Feeding habits of the South Pacific hake, Merluccius gayi, in Ecuador, Tropical Eastern Pacific Ocean

The South Pacific hake, Merluccius gayi, is an ecologically and economically important species in Ecuador.However, studies regarding its feeding habits remain scarce. This study aimed to characterize the food andfeeding habits of M. gayi in the Ecuadorian Pacific Ocean by sex, sexual maturity stages, size classes, and years.Hakes obtained (n = 2993) from industrial fishing (captured with seine nets) were analyzed from September 2013to December 2014. Their diet was composed of 27 prey species. The most important prey was the euphausiidNyctiphanes simplex (52%) and the same hake species (M. gayi; 31%) according to the prey-specific indexof relative importance (%PSIRI), making this species a cannibal predator. Results show no significant dietarydifferences between female and male hakes or immature and mature males, but found differences betweenimmature and mature females and individuals from four size classes and hake between 2013 and 2014.According to Levin’s Index, the species showed a low trophic niche breadth (Bi = 0.03), making it a selectivespecialist mesopredator with high specialization. The trophic overlap analysis based on Jaccard’s index by sexwas low (J = 0.23) for indetermined individuals, moderate (J = 0.59) for males and females, and high (J = 0.78)for immature females and males; moderate values were noted for size classes (J  =  0.42-0.63) and low foryears (J = 0.31). Based on the Cortés index, the trophic level totaled (TLk = 3.22), indicating that this species isa primary and secondary carnivore mesopredator. This information supports the understanding of the relationsbetween predators and prey and the flow of nutrients and energy in marine ecosystems, which serve as a basefor ecosystemic fishing management

A922 Sequential measurement of 1 hour creatinine clearance (1-CRCL) in critically ill patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI)

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Treatment with tocilizumab or corticosteroids for COVID-19 patients with hyperinflammatory state: a multicentre cohort study (SAM-COVID-19)

Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the association between tocilizumab or corticosteroids and the risk of intubation or death in patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) with a hyperinflammatory state according to clinical and laboratory parameters. Methods: A cohort study was performed in 60 Spanish hospitals including 778 patients with COVID-19 and clinical and laboratory data indicative of a hyperinflammatory state. Treatment was mainly with tocilizumab, an intermediate-high dose of corticosteroids (IHDC), a pulse dose of corticosteroids (PDC), combination therapy, or no treatment. Primary outcome was intubation or death; follow-up was 21 days. Propensity score-adjusted estimations using Cox regression (logistic regression if needed) were calculated. Propensity scores were used as confounders, matching variables and for the inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTWs). Results: In all, 88, 117, 78 and 151 patients treated with tocilizumab, IHDC, PDC, and combination therapy, respectively, were compared with 344 untreated patients. The primary endpoint occurred in 10 (11.4%), 27 (23.1%), 12 (15.4%), 40 (25.6%) and 69 (21.1%), respectively. The IPTW-based hazard ratios (odds ratio for combination therapy) for the primary endpoint were 0.32 (95%CI 0.22-0.47; p < 0.001) for tocilizumab, 0.82 (0.71-1.30; p 0.82) for IHDC, 0.61 (0.43-0.86; p 0.006) for PDC, and 1.17 (0.86-1.58; p 0.30) for combination therapy. Other applications of the propensity score provided similar results, but were not significant for PDC. Tocilizumab was also associated with lower hazard of death alone in IPTW analysis (0.07; 0.02-0.17; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Tocilizumab might be useful in COVID-19 patients with a hyperinflammatory state and should be prioritized for randomized trials in this situatio

Age and growth of the crocodile shark, <i>Pseudocarcharias kamoharai</i>, in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean

The age, growth, and longevity parameters of crocodile shark, Pseudocarcharias kamoharai, from Santa Rosa, Ecuador were estimated. A number of 328 organisms were analyzed, 158 females (69 to 117 cm total length, TL) and 170 males (72.5 to 110 cm TL). The relationship between the vertebra's radius and TL was moderate (r2 = 0.63), indicating a relation between structure growth and the organism's size. Females were four to 14 years old and males were four to 12 years. The multimodal approach determined that the suitable equations were: The Von Bertalanffy growth function model with a fixed L0 (45.5 cm TL), VBGM2P (L∞ = 118.4 cm cm TL, k = 0.15) for combined sexes with a weight of evidence (Wi) to its favour of 43.9%; logistic growth model (L∞ = 109.5 cm TL, k = 0.41, L0 = 33.1 cm TL) for females with Wi = 28.4% and VBGM2P (L∞ = 110.4 cm TL, k = 0.16) for males with a Wi = 39.4%. No model obtained a sufficient evidence to be declared the best adjusted. The calculated longevities were 18 years for combined sexes, 16 for females, and 14 for males.</p