Essential Fishery Information for Trap-Based Fisheries: Development of a Framework for Collaborative Data Collection

Abstract

The availability of up-to-date information for managing marine resources is limited worldwide. In California, lack of data is hindering the execution and evaluation of two recent state laws, the Marine Life Management Act and the Marine Life Protection Act. The inability to meet the objectives of these laws is particularly acute for large cryptic benthic species (e.g., crabs, lobster, and prawns) that support valuable trap fisheries. Such species are not readily quantified by conventional methods and thus are not usually included in existing monitoring efforts. We explored the integration of data collection with ongoing commercial crab fishing activities to address this information gap and developed sampling regimes that provided accurate estimates of at-sea catches that could show the status of crab populations. Crab catches sampled in port represented only a subset of the catch at sea owing to selective harvesting of the catch (i.e., sorting) and thus would be a poor estimator of wild stocks. We developed a framework for addressing data accuracy and validity, data management and sharing, incentives, compensation, and long-term funding. Our findings suggest that data collection programs in which fishermen, managers, and scientists collaboratively design, collect, and analyze data are well suited for trap fisheries, particularly those that include multiple species or practice high rates of selectivity. The resulting recommendations for ensuring that the process is transparent and that the data are accurate and integrated into management include having (1) well-defined goals and appropriate, scientifically sound data collection methods, (2) hands-on training for participants, (3) validation of the collected data, (4) well-defined procedures for handling confidential data, (5) an adequate funding source, and (6) timely and consistent reviews of the data with subsequent actions as needed. This program offers a sound solution for obtaining comprehensive fishery information in a more cost-effective manner than is currently available.     

From the Cover: Spiny frogs (Paini) illuminate the history of the Himalayan region and Southeast Asia

Asian frogs of the tribe Paini (Anura: Dicroglossidae) range across several first-order tectono-morphological domains of the Cenozoic Indo-Asian collision that include the Tibetan Plateau, the Himalayas, and Indochina. We show how the tectonic events induced by the Indo-Asian collision affected the regional biota and, in turn, how the geological history of the earth can be viewed from a biological perspective. Our analysis of a concatenated dataset comprising four nuclear gene sequences of Paini revealed two main radiations, corresponding to the genera Nanorana (I) and Quasipaa (II). Five distinct clades are recognized: Tibetan plateau clade (I-1), Himalaya clade (I-2), environs of Himalaya–Tibetan plateau clade (I-3), South China clade (II-1), and Indochina clade (II-2). This pattern of relationships highlights the significance of geography in shaping evolutionary history. Building on our molecular dating, ancestral region reconstruction, and distributional patterns, we hypothesize a distinct geographic and climatic transition in Asia beginning in the Oligocene and intensifying in the Miocene; this stimulated rapid diversification of Paini. Vicariance explains species formation among major lineages within Nanorana. Dispersal, in contrast, plays an important role among Quasipaa, with the southern Chinese taxa originating from Indochina. Our results support the tectonic hypothesis that an uplift in the Himalaya–Tibetan plateau region resulting from crustal thickening and lateral extrusion of Indochina occurred synchronously during the transition between Oligocene and Miocene in reaction to the Indo-Asian collision. The phylogenetic history of Paini illuminates critical aspects of the timing of geological events responsible for the current geography of Southeast Asia.     

Lifestyle Management of Diabetes: Implications for the Bone-Vascular Axis

Purpose of Review

To describe the main pathways involved in the interplay between bone and cardiovascular disease and to highlight the possible impact of physical activity and medical nutrition therapy on the bone-vascular axis.

Recent Findings

Diabetes increases the risk of both cardiovascular disease and bone fragility fractures, sharing common pathogenic pathways, including OPG/RANK/RANKL, the FGF23/Klotho axis, calciotropic hormones, and circulating osteogenic cells. This may offer new therapeutic targets for future treatment strategies. As lifestyle intervention is the cornerstone of diabetes treatment, there is potential for an impact on the bone-vascular axis.

Summary

Evidence published suggests the bone-vascular axis encompasses key pathways for cardiovascular disease. This, along with studies showing physical activity plays a crucial role in the prevention of both bone fragility and cardiovascular disease, suggests that lifestyle intervention incorporating exercise and diet may be helpful in managing skeletal health decline in diabetes. Studies investigating the controversial role of high-fiber diet and dietary vitamin D/calcium on bone and cardiovascular health suggest an overall benefit, but further investigations are needed in this regard.

     

AFFIRM and RACE Trials: Implications for the Management of Atrial Fibrillation

The Atrial Fibrillation (AF) Follow-up Investigation of Rhythm Management (AFFIRM) and Rate Control versus Electrical Cardioversion for Persistent Atrial Fibrillation Study (RACE) Trials evaluated strategies of rate control or rhythm control in atrial fibrillation. AFFIRM enrolled patients with recent onset AF, and at entry over half of all patients were in sinus rhythm. At any point in the trial, the achieved difference in cardiac rhythm was likely only about 30%. In RACE all patients were entered in AF, and at the end of the study, sinus rhythm was present in 10% vs 39%. The strategy of rate control was non-inferior to the rhythm control strategy in both trials, and permits consideration of rate control as primary therapy. However, the actual differences in rhythm were relatively small, and do not allow the conclusion that maintenance of sinus rhythm is inferior to non-maintenance.Current guidelines recommend that patients with paroxysmal AF receive warfarin if they have risk factors for stroke. This is supported by data from AFFIRM. Most strokes in AFFIRM occurred either during subtherapeutic INR, or after cessation of warfarin. Since more patients in the rhythm control arm of AFFIRM discontinued warfarin, it is possible that asymptomatic recurrences of paroxysmal AF fostered clot development and embolization. We cannot answer from the data available whether or not it is safe to discontinue anticoagulation if all episodes of AF are suppressed.Among the reasons that AF is associated with increased mortality may be that it encourages development of congestive heart failure or progressive left ventricular dysfunction. Congestive heart failure occurrence was monitored in both trials, and occurred at a rate of 2-5% without significant differences between rate and rhythm arms. In patients with heart failure at entry, a mortality trend in AFFIRM favored the rhythm control arm. The issue of survivorship and rhythm control in AF in congestive heart failure is undergoing further testing.     

Clinical importance of the interaction of phenytoin and isoniazid: a report from the Boston Collaborative Drug Surveillance Program.

Six (27 percent) of 22 hospitalized medical patients who received phenytoin and isoniazid concurrently for at least five days experienced toxic effects on the central nervous system (CNS). In contrast, only 30 (3 percent) of 1,093 patients who received phenytoin without isoniazid had toxic effects on the CNS. Thus, the risk of toxic effects from therapy with phenytoin is greatly increased among patients concurrently receiving isoniazid, probably because of isoniazid-induced impairment of the clearance of phenytoin. Schedules of dosage for phenytoin whould be appropriately adjusted to compensate for this clinically important interaction of drugs.     

Screening for and Management of Elevated Lp(a)

While lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) has long been an intriguing subject for basic researchers and clinicians alike, it is only recently that this unique cardiovascular risk factor has begun to be broadly utilized as part of risk prediction. This has dovetailed with the recognition, from genetic studies, that Lp(a) is indeed causal for atherothrombotic disease rather than being merely a marker. Yet, significant questions remain the subject of ongoing study including: what patients groups benefit the most from determination of plasma Lp(a) concentrations; how can elevated plasma Lp(a) concentrations be most effectively managed; does reduction in plasma Lp(a) concentrations reduce risk for atherothrombotic events; and what is the molecular mechanism or mechanisms underlying the risk attributed to elevated Lp(a)? This review summarizes recent progress in genetic studies, basic laboratory research, and epidemiology with a focus on how Lp(a) might be incorporated into clinical practice.     

Emerging Therapeutic Options for Lowering of Lipoprotein(a): Implications for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease

Purpose of Review

Elevated plasma concentrations of lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) are an independent and causal risk factor for cardiovascular diseases including coronary artery disease, ischemic stroke, and calcific aortic valve stenosis. This review summarizes the rationale for Lp(a) lowering and surveys relevant clinical trial data using a variety of agents capable of lowering Lp(a).

Recent Findings

Contemporary guidelines and recommendations outline populations of patients who should be screened for elevated Lp(a) and who might benefit from Lp(a) lowering. Therapies including drugs and apheresis have been described that lower Lp(a) levels modestly (～20 %) to dramatically (～80 %). Existing therapies that lower Lp(a) also have beneficial effects on other aspects of the lipid profile, with the exception of Lp(a)-specific apheresis and an antisense oligonucleotide that targets the mRNA encoding apolipoprotein(a).

Summary

No clinical trials conducted to date have managed to answer the key question of whether Lp(a) lowering confers a benefit in terms of ameliorating cardiovascular risk, although additional outcome trials of therapies that lower Lp(a) are ongoing. It is more likely, however, that Lp(a)-specific agents will provide the most appropriate approach for addressing this question.

     

Updated Maturity Estimates for Flatfishes (Pleuronectidae) in the Eastern Bering Sea,with Implications for Fisheries Management

Female Yellowfin Sole Limanda aspera, Alaska Plaice Pleuronectes quadrituberculatus, and Flathead Sole Hippoglossoides elassodon were collected from the eastern Bering Sea during known prespawning, spawning, and postspawning periods in 2012 and 2013, and their ovaries and otoliths were sampled for use in histological analysis to update historical maturity estimates. For fisheries management, new information on maturity at age can lead to possible changes in estimated reproduction potential (measured as female spawning stock biomass [SSB]) and values of fishing mortality reference points. Our analysis indicated that Yellowfin Sole currently mature at an age similar to that estimated in a study conducted 20 years ago. An evaluation of impacts on the stock assessment indicated that updated estimates of Yellowfin Sole SSB were over 7% higher, but the reference points only changed slightly. The first histologically derived maturity estimates for Alaska Plaice were close to the anatomically derived estimates (visual assessments from 1987), resulting in a marginal decrease (5%) in SSB, but changes in reference points were near 10%. Based on the new maturity estimates for Flathead Sole, SSB estimates increased by 7% compared with estimates currently used in the stock assessment, which relied on maturity data collected in 1999 and 2000. The change in Flathead Sole SSB was concomitant with changes of 16–18% in fishing mortality reference points. Our results indicated minimal differences from historical maturity estimates after re-examination, but in some cases those differences led to relatively large changes in the respective reference points, underscoring the reference points' sensitivity to changes in maturity. Incorporation of these new maturity estimates into the stock assessment process provides valuable updated information for fisheries managers. However, a more comprehensive sampling program is needed to investigate the spatial and temporal aspects of reproduction for each species.

Received November 13, 2014; accepted September 3, 2015     

Lipoprotein (a): Structure,Pathophysiology and Clinical Implications

The chemical structure of lipoprotein (a) is similar to that of LDL, from which it differs due to the presence of apolipoprotein (a) bound to apo B100 via one disulfide bridge. Lipoprotein (a) is synthesized in the liver and its plasma concentration, which can be determined by use of monoclonal antibody-based methods, ranges from < 1 mg to > 1,000 mg/dL. Lipoprotein (a) levels over 20-30 mg/dL are associated with a two-fold risk of developing coronary artery disease. Usually, black subjects have higher lipoprotein (a) levels that, differently from Caucasians and Orientals, are not related to coronary artery disease. However, the risk of black subjects must be considered. Sex and age have little influence on lipoprotein (a) levels. Lipoprotein (a) homology with plasminogen might lead to interference with the fibrinolytic cascade, accounting for an atherogenic mechanism of that lipoprotein. Nevertheless, direct deposition of lipoprotein (a) on arterial wall is also a possible mechanism, lipoprotein (a) being more prone to oxidation than LDL. Most prospective studies have confirmed lipoprotein (a) as a predisposing factor to atherosclerosis. Statin treatment does not lower lipoprotein (a) levels, differently from niacin and ezetimibe, which tend to reduce lipoprotein (a), although confirmation of ezetimibe effects is pending. The reduction in lipoprotein (a) concentrations has not been demonstrated to reduce the risk for coronary artery disease. Whenever higher lipoprotein (a) concentrations are found, and in the absence of more effective and well-tolerated drugs, a more strict and vigorous control of the other coronary artery disease risk factors should be sought.     

Obesity and Diabetic Complications: A Study from the Nationwide Diabetes Report of the National Program for Prevention and Control of Diabetes (NPPCD-2021) Implications for Action on Multiple Scales

BackgroundObesity plays a major role in the pathogenesis and development of macro- and microvascular complications of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and type 1 diabetes (T1D). We aimed to assess the association between obesity and macrovascular and microvascular complications of diabetes.MethodsThis study consisted of 111,830 patients (age range: 1–106) with diabetes including 10,641 T1D (3187 obese [38.2% men] and 7454 non-obese [45.5% men]) and 101,189 T2D (51,873 obese [27.5% men] and 49,316 non-obese [33.4% men]) from the National Program for Prevention and Control of Diabetes (NPPCD-2021) in Iran, who attended academic tertiary care outpatient clinics from February 2016 to April 2021. A pooled logistic regression model was used to examine the association between obesity and diabetic complications.ResultsAmong patients with T1D, a significant association was found between obesity and cardiovascular disease (CVD), neuropathy, nephropathy and retinopathy (OR= 1.75, 1.56, 1.80 and 1.92, P-value= 0.001, 0.004, 0.001 and <0.001, respectively). In T2D, a statistically significant association was found between obesity and CVD, neuropathy and nephropathy (OR= 1.63, 1.98, 1.21, respectively, P-values <0.001).ConclusionObesity was independently associated with CVD, neuropathy and nephropathy in patients with T1D and T2D and with retinopathy only in T1D, to different degrees. The association between obesity and retinopathy and neuropathy was the strongest among T1D and T2D, respectively. Findings from this study suggest that obesity affects diabetic complications differently among the two types of diabetes, in terms of epidemiology and pathophysiology. This signifies the importance of different preventive and therapeutic approaches to obesity in T1D compared to T2D, on a national and global scale.     

Clinical, Pathologic, and Immunohistochemical Characteristics of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors of the Colon and Rectum: Implications for Surgical Management and Adjuvant Therapies

Introduction This study was designed to review the clinical characteristics of surgically treated gastrointestinal stromal tumors of the colon and rectum, evaluate their immunohistochemical and pathologic features based on the current National Institutes of Health criteria, and correlate clinicopathologic findings with the subsequent clinical course. Methods Patient and disease characteristics at presentation, pathologic features, surgical management, and clinical outcomes of 18 patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (4 colon and 14 rectum) diagnosed and primarily treated at our institution between 1979 and 2004 were evaluated. Results Tumors were classified on basis of size and mitotic rate according to current National Institutes of Health recommendations: 67 percent (n = 12) were high-risk, 5 percent (n = 1) were intermediate-risk, 17 percent (n = 3) were low-risk, and 11 percent (n = 2) were very low-risk gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Fifteen of 18 tumors were KIT-positive. The three KIT-negative tumors were platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha positive. All patients with colonic gastrointestinal stromal tumors (n = 4) underwent segmental resection, whereas patients with rectal gastrointestinal stromal tumors had local excision (n = 5) or radical resection (n = 9). Sixty-six percent (8/12) of patients with high-risk colorectal gastrointestinal stromal tumors developed metastases. None of the patients (n = 6) with intermediate-risk, low-risk, or very low-risk gastrointestinal stromal tumors died of their disease after a median follow-up of 65 (range, 15–266) months. Conclusions The majority of gastrointestinal stromal tumors of the colon and rectum are high-risk. Patients with high-risk colorectal gastrointestinal stromal tumors have a significant likelihood of developing metastases that is associated with poor prognosis. These patients need to be closely followed for an extended period and should be considered for adjuvant therapy with tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Poster presentation at the meeting of The American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, Dallas, Texas, May 8 to 13 2004.     

Cardiovascular Health Promotion for Children: A Model for a Parish (County)–Wide Program (Implementation and Preliminary Results)

Cardiovascular (CV) risk factors in childhood result in a lifetime burden on the CV system. The Bogalusa Heart Study, a prevention program for children, addresses behaviors and lifestyles associated with CV risk. This prevention program utilizes the substructure of a Parish (County) that can be a model for other areas. All aspects in educating school children—the classroom, physical activity, cafeteria, teachers, and parents with community involvement—are included. The program requires cooperation of parents, schools, physicians, and political and business personnel. Their collaboration helps implement and sustain the program. Understanding the origin of coronary artery disease, hypertension, diabetes, and now the obesity epidemic shows the need to develop a framework for improving lifestyles and behaviors beginning in childhood. In addition to nutrition and exercise, the program addresses tobacco, alcohol, and drug use, and societal problems such as dropping out of school, violent behavior, and teenage pregnancy. An initial accomplishment is the entry into all elementary schools, representing approximately 7000 children. Early results show reduction in obesity, increased physical activity, improved decision making, and healthy attitudes. This public health model is inexpensive by utilizing prior research findings and integrating into community resources. Health education of children is an important aspect of preventive cardiology with a need for pediatric and adult cardiologists' involvement.
Prev Cardiol. 2010;13:23–28.^©2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.