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Information about antemortem cardiac evaluation in sea otters (

Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) is one of the most demanding conditions in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Management of analgesia and sedation in ARDS is particularly challenging. An expert panel was convened to produce a “state-of-the-art” article to support clinicians in the optimal management of analgesia/sedation in mechanically ventilated adults with ARDS, including those with COVID-19. Current ICU analgesia/sedation guidelines promote analgesia first and minimization of sedation, wakefulness, delirium prevention and early rehabilitation to facilitate ventilator and ICU liberation. However, these strategies cannot always be applied to patients with ARDS who sometimes require deep sedation and/or paralysis. Patients with severe ARDS may be under-represented in analgesia/sedation studies and currently recommended strategies may not be feasible. With lightened sedation, distress-related symptoms (e.g., pain and discomfort, anxiety, dyspnea) and patient-ventilator asynchrony should be systematically assessed and managed through interprofessional collaboration, prioritizing analgesia and anxiolysis. Adaptation of ventilator settings (e.g., use of a pressure-set mode, spontaneous breathing, sensitive inspiratory trigger) should be systematically considered before additional medications are administered. Managing the mechanical ventilator is of paramount importance to avoid the unnecessary use of deep sedation and/or paralysis. Therefore, applying an “ABCDEF-R” bundle (R = Respiratory-drive-control) may be beneficial in ARDS patients. Further studies are needed, especially regarding the use and long-term effects of fast-offset drugs (e.g., remifentanil, volatile anesthetics) and the electrophysiological assessment of analgesia/sedation (e.g., electroencephalogram devices, heart-rate variability, and video pupillometry). This review is particularly relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic given drug shortages and limited ICU-bed capacity.

Southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) are currently >80% depleted with respect to both abundance and range occupancy baselines, challenging the long-term persistence of the species and the ecosystem benefits their populations might provide. From 2001 to 2018, the Monterey Bay Aquarium rescued stranded sea otter pups and reared them in captivity through a surrogacy program using non-releasable adult females. We gave 11,396 days of captive care to 56 otters, reintroduced them into the wild, and observed them over 894 total field days after release. This study describes the post-release movements of the 42 successfully released otters, quantifying their dispersal patterns and modeling environmental, demographic, and animal care influences through a machine learning framework. This random forest model specifically considers predictor variable correlation, accounts for individual and joint variable impacts, and evaluates robustness through sensitivity analyses. Heavy tailed dispersal models best explained the (n = 641) daily movements of surrogate-reared otters, and the random forest outputs ranked population demography, population growth, and El Niño most significantly. Occasionally aided by recaptures, the scale of dispersals consistently declined after release, indicating successfully released otters stabilized their movements within 3 weeks in the wild. Our results show dispersal is an important metric for measuring the success of sea otter releases and suggest environmental factors (including climate) at release sites may determine the success of reintroduction programs.

A 9-yr-old female black-footed African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) was presented for necropsy after a history of reproductive abnormalities, paresis of limbs, weakness, and sudden death. Postmortem examination revealed soft keel, collapsed rib cage with beading of the ribs, and bilateral parathyroid enlargement. Classic histologic lesions of fibrous osteodystrophy with osteomalacia were observed in the ribs, vertebrae, and to a lesser extent in the femur and tibiotarsus associated with hyperplasia of parathyroid glands. This represents the first report of nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism in birds of the order Spheniciformes, most likely caused by low levels of calcium supplementation during egg laying. The reproductive abnormalities observed in this penguin and others from the same group (asynchronous egg-laying cycles, abnormal breeding behavior) were most likely exacerbated by the lack of an adequate photoperiod mimicking the natural daylight pattern.

Epigenetic silencing by Polycomb group (PcG) complexes can promote epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and stemness and is associated with malignancy of solid cancers. Here we report a role for Drosophila PcG repression in a partial EMT event that occurs during wing disc eversion, an early event during metamorphosis. In a screen for genes required for eversion we identified the PcG genes Sex combs extra (Sce) and Sex combs midleg (Scm). Depletion of Sce or Scm resulted in internalized wings and thoracic clefts, and loss of Sce inhibited the EMT of the peripodial epithelium and basement membrane breakdown, ex vivo. Targeted DamID (TaDa) using Dam-Pol II showed that Sce knockdown caused a genomic transcriptional response consistent with a shift toward a more stable epithelial fate. Surprisingly only 17 genes were significantly upregulated in Sce-depleted cells, including Abd-B, abd-A, caudal, and nubbin. Each of these loci were enriched for Dam-Pc binding. Of the four genes, only Abd-B was robustly upregulated in cells lacking Sce expression. RNAi knockdown of all four genes could partly suppress the Sce RNAi eversion phenotype, though Abd-B had the strongest effect. Our results suggest that in the absence of continued PcG repression peripodial cells express genes such as Abd-B, which promote epithelial state and thereby disrupt eversion. Our results emphasize the important role that PcG suppression can play in maintaining cell states required for morphogenetic events throughout development and suggest that PcG repression of Hox genes may affect epithelial traits that could contribute to metastasis.

In the early stages of Drosophila melanogaster (Drosophila) metamorphosis, a partial epithelial-mesenchymal transition (pEMT) takes place in the peripodial epithelium of wing imaginal discs. Blocking this pEMT results in adults with internalized wings and missing thoracic tissue. Using peripodial GAL4 drivers, GAL80

In the early stages of Drosophila melanogaster (Drosophila) metamorphosis, a partial epithelial-mesenchymal transition (pEMT) takes place in the peripodial epithelium of wing imaginal discs. Blocking this pEMT results in adults with internalized wings and missing thoracic tissue. Using peripodial GAL4 drivers, GAL80ts temporal control, and UAS RNAi transgenes, one can use these phenotypes to screen for genes involved in the pEMT. Dominant modifier tests can then be employed to identify genetic enhancers and suppressors. To analyze a gene's role in the pEMT, one can then visualize peripodial cells in vivo at the time of eversion within the pupal case using live markers, and by dissecting, fixing, and immunostaining the prepupae. Alternatively, one can analyze the pEMT ex vivo by dissecting out wing discs and culturing them in the presence of ecdysone to induce eversion. This can provide a clearer view of the cellular processes involved and permit drug treatments to be easily applied.

Epithelial remodelling plays a crucial role during development. The ability of epithelial sheets to temporarily lose their integrity as they fuse with other epithelial sheets underpins events such as the closure of the neural tube and palate. During fusion, epithelial cells undergo some degree of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), whereby cells from opposing sheets dissolve existing cell-cell junctions, degrade the basement membrane, extend motile processes to contact each other, and then re-establish cell-cell junctions as they fuse. Similar events occur when an epithelium is wounded. Cells at the edge of the wound undergo a partial EMT and migrate towards each other to close the gap. In this review, we highlight the emerging role of Netrins in these processes, and provide insights into the possible signalling pathways involved. Netrins are secreted, laminin-like proteins that are evolutionarily conserved throughout the animal kingdom. Although best known as axonal chemotropic guidance molecules, Netrins also regulate epithelial cells. For example, Netrins regulate branching morphogenesis of the lung and mammary gland, and promote EMT during Drosophila wing eversion. Netrins also control epithelial fusion during optic fissure closure and inner ear formation, and are strongly implicated in neural tube closure and secondary palate closure. Netrins are also upregulated in response to organ damage and epithelial wounding, and can protect against ischemia-reperfusion injury and speed wound healing in cornea and skin. Since Netrins also have immunomodulatory properties, and can promote angiogenesis and re-innervation, they hold great promise as potential factors in future wound healing therapies.

A 9-yr-old female black-footed African penguin (

Sarcocystis neurona was recognised as an important cause of mortality in southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) after an outbreak in April 2004 and has since been detected in many marine mammal species in the Northeast Pacific Ocean. Risk of S. neurona exposure in sea otters is associated with consumption of clams and soft-sediment prey and is temporally associated with runoff events. We examined the spatial distribution of S. neurona exposure risk based on serum antibody testing and assessed risk factors for exposure in animals from California, Washington, British Columbia and Alaska. Significant spatial clustering of seropositive animals was observed in California and Washington, compared with British Columbia and Alaska. Adult males were at greatest risk for exposure to S. neurona, and there were strong associations with terrestrial features (wetlands, cropland, high human housing-unit density). In California, habitats containing soft sediment exhibited greater risk than hard substrate or kelp beds. Consuming a diet rich in clams was also associated with increased exposure risk. These findings suggest a transmission pathway analogous to that described for Toxoplasma gondii, with infectious stages traveling in freshwater runoff and being concentrated in particular locations by marine habitat features, ocean physical processes, and invertebrate bioconcentration.

Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) are amphibious mammals that maintain equal in-air and underwater visual acuity. However, their lens-based underwater accommodative mechanism presumably requires a small pupil that may limit sensitivity across light levels. In this study, we consider adaptations for amphibious living by assessing the tapetum lucidum, retina, and pupil dynamics in sea otters. The sea otter tapetum lucidum resembles that of terrestrial carnivores in thickness and fundic coverage. A heavily rod-dominated retina appears qualitatively similar to the ferret and domestic cat, and a thick outer nuclear layer relative to a thinner inner nuclear layer is consistent with nocturnal vertebrates and other amphibious carnivores. Pupil size range in two living sea otters is smaller relative to other amphibious marine carnivores (pinnipeds) when accounting for test conditions. The pupillary light response seems slower than other aquatic and terrestrial species tested in comparable brightness, although direct comparisons require further assessment. Our results suggest that sea otters have retained features for low-light vision but rapid adjustments and acute underwater vision may be constrained across varying light levels by a combination of pupil shape, absolute eye size, and the presumed coupling between anterior lens curvature and pupil size during accommodation.

Introduction Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) experience sleep disturbances to a greater degree than the general population. The majority of research investigating sleep disturbances in ASD has focused on children and adolescents. The aim of the current study was to determine the stability and health correlates of self-reported sleep disturbances in adults with ASD. Methods Participants included 55 adults with ASD recruited from state-funded Pennsylvania programs (31.2±7.6 years old, 80% male, 10.9% minority). Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) measures assessing Sleep Disturbances, Sleep-Related Impairment, Fatigue, Anxiety, Depression, Anger, and Physical Health, were completed at baseline and every 90 ± 14 days over a 2-year period. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were calculated for each sleep outcome, and interpreted as 0.00–0.20=“poor stability,” 0.21–0.40=“slight stability,” 0.41–0.60=“moderate stability,” 0.61–0.80=“substantial stability,” and 0.81–1.00=“almost perfect stability” across the first three time-points. Linear mixed models examined the independent association of sleep disturbances, sleep-related impairment, and fatigue on anxiety, depression, anger, and physical health over the two-year period. Results Sleep-related impairment (ICC=0.73) and fatigue (ICC=0.64) were substantially stable, while sleep disturbances were moderately stable (ICC=0.58). All three sleep-related outcomes were independently associated with anxiety (sleep-related impairment p=0.012; sleep disturbance p Conclusion Measures of sleep-related impairment, fatigue, and sleep disturbance remained stable over time, suggesting that they can provide clinicians and researchers with a brief, accurate, and reliable way to assess patient-reported sleep outcomes in adults with ASD. Furthermore, given the stability of these sleep measures and their independent association with elevated mental health outcomes, there is a need for evidence-based treatments targeting sleep difficulties and associated symptomology in adults with ASD, a particularly underserved population. Support (if any) Pennsylvania State Bureau of Autism Services through the Autism Services, Education, Resources, and Training (ASERT) grant

This study reaffirms our previous work documenting a higher number of Emergency Department (ED) visits by adolescent females with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as compared to adolescent males with ASD, as well as significantly more ED visits by older adolescents than younger adolescents with ASD. Combined externalizing and internalizing psychiatric co-morbidities as well as internalizing conditions alone predict a higher number of ED visits in this study. Illness severity as demonstrated by patterns of visits to primary care physicians and psychiatric referrals prior to ED visits and the prescription of two or more classes of psychotropic medications also predict higher number of ED visits. Finally, as expected, previous ED visits predict future ED visits. The identification of these factors may prove helpful in determining adequacy of current supports and resources for teens with ASD navigating the challenges of adolescence.

Despite its recent invasion into the marine realm, the sea otter (Enhydra lutris) has evolved a suite of adaptations for life in cold coastal waters, including limb modifications and dense insulating fur. This uniquely dense coat led to the near-extinction of sea otters during the 18th–20th century fur trade and an extreme population bottleneck. We used the de novo genome of the southern sea otter (E. l. nereis) to reconstruct its evolutionary history, identify genes influencing aquatic adaptation, and detect signals of population bottlenecks. We compared the genome of the southern sea otter with the tropical freshwater-living giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) to assess common and divergent genomic trends between otter species, and with the closely related northern sea otter (E. l. kenyoni) to uncover population-level trends. We found signals of positive selection in genes related to aquatic adaptations, particularly limb development and polygenic selection on genes related to hair follicle development. We found extensive pseudogenization of olfactory receptor genes in both the sea otter and giant otter lineages, consistent with patterns of sensory gene loss in other aquatic mammals. At the population level, the southern sea otter and the northern sea otter showed extremely low genomic diversity, signals of recent inbreeding, and demographic histories marked by population declines. These declines may predate the fur trade and appear to have resulted in an increase in putatively deleterious variants that could impact the future recovery of the sea otter.

Neogenin1 (NEO1) is a receptor of the Deleted in Colorectal Carcinoma (DCC)/Frazzled/UNC-40 family, which regulates axon guidance but can also stabilize epithelial adherens junctions. NEO1 and DCC are also tumor suppressors that can inhibit metastasis by acting as dependence receptors. Given the role of NEO1 in maintaining adherens junctions we tested whether loss of NEO1 also promoted metastasis via an epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT). Loss of NEO1 disrupted zonula adherens but tight junctions were unaffected. Neo1-depleted epithelial cells exhibited a more migratory morphology, had reduced F-actin rich stress-fibres and more basal lamellipodia. Microtubule density was decreased while microtubule outgrowth was faster. Live imaging showed that Neo1-depleted epithelial islands had increased lateral movement. Western blots and immunostaining revealed increased expression of mesenchymal markers such as Fibronectin and MMP1. Furthermore, RNA-seq analysis showed a striking decrease in expression of genes associated with oxidative phosphorylation, and increased expression of genes associated with EMT, locomotion, and wound-healing. In summary, loss of NEO1 in intestinal epithelial cells produces a partial EMT response, based on gene expression, cellular morphology and behaviour and cytoskeletal distribution. These results suggest that loss of NEO1 in carcinomas may contribute to metastasis by promoting a partial EMT and increased motility.

Pathogens entering the marine environment as pollutants exhibit a spatial signature driven by their transport mechanisms. The sea otter ( Enhydra lutris ), a marine animal which lives much of its life within sight of land, presents a unique opportunity to understand land–sea pathogen transmission. Using a dataset on Toxoplasma gondii prevalence across sea otter range from Alaska to California, we found that the dominant drivers of infection risk vary depending upon the spatial scale of analysis. At the population level, regions with high T. gondii prevalence had higher human population density and a greater proportion of human-dominated land uses, suggesting a strong role for population density of the felid definitive host of this parasite. This relationship persisted when a subset of data were analysed at the individual level: large-scale patterns in sea otter T. gondii infection prevalence were largely explained by individual exposure to areas of high human housing unit density, and other landscape features associated with anthropogenic land use, such as impervious surfaces and cropping land. These results contrast with the small-scale, within-region analysis, in which age, sex and prey choice accounted for most of the variation in infection risk, and terrestrial environmental features provided little variation to help in explaining observed patterns. These results underscore the importance of spatial scale in study design when quantifying both individual-level risk factors and landscape-scale variation in infection risk.

Book review of Harvey, David (2018).Marx, Capital, and the Madness of Economic Reason, Oxford University Press.

Small body size, large lungs, and dense pelage contribute to the unique challenges faced by diving sea otters (Enhydra lutris) when compared to other marine mammals. Here we determine the consequences of large lungs on the development of diving ability in southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) by examining the ontogeny of blood, muscle, and lung oxygen stores and calculating aerobic dive limits (cADL) for immature and mature age classes. Total oxygen storage capacity matures rapidly in sea otters, reaching adult levels by 2 mo postpartum. But this result is driven by exceptional lung capacity at birth, followed by a decrease in mass-specific lung volume with age. Blood and muscle oxygen stores remain well below adult values before weaning, with large pups exhibiting 74% and 54% of adult values, respectively. Slow muscle development limits the capacity of immature sea otters to dive against high positive buoyancy due to comparatively large lungs. Immature sea otters diving with total lung capacity (TLC) experience up to twice the mass-specific positive buoyancy as adults diving with TLC but can reduce these forces to comparable adult levels by using a smaller diving lung volume (DLV). The cADL of a juvenile with DLV is 3.62 min, while the cADL of an adult with TLC is 4.82 min. We find that the magnitude of positive buoyancy experienced by sea otters changes markedly with age and strongly influences the ontogeny of diving ability in this species.

Mesenchymal-epithelial transitions (METs) are important in both development and the growth of secondary tumours. Although the molecular basis for epithelial polarity is well studied, less is known about the cues that induce MET. Here we show that Netrins, well known as chemotropic guidance factors, provide a basal polarising cue during the Drosophila midgut MET. Both netrinA and netrinB are expressed in the visceral mesoderm, the substrate upon which midgut cells migrate, while their receptor frazzled (fra) is expressed in midgut cells. Netrins are required to polarise Fra to the basal surface, and Netrins and Fra undergo mutually-dependent endocytosis, with Fra subsequently trafficking to late endosomes. Mutations to fra and netrins affect both migration and MET but to different degrees. Loss of fra strongly delays migration, midgut cells fail to extend protrusions, and apico-basal polarisation of proteins and epithelium formation is inhibited. In netrin mutants, the migration phenotype is weaker and cells still extend protrusions. However, apico-basal polarisation of proteins, including Fra, and FActin is greatly disrupted and a monolayer fails to form. Delocalised accumulations of FActin are prevalent in netrin mutants but not fra mutants suggesting delocalised Fra may disrupt the MET. βPS localisation is also affected in netrin mutants in that a basal gradient is reduced while localisation to the midgut/VM interface is increased. Since a similar effect is seen when endocytosis is inhibited, Netrin and Fra may regulate Integrin turnover. The results suggest Netrin-dependent basal polarisation of Fra is critical for the formation of an epithelium.

The chapter proposes a job guarantee (JG) program for residents of American Indian reservations to combat chronic poverty and unemployment. The chapter furthers research on the racial wealth and employment gap; and serves as a case-study on the social costs of unemployment and the moral necessity of full employment. The chapter details the social and economic injustice laid upon American Indians from 200 years of US policy geared toward assimilation, termination, and acculturation. This history contextualizes the failing, pro-capitalist, Euro-centric policies of today which struggle to combat chronic poverty and lasting unemployment. Instead these mainstream policies further encroach on American Indian sovereignty. The chapter makes a case for a new progressive approach to development that centers on the non-profit nature of job guarantee proposals to sustain economic growth, enrich cultural development, and strengthen American Indian sovereignty.

Obtaining patient consent is a fundamental process in surgical practice and is integral in respecting and safeguarding patient autonomy. It has been reported that the task of consenting patients frequently lies with junior doctors, who have the least experience of the procedure. To examine the role of interns in the consent process in the Irish context as well as to identify their concerns. A 12-point questionnaire, assessing interns’ experience with surgical consent, was circulated to interns in three Irish university teaching hospitals based in different geographical locations. Interns who had never worked in a surgical team were excluded from the analysis. Out of 104 interns, 60 interns returned questionnaires. Of these, 58 (96.7%) had consented a patient for a surgical procedure. Forty-four interns (73.3%) had never been supervised by a senior doctor. Of the 58 interns who had obtained surgical consent, six interns (10.3%) reported knowledge of ‘all’ the steps of the procedure. Only five interns (8.6%) reported that they were aware of all the risks of the procedures and 34 interns (58.6%) reported they knew ‘most’ of the risks. Twenty-five interns (43%) reported that they had, at some point, been explained the risks of the procedures by a senior colleague. The majority of interns reported that they had taken consent for a procedure without full knowledge of the procedure and its complications. Supervision or instruction from a senior colleague was reported by a minority.

Pathogens entering the marine environment as pollutants exhibit a spatial signature driven by their transport mechanisms. The sea otter (Enhydra lutris), a marine animal which lives much of its life within sight of land, presents a unique opportunity to understand land–sea pathogen transmission. Using a dataset on Toxoplasma gondii prevalence across sea otter range from Alaska to California, we found that the dominant drivers of infection risk vary depending upon the spatial scale of analysis. At the population level, regions with high T. gondii prevalence had higher human population density and a greater proportion of human-dominated land uses, suggesting a strong role for population density of the felid definitive host of this parasite. This relationship persisted when a subset of data were analysed at the individual level: large-scale patterns in sea otter T. gondii infection prevalence were largely explained by individual exposure to areas of high human housing unit density, and other landscape features associated with anthropogenic land use, such as impervious surfaces and cropping land. These results contrast with the small-scale, within-region analysis, in which age, sex and prey choice accounted for most of the variation in infection risk, and terrestrial environmental features provided little variation to help in explaining observed patterns. These results underscore the importance of spatial scale in study design when quantifying both individual-level risk factors and landscape-scale variation in infection risk.

We characterize Brucella infection in a wild southern sea otter ( Enhydra lutris nereis) with osteolytic lesions similar to those reported in other marine mammals and humans. This otter stranded twice along the central California coast, US over a 1-yr period and was handled extensively at two wildlife rehabilitation facilities, undergoing multiple surgeries and months of postsurgical care. Ultimately the otter was euthanized due to severe, progressive neurologic disease. Necropsy and postmortem radiographs revealed chronic, severe osteoarthritis spanning the proximal interphalangeal joint of the left hind fifth digit. Numerous coccobacilli within the joint were strongly positive on Brucella immunohistochemical labelling, and Brucella sp. was isolated in pure culture from this lesion. Sparse Brucella-immunopositive bacteria were also observed in the cytoplasm of a pulmonary vascular monocyte, and multifocal granulomas were observed in the spinal cord and liver on histopathology. Findings from biochemical characterization, 16S ribosomal DNA, and bp26 gene sequencing of the bacterial isolate were identical to those from marine-origin brucellae isolated from cetaceans and phocids. Although omp2a gene sequencing revealed 100% homology with marine Brucella spp. infecting pinnipeds, whales, and humans, omp2b gene sequences were identical only to pinniped-origin isolates. Multilocus sequence typing classified the sea otter isolate as ST26, a sequence type previously associated only with cetaceans. Our data suggest that the sea otter Brucella strain represents a novel marine lineage that is distinct from both Brucella pinnipedialis and Brucella ceti. Prior reports document the zoonotic potential of the marine brucellae. Isolation of Brucella sp. from a stranded sea otter highlights the importance of wearing personal protective equipment when handling sea otters and other marine mammals as part of wildlife conservation and rehabilitation efforts.

Given the ineffectiveness of contemporary monetary and fiscal policy, this chapter begs the question, is there a better alternative? The chapter opens with New Keynesian fallacies and the need for public policy centered on workers. The hope is that this chapter can provide further justification for the Employer of Last Resort (ELR) approach to full employment, by rooting it in the theoretical framework of Classical Keynesian Political Economy. Further, while modeling the ELR within a CKPE production model, this chapter deviates slightly from the existing literature on the ELR by modeling a fully funded, budget-neutral ELR program; but (hopefully) with good reason. Elsewhere, Wray (1998) and others have discussed the macroeconomic outcomes of an ELR program operating under the principles of Modern Money Theory (MMT). Wray, and proponents of MMT, more or less, articulate the outcomes of a fully deficit-financed ELR. Here the opposite extreme is analyzed, and the simulation asks … what are the macroeconomic outcomes of a budget-neutral ELR? These results are important for governments operating non-sovereign currencies to understand. But the result may also be interesting for countries wishing to operate an ELR with a sovereign currency. In practice, even with a sovereign currency, a government would most likely not operate an ELR at either extreme; rather the government would partially fund an ELR (perhaps for political reasons if anything else). Thus by countering the MMT model with a balanced budget model, public policy officials can understand the effects at each extreme and get a better idea of what the macroeconomic outcomes would be if an ELR were operating some place in the middle.

Wildfires have been shown to impact terrestrial species over a range of temporal scales. Little is known, however, about the more subtle toxicological effects of wildfires, particularly in downstream marine or downwind locations from the wildfire perimeter. These down-current effects may be just as substantial as those effects within the perimeter. We used gene transcription technology, a sensitive indicator of immunological perturbation, to study the effects of the 2008 Basin Complex Fire on the California coast on a sentinel marine species, the sea otter (Enhydra lutris). We captured sea otters in 2008 (3 mo after the Basin Complex Fire was controlled) and 2009 (15 mo after the Basin Complex Fire was controlled) in the adjacent nearshore environment near Big Sur, California. Gene responses were distinctly different between Big Sur temporal groups, signifying detoxification of PAHs, possible associated response to potential malignant transformation, and suppression of immune function as the primary responses of sea otters to fire in 2008 compared to those captured in 2009. In general, gene transcription patterns in the 2008 sea otters were indicative of molecular reactions to organic exposure, malignant transformation, and decreased ability to respond to pathogens that seemed to consistent with short-term hydrocarbon exposure.