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The concentration of trace elements (TEs) and their risk to narrow-ridged finless porpoises ( Neophocaena asiaeorientalis ) are still unclear. The present study determined the concentration of typical TEs in liver, kidney, and muscle tissues from porpoises in the East China Sea, assessed potential health risk of TEs to porpoises, and explored the relationship between TE concentration and metallothionein genes ( MTs ) polymorphism. It was found that Zn, Cu, Mn, Cd and Hg were highly accumulated in liver, and Cd was highly accumulated in kidney. The concentrations of Cr, As, Pb and Ni were very low in all three tissues. TE concentrations showed significant positive correlation with body length, and sexual variation. The levels of most TEs were higher in tissues of porpoises in Ningbo and Nantong than in Pingtan, which is likely related to the local environment pollution level. The risk assessment showed that porpoises from Nantong and Ningbo could face health risks due to Hg, As, Cd, Pb, and Cr exposure. Moreover, two polymorphic sites on the MT4 gene were found to be significantly associated with increased levels of Hg, Cd, Zn and Mn. Whether these two polymorphic sites are involved in expression of MT s, or other functional processes, needs further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the situation in the U.S. after the Presidential elections in 2004. If Americans are a little patient, they shall see the reign of witches pass over, their spells dissolve, and the people, recovering their true sight, and restoring their government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime they are incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public debt. Americans must have patience till luck turns, and then they shall have an opportunity of winning back the principles they have lost, for this is a game where principles are at stake.

There has been very little previous research on Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) in the Beibu Gulf of southern China. Here, we report on the population size, habitat and ecology, threats, and overall conservation status of this putative population. 'Population size' was estimated based on photo-identification mark/recapture analysis. It was estimated to number a total of 398-444 individuals (95% CI: 393-506), with two apparently distinct groups in the Dafengjiang-Nanliujiang Estuary and at Shatian-Caotan. Movements of dolphins in the Beibu Gulf appear to be limited, with high site fidelity. These dolphins were found to occur mainly in shallow coastal waters near estuaries. The main threats are fisheries interactions (including by-catch), vessel traffic, mariculture operations, dolphin-watching tourism, and habitat degradation (including marine construction activities and large-scale land reclamation). Although the conservation status of this putative population has been considered to be better than that of other populations of the species in more northern areas of China, there is still reason for strong concern about its future, and several management recommendations are made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses problems that can be experienced when a child swallows pennies. Comments from Dr. Sara M. O'Hara that zinc is acid digestible and can cause problems such as ulcers, anemia and damage to the kidneys, liver and bone marrow; The case of a boy brought to a medical center when he complained of an upset stomach; When to take a child to the emergency room.

Focuses on the selection procedure of students in medical schools in Pisa, Italy. Variation of the number of examinations in the curriculum; Qualifications of students taking up medical courses; Implementation of strict selection among medical college applicants.

Until the last few years, the only records of Indian Ocean humpback dolphins (Sousa plumbea) in Sri Lanka were a small number of older stranding records and one unconfirmed sighting, but repeated verified sightings have been made since the early 2000s in the Puttalam Lagoon area of northwestern Sri Lanka. To determine dolphin status and distribution patterns, we conducted monthly surveys of the lagoon from July 2010 to June 2011 and sighted humpback dolphins in the lagoon in every month of the year. Repeated sightings of the same six individuals were made; and in March 2011, one of these humpback dolphins was killed by dynamite fishing. It appears that the population is very small, possibly now consisting only of these five individuals, and is resident in the lagoon. Although it is likely the species was more widespread and abundant in the past, it appears that Puttalam Lagoon may be the only location where this species persists in Sri Lanka at present. Additional research is needed to investigate possible mixing with populations in India, and urgent conservation measures are recommended to ensure the long-term survival of this enigmatic species in Sri Lanka. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atlantic humpback dolphins (Sousa teuszii) are endemic to nearshore West African waters between Western Sahara and Angola. They are considered Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature based on restricted geographic range, low abundance and apparent decline in recent decades. We review the human activities most likely to affect the species and consider appropriate conservation actions. Bycatch (incidental capture) in gillnets is the greatest immediate threat. Deaths from entanglement have been documented in Mauritania, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea and the Republic of the Congo. In Namibe Province, Angola, 4.8 artisanal fishing boats and two gillnets per km were observed in some areas within 1 km of the coast and gillnets are deployed regularly inside bays used by dolphins. Other concerns include the 'marine bushmeat' trade, habitat loss/degradation, overfishing, marine pollution, anthropogenic sound and climate change. Conservation challenges include a paucity of scientific data on the species, and widespread human poverty within most range states, resulting in high dependence on artisanal fisheries. Recommended conservation and research priorities include: (1) distribution and abundance surveys in known and potential range states, (2) bycatch monitoring programmes, (3) education/awareness schemes, and (4) protection of core areas via reduction/elimination of nearshore gillnetting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on informed consent of patient as a legal requirement to medical treatment. It says that informed consent contains three elements such as decision-making capacity, information, and voluntariness. It mentions that decision-making capacity is based on legal age and adequate or appropriate understanding. It adds that absence of proper consent is an assault or battery. Moreover, The Joint Commission (TJC) standards recognize the right of a patient to refuse treatment.

Biomedical ethics training during graduate medical education programs is required by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Apart from this requirement, medical ethics education is an integral component of military medical practice. Although ethics education and training are required, tools to assess the effectiveness of ethics education are not well developed. Furthermore, although biomedical ethics education is mandated for new Army physician trainees, there has not been a systematic objective assessment of the effectiveness of that training. We report the concept underlying the design and implementation of a military biomedical ethics seminar for new Army physician trainees. Combining a didactic component and case analysis through small-group discussions, we emphasized providing tools to analyze ethical dilemmas both in the medical center environment and in the operational medicine environment. A total of 47 Army interns participated in the seminar. Eighty-nine percent of participants agreed or strongly agreed that the ethics orientation met expectations. Seventy-two percent agreed or strongly agreed that the information presented would affect their practice. Ninety-six percent thought that the small-group discussions were effective, and 80% thought that the presentations enhanced knowledge from medical school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Speciation is a fundamental process in evolution and crucial to the formation of biodiversity. It is a continuous and complex process, which can involve multiple interacting barriers leading to heterogeneous genomic landscapes with various peaks of divergence among populations. In this study, we used a population genomics approach to gain insights on the speciation process and to understand the population structure within the genus Sousa across its distribution in the Indo-Pacific region. We found 5 distinct clusters, corresponding to S. plumbea along the eastern African coast and the Arabian Sea, the Bangladesh population, S. chinensis off Thailand and S. sahulensis off Australian waters. We suggest that the high level of differentiation found, even across geographically close areas, is likely determined by different oceanographic features such as sea surface temperature and primary productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on Bryde's whales also known as Balaenoptera edeni with details on their foraging region which lies near the Weizhou Island of China in the Beibu Gulf. Topics discussed include occurrence of Bryde's whale strandings along the coasts of China, conduction of vessel-based photo-identification surveys of the whales and details on their sightings.

In the early 1970s. Roger Payne and colleagues developed a non-invasive, shore-based method for collecting data on free-ranging marine mammals in their natural environments. By using a theodolite, or surveyor's transit, they were able to collect data on nearshore marine mammal movement patterns, habitat use, and behavior without any disruption to the animals. As technology advanced, theodolite data collection progressed from analog machines requiring manual data entry to digital equipment linked to computer software that facilitated data management and automated calculations of marine mammal positional information. There are limitations associated with theodolite use, and concurrent data collection methods can contribute information that may not be possible with shore-based research alone. Since the first published research in 1978 using a theodolite to describe the behavioral ecology of dolphins off Argentina, at least 46 species of marine mammals in 36 countries have been tracked by theodolite, and the method continues to be used globally to contribute to non-invasive marine mammal research, conservation, and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Describing feeding habits of cetaceans is crucial to understanding their feeding strategies and conservation status. Here, both morphological and molecular techniques were employed to identify the stomach contents of 122 finless porpoises ( Neophocaena spp.) in the East China Sea for insight into their short-term feeding habits, and stable isotopes of δ13C and δ15N were used to analyze prey resource use and trophic position as a manifestation of their long-term feeding habits. In total, 33 prey species consisting of 19 teleosts, seven crustaceans, five cephalopods, and two gastropods were identified. In both short- and long-term analyses, teleosts represented primary prey, cephalopods and crustaceans were secondary prey, and gastropods were occasional prey; but the primary prey species composition differs between the short- and long-term diets. The composition of stomach contents showed sexual and age-related variation. This finding is supported by stable isotopic analyses, which indicated the separation of trophic position of adult males, adult females, and young males. In general, finless porpoises prey on species that are primarily caught by fisheries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) was conducted to study Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins, Sousa chinensis, as part of environmental impact assessments for several major coastal development projects in Hong Kong waters north of Lantau Island. Ecological acoustic recorders obtained 2711 days of recording at 13 sites from December 2012 to December 2014. Humpback dolphin sounds were manually detected on more than half of days with recordings at 12 sites, 8 of which were within proposed reclamation areas. Dolphin detection rates were greatest at Lung Kwu Chau, with other high-occurrence locations northeast of the Hong Kong International Airport and within the Lung Kwu Tan and Siu Ho Wan regions. Dolphin detection rates were greatest in summer and autumn (June-November) and were significantly reduced in spring (March-May) compared to other times of year. Click detection rates were significantly higher at night than during daylight hours. These findings suggest high use of many of the proposed reclamation/development areas by humpback dolphins, particularly at night, and demonstrate the value of long-term PAM for documenting spatial and temporal patterns in dolphin occurrence to help inform management decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the sightings of Bryde's whale in Southern California Bight (SCB) between California and Mexico. It mentions that one sighting of Bryde's wale was confirmed in La Jolla in San Diego, California and another one in Monterey Bay. Furthermore, the sightings usually happen over areas with bottom depths ranging up to 5,000 meters, which are estimated to be 75-120 kilometers away from the Southern California coast.

To obtain critical information on distribution and abundance of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins ( Sousa chinensis) residing in the Pearl River Estuary (PRE), systematic line-transect surveys and photo-identification studies were conducted in the eastern and western sections of the estuary in 2005-2006 and 2007-2008, respectively. Dolphins in the eastern section occurred throughout Lingding Bay, whereas their distribution in the western section extended from the mouth of Modaomen to the channel between Shangchuan and Xiachuan islands. Variations in dolphin distribution during the wet and dry seasons were evident and probably associated with movements of their prey species. Photo-identification of individuals confirmed exchange of at least some individuals between the western and eastern sections of PRE, and thus dolphins from both areas almost certainly comprise a single population. Using line-transect analysis, the total population size of the PRE humpback dolphins was estimated to be 2555 during the wet season and 2517 during the dry season. However, these should be considered preliminary as the coefficients of variation in some survey areas were high. Further studies should focus on refining these estimates and working towards understanding the western boundary of the PRE population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomedical ethics training during graduate medical education programs is required by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Apart from this requirement, medical ethics education is an integral component of military medical practice. Although ethics education and training are required, tools to assess the effectiveness of ethics education are not well developed. Furthermore, although biomedical ethics education is mandated for new Army physician trainees, there has not been a systematic objective assessment of the effectiveness of that training. We report the concept underlying the design and implementation of a military biomedical ethics seminar for new Army physician trainees. Combining a didactic component and case analysis through small-group discussions, we emphasized providing tools to analyze ethical dilemmas both in the medical center environment and in the operational medicine environment. A total of 47 Army interns participated in the seminar. Eighty-nine percent of participants agreed or strongly agreed that the ethics orientation met expectations. Seventy-two percent agreed or strongly agreed that the information presented would affect their practice. Ninety-six percent thought that the small-group discussions were effective, and 80% thought that the presentations enhanced knowledge from medical school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The potential health risks due to inorganic substances, mainly metals, was evaluated for the two resident marine mammals in Hong Kong, the Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin (Sousa chinensis) and the Finless Porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides). The stomachs from the carcasses of twelve stranded dolphins and fifteen stranded porpoises were collected and the contents examined. Concentrations of thirteen trace elements (Ag, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Se, V and Zn) were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). An assessment of risks of adverse effects was undertaken using two toxicity guideline values, namely the Reference Dose (RfD), commonly used in human health risk assessment, and the Toxicity Reference Value (TRV), based on terrestrial mammal data. The levels of trace metals in stomach contents of dolphins and porpoises were found to be similar. Risk quotients (RQ) calculated for the trace elements showed that risks to the dolphins and porpoises were generally low and within safe limits using the values based on the TRV, which are less conservative than those based on the RfD values. Using the RfD-based values the risks associated with arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel and mercury were comparatively higher. The highest RQ was associated with arsenic, however, most of the arsenic in marine organisms should be in the non-toxic organic form, and thus the calculated risk is likely to be overestimated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are one of the flame retardants widely used in plastics, textiles, electronic appliances, and electrical household appliances. In this study, PBDEs and organochlorine compounds (OCs) were determined in the archived samples from the Environmental Specimen Bank for Global Monitoring (es-BANK) at Ehime University. The blubber of cetaceans found stranded along the coasts of Japan, Hong Kong, the Philippines and India during the period from 1990 to 2001 were employed for chemical analysis to understand the present status of contamination and the specific accumulation of PBDEs. PBDEs were detected in all the cetacean samples analyzed, and concentrations were one or two orders of magnitude lower than for PCBs and DDTs. Concentrations of PBDEs ranged from a low value of 6.0ng/g lipid wt. in spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris) from India to a high value of 6000ng/g lipid wt. in Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis) from Hong Kong. No difference in PBDE levels between coastal and offshore species from Japan was observed, implying the existence of pollution sources in this region other than Japan. Highest concentrations of PBDEs were found in animals from Hong Kong, followed by Japan, and much lower levels from the Philippines and India, suggesting that developing nations may also have pollution sources of PBDEs. Geographical distribution of PBDEs in Asian waters was different from PCBs but similar to DDTs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The risks to Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphins and Finless Porpoises associated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were assessed. Stomach contents from twelve stranded Humpback Dolphins and sixteen stranded Finless Porpoises were collected. Concentrations of total and isomer-specific PCBs in the stomach contents were determined using dual-column gas chromatography equipped with electron capture detectors (GC-ECD). Risks due to the PCBs were assessed in three scenarios, based on total PCBs (summation of 41 PCB congeners), total toxicity equivalency (TEQs) and PCB 118, using the toxicity reference values (TRVs) as the threshold effects benchmarks. The calculated risk quotients (RQs) showed that risks due to PCBs were generally low or negligible. Specifically, RQs from total TEQs and total PCBs for Finless Porpoises are below one, suggesting that PCBs should be a low risk for the Finless Porpoise in Hong Kong waters. However, the Humpback Dolphin has RQs larger than 1 for total TEQs and total PCBs when the 95th percentile data were used in the evaluation. This indicates that further investigation may be needed to examine more closely the potential impact of toxic contaminants in the habitat of the Humpback Dolphin. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Although proton therapy has been used for many decades because of their superior dose distribution over photons and reduced integral dose, their clinical implementation is still controversial. We updated a systematic review of charged particle therapy. Although still no randomised trials were identified, the field is moving quickly and we therefore also formulated ways to move forward. In our view, the aim should be to build enough proton therapy facilities with interest in research to further improve the treatment and to run the needed clinical trials. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The determination of whether an activity is performance improvement governed by The Joint Commission standards and local hospital policy or research governed by federal regulation and requiring institutional review board (IRB) review and approval can be complex, especially in academic clinical organizations. Both processes can address scientific validity, fair participant selection, favorable risk-benefit ratio, respect for participants, and independent review. In an attempt to guide staff as to whether their project needs IRB review or not, a performance improvement/research advisory panel (PIRAP) was formed to serve two military organizations. In this article, performance improvement and quality improvement is differentiated from research as much as possible, the composition and function of PIRAP is described, and guidelines for publishing findings that support the nature of the project are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes an Ethical Dilemma Tool, designed by the ethics committee, to guide residents in professionalism and ethics.