The Seabed Makes the Dolphins: Physiographic Features Shape the Size and Structure of the Bottlenose Dolphin Geographical Units

The common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is a cosmopolitan delphinid, regularly present in the Mediterranean Sea. According to previous studies, this dolphin tends to form resident geographical units scattered on the continental shelf. We investigated how the physiographic characteristics of the area of residence, with special reference to the size and shape of the continental shelf, affect the home range and the group size of the local units. We analysed and compared data collected between 2004-2016 by 15 research groups operating in different study areas of the Mediterranean Sea: the Alboran Sea, in the South-Western Mediterranean, the Gulf of Lion and the Pelagos Sanctuary for the marine mammals, in the North-Western Mediterranean, and the Gulf of Ambracia, in the North-Central Mediterranean Sea. We have found that in areas characterised by a wide continental platform, dolphins have wider home ranges and aggregate into larger groups. In areas characterized by a narrow continental platform, dolphins show much smaller home ranges and aggregate into smaller groups. The results obtained from this collective research effort highlight the importance of data sharing to improve our scientific knowledge in the field of cetaceans and beyond

Evaluation de facteurs predictifs initiaux d'une bonne indépendanece fonctionnelle des patients traités par thromblyse intraveineuse pour un infarctus cérébral

Introduction - La thrombolyse intraveineuse est un traitement efficace des infarctus cérébraux à la phase aigue. La récupération clinique à 24 heures est associée à une bonne évolution. La pratique clinique et la recanalisation artérielle qui débute précocement font supposer une récupération plus précoce. Nous présentons une étude rétrospective de la récupération clinique dans les 24 premières heures après le traitement thrombolytique. Méthodologie et résultats - 103 patients ont été traités par rt-pa IV au CHU de Limoges de 2005 à 2008. 16.5% des patients présentaient une amélioration majeure à 24 heures (baisse d'au moins 4 points du NIHSS). La récupération clinique débutait tôt après l'administration du rt-PA avec une pente maximale entre 30 minutes et 3 heures. 53.4% des patients étaient indépendants à 3 mois (Rankin compris entre 0 et 2) et 38.8% avaient un bon pronostic (Rankin =0 ou 1). L'évolution à 24 heures était significativement corrélée à la récupération à 3 mois. Les principaux facteurs retrouvés prédictifs de cette récupération sont le délai entre le début des symptômes et le traitement, un déficit initial moins important, une recanalisation artérielle et l'absence d'occlusion carotidienne. La variation du NIHSS entre le début du traitement et les 3 premières heures est significativement associée au pronostic fonctionnel à 3 mois dès la première heure (variation moyenne de 2.22 points p=0.015) et augmente jusqu'à la troisième heure. Une baisse du NIHSS > ou = à 4 points à 3 heures du début du traitement est prédictive d'indépendance à 3 mois dans 87% des cas. Conclusion - La récupération après thrombolyse par rt-PA dans les infarctus cérébraux débute précocement. A partir d'une heure elle est significativement associée à un bon pronostic à moyen terme. Cette différence augmente au cours des 3 premières heures.LIMOGES-BU Médecine pharmacie (870852108) / SudocSudocFranceF

Cetaceans in the Mediterranean Sea: Encounter Rate, Dominant Species, and Diversity Hotspots

We investigated the presence and diversity of cetaceans in the Mediterranean Sea, analysing the data collected by 32 different research units, over a period of 15 years (2004–2018), and shared on the common web-GIS platform named Intercet. We used the encounter rate, the species prevalence, and the Shannon diversity index as parameters for data analysis. The results show that cetacean diversity, in the context of the Mediterranean basin, is generally quite low when compared with the eastern Atlantic, as few species, namely the striped dolphin, the bottlenose dolphin, the fin whale, and the sperm whale, dominate over all the others. However, some areas, such as the Alboran Sea or the north-western Mediterranean Sea, which includes the Pelagos Sanctuary (the Specially Protected Area of Mediterranean Interest located in the northern portion of the western basin), show higher levels of diversity and should be considered hotspots to be preserved. Primary production and seabed profile seem to be the two main drivers influencing the presence and distribution of cetaceans, with the highest levels of diversity observed in areas characterized by high levels of primary production and high bathymetric variability and gradient. This collective work underlines the importance of data sharing to deepen our knowledge on marine fauna at the scale of the whole Mediterranean Sea and encourages greater efforts in the networking process, also to accomplish the requirements of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, with particular reference to Descriptor 1: biological diversity is maintained

Effect of general anaesthesia on functional outcome in patients with anterior circulation ischaemic stroke having endovascular thrombectomy versus standard care: a meta-analysis of individual patient data

Background: General anaesthesia (GA) during endovascular thrombectomy has been associated with worse patient outcomes in observational studies compared with patients treated without GA. We assessed functional outcome in ischaemic stroke patients with large vessel anterior circulation occlusion undergoing endovascular thrombectomy under GA, versus thrombectomy not under GA (with or without sedation) versus standard care (ie, no thrombectomy), stratified by the use of GA versus standard care. Methods: For this meta-analysis, patient-level data were pooled from all patients included in randomised trials in PuMed published between Jan 1, 2010, and May 31, 2017, that compared endovascular thrombectomy predominantly done with stent retrievers with standard care in anterior circulation ischaemic stroke patients (HERMES Collaboration). The primary outcome was functional outcome assessed by ordinal analysis of the modified Rankin scale (mRS) at 90 days in the GA and non-GA subgroups of patients treated with endovascular therapy versus those patients treated with standard care, adjusted for baseline prognostic variables. To account for between-trial variance we used mixed-effects modelling with a random effect for trials incorporated in all models. Bias was assessed using the Cochrane method. The meta-analysis was prospectively designed, but not registered. Findings: Seven trials were identified by our search; of 1764 patients included in these trials, 871 were allocated to endovascular thrombectomy and 893 were assigned standard care. After exclusion of 74 patients (72 did not undergo the procedure and two had missing data on anaesthetic strategy), 236 (30%) of 797 patients who had endovascular procedures were treated under GA. At baseline, patients receiving GA were younger and had a shorter delay between stroke onset and randomisation but they had similar pre-treatment clinical severity compared with patients who did not have GA. Endovascular thrombectomy improved functional outcome at 3 months both in patients who had GA (adjusted common odds ratio (cOR) 1·52, 95% CI 1·09–2·11, p=0·014) and in those who did not have GA (adjusted cOR 2·33, 95% CI 1·75–3·10, p<0·0001) versus standard care. However, outcomes were significantly better for patients who did not receive GA versus those who received GA (covariate-adjusted cOR 1·53, 95% CI 1·14–2·04, p=0·0044). The risk of bias and variability between studies was assessed to be low. Interpretation: Worse outcomes after endovascular thrombectomy were associated with GA, after adjustment for baseline prognostic variables. These data support avoidance of GA whenever possible. The procedure did, however, remain effective versus standard care in patients treated under GA, indicating that treatment should not be withheld in those who require anaesthesia for medical reasons