RESUMEN
The European eel (Anguilla anguilla) has declined by over 90% since the early 1980s and has been listed as critically endangered. Yet, despite strict export bans from the European Union, the European eel is still sold illegally in many countries. Efforts to monitor the trade of European eels have been primarily concentrated in Asian markets where concerningly high rates of European eel have been reported. Comparably fewer studies have assessed the identities of eel samples from the United States (US), despite the obvious implications for eel conservation. To address this knowledge gap, we purchased 137 eel products (134 freshwater eels and three saltwater eels) from grocers, sushi bars, and restaurants in nine states across the US from 2019 to 2021. Seven samples (5.2%) labeled as freshwater eels (or "unagi") were identified as European eels using a combination of mitochondrial (cytochrome b) and nuclear (18S rRNA) restriction digestion assays, a fast and inexpensive molecular tool for seafood identification that can identify hybrids between European eels (A. anguilla) and American eels (A. rostrata). No hybrids between European and American eels were found and all seven samples identified with restriction digestion as European eels were confirmed by sequencing of cytochrome b and 18S rRNA. Frequency of European eels in US markets did not significantly correlate with state or retail type. Although illegal eel exports are likely reaching US consumers, the frequency of European eel samples in this study of the US market is much lower than found in other non-European countries.
Asunto(s)
Anguilla , Comercio , Especies en Peligro de Extinción , Animales , Anguilla/genética , Citocromos b , ARN Ribosómico 18S , Alimentos MarinosRESUMEN
Environmental DNA (eDNA) is increasingly used to measure biodiversity of marine ecosystems, yet key aspects of the temporal dynamics of eDNA remain unknown. Of particular interest is in situ persistence of eDNA signals in dynamic marine environments, as eDNA degradation rates have predominantly been quantified through mesocosm studies. To determine in situ eDNA residence times, we introduced an eDNA signal from a non-native fish into a protected bay of a Southern California rocky reef ecosystem, and then measured changes in both introduced and background eDNA signals across a fixed transect over 96 hours. Foreign eDNA signal was no longer detected only 7.5 hours after introduction, a time substantially shorter than the multi-day persistence times in laboratory studies. Moreover, the foreign eDNA signal spread along the entire 38 m transect within 1.5 hours after introduction, indicating that transport and diffusion play a role in eDNA detectability even in protected low energy marine environments. Similarly, native vertebrate eDNA signals varied greatly over the 96 hours of observation as well as within two additional nearby fixed transects sampled over 120 hours. While community structure did significantly change across time of day and tidal direction, neither accounted for the majority of observed variation. Combined, results show that both foreign and native eDNA signatures can exhibit substantial temporal heterogeneity, even on hourly time scales. Further work exploring eDNA decay from lagrangian perspective and quantifying effects of sample and technical replication are needed to better understand temporal variation of eDNA signatures in nearshore marine environments.
Asunto(s)
ADN Ambiental/genética , Vertebrados/genética , Animales , Biodiversidad , Conservación de los Recursos Naturales/métodos , Código de Barras del ADN Taxonómico/métodos , Ecosistema , Monitoreo del Ambiente/métodosRESUMEN
The intensive care unit (ICU) is not only a place where lives are saved; it is also a site of harm and iatrogenic injury for millions of people treated in this setting globally every year. Increasingly, hospitals admit only the sickest patients, and although the overall number of hospital beds remains stable in the United States, the percentage of that total devoted to ICU beds is rising. These 2 realities engender a demographic imperative to address patient safety in the critical care setting. This article addresses the medical community's resistance to adopting a culture of safety in critical care with regard to issues surrounding sedation, delirium, and early mobility. Although there is currently much research and quality improvement in this area, most of what we know from these data and published guidelines has not become reality in the day-to-day management of ICU patients. This article is not intended to provide a comprehensive review of the literature but rather a framework to rethink our currently outdated culture of critical care by employing Maslow's hierarchy of needs, along with a few novel analogies. Application of Maslow's hierarchy will help propel health care professionals toward comprehensive care of the whole person not merely for survival but toward restoration of pre-illness function of mind, body, and spirit.