Elevated Winter Stream Temperatures below Wastewater Treatment Plants Shift Reproductive Development of Female Johnny Darter Etheostoma nigrum: A Field and Histologic Approach.

River water temperatures are increasing globally, particularly in urban systems. In winter, wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent inputs are of particular concern because they increase water temperatures from near freezing to ~7-15 °C. Recent laboratory studies suggest that warm overwinter temperatures impact the reproductive timing of some fishes. To evaluate winter water temperature's influence in the wild, we sampled Johnny Darter Etheostoma nigrum from three urban South Platte River tributaries in Colorado upstream and downstream of WWTP effluent discharge sites. Fish were collected weekly during the spring spawning season of 2021 and reproductive development was determined from histological analysis of the gonads. Winter water temperatures were approximately 5-10 °C greater ~300 m downstream of the WWTP effluent compared to upstream sites, and approximately 3°C warmer at sampling sites ~5000 m downstream of the effluent discharge. Females collected downstream of WWTP effluent experienced accelerated reproductive development compared to upstream by 1-2 weeks. Water quality, including total estrogenicity, and spring water temperatures did not appear to explain varying reproductive development. It appears that small increases in winter water temperature influence the reproductive timing in E. nigrum. Further investigations into how shifts in reproductive timing influence other population dynamics are warranted.

Improving implementation of the smoking cessation guidelines with pregnant women: How to support clinicians?

OBJECTIVE: this study aimed to explore the enablers and barriers to implementation of the Australian smoking cessation in pregnancy guidelines. These guidelines direct clinicians to follow the 5As of cessation: Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist and Arrange follow-up. DESIGN: semi-structured interviews based on the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) elicited clinicians' views and experiences of implementing the guidelines. SETTING: antenatal care in the NSW public health system. PARTICIPANTS: 27 maternity service managers, obstetricians and midwives. FINDINGS: participants confirmed that implementation of the smoking cessation guidelines was sub-optimal. This was particularly the case with Assist and Arrange follow up at the initial visit, and with following any of the 5As at subsequent visits. Key barriers included systems which did not support implementation or monitoring, lack of knowledge, skills and training, perceived time restrictions, 'difficult conversations' and perceiving smoking as a social activity. Enablers included clinicians' knowledge of the harms of smoking in pregnancy, clinicians' skills in communicating with pregnant women, positive emotions, professional role and identity, the potential of training and of champions to influence practice, and systems that regulated behaviour. KEY CONCLUSIONS: these findings will contribute to the development of a multifaceted intervention to support clinicians in implementing the guidelines. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Building on existing strengths, antenatal care providers may be supported in implementing the guidelines by working with systems which remind and support implementation, the clear reframing of smoking as an addiction, knowledge and skills development and by realizing the potential of leadership to maximise the impact of reinforcement and social influence.