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Copyright of Archives of the Turkish Society of Cardiology / Türk Kardiyoloji Derneği Arşivi is the property of KARE Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background and Objectives: Smokeless tobacco (ST) use has recently become an alternative to cigarettes, and it has been concluded that ST is at least as harmful as cigarettes. ST use is thought to play a role in the pathogenesis of arrhythmia by affecting ventricular repolarization. In this study, we aimed to examine the relationships of Maras powder (MP), one of the ST varieties, with epicardial fat thickness and new ventricular repolarization parameters, which have not previously been described. Materials and Methods: A total of 289 male individuals were included in this study between April 2022 and December 2022. Three groups, 97 MP users, 97 smokers, and 95 healthy (non-tobacco), were compared according to electrocardiographic and echocardiographic data. Electrocardiograms (ECG) were evaluated with a magnifying glass by two expert cardiologists at a speed of 50 m/s. Epicardial fat thickness (EFT) was measured by echocardiography in the parasternal short- and long-axis images. A model was created with variables that could affect epicardial fat thickness. Results: There were no differences between the groups regarding body mass index (p = 0.672) and age (p = 0.306). The low-density lipoprotein value was higher in the MP user group (p = 0.003). The QT interval was similar between groups. Tp-e (p = 0.022), cTp-e (p = 0.013), Tp-e/QT (p =0.005), and Tp-e/cQT (p = 0.012) were higher in the MP user group. While the Tp-e/QT ratio did not affect EFT, MP predicted the epicardial fat thickness (p < 0.001, B = 0.522, 95%CI 0.272–0.773). Conclusions: Maras powder may play a role in ventricular arrhythmia by affecting EFT and causing an increase in the Tp-e interval. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Finike Seamounts (Anaximander) area was designated as the Special Environmental Protection Area (SEPA) in 2013 by the Turkish government to protect its unique biodiversity components such as rich benthic communities, vulnerable deep sea species and highly migratory species. As the area is not totally inside the territorial waters of Türkiye, this initiative can facilitate and be beneficial for transboundary cooperation in terms of conservation for highly mobile and vulnerable species such as sea turtles, bluefin tuna, seabirds, and cetaceans. Besides, it can be included in the Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance (SPAMI) list under the Barcelona Convention in order to promote bilateral cooperation with the neighbouring countries. Designation as one of the Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs) under the Convention of Biological Diversity is also another option for marine conservation in this region. Finally, the Finike Seamounts SEPA needs a long-term scientific monitoring study to understand both the benthic and pelagic components of its biodiversity. The surveys in 2021 initiated such a study and the papers published in this issue of the journal (Vol.28 No.2) as the results of 2021 surveys provide the baseline data of the Finike Seamounts SEPA to be referred and evaluated for the coming years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Macro-invertebrates associated with stony coral Cladocora caespitosa were studied around Gökçeada Island (northern Aegean Sea) up to a depth of 15.5 m during the spring of 2019. Twelve dead/partially dead colonies were collected, to which 68 infaunal taxa were found to be associated. The overall number of associated taxa were updated to 397 (406 with macroalgae included). The present study added 26 taxa to the total number of associates. The most abundant group was Polychaeta (61 %), followed by Mollusca (16 %) and Crustacea (9 %). The most abundant species in the area were Syllis gracilis, Perinereis cultrifera, Vermiliopsis striaticeps and Serpula vermicularis. Similar patterns of aggregation were recognized between polychaetes and biota data via PCO plots. DISTLM procedure indicated that 94 % of biota variation was explained by the number of recently necrotized polyps and living polyps. The impact of temperature on biota was underlined in the present study (ANOSIM), however the extent of influence by sea surface temperature on the associated biota remains unclear [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In autumn 2020, a large mucilaginous outbreak was recorded in the entire Sea of Marmara and lasted until summer 2021. Mucilaginous aggregates in the water column and the impacts on gorgonians were qualitatively monitored at Prince Islands. Suspending and drifting mucilaginous aggregates in several forms and sizes were present from April to July 2021. All four main gorgonian species present in the area were observed to be covered with mucilage; some colonies were still healthy, some showed total mortality, while others had partial mortality. The population of the red gorgonian Paramuricea clavata was already severely declined in the area and might be expected to be the worst impacted. Gorgonian populations in the area could potentially recover but the recurring nature of mucilage outbreaks might prevent a recovery by rejuvenation as mucilage deposition mainly impact young colonies. Considering with accelerating climate-driven changes, mucilage outbreaks would probably recur in this semi-enclosed sea with clearly altered environmental conditions. The ecological status is clearly alarming and effective measures need to be taken urgently to prevent the formation of another large-scale and long-lasting mucilage event. The implementation of the recent Action Plan for the conservation of the Sea of Marmara could highly improve the conditions if genuinely applied throughout the basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Understanding the role of seascape in shaping genetic and demographic population structure is highly challenging for marine pelagic species such as cetaceans for which there is generally little evidence of what could effectively restrict their dispersal. In the present work, we applied a combination of recent individual-based landscape genetic approaches to investigate the population genetic structure of a highly mobile extensive range cetacean, the harbour porpoise in the eastern North Atlantic, with regards to oceanographic characteristics that could constrain its dispersal. Results Analyses of 10 microsatellite loci for 752 individuals revealed that most of the sampled range in the eastern North Atlantic behaves as a 'continuous' population that widely extends over thousands of kilometres with significant isolation by distance (IBD). However, strong barriers to gene flow were detected in the south-eastern part of the range. These barriers coincided with profound changes in environmental characteristics and isolated, on a relatively small scale, porpoises from Iberian waters and on a larger scale porpoises from the Black Sea. Conclusion The presence of these barriers to gene flow that coincide with profound changes in oceanographic features, together with the spatial variation in IBD strength, provide for the first time strong evidence that physical processes have a major impact on the demographic and genetic structure of a cetacean. This genetic pattern further suggests habitat-related fragmentation of the porpoise range that is likely to intensify with predicted surface ocean warming.