Implications for the conservation of deep-water corals in the face of multiple stressors: A case study from the New Zealand region.

The waters around New Zealand are a global hotspot of biodiversity for deep-water corals; approximately one sixth of the known deep-water coral species of the world have been recorded in the region. Deep-water corals are vulnerable to climate-related stressors and from the damaging effects of commercial fisheries. Current protection measures do not account for the vulnerability of deep-water corals to future climatic conditions, which are predicted to alter the distribution of suitable habitat for them. Using recently developed habitat suitability models for 12 taxa of deep-water corals fitted to current and future seafloor environmental conditions (under different future climatic conditions: SSP2 - 4.5 and SSP3 - 7.0) we explore possible levels of spatial protection using the decision-support tool Zonation. Specifically, we assess the impact of bottom trawling on predictions of current distributions of deep-water corals, and then assess the effectiveness of possible protection for deep-water corals, while accounting for habitat refugia under future climatic conditions. The cumulative impact of bottom trawling was predicted to impact all taxa, but particularly the reef-forming corals. Core areas of suitable habitat were predicted to decrease under future climatic conditions for many taxa. We found that designing protection using current day predictions alone, having accounted for the impacts of historic fishing impacts, was unlikely to provide adequate conservation for deep water-corals under future climate change. Accounting for future distributions in spatial planning identified areas which may provide climate refugia whilst still providing efficient protection for current distributions. These gains in conservation value may be particularly important given the predicted reduction in suitable habitat for deep-water corals due to bottom fishing and climate change. Finally, the possible impact that protection measures may have on deep-water fisheries was assessed using a measure of current fishing value (kg km-2 fish) and future fishing value (predicted under future climate change scenarios).

Predicting the effects of climate change on deep-water coral distribution around New Zealand-Will there be suitable refuges for protection at the end of the 21st century?

Deep-water corals are protected in the seas around New Zealand by legislation that prohibits intentional damage and removal, and by marine protected areas where bottom trawling is prohibited. However, these measures do not protect them from the impacts of a changing climate and ocean acidification. To enable adequate future protection from these threats we require knowledge of the present distribution of corals and the environmental conditions that determine their preferred habitat, as well as the likely future changes in these conditions, so that we can identify areas for potential refugia. In this study, we built habitat suitability models for 12 taxa of deep-water corals using a comprehensive set of sample data and predicted present and future seafloor environmental conditions from an earth system model specifically tailored for the South Pacific. These models predicted that for most taxa there will be substantial shifts in the location of the most suitable habitat and decreases in the area of such habitat by the end of the 21st century, driven primarily by decreases in seafloor oxygen concentrations, shoaling of aragonite and calcite saturation horizons, and increases in nitrogen concentrations. The current network of protected areas in the region appear to provide little protection for most coral taxa, as there is little overlap with areas of highest habitat suitability, either in the present or the future. We recommend an urgent re-examination of the spatial distribution of protected areas for deep-water corals in the region, utilising spatial planning software that can balance protection requirements against value from fishing and mineral resources, take into account the current status of the coral habitats after decades of bottom trawling, and consider connectivity pathways for colonisation of corals into potential refugia.

Fully automated volumetric measurement of malignant pleural mesothelioma by deep learning AI: validation and comparison with modified RECIST response criteria.

BACKGROUND: In malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), complex tumour morphology results in inconsistent radiological response assessment. Promising volumetric methods require automation to be practical. We developed a fully automated Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) for this purpose, performed blinded validation and compared CNN and human response classification and survival prediction in patients treated with chemotherapy. METHODS: In a multicentre retrospective cohort study; 183 CT datasets were split into training and internal validation (123 datasets (80 fully annotated); 108 patients; 1 centre) and external validation (60 datasets (all fully annotated); 30 patients; 3 centres). Detailed manual annotations were used to train the CNN, which used two-dimensional U-Net architecture. CNN performance was evaluated using correlation, Bland-Altman and Dice agreement. Volumetric response/progression were defined as ≤30%/≥20% change and compared with modified Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumours (mRECIST) by Cohen's kappa. Survival was assessed using Kaplan-Meier methodology. RESULTS: Human and artificial intelligence (AI) volumes were strongly correlated (validation set r=0.851, p<0.0001). Agreement was strong (validation set mean bias +31 cm3 (p=0.182), 95% limits 345 to +407 cm3). Infrequent AI segmentation errors (4/60 validation cases) were associated with fissural tumour, contralateral pleural thickening and adjacent atelectasis. Human and AI volumetric responses agreed in 20/30 (67%) validation cases κ=0.439 (0.178 to 0.700). AI and mRECIST agreed in 16/30 (55%) validation cases κ=0.284 (0.026 to 0.543). Higher baseline tumour volume was associated with shorter survival. CONCLUSION: We have developed and validated the first fully automated CNN for volumetric MPM segmentation. CNN performance may be further improved by enriching future training sets with morphologically challenging features. Volumetric response thresholds require further calibration in future studies.

Bilateral choroidal effusions after taking acetazolamide for altitude sickness.

A fit and healthy 44-year-old woman took a single dose of oral acetazolamide (125 mg) in preparation for a hiking trip to Everest base camp. She awoke the next morning with profoundly blurred distance vision. She presented to eye casualty later that morning, approximately 18 hours postingestion: examination demonstrated myopia and bilateral choroidal effusions. Acetazolamide is used to minimise symptoms of altitude sickness. Rarely, its use can be linked with ophthalmic side effects, such as myopia. A handful of case reports also describe choroidal effusions secondary to its use as part of ophthalmic treatment (eg, postoperatively). This is the first reported case in which choroidal effusions have been demonstrated as a side effect of its prophylactic use against altitude sickness.

Single Cell Isolation Using Optical Tweezers.

Optical tweezers offer a non-contact method for selecting single cells and translocating them from one microenvironment to another. We have characterized the optical tweezing of yeast S. cerevisiae and can manipulate single cells at 0.41 ± 0.06 mm/s using a 26.8 ± 0.1 mW from a 785 nm diode laser. We have fabricated and tested three cell isolation devices; a micropipette, a PDMS chip and a laser machined fused silica chip and we have isolated yeast, single bacteria and cyanobacteria cells. The most effective isolation was achieved in PDMS chips, where single yeast cells were grown and observed for 18 h without contamination. The duration of budding in S. cerevisiae was not affected by the laser parameters used, but the time from tweezing until the first budding event began increased with increasing laser energy (laser power × time). Yeast cells tweezed using 25.0 ± 0.1 mW for 1 min were viable after isolation. We have constructed a micro-consortium of yeast cells, and a co-culture of yeast and bacteria, using optical tweezers in combination with the PDMS network of channels and isolation chambers, which may impact on both industrial biotechnology and understanding pathogen dynamics.

A review of New Zealand and southeast Australian echinothurioids (Echinodermata: Echinothurioida)-excluding the subfamily Echinothuriinae-with a description of a new species of Tromikosoma.

An examination of a large collection of echinothurioid echinoids (excluding the subfamily Echinothuriinae Thomson) from museum collections in New Zealand and Australia has expanded the known diversity of the group in New Zealand from three species in two genera to seven species in five genera, and revealed a new species in the genus Tromikosoma Mortensen.New records for New Zealand and Australia are reported for Sperosoma obscurum Agassiz and Clark, 1907 and S. nudum Shigei, 1978 and new records for New Zealand are reported for Tromikosoma australe (Koehler, 1922) and Kamptosoma asterias (A. Agassiz, 1881). Tromikosoma rugosum sp. nov., remarkable for its unusual wrinkled appearance and exceedingly thin test, is described from deep water in the northeast of New Zealand. No evidence for the existence of Phormosoma rigidum A. Agassiz, 1881 as a species separate from P. bursarium A. Agassiz, 1881 was found, and synonymy with P. bursarium is proposed.Previous records of these echinoid species were rare, as they live mostly in deep water (>1000 m), and three species were previously known from the type material alone. Tromikosoma rugosum sp. nov. now falls into that category, but new material of the other species greatly expands both the number of known records and their geographical distribution. The majority of these new records are from the New Zealand region, with several additional records from south-east Australia.An updated key to the echinothurioids of New Zealand is provided.

A2E induces IL-1ß production in retinal pigment epithelial cells via the NLRP3 inflammasome.

AIMS: With ageing extracellular material is deposited in Bruch's membrane, as drusen. Lipofuscin is deposited in retinal pigment epithelial cells. Both of these changes are associated with age related macular degeneration, a disease now believed to involve chronic inflammation at the retinal-choroidal interface. We hypothesise that these molecules may act as danger signals, causing the production of inflammatory chemokines and cytokines by the retinal pigment epithelium, via activation of pattern recognition receptors. METHODS: ARPE-19 cells were stimulated in vitro with the following reported components of drusen: amyloid-ß (1-42), Carboxyethylpyrrole (CEP) modified proteins (CEP-HSA), Nε-(Carboxymethyl)lysine (CML) modified proteins and aggregated vitronectin. The cells were also stimulated with the major fluorophore of lipofuscin: N-retinylidene-N-retinylethanolamine (A2E). Inflammatory chemokine and cytokine production was assessed using Multiplex assays and ELISA. The mechanistic evaluation of the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway was assessed in a stepwise fashion. RESULTS: Of all the molecules tested only A2E induced inflammatory chemokine and cytokine production. 25 µM A2E induced the production of significantly increased levels of the chemokines IL-8, MCP-1, MCG and MIP-1α, the cytokines IL-1ß, IL-2, IL-6, and TNF-α, and the protein VEGF-A. The release of IL-1ß was studied further, and was determined to be due to NLRP3 inflammasome activation. The pathway of activation involved endocytosis of A2E, and the three inflammasome components NLRP3, ASC and activated caspase-1. Immunohistochemical staining of ABCA4 knockout mice, which show progressive accumulation of A2E levels with age, showed increased amounts of IL-1ß proximal to the retinal pigment epithelium. CONCLUSIONS: A2E has the ability to stimulate inflammatory chemokine and cytokine production by RPE cells. The pattern recognition receptor NLRP3 is involved in this process. This provides further evidence for the link between A2E, inflammation, and the pathogenesis of AMD. It also supports the recent discovery of NLRP3 inflammasome activation in AMD.

A review of New Zealand and southeast Australian echinothuriinids (Echinodermata: Echinothuriidae) with descriptions of seven new species.

Examination of a large collection of echinothurioid echinoids from museum collections in New Zealand and Australia revealed six new species in the genus Araeosoma (A. bidentatum sp. nov., A. migratum sp. nov., A. anatirostrum sp. nov., A. tertii sp. nov., A. leppienae sp. nov., and A. bakeri sp. nov.) and one in the genus Hapalosoma (H. amynina sp. nov.), while the recorded presence of A. coriaceum in northwest New Zealand was found to be incorrect. Several of the species described are rarely collected, their distribution being strongly associated with seamount type habitat in a relatively narrow depth range. The majority of the records of these new species are from the New Zealand region, with a strong centre of diversity revealed among the seamounts of the Bay of Plenty. The new species are clearly distinguished from known forms by characters of their pedicellariae, spines, coronal plate structure, colouring, and tuberculation. A key to the Echinothuriinae of the region is included.

Deep-sea fish distribution varies between seamounts: results from a seamount complex off New Zealand.

Fish species data from a complex of seamounts off New Zealand termed the "Graveyard Seamount Complex' were analysed to investigate whether fish species composition varied between seamounts. Five seamount features were included in the study, with summit depths ranging from 748-891 m and elevation from 189-352 m. Measures of fish species dominance, rarity, richness, diversity, and similarity were examined. A number of factors were explored to explain variation in species composition, including latitude, water temperature, summit depth, depth at base, elevation, area, slope, and fishing effort. Depth at base and slope relationships were significant with shallow seamounts having high total species richness, and seamounts with a more gradual slope had high mean species richness. Species similarity was modelled and showed that the explanatory variables were driven primarily by summit depth, as well as by the intensity of fishing effort and elevation. The study showed that fish assemblages on seamounts can vary over very small spatial scales, in the order of several km. However, patterns of species similarity and abundance were inconsistent across the seamounts examined, and these results add to a growing literature suggesting that faunal communities on seamounts may be populated from a broad regional species pool, yet show considerable variation on individual seamounts.

Delivery of anti-angiogenic molecular therapies for retinal disease.

Angiogenic diseases of the retina are the leading cause of blindness in the developed world. The development of anti-angiogenic molecular therapies has transformed the prognosis of these conditions, especially age-related macular degeneration. With these new treatments comes the new challenge of delivering an effective dosage to the retina, over a prolonged period of time and in a safe and cost-effective manner. A range of new anti-angiogenics are on the horizon, offering new and varied modes of drug delivery. In addition, a range of new sustained-release drug delivery technologies are being developed.

Periocular autologous Coleman fat graft survival and histopathology.

PURPOSE: Autologous Coleman fat transfer is used in the periocular area and intraorbitally for soft-tissue volume augmentation in postenucleation socket syndrome. This article aims to identify areas of low fat absorption and the histopathology of excised fat. METHODS: Noncomparative case series of patients who underwent excision/debulking of injected autologous fat in the inferior sulcus/lower eyelid. RESULTS: Five of 20 patients with postenucleation socket syndrome who had received intraorbital and sulcus Coleman fat transfer, required fat reduction (sculpting) from the inferior sulcus and lower eyelid due to persistent "overfill" 8 months to 17 months after fat transfer. Between 0.2 ml and 1.4 ml of fat was removed. The excised fat was pale, rubbery, and compact in comparison with the normal lower eyelid fat pad. Histopathology showed healthy adipose cells but with chronic inflammation and fibrous septa. CONCLUSIONS: Fat survival is greater than anticipated in the lower eyelid and inferior sulcus. Therefore, judicious use in these areas is suggested. The grafted fat is distinguishable from the fat in the lower eyelid both clinically and histopathologically.

Human transscleral albumin permeability and the effect of topographical location and donor age.

PURPOSE: To quantify the permeability coefficient of albumin across human sclera and to assess topographical and age-related variation. METHODS: Equatorial superotemporal scleral tissue from 15 donor eyes (mean age 60 years; range 39-84) was mounted in a modified Ussing chamber. Additional tissue was taken from the anterior and posterior superotemporal regions of six eyes, and equatorial superonasal, and inferotemporal regions of a further six eyes. Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled, 0.412 mM, bovine albumin was placed in one hemichamber facing the internal scleral surface, and the rate of transscleral flux was determined over 24 hours, at 25 degrees C, with a spectrophotometer. RESULTS: Permeability coefficient for equatorial superotemporal scleral tissue at 25 degrees C (+/-SD) was 0.83 +/- 0.50 x 10(-6) cm . s(-1). The permeability coefficient adjusted for 37 degrees C (+/-SD) was 1.43 +/- 0.86 x 10(-6) cm . s(-1). The effect of donor age was assessed for the 15 equatorial superotemporal samples. Regression analysis showed a significant decline in scleral diffusion of albumin with increasing donor age (P = 0.0166). There was no significant difference in diffusion over the different topographical regions tested. The partition coefficient of permeability to albumin also showed a decline with increasing donor age (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The permeability and partition coefficients of human sclera both significantly decline with increasing donor age. Permeability coefficient shows no significant variation over the different topographical regions tested. The decrease in albumin permeability with increasing donor age may have pharmacokinetic implications when considering transscleral diffusion of high-molecular-weight compounds.

In the eyes of the beholder: cognitive appraisals as mediators of the association between interparental conflict and youth maladjustment.

Although the association between interparental conflict and youth maladjustment has been established, processes underlying this relationship are less understood. In this investigation, children's conflict appraisals were examined as mediating variables. In Study 1, 1,893 6th graders reported their perceptions of conflict and appraisals of threat and self-blame. Youth and teachers reported on externalizing and internalizing problems. In Study 2, 416 married parents from the larger sample reported their conflict and youth maladjustment. Children's appraisals of coping efficacy also were examined. Perceived threat, self-blame, and coping efficacy were salient mediators of overt conflict and triangulation, particularly for internalizing problems. Findings indicate that children's beliefs about interparental conflict play an important role in their adjustment to this family stressor.