Temporal trends in personal protective equipment (PPE) debris during the COVID-19 pandemic in Çanakkale (Turkey).

This study examines trends in PPE (masks, gloves) and disinfecting wipes over three years of the pandemic. The densities of discarded masks, wet wipes, and gloves (personal protective equipment: PPE), were quantified on the streets of Canakkale, Turkey during similar time periods in 2020, 2021 and 2022. Geotagged images of PPE on the streets and sidewalks were documented with a smartphone, while the track of an observer was recorded using a fitness tracker app along a 7.

The effects of low pH on the taste and amino acid composition of tiger shrimp.

Recent research has revealed that shrimp sensory quality may be affected by ocean acidification but we do not exactly know why. Here we conducted controlled pH exposure experiments on adult tiger shrimp, which were kept in 1000-L tanks continuously supplied with coastal seawater. We compared survival rate, carapace properties and flesh sensory properties and amino acid composition of shrimp exposed to pH 7.

Alligators in the abyss: The first experimental reptilian food fall in the deep ocean.

The high respiration rates of the deep-sea benthos cannot be sustained by known carbon supply pathways alone. Here, we investigate moderately-sized reptilian food falls as a potential alternative carbon pathway. Specifically, three individual carcasses of Alligator mississippiensis were deployed along the continental slope of the northern Gulf of Mexico at depths of ~2000m in early 2019.

Persistent and substantial impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on deep-sea megafauna.

The Deepwater Horizon spill is one of the largest environmental disasters with extensive impacts on the economic and ecological health of the Gulf of Mexico. Surface oil and coastal impacts received considerable attention, but the far larger oil spill in the deep ocean and its effects received considerably less examination. Based on 2017 ROV surveys within 500 m of the wellhead, we provide evidence of continued impacts on diversity, abundance and health of deep-sea megafauna.

Enhanced convolutional neural network for plankton identification and enumeration.

Despite the rapid increase in the number and applications of plankton imaging systems in marine science, processing large numbers of images remains a major challenge due to large variations in image content and quality in different marine environments. We constructed an automatic plankton image recognition and enumeration system using an enhanced Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and examined the performance of different network structures on automatic plankton image classification. The procedure started with an adaptive thresholding approach to extract Region of Interest (ROIs) from in situ plankton images, followed by a procedure to suppress the background noise and enhance target features for each extracted ROI.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone for Childhood Nephrotic Syndrome: The ATLANTIS Randomized Trial.

Background And Objectives: There is renewed interest in adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) for the treatment of nephrotic syndrome. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of ACTH in children with frequently relapsing or steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome in a randomized trial.

Design, Setting, Participants, & Measurements: Participants aged 2-20 years old with frequently relapsing or steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome were enrolled from 16 sites in the United States and randomized 1:1 to ACTH (repository corticotropin injection) or no relapse-preventing treatment.

Eyes in the sea: Unlocking the mysteries of the ocean using industrial, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs).

For thousands of years humankind has sought to explore our oceans. Evidence of this early intrigue dates back to 130,000BCE, but the advent of remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) in the 1950s introduced technology that has had significant impact on ocean exploration. Today, ROVs play a critical role in both military (e.

Abundant plankton-sized microplastic particles in shelf waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico.

Accumulation of marine debris is a global problem that affects the oceans on multiple scales. The majority of floating marine debris is composed of microplastics: plastic particles up to 5 mm in diameter. With similar sizes and appearances to natural food items, these small fragments pose potential risks to many marine organisms including zooplankton and zooplanktivores.

Fluid overload and outcomes in critically ill children: A single center prospective cohort study.

Objective: To prospectively evaluate the association between fluid overload (FO) and clinical outcomes, mortality, mechanical ventilation (MV), and duration and length of stay in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).

Methods: Over a 12-month period, patients who were on MV for >24h or vasoactive support were prospectively included. Demographic and clinical data were recorded.

A semi-automated image analysis procedure for in situ plankton imaging systems.

Plankton imaging systems are capable of providing fine-scale observations that enhance our understanding of key physical and biological processes. However, processing the large volumes of data collected by imaging systems remains a major obstacle for their employment, and existing approaches are designed either for images acquired under laboratory controlled conditions or within clear waters. In the present study, we developed a semi-automated approach to analyze plankton taxa from images acquired by the ZOOplankton VISualization (ZOOVIS) system within turbid estuarine waters, in Chesapeake Bay.

Characterization of epibenthic and demersal megafauna at Mississippi Canyon 252 shortly after the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.

The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill resulted in the release of a large quantity of oil and gas into the northern Gulf of Mexico from a bathypelagic source. Due to a lack of pre-spill quantitative data the baseline condition of the communities near the spill site is unknown. This makes it difficult to determine the impact of the spill on deepwater megafauna.

First in situ observations of the deep-sea squid Grimalditeuthis bonplandi reveal unique use of tentacles.

The deep-sea squid Grimalditeuthis bonplandi has tentacles unique among known squids. The elastic stalk is extremely thin and fragile, whereas the clubs bear no suckers, hooks or photophores. It is unknown whether and how these tentacles are used in prey capture and handling.

The clinical impact of humoral immunity in pediatric renal transplantation.

The development of anti-donor humoral responses after transplantation associates with higher risks for acute rejection and 1-year graft survival in adults, but the influence of humoral immunity on transplant outcomes in children is not well understood. Here, we studied the evolution of humoral immunity in low-risk pediatric patients during the first 2 years after renal transplantation. Using data from 130 pediatric renal transplant patients randomized to steroid-free (SF) or steroid-based (SB) immunosuppression in the NIH-SNSO1 trial, we correlated the presence of serum anti-HLA antibodies to donor HLA antigens (donor-specific antibodies) and serum MHC class 1-related chain A (MICA) antibody with both clinical outcomes and histology identified on protocol biopsies at 0, 6, 12, and 24 months.

Correlation and clinical utility of pp65 antigenemia and quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays for detection of cytomegalovirus in pediatric renal transplant patients.

qPCR and pp65 antigenemia assays are used to monitor CMV infection in renal transplant recipients, but correlation of assays in a pediatric population has not been evaluated. Paired CMV real-time qPCR and pp65 antigenemia tests from 882 blood samples collected from 115 pediatric renal transplant recipients were analyzed in this retrospective cohort study for the strength of association and clinical correlates. The assays correlated well in detecting infection (κ = 0.

Response of Euphausia pacifica to small-scale shear in turbulent flow over a sill in a fjord.

Zooplankton in the ocean respond to visual and hydro-mechanical cues such as small-scale shear in turbulent flow. In addition, they form strong aggregations where currents intersect sloping bottoms. Strong and predictable tidal currents over a sill in Knight Inlet, Canada, make it an ideal location to investigate biological behaviour in turbulent cross-isobath flow.

Metabolic abnormalities, cardiovascular disease risk factors, and GFR decline in children with chronic kidney disease.

Background And Objectives: Metabolic abnormalities and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors have rarely been systematically assessed in children with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We examined the prevalence of various CKD sequelae across the GFR spectrum.

Design, Setting, Participants, & Measurements: Data were used from 586 children participating in the Chronic Kidney Disease in Children (CKiD) study (United States and Canada) with GFR measured by iohexol plasma disappearance.

Fluid overload and mortality in children receiving continuous renal replacement therapy: the prospective pediatric continuous renal replacement therapy registry.

Background: Critically ill children with hemodynamic instability and acute kidney injury often develop fluid overload. Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) has emerged as a favored modality in the management of such children. This study investigated the association between fluid overload and mortality in children receiving CRRT.

Sleep and fatigue symptoms in children and adolescents with CKD: a cross-sectional analysis from the chronic kidney disease in children (CKiD) study.

Background: Although symptoms of sleepiness and fatigue are common in adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD), little is known about the prevalence of these symptoms in children with CKD.

Study Design: Cross-sectional analysis within a cohort study.

Setting & Participants: We describe the frequency and severity of sleep problems and fatigue and assess the extent of their association with measured glomerular filtration rate (mGFR) and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in 301 participants of the Chronic Kidney Disease in Children cohort.

Protein and calorie prescription for children and young adults receiving continuous renal replacement therapy: a report from the Prospective Pediatric Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy Registry Group.

Objective: Few published reports describe nutrition provision for critically ill children and young adults with acute kidney injury receiving continuous renal replacement therapy. The goals of this study were to describe feeding practices in pediatric continuous renal replacement therapy and to evaluate factors associated with over- and under-prescription of protein and calories.

Design: Retrospective database study.

Determining dominant scatterers of sound in mixed zooplankton populations.

High-frequency acoustic scattering techniques have been used to investigate dominant scatterers in mixed zooplankton populations. Volume backscattering was measured in the Gulf of Maine at 43, 120, 200, and 420 kHz. Zooplankton composition and size were determined using net and video sampling techniques, and water properties were determined using conductivity, temperature, and depth sensors.

Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) after stem cell transplantation. A report from the prospective pediatric CRRT Registry Group.

Pediatric stem cell transplant (SCT) recipients commonly develop acute renal failure (ARF). We report the demographic and survival data of pediatric SCT patients enrolled in the Prospective Pediatric Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (ppCRRT) Registry. Since 1 January 2001, 51/370 (13.

Demographic characteristics of pediatric continuous renal replacement therapy: a report of the prospective pediatric continuous renal replacement therapy registry.

Background: This article reports demographic characteristics and intensive care unit survival for 344 patients from the Prospective Pediatric Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (ppCRRT) Registry, a voluntary multicenter observational network.

Design, Setting, Participants, And Measurements: Ages were newborn to 25 yr, 58% were male, and weights were 1.3 to 160 kg.

Racial differences in graft survival: a report from the North American Pediatric Renal Trials and Collaborative Studies (NAPRTCS).

Multiple studies have documented racial differences in graft survival in kidney transplant recipients. Although several studies in adult kidney transplant recipients have evaluated risk factors that might predispose to these differences, studies in pediatric patients are lacking. This study retrospectively analyzed data from the North American Pediatric Renal Trials and Collaborative Studies (NAPRTCS) to identify racial differences in kidney transplant outcomes and evaluate factors that might contribute to those differences.