Fatal vascular complication due to metallosis.

Metallosis is a well-known complication at the site of total hip and knee arthroplasty. Vascular involvement of this complication is rare and generally results from vascular compression by a mass or pseudotumor. In the present report, we have described a case of lower limb acute arterial ischemia due to arterial injury as a complication of metallosis with a fatal outcome.

Inter-habitat variation in density and size composition of reef fishes from the Cuban Northwestern shelf.

Movement and exchange of individuals among habitats is critical for the dynamics and success of reef fish populations. Size segregation among habitats could be taken as evidence for habitat connectivity, and this would be a first step to formulate hypotheses about ontogenetic inter-habitat migrations. The primary goal of our research was to find evidence of inter-habitat differences in size distributions and density of reef fish species that can be classified a priori as habitat-shifters in an extensive (-600km2) Caribbean shelf area in NW Cuba.

Natural and human-induced variability in the composition of fish assemblages in the Northwestern Cuban shelf.

The main goal of the study was to obtain field data to build a baseline of fish assemblage composition that can be used comparatively for future analyses of the impact of human actions in the region. A basic network of 68 sampling stations was defined for the entire region (4,050 km2). Fish assemblage species and size composition was estimated using visual census methods at three different spatial scales: a) entire region, b) inside the main reef area and c) along a human impact coastal gradient.

[Trophie webs of reef fishes at Cuba's NW area. II. Functional groups].

A conceptual model of the food webs, mainly with fish, was built in a rocky shore of Havana City with data covering from October 2004 to February 2006. The stomach contents of the most abundant fish was complemented with the literature. We used the Relative Importance Index method to describe diets of carnivorous and omnivorous fish; and a modification of the Relative Abundance method for sponge eaters and herbivorous fish.

Recent region-wide declines in Caribbean reef fish abundance.

Profound ecological changes are occurring on coral reefs throughout the tropics, with marked coral cover losses and concomitant algal increases, particularly in the Caribbean region. Historical declines in the abundance of large Caribbean reef fishes likely reflect centuries of overexploitation. However, effects of drastic recent degradation of reef habitats on reef fish assemblages have yet to be established.

[Trophic webs of reef fishes in northwestern Cuba. I. Stomach contents].

Trophic webs of reef fishes in northwestern Cuba. I. Stomach contents.

Effects-based assessment in a tropical coastal system: status of bicolor damselfish (Stegastes partitus) on the north shore of Cuba.

The research was carried out to determine whether there are individual-level differences in the bicolor damselfish (Stegastes partitus) within the altered fish communities located on the north coast of Havana, Cuba. There was strong evidence of changes in some morphological and physiological characteristics associated with the impact of land-based pollution in the coastal zone. A combination of impaired recruitment due to habitat degradation with increased food supply due to eutrophication seems to be the best explanation for fishes being heavier and longer at polluted sites.

Fish assemblages on fringe coral reefs of the northern coast of Cuba near Havana Harbor.

It is difficult to separate effects on fish community assemblages due to anthropogenic stressors from natural factors. We examined small-bodied-fish communities along the northern coast of Cuba near Havana Harbor during the dry (February/March of 2000) and wet (June 2000) seasons. Over 35,000 individual fish were visually counted at 15 sites along the coast in three areas located 0-2.