The algal diversity in the Phlegrean Fields (Campania, Italy) archeological districts: an overview

The coexistence of several ecological conditions (hot springs, streams, mud, rock walls), characterized by different pH, temperature values, water potential and mineralogical makes the Phlegrean Fields as an ideal area for the analysis of the microalgal assemblages and their relationships with the different microhabitats occurring in the sites. Here we report an overview of the algal diversity within the archaeological and geothermal areas of Phlegrean Fields and the adaptability for most of them to acidic and thermal conditions in the volcanic soils

The algal diversity in the Phlegrean Fields (Campania, Italy) archeological districts: an overview

The coexistence of several ecological conditions (hot springs, streams, mud, rock walls), characterized by different pH, temperature values, water potential and mineralogical makes the Phlegrean Fields as an ideal area for the analysis of the microalgal assemblages and their relationships with the different microhabitats occurring in the sites. Here we report an overview of the algal diversity within the archaeological and geothermal areas of Phlegrean Fields and the adaptability for most of them to acidic and thermal conditions in the volcanic soils

Mitochondrial cytochrome b DNA sequence variations: an approach to fish species identification in processed fish products.

The identification of fish species in food products is problematic because morphological features of the fish are partially or completely lost during processing. It is important to determine fish origin because of the increasing international seafood trade and because European Community Regulation 104/2000 requires that the products be labeled correctly. Sequence analysis of PCR products from a conserved region of the cytochrome b gene was used to identity fish species belonging to the families Gadidae and Merluccidae in 18 different processed fish products. This method allowed the identification of fish species in all samples. Fish in all of the examined products belonged to these two families, with the exception of one sample of smoked baccalà (salt cod), which was not included in the Gadidae cluster

Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography Findings After Intravitreal Ranibizumab in Patients With Coats Disease

: The aim of this retrospective study was to describe the vascular features in eyes with Coats disease, using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), at baseline and after 3 monthly intravitreal injections of ranibizumab. Fifteen eyes of 15 consecutive patients affected by Coats' disease were recruited in this study. All patients underwent the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) evaluation, fundus examination, fluorescein angiography (FA), indocyanine green angiography (ICGA), multicolor imaging, structural Spectral Domain (SD)-OCT and OCTA at baseline and 1 month after the third monthly ranibizumab injection (loading phase). Fifteen patients completed the study, of whom nine were males and six females. Mean age was 20.4 ± 2 years. BCVA was 0.46 ± 0.11 logMar and 0.47 ± 0.12 logMar at baseline and after treatment, respectively (p = 0.164). SD-OCT revealed no significant decrease in central macular thickness (486.33 μm ± 93.37 at baseline vs. 483.4 μm ± 80.97 after treatment; p = 0.915). The subretinal exudates persisted in macular region after intravitreal injections. OCTA showed a general vascular rarefaction in superficial capillary plexus (SCP), deep capillary plexus (DCP), and choriocapillary (CC) that did not change after loading phase. This study showed no functional and vascular improvement following 3 monthly ranibizumab injections. OCTA, non-invasive technique, could be useful during follow up of these patients and provide a better understand of pathogenesis of this disorder

Cyanobacterial mats from the Carrizal, a geothermal spring pool in Mexico

Cyanobacterial microflora is very diverse in different habitats over the world and closely connected with the ecology of the habitat. In particular, extreme habitats are colonised by numerous specialised morpho- and ecotypes which are unique to these ecologically specialised environments. A variety of methods are needed to characterize cyanobacterial assemblages in thermal water environments. We report here on the community structure of the cyanobaterial mats at the hot spring of the alkaline ad low sulphide artificial pool of “Carrizal” (Villa Emiliano Zapata, Mexico). The most common organisms were Anabaena sp., Phormidium sp. and Pseudoanabaena sp. Some filamentous cyanobacteria showed a 98%-95% 16S rDNA gene similarity with Oscillatoria sp. and cluster together with other filamentous cyanobacteria from the thermal environments

Cyanidium chilense (Cyanidiophyceae, Rhodophyta) from tuff rocks of the archeological site of Cuma, Italy

Phlegrean Fields is a large volcanic area situated southwest of Naples (Italy), including both cave and thermoacidic habitats. These extreme environments host the genus Cyanidium; the species C. chilense represents a common phototrophic micro- organism living in anthropogenic caves. With a view to provide a comprehensive characterization for a correct taxonomic classification, morpho-ultrastructural investigations ofC. chilense from Syb’s cave (Phlegren Fields) was herein car-ried out and compared with the thermoacidophilic C. caldarium. The biofilm was also analyzed to define the roleofC. chilensein the establishment of a bio film within caveenvironments. Despite the peculiar ecological and molecular divergences,C. chilenseandC. caldariumshared all the maindiacritic features, suggesting morphological convergence within the genus; cytological identity was found amongC. chilensestrains geographically distant and adapted to different substrates, such as the porous yellow tuff of Sybil cave and calcyte, magnesite and basaltic rocks from other caves. C. chilense is generally dominant in all biofilms, developing monospecific islets, developing both super ficially or betweenfungal hyphae and coccoid cyanobacteria. Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) were recorded in C. chilense bio filmsfrom Sybil cave, confirming the role of EPS in facilitating cellsadhesion to the surface, creating a cohesive network of inter-connecting biofilm cell

Comparative assessment of the quality of commercial black and green tea using microbiology analyses

Drinking tea constitutes a tradition which is deeply rooted in the culture of several countries. Moreover, in recent years, tea consumption is growing all over the world. Improper herbal tea storage (long periods, humid environments) represents a relevant health hazard for consumers because of the growth of bacteria and molds

Cyanobacterial mats from the Carrizal, a geothermal spring pool in Mexico

Cyanobacterial microflora is very diverse in different habitats over the world and closely connected with the ecology of the habitat. In particular, extreme habitats are colonised by numerous specialised morpho- and ecotypes which are unique to these ecologically specialised environments. A variety of methods are needed to characterize cyanobacterial assemblages in thermal water environments. We report here on the community structure of the cyanobaterial mats at the hot spring of the alkaline ad low sulphide artificial pool of “Carrizal” (Villa Emiliano Zapata, Mexico). The most common organisms were Anabaena sp., Phormidium sp. and Pseudoanabaena sp. Some filamentous cyanobacteria showed a 98%-95% 16S rDNA gene similarity with Oscillatoria sp. and cluster together with other filamentous cyanobacteria from the thermal environments

Primary vitrectomy for degenerative and tractional lamellar macular holes: A systematic review and meta-analysis

PURPOSE: To assess the efficacy of vitrectomy in degenerative and tractional lamellar macular holes (LMHs) by meta-analysis of published studies.METHODS: PubMed, Medline and Embase databases were searched up to May 2020. Included cohorts were divided into three groups: degenerative LMH group, lamellar hole associated epiretinal proliferation (LHEP) group and tractional LMH group. LHEP is likely to be associated with degenerative LMHs, but less commonly could be associated with mixed LMHs. To reduce risk of possible misclassification bias, eyes with LHEP which could not have been precisely classified by the authors, were included into the LHEP group. The primary outcome was to investigate the visual change following primary vitrectomy in the degenerative LMH and LHEP group versus the tractional LMH group. A sensitivity analysis excluding the LHEP group was also performed on the primary outcome. Mean difference (MD) in best corrected visual acuity between baseline and post-treatment was calculated, along with 95% confidence interval (CI). Rate of incidence of post-operative full-thickness macular hole (FTMH) was assessed as secondary outcome.RESULTS: Thirteen studies were included. Pooled analyses including all groups showed a significant visual improvement following vitrectomy (pre-post MD = -0.17;95%CI = -0.22,-0.12;p<0.001), with no difference in visual improvement between the degenerative LMH and LHEP group and the tractional LMH group. The sensitivity analysis excluding LHEP group confirmed no difference in visual change between the degenerative LMH group (pre-post MD = -0.18;95%CI = -0.24,-0.12;p<0.001) and the tractional LMH group (MD = -0.16;95%CI = -0.26,-0.07;p<0.001). The incidence rate of post-operative FTMH was higher in the degenerative LMH and LHEP group than in the tractional LMH group (p = 0.002).CONCLUSION: Primary vitrectomy for LMH ensured a favorable visual outcome, with no difference in visual gain between degenerative and tractional LMHs. However, a higher incidence of post-operative FTMHs was found in eyes with the degenerative LMH subtype