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Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been adopted globally as a tool to combat biodiversity loss and restore marine ecosystems. Successful application of MPAs will be predicated on the ability to monitor biodiversity in a synoptic and noninvasive manner. Environmental DNA (eDNA) methods have important advantages over traditional biodiversity survey methods for monitoring conservation areas. To evaluate the efficacy of eDNA metabarcoding for fish biodiversity monitoring, we sampled 19 coastal eelgrass (Zostera marina) beds in Canada, as eelgrass beds are known for high biodiversity and significant conservation value. At each site, beach seines were used to survey fish and water samples were collected contemporaneously for eDNA metabarcoding. In total, beach seining caught 32 672 individuals across 59 fish taxa, and eDNA detected 129 fish taxa. eDNA captured site-level variation and detected higher species richness at both site and regional levels compared to seining. eDNA abundance had a positive association with capture abundance. Collectively these results highlight how eDNA metabarcoding offers an efficient approach for monitoring fish biodiversity in coastal eelgrass beds, thus providing a valuable and noninvasive tool for MPA planning and coastal monitoring. Les aires marines protegees (AMP) ont ete adoptees partout dans le monde comme outil pour contrer la perte de biodiversite et restaurer les ecosystemes marins. L'application efficace des AMP dependra de la capacite de surveillance synoptique et non invasive de la biodiversite. Les methodes reposant sur l'ADN environnemental (ADNe) presentent d'importants avantages par rapport aux methodes traditionnelles devaluation de la biodiversite pour la surveillance des aires de conservation. Afin d'evaluer l'efficacite du metacodage a barres de l'ADNe pour la surveillance de la biodiversite des poissons, nous avons echantillonne 19 herbiers de zostere (Zostera marina) cotiers au Canada, puisqu'il est etabli que ces derniers presentent une forte biodiversite et une importante valeur pour la conservation. Dans chaque site, des sennes de plage ont ete utilisees pour recenser les poissons et des echantillons d'eau ont ete preleves en meme temps pour les fins du metacodage a barres de l'ADNe. Au total, 32 672 specimens de 59 taxons de poissons ont ete pris a la senne de plage et l'ADNe a permis de detecter 129 taxons de poissons. Les donnees d'ADNe font ressortir des variations a l'echelle du site et une plus grande richesse specifique a l'echelle tant regionale que du site que la peche a la senne. L'abondance d'ADNe est positivement reliee a l'abondance des prises. Collectivement, ces resultats soulignent le fait que le metacodage a barres de l'ADNe constitue une approche efficace pour la surveillance de la biodiversite des poissons dans les herbiers a zostere cotiers, offrant ainsi un important outil non invasif pour la planification des APM et la surveillance cotiere. [Traduit par la Redaction], Introduction Awareness of the implications of global biodiversity loss has increased over the past two decades, as has acknowledgement that biodiversity conservation should be part of broader economic and political [...]

Background: Thomboelastography (TEG) is a point of care viscoelastic test that provides an assessment of clot formation and kinetics. Antiplatelet agents are commonly used but there is limited literature evaluating their possible effects on overall clot kinetics. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between antiplatelet agents and clot kinetics as defined by TEG. Methods: This is a retrospective study of adult patients who underwent TEG from February 2018 to July 2020. Patients who received anticoagulants or blood transfusions within 72 hours, had an incomplete TEG, were diagnosed with COVID-19, or had liver failure were excluded. Patients were stratified based on antiplatelet status. Results: Of 1060 patients, 119 were included (50 controls, 69 antiplatelet agents—37 aspirin monotherapy, 26 dual antiplatelet therapy). Between the control and antiplatelet therapy groups, there was no significant difference in clot time, maximal clot strength, or fibrinogen level. When compared to control patients, patients on dual antiplatelets had significantly higher fibrinogen levels (408.1 mg/dL vs 481.5 mg/dL, P =.013) but no significant differences in clot time or maximal clot strength. In our subgroup analysis, patients on dual antiplatelets had increased maximal clot strength (58.8° vs 63°, P =.005) and fibrinogen levels (384.1 mg/dL vs 481.5 mg/dL, P =.005) compared to those on aspirin alone. Discussion: Compared to control patients and those on aspirin alone, patients on dual antiplatelets have increased maximal clot strength and increased fibrinogen levels. These results can help physicians better target product resuscitation in patients who are on antiplatelet agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The classic findings of acute appendicitis-right lower quadrant pain, anorexia, and leukocytosis-have been well known. However, emergency medicine and surgical providers continue to rely on imaging to confirm the diagnosis. We aimed to evaluate the increase in reliance on computed tomography (CT) scans for acute appendicitis diagnosis over time.Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of patients ≥18 years presenting to UNC Hospitals with signs and symptoms of acute appendicitis who subsequently underwent appendectomy from 2011 to 2015. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, and pathologic data were reviewed. We evaluated the incidence of CT scans stratified by year, age, and sex.Results: Within our male population, 55.2% (278/504) had classic appendicitis symptoms. Of the 278 male patients with classic appendicitis symptoms, 248 underwent CT imaging. Male patients <45 years of age were more likely to present with classic appendicitis symptoms (216/357, 60.5%) compared with patients aged 46-65 (52/108, 48.1%) or >65 (10/39, 25.6%). Of the male patients <45 years with classic appendicitis symptoms, the incidence of CT scans increased over time (68.3% in 2011, 84.2% in 2012, 92.3% in 2013, 93.9% in 2014, 92.3% in 2015). When considering the 216 CT scans that could have been avoided in our population, we calculate an approximate savings of $173 998.80 over 5 years.Conclusion: The incidence of CT scans for acute appendicitis confirmation has increased over time even in men. CT scans for the diagnosis or confirmation of acute appendicitis should rarely be indicated in men aged <45 years with classic appendicitis symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Geographical patterns in morphology can be the result of divergence among populations due to neutral or selective changes and/or phenotypic plasticity in response to different environments. Marine gastropods are ideal subjects on which to explore these patterns, by virtue of the remarkable intraspecific variation in life‐history traits and morphology often observed across relatively small spatial scales. The ubiquitous N‐Atlantic common whelk (Buccinum undatum) is well known for spatial variation in life‐history traits and morphology. Previous studies on genetic population structure have revealed that it exhibits significant differentiation across geographic distances. Within Breiðafjörður Bay, a large and shallow bay in W‐Iceland, genetic differentiation was demonstrated between whelks from sites separated by just 20 km. Here, we extended our previous studies on the common whelk in Breiðafjörður Bay by quantifying phenotypic variation in shell morphology and color throughout the Bay. We sought to test whether trait differentiation is dependent on geographic distance and/or environmental variability. Whelk in Breiðafjörður Bay displayed fine‐scale patterns of spatial variation in shape, thickness, and color diversity. Differentiation increased with increasing distance between populations, indicating that population connectivity is limited. Both shape and color varied along a gradient from the inner part of the bay in the east to the outer part in the west. Whelk shells in the innermost part of Breiðafjörður Bay were thick with an elongate shell, round aperture, and low color diversity, whereas in the outer part of the bay the shells were thinner, rounder, with a more elongate aperture and richer color diversity. Significant site‐specific difference in shell traits of the common whelk in correlation with environmental variables indicates the presence of local ecotypes and limited demographic connectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Macrobrachium rosenbergii, the giant freshwater prawn, is an important source of high quality protein and occurs naturally in rivers as well as commercial farms in South and South-East Asia, including Bangladesh. This study investigated the genetic variation and population structure of M. rosenbergii sampled from four rivers in Bangladesh (sample size ranged from 19 to 20), assessing sequence variation, both in the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 ( CO1) gene and in 106 single nucleotide polymorphisms ( SNPs) sampled randomly from the genome with double digest RAD sequencing (dd RADseq). The mitochondrial variation presented a shallow genealogy with high haplotype diversity ( h = 0.95), reflecting an expansion in population size for the last ~82 kyr. Based on the CO1 variation the current effective population size ( Ne) was 9.7 × 106 ( CI: 1.33 × 106 - 35.84 × 106) individuals. A significant population differentiation was observed with the mitochondrial CO1 sequence variation and based on the dd RADseq variation, which could be traced to the divergence of the population in the Naf River in the South-East border with Myanmar from the other populations. A differentiation in mt DNA haplotype frequencies was also observed between the Biskhali River and the Karnaphuli Rivers in eastern Bangladesh. This study demonstrated the use of high-throughput genotyping based on the dd RADseq method to reveal population structure at a small geographical scale for an important freshwater prawn. The information from this study can be utilized for management and conservation of this species in Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fenneropenaeus indicus (H. Milne-Edwards, 1837) is a commercially important penaeid shrimp in the Indo-Pacific region. Phylogenetics of penaeid shrimps is still a debatable issue and molecular variation within the species is large. The present study focuses on phylogeography of F. indicus and the phylogenetic relationships with four other species of Fenneropenaeus by assessing mitochondrial COl sequence variation of wild F. indicus sampled from Bangladesh in comparison with other populations. Fenneropenaeus indicus in Bangladesh waters consists of a single population (AMOVA: FST and ΦST, P > 0.05), which started to expand around 39-72 kyr ago. Although a high number of haplotypes is observed, the genealogical relationships are shallow and the overall variation is much less than off Sri Lanka. The different populations from the Indian Ocean show a clear geographical pattern with three distinct evolutionary lineages or cryptic species, one in the western Indian Ocean and Thailand and two in the eastern Indian Ocean, off Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. A phylogenetic analysis of Fenneropenaeus based on COI and 16S rRNA genes revealed that different lineages within F. indicus predate the speciation of other species within the genus, except for Fenneropenaeus chinensis (Osbeck, 1765). Fenneropenaeus indicus exhibited complex patterns of mtDNA and polyphyletic relationships within Fenneropenaeus, and the taxonomy needs to be re-evaluated. Our study will be helpful for management and conservation of shrimp diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]