Fish Welfare in Aquaculture: Physiological and Immunological Activities for Diets, Social and Spatial Stress on Mediterranean Aqua Cultured Species

Welfare assessment currently is less well-characterized for aquatic animals and the clas- sical methodologies used for terrestrial animals are not adequate to improve our knowledge about fish well-being. Among different approaches, the status of organism responses can be carried out using different physiological and biochemical tools. Here, we present the state of the art regarding fish welfare, methodologies, and experimental results with a particular focus on two important Mediterranean aquaculture species, Sparus aurata and Dicentrarchus labrax. We introduce an approach using physiological stress-indicators, growth performance and swimming activity to investigate the effects of the implantation of electronic tags to facilitate the application of telemetry for aquaculture purposes. The application of telemetry to research on aquatic organisms has expanded recently, and its utilization needs to be better understood. The mentioned approaches have been discussed for application in different aquaculture methodologies. Moreover, social stress and territoriality are relevant factors in the evaluation of gregarious species that may have consequences on the conditions of animals farmed in captivity. These aspects, that may impair the ability of fish to respond to various stimuli or negatively influence the flesh quality, here are analysed through behavioural observation, flanked by the physiological and immunological approach

WARP: a WIMP double phase Argon detector

The WARP programme for dark matter search with a double phase argon detector is presented. In such a detector both excitation and ionization produced by an impinging particle are evaluated by the contemporary measurement of primary scintillation and secondary (proportional) light signal, this latter being produced by extracting and accelerating ionization electrons in the gas phase. The proposed technique, verified on a 2.3 liters prototype, could be used to efficiently discriminate nuclear recoils, induced by WIMP's interactions, and measure their energy spectrum. An overview of the 2.3 liters results and of the proposed 100 liters detector is shown.Comment: Proceeding for IDM200

Multiproxy investigation of the last 2,000 years BP marine paleoenvironmental record along the western Spitsbergen margin

A reconstruction of the last 2,000 years BP of environmental and oceanographic changes on the western margin of Spitsbergen was performed using a multidisciplinary approach including the fossil assemblages of diatoms, planktic and benthic foraminifera and calcareous nannofossils and the use of geochemistry (X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction). We identified two warm periods (2,000–1,600 years BP and 1,300–700 years BP) that were associated with the Roman Warm Period and the Medieval Warm Period that alternate with colder oceanic conditions and sea ice coverage occurred during the Dark Ages (1,600–1,300 years BP) and the beginning of the Little Ice Age. During the Medieval Warm Period the occurrence of ice-rafted debris and Aulocoseira spp., a specific diatom genus commonly associated with continental freshwater, suggests significant runoff of meltwaters from local glaciers

Assessing thornback ray growth pattern in different areas of Western-Central Mediterranean Sea through a Multi-Model Inference analysis

The lack of information on age validation often affects ageing studies in cartilaginous fish, even in the most common species. Recently, the annual growth band deposition pattern has been directly validated for thornback ray in the Mediterranean Basin, thus providing a highly reliable protocol for age reading. In this regard, taking advantage of this new information, the present study aims to investigate this species growth for the first time over a wide area of the Western and Central Mediterranean Sea, involving four different FAO geographic sub-areas. In order to provide an accurate description of the species growth, different models were fitted to the age-length data obtained from the observation of vertebral centra thin sections. A total of 720 specimens were analysed (358 females and 362 males) with total length ranging between 11.5 and 86.4 cm. The corrected Akaike's Information criterion (AICc) indicated, among the tested models, the three-parameter von Bertalanffy function as the most robust in describing the species growth. Growth modelling outcomes revealed the thornback rays as capable of growing relatively fast during the first years; the growth rate gradually slows down allowing maximum sizes of about 90–100 cm in total length to be reached. Significant discrepancies in the growth pattern were found between sexes in all investigated areas with the only exception being in the Northern Tyrrhenian Sea. Differences in growth patterns were observed between areas, specifically in the estimated growth rate of the species for each sub-region. The present study, confirmed the importance of the availability of a validated ageing protocol and testing multiple growth models. Moreover, our results highlighted the urgent need to investigate a species growth in a wide geographic area, searching also for possible differences at sub-region level. Providing this information could indeed allow eventual management plans to be adapted to the exact growth pattern that the species exhibit in the region, in this way increasing their effectiveness

Efficacy of dupilumab in atopic comorbidities associated with moderate-to-severe adult atopic dermatitis

Background: Dupilumab is an anti-IL-4Rα antibody used in the treatment of patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (msAD). This study explored the potential benefit of dupilumab in perennial allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (PAR) and perennial allergic asthma (PAA) caused by indoor allergens in adults with msAD. Methods: This multicentric, prospective, observational, real-life study included adult patients with msAD who had been treated with dupilumab in 16 Italian care centres. Efficacy outcomes regarding AD, PAR and PAA were collected at baseline and 16 weeks. Safety was also assessed. Results: We enrolled 123 patients with msAD. Between baseline and 16 weeks of treatment, the following measurements decreased statistically significantly: Eczema Area and Severity Index, SCOring AD, Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure, pruritus score, sleep score, Dermatology Life Quality Index and IgE. Dupilumab treatment in patients with comorbid PAR (n = 41) was associated with significant improvements in PAR disease control (measured using a Rhinitis Control Scoring System) and in PAR Quality of life (QoL) (measured using the Rhinoconjunctivitis QoL Questionnaire scores). In 32 patients with comorbid PAA, dupilumab significantly improved PAA control (measured using the Asthma Control Test and five-item Asthma Control Questionnaire scores) and disease-related QoL (measured using the Asthma QoL Questionnaire scores). Thirty-five patients (28.5%) developed conjunctivitis during the study period. Conclusion: These results support the benefits of dupilumab for adult patients with PAR and/or PAA associated with msAD

High cardiovascular risk in patients with Type 2 diabetic nephropathy: the predictive role of albuminuria and glomerular filtration rate. The NID-2 Prospective Cohort Study

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Determination of a possible relationship between a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the promoter region of the <i>SIRT1</i> gene and production and reproduction traits in the Agerolese cattle breed

Sirtuins (sir2-like proteins) belong to the family of class III NAD+-dependent histone deacetylases. Among them, SIRT1 is the most studied sirtuin. It plays a key role in many biological processes in the liver, adipose tissue, muscle, pancreas, testis, ovary and mammary gland. It has an important function in endocrine signaling, with a specific role in glucose and fat metabolism. To date, in bovine species, only few SIRT1 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been reported in the literature. Thus, the aims of the present study were to estimate the allele and genotype frequencies at the g.-274C&thinsp;&gt;&thinsp;G locus in the promoter region of the SIRT1 gene and to investigate, for the first time, the relationship among different genotypes and milk production and some reproduction traits in a sample of cows belonging to the Agerolese breed. All the animals were genotyped at the abovementioned locus using the PCR-RFLP technique. The investigated population was found to be polymorphic at the investigated locus. Concerning milk production performances, significant differences between genotypes were found in daily milk yield (DMY), fat percentage (FC), lactation length (LL), peak daily milk yield (PY) and 305-day milk yield (305MY). Moreover, the effect of the g.-274C&thinsp;&gt;&thinsp;G genotype on age at first calving and calving period was significant. In conclusion, our findings are promising and should encourage scientists to further investigate the effect of genetic polymorphism of sirtuins on milk performance and reproductive traits.</p

Oscillatory Finite-Time Singularities in Finance, Population and Rupture

We present a simple two-dimensional dynamical system where two nonlinear terms, exerting respectively positive feedback and reversal, compete to create a singularity in finite time decorated by accelerating oscillations. The power law singularity results from the increasing growth rate. The oscillations result from the restoring mechanism. As a function of the order of the nonlinearity of the growth rate and of the restoring term, a rich variety of behavior is documented analytically and numerically. The dynamical behavior is traced back fundamentally to the self-similar spiral structure of trajectories in phase space unfolding around an unstable spiral point at the origin. The interplay between the restoring mechanism and the nonlinear growth rate leads to approximately log-periodic oscillations with remarkable scaling properties. Three domains of applications are discussed: (1) the stock market with a competition between nonlinear trend-followers and nonlinear value investors; (2) the world human population with a competition between a population-dependent growth rate and a nonlinear dependence on a finite carrying capacity; (3) the failure of a material subjected to a time-varying stress with a competition between positive geometrical feedback on the damage variable and nonlinear healing.Comment: Latex document of 59 pages including 20 eps figure

Stock discrimination of two European squids (Illex coindetii, Loligo forbesii) by statolith shape analysis

We evaluated the feasibility of classifying ommastrephid and loliginid squid species by statolith shape analysis into fisheries management units or stocks. Statoliths of Illex coindetii (Verany, 1839) and Loligo forbesii (Steenstrup, 1856) were studied from multiple areas of the North East Atlantic and Northern Mediterranean Sea during 2021–2022. I. coindetii and L. forbesii individuals were categorized into multiple stocks across the areas studied. Stocks migrating between fishing areas as well as multiple stocks in the same area, as identified for L. forbesii in this study, need to be considered for sustainable fisheries management

Toxicity after moderately hypofractionated versus conventionally fractionated prostate radiotherapy: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the current literature

Background: Moderately hypofractionated radiotherapy (RT) currently represents the standard RT approach for all prostate cancer (PCa) risk categories. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of available literature, focusing on acute and late genitourinary (GU) and gastrointestinal (GI) adverse events (AEs) of moderate hypofractionation for localized PCa. Materials and methods: Literature search was performed and two independent reviewers selected the records according to the following Population (P) Intervention (I) Comparator (C) and Outcomes (O) (PICO) question: “In patients affected by localized PCa (P), moderately hypofractionated RT (defined as a treatment schedule providing a single dose per fraction of 3–4.5 Gy) (I) can be considered equivalent to conventionally fractionated RT (C) in terms of G &gt; 2 GI and GU acute and late adverse events (O)?”. Bias assessment was performed using Cochrane Cochrane Collaboration's Tool for Assessing Risk of Bias. Results: Thirteen records were identified and a meta-analysis was performed. Risk of acute GI and GU &gt; 2 adverse events in the moderately hypofractionated arm was increased by 9.8 % (95 %CI 4.8 %–14.7 %; I2 = 57 %) and 1.5 % (95 % CI -1.5 %-4.4 %; I2 = 0%), respectively. Discussion: Overall, majority of trials included in our meta-analysis suggested that moderately hypofractionated RT is equivalent, in terms of GI and GU adverse events, to conventional fractionation. Pooled analysis showed a trend to increased GI toxicity after hypofractionated treatment, but this might be related to dose escalation rather than hypofractionation