Are feeding traits and habitat responsible of microplastics ingestion in fish, crustaceans and elasmobranches at the western Mediterranean?

Marine litter loads are increasing worldwide and impacts and effects on marine ecosystems and their inhabitants are still unknown [1,2]. Whereas interaction effects of macrolitter, especially on species as sea turtles and marine mammals has been more investigated, the microscopic fraction has been less addressed. Therefore, several key species of fish, crustaceans and elasmobranches have been studied to assess microplastics ingestion in the Western Mediterranean. Mean ingested microplastics (MPs) ranged up to 2.3 MPs/ind indicating a threat of this man made contaminant on species which are commercialised

Revising interactions of plastics with marine biota: evidence from the Mediterranean

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Kaposi's sarcoma in a patient with erythroblastopenia and thymoma: Reactivation after topical corticosteroids

We report a 69-year-old female with erythroblastopenia and thymoma who developed lesions of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) after thymectomy, 2 months after the initiation of therapy with methylprednisolone. Control of mucocutaneous KS lesions was obtained with radiotherapy, interferon alfa-2b and withdrawal of systemic immunosuppressive therapy. Erosive oral lichen planus appeared later, and after therapy with topical corticosteroids a new lesion of KS developed that regressed after withdrawal of topical corticosteroids. The detection of HHV-8 only in lesional skin supports the hypothesis that this virus can trigger the development of KS lesions

Spatial and temporal distribution of marine debris in seafloor habitats of the Balearic Islands

The weight and distribution of marine macrodebris in benthic habitats (continental shelves and upper slopes) from bottom trawl scientific surveys at the Balearic Islands was investigated. A time series of 15 years (2001 -2015) was studied at mesoscale level. Most abundant debris were glass, plastic and fishing material. The plastic fraction, which is highly persistent and resistant to biodegradation, showed a high variability in space and time with no clear trend

Residuos en el mar Balear

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Isotopic tissue fractionation at bivalve Pinna nobilis, a non-invasive approach

Carbon and nitrogen isotopic values of muscle and mantle in Mediterranean endemic bivalve Pinna nobilis individuals have been analyzed to study tissue fractionation. Muscle tissue is enriched in both δ13C and δ15N compared to mantle on average 1.11 ‰ and 0.71 ‰, respectively. Analyses of mantle tissue do not involve sacrifice of individuals and are therefore proposed as a conservation tool in the study of P. nobilis

Annual cycle of 13C and 15N stable isotope signatures of adductor muscle at the bivalve Pinna nobilis

Pinna nobilis are efficient filter feeders bivalves and provide evidence of surrounding conditions. Individuals of a Marine Protected Area (MPA) have been sampled and isotopic values of δ13C and δ15N have been analyzed to study the annual cycle of the fan mussel in non-eutrophic waters. Values obtained in summer months are higher indicating the need to consider temporal shifts in stable isotope linked with trophic resources availabilit