Chlorinated and brominated persistent compounds in hard coral, soft coral, and parrotfish from remote Mascarene islands.

Persistent halogenated compounds (PHC) are of concern for human and environmental health. Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are regulated by international treaties, but alternative compounds such as novel brominated flame retardants (NBFRs) and Dechlorane Plus (DP) are not-yet they are increasingly used. There are no data on PHCs in coral reef biota from tropical islands in the western Indian Ocean (WIO). For this assessment, three hard coral genera, two soft coral genera, and ember parrotfish (Scarus rubroviolaceus) were collected from the remote Rodrigues, Agalega, and St. Brandon's Atoll (Republic of Mauritius) in the Mascarene Basin of the WIO. Five compounds - Pentabromotoluene (PBT), γ-HCH, p,p'-DDE, HCB, and BDE-47- were quantifiable in all samples. Hard coral consistently contained the lowest concentrations of PHCs, except for NBFRs. The presence of BDE-47 suggests long-range aerial transport. We quantified DP, currently a candidate POP, in coral reef biota. PBT was measured in all samples also suggests long-range transport. Because the hard coral, soft coral, and fish had differing concentrations and patterns of PHCs, future surveys should stratify sampling accordingly. Agalega and St. Brandon's Atoll can be considered as locations to monitor changes in background concentrations of pollutants due to their remoteness.

Impacts of a shallow shipwreck on a coral reef: A case study from St. Brandon's Atoll, Mauritius, Indian Ocean.

Shallow shipwrecks, can have severe ecological and toxicological impacts on coral atolls. In 2012, a tuna longliner ran aground on the reef crest of St Brandon's Atoll, Mauritius, broke up into three pieces which was moved by currents and storms into the lagoon. In the months following the grounding, the coral around the wreck became dead and black. Down-current from the wreck, a dense bloom of filamentous algae (Ulva sp.) attached to coral occurred. To determine the ecological effects of the wreck on the system, the marine biota around the wreck, in the algal bloom, and fish reference zones were counted in 2014. Metal concentrations in reference and affected coral was determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP/MS). A pronounced difference was seen in the metal concentration pattern between coral from the wreck- and algal zones, and the coral reference zone. While the wreck zone contained the highest abundance of fish, the fish reference zone had the highest species diversity but with fewer fish. We also counted eleven Critically Endangered hawksbill sea turtles Eretmochelys imbricata and significantly more sea cucumbers in the algal zone than the reference zones. The effects of shipwrecks on coral reefs must be considered a threat over periods of years and should be studied further.

Effects of brief eclectic psychotherapy in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder: randomized clinical trial.

Brief Eclectic Psychotherapy (BEP) is a manualized psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which has proven effective for police officers. This article reports on a randomized clinical trial using BEP to treat other types of PTSD patients recruited from an outpatient clinic. Twenty-four patients were randomly assigned to a treatment or a waitlist group. Assessment of PTSD was made before and after the treatment period (4 months). No significant differences between the groups were observed at pretest. By posttest, BEP had effectively reduced PTSD as well as general anxiety symptoms in the treated group of outpatients as compared to the waitlist group.