Microcosmus polymorphus Heller, 1877 (Tunicata: Ascidiacea: Pyuridae)- A new addition to the fauna of the Turkish coasts

Microcosmus polymorphus, an Atlanto-Mediterranean ascidian, is here recorded for the first time from the Turkish Seas. One specimen was obtained from Izmir Bay by trawling at the depth of 50 m in July 2007

Anxiety symptoms and disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic in children and adolescents: Systematic review and meta-analysis

© 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. on behalf of Sociedad Española de Psiquiatría y Salud Mental. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).[Background and Objectives] The COVID-19 pandemic and its associated factors have been shown to affect anxiety levels of young people. We meta-analytically assessed the prevalence of anxiety symptoms and anxiety disorders in children and adolescents during the pandemic, and the predictors and moderating factors influencing anxiety.[Methods] Multiple databases and registers were searched in this PRISMA and MOOSE-compliant systematic review and meta-analysis (PROSPERO:CRD42021266695) until 27/06/2021. We included individual studies evaluating the prevalence and characteristics of anxiety symptoms or anxiety disorders in children and adolescents (mean age ≤18 years), during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data extraction and quality assessment were carried out by independent authors. Random-effects meta-analyses of the prevalence of anxiety symptoms and anxiety disorders were conducted using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (CMA) V3.[Results] 74 articles (total participant sample=478,882) were included (mean age=13.4 years, 52.3% female). The pooled rate of children and adolescents fulfilling diagnostic criteria for anxiety disorders was 13.0% (95%CI=4.9–30.1); the pooled prevalence of anxiety symptoms was 26.5% (95%CI=20.3–33.9). Anxiety symptoms were significantly more prevalent in females than males (B = 0.103, p<.001), significantly higher during the second wave of COVID-19, following July 2020, than during the first wave, prior to June 2020, (Q= 8.136, p=.017), and during school closure (Q= 8.100, p=.014). Quality of included studies was overall moderate.[Conclusions] There is a high prevalence of anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially amongst females. This study identifies vulnerable groups, risk, and protective factors, which is crucial to developing clinical practice to prevent further mental health deterioration in young people.Dr Salazar de Pablo and Dr Vaquerizo Serrano are supported by the Alicia Koplowitz Foundation. Dr Catalan has received grant support from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness.Peer reviewe

The Abundance of the Sea Urchin Paracentrotus lividus on the Coasts of Gökçeada

The demand for the roe of Paracentrotus lividus is increasing despite world-wide fisheries bans and the balance of marine ecosystems is disturbed due to this overexploitation. Although not consumed locally, there has been fishing pressure on this species, due to the intense export demand in recent years. For an ecosystem-based sustainable fishery of P. lividus, it is very important to establish the stock status as well as the reproductive biology of this species in Turkish seas. However, studies on the stock information of the species are limited. This study reports preliminary findings on the abundance of P. lividus on the coasts of Gökçeada by using the visual counting technique with SCUBA during the summer of 2012 and 2018. In the study carried out with transects of different lengths, the highest number of individuals was observed on the rocky shores of Laz Bay in 2012 with 4 individuals m-2, between 112-120 m of the Kuzulimanı transect with 5 individuals m-2 in 2018, and between 0-52 m transect of Kokina III in 2018. According to the SACFOR scale, when P. lividus species was observed on the coasts of Gökçeada, it was either common or frequent in terms of abundant. For an effective and sustainable sea urchin management plan, the stock status of the P. lividus species in Turkish waters should be determined immediately