Network-based integration of omics, physiological and environmental data in real-world Elbe estuarine Zander.

Coastal and estuarine environments are under endogenic and exogenic pressures jeopardizing survival and diversity of inhabiting biota. Information of possible synergistic effects of multiple (a)biotic stressors and holobiont interaction are largely missing in estuaries like the Elbe but are of importance to estimate unforeseen effects on animals' physiology. Here, we seek to leverage host-transcriptional RNA-seq and gill mucus microbial 16S rRNA metabarcoding data coupled with physiological and abiotic measurements in a network analysis approach to decipher the impact of multiple stressors on the health of juvenile Sander lucioperca along one of the largest European estuaries. We find mesohaline areas characterized by gill tissue specific transcriptional responses matching osmosensing and tissue remodeling. Liver transcriptomes instead emphasized that zander from highly turbid areas were undergoing starvation which was supported by compromised body condition. Potential pathogenic bacteria, including Shewanella, Acinetobacter, Aeromonas and Chryseobacterium, dominated the gill microbiome along the freshwater transition and oxygen minimum zone. Their occurrence coincided with a strong adaptive and innate transcriptional immune response in host gill and enhanced energy demand in liver tissue supporting their potential pathogenicity. Taken together, we show physiological responses of a fish species and its microbiome to abiotic factors whose impact is expected to increase with consequences of climate change. We further present a method for the close-meshed detection of the main stressors and bacterial species with disease potential in a highly productive ecosystem.

Glass eels and viruses - a lesson learnt from stocking the eastern German Baltic Sea coast.

Concerns about Anguillid herpesvirus 1 (AngHV-1) in European eels, especially due to stocking measures, is increasingly coming into focus and raises questions regarding disease monitoring and prevention. In the past, stocking of AngHV-1-positive eels into waters assumed AngHV-1-free has led to a rapid increase of infected eels in the wild. For this study, a glass eel stocking experiment was conducted in the eastern German Baltic coast from 2014 - 2016. Retrospective analysis of stocked glass eels shows, that virus prevalence varied from 5.3 - 37.4 % during stocking years and appeared to be influenced by a prolonged holding period in the catching region. On average, 16 % glass eels were AngHV-1 positive. Given that stocked eels were alizarin red s marked, it was possible to monitor the local eel stock between 2018 and 2019 for AngHV-1 infection and additionally two commonly coinfections, namely European Virus Eel (EVE) and Europe eel virus X (EVEX), of marked and not marked eels. In recaptured eels, mortality was significantly higher in the glass eel cohort which was found to be heavily AngHV-1 infected (stocked in 2014) compared to the less infected cohorts. Furthermore, virus-positive stocked eels turned out to be disadvantaged compared to non-infected conspecifics in terms of total length and fat content. However, co-infections with EVE and EVEX could not be detected in this study. In conclusion, eel conservation and maintaining an economically successful eel fishery is probably best achieved by stocking eels that have been shown to be free of AngHV-1. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Detection of fish species from marine protected areas of the North Sea using environmental DNA.

This report describe the first application of environmental DNA-metabarcoding approach for the assessment of fish species diversity in two marine protected areas of the North Sea: the Doggerbank and the Sylt Outer Reef. We collected 64 water samples and detected 24 fish species. We discuss qualitative differences between MPAs and compare the results with those obtained from bottom-trawl surveys in the same areas. We found three additional species to those documented in the same year with trawls, including the critically endangered European eel.

Adding pieces to the puzzle: insights into diversity and distribution patterns of Cumacea (Crustacea: Peracarida) from the deep North Atlantic to the Arctic Ocean.

The Nordic Seas have one of the highest water-mass diversities in the world, yet large knowledge gaps exist in biodiversity structure and biogeographical distribution patterns of the deep macrobenthic fauna. This study focuses on the marine bottom-dwelling peracarid crustacean taxon Cumacea from northern waters, using a combined approach of morphological and molecular techniques to present one of the first insights into genetic variability of this taxon. In total, 947 specimens were assigned to 77 morphologically differing species, representing all seven known families from the North Atlantic. A total of 131 specimens were studied genetically (16S rRNA) and divided into 53 putative species by species delimitation methods (GMYC and ABGD). In most cases, morphological and molecular-genetic delimitation was fully congruent, highlighting the overall success and high quality of both approaches. Differences were due to eight instances resulting in either ecologically driven morphological diversification of species or morphologically cryptic species, uncovering hidden diversity. An interspecific genetic distance of at least 8% was observed with a clear barcoding gap for molecular delimitation of cumacean species. Combining these findings with data from public databases and specimens collected during different international expeditions revealed a change in the composition of taxa from a Northern Atlantic-boreal to an Arctic community. The Greenland-Iceland-Scotland-Ridge (GIS-Ridge) acts as a geographical barrier and/or predominate water masses correspond well with cumacean taxa dominance. A closer investigation on species level revealed occurrences across multiple ecoregions or patchy distributions within defined ecoregions.

Description of a new eelpout Pachycara angeloi sp. nov. (Perciformes: Zoarcidae) from deep-sea hydrothermal vent fields in the Indian Ocean.

A new species of eelpout genus Pachycara Zugmayer, 1911 is described based on five specimens caught at a depth of 24193275 m along the Central and Southeast Indian Ridges in the Indian Ocean. The specimens were collected during the INDEX cruises in 2016, 2018 and 2019, respectively. The new species is distinguished from its congeners by the following combination of characters: scales and pelvic fins absent; lateral line configuration mediolateral; dorsal fin origin associated with vertebrae 79 with no free predorsal pterygiophores; vertebrae 2728 + 5759 = 8587; dorsal-fin rays 7880, anal-fin rays 5862; pectoral fin rays 1315. DNA sequences of a mitochondrial COI gene fragment showed low intra-specific variation ranging from 00.3 % sequence divergence and do not reflect different vent sites. This is the 29th species of Pachycara, which is the fifth to be described from specimens collected only from chemosynthetic environments and the sixth known from the Indian Ocean.

eDNA as a tool for non-invasive monitoring of the fauna of a turbid, well-mixed system, the Elbe estuary in Germany.

The Elbe is one of the longest European rivers and features a large, turbid and well-mixed estuary, which runs through the inner city of Hamburg. The Elbe has been closely monitored using classical catch techniques in the past. Here we tested a COI-based eDNA approach for assessing the biodiversity within the Elbe. We sampled three stations in the Elbe, included low and high tide events, as well as two adjoining lakes to compare the recovered faunas. To analyze the data, we employed two different pipelines: the automated mBRAVE pipeline utilizing the BOLD database and one including NCBI BLAST. The number of OTUs with species or higher-level identifications were similar between both approaches with 352 OTUs and 355 OTUs for BLAST and mBRAVE, respectively, however, BLAST searches recovered another 942 unidentified metazoan OTUs. Many taxa were well represented; however, fish species were poorly represented, especially in the Elbe estuary samples. This could be a result of the universal COI primers, which also yielded high read numbers for non-metazoan OTUs, and small-bodies taxa like Rotifera, which might have been sampled together with the eDNA. Our results show a strong tidal influence on the recovered taxa. During low tide, downstream stations resembled sites further upstream, but the former showed a very different OTU composition during high tide and early tide. Such differences might be due to varying impacts of upstream-originating eDNA during tide cycles. Such factors need to be considered when routinely employing eDNA for monitoring programs.

Four new species of Careproctus (Cottoidei: Liparidae) from the deep-water vicinity of the southern Kuril Islands (Western North Pacific).

Four new species of Careproctus (Cottoidei: Liparidae) are described from the Bussol Strait (the deepest channel of the Kuril archipelago) and two neighboring abyssal basins of the Western North Pacific. Careproctus laperousei sp. nov. from the northern slope of the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench (depths of 4796-4803 m) has the following characters: vertebrae 57, pectoral-fin rays 26, principal caudal-fin rays 8 and pore pattern 2-6-7-1; it differs from the most similar congeners from the North Pacific in having a black peritoneum, short head (22.5 % of standard length, SL) and large disk (37.0 % of head length, lc). Careproctus brevipectoralis sp. nov. from the Kuril Basin of the Sea of Okhotsk (depths of 3301 m) has the following characters: vertebrae 55, pectoral-fin rays 26, caudal-fin rays 9, pore pattern 2-6-7-1 and peritoneum black; it differs from congeners by the absence of pleural ribs, deep and compressed leaf-like body (greatest depth 119 % lc, depth above anal-fin origin 113 % lc), small head (18 % SL), short pectoral fin (11 % SL) and cartilaginous-like tissue surrounding the dorsal fin. Careproctus pulcher sp. nov. and Careproctus globulus sp. nov., both having 46 vertebrae, are found on the Pacific side of the Bussol Strait at depths of 2350-2358 m. Careproctus pulcher sp. nov. is characterized by pectoral-fin rays 31-32, caudal-fin rays 10, pore pattern 2-6-7-1 and peritoneum pale; it differs from the most similar congeners in having a shorter head (25.5-26.3 % SL in adults) and gill opening reaching ventrally to 4th pectoral ray. Careproctus globulus sp. nov. has the following characters: pectoral-fin rays about 24, caudal-fin rays 8 and peritoneum black; it differs from other species in having a globular body, deep curve of vertebral column and pore pattern 2-5-6-1. Thus, based on these collections, the underwater sill of the Bussol Strait is inhabited by different species of Careproctus than the neighboring abyssal plains, Kuril-Kamchatka Trench and the Kuril Basin of the Sea of Okhotsk. Careproctus laperousei sp. nov. is the most deep-water Careproctus in the North Pacific.

Evaluation of the bioaccumulation potential of alizarin red S in fish muscle tissue using the European eel as a model.

For fish stock management and large-scale stocking programs, the chemical substance alizarin red S (ARS) is an important tool to mark fish permanently. Equally, for the IUCN red list species European eel (Anguilla anguilla), ARS is proven to be the most promising option for mass marking. ARS binds to calcified structures (i.e., bones and otoliths) and can be detected using a fluorescence microscope. Despite the frequent application of ARS, not only for eels but also for fish in general, until today, no study has evaluated its bioaccumulation potential. Therefore, the German Federal Risk Assessment Authority was unable to classify ARS as harmless because of a potential risk to consumers' health. Using the technique of liquid chromatography mass spectrometry, an ARS detection protocol was developed and the bioaccumulation potential of ARS in European eel muscle tissue was estimated. A detection limit of 8.9 µg kg-1 could be reached by optimizing the detection method in fish muscle tissue. In the current study, 250 eels between 6 and 57 cm of total length have been analyzed for ARS between 0 day and 3 years after the marking process. The highest concentration of ARS (6056 µg kg-1) was observed immediately after marking in the smallest length class. Only 1 year after the marking procedure, the ARS concentration was below detection limit. A new method for ARS detection in fish muscle tissue, followed by utilization on marked eels, was able to show that the bioaccumulation of ARS in edible fish muscle was highly unlikely.

A new microendemic species of the deep-water catshark genus Bythaelurus (Carcharhiniformes, Pentanchidae) from the northwestern Indian Ocean, with investigations of its feeding ecology, generic review and identification key.

A new deep-water catshark, Bythaelurus stewarti, is described based on 121 examined specimens caught on the Error Seamount (Mount Error Guyot) in the northwestern Indian Ocean. The new species differs from all congeners in the restricted distribution, a higher spiral valve turn count and in the morphology of the dermal denticles. It is distinguished from its morphologically and geographically closest congener, B. hispidus (Alcock), by the larger size (maximum size 44 vs. 39 cm TL, maturity size of males 35-39 vs. 21-28 cm TL), darker fresh coloration and dark grayish-brown mottling of the ventral head (vs. ventral head typically uniformly yellowish or whitish). Furthermore, it has a strongly different morphology of dermal denticles, in particular smaller and less elongate branchial, trunk and lateral caudal denticles that are set much less densely and have a surface that is very strongly and fully structured by reticulations (vs. structured by reticulations only in basal fourth). In addition, the new species differs from B. hispidus in having more slender claspers that are gradually narrowing to the bluntly pointed tip without knob-like apex (vs. claspers broader and with distinct knob-like apex), more spiral valve turns (11-12 vs. 8-10) and numerous statistical differences in morphometrics. A review of and a key to the species of Bythaelurus are given.

Description and DNA barcoding of Lycenchelys lenzeni, a new species of eelpout (Perciformes: Zoarcidae) from the deep sea off the Kuril Archipelago.

A new species of eelpout genus Lycenchelys Gill, 1884 is described based on seven specimens caught at a depth of about 2350 m in the Bussol Strait, southwest of the Kuril Island Simushir. The species differs from its congeners in the following combination of characters: vertebrae 26-28 + 100-102 = 126-130; interorbital and occipital pores absent; postorbital pores 3-4; suborbital pores 7 (rarely 6); preoperculomandibular pores 4 + 4; gill rakers 11-16; dorsal fin rays 118-122; anal fin rays 105-108; pelvic fin rays 2; middle and lower ray tips of pectoral fin very slightly exserted; lateral line double with mediolateral and ventral branches; pyloric caeca not developed. The new species is morphologically most similar to Lycenchelys micropora and Lycenchelys jordani, which differ from the new species in having three pelvic-fin rays (vs. two pelvic-fin rays in the new species). L. micropora has the pectoral-fin origin below body midline, whereas the new species has the pectoral-fin origin at body midline. Middle and lower ray tips of pectoral fin are very slightly exserted in L. lenzeni sp. nov., whereas they are well exserted in L. jordani and L. micropora. Mitochondrial COI sequences were analyzed from four paratype specimens and all show the same haplotype sequence. The DNA barcodes allowed discrimination of L. lenzeni sp. nov. from other species of Lycenchelys where sequence data were available. The nearest match with already published sequences was Lycenchelys antarctica, with a sequence similarity of 98.25%, followed by Lycenchelys aratrirostris (sequence similarities 97.95-97.96%) and L. jordani (sequence similarity of 97.81%).

How reliably can northeast Atlantic sand lances of the genera Ammodytes and Hyperoplus be distinguished? A comparative application of morphological and molecular methods.

Accurate stock assessments for each of the dominant species of sand lances in the northeast Atlantic Ocean and adjacent areas are not available due to the lack of a reliable identification procedure; therefore, appropriate measures of fisheries management or conservation of sand lances cannot be implemented. In this study, detailed morphological and molecular features are assessed to discriminate between four species of sand lances belonging to the genera Ammodytes and Hyperoplus. Morphological characters described by earlier authors as useful for identification of the genera are confirmed, and two additional distinguishing characters are added. A combination of the following morphological characters is recommended to distinguish between the genera Hyperoplus and Ammodytes: the protrusibility of the premaxillae, the presence of hooked ends of the prevomer, the number of dermal plicae, and the pectoral-fin length as a percentage of the standard length. The discriminant function analysis revealed that morphometric data are not very useful to distinguish the species of each of the two genera. The following meristic characters improve the separation of Hyperoplus lanceolatus from Hyperoplus immaculatus: the number of lower arch gill rakers, total number of gill rakers, numbers of caudal vertebrae and total vertebrae, and numbers of dorsal-fin and anal-fin rays. It is confirmed that Ammodytes tobianus differs from Ammodytes marinus by its belly scales that are organised in tight chevrons, scales which are present over the musculature at the base of the caudal fin, as well as by the lower numbers of dermal plicae, dorsal-fin rays, and total vertebrae. In contrast to the morphological data, mitochondrial COI sequences (DNA barcodes) failed to separate unambiguously the four investigated species. Ammodytes tobianus and Hyperoplus lanceolatus showed an overlap between intraspecific and interspecific K2P genetic distances and cannot be reliably distinguished using the common DNA barcoding approach. Ammodytes marinus and Hyperoplus immaculatus exhibited gaps between intraspecific and interspecific K2P distances of 2.73 and 3.34% respectively, indicating that their DNA barcodes can be used for species identification. As an alternative, short nuclear Rhodopsin sequences were analysed and one diagnostic character was found for each of the species Ammodytes marinus, Hyperoplus lanceolatus, and Hyperoplus immaculatus. Ammodytes tobianus can be characterised by the lack of species-specific mutations when compared to the other three species. In contrast to COI, the short nuclear sequences represent a useful alternative for rapid species identification whenever an examination of morphological characters is not available.

Bythaelurus tenuicephalus n. sp., a new deep-water catshark (Carcharhiniformes, Scyliorhinidae) from the western Indian Ocean.

A new dwarf deep-water catshark, Bythaelurus tenuicephalus, is described based on one adult and one juvenile male specimen from off Tanzania and Mozambique in the western Indian Ocean. The new species differs from its congeners by its slender head and snout, which is only slightly bell-shaped in dorsoventral view without distinct lateral indention. All other Bythaelurus species have distinctly bell-shaped snouts with a strong lateral indention anterior to outer nostrils. Compared to its congeners in the western Indian Ocean, B. tenuicephalus n. sp. also has broader claspers in adult males (base width 2.1% TL vs. 1.5-1.8% TL). It further differs from B. clevai by attaining a smaller maximum size and having a color pattern of fewer and smaller blotches, larger oral papillae, a shorter snout, and broader claspers without knob-like apex and with a smaller envelope and a subtriangular (vs. subrectangular) exorhipidion. Compared to B. hispidus, the new species has a longer snout, a longer dorsal-caudal space, broader clasper without knob-like apex, and fewer vertebral centra. In contrast to B. lutarius, B. tenuicephalus attains a smaller maximum size and has a blotched (vs. largely plain) coloration, numerous (vs. lacking) oral papillae, shorter anterior nasal flaps, a longer caudal fin, a shorter pelvic anal space, and shorter and broader claspers.

Evaluating the Hypoxia Response of Ruffe and Flounder Gills by a Combined Proteome and Transcriptome Approach.

Hypoxia has gained ecological importance during the last decades, and it is the most dramatically increasing environmental factor in coastal areas and estuaries. The gills of fish are the prime target of hypoxia and other stresses. Here we have studied the impact of the exposure to hypoxia (1.5 mg O2/l for 48 h) on the protein expression of the gills of two estuarine fish species, the ruffe (Gymnocephalus cernua) and the European flounder (Platichthys flesus). First, we obtained the transcriptomes of mixed tissues (gills, heart and brain) from both species by Illumina next-generation sequencing. Then, the gill proteomes were investigated using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry. Quantification of the normalized proteome maps resulted in a total of 148 spots in the ruffe, of which 28 (18.8%) were significantly regulated (> 1.5-fold). In the flounder, 121 spots were found, of which 27 (22.3%) proteins were significantly regulated. The transcriptomes were used for the identification of these proteins, which was successful for 15 proteins of the ruffe and 14 of the flounder. The ruffe transcriptome dataset comprised 87,169,850 reads, resulting in an assembly of 72,108 contigs (N50 = 1,828 bp). 20,860 contigs (26.93%) had blastx hits with E < 1e-5 in the human sequences in the RefSeq database, representing 14,771 unique accession numbers. The flounder transcriptome with 78,943,030 reads assembled into 49,241 contigs (N50 = 2,106 bp). 20,127 contigs (40.87%) had a hit with human proteins, corresponding to 14,455 unique accession numbers. The regulation of selected genes was confirmed by quantitative real-time RT-PCR. Most of the regulated proteins that were identified by this approach function in the energy metabolism, while others are involved in the immune response, cell signalling and the cytoskeleton.

Rajella paucispinosa n. sp., a new deep-water skate (Elasmobranchii, Rajidae) from the western Indian Ocean off South Mozambique, and a revised generic diagnosis.

A new species of the widely in temperate and tropical latitudes distributed skate genus Rajella is described based on an almost adult male specimen from the western Indian Ocean off South Mozambique. The holotype of R. paucispinosa n. sp. was caught during cruise 17 of RV 'Vityaz' along the deep western Indian Ocean in 1988/89. It is the northernmost record of a Rajella specimen in the western Indian Ocean. The new species is the 18th valid species of the genus and the fifth species in the western Indian Ocean. It differs from its congeners in the small maximal total length of about 50 cm and only few thorns on the dorsal surface. The new species has only two thorns on each orbit, one nuchal thorn, one right scapular thorn (left one not detectable, abraded), and one median row of tail thorns. Other species of Rajella typically have half rings of thorns on orbital rims, a triangle of thorns on nape-shoulder region, and at least three rows of tail thorns. Another conspicuous feature of the new species is the almost completely white dorsal and ventral coloration. 

Complementary redescription of Anacanthobatis ori (Wallace, 1967) and its assignment to Indobatis n. g. (Elasmobranchii, Anacanthobatidae), with comments on other legskates.

Anacanthobatis ori is one of the least known species of the family Anacanthobatidae with only four juvenile specimens reported. The species remained assigned to the genus Anacanthobatis sensu lato due to the lack of an adult male as external and skeletal clasper characters are the essential diagnostic features for the differentiation of genera and subgenera within the family Anacanthobatidae. Since an adult male of A. ori became available, along with an adult female and six further juveniles, the authors reinvestigated the species and present its so far unknown diagnostic characters of clasper morphology and skeleton and scapulocoracoid. The clasper turned out to be the most complex one of all known anacanthobatids as the external components flag, slit, pseudosiphon-like cavity, pecten, and two sentinas are not known from any other anacanthobatid species. Furthermore, a dorsal terminal 1 cartilage is present but displaced proximally of the terminal clasper skeleton, the outer edge of dorsal terminal 2 is deeply serrated, the ventral terminal has a very long, curved, strap-like process, and the proximal part of accessory terminal 1 is embedded in the cavity of the baseball-glove-like head of accessory terminal 2. Due to the strong differences in external and internal clasper characters to all other known anacanthobatid species, A. ori is placed in its own, newly erected genus, Indobatis. 

Molecular response of estuarine fish to hypoxia: a comparative study with ruffe and flounder from field and laboratory.

On a global scale, the frequencies and magnitudes of hypoxic events in coastal and estuarine waters have increased dramatically over the past 20 years. Fish populations are suitable indicators for the assessment of the quality of aquatic ecosystems, as they are omnipresent and often comprise a variety of different lifestyles and adaption strategies. We have investigated on the molecular level the impact of hypoxia on two fish species typical of European estuaries. We monitored the expression of eleven putatively hypoxia-responsive genes by means of quantitative real-time RT-PCR in brains, gills and hearts of the ruffe (Gymnocephalus cernua) and the flounder (Platichthys flesus). We first investigated the effect of naturally occurring hypoxia in the Elbe estuary. In a second approach, expression changes in the response to hypoxia were monitored under controlled laboratory conditions. The genes that showed the strongest effect were two respiratory proteins, myoglobin and neuroglobin, as well as the apoptosis enzyme caspase 3. As previously observed in other fish, myoglobin, which was considered to be muscle-specific, was found in brain and gills as well. Comparison of field and laboratory studies showed that--with the exception of the heart of flounder--that mRNA levels of the selected genes were about the same, suggesting that laboratory conditions reflect natural conditions. Likewise, trends of gene expression changes under hypoxia were the same, although hypoxia response was more pronounced in the Elbe estuary. In general, the flounder displayed a stronger response to hypoxia than the ruffe, suggesting that the flounder is more susceptible to hypoxia. The most pronounced differences were found among tissues within a species, demonstrating that hypoxia response is largely tissue-specific. In summary, our data suggest that laboratory experiments essentially mimic field data, but additional environmental factors enhance hypoxia response in nature.

Planonasus parini n. g. and n. sp., a new genus and species of false cat sharks (Carchariniformes, Pseudotriakidae) from the deep northwestern Indian Ocean off Socotra Islands.

A new genus and species of the carcharhiniform family Pseudotriakidae is described based on three specimens caught near the Socotra Islands in the northwestern Indian Ocean. The first specimen and holotype of Planonasus parini g. n. and sp. n. was caught during cruise 17 of RV 'Vityaz' in 1988/89 along the deep western Indian Ocean. Two further specimens of the new genus and species were caught somewhat later by commercial trawlers close to the locality of the holotype. The new genus differs from the two other pseudotriakid genera Gollum and Pseudotriakis by the presence of oral papillae, the absence of nicitating eyelids, a longer head, an intermediate prenarial snout length, an intermediate number of tooth rows per jaw, a first dorsal fin of intermediate height and length and with a white free rear tip, a caudal peduncle of inter-mediate length, and fewer vertebrae.

Bladder cancer in crack testers applying azo dye-based sprays to metal bodies.

Bladder cancer may be produced by azo dyes due to the presence of carcinogenic aromatic amines. Nine cases of suspected occupational bladder cancer that were exposed to different crack test sprays in metal-related jobs were examined. A detailed occupational history was taken and, if possible, the N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) status was determined. The first exposure to crack test sprays ranged from 1957 to 1986. Age at first exposure was between 14 and 33 yr. Age at first diagnosis of bladder cancer varied from 35 to 64 yr. Latency periods were between 17 and 45 yr. The maximal reported exposure period was 29 yr. Four of six genotyped cases were slow NAT2 acetylators. The handling of the crack test spray included spraying the red dye-containing matter on the metal body and washing off the spray with a rag. Thus, workers were exposed by dermal contact as well as by inhalation. The crack test spray, which makes the cracks visible after washing off the red testing spray compounds and applying an additional white spray, contained dyes such as solvent red 19 (Sudan red 7B, N-ethyl-1[[4-(phenylazo)phenyl]azo]-2-naphthylamine) or a mixture of p-phenylazoaniline-N-ethyl-2-naphthylamine and p-phenylazoaniline-N-ethyl-1-naphthylamine. The aromatic amine 2-naphthylamine is classified as human carcinogen by IARC and the national authorities and has been banned in many countries since the mid 1950s. Bladder cancer patients with metal-related jobs need to be explicitly asked about the use of crack test sprays.

Early continence in patients with localized prostate cancer. A comparison between open retropubic (RRPE) and endoscopic extraperitoneal radical prostatectomy (EERPE).

OBJECTIVE: The study examined and compared continence rates in prostate cancer patients who had undergone either open retropubic prostatectomy (RRPE) or endoscopic extraperitoneal radical prostatectomy (EERPE). The core question was whether the surgical approach had an effect on the patients' continence status 3 months after surgery. METHODS: We conducted a multicentric, longitudinal study in 7 German hospitals. Three hundred fifty prostate cancer patients (166 EERPE, 184 RRPE) were asked to self-assess symptoms associated with urinary incontinence (UI) 1 day before and 3 months after prostatectomy. Symptoms of UI were assessed using the EORTC QLQ-PR25 questionnaire. Urinary continence was defined according to (1) the use of no protective pad, (2) the use of up to a single protective pad in a 24-hour period, and (3) according to the patient's self-assessment. A binary regression model was employed to predict early continence status. RESULTS: Three months after prostatectomy, 44% of patients who underwent EERPE and 40% of patients who underwent RRPE were completely continent. Patients who underwent nerve-sparing prostatectomy and patients younger than 65 years had a better chance of regaining urinary continence earlier. The surgical approach had no significant impact on the patients' continence status. Limitations of the study are a drop-out rate of 39% and sociodemographic and clinical differences between both treatment groups. CONCLUSIONS: Three months after prostatectomy, there were no significant differences between both treatment groups regarding urinary continence. The surgical approach had no significant effect on the patients' continence status. Higher age and non-nerve-sparing surgery are associated with a longer period of convalescence.

[The assessment of therapy success after radical prostatectomy]. / Die Beurteilung des Behandlungserfolges nach Radikaler Prostatektomie.

OBJECTIVES: Patient satisfaction plays an important role in the outcome quality of treatment for localized prostate carcinoma. This paper identifies factors that impact patients' assessment of therapy success one year after surgery. METHODS: Patient assessment of therapy success was measured with the Hamburger Fragebogen zum Krankenhausaufenthalt (Lecher et al. 2002). Also, several sociodemographic, clinical and quality-of-life factors were tested for their impact on the patient assessment of therapy success. RESULTS: 25 % of patients gave a negative assessment of therapy success. Factors with the strongest impact were urinary incontinence, sexual impotence, younger age and higher risk of recidive. CONCLUSIONS: Especially the prevention of urinary continence and sexual dysfunction may lead to a better assessment of therapy. Moreover, the patients' expectations have a great impact on the assessment of therapy success.