Chapter 06: Vulnerability of Great Barrier Reef plankton to climate change

Our approach here is to examine potential ways that climate change may alter plankton communities of the GBR in the future, focusing on the physical mechanisms that currently drive plankton productivity and composition. Many of the oceanographic and climatic features of the western Coral Sea and GBR region and the ways in which they may be influenced by climate change are detailed in Steinberg (see chapter 3). Smaller members of the plankton such as the viruses and bacteria are covered by Webster and Hill (see chapter 5). Key reef-associated organisms with planktonic life stages such as crown-of-thorns starfish, corals, fish and jellyfish, as well as the ecosystem-level responses such as their recruitment and patch connectivity, will be covered by Kingsford and Welch (see chapter 18). Since there are no long time series of plankton data for waters of the GBR for assessing climaterelated trends and their drivers, and few detailed studies in the laboratory or in the field, this review necessarily draws on relevant knowledge from other ecosystems, tropical where possible, and others when required.This is Chapter 6 of Climate change and the Great Barrier Reef: a vulnerability assessment. The entire book can be found at http://hdl.handle.net/11017/13

Completion Dissection or Observation for Sentinel-Node Metastasis in Melanoma.

Sentinel-lymph-node biopsy is associated with increased melanoma-specific survival (i.e., survival until death from melanoma) among patients with node-positive intermediate-thickness melanomas (1.2 to 3.5 mm). The value of completion lymph-node dissection for patients with sentinel-node metastases is not clear. In an international trial, we randomly assigned patients with sentinel-node metastases detected by means of standard pathological assessment or a multimarker molecular assay to immediate completion lymph-node dissection (dissection group) or nodal observation with ultrasonography (observation group). The primary end point was melanoma-specific survival. Secondary end points included disease-free survival and the cumulative rate of nonsentinel-node metastasis. Immediate completion lymph-node dissection was not associated with increased melanoma-specific survival among 1934 patients with data that could be evaluated in an intention-to-treat analysis or among 1755 patients in the per-protocol analysis. In the per-protocol analysis, the mean (±SE) 3-year rate of melanoma-specific survival was similar in the dissection group and the observation group (86±1.3% and 86±1.2%, respectively; P=0.42 by the log-rank test) at a median follow-up of 43 months. The rate of disease-free survival was slightly higher in the dissection group than in the observation group (68±1.7% and 63±1.7%, respectively; P=0.05 by the log-rank test) at 3 years, based on an increased rate of disease control in the regional nodes at 3 years (92±1.0% vs. 77±1.5%; P<0.001 by the log-rank test); these results must be interpreted with caution. Nonsentinel-node metastases, identified in 11.5% of the patients in the dissection group, were a strong, independent prognostic factor for recurrence (hazard ratio, 1.78; P=0.005). Lymphedema was observed in 24.1% of the patients in the dissection group and in 6.3% of those in the observation group. Immediate completion lymph-node dissection increased the rate of regional disease control and provided prognostic information but did not increase melanoma-specific survival among patients with melanoma and sentinel-node metastases. (Funded by the National Cancer Institute and others; MSLT-II ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00297895 .)

7th Drug hypersensitivity meeting: part two

No abstract availabl

The exploitation of small cetaceans in Coastal Peru

Several species of small cetaceans are captured by fishermen in Peruvian coastal waters and used for human consumption. A large directed fishery exists for one species, the dusky dolphin Lagenorhynchus obscurus. In addition, two other species, the Burmeister's porpoise Phocoena spinipinnis and bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus, are commonly taken in both directed fisheries and incidentally to other fishing operations. To examine the exploitation of these species in detail, we monitored the catches at several small ports in central Peru during 1985 and 1986. The vast majority (over 90%) of small cetaceans landed at these ports were dusky dolphins captured in drift gill nets. A few animals were taken in demersal gill nets, purse seines, by hand-thrown harpoons and other methods, Artisanal fishermen captured small cetaceans when the animals were available and when other more lucrative fisheries were unavailable. Most dolphin and porpoise meat was consumed fresh, although a small amount was salted and dried. Published statistics of the weight of small cetaceans landed at Peruvian ports, in conjunction with species composition and mean species weight data collected during this study, allow us to estimate that approximately 10 000 dolphins and porpoises were landed in Peru during 1985