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Permanent ponds represent important habitats for aquatic biodiversity and provide vital ecosystem services as key elements for blue landscape connectivity. Although mostly neglected in management programmes, protection schemes and biodiversity studies in general, ponds constitute habitats with high á- and spatial â-diversity, providing unique habitat conditions for many rare and endemic species. The main focus of our contribution is to describe Odonata (including both dragonflies and damselflies) diversity patterns from 46 ponds distributed across Europe. Our data set summarises all Odonate occurrences (i.e., Odonata captured in emerging traps, adults recorded in the surrounding environment and larvae from benthic samples) from the EUROPONDS project - an Early Career Researchers (ECR) project focusing on emerging insects from ponds. Field sampling was conducted during a whole year sampling campaign throughout 2020/21 in 18 European countries. Our preliminary results suggest a clear latitudinal gradient in Odonata diversity across Europe, i.e., the highest α- and β-diversity levels were found in southernmost ponds (Spain) and the lowest diversity in northernmost ponds (Ireland). Odonata that belonged to the four families of Aeshnidae, Libellulidae, Coenagrionidae and Platycnemididae were captured in the emergence traps in only nine out of the total 46 sampled ponds. The most diverse family was Coenagrionidae, which also represented the most abundant odonate family in benthic samples, especially noted in Polish ponds. Among the observed adult specimens of Odonata (42 different taxa), the commonest species across Europe were Sympetrum striolatum, Aeshna cyanea, Anax imperator, Libellula quadrimaculata, Crocothemis erythraea and Enallagma cyathigerum. Additionally, the endemic species Ischnura graellsii and the newly immigrant Trithemis kirbyi were reported from Spanish ponds. These locations constitute their northernmost distributional ranges in Europe. Overall, our findings should contribute to the knowledge on spatial distributions of odonates across European ponds.

Whilst being small and shallow, permanent ponds provide valuable habitats for a multitude of organisms as well as provide habitats for animals like aquatic insects and others, including many rare species. These ponds, which were often neglected in limnological studies, were the core of our joint project, the 3rd freshwater project - EUROPONDS in order to evaluate the often overlooked ecological ecosystem services provided by permanent ponds across Europe. As a part of this project, two Hungarian ponds were surveyed for a full year (2020/21). One of the project aims was to assess the freshwater macroinvertebrate assemblages by dip netting over the four annual seasons. Here, we present preliminary results examining the data on larval Odonata of two Hungarian ponds in relation to the physicochemical variables measured, as well as compare the results to a previous national survey. Altogether the examination of 24 waterbodies (22 from a national survey and two from the EUROPONDS project) was carried out in this study. All of the involved water bodies were clustered using a Ward analysis including the water physicochemical parameters into three groups, and then the dragonfly fauna was investigated within the groups found. Diversity metrics and the presence or absence of different species were also included and the results were compared between the different clusters. Herein, we aimed to assess differences between the three main clusters, identify key factors driving the presence of the studied species and the relationship between the diversity indexes and the physicochemical parameters influencing the Odonata communities in the studied ponds.

Venous thromboembolism from a “thrombotic storm”–like syndrome is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with active or “recovered” COVID-19. Patients should be risk-stratified, optimally by a pulmonary embolism (PE) response team (PERT), and considered for escalation of care if found with intermediate or high-risk PE. We present a series of patients with COVID-19-associated PE and thrombotic storm with D-dimer >10 000 ng/mL who underwent successful mechanical thrombectomy for intermediate to high-risk PE. All patients had immediate improvement in hemodynamics and large amounts of thrombi were retrieved.

Abstract: In-stent restenosis (ISR) is a recognized complication following percutaneous coronary intervention in which the luminal diameter is narrowed through neointimal hyperplasia and vessel remodeling. Although rates of ISR have decreased in most recent years owing to newer generation drug-eluting stents, thinner struts, and better intravascular imaging modalities, ISR remains a prevalent dilemma that proves to be challenging to manage. Several factors have been proposed to contribute to ISR formation, including mechanical stent characteristics, technical factors during the coronary intervention, and biological aspects of drug-eluting stents. Presentation of ISR can range from asymptomatic to late myocardial infarction and could be difficult to differentiate from acute thrombus formation. No definite guidelines are present on the management of ISR. In this review, we will discuss the mechanisms underlying ISR and provide insight into patient-related and procedural risk factors contributing to ISR, in addition to highlighting common treatment approaches utilized in the management of ISR.

Whilst being generally small and shallow lentic water bodies, ponds provide valuable habitats for a multitude of groups and contribute to habitat connectivity. Semi-aquatic insects emerging from such ponds act as one of the most important vectors of dietary energy to the adjacent terrestrial environment. By providing essential fatty acids, emerging insects constitute an important nutritional food resource for terrestrial (e.g. spiders, lizards, ants) and aerial (e.g. bats, birds) consumers. Broad-scale studies are needed to explore differences in dietary exports encompassing diverse pond types and different landscapes or regions, with the final aim of drawing general patterns. Herein we present the first results of "EUROPONDS". In this ongoing project we quantify the seasonal and spatial variation in insect emergence. In a total of 55 ponds distributed across Europe we installed emergence traps for one week per season over a full year. This broad scale set-up allows us to quantify differences in biomass export between different geographical regions, between rural and urban systems as well as between natural and artificial ponds. The project brings together the knowledge of 80 early-career limnologists from all over Europe and therefore not only provides important insight in the aquatic-terrestrial linkages of ponds, but also provides an important exchange among the future generation of European limnologists.

Globally there’s an astounding and often underestimated number of ponds (small stagnant water bodies). Ponds, whilst directly providing habitats for a multitude of animals and plants, also contribute to habitat connectivity by enabling organisms to cross the landscape, acting as “blue stepping stones”. The diverse community of insects emerging from such ponds acts as a vector of dietary energy to the surrounding terrestrial environment. By providing highly unsaturated fatty acids, emerging insects constitute a high nutritional food resource for terrestrial (e.g. spiders, lizards) and avian (e.g. bats, birds) consumers. One important dietary resource these insects export is essential fatty acids. These are introduced initially into the local food web and then on into the main terrestrial cycle. However, knowledge about the exact ecological role of ponds, their contribution to beta- and gamma-biodiversity, and dietary energy transfer is limited. Herein, we present preliminary results for the first seasonal sampling (Autumn 2020) of our ongoing “EUROPONDS” project. EUROPONDS aims to fill this gap of knowledge on ponds by analyzing 55 ponds distributed across Europe from Sweden in the north to remote Mediterranean islands in the south, from rural areas to large cities, and including both artificial and natural ponds. EUROPONDS brings together around 80 European early-career limnologists and covers autumn, winter, spring, and summer sampling campaigns through 2020/21. Preliminary results from autumn 2020 indicate differences in emerging insect biomass, trophic status of ponds, and between artificial and natural ponds.

Purpose of review To highlight the range of illnesses and procedures that the interventional onco-cardiologists face in their daily practice, along with the recent additions to anti-cancer therapies and their related cardiotoxicity. Recent findings Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) are not devoid of cardiotoxicity as thought earlier and lead to an increased incidence of myocarditis. Transcatheter valve replacement has been shown to be a safer alternative to surgical replacement in cancer patients. Interventional onco-cardiology is a novel field that addresses cardiovascular diseases in the setting of cancer. Traditionally excluding cancer patients from clinical trials has led to a dearth of information needed to tackle cardiac conditions like Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, malignant pericardial effusions, and radiation-induced vascular diseases encountered either exclusively or predominantly in this high-risk population. This review discusses the various treatment options available in the interventional armamentarium with a particular focus on ICI-myocarditis and transcatheter aortic valve replacement in cancer patients.

Objective: This study assessed stent healing patterns and cardiovascular outcomes by optical coherence tomography (OCT) in cancer patients after drug-eluting stent (DES) placement.Background: Cancer treatment, owing to its cytotoxic and antiproliferative effects, could delay stent healing and increase stent thrombosis risk, especially when dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) is discontinued early for oncological treatment. OCT can assess stent endothelialization and other healing parameters, which may provide clinical guidance in these challenging scenarios.Methods: This single-center retrospective study enrolled all cancer patients who underwent OCT for assessment of vascular healing patterns after prior DES placement from November 2009 to November 2018. Primary study endpoints were stent healing parameters, including stent coverage, apposition, degree of expansion, neointimal hyperplasia heterogeneity, in-stent restenosis, stent thrombosis, and overall survival (OS).Results: A total of 67 patients were included in this study. Mean time between DES placement and OCT evaluation was 154 ± 82 days. Stent healing matched published values for DES in non-cancer patients (P ≥ 0.063). At 1 year, the OS was 86% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 78–96%) with 0% incidence of acute coronary syndrome. Advanced cancers and active chemotherapies were associated with inferior OS (P = 0.024, hazard ratio [HR]: 3.50, 95% CI: 1.18–10.42 and P = 0.026, HR: 2.65, 95% CI: 1.13–6.22, respectively), while stent healing parameters were unassociated with OS. Forty-one patients (61%) had DAPT duration ≤6 months.Conclusions: Stent healing of contemporary DES appears similar in cancer and non-cancer patients. Cardiovascular risk of cancer patients after DES placement can be managed to facilitate timely cancer therapies, as the underlying malignancy and active chemotherapy ultimately determine survival.

Since the 1990s, there has been a steady increase in the number of cancer survivors to an estimated 17 million in 2019 in the US alone. Radiation therapy today is applied to a variety of malignancies and over 50% of cancer patients. The effects of ionizing radiation on cardiac structure and function, so-called radiation-induced heart disease (RIHD), have been extensively studied. We review the available published data on the mechanisms and manifestations of RIHD, with a focus on vascular disease, as well as proposed strategies for its prevention, screening, diagnosis, and management.

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with new-generation drug-eluting stents (DESs) may provide survival benefits to the cancer population undergoing PCI by expediting cancer treatment due to improved safety profile. We aimed to assess the safety of starting or resuming cancer treatment within 6 months of DES placement. We also compared the impact of different DES types on the overall survival (OS) in cancer patients and to identify a safe threshold for dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) discontinuation.Cancer patients at our institution undergoing PCI with DES from December 2014 to June 2017 were included. Baseline demographics, DAPT duration, malignancy type, stage, and treatment were retrospectively analyzed. Univariate Cox regression was used to pinpoint baseline characteristics that correlated with OS. Survivorship was determined by Kaplan-Meier analysis, and the log-rank test was used to compare OS among DES types.Seventy-five patients were included. Of these, 45 had biodegradable polymer DES (Synergy) and 30 patients had durable polymer DES (Resolute Integrity, Xience, Ion, or Promus). Mean duration of follow-up was 1367 ± 334 days. There were two minor bleeding complications. No statistically significant differences in OS were found among different stent brands. Discontinuation of aspirin, early P2Y12 inhibitor discontinuation, and advanced cancer were significantly associated with OS. DAPT discontinuation6 months after PCI was not associated with stent thrombosis or in-stent restenosis. There were two major adverse cardiac events: one in-stent restenosis while on DAPT for12 months (attributed to radiation-induced heart disease) and one myocardial infarction and death. Of patients who resumed or started cancer treatment (chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or surgery) after PCI, all but one did so within 6 months of PCI, and most of them as early as 2 weeks.Patients may resume cancer treatment6 months after PCI. We suggest that DAPT may be safely interrupted as early as 6 months, but additional longitudinal studies are needed.

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women and radiotherapy is a widely used treatment approach. However, there is an increased risk of coronary artery disease and cardiac death in women treated with radiotherapy. The present study was undertaken to clarify the relation between radiotherapy and coronary disease in women with previous breast irradiation using coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA). We conducted a retrospective analysis of women with a history of right or left-sided breast cancer (RBC; LBC) treated with radiotherapy who subsequently underwent CCTA. RBC patients who had reduced radiation doses to the myocardium served as controls. Patients (n = 6,593) with a history of nonmetastatic breast cancer treated with radiotherapy were screened for completion of CCTA; 49 LBC and 45 RBC women were identified. Age and risk factor matched patients with LBC had higher rates of coronary disease compared with RBC patients; left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery (76% vs 31% [p0.001]), left circumflex (33% vs. 6.7% [p = 0.004]), and right coronary artery (37% vs 13% [p = 0.018]). Mean LAD radiation dose and mean heart dose strongly correlated with coronary disease, with a 21% higher incidence of disease in the LAD per Gy for mean LAD dose and a 95% higher incidence of disease in the LAD per Gy for mean heart dose. In conclusion, LBC patients treated with radiotherapy have a significantly higher incidence of coronary disease when compared with a matched group of patients treated for RBC. Radiation doses correlated with the incidence of coronary disease.

To discuss invasive cardiovascular procedures as they relate to onco-cardiology, as well as recent additions to anti-cancer therapies and their subsequent effect on cardiovascular toxicity. The development of immune checkpoint inhibitors and chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy has been linked to cardiotoxicity and represents an emerging area of concern. Recent advances in transcatheter valve replacement have shown benefits compared with surgical management regardless of malignancy type, stage, or treatment. With the increasing use of immunotherapy and increasing recognition of cardiotoxicity, there is a need for identifying mortality-improving strategies. The use of a transcatheter approach for aortic valve replacement looks to be a safer alternative when compared with surgical replacement despite the presence of cancer. Pericardial disease is frequent in the cancer population and pericardiocentesis represents a valid option for the treatment of significant pericardial effusions. Endomyocardial biopsy is performed for various indications in the cancer population and is the gold standard for diagnosing myocarditis and infiltrative diseases.