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In the United States, Sevin TM brand insecticide is one of the most commonly used insecticides. The active ingredient in Sevin TM , carbaryl (1-napthyl-N-methylcarbamate), is a known acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor that prevents the breakdown of acetylcholine to acetate and choline at the synapse. While carbaryl successfully causes the death of insects by paralysis, it has also been shown to have negative effects on the development of several nontarget species. To study the effects of carbaryl on nontarget species, zebrafish (Danio rerio) were used, as they are a good model for both toxicology and development studies. Our study suggests that carbaryl induces changes in morphology, specifically in embryo size and shape. Additionally, carbaryl causes defects in heart formation that is characterized by a decrease in heart rate and a developmental delay/defect in cardiac looping. A significant decrease in the number of spinal cord neurons present was also observed. Further investigation showed that there was an increase in cell death in carbaryl-treated embryos. The results indicate that carbaryl may have a greater environmental impact than initially intended. Our study, which was conducted solely by undergraduates at a liberal arts college, indicates that carbaryl may be detrimental to the development of nontarget species.

Observation-based early warning scoring systems (EWSS) have been developed to improve the outcome of critically ill patients by triggering early critical care intervention. To date, none of these scoring systems have been evaluated in cancer patients or stem cell transplant (SCT) recipients. The aim of this study was to validate 3 established EWSS (modified early warning score [MEWS], patient-at-risk score [PARS], and Leed's early warning score [LEWS]) in adult recipients of Allogeneic SCT (Allo-SCT) and to determine their usefulness at predicting survival. We retrospectively analyzed the physiologic observations during the initial admission of 43 Allo-SCT recipients. Respiratory dysfunction was the most common (40 patients, 93%) event. All 3 EWSS revealed high accuracy in predicting in-hospital survival. The cutoff level associated with a high risk of in-hospital mortality was 7. Of 8 patients with a LEWS = 7, 6 died during their initial admission, whereas no patient with a lower score died (specificity 95%, sensitivity 100%). Acute clinical deterioration during the initial admission appeared to have an adverse effect on overall survival: in-hospital survivors with a LEWS >3 during their admission had a shorter median survival than patients with LEWS < or = 3, P = .018. This is the first study to validate EWSS in Allo-SCT and demonstrate that these systems are highly predictive of in-hospital and overall survival.

None of the authors has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.

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