Short-term behavioural responses to thermal stress by hawksbill turtles in the Arabian region

We present a previously unrecorded short-term behavioural response by hawksbill sea turtles to elevated sea surface temperatures in the Persian/Arabian Gulf. Surface waters typically exceed 30°C for sustained periods during the summer, and can be likened to a natural living laboratory for understanding thermoregulatory behaviour by marine species in the face of climate change and elevated global temperatures. We satellite-tracked 90 post-nesting hawksbill turtles between 2010 and 2013 as part of a larger programme to elucidate turtle foraging habitats and post-nesting behaviour. We used 66 of these datasets, where turtles clearly departed and returned to foraging grounds, for these analyses. Sea surface temperatures during the summer averaged 33.5°C and peaked at 34.9°C. During these elongated periods of elevated temperatures (June–August) the turtles temporarily migrated an average of 70km to deeper and cooler waters at northern latitudes, returning after 2–3months (September–October) back to original feeding grounds. Temperature differential T∆ between foraging and summer loop habitats was significantly different and approximated −2°C. Turtles undertaking summer migration loops generally moved in a north-easterly direction toward deeper water, returning in a south-westerly direction to the shallower foraging grounds. Swim speeds were significantly higher and orientation was less omnidirectional during the migrations than when foraging. The outbound migrations were significantly inversely correlated with temperature, but were not linked to chlorophyll-a, geostrophic currents or sea surface height. The turtles' preference for returning to the same foraging grounds suggests a lack of other substantial influences which might have precipitated the temporary summer migration loops. Our results indicate that Gulf hawksbills employ thermoregulatory responses which take them out of high temperature and potentially physiology-threatening conditions. These findings improve our overall understanding of hawksbill habitat use and behaviour in a climate-challenged environment, and support sea turtle conservation-related policy decision-making at national and regional levels.Emirates Wildlife Society—World Wild Fund for Nature Office. 7Days, Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council, Bridgestone, CASP, College of the North Atlantic, Qatar, Deutsche Bank, Dubai Electricity & Water Authority, Dubai Festival City, Emirates Palace, Environment & Protected Areas Authority, Sharjah, Environment Agency—Abu Dhabi, Fairmont, Géant, Gulftainer, HSBC, Intercontinental, Dubai Festival City, Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa, Jumeirah Etihad Towers, Linklaters, Momentum Logistics, Mubadala, Murjan Marinas, Nokia, Sheikha Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation, The Club, TimeOut Dubai, and the Young Presidents Organisation

Identification of Important Sea Turtle Areas (ITAs) for hawksbill turtles in the Arabian Region

We present the first data on hawksbill turtle post-nesting migrations and behaviour in the Arabian region. Tracks from 90 post-nesting turtles (65 in the Gulf and 25 from Oman) revealed that hawksbills in the Arabian region may nest up to 6 times in a season with an average of 3 nests per turtle. Turtles from Qatar, Iran and the UAE generally migrated south and southwest to waters shared by the UAE and Qatar. A smaller number of turtles migrated northward towards Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and one reached Kuwait. Omani turtles migrated south towards Masirah island and to Quwayrah, staying close to the mainland and over the continental shelf. The widespread dispersal of hawksbill foraging grounds across the SW Gulf may limit habitat protection options available to managers, and we suggest these be linked to preservation of shallow water habitats and fishery management. In contrast, the two main foraging areas in Oman were small and could be candidates for protected area consideration. Critical migration bottlenecks were identified at the easternmost point of the Arabian Peninsula as turtles from Daymaniyat Islands migrate southward, and between Qatar and Bahrain. Overall, Gulf turtles spent 68% of the time in foraging ground with home ranges of 40–60km2 and small core areas of 6km2. Adult female turtles from Oman were significantly larger than Gulf turtles by ~11cm x¯=81.4CCL and spent 83% of their time foraging in smaller home ranges with even smaller core areas (~3km2), likely due to better habitat quality and food availability. Gulf turtles were among the smallest in the world x¯=70.3CCL and spent an average of 20% of time undertaking summer migration loops, a thermoregulatory response to avoid elevated sea surface temperatures, as the Gulf regularly experiences sustained sea surface temperatures >30°C. Fishery bycatch was determined for two of the 90 turtles. These spatio-temporal findings on habitat use will enable risk assessments for turtles in the face of multiple threats including oil and gas industries, urban and industrial development, fishery pressure, and shipping. They also improve our overall understanding of hawksbill habitat use and behaviour in the Arabian region, and will support sea turtle conservation-related policy decision-making at national and regional levels.Emirates Wildlife Society–World Wild Fund for Nature. 7Days, Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council, Bridgestone, CASP, College of the North Atlantic-Qatar, Deutsche Bank, Dubai Electricity & Water Authority, Dubai Festival City, Emirates Palace, Environment & Protected Areas Authority, Sharjah, Environment Agency–Abu Dhabi, Fairmont, Géant, Gulftainer, HSBC, Intercontinental, Dubai Festival City, Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa, Jumeirah Etihad Towers, Linklaters, Momentum Logistics, Mubadala, Murjan Marinas, Nokia, Sheikha Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation, The Club, TimeOut Dubai, and the Young Presidents Organisation

Comparison of in-hospital and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest of trauma patients in Qatar

Background Cardiac arrests in admitted hospital patients with trauma have not been described in the literature. We defined "in-hospital cardiac arrest of a trauma" (IHCAT) patient as "cessation of circulatory activity in a trauma patient confirmed by the absence of signs of circulation or abnormal cardiac arrest rhythm inside a hospital setting, which was not cardiac re-arrest." This study aimed to compare epidemiology, clinical presentation, and outcomes between in- and out-of-hospital arrest resuscitations in trauma patients in Qatar. It was conducted as a retrospective cohort study including IHCAT and out-of-hospital trauma cardiac arrest (OHTCA) patients from January 2010 to December 2015 utilizing data from the national trauma registry, the out-of-hospital cardiac arrest registry, and the national ambulance service database. Results There were 716 traumatic cardiac arrest patients in Qatar from 2010 to 2015. A total of 410 OHTCA and 199 IHCAT patients were included for analysis. The mean annual crude incidence of IHCAT was 2.0 per 100,000 population compared to 4.0 per 100,000 population for OHTCA. The univariate comparative analysis between IHCAT and OHTCA patients showed a significant difference between ethnicities (p=0.04). With the exception of head injury, IHCAT had a significantly higher proportion of localization of injuries to anatomical regions compared to OHTCA; spinal injury (OR 3.5, 95% CI 1.5-8.3, pPeer reviewe

Nonspecific chest pain and 30-day unplanned readmissions in the United States (From the Nationwide Readmission Database)

Chest pain is a common reason for admission to hospital and little is known regarding 30-day unplanned readmissions after an admission with a primary discharge diagnosis of nonspecific chest pain. We analyzed patients with a primary diagnosis of nonspecific chest pain in the Nationwide Readmission Database who were admitted in 2010 to 2014. Rates, causes, and predictors of 30-day unplanned readmissions were determined. A total of 1,842,270 patients had a diagnosis of nonspecific chest pain. The 30-day unplanned readmission rate was 8.6%. From 2010 to 2014, there was an increase in 30-day unplanned readmissions from 8.1% to 9.5%. The majority of 30-day unplanned readmissions were for noncardiac reasons (73.4%). The 3 most prevalent noncardiac causes for readmissions were neuropsychiatric (10.9%), gastrointestinal (10.5%), and infections (9.9%), while the 3 most prevalent cardiac causes were coronary artery disease including angina (8.4%), arrhythmias (6.6%), and heart failure 5.5%. The strongest predictors of readmission were alcohol misuse ([OR] odds ratio 1.74 95% [CI] confidence interval 1.66-1.81), renal failure (OR 1.82 95%CI 1.76-1.87), cancer (OR 2.40 95%CI 2.27-2.53), discharge to a nursing home (OR 2.26 95%CI 2.18-2.34), and discharge against medical advice (OR 1.94 95%CI 1.86-2.02). The rate of 30-day unplanned readmission was 6.1% among those who received any test compared to 9.3% in those who did not receive any test. Rates of early unplanned readmissions occur following 1 in 12 admissions for nonspecific chest pain with noncardiac causes being the most common reason. Patients who receive a cardiovascular investigation appear to have fewer unplanned readmissions

Spontaneous recanalization of a completely occluded saphenous vein graft two months following acute myocardial infarction with persistent one year patency

Acute myocardial infarction resulting from saphenous vein graft occlusion occurs not infrequently in patients who have undergone coronary artery bypass graft surgery. In this case report, we present a novel case of spontaneous recanalization of a thrombotic graft occlusion in a patient who presented with a subacute myocardial infarction. The patient was treated medically with aspirin as the only anti-platelet agent. Interestingly, he presented 2 months later with new onset angina. Coronary angiography demonstrated complete resolution of thrombus but a severe focal stenosis in the distal anastomoses. Following drug eluting stent placement, a favorable clinical course has ensued and patency confirmed on follow up angiography at 1 year

New age constraints on the Lower Jurassic Pliensbachian–Toarcian Boundary at Chacay Melehue (Neuquén Basin, Argentina)

The Pliensbachian–Toarcian boundary interval is characterized by a ~ 3‰ negative carbon-isotope excursion (CIE) in organic and inorganic marine and terrestrial archives from sections in Europe, such as Peniche (Portugal) and Hawsker Bottoms, Yorkshire (UK). A new high-resolution organic-carbon isotope record, illustrating the same chemostratigraphic feature, is presented from the Southern Hemisphere Arroyo Chacay Melehue section, Chos Malal, Argentina, corroborating the global significance of this disturbance to the carbon cycle. The negative carbon-isotope excursion, mercury and organic-matter enrichment are accompanied by high-resolution ammonite and nannofossil biostratigraphy together with U–Pb CA-ID-TIMS geochronology derived from intercalated volcanic ash beds. A new age of ~ 183.73 + 0.35/− 0.50 Ma for the Pliensbachian–Toarcian boundary, and 182.77 + 0.11/− 0.15 for the tenuicostatum–serpentinum zonal boundary, is assigned based on high-precision U–Pb zircon geochronology and a Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) stratigraphic age model