Maritime transportation: Let's slow down a bit.

Maritime transportation is a major contributor to the world economy, but has significant social and environmental impacts. Each impact calls for different technical or operational solutions. Amongst these solutions, we found that speed reduction measures appear to mitigate several issues: (1) collision with wildlife; (2) collision with non-living objects; (3) underwater noise; (4) invasive species; and (5) gas emission. We do not pretend that speed reduction is the best solution for each individual issue mentioned in this paper, but we argue that it could be a key solution to significantly reduce these threats all together. Further interdisciplinary research is required to balance private economic costs of speed reduction measures with environmental and social benefits emerging from all mitigated issues.

Kakila database: Towards a FAIR community approved database of cetacean presence in the waters of the Guadeloupe Archipelago, based on citizen science.

BACKGROUND: In the French West Indies, more than 20 species of cetaceans have been observed over the last decades. The recognition of this hotspot of biodiversity of marine mammals, observed in the French Exclusive Economic Zone of the West Indies, motivated the French government to create in 2010 a marine protected area (MPA) dedicated to the conservation of marine mammals: the Agoa Sanctuary. Threats that cetacean populations face are multiple, but well-documented. Cetacean conservation can only be achieved if relevant and reliable data are available, starting by occurrence data. In the Guadeloupe Archipelago and in addition to some data collected by the Agoa Sanctuary, occurrence data are mainly available through the contribution of citizen science and of local stakeholders (i.e. non-profit organisations (NPO) and whale-watchers). However, no observation network has been coordinated and no standards exist for cetacean presence data collection and management. NEW INFORMATION: In recent years, several whale watchers and NPOs regularly collected cetacean observation data around the Guadeloupe Archipelago. Our objective was to gather datasets from three Guadeloupean whale watchers, two NPOs and the Agoa Sanctuary, that agreed to share their data. These heterogeneous data went through a careful process of curation and standardisation in order to create a new extended database, using a newly-designed metadata set. This aggregated dataset contains a total of 4,704 records of 21 species collected in the Guadeloupe Archipelago from 2000 to 2019. The database was called Kakila ("who is there?" in Guadeloupean Creole). The Kakila database was developed following the FAIR principles with the ultimate objective of ensuring sustainability. All these data were transferred into the PNDB repository (Pöle National de Données de Biodiversité, Biodiversity French Data Hub, https://www.pndb.fr).In the Agoa Sanctuary and surrounding waters, marine mammals have to interact with increasing anthropogenic pressure from growing human activities. In this context, the Kakila database fulfils the need for an organised system to structure marine mammal occurrences collected by multiple local stakeholders with a common objective: contribute to the knowledge and conservation of cetaceans living in the French Antilles waters. Much needed data analysis will enable us to identify high cetacean presence areas, to document the presence of rarer species and to determine areas of possible negative interactions with anthropogenic activities.

Kin relationships in cultural species of the marine realm: case study of a matrilineal social group of sperm whales off Mauritius island, Indian Ocean.

Understanding the organization and dynamics of social groups of marine mammals through the study of kin relationships is particularly challenging. Here, we studied a stable social group of sperm whales off Mauritius, using underwater observations, individual-specific identification, non-invasive sampling and genetic analyses based on mitochondrial sequencing and microsatellite profiling. Twenty-four sperm whales were sampled between 2017 and 2019. All individuals except one adult female shared the same mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotype-one that is rare in the western Indian Ocean-thus confirming with near certainty the matrilineality of the group. All probable first- and second-degree kin relationships were depicted in the sperm whale social group: 13 first-degree and 27 second-degree relationships were identified. Notably, we highlight the likely case of an unrelated female having been integrated into a social unit, in that she presented a distinct mtDNA haplotype and no close relationships with any members of the group. Investigating the possible matrilineality of sperm whale cultural units (i.e. vocal clans) is the next step in our research programme to elucidate and better apprehend the complex organization of sperm whale social groups.

Persistence, bioaccumulation and vertical transfer of pollutants in long-finned pilot whales stranded in Chilean Patagonia.

Long-finned pilot whales (LFPW) are cetaceans with strong social groups often involved in mass strandings worldwide. However, these beachings occur for reasons that are not fully understood. In 2016, 124 LFPW were stranded on the Chilean Patagonian islands, offering a unique opportunity to obtain crucial information on the ecology, biology, and genetics of this population. In addition, we examined whether persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and trace elements (TEs) were responsible for this mass mortality. Stable isotopes (δ13C & δ15N) and genetic analyses were used to reconstruct the trophic ecology, social structure, and kinship of LFPW and compared to POPs and TEs levels found in LFPW. Mitochondrial DNA analyses on 71 individuals identified four maternal lineages within the stranded LFPW. Of these animals, 32 individuals were analyzed for a suite of POPs, TEs, and lipid content in blubber. The highest levels were found for ΣDDXs (6 isomers) (542.46 ± 433.46 ng/g, lw) and for total Hg (2.79 ± 1.91 mg/kg, dw). However, concentrations found in these LFPW were lower than toxicity thresholds and those reported for LFPW stranded in other regions. Evidence was found of ΣDDX, Σ7PCBs, and Cd bioaccumulation and maternal transfer of POPs in mother/offspring groups. Nevertheless, no clear relationship between contaminant concentrations and LFPW mortality was established. Further research is still needed to assess LFPW populations including conservations status and exposure to chemicals in remote areas such as Patagonia.

Characterization of 25 new microsatellite markers for the fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) and cross-species amplification in other cetaceans.

Cetaceans are large mammals widely distributed on Earth. The fin whale, Balaenoptera physalus, is the second largest living animal. In the 20th century, commercial whaling reduced its global population by 70%, and in the Mediterranean Sea not only was their overall population depleted but the migration between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean was reduced. Previous genetic studies identified isolation between these two regions, with a limited gene-flow between these adjacent populations based on nuclear and mitochondrial markers. However, only limited information exists for the Mediterranean population as genetic diversity and abundance trends are still unknown. In this study, 39 highly polymorphic microsatellite markers were tested, including 25 markers developed de novo together with 14 markers previously published. An average allelic diversity of 8.3 alleles per locus was reported, ranging from 3 to 15 alleles per locus, for B. physalus. Expected heterozygosity was variable among loci and ranged from 0.34 to 0.91. Only two markers in the new set were significantly deviant from the Hardy Weinberg equilibrium. Cross-species amplification was tested in four other cetacean species. A total of 27 markers were successfully amplified in the four species (Balaenoptera acutorostrata, Megaptera novaeangliae, Physeter macrocephalus and Globicephala melas). A multivariate analysis on the multilocus genotypes successfully discriminated the five species. This new set of microsatellite markers will not only provide a useful tool to identify and understand the genetic diversity and the evolution of the B. physalus population, but it will also be relevant for other cetacean species, and will allow further parentage analyses. Eventually, this new set of microsatellite markers will provide critical data that will shed light on important biological data within a conservation perspective.

Duplicated collecting system with ectopic prostatic implantation: Therapeutic conservative robot assisted approach, about a case report.

Duplication of the ureters with distal, supra-sphincteric, prostatic implantation is an uncommon congenital anomaly. We report a case of a 35 year-old men presenting with pelvic pain with lower urinary tract symptoms for at least 3 months duration. On magnetic resonance urograms double collecting system in the left kidney and also hydro-uretero-nephrosis in the collecting system which drained the upper pole of the left kidney were seen. The ureter draining the upper pole of the left kidney was seen to open into the prostatic utricle with an ureterocele and multiple stones. Left ureteroneocystostomy was performed.

Cultural Transmission of Fine-Scale Fidelity to Feeding Sites May Shape Humpback Whale Genetic Diversity in Russian Pacific Waters.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) differences between humpback whales on different feeding grounds can reflect the cultural transmission of migration destinations over generations, and therefore represent one of the very few cases of gene-culture coevolution identified in the animal kingdom. In Russian Pacific waters, photo-identification (photo-ID) studies have shown minimal interchange between whales feeding off the Commander Islands and those feeding in the Karaginsky Gulf, regions that are separated by only 500 km and have previously been lumped together as a single Russian feeding ground. Here, we assessed whether genetic differentiation exists between these 2 groups of humpback whales. We discovered a strong mtDNA differentiation between the 2 feeding sites (FST = 0.18, ΦST = 0.14, P < 0.001). In contrast, nuclear DNA (nuDNA) polymorphisms, determined at 8 microsatellite loci, did not reveal any differentiation. Comparing our mtDNA results with those from a previous ocean-basin study reinforced the differences between the 2 feeding sites. Humpback whales from the Commanders appeared most similar to those of the western Gulf of Alaska and the Aleutian feeding grounds, whereas Karaginsky differed from all other North Pacific feeding grounds. Comparison to breeding grounds suggests mixed origins for the 2 feeding sites; there are likely connections between Karaginsky and the Philippines and to a lesser extent to Okinawa, Japan, whereas the Commanders are linked to the Mexican breeding grounds. The mtDNA differentiation between the Commander Islands and Karaginsky Gulf suggests a case of gene-culture coevolution, correlated to fidelity to a specific feeding site within a particular feeding ground. From a conservation perspective, our findings emphasize the importance of considering these 2 feeding sites as separate management units.

Qualitative and quantitative study of the highly specialized lipid tissues of cetaceans using HR-MAS NMR and classical GC.

Cetacean adipose tissues contain an extremely very wide variety of acyl-chains present in triacylglycerols and / or wax esters. In addition, changes in the lipid composition across organs suggest fine stratification. It therefore remains technically challenging to describe precisely the lipid organization of these tissues. In the present study, we used in parallel HR-MAS NMR (High Resolution Magic Angle Spinning Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) and GC (gas-chromatography) to characterize and quantify the lipids and fatty acyl-chains from the blubber and melon of two odontocete species. Both methods generated very similar compositions, but each presented clear advantages. While GC underestimated the amount of short branched fatty acyl-chains, which are specific to cetacean adipose tissues and most probably of primary importance for their functioning, HR-MAS NMR allowed for their exact quantification. Conversely, when HR-MAS NMR could only discriminate a few types of fatty acyl-chain families, GC unambiguously identified and quantified most of them. In addition, this technique allowed for the determination of the wax esters molecular species. Our results further suggest that the stratification of these adipose tissues relies on changes in the triacylglycerol to wax ester ratio and in the fatty acyl composition of triacylglycerols, but not on changes in the wax esters composition. Altogether, our data show that the complementarities of these two approaches result in lipid analyses of unprecedented precision, paving the way for the detailed description of the fatty acyl composition of cetacean adipose tissues and the understanding of their functioning.

Focal High Intensity Focused Ultrasound of Unilateral Localized Prostate Cancer: A Prospective Multicentric Hemiablation Study of 111 Patients.

BACKGROUND: Up to a third of patients with localized prostate cancer have unilateral disease that may be suitable for partial treatment with hemiablation. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the ability of high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) to achieve local control of the tumor in patients with unilateral localized prostate cancer. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: The French Urological Association initiated a prospective IDEAL multi-institutional study (2009-2015), to evaluate HIFU-hemiablation as a primary treatment. INTERVENTION: Multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging and biopsy were used for unilateral cancer diagnosis and control, and HIFU-hemiablation. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Primary: absence of clinically significant cancer (CSC) on control biopsy at 1 yr (CSC: Gleason score ≥ 7 or cancer core length>3mm regardless of grade or > 2 positive cores). Secondary: presence of any cancer on biopsy, biochemical response, radical treatment free survival, adverse events, continence (no pad), erectile function (International Index of Erectile Function-5 ≥ 16), and quality of life (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C28) questionnaires. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: One hundred and eleven patients were treated (mean age: 64.8 yr [standard deviation 6.2]; mean prostate-specific antigen: 6.2 ng/ml [standard deviation 2.6]; 68% low risk, 32% intermediate risk). Of the 101 patients with control biopsy, 96 (95%) and 94 (93%) had no CSC in the treated and contralateral lobes, respectively. Mean prostate-specific antigen at 2 yr was 2.3 ng/ml (standard deviation 1.7). The radical treatment-free survival rate at 2 years was 89% (radical treatments: six radical prostatectomies, three radiotherapies, and two HIFU). Adverse events were Grade 3 in 13%. At 12 mo continence and erectile functions were preserved in 97% and 78%. No significant decrease in quality of life score was observed at 12 mo. One limitation is the number of low-risk patients included in this study. CONCLUSIONS: At 1 yr, HIFU-hemiablation was efficient with 95% absence of clinically significant cancer associated with low morbidity and preservation of quality of life. Radical treatment-free survival rate was 89% at 2 yr. PATIENT SUMMARY: This report shows that high intensity focused ultrasound half-gland treatment of unilateral prostate cancer provides promising results with high cancer control and low morbidity.

Influence of environmental parameters on movements and habitat utilization of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the Madagascar breeding ground.

Assessing the movement patterns and key habitat features of breeding humpback whales is a prerequisite for the conservation management of this philopatric species. To investigate the interactions between humpback whale movements and environmental conditions off Madagascar, we deployed 25 satellite tags in the northeast and southwest coast of Madagascar. For each recorded position, we collated estimates of environmental variables and computed two behavioural metrics: behavioural state of 'transiting' (consistent/directional) versus 'localized' (variable/non-directional), and active swimming speed (i.e. speed relative to the current). On coastal habitats (i.e. bathymetry < 200 m and in adjacent areas), females showed localized behaviour in deep waters (191 ± 20 m) and at large distances (14 ± 0.6 km) from shore, suggesting that their breeding habitat extends beyond the shallowest waters available close to the coastline. Males' active swimming speed decreased in shallow waters, but environmental parameters did not influence their likelihood to exhibit localized movements, which was probably dominated by social factors instead. In oceanic habitats, both males and females showed localized behaviours in shallow waters and favoured high chlorophyll-a concentrations. Active swimming speed accounts for a large proportion of observed movement speed; however, breeding humpback whales probably exploit prevailing ocean currents to maximize displacement. This study provides evidence that coastal areas, generally subject to strong human pressure, remain the core habitat of humpback whales off Madagascar. Our results expand the knowledge of humpback whale habitat use in oceanic habitat and response to variability of environmental factors such as oceanic current and chlorophyll level.

The use of DNA barcoding to monitor the marine mammal biodiversity along the French Atlantic coast.

In the last ten years, 14 species of cetaceans and five species of pinnipeds stranded along the Atlantic coast of Brittany in the North West of France. All species included, an average of 150 animals strand each year in this area. Based on reports from the stranding network operating along this coast, the most common stranding events comprise six cetacean species (Delphinus delphis, Tursiops truncatus, Stenella coeruleoalba, Globicephala melas, Grampus griseus, Phocoena phocoena)and one pinniped species (Halichoerus grypus). Rare stranding events include deep-diving or exotic species, such as arctic seals. In this study, our aim was to determine the potential contribution of DNA barcoding to the monitoring of marine mammal biodiversity as performed by the stranding network. We sequenced more than 500 bp of the 5' end of the mitochondrial COI gene of 89 animals of 15 different species (12 cetaceans, and three pinnipeds). Except for members of the Delphininae, all species were unambiguously discriminated on the basis of their COI sequences. We then applied DNA barcoding to identify some "undetermined" samples. With again the exception of the Delphininae, this was successful using the BOLD identification engine. For samples of the Delphininae, we sequenced a portion of the mitochondrial control region (MCR), and using a non-metric multidimentional scaling plot and posterior probability calculations we were able to determine putatively each species. We then showed, in the case of the harbour porpoise, that COI polymorphisms, although being lower than MCR ones, could also be used to assess intraspecific variability. All these results show that the use of DNA barcoding in conjunction with a stranding network could clearly increase the accuracy of the monitoring of marine mammal biodiversity.

A European melting pot of harbour porpoise in the French Atlantic coasts inferred from mitochondrial and nuclear data.

Field surveys have reported a global shift in harbour porpoise distribution in European waters during the last 15 years, including a return to the Atlantic coasts of France. In this study, we analyzed genetic polymorphisms at a fragment of the mitochondrial control region (mtDNA CR) and 7 nuclear microsatellite loci, for 52 animals stranded and by-caught between 2000 and 2010 along the Atlantic coasts of France. The analysis of nuclear and mitochondrial loci provided contrasting results. The mtDNA revealed two genetically distinct groups, one closely related to the Iberian and African harbour porpoises, and the second related to individuals from the more northern waters of Europe. In contrast, nuclear polymorphisms did not display such a distinction. Nuclear markers suggested that harbour porpoises behaved as a randomly mating population along the Atlantic coasts of France. The difference between the two kinds of markers can be explained by differences in their mode of inheritance, the mtDNA being maternally inherited in contrast to nuclear loci that are bi-parentally inherited. Our results provide evidence that a major proportion of the animals we sampled are admixed individuals from the two genetically distinct populations previously identified along the Iberian coasts and in the North East Atlantic. The French Atlantic coasts are clearly the place where these two previously separated populations of harbour porpoises are now admixing. The present shifts in distribution of harbour porpoises along this coast is likely caused by habitat changes that will need to be further studied.

Radio-frequency ablation of solitary adrenal gland metastasis from renal cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the early clinical experience associated with radio-frequency (RF) ablation in patients with solitary adrenal gland metastasis of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). METHODS: A total of 5 patients were treated with RF ablation of adrenal gland metastasis from RCC under computed tomography (CT) guidance between 2006 and 2007. Radiotherapeutics generator (Boston Scientific, Natick, MA) and Radiotherapeutics RF ablation probe with "umbrella" array tip (Boston Scientific, Natick, MA) were used. These patients were contraindicated for surgery due to several associated morbidities. All patients underwent a tumor biopsy before RF. The access was percutaneous in all patients. Tumor control was defined as the absence of contrast enhancement in the tumor on CT. Data were collected in a retrospective manner. RESULTS: Five patients were treated with a RF ablation of the adrenal metastasis. The average age of the patients was 69.4 +/- 11.1 years (57-87), the average time between the radical nephrectomy and the onset of adrenal metastasis was 5.2 +/- 1.3 years (4-7), and average diameter of the tumor was 3.9 +/- 1.4 cm (2-6). A year after RF, four patients had a total necrosis of their tumor on CT and 1 had an active tumor for which the patient received a second course of RF. An abscess of the adrenal gland had occurred in 1 case requiring a percutaneous drainage. CONCLUSIONS: The treatment of metastatic adrenal gland with RF broadens the range of treatment of metastatic RCC. The efficacy of this therapeutic modality must be confirmed by larger series with the longest follow-up.