Low in‑hospital mortality rate in patients with COVID‑19 receiving thromboprophylaxis: data from the multicentre observational START‑COVID Register

Abstract COVID-19 infection causes respiratory pathology with severe interstitial pneumonia and extra-pulmonary complications; in particular, it may predispose to thromboembolic disease. The current guidelines recommend the use of thromboprophylaxis in patients with COVID-19, however, the optimal heparin dosage treatment is not well-established. We conducted a multicentre, Italian, retrospective, observational study on COVID-19 patients admitted to ordinary wards, to describe clinical characteristic of patients at admission, bleeding and thrombotic events occurring during hospital stay. The strategies used for thromboprophylaxis and its role on patient outcome were, also, described. 1091 patients hospitalized were included in the START-COVID-19 Register. During hospital stay, 769 (70.7%) patients were treated with antithrombotic drugs: low molecular weight heparin (the great majority enoxaparin), fondaparinux, or unfractioned heparin. These patients were more frequently affected by comorbidities, such as hypertension, atrial fibrillation, previous thromboembolism, neurological disease,and cancer with respect to patients who did not receive thromboprophylaxis. During hospital stay, 1.2% patients had a major bleeding event. All patients were treated with antithrombotic drugs; 5.4%, had venous thromboembolism [30.5% deep vein thrombosis (DVT), 66.1% pulmonary embolism (PE), and 3.4% patients had DVT + PE]. In our cohort the mortality rate was 18.3%. Heparin use was independently associated with survival in patients aged ≥ 59 years at multivariable analysis. We confirmed the high mortality rate of COVID-19 in hospitalized patients in ordinary wards. Treatment with antithrombotic drugs is significantly associated with a reduction of mortality rates especially in patients older than 59 years

Trophic ecology of seven Antarctic gorgonians through stable isotope analysis and biochemical balance

XXXII Open Science Conference of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), Antarctic Science and Policy Advice in a Changing World, 16-19 July 2012, Portland, Oregon, USA.-- 1 pageA large part of Antarctic shelf communities consist of sessile suspension feeders, which play a key role in the biogeochemical cycles and are linked to the pelagic productivity. Gorgonians are the second most dominant macrobenthic taxon in abundance in the Weddell Sea, but there have been very few studies on their basic ecology including its trophic ecology. Studies of food web structure are complex but stable isotope analysis and the biochemical levels (i.e. lipid-protein-carbohydrate balance) may give some cues of its role in the benthic-pelagic coupling processes and its trophic strategies. The trophic ecology of seven gorgonian species (Primnoisis sp, Faniella nodosa, Ainigmapdilon antarcticus, Notisis sp, Primnoella sp, Dasystinella sp and Thouarella sp) in two contrasting areas (Antarctic Peninsula and Eastern Weddell Sea) in autumn conditions was studied to understand the energetic guilds linked to the feeding and energy storage, which may be part of the explanation of the reproductive traits of these gorgonians. All the seven species showed a small range in δ13C values, from about -27.7‰ to -24.8‰. The range in δ15N was slightly larger, from 4.1‰ to 7.5‰. The lower average of protein was 158.7 ± 76.9 μgProteins mg-1OM, and the higher, 556.3 ± 78.6 μgP mg-1OM. The carbohydrate average ranged from 10.5 ± 3.4 μgCarbohydrates mg-1OM to 80.7 ± 28.7 μgC mg-1OM, and the lipid values ranged from 105.1 ± 99 μgLipids mg-1OM to 776.4 ± 354.1 μgL mg-1OM. The results of the stable isotope data of the seven gorgonians fit very well with phytodetritus found in green carpets in autumn and is in line with previous one in polar or deep sea areas. This means that an important part of the diet is based on sinking or resuspended material, which confirms the previous hypothesis that part of the suspension feeders survive because of the fuelling through this phytoplankton material. Whilst stable isotope analysis indicates similar feeding strategies in these seven gorgonian species, the biochemical balance indicates a very different energy storage and metabolism strategies among species. Lipids reflect the capability of a species to integrate environmental constraints even in very short distances. It has been shown that in autumn, potentially resuspendable sediments may be different in the lipid contents (food availability in form of senescent or died phytoplankton) in the eastern Weddell SeaPeer Reviewe

Trophic ecology of seven Antarctic gorgonian species

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Fauna associated with morphologically distinct macroalgae from Admiralty Bay, King George Island (Antarctica)

There are important gaps to understand the composition of the fauna associated with macroalgae, such as, how distinct algal morphology and environmental features, like turbulence or circulation patterns, may affect the distribution of them. In this study, macroalgae and associated fauna samples were undertaken between 4 and 12-m depth at three sites within the Admiralty Bay, King George Island, during the austral summer of 2000/2001. Previous physical oceanography data from the bay showed that each of these sites featured different circulation regimes. Differences and similarities in composition and density of the fauna associated with five species of macroalgae with different morphologies were analyzed: foliose (Monostroma hariotii and Palmaria decipiens); mixed (Myriogramme mangini); and branched (Desmarestia menziesii and Phaeurus antarcticus). Results showed differences in density, dominance of taxa, and richness among taxonomic groups of the associated fauna were related to algal morphology and circulation patterns. The dominance of epifaunal groups among macroalgae (e.g., D. menziesii, M. hariotii, and M. mangini) showed an adaptive response to different water flow settings within the bay, particularly in the community under the most intense flow. Further studies on associated fauna, should consider other environmental physical features and take our study like baseline to understand how major processes (e.g., climate change, seawater properties and circulation) may affect the communities, especially in more vulnerable shallow water zones