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1 - This paper addresses the quest ion of the weaknesses of the methodologies developed based on the analysis of the composition of benthic invertebrate communities in transitional waters. 2 - Benthic communities are an important element of the bio-evaluation methodologies suggested for the Ecological Quality status of the European transitional and coastal waters in the context of the Water Framework Directive. It is argued that the assessment of Ecological Quality status requires both fundamental and applied science. 3 - The lack of performance of many biotic indices under varying and highly fluctuating environmental conditions may well be related to weakness in theory supporting marine biodiversity. 4 - We propose some possible approaches for future development in the field of biotic indices and marine biodiversity theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of sediment dredging and disposal work on benthic communities was compared according to two sampling strategies, grab (1-mm mesh) and dredge (1-cm mesh). Nine subtidal, sandy sites were selected in Arcachon Bay (French Atlantic coast), where these operations were performed during winter. Fauna was sampled several months before and one year after the dredging or disposal work. The sediments were fine to medium sands and their characteristics were not modified. In dredging sites, abundance, diversity and community structure of grab sampled fauna were minimally affected by the activities, while abundance and community structure displayed significant changes for dredge sampled fauna. In disposal sites, there was no work effect on fauna, although environmental conditions changed, especially when initial sediments were covered by mussels or seagrass. This study suggests that dredge sampling can be an alternative to grab sampling for monitoring changes related to dredging in sandy shallow channels., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Four undescribed flavonoid sulfates were isolated from Phyllospadix torreyi S. Watson foliar tissue. In addition, nine known flavonoid sulfates and three phenolic acids were isolated from the same extract, of which seven had never been reported for the genus Phyllospadix. Structural elucidation of individual phenolics was assigned using complementary informations from their spectral evidence (HPLC-DAD, LC-MS, NMR, and UV) and chemical behavior. The inter-annual variation in phenolic concentrations was determined by quantitative HPLC-DAD over a three-year period. The results showed a relative constancy of phenolic content over time and the high prevalence of flavonoid disulfates (70-90% of the total flavonoids detected). All samples were found dominated by the unreported nepetin 7, 3'-disulfate and 5-methoxyluteolin 7, 3'-disulfate, followed by luteolin 7, 3'-disulfate. Considering the economic potential of flavonoid sulfates in the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical segments, a sample of detrital leaves was also analyzed. The same phenolic pattern was found and the concentration of the individuals, although lower than in fresh material, makes this abundant biomass of interest for dietary and pharmaceutical applications., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Apocorophiumacutum (Chevreux, 1908), the type species of the genus, was originally but only partially described by Chevreux with female specimens from Bônes (Algeria); male specimens were later described from Brittany (France). Since then, the species has been recorded in different places of the world, some of them questionable. Herein, the species is entirely redescribed with material from the type locality and Brittany, and additional material from Arcachon Bay is studied to provide biological data. The known geographical distribution of this species is summarized, and a world identification key of Apocorophium species is also given., (Benoit Gouillieux, Hugues Blanchet, Patrice Gonzalez.)

The results of a 3 years monitoring program to assess the effects associated with recurrent dredged spoil disposal activity in a naturally stressed subtidal coastal area subjected to estuarine inputs are described. Changes observed through time in environmental and anthropogenic variables have been analyzed using cumulated sums and compared to macrobenthic community structure. Results revealed a scarce impact of the recurrent dumping activities, with faunal assemblages derived from the main "Tellina-venus community". The magnitude of estuarine influence appeared indeed greater on the soft-bottom community than the putative changes due to anthropogenic activities. Through a combination of high energetic conditions, structural changes were observed and ascribed to a flushing action of the highly channeled estuary. Finally, an exceptional flood was recorded over the monitoring period, resulting in a short-term spatial homogenization of the benthic community with an abundance burst of A. alba. Origins of this main new species are discussed., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In 2005, dredging activities in Arcachon Bay (France) led in burying 320,000 m(2) of Zostera noltii intertidal seagrass. Recovery by macrobenthos and seagrass was monitored. Six months after works, seagrass was absent and macrobenthos drastically different from surrounding vegetated stations. Rapidly and due to sediment dispersal, disposal area was divided into a sandflat with a specific benthic community which maintained its difference until the end of the survey (2010), and a mudflat where associated fauna became similar to those in adjacent seagrass. Macrobenthic community needs 3 years to recover while seagrass needs 5 years to recover in the station impacted by mud. The secondary production loss due to works was low. In this naturally carbon enriched system, univariate biotic indices did not perform well to detect seagrass destruction and recovery. Multivariate index MISS gave more relevant conclusions and a simplified version was tested with success, at this local scale., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To define germs involved, clinical presentation, treatment regimen, and prognostic factors in necrotizing external otitis., Patients and Methods: Retrospective study reviewing a series of 46 patients treated during 10 years in a tertiary care center. Diagnosis was confirmed by using otomicroscopy, computed tomographic and/or magnetic resonance imaging scan and bone scintigraphy (Te 99 and Ga 26 bone scan). Patients were provided ceftazidime and ciprofloxacin intravenously and monitored using a Ga-67 bone scan. The following were assessed: presenting symptoms, general context, bacteriological analysis, imaging protocol sensitivity, complications, delay to healing, and cure rate., Results: Sex ratio was 2.29 (mean age, 73.6 yr). The most common presenting symptoms were otalgia and otorrhea in 97.8 and 91.3%, respectively. Facial paralysis was present in 19.6% of cases. Thirty patients had diabetes mellitus (65.2%), and 8 were immunocompromised (17.4%). Pseudomonas aeruginosa was isolated in 69.2% of cases and was resistant to ciprofloxacin in 18.5%, but was susceptible to ceftazidime in all cases. Four patients died during the treatment (4.4%), but only 2 of disease. The mean delay to healing was 14 weeks (SD, 9.7). Healing rate was 95.6%. No relapse was observed after a mean follow-up of 78.4 weeks (SD, 36.5 wks). Two factors significantly influenced the prognosis: facial paralysis and existence of systemic factors for immune deficiency (p = 0.023 and 0.038, respectively)., Conclusion: The association of ciprofloxacin and ceftazidime was efficient in countering the increasing resistance of P. aeruginosa to quinolones. We propose a prognostic classification of necrotizing external otitis based on the presence of facial paralysis and/or systemic factors.

Purpose: To describe an acute complication after gamma knife stereotactic radiosurgery (GKRS) for vestibular schwannoma (VS) in a neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) patient., Study Design: Case report., Setting: Tertiary care center., Patient: A 20-year-old man, who had bilateral VS and was having right-sided profound deafness, underwent GKRS for a 2-cm left-sided VS in an attempt to preserve his only hearing ear. He received a margin dose of 13 Gy to the 50% isodose line. Twenty-four hours after treatment, he presented with spinning vertigo, left-sided dead ear, and ipsilateral mild facial paralysis (House-Brackmann grade 3)., Results: Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated an intracochlear hemorrhage at the level of the basal turn of the left cochlea. Hearing did not recover, and the patient had to resort to lip reading. The facial paralysis regressed completely after 3 months., Conclusion: Many cases of hemorrhage caused by GKRS have previously been reported, but all were related to meningiomas or brain metastases. Because the patient had no coagulation defect, sign of trauma, or any history of infection, the hemorrhage might have been caused by a direct thermal effect on the endothelial cells or to an immediate tumoral swelling, inducing an increase in intravascular outflow resistance and leading to venous obliteration. To our knowledge, this is the first report of acute intracochlear hemorrhage after GKRS for VS.

Objectives: To describe functional results concerning facial and lingual mobility after side-to end hypoglossal facial nerve anastomosis., Material and Methods: 15 patients were operated on between 1993 and 2002 (11 cases of facial nerve injury during vestibular schwannoma surgery, and 4 cases of brainstem stroke). Were assessed at a minimum of 18 months postop tonus and facial voluntary movements recovery (modified House Brackmann (HB) grading), lingual mobility (amyotrophy and self-evaluation questionnaire), and patients' overall satisfaction (questionnaire)., Results: The mean delay to evaluation was 57.5 months. The tonus recovery appeared within 6 to 8 months (mean 28.5 weeks, SD 4.6 weeks). All patients recovered a normal tonus. The facial function was evaluated HB grade III in II cases (73.3%), grade IV in 3 cases (20%) and grade V in one (6.6%). Eye occlusion was obtained within 13.6 months on average (SD 2.6 months) in all cases except one. The blepharorraphy was maintained in 2 patients. No facial spasm was noted. The lingual motricity troubles were absent in 93.3% of cases. Patients were satisfied in 93.3% of cases. The less satisfactory results were observed when patients were managed late (>2 years after nerve section) and in case of brainstem stroke., Conclusion: This technique seems to be very efficient. It presents the advantage to preserve lingual motricity and to decrease postoperative problems of midface spasticity.

Objective: To assess the qualitative and quantitative aspects of multifrequency tympanograms in patients with Ménière's disease., Study Design: Prospective study of adults., Setting: University medical center., Patients: Forty patients with Ménière's disease outside of episodes and 24 normal-hearing subjects with no otologic history., Interventions: Resonance frequency sweep and tympanograms of admittance, conductance, and susceptance at 2 kHz and at resonance frequency were performed in each ear., Main Outcome Measures: A qualitative assessment was performed to find reproducible and comparable tympanograms (Student's t test) as a prerequisite for quantitative assessment. Four measurement criteria were compared between the groups to establish a diagnostic test (chi Pearson test). A p value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant., Results: Resonance frequency was decreased in Ménière's disease. Only conductance tympanograms at 2 kHz had a constant pattern. Width of conductance tympanograms at 2 kHz was increased in symptomatic Ménière's disease compared with normal ears. Using conductance width at 2 kHz as a diagnostic test with a threshold of 235 daPa, we found a statistically significant difference between symptomatic ears of patients with Ménière's disease and ears of normal subjects (p < 10). More than 95% of normal subjects' ears had a negative test; 56.5% of affected ears of patients with Ménière's disease and 45.8% of nonaffected ears of patients with Ménière's disease had a positive test., Conclusion: Width of conductance at 2 kHz seems to be a sensitive, simple diagnostic test in Ménière's disease. It would also be of great interest in studying Ménière's disease bilaterality.

Nitrates still play an important role in the treatment of coronary heart disease after more than hundred years of use in this indication. Following oral administration, they undergo intense gastric hydrolysis, and are largery destroyed by the first-pass effect. The development of an attenuation phenomenon of the therapeutic effect has been frequently reported during continuous treatments at fixed doses. Percutaneous administration of nitroglycerin due to the development of transdermal devices palliates these various obstacles. Trinipatch is a small, transparent, matricial, monolayer patch with an absorption promoter, marketed in two dose-strengths (5 mg/24 h and 10 mg/24 h) by Laboratoires Synthelabo. Its systemic and local safety and clinical efficacy were studied by 383 private cardiologists and 2,294 general practitioners in 5,079 coronary patients, between the ages of 19 and 91 years, in two open, multicentre trials lasting 3 months. The systemic safety, assessed by adverse event reporting, was good. 2.7% of patients experienced adverse events, but only 0.3% of patients presented a serious adverse event. The effects most frequently encountered were vasodilator effects. A very good stability of cardiovascular parameters was observed, with no reflex tachycardia. The local safety, evaluated by the Draize scale, was also satisfactory; after 1 month and 3 months of treatment, 6.6% and 5.7% of patients presented erythema, usually isolated and moderate. The clinical efficacy was evaluated by subjective criteria in the 740 patients included by cardiologists. A significant reduction of the number of angina attacks and the numbers of doses of nitroglycerin was observed. The percentage of pain-free patients increased from 18.2% at the start of the study to 76% at the end of the trial. These two trials confirmed the good systemic and local safety and clinical efficacy of Trinipatch.