Gender Disparities in Cardiac Catheterization Rates Among Emergency Department Patients With Chest Pain.

Background: Previous studies have noted differences in rates of cardiac testing based on gender of patients. We evaluated cardiac catheterization rates for men and women presenting to the emergency department (ED) with chest pain, particularly among patients without a history of myocardial infarction (MI) or recent positive stress test.

Methods: We performed a prospective evaluation of patients presenting to an urban, academic medical center for assessment of chest pain.

Correction to: Early Second Trimester Maternal Serum Steroid‑Related Biomarkers Associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The original version of the article has been published without funding source information.

Early Second Trimester Maternal Serum Steroid-Related Biomarkers Associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Epidemiologic studies link increased autism spectrum disorder (ASD) risk to obstetrical conditions associated with inflammation and steroid dysregulation, referred to as prenatal metabolic syndrome (PNMS). This pilot study measured steroid-related biomarkers in early second trimester maternal serum collected during the first and second trimester evaluation of risk study. ASD case and PNMS exposure status of index offspring were determined through linkage with autism registries and birth certificate records.

Changes in free amino acid content during naupliar development of the Calanoid copepod Acartia tonsa.

Changes in free amino acids (FAA) were investigated in the potentially important live feed and neritic copepod species Acartia tonsa during naupliar development. Total content of FAA in A. tonsa nauplii was around 17% of dry weight at first development stage, and declined to 6% for later stages.

Body size drives allochthony in food webs of tropical rivers.

Food web subsidies from external sources ("allochthony") can support rich biological diversity and high secondary and tertiary production in aquatic systems, even those with low rates of primary production. However, animals vary in their degree of dependence on these subsidies. We examined dietary sources for aquatic animals restricted to refugial habitats (waterholes) during the dry season in Australia's wet-dry tropics, and show that allochthony is strongly size dependent.

Utilization and Safety of a Pulmonary Embolism Treatment Protocol in an Emergency Department Observation Unit.

Unlabelled: Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a common disease in emergency medicine and treatment approaches vary greatly. Emergency department observation units (EDOUs) have provided the opportunity to complete a PE workup, initiate treatment, and arrange appropriate follow-up for low-risk patients.

Objective: We sought to evaluate the utilization and safety of a treatment protocol for low-risk PE in an EDOU.

Prospective evaluation of a simplified risk stratification tool for patients with chest pain in an emergency department observation unit.

Background: The Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction score has been validated as a risk stratification tool in the emergency department (ED) setting, but certain aspects of the scoring system may not be applicable when applied to patients with chest pain selected for ED observation unit (EDOU) stay. We evaluated a simplified, 3-point risk stratification tool for patients in EDOU, which we termed the CARdiac score: Coronary disease [previous myocardial infarction (MI), stent, or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG)], Age (65 years or older), and Risk factors (at least 3 of 5 cardiac risk factors).

Methods: We performed a prospective, observational study with 30-day phone follow-up for all patients with chest pain admitted to our EDOU over a 36-month period.

Fresh waters and fish diversity: distribution, protection and disturbance in tropical Australia.

Background: Given the globally poor protection of fresh waters for their intrinsic ecological values, assessments are needed to determine how well fresh waters and supported fish species are incidentally protected within existing terrestrial protected-area networks, and to identify their vulnerability to human-induced disturbances. To date, gaps in data have severely constrained any attempt to explore the representation of fresh waters in tropical regions.

Methodology And Results: We determined the distribution of fresh waters and fish diversity in the Wet Tropics of Queensland, Australia.

Consumer-resource body-size relationships in natural food webs.

It has been suggested that differences in body size between consumer and resource species may have important implications for interaction strengths, population dynamics, and eventually food web structure, function, and evolution. Still, the general distribution of consumer-'resource body-size ratios in real ecosystems, and whether they vary systematically among habitats or broad taxonomic groups, is poorly understood. Using a unique global database on consumer and resource body sizes, we show that the mean body-size ratios of aquatic herbivorous and detritivorous consumers are several orders of magnitude larger than those of carnivorous predators.