Salinity drives meiofaunal community structure dynamics across the Baltic ecosystem

Coastal benthic biodiversity is under increased pressure from climate change, eutrophication, hypoxia, and changes in salinity due to increase in river runoff. The Baltic Sea is a large brackish system characterized by steep environmental gradients that experiences all of the mentioned stressors. As such it provides an ideal model system for studying the impact of on‐going and future climate change on biodiversity and function of benthic ecosystems. Meiofauna (animals < 1 mm) are abundant in sediment and are still largely unexplored even though they are known to regulate organic matter degradation and nutrient cycling. In this study, benthic meiofaunal community structure was analysed along a salinity gradient in the Baltic Sea proper using high‐throughput sequencing. Our results demonstrate that areas with higher salinity have a higher biodiversity, and salinity is probably the main driver influencing meiofauna diversity and community composition. Furthermore, in the more diverse and saline environments a larger amount of nematode genera classified as predators prevailed, and meiofauna‐macrofauna associations were more prominent. These findings show that in the Baltic Sea, a decrease in salinity resulting from accelerated climate change will probably lead to decreased benthic biodiversity, and cause profound changes in benthic communities, with potential consequences for ecosystem stability, functions and services

Regeneration of oral siphon pigment organs in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2009. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Elsevier B.V. for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Developmental Biology 339 (2010): 374-389, doi:10.1016/j.ydbio.2009.12.040.Ascidians have powerful capacities for regeneration but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here we examine oral siphon regeneration in the solitary ascidian Ciona intestinalis. Following amputation, the oral siphon rapidly reforms oral pigment organs (OPO) at its distal margin prior to slower regeneration of proximal siphon parts. The early stages of oral siphon reformation include cell proliferation and re-growth of the siphon nerves, although the neural complex (adult brain and associated organs) is not required for regeneration. Young animals reform OPO more rapidly after amputation than old animals indicating that regeneration is age dependent. UV irradiation, microcautery, and cultured siphon explant experiments indicate that OPOs are replaced as independent units based on local differentiation of progenitor cells within the siphon, rather than by cell migration from a distant source in the body. The typical pattern of eight OPOs and siphon lobes is restored with fidelity after distal amputation of the oral siphon, but as many as sixteen OPOs and lobes can be reformed following proximal amputation near the siphon base. Thus, the pattern of OPO regeneration is determined by cues positioned along the proximal distal axis of the oral siphon. A model is presented in which columns of siphon tissue along the proximal-distal axis below pre-existing OPO are responsible for reproducing the normal OPO pattern during regeneration. This study reveals previously unknown principles of oral siphon and OPO regeneration that will be important for developing Ciona as a regeneration model in urochordates, which may be the closest living relatives of vertebrates.This research was supported by PhD fellowships from MRT and ARC to HA, Grants-in-Aid from MEXT, Japan, and the NIJ Cooperative Program (2008-B02) to YS, INRA, CNRS, the ANR Grant Choregnet, and the Marine Genomics Center of Excellence to J-SJ, Laura and Arthur Colwin and Frederick Bang Fellowships from the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA to WRJ., and NSF grant (IBN-0611529) to WRJ

Ciona intestinalis NADH dehydrogenase NDX confers stress-resistance and extended lifespan on Drosophila

Peer reviewe

Global Diversity of Ascidiacea

The class Ascidiacea presents fundamental opportunities for research in the fields of development, evolution, ecology, natural products and more. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge regarding the global biodiversity of the class Ascidiacea, focusing in their taxonomy, main regions of biodiversity, and distribution patterns. Based on analysis of the literature and the species registered in the online World Register of Marine Species, we assembled a list of 2815 described species. The highest number of species and families is found in the order Aplousobranchia. Didemnidae and Styelidae families have the highest number of species with more than 500 within each group. Sixty percent of described species are colonial. Species richness is highest in tropical regions, where colonial species predominate. In higher latitudes solitary species gradually contribute more to the total species richness. We emphasize the strong association between species richness and sampling efforts, and discuss the risks of invasive species. Our inventory is certainly incomplete as the ascidian fauna in many areas around the world is relatively poorly known, and many new species continue to be discovered and described each year

Nurses´ experiences of caring for patients in the event of a decision of non-CPR : A qualitative literature review

Bakgrund: I Sverige drabbas ca 13 000 personer varje år av hjärtstopp, där HjärtLungRäddning (HLR) är primär åtgärd för chans till överlevnad. Ställningstagande att inte utföra HLR på sjukhus benämns ”beslut om utebliven HLR”. Befogenhet till beslut angår legitimerade läkare, men sjuksköterskor är en viktig resurs. I samskapande omvårdnad utformas vård i samråd mellan patienter och yrkesutövare, vilket tydliggör patienters ställning i vårdsituationen. Sjuksköterskor behöver säkerhet i beslut gällande utebliven HLR för att undvika att orsaka omotiverat lidande hos patienter. Syfte: Att beskriva sjuksköterskors erfarenheter av att vårda patienter vid beslut om utebliven HLR på somatisk vårdavdelning. Metod: Litteraturöversikten baserades på 13 vetenskapliga artiklar med kvalitativ metod. Litteratursökning utfördes i databaserna Cinahl samt Medline. Dataataanalys utfördes genom Fribergs analys i fem steg och inspirerades av Graneheim & Lundmans standardiserade modell.   Resultat: Resultatet presenterades i tre huvudteman med tillhörande sub-teman. Huvudteman var Etik, Informationsutbyte samt Beslutsprocessen. Resultatet beskrev sjuksköterskors önskan att inte orsaka lidande samt att bevara patienters värdighet. En välinformerad patient ansågs förmögen för eget ställningstagande till beslut om utebliven HLR. Trots sjuksköterskors begränsade roll i beslutsfattandet beskrevs sjuksköterskors roll i uppmärksammande av förändringar i patienters status. Vidare beskrevs vikt av tydlig dokumentation, direktiv och riktlinjer. Slutsats: Trots nuvarande riktlinjer beskrivs sjuksköterskors osäkerhet vid beslut och vård av patienter med beslut om utebliven HLR. Vidare forskning, utveckling av PM och riktlinjer är nödvändigt för sjuksköterskors trygghet i sin yrkesutövning samt för främjande av patienters autonomi. Background: In Sweden, approximately 13 000 people suffer cardiac arrest each year, where CardioPulmonaryResuscitation (CPR) is the primary measure for a chance of survival. A decision to not perform CPR in hospitals is referred to as a “Decision to not perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation”. The authority to make decisions about treatment restrictions concerns the authorized physician but nurses are important resources in the decision process. In the co-production of healthcare services, care is designed as a consultation between patients and professionals, which makes the patients ‘position clear. Nurses need certainty in their decisions to not perform CPR, to avoid causing unjustified suffering to patients.  Aim: To describe nurses’ experiences of caring for patients in the event of a decision of non-CPR in somatic care units.  Method: The literature review was based on 13 scientific original articles with qualitative methods. A literature search was performed in the databases Cinahl and Medline. Data analysis was performed with Friberg´s analysis in five steps and inspired by Graneheim & Lundman´s standardized model. Results: The results were presented in three main themes with associated sub-themes. The main themes were Ethics, Information exchange and Decision Process. The result described nurses ‘desire to not cause suffering and to preserve patients ‘dignity. A well-informed patient was considered capable of making their own decision about CPR. Despite nurses´ limited role in decision-making, nurses ‘role in noticing changes in patient´s status was described. Furthermore, the importance of clear documentation, directives and guidelines was described.   Conclusion: Despite current guidelines, nurses ‘uncertainty in the decision process and in the care of patients with decisions are described. Further research and development of PMs and guidelines are necessary for nurses ‘security in their work and for the promotion of patient autonomy.

Nurses´ experiences of caring for patients in the event of a decision of non-CPR : A qualitative literature review

Bakgrund: I Sverige drabbas ca 13 000 personer varje år av hjärtstopp, där HjärtLungRäddning (HLR) är primär åtgärd för chans till överlevnad. Ställningstagande att inte utföra HLR på sjukhus benämns ”beslut om utebliven HLR”. Befogenhet till beslut angår legitimerade läkare, men sjuksköterskor är en viktig resurs. I samskapande omvårdnad utformas vård i samråd mellan patienter och yrkesutövare, vilket tydliggör patienters ställning i vårdsituationen. Sjuksköterskor behöver säkerhet i beslut gällande utebliven HLR för att undvika att orsaka omotiverat lidande hos patienter. Syfte: Att beskriva sjuksköterskors erfarenheter av att vårda patienter vid beslut om utebliven HLR på somatisk vårdavdelning. Metod: Litteraturöversikten baserades på 13 vetenskapliga artiklar med kvalitativ metod. Litteratursökning utfördes i databaserna Cinahl samt Medline. Dataataanalys utfördes genom Fribergs analys i fem steg och inspirerades av Graneheim & Lundmans standardiserade modell.   Resultat: Resultatet presenterades i tre huvudteman med tillhörande sub-teman. Huvudteman var Etik, Informationsutbyte samt Beslutsprocessen. Resultatet beskrev sjuksköterskors önskan att inte orsaka lidande samt att bevara patienters värdighet. En välinformerad patient ansågs förmögen för eget ställningstagande till beslut om utebliven HLR. Trots sjuksköterskors begränsade roll i beslutsfattandet beskrevs sjuksköterskors roll i uppmärksammande av förändringar i patienters status. Vidare beskrevs vikt av tydlig dokumentation, direktiv och riktlinjer. Slutsats: Trots nuvarande riktlinjer beskrivs sjuksköterskors osäkerhet vid beslut och vård av patienter med beslut om utebliven HLR. Vidare forskning, utveckling av PM och riktlinjer är nödvändigt för sjuksköterskors trygghet i sin yrkesutövning samt för främjande av patienters autonomi. Background: In Sweden, approximately 13 000 people suffer cardiac arrest each year, where CardioPulmonaryResuscitation (CPR) is the primary measure for a chance of survival. A decision to not perform CPR in hospitals is referred to as a “Decision to not perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation”. The authority to make decisions about treatment restrictions concerns the authorized physician but nurses are important resources in the decision process. In the co-production of healthcare services, care is designed as a consultation between patients and professionals, which makes the patients ‘position clear. Nurses need certainty in their decisions to not perform CPR, to avoid causing unjustified suffering to patients.  Aim: To describe nurses’ experiences of caring for patients in the event of a decision of non-CPR in somatic care units.  Method: The literature review was based on 13 scientific original articles with qualitative methods. A literature search was performed in the databases Cinahl and Medline. Data analysis was performed with Friberg´s analysis in five steps and inspired by Graneheim & Lundman´s standardized model. Results: The results were presented in three main themes with associated sub-themes. The main themes were Ethics, Information exchange and Decision Process. The result described nurses ‘desire to not cause suffering and to preserve patients ‘dignity. A well-informed patient was considered capable of making their own decision about CPR. Despite nurses´ limited role in decision-making, nurses ‘role in noticing changes in patient´s status was described. Furthermore, the importance of clear documentation, directives and guidelines was described.   Conclusion: Despite current guidelines, nurses ‘uncertainty in the decision process and in the care of patients with decisions are described. Further research and development of PMs and guidelines are necessary for nurses ‘security in their work and for the promotion of patient autonomy.

Variation in space and time of different phytoplankton species during Skagex I

During SKAGEX I surveys were camed out from the northern Kattegat to the border between the Skagerrak and the North Sea in May-June 1990. This paper presents data of some important phytoplankton species with focus on abundance and distribution in the area. The SKAGEX phytoplankton database and its software (OSTROWSKI 1999) was used. The species were from the dinoflagellate genera Dinophysis and Ceratium; D. acuminata, D. acuta, D. nowegica, C. furca, C. Jusus, C. lineatum, C. longipes and C. tripos, and two diatoms, Proboscia alata and Skeletonema costatum. During the expedition eight sections including 6-12 stations were sampled, according to an agreed procedure, every third day from 24 May until 20 June. Some of the dinoflagellate species and the diatoms were rather common often occuning in the whole area. There was a difference between species as to their peak times. Maximum cell concentrations were often found around 20 m depth (near the halocline). All species had a pronounced spatia1 and time variation (patchiness). A closer analysis of the relation between distribution and abundance of the species and the influence of other factors is necessary for a better understanding of the wide variations of the Skagerrak and Northem Kattegat phytoplankton. SAMMENDRAG Under SKAGEX I ble det i mai-juni 1990 foretatt algeundersøkelser fra det nordlige Kattegat til grensen mellom Skagerrak og Nordsjøen. Denne rapporten presenterer, ved hjelp av SKAGEX phytoplankton database og software (OSTROWSKI 1999), data over noen viktige phytoplanktonarter med fokus på tallrikhet og utbredelse i området. Artene bestod av dinoflagellatene Dinophysis og Ceratium; D. acuminata, D. acuta, D. nowegica, C. furca, C. fusus, C. lineatum, C. longipes og C. tripos, og diatomeene Proboscia aiata og Skeletonema costatum. I løpet av perioden ble det tatt prøver fra åtte lokaliteter med 6-12 stasjoner hver tredje dag fra 24. mai til 20. juni i følge standard prosedyre. Noen av dinoflagellatartene og diatomeene var ganske vanlige og forekom ofte i hele området. Det var forskjell mellom artenes kulmineringstidspunkt. Maksimum cellekonsentrasjoner ble ofte funnet i ca 20 m dyp (nær haloklinen). Alle arter hadde en utpreget flekkvis utbredelse i tid og rom. En nærmere analyse av forholdet mellom artenes utbredelse og mengde og innflytelse av andre faktorer er nødvendig for å få en bedre forståelse av de store variasjonene av phytoplankton i Skagerrak og nordlige Kattegat