Spatio-Temporal Distribution of Ichthyoplankton in Manila Bay in Relation to Oceanographic Conditions

Manila Bay faces serious problems today such as pollution, coastal area reclamation and infrastructure, overfishing, and other activities that worsen the present condition of the bay. It is considered as one of the major fishing grounds in the Philippines. Fish eggs and larvae collection was carried out to determine their distribution, abundance, and composition in the bay. Eight established sampling stations were placed throughout the bay with an average distance of 5-6 nautical miles apart and sampled every other month on a monsoonal basis. Bongo net (360 microns mesh size, 1.5 meters in length, and a diameter of 50-centimeter mouth opening) with attached calibrated flowmeter was used in collecting fish larvae. Physical (salinity, temperature,), chemical (nitrite, nitrate, phosphate, silicate, dissolved oxygen), and biological (phytoplankton, zooplankton) parameters were also carefully studied to be able to explain such uncommon event within the bay. In spite of the current status and worsening condition of water quality of the bay, high abundances of fish eggs and larvae were consistently observed during the northeast monsoon surveys (March) from 2012 to 2015. A total of 3,008 individuals were identified belonging to 34 fish families. The highest fish egg density was observed during March 2013 with 1,550 ind./100m3, followed by March 2012 and 2015 with 1,484 ind./100m3 and 1,182 ind./100m3, respectively. An abundance of fish larvae was observed during March 2015 with 414 ind./100m3, followed by March 2012 (329 ind./100m3), and March 2014 (311 ind./100m3). The lowest density observed was in September 2012 with a density of 132 ind/100m3 fish eggs and 46 ind/100m3 fish larvae. The results were consistent that most fish eggs aggregate in the middle part of the bay especially in Stations 4 and 2 from 2012-2015. For fish larvae, they were consistently found in the eastern part of the bay (stations 6, 8, and 7) throughout the duration of the study, it was also the areas where high concentrations of phytoplankton, zooplankton, and nutrients were observed. A high abundance of fish eggs and fish larvae was observed during northeast monsoon than southwest monsoon. In addition, fish larvae family was dominated by small pelagic fish such as sardines, slipmouths, and mullets. The most dominant fish families found were Clupeidae, followed Leiognathidae, and Nemipteridae. Sillaginidae and Mugilidae were also included in the top five abundant families that occur during every sampling period were

Profile of Salinity, Temperature, Heavy Metal (Pb, Cd, Hg) and Sediment Hydrogen Sulfide Concentration of Manila Bay, Philippines from 2012 to 2015

The physical parameters of seawater are important determinants of water quality. Heavy metals are components that are naturally present in a considerable amount in the ocean but are observed to be rising above the allowable level due to pollution outputs of industrialization. Heavy metal contamination is among the environmental pollution problems that the world faces. Additionally, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is also a toxic compound that accumulates in the ocean floor posing threat to the marine organisms when present in high concentrations. The objective of this study is to document the distribution of temperature and salinity in the water column, heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Hg) and sediment H2S in Manila Bay from 2012 to 2015. Stratification in the bay was generally a factor of salinity and less of temperature. Stratification due to salinity was consistently observed in September with the halocline occurring around 10 m to 15 m. Most of the time, the bay had evenly distributed temperatures, but the slightly higher temperatures were usually recorded near the coast. Inverse trends were observed for the salinity and temperature of the bay. Pb, Cd, and Hg concentrations in the bay occasionally exceeded the permissible limits especially the lead concentration in January 2013 (ave: 809.81 µg/L), March 2013 (ave: 1102.88 µg/L) and November 2015 (1507.50 µg/L). Cd and Hg concentrations were generally below the permissible limit and the reported limit of analysis. H2S concentration ranged from < 4 mg/kg to 9.99 mg/kg for all the survey months. Distribution was higher in the northwestern part and southeastern areas of the bay

Spatio-Temporal Variability of Hypoxia and Eutrophication in Manila Bay During the Northeast and Southwest Monsoons from 2012 to 2015

Manila Bay is a major source of livelihood for the fishermen living around the area. The occurrence of hypoxia, a state where dissolved oxygen (DO) is not enough to support marine life, poses a serious threat to the bay and consequently to its fisheries sector. This study documents the variation of hypoxia throughout the bay for a sampling period of four years, from January 2012 to November 2015, with a monthly interval each survey. A total of 24 field surveys on 16 designated sampling stations, at varying depths, were conducted. Results show that hypoxia was present all year round but was more severe during the wet season (July, September, November) compared to the dry season. The averages of bay-wide DO concentration ranged from 3.42 to 7.63mg/l during the 4-year survey. Low DO concentrations were associated with high concentrations of nutrients, particularly nitrate. Nitrate spiked to a 44.6 µM concentration while bay-wide DO concentration dropped to as low as 0.01 mg/l in the wet season. An occurrence of hypoxia along the coasts, transitioning from western, northern and eastern areas, was observed as a common trend for all surveys. However, DO concentrations in areas near the coast, in depths around 5m to 15m, and in the deeper areas near the mouth of the bay, from around 10m to 35m depths were noted to be lower. In conclusion, hypoxia has been occurring year-round in Manila Bay with varying intensity but more prominent during the wet season

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