We examined the effects of nutrient availability and turbidity on phytoplankton biomass over 9 years in Gwanyang Bay, Korea, which is an anthropogenically polluted and complex estuary. While dredging and reclamation shaped geochemical features, river discharge with low-turbidity water and sewage treatment plants contributed to nutrient loading. The replete levels of nutrients and short water-residence time suggest the inapplicability of the washout theory, whereas the presence of NH4+ suppressed the growth of phytoplankton. A reduction in the river discharge caused a concomitant decline in the loading and dilution of suspended particles. All these features led to an increase in SPM, light limitation, and NH4+ concentration.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/ly333531.html  GLM estimates revealed negative effects of NH4+ and SPM on chlorophyll a over 9 years while SEM verified synergistic effects of NH4+ and SPM compared with positive effects of NO2 + NO3-. Our findings provide new insights into phytoplankton bloom dynamics in Gwangyang Bay.
  Epithelial cell death is an important innate mechanism at mucosal surfaces, which enables the elimination of pathogens and modulates immunoinflammatory responses. Based on the antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties of cell death, we hypothesized that oral epithelial cell (OECs) death is differentially modulated by oral bacteria.
 
  We evaluated the effect of oral commensals Streptococcus gordonii (Sg), Streptococcus sanguinis (Ss), and Veillonella parvula (Vp), and pathogens Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), Tannerella forsythia (Tf), and Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn) on OEC death. Apoptosis and necrosis were evaluated by flow cytometry using FITC Annexin-V and Propidium Iodide staining. Caspase-3/7 and caspase-1 activities were determined as markers of apoptosis and pyroptosis, respectively. IL-1β and IL-8 protein levels were determined in supernatants by ELISA.
 
  Significant increases in apoptosis and necrosis were induced by Sg and Ss. Pg also induced apoptosis, although at a substantially lower levelge the extent of bacterial colonization of the outer layers of mucosal epithelial surfaces. Dysbiosis-related reduction or elimination of pro-apoptotic oral bacterial species could contribute to the risk for persistent inflammation and tissue destruction.
  Fear associated with medical vulnerability should be considered when assessing mental health among individuals with chronic medical conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective was to develop and validate the COVID-19 Fears Questionnaire for Chronic Medical Conditions.
 
  Fifteen initial items were generated based on suggestions from 121 people with the chronic autoimmune disease systemic sclerosis (SSc; scleroderma). Patients in a COVID-19 SSc cohort completed items between April 9 and 27, 2020. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and item analysis were used to select items for inclusion. Cronbach's alpha and Pearson correlations were used to evaluate internal consistency reliability and convergent validity. Factor structure was confirmed with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in follow-up data collection two weeks later.
 
  787 participants completed baseline measures; 563 of them completed the follow-up assessment. Ten of 15 initial items were included in the final questionnaire. EFA suggested that a single dimension explained the data reasonably well. There were no indications of floor or ceiling effects. Cronbach's alpha was 0.91. Correlations between the COVID-19 Fears Questionnaire and measures of anxiety (r = 0.53), depressive symptoms (r = 0.44), and perceived stress (r = 0.50) supported construct validity. CFA supported the single-factor structure (χ
  (35) = 311.2, p < 0.001, Tucker-Lewis Index = 0.97, Comparative Fit Index = 0.96, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation = 0.12).
 
  The COVID-19 Fears Questionnaire for Chronic Medical Conditions can be used to assess fear among people at risk due to pre-existing medical conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 The COVID-19 Fears Questionnaire for Chronic Medical Conditions can be used to assess fear among people at risk due to pre-existing medical conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic.The objective of this study was to obtain baseline data on litter from three beaches of the Lakshadweep Islands (Kadmat, Suheli Par, and Minicoy). At each site, three transects of 20 × 20 m of the foreshore and intertidal zone were sampled during low tide. All macro litter (size >2.5 cm to less then 1 m) within each transect were collected and counted. A total of 1231 litter items belonging to 22 categories were recorded. The highest average abundance (193 ± 97 items/400 m2) of marine litter was found in Kadmat, followed by Suheli Par (154 ± 31items/400 m2) and Minicoy (63 ± 49 items/400 m2) islands. The Clean Coast Index (CCI) suggests that Minicoy Island has a clean beach (CCI 3.15) while Suheli Par (CCI 8) and Kadmat (CCI 10) were moderate. The primary contributing sources of litter on the beaches were fishing (45%) and public (34%). Better management practices are required to control litter sources.The Arabian or Persian Gulf is recognized as one of the warmest estuaries globally. The sea surface temperature (SST) has been utilized in several studies to gauge the global warming associated with climate change. In the current investigation we present detailed in situ SST measurements for five consecutive years (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020) in the northwest of the Gulf, specifically in Kuwait Bay. Results of data analyses were compared with the historical records for the region, revealing that the SST reached an extreme level never previously recorded either in the Gulf. The extreme SST in Kuwait Bay reached 37.6 °C, recorded by the offshore station KISR01 located in the middle of the Bay. The event was associated with heatwave, neap tides, and an extended period of Kous winds which are characterized by high humidity levels and accompanied by large-scale intermittent fish kill incidents that extended the full length of the Kuwait coastline. Several fish kill incidents were reported also at the northern edge of the Gulf along Shatt Al Arab stretch in Iraq.