The effect of phytoplankton properties on the ingestion of marine snow by Calanus pacificus

The aggregation of phytoplankton into marine snow provides a mechanism by which smaller particles can coagulate to form larger particles, which can be consumed at various depths or readily transported to the deep ocean and sequestered from the atmosphere on time scales of a thousand years or more. Zooplankton interacting with these large carbon-rich aggregates can obtain nutrition in environments where the phytoplankton size spectrum is small and not directly available, enhancing the possibility of obtaining adequate nutrition in environments dominated by small cells. In addition, interactions between zooplankton and marine snow can result in fragmentation, thus affecting the particle sinking rate and changing the export of carbon. Unfortunately, these interactions are understudied and poorly understood. This study focuses on how two factors – phytoplankton growth phase and species – affect copepod feeding on marine snow, providing insight into the role of this food source in planktonic trophic dynamics and export of carbon to depth. We conducted a series of grazing experiments using gut pigment and stable isotope methods to quantify the ingestion rate of the copepod, Calanus pacificus, on marine snow aggregates in comparison to their ingestion rate on individual phytoplankton. We also examined how the ingestion of copepods on marine snow was affected by the phytoplankton species and phytoplankton growth phase from which the aggregates were formed. Results demonstrate that marine snow represents a substantial food source for copepods, with ingestion rates comparable to those on individual phytoplankton as measured with both gut pigment and stable isotope analysis. We found that phytoplankton growth phase can significantly affect the ingestion of marine snow. Finally, ingestion of marine snow was affected by phytoplankton species, and while aggregates formed from Thalassiosira weissflogii resulted in consistent patterns of ingestion rate between experiments and methodologies, the same was not the case for aggregates formed from Skeletonema marinoi. These findings suggest that marine snow is likely an important source of nutrition for copepods, but that its role in planktonic food webs may differ depending on the phytoplankton community composition and the stage of phytoplankton blooms

Next Steps from a School Gardening Partnership Conference (AGES: Academic Gardening to Enrich our Students): Expanding the Impact of School Gardens Through Higher Education, K-12 School and Community Coalitions

Research suggests that there are many benefits of school gardens for students, teachers and community. Not only can they help children eat more fruits and vegetables and be more physically active, they can help to create learning opportunities and increase teacher satisfaction. In Worcester, Massachusetts, a city with high poverty and food insecurity rates, a broad community coalition formed to brainstorm novel implementation models to improve the use and sustainability of school gardens. The group decided to foster new collaborations among higher education, K-12 schools and community organizations. The innovative idea was that higher education could meet their need for real-world application of various curricula, such as education, business, urban agriculture, marketing, horticulture, sustainable development, and engineering, through the implementation of school gardens. The resulting conference called AGES (Academic Gardening to Enrich our Students) united school teachers, professors, administration and community partners. The sessions featured information on: 1) successful models of higher education-K12 school garden partnerships, 2) building school gardening into the curriculum (psychosocial skills, STEM, environmental sciences, project-based learning, nutrition, healthy lifestyles), 3) research evidence on the benefits of school gardens, 4) strategies for building community through gardening, and 5) garden planning and maintenance. US Representative Jim McGovern was the keynote speaker, highlighting the importance of this collaborative work

45th Annual Larval Fish Conference & 13th International Larval Biology Symposium San Diego, California 29 August – 1 September, 2022

INDITU

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570

Assessing the value of dual physician assistant/public health degrees

The popularity of dual physician assistant/master of public health degree programs continues to increase within US physician assistant (PA) education. The advantages and disadvantages of pursuing dual degree training have not been fully explored in the PA literature. Potential advantages of dual training include broadening of the student\u27s perspective on health and health care beyond the one provider, one patient medical model, increased training in evaluation and use of the medical literature, increased skill in assessing community factors that affect the health of patients, enhanced expertise in health care administration or policy, and improved prospects for future roles as PA faculty members. Potential drawbacks include increased duration and expense of PA/MPH education, student burnout due to prolonged training, and the lack of jobs that explicitly use both halves of the PA/MPH training

Assessing the value of dual physician assistant/public health degrees

The popularity of dual physician assistant/master of public health degree programs continues to increase within US physician assistant (PA) education. The advantages and disadvantages of pursuing dual degree training have not been fully explored in the PA literature. Potential advantages of dual training include broadening of the student\u27s perspective on health and health care beyond the one provider, one patient medical model, increased training in evaluation and use of the medical literature, increased skill in assessing community factors that affect the health of patients, enhanced expertise in health care administration or policy, and improved prospects for future roles as PA faculty members. Potential drawbacks include increased duration and expense of PA/MPH education, student burnout due to prolonged training, and the lack of jobs that explicitly use both halves of the PA/MPH training