Identification of long-preserved specimens reveals the historical geographic range of the Patagonian lamprey Geotria macrostoma (Burmeister, 1868) in southern South America.

The lamprey genus Geotria Gray, 1851 currently includes only two species: G. australis and G. macrostoma.

Correction: Implementation of Genomic Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in the Caribbean: Lessons learned for sustainability in resource-limited settings.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.

Using Deep Learning to Detect the Presence and Location of Hemoperitoneum on the Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma (FAST) Examination in Adults.

Abdominal ultrasonography has become an integral component of the evaluation of trauma patients. Internal hemorrhage can be rapidly diagnosed by finding free fluid with point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) and expedite decisions to perform lifesaving interventions. However, the widespread clinical application of ultrasound is limited by the expertise required for image interpretation.

Implementation of genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in the Caribbean: Lessons learned for sustainability in resource-limited settings.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of global genomic surveillance to monitor the emergence and spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants and inform public health decision-making. Until December 2020 there was minimal capacity for viral genomic surveillance in most Caribbean countries. To overcome this constraint, the COVID-19: Infectious disease Molecular epidemiology for PAthogen Control & Tracking (COVID-19 IMPACT) project was implemented to establish rapid SARS-CoV-2 whole genome nanopore sequencing at The University of the West Indies (UWI) in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) and provide needed SARS-CoV-2 sequencing services for T&T and other Caribbean Public Health Agency Member States (CMS).

Mental health systems in six Caribbean small island developing states: a comparative situational analysis.

Background: Small island developing states (SIDS) have particular mental health system needs due to their remoteness and narrow resource base. We conducted situational analyses to support mental health system strengthening in six SIDS: Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Montserrat and Turks and Caicos Islands.

Methods: The situational analyses covered five domains: 1.

The effects of biochar aging on rhizosphere microbial communities in cadmium-contaminated acid soil.

Biochars are widely used in the remediation of Cd-contaminated soils. However, changes in the bacterial communities in the rhizosphere contaminated with Cd in response to biochar aging are poorly studied. Addressing this gap in knowledge is important to improving micro-ecological services on healthy growth of plants with mitigation strategies against Cd contamination.

On the invalid resurrection of the lamprey genus Exomegas Gill, 1883.

The lamprey genus Exomegas Gill, 1883, was erected on the assumption that it was distinguishable from Geotria Gray, 1851, by possessing three rather than two cusps on the transverse lingual lamina (TLL). Based on literature review and examination of holotypes and new data, the authors reaffirm that the TLL of Geotria possesses two or three cusps in the adult stage. The reduction or disappearance of the middle cusp at the beginning or during the spawning run constitutes a key feature of Geotria.

Superlatives in news articles reporting non-FDA approved indications for use of cannabis and cannabis products with a focus on psychiatric disorders: a cross-sectional analysis.

The exaggerated language used in news articles to describe the benefits of cannabis for conditions without FDA indications may mislead the public and healthcare providers. Thus, this study's objective was to investigate the use of exaggerated language in news articles focused on cannabis and cannabis-derived products. Using a cross-sectional study design, we searched Google News from March 3, 2020, and September 3, 2019 for 11 prespecified superlative terms along with the search terms "cannabis," "cannabidiol," "pot," "marijuana," "weed," and "CBD.

Adherence rates of person-centered language in amputation research: A cross-sectional analysis.

Background: Person-centered language (PCL) is the recommended method of addressing patients by the American Medical Association Manual of Style in medical research, thus requiring published manuscripts to be free of non-PCL. Although individuals, communities, and organizations have the autonomy to use non-PCL, it is imperative for medical researchers to use PCL in an effort to reduce the transfer of stigmatization into clinical practice.

Objective: To determine current adherence to PCL related to individuals with limb or digit amputations in scientific journals.

Morphometric and physical characteristics distinguishing adult Patagonian lamprey, Geotria macrostoma from the pouched lamprey, Geotria australis.

The pouched lamprey, Geotria australis Gray, 1851, has long been considered monotypic in the Geotriidae family with a wide southern temperate distribution across Australasia and South America. Recent studies have provided molecular and morphological evidence for a second Geotria species in South America; Geotria macrostoma (Burmeister, 1868). The aim of this study was to determine morphometric and physical characteristics of adult G.

Large variations in eutrophication among estuaries reflect massive differences in composition and biomass of macroalgal drift.

The characteristics of detached macroalgae (drift) in nearby highly eutrophic and mesotrophic estuaries in south-western Australia are compared to elucidate the magnitude and types of changes that occur in macroalgal drift when estuaries receive excessive nutrient input. Drift characteristics in the large basins of the microtidal, eutrophic Peel-Harvey and mesotrophic Swan-Canning, which is not subjected to large nutrient inputs directly from agricultural land, differed markedly. Biomass (dry weight) in mesotrophic estuary was dominated by rhodophytes (92%), particularly Laurencia and Hypnea, and in eutrophic estuary by opportunistic chlorophytes (68%), especially Chaetomorpha and Ulva.

Visual opsin expression and morphological characterization of retinal photoreceptors in the pouched lamprey (Geotria australis, Gray).

Lampreys are extant members of the agnathan (jawless) vertebrates that diverged ~500 million years ago, during a critical stage of vertebrate evolution when image-forming eyes first emerged. Among lamprey species assessed thus far, the retina of the southern hemisphere pouched lamprey, Geotria australis, is unique, in that it possesses morphologically distinct photoreceptors and expresses five visual photopigments. This study focused on determining the number of different photoreceptors present in the retina of G.

Mechanisms for the removal of Cd(II) and Cu(II) from aqueous solution and mine water by biochars derived from agricultural wastes.

The capacity of biochars derived from agricultural wastes to remove Cd(II) and Cu(II) from aqueous solution and contaminated mine water was evaluated using laboratory-based batch sorption experiments. To examine immobilization of heavy metals, biochars produced in a commercial-scale mobile pyrolizer from feedstocks: poultry litter; lucerne shoot; vetch shoot; canola shoot; wheat straws; and sugar-gum wood, were tested in a liquid-based system. Biochars were characterized by FTIR, XPS and XRD before and after the mine water treatment.

Lipid and protein catabolism contribute to aerobic metabolic responses to exhaustive exercise during the protracted spawning run of the lamprey Geotria australis.

This paper has integrated new and past data to elucidate how lipid, protein and glycogen metabolism contribute to generating the ATP required by the southern hemisphere lamprey Geotria australis during its ~ 13-15 months, non-trophic upstream spawning migration. Energy is required for maintenance, swimming, the development of gonads and secondary sexual characters and spawning and post-spawning activities. Plasma and muscle metabolites were measured in animals subjected to an exercise-recovery regime at the commencement and completion of the spawning run.

Zooplankton dynamics in a highly eutrophic microtidal estuary.

Mesozooplankton was sampled seasonally in a large microtidal estuary (Peel-Harvey) suffering from massive macroalgal growths and cyanobacterial blooms. Comparisons with other estuaries indicate that eutrophication led to copepod abundance declining and macroalgal-associated species increasing. Mesozooplankton species are almost exclusively autochthonous, i.

The Virgin Islands National Information Systems for Health: vision, actions, and lessons learned for advancing the national public health agenda.

The British Virgin Islands (BVI) Ministry of Health and Social Development (MOHSD) recently identified the need for an updated strategy to advance the country's vision for Information Systems for Health (IS4H) ("Informed decision-making for better health outcomes"). Since the early 1990s, the MOHSD has recognized the importance of having strong conceptual foundations and mechanisms for its information systems, and the need to strengthen the production and use of good-quality health data to enable fulfillment of the territory's health goals. Therefore, in May 2017, BVI requested technical assistance from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to develop a plan/"road map" for strengthening the MOHSD's stewardship capacity for IS4H.

Development and evaluation of calcium hydroxide-coated, pericardium-based biomembranes for direct pulp capping.

Aim: The aim of the present study was to develop a bovine pericardium biomembrane (BPB) and to evaluate pulp response in vivo.

Methods: A double-layer bovine BPB/chitosan was manufactured, and the porous chitosan side was coated with calcium hydroxide. The microstructure of the matrices was evaluated with electron microscopy.

Microtidal estuaries warrant special management measures that recognise their critical vulnerability to pollution and climate change.

Not all estuaries are equally susceptible to anthropogenic perturbation. Microtidal estuaries with long residence times are intrinsically less robust than well-flushed macrotidal estuaries, facilitating the accumulation of contaminants. This promotes development of blooms of non-toxic and toxic phytoplankton, and hypoxia and anoxia may occur in deeper sections of the typically stratified water column.

Growth, condition, and maturity schedules of an estuarine fish species change in estuaries following increased hypoxia due to climate change.

Understanding challenges posed by climate change to estuaries and their faunas remains a high priority for managing these systems and their communities. Freshwater discharge into a range of estuary types in south-western Australia between 1990 and 2015 is shown to be related to rainfall. This largely accounts for decreases in discharge in this microtidal region being more pronounced on the west coast than south coast, where rainfall decline was less.

Diets of reef-dwelling labrids (Choerodon species) vary with body size, season and habitat: influence of foraging ability, specialization and opportunism.

Contemporary multivariate statistics were used to test the hypotheses that the dietary compositions of three populations of labrids on the west Australian coast are related to body size and undergo seasonal changes and to elucidate the relative extents and basis for any dietary differences within and between those populations. Gut content analyses determined the dietary compositions of Choerodon rubescens in marine waters of the outer reefs in the World Heritage Area of Shark Bay (26° S; 114° E) and of Choerodon schoenleinii in inner protected reefs of that large embayment. The dietary compositions of C.

Optimization of foraging and diet by the piscivorous Othos dentex (Serranidae).

The aim of this study was to determine the dietary characteristics and mouth morphology of Othos dentex and to use these data, together with in situ observations of feeding behaviour, to elucidate how foraging and diet are optimized by this piscivorous serranid. Seasonal spear and line fishing over reefs in south-western Australia yielded 426 O. dentex (total length, L , 183-605 mm), among which the stomachs of 95 contained food.

The Central Nervous System of Jawless Vertebrates: Encephalization in Lampreys and Hagfishes.

Lampreys and hagfishes are the sole surviving representatives of the early agnathan (jawless) stage in vertebrate evolution, which has previously been regarded as the least encephalized group of all vertebrates. Very little is known, however, about the extent of interspecific variation in relative brain size in these fishes, as previous studies have focused on only a few species, even though lampreys exhibit a variety of life history traits. While some species are parasitic as adults, with varying feeding behaviors, others (nonparasitic species) do not feed after completing their macrophagous freshwater larval phase.

Retinal temporal resolution and contrast sensitivity in the parasitic lamprey and its non-parasitic derivative .

Lampreys and hagfishes are the sole extant representatives of the early agnathan (jawless) vertebrates. We compared retinal function of fully metamorphosed, immature (which are about to commence parasitic feeding) with those of sexually mature individuals of its non-parasitic derivative We focused on elucidating the retinal adaptations to dim-light environments in these nocturnally active lampreys, using electroretinography to determine the temporal resolution (flicker fusion frequency, FFF) and temporal contrast sensitivity of enucleated eyecups at different temperatures and light intensities. FFF was significantly affected by temperature and light intensity.

A comparative evaluation of endodontic treatments for immature necrotic permanent teeth based on clinical and radiographic outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Dental trauma and deep caries are frequent findings in children and adolescents that may lead to pulp necrosis in young permanent teeth. As a consequence, the root stops its development, and managing these immature teeth becomes challenging due to the presence of open apexes and fragile dentinal walls.

Aim: We aimed to carry out a systematic review including a meta-analysis to compare the endodontic treatments available in the management of immature necrotic permanent teeth and determine which one provides the best clinical and radiographic outcomes.