Sea Di

Southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) from the California coast continue to exhibit a slower population regrowth rate than the population in Alaska. Infectious diseases have been identified as a frequent cause of death. Infectious diseases caused by varied pathogens including bacteria, fungi, and parasites were suggestive of compromised immunological health of mature animals in this population. To test the hypothesis that elevated exposure to immunotoxic contaminants such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) contribute to disease susceptibility via immunosuppression, we determined concentrations of PBDEs and PCBs in livers of 80 adult female sea otters that died of infectious diseases, noninfectious causes, or emaciation. Concentrations of PBDEs and PCBs in sea otter livers varied widely (10–26,800 ng/g and 81–210,000 ng/g, lipid weight, respectively). Concentrations of PBDEs in sea otters were some of the highest values reported for marine mammals so far. Although PCB concentrations in sea otters have declined during 1992–2002, the mean concentration was at the threshold at which adverse health effects are elicited. Concentrations of PBDEs and PCBs were significantly correlated, suggesting co-exposure of these contaminants in sea otters. No significant association was found between the concentrations of PBDEs and the health status of sea otters. Concentrations of PCBs were significantly higher in otters in the infectious disease category than in the noninfectious category, suggesting an association between elevated PCB concentrations and infectious diseases in Southern sea otters.

Following the Exxon Valdez oil spill, sea otters were captured and taken to rehabilitaion centers. Oil exposure was assessed by visual examination on arrival at the centers. Records of 21 oiled otters that died within 10 days of arrival at the centers were reviewed to define the laboratory abnormalities and clinical syndromes associated with these deaths. Tissues from 51 oiled and 6 unoiled sea otters that died in the centers were examined histologically. Histologic examinations were performed on tissues from 5 oiled otters found dead shortly after the spill. Nucropsies were performed on 214 sea otters that were collected and frozen following the oil spill. Pulmonary interstitial emphysema and gastric erosion and hemorrhage were common in oiled animals, and were less frequent in unoiled animals. Tissues from 6 sea otters collected from a nonoiled area were examined, and none of these lesions were found. We conclude that pulmonary interstitial emphysema, gastric erosion and hemorrhage, centrilobular hepatic necrosis, and hepatic and renal lipidosis were associated with exposure to crude oil in sea otters.

OKUSANYA, O.T., LAKANMI, O.O. & OSUAGWU, A.E. 1991. Some factors affecting the seedling growth and survival of Treculia africana. The effects of six environmental factors on the growth and survival of Treculia africana were investigated using multiharvest experiments set out in random design. Full sunlight caused heteroblastic leaf development and produced significantly better growth in dry weight than in 70%

ABSTRACT Conservation and management of deep-sea corals and coral reefs was the theme of the 4th International Deepsea Coral Symposium held in Wellington, New Zealand from I to 5 December 2008. A selection of resulting studies is published here. Recent advances in our understanding of deep-sea corals and associated ecosystems have demonstrated their high diversity, abundance, longevity and widespread global distribution. Such deep-water communities are increasingly threatened by anthropogenic environmental change (e.g. ocean acidity, fishing pressures) and require timely management policies and actions to reduce potential deleterious effects. The interdisciplinary nature of deep-sea coral research is a significant strength, helping to provide the broad base of knowledge and resources that are required for the conservation and management of this important ecological group.

Spinal epidural abscess (SEA) was first described in the medical literature in 1761 and represents a severe, generally pyogenic infection of the epidural space requiring emergent neurosurgical intervention to avoid permanent neurologic deficits. Spinal epidural abscess comprises 0.2 to 2 cases per 10,000 hospital admissions. This review intends to offer detailed evaluation and a comprehensive meta-analysis of the international literature on SEA between 1954 and 1997, especially of patients who developed it following anesthetic procedures in the spinal canal. In this period, 915 cases of SEA were published. This review is the most comprehensive literature analysis on SEA to date. Most cases of SEA occur in patients aged 30 to 60 years, but the youngest patient was only 10 days old and the oldest was 87. The ratio of men to women was 1:0.56. The most common risk factor was diabetes mellitus, followed by trauma, intravenous drug abuse, and alcoholism. Epidural anesthesia or analgesia had been performed in 5.5% of the patients with SEA. Skin abscesses and furuncles were the most common source of infection. Of the patients, 71% had back pain as the initial symptom and 66% had fever. The second stage of radicular irritation is followed by the third stage, with beginning neurological deficit including muscle weakness and sphincter incontinence as well as sensory deficits. Paralysis (the fourth stage) affected only 34% of the patients. The average leukocyte count was 15,700/µl (range 1,500–42,000/µl), and the average erythrocyte sedimentation rate was 77 mm in the first hour (range 2–50 mm). Spinal epidural abscess is primarily a bacterial infection, and the gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus is its most common causative agent. This is true also for patients who develop SEA following spinal anesthetics. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) displays the greatest diagnostic accuracy and is the method of first choice in the diagnostic process. Myelography, commonly used previously to diagnose SEA, is no longer recommended. Lumbar puncture to determine cerebrospinal fluid protein concentrations is not needed for diagnosis and entails the risk of spreading bacteria into the subarachnoid space with consequent meningitis; therefore, it should not be performed. The therapeutic method of choice is laminectomy combined with antibiotics. Conservative treatment alone is justifiable only for specific indications. Laminotomy is a therapeutic alternative for children. The mortality of SEA dropped from 34% in the period of 1954–1960 to 15% in 1991–1997. At the beginning of the twentieth century, almost all patients with SEA died. Parallel to improvements in the mortality rate, today more patients experience complete recovery from SEA. The prognosis of patients who develop SEA following epidural anesthesia or analgesia is not better than that of patients with noniatrogenic SEA, and the mortality rate is also comparable. The essential problem of SEA lies in the necessity of early diagnosis, because only timely treatment is able to avoid or reduce permanent neurologic deficits.

... Kyung-Ryul Kim1; Kuh Kim1; Dong-Jin Kang1; Sun Young Park1; Mi-Kyung Park1; Young-Gyu Kim1; Hong Sik Min1; Dongha Min2: 1 ... Kim, K., Kim, K.-R., Kim, Y.-G., Cho, Y.-K, Chung, J.-Y., Choi, B.-H., Byun, S.-K., Hong, GH, Takematsu, M., Yoon, J.-H., Volkov, Y., Danchenkov ...

L’insiemeP degli elementi idempotenti di un’algebra di BanachA é in generale non connesso. J. Zemanek [7] e B. Aupetit [1] hanno dimostrato che le componenti connesse di tale insieme sono connesse per archi. Inoltre J. Esterle [4] ha dimostrato che due elementi diP appartenti alla stessa componente connessa possono essere collegati attraverso un cammino polinomiale. In questo lavoro si studia il minimo grado di tali polinomi seA è un’algebra di Banach di dimensione finita oppure seA è l’algebra degli operatori limitati su uno spazio di Banach.