In early December 2019 a cluster of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause was identified in Wuhan, a city of 11 million persons in the People's Republic of China. Further investigation revealed these cases to result from infection with a newly identified coronavirus, initially termed 2019-nCoV and subsequently SARS-CoV-2. The infection moved rapidly through China, spread to Thailand and Japan, extended into adjacent countries through infected persons travelling by air, eventually reaching multiple countries and continents. Similar to such other coronaviruses as those causing the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), the new coronavirus was reported to spread via natural aerosols from human-to-human. In the early stages of this epidemic the case fatality rate is estimated to be approximately 2%, with the majority of deaths occurring in special populations. Unfortunately, there is limited experience with coronavirus infections during pregnancy, and it now appears certain that pregnant women have become infected during the present 2019-nCoV epidemic. In order to assess the potential of the Wuhan 2019-nCoV to cause maternal, fetal and neonatal morbidity and other poor obstetrical outcomes, this communication reviews the published data addressing the epidemiological and clinical effects of SARS, MERS, and other coronavirus infections on pregnant women and their infants. Recommendations are also made for the consideration of pregnant women in the design, clinical trials, and implementation of future 2019-nCoV vaccines.Viruses 2020, 12, 194 2 of 16 tract infections. Both the SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV have several features in common that are factors in producing nosocomial transmission, replication in the lower respiratory tract, and viral immunopathology. Both coronaviruses are zoonotic infections and constitute significant public health threats that have resulted in epidemics with significant loss of life [1,5,6]. When the SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV infect women who are pregnant, they can result in poor obstetric outcomes including maternal morbidity and death. There are currently no vaccines or specific treatments approved for coronavirus infections [2,6].Prior to December 2019, there were a total of six coronavirus species that produced human infection: HCoV-229E and HCoV-NL63 belonging to the Alphacoronavirus genus; and HCoV-OC43, HCoV-HKU1, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV, which belong to the Betacoronavirus genus [1,2]. As of December 2019, there are now seven species that infect humans.As the newly identified novel coronavirus, termed 2019-nCoV and subsequently named SARS-CoV-2, spreads rapidly throughout China and across to other countries, researchers scramble to understand transmission dynamics, virulence, and pathogenicity. Given the rapidly progressive spread of this current 2019 novel coronavirus it is reasonable to expect that pregnant women have already become infected. The effect of 2019-nCoV during pregnancy is, at the present, unknown. This communication reviews the medical ...

ABSTRACT1. Recreational boating continues to grow in popularity, yet little is known about the effects of noise disturbance from boating on fish. Therefore, this study evaluated the organism-level cardiovascular disturbance associated with different recreational boating activities using largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) as a model.2. Cardiac output and its components (heart rate and stroke volume) were monitored in real time, allowing for the determination of the magnitude of disturbance and the time required for recovery. Fish responses to three noise disturbances (canoe paddling, trolling motor, and combustion engine (9.9 hp)) for 60 s were contrasted using a Latin squares design.3. Exposure to each of the treatments resulted in an increase in cardiac output in all fish, associated with a dramatic increase in heart rate and a slight decrease in stroke volume. The level of change in cardiac output and its components increased in magnitude from the canoe treatment to the trolling motor treatment with the most extreme response being to that of the combustion engine treatment. Furthermore, time required for cardiovascular variables to recover varied across treatments with shortest periods for the canoe paddling disturbance ($15 min), the longest periods for the combustion engine ($40 min), and intermediate recovery periods for the trolling motor ($25 min).4. Collectively, these results demonstrate that fish experienced sublethal physiological disturbances in response to the noise propagated from recreational boating activities. This work contributes to a growing body of research that has revealed that boating activities can have a number of ecological and environmental consequences such that their use may not be compatible with aquatic protected areas. Future research should evaluate how freeswimming fish in the wild respond to such stressors relative to frequency of exposure and proximity to noise as most research to date has occurred in the laboratory.

Purpose: Although transgender people may be at increased risk for a range of health problems, they have been the subject of relatively little health research. An important step toward expanding the evidence base is to understand and address the reasons for nonparticipation and dropout. The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of barriers to and facilitators of participation in health research among a sample of transgender people in San Francisco, CA, and Atlanta, GA.Methods: Twelve in-person focus groups (FGs) were conducted; six (three with transwomen, three with transmen) were conducted in San Francisco and six FGs were conducted in Atlanta (three with transwomen and three with transmen). FGs were audiorecorded, transcribed, and uploaded to MaxQDA software for analysis. A codebook was used to code transcripts; new codes were added iteratively as they arose. All transcripts were coded by at least 2 of the 4 researchers and, after each transcript was coded, the researchers met to discuss any discrepancies, which were resolved by consensus.Results: Among 67 FG participants, 37 (55%) identified as transmen and 30 (45%) identified as transwomen. The average age of participants was ∼41 years (range 18–67) and the majority (61%) were non-Hispanic Whites. Several barriers that can hinder participation in health research were identified, including logistical concerns, issues related to mistrust, a lack of awareness about participation opportunities, and psychosocial/emotional concerns related to being “outed.” A broad range of facilitators were also identified, including the opportunity to gain knowledge, access medical services, and contribute to the transgender community.Conclusion: These findings provide insights about the perceived barriers to and facilitators of research participation and offer some guidance for researchers in our ongoing effort to engage the transgender community in health research.

In fish, sex determination is a plastic process regulated by a relatively small number of genes that, in turn, leads to a cascade of organism level effects. In other animal taxa, intersexual variation is widespread and has implications in the realms of morphology, behavior, physiology, and bioenergetics. Although relatively well documented in the literature focusing on mammals, birds, and reptiles, the degree to which sex-specific variation is considered is unknown in fish and fisheries research. We examined the scientific literature to evaluate the important sex-related differences in fish and highlighted why some of these differences are of great biological consequence. Sex-specific differences in morphology included sexual size dimorphism, external traits such as coloration, and internal anatomy such as neuron structure. Behavioral differences between the sexes are often linked to reproduction, but there are some documented differences (i.e., variation in aggression and predator avoidance) that are independent of the reproductive period. The potential for sex-related physiological differences are relatively unexplored for fish, although there is strong evidence for disparity in hormone regulation, stress, and immune responses between the sexes. Sex-related variation is also poorly examined in the field of bioenergetics despite the fact that differences in energy requirements and expenditure should and do vary between the sexes. A quantitative literature review of several prominent fisheries journals revealed that sex is often overlooked in fish and fisheries research (between 15 and 44% of articles), which may impair the ability of researchers to detect biologically relevant differences, which in turn can greatly affect management decisions. Although there has been a growing recognition that intra-specific variation (at the population level) is important in fisheries management and research, there is also a need to consider that intersexual diversity exists and is important to understand, conserve, and manage fish and fisheries resources.

Purpose of Review In some countries, pregnant women experience disproportionately high morbidity and mortality during infectious disease outbreaks due to a variety of gender-based factors and pregnancy-related immunological changes. Despite this, the interests of pregnant women have largely been absent from policies that guide the design of clinical trials and the deployment of vaccines in epidemic contexts. This review examines historic precedent for both excluding and including pregnant women in vaccine trials and considers the rights of pregnant women in epidemic crises. Recent Findings The latest research reveals that perceptions of risk and vulnerability of pregnant women in clinical research are beginning to change, resulting in modest policy and guideline amendments. A growing advocacy movement calling for Bfair inclusion^has played an important role. Summary Despite the global-scale and far-reaching implications of vaccine research policies, the current debate appears to reside primarily in disciplinary siloes across Western academic and policymaking spaces. Conceptual ambiguity of Brisk,^the pervasive view of pregnant women as Bvulnerable,^and competing ethical values that construct research protocols, globally, call for more explicit guidelines.