unresectable or metastatic breast cancer who received trastuzumab deruxtecan demonstrated superior progression-free and overall survival compared with those receiving treatment of physician's choice. We present the patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and hospitalisation data., Methods: In this randomised, open-label, phase 3 trial conducted at 227 clinical sites globally, enrolled patients had to be aged 18 years or older with HER2-positive unresectable or metastatic breast cancer that had progressed on trastuzumab emtansine and had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 or 1. Patients were randomly assigned (2:1) using block randomisation (block size of 3) to receive trastuzumab deruxtecan (5·4 mg/kg intravenously once every 21 days) or treatment of physician's choice by an independent biostatistician using an interactive web-based system. Patients and investigators remained unmasked to treatment. Treatment of physician's choice was either capecitabine (1250 mg/m 2 orally twice per day on days 1-14) plus trastuzumab (8 mg/kg intravenously on day 1 then 6 mg/kg once per day) or capecitabine (1000 mg/m 2 ) plus lapatinib (1250 mg orally once per day on days 1-21), with a 21-day schedule. The primary endpoint, which was progression-free survival based on blinded independent central review, has previously been reported. PROs were assessed in the full analysis set (all patients randomly assigned to the study) using the oncology-specific European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30), breast cancer-specific EORTC Quality of Life Questionnaire Breast 45 (QLQ-BR45), and the generic HRQoL EQ-5D-5L questionnaire. Analyses included change from baseline and time to definitive deterioration for PRO variables of interest and hospitalisation-related endpoints. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03523585, and is closed to recruitment., Findings: Between Sept 6, 2018, and Dec 31, 2020, 608 patients were randomly assigned to receive either trastuzumab deruxtecan (n=406; two did not receive treatment) or treatment of physician's choice (n=202; seven did not receive treatment). Overall, 603 patients (99%) were female and five (<1%) were male. The median follow-up was 21·5 months (IQR 15·2-28·4) in the trastuzumab deruxtecan group and 18·6 months (IQR 8·8-26·0) in the treatment of physician's choice group. Median treatment duration was 11·3 months (IQR 6·2-20·5) in the trastuzumab deruxtecan group and approximately 4·5 months in the treatment of physician's choice group (4·4 months [IQR 2·5-8·7] with trastuzumab; 4·6 months [2·1-8·9] with capecitabine; and 4·5 months [2·1-10·6] with lapatinib). Baseline EORTC QLQ-C30 global health status (GHS) scores were similar with trastuzumab deruxtecan (n=393) and treatment of physician's choice (n=187), and remained stable with no clinically meaningful change (defined as ≥10-point change from baseline) over time. Median time to definitive deterioration was delayed with trastuzumab deruxtecan compared with treatment of physician's choice for the primary PRO variable EORTC QLQ-C30 GHS (14·1 months [95% CI 10·4-18·7] vs 5·9 months [4·3-7·9]; HR 0·5573 [0·4376-0·7099], p<0·0001) and all other prespecified PROs (EORTC QLQ-C30 subscales, EORTC QLQ-BR45 arm and breast symptoms, and EQ-5D-5L visual analogue scale). Patient hospitalisation rates were similar in the trastuzumab deruxtecan (92 [23%] of 406) and treatment of physician's choice (41 [20%] of 202) groups; however, median time to hospitalisation was 133 days (IQR 56-237) with trastuzumab deruxtecan versus 83 days (30-152) with treatment of physician's choice., Interpretation: Overall, GHS and quality of life were maintained for both treatment groups, with prespecified PRO variables favouring trastuzumab deruxtecan over treatment of physician's choice, suggesting that despite a longer treatment duration, there was no detrimental impact on patient health-related quality of life with trastuzumab deruxtecan. When considered with efficacy and safety data from DESTINY-Breast02, these results support the overall benefit of trastuzumab deruxtecan for patients with HER2-positive unresectable or metastatic breast cancer previously treated with trastuzumab emtansine., Funding: Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests TF reports payments to their institution from Roche, Novartis, Pfizer, Daiichi Sankyo, MSD, and Eisai. FC, KD, and WL are full-time employees at Daiichi Sankyo. FA reports institutional research grants from Novartis, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, Daiichi Sankyo, and Roche, as well as consulting fees paid to their institution by MedImmune, Gilead, Relay Therapeutics, and Guardant Health. IK reports support for the present manuscript received by their institution from AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo; grants to their institution from Pfizer, Macrogenics, and Genentech/Roche; consulting fees from AstraZeneca, Daiichi Sankyo, Genentech/Roche, Bristol Myers Squibb, Macrogenics, Taiho Oncology, and Seattle Genetics; honoraria from AstraZeneca; participation on a data safety monitoring or advisory board for Novartis and Merck; a leadership or fiduciary role in PureTech; and stock options in PureTech. YHP reports grants from MSD, Pfizer, Roche, AstraZeneca, Gencurix, NGeneBio, and Genome Insight; consulting fees from AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Eli Lilly, Bixink, MSD, Eisai, Roche, Daiichi Sankyo, Menarini, Gilead, and Novartis; payment for lectures, presentations, or educational events from AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Lilly, MSD, Roche, Daiichi Sankyo, and Novartis; support for attending meetings from Pfizer and Roche; participation on a data safety monitoring or advisory board for AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Roche, Gilead, and Novartis; and receipt of equipment or other services from Dong-A ST, Sanofi, Pfizer, and Roche. MDL reports payments for lectures or presentations from Eli Lilly, Novartis, Seagen, Takeda, Roche, Daiichi Sankyo, Tomalab, Gilead, Genetic, Menarini, and Sophos; support for attending meetings from Gilead, Novartis, Roche, and AstraZeneca; and participation on a data safety monitoring or advisory board for Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Sanofi, Seagen, Novartis, Ipsen, Roche, Pierre-Fabre, Daiichi Sankyo, and GSK. YM reports institutional grants from Daiichi Sankyo, Eisai, Chugai, MSD, Kyowa-Kirin, Eli Lilly, and Taiho; consulting fees from Daiichi Sankyo; and payments for lectures from Daiichi Sankyo, Chugai, Eisai, Eli Lilly, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Taiho, and Kyowa-Kirin. AA reports institutional research funding from AstraZeneca; payment of advisory board fees from MSD, Gilead, AstraZeneca, and Roche; support for attending meetings from Novartis and Roche; and spousal shares from AstraZeneca. RY reports grants from Roche; consulting fees from Novartis, AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, Roche, Medison, Pfizer, and Gilead; and payment for lectures or presentations from Novartis, AstraZeneca, Roche, Pfizer, and Eli Lilly. FPD reports grants from Fondation Belge Contre le Cancer; institutional payments from Roche, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Amgen, Daiichi Sankyo, Pierre-Fabre, Gilead, Seagen, and MSD; and support for attending meetings from Amgen, Roche, Teva, Pfizer, Daiichi Sankyo, AstraZeneca, Gilead, and MSD. TT reports payments for lectures from Daiichi Sankyo, Chugai, and Eli Lilly. AE is a full-time employee of Daiichi Sankyo and reports a restricted stock unit plan of Daiichi Sankyo Europe. S-BK reports institutional grants from Novartis, Sanofi, and DongKook Pharma; consulting fees from Novartis, AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, Dae Hwa Pharm, ISU Abxis, and Daiichi Sankyo; payment for lectures from Novartis, AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, Dae Hwa Pharm, ISU Abxis, and Daiichi Sankyo; a scientific co-chair role in ESMO Breast 2021–23 conferences; and stock in Genopeakes. MRB declares no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

After the initiation of veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (V-A ECMO) for hemodynamic support, patients often require vasopressor and inotropic medications to support their blood pressure and cardiac contractility. The vasoactive-inotropic score (VIS) is a standardized calculation of vasopressor and inotrope equivalence, which uses coefficients for each medication to calculate a total value. This study evaluated the association between the 30-day survival of patients receiving V-A ECMO support and the VIS calculated 24 h after ECMO cannulation (VIS24). This was a single-center, retrospective, observational cohort study. The median VIS24 of the entire cohort was 6.0, and was determined as a cutoff for comparison. Patients with a VIS24 < 6.0 were assigned to a group, and those with a VIS24 ≥ 6.0 were assigned to a second group. Patients with a VIS24 < 6.0 had higher 30-day survival than those with a VIS24 ≥ 6.0 (54.5% vs 41.4%; p  = 0.03). The group with a VIS24 < 6.0 also had significantly improved survival to decannulation of ECMO support; however, there was no difference in the survival to hospital discharge. We conducted a secondary analysis of quartiles and determined that individuals with a VIS24 > 11.4 had the lowest survival in the cohort. This finding may help identify patients with the lowest probability of 30-day survival in those receiving V-A ECMO for hemodynamic support., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Extracorporeal life support with venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) is used to assist circulation in patients with severe cardiogenic shock or cardiac arrest. The vasoactive-inotropic score (VIS) is a standardized calculation of vasoactive medication support which uses coefficients for each medication that converts them to an equivalent value. The purpose of this study was to assess the VIS as an early prognostication tool for survival to decannulation patients on adult VA-ECMO support. This was a single-center, observational cohort study of adult patients who received VA-ECMO support compared based on their survival to decannulation. The primary endpoint was the VIS at hour 24 postcannulation. Among the 265 patients included in this study, 140 patients (52.8%) survived to decannulation of VA-ECMO. At 24 hours postcannulation, a lower VIS was observed in the group that survived decannulation (6.5 ± 7.5 vs. 12.3 ± 16.9; p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis performed also demonstrates an association between 24-hour VIS and survival to decannulation (odds ratio 0.95; 95% confidence interval, 0.91-0.95). This study suggests that the 24-hour VIS may be an early prognostic indicator in patients on VA-ECMO patients. http://links.lww.com/ASAIO/B39., Competing Interests: Disclosure: The authors have no conflicts of interest to report., (Copyright © ASAIO 2023.)

Background: DESTINY-Breast01 (NCT03248492) is a phase II single-arm trial evaluating trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) in adults with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive (HER2+) unresectable or metastatic breast cancer (u/mBC) who have received two or more prior anti-HER2 therapies., Objectives: Objectives were to explore approaches for estimating long-term overall survival (OS) with T-DXd from immature data (June 2020 data-cut; median follow-up 20.5 months), and compare predicted long-term outcomes with UK-recommended non-targeted therapies eribulin, capecitabine, and vinorelbine., Methods: Two methods were used to model T-DXd long-term OS: (1) applying a hazard ratio (HR) to the OS curve for another HER2 targeted therapy (third-line trastuzumab emtansine [T-DM1]) with longer trial follow-up; and (2) extrapolating T-DXd OS data directly. Comparator OS was based on direct extrapolation of published data (comparison with vinorelbine OS was not possible). Quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) were calculated using a previously published model of utility., Results: Both extrapolation methods demonstrated longer mean/median OS with T-DXd versus eribulin, and capecitabine (44.7/32.9 months [applying an HR to the T-DM1 OS curve]; 47.7/29.9 months [using direct extrapolation]; vs 11.3/9.2, and 17.8/13.6 months, respectively), translating to 2.3, 2.3, 0.6, and 0.9 discounted QALYs., Conclusion: Alternative methods produced consistent results, showing T-DXd is associated with substantial gains in OS and QALYs versus eribulin, and capecitabine. Modelled median OS results were similar to a later data-cut (median of 29.1 months, March 2021 data-cut). The modelling approach in which an HR was applied to the T-DM1 OS curve informed a submission to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Due to the arrival of multi-valent HPV vaccines, it is more and more important to have a better understanding of the relationship between vaccination and screening programmes. This review aimed to: (1) collect published evidence on the cost-effectiveness profile of different HPV prevention strategies and, in particular, those combining vaccination with changes in screening practices; (2) explore the cost-effectiveness of alternative preventive strategies based on screening and vaccination., Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted in order to identify the relevant studies regarding the cost-effectiveness of prevention strategies against HPV infection. Analysis comparing the modelling approaches between studies was made along with an assessment of the magnitude of impact of several factors on the cost-effectiveness of different screening strategies., Results: A total of 18 papers were quantitatively summarised within the narrative. A high degree of heterogeneity was found in terms of how HPV prevention strategies have been assessed in terms of their economic and epidemiological impact, with variation in screening practice and valence of HPV vaccination found to have large implications in terms of cost-effectiveness., Conclusions: This review demonstrated synergies between screening and vaccination. New prevention strategies involving multi-valence vaccination, HPV DNA test screening, delayed commencement and frequency of screening could be implemented in the future. Strategies implemented in the future should be chosen with care, and informed knowledge of the potential impact of all possible prevention strategies. Highlighted in this review is the difficulty in assessing multiple strategies. Appropriate modelling techniques will need to be utilised to assess the most cost-effective strategies.

The marine benthic fauna and flora that inhabit the shallow arctic sublittoral zone comprise a relatively young marine assemblage characterized by species of either Pacific or Atlantic affinity and notably few endemics. The young character of nearshore arctic communities, as well as their biogeographical composition, is largely a product of the Pleistocene glaciation. However, analysis of more recent collections and comparison between the origins of the benthic fauna and flora present some interesting paradoxes to biogeographers. One enigma is the low frequency of algal species with Pacific affinities in the Arctic, especially in the Chukchi, Beaufort and East Siberian Seas of the Eastern Arctic, which receive direct inputs of northward-flowing Pacific waters. In contrast, animal species with Pacific affinities are found throughout the nearshore regions of the Arctic, reaching their highest frequency in the marginal seas between the New Siberian Islands and the Canadian Archipelago. Organization of published and unpublished data, additional field collections, and the use of cladistics and molecular DNA techniques by systematists are a high priority for future research in reconstructing the evolution of the arctic biotic assemblage., (Copyright © 1992. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)