Effect of water quality on hematological and biochemical parameters of Gobius niger caught in Faro Lake (Sicily)

In many countries, environmental risk assessment is still based solely on chemical analyses that do not suffice to evaluate the complex toxic effects on the environment. This latter derives from the combined effects of chemicals, their decomposition products, and the physical environment can only be evaluated by biological test using biomarkers (McCarthy and Shugart, 1990). Biomarker analysis of field-collected organisms can provide information on the status of the environment, avoiding the need and uncertainty inherent to the extrapolation of laboratory results (Menezes et al., 2006). Biomarkers are defined as a change in a biological response, ranging from molecular to cellular and from physiological responses to behavioural changes which can be related to the toxic exposure or to the toxic effects of environmental chemicals (Depledge et al., 1995). The use of selected biomarkers has become attractive and useful for monitoring environmental quality and the health of fish inhabiting polluted ecosystems (Fernandes et al., 2008). Fish are largely used for the assessment of aquatic environment quality and are accepted as bio-indicators of environmental pollution (Borkovic et al., 2008). Fish, in fact, live in very intimate contact with their environment, and are therefore very susceptible to physical and chemical changes which may be reflected in their blood components. It should be noted that haematological indices are of different sensitivity to various environmental factors and chemicals (Adeyemo, 2007)

Serum proteins profile in Comisana lambs during the first month of life

Abstract. The aim of the present study was to measure the serum total proteins and the serum protein fractions (albumin, α1-, α2-, β-, and γ- globulins) of ten newborn lambs (Comisana breed) during the first 30 days of life in order to obtain useful information for neonatal care. From each animal, blood samples were collected via jugular venipuncture at the same hour (9.00) every 3 days for 30 days starting from birth (day 0). The concentrations of serum total proteins and albumin, α1-, α2-, β-, γ- globulins, and Albumin/Globulins (A/G) ratio were determined using an automated electrophoresis system. One-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by Bonferroni's test, was used to determine significant differences between mean values of the studied parameters from the 1st to the 30th day of the experimental period. Data analysis of variance showed a statistical effect of days of life on total proteins, albumin, α1-globulins, β-globulins, γ-globulins and ratio A/G during the first 30 days of life (P<0.0001), while no statistical significant effect of days of life was observed on α2-globulins during the experimental period (P=0.27). The obtained results indicated that passive transfer status, determined from serum immunoglobulin concentration 24 hours after birth, is a significant source of variation in preweaning growth performance in dairy lambs. These finding make a contribution to the knowledge of physiological adaptation in lambs during the first 30 days of life and give useful information for the diagnosis and treatment of neonatal diseases

Characterization of speech and language phenotype in GLUT1DS

Background: To analyze the oral motor, speech and language phenotype in a sample of pediatric patients with GLUT 1 transporter deficiency syndrome (GLUT1DS). Methods: eight Italian-speaking children with GLUT1DS (aged 4.6–15.4 years) in stable treatment with ketogenic diet from a variable time underwent a specific and standardized speech and language assessment battery. Results: All patients showed deficits with different degrees of impairment in multiple speech and language areas. In particular, orofacial praxis, parallel and total movements were the most impaired in the oromotor domain; in the speech domain patients obtained a poor performance in the diadochokinesis rate and in the repetition of words that resulted as severely deficient in seven out of eight patients; in the language domain the most affected abilities were semantic/phonological fluency and receptive grammar. Conclusions: GLUT1DS is associated to different levels of speech and language impairment, which should guide diagnostic and therapeutic intervention. Larger population data are needed to identify more precisely a speech and language profile in GLUT1DS patients

Edelfosine induced suicidal death of human erythrocytes

Background/Aims: The anti-inflammatory, anti-autoimmune, antiparasitic, and anti-viral ether phospholipid edelfosine (1-O-octadecyl-2-O-methylglycero-3-phosphocholine) stimulates apoptosis of tumor cells and is thus considered for the treatment of malignancy. Similar to apoptosis of nucleated cells, erythrocytes may enter eryptosis, the suicidal erythrocyte death characterized by cell shrinkage and phospholipid scrambling of the cell membrane with phosphatidylserine translocation to the erythrocyte surface. Triggers of eryptosis include Ca2+ entry with increase of cytosolic Ca2+ activity ([Ca2+]i) and oxidative stress. The present study explored, whether and how edelfosine induces eryptosis. Methods: Flow cytometry and photometry, respectively, were employed to estimate phosphatidylserine exposure at the cell surface from annexin-V-binding, cell volume from forward scatter, hemolysis from hemoglobin release, [Ca2+]i from Fluo3-fluorescence, and abundance of reactive oxygen species (ROS) from 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFDA) fluorescence. Results: A 6 hours exposure of human erythrocytes to edelfosine (5 \u3bcM) significantly increased the percentage of annexin-V-binding cells, significantly decreased forward scatter, and significantly increased Fluo3-fluorescence, but did not significantly modify DCFDA fluorescence. The effect of edelfosine on annexin-V-binding was significantly blunted, but not abolished by removal of extracellular Ca2+. Conclusions: Edelfosine triggers cell shrinkage and phospholipid scrambling of the erythrocyte cell membrane, an effect in part due to stimulation of Ca2+ entry

Diet and Plastic Ingestion in the Blackmouth Catshark Galeus melastomus, Rafinesque 1810, in Italian Waters

Simple Summary The blackmouth catshark has a habitat range that spans from the Norwegian seas to Senegal and throughout the Mediterranean Sea, and it is one of the most common sharks in Italian waters. The aim of this work is to investigate, through the analyses of the stomach contents of five populations from the Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas, the diet of blackmouth catsharks. The analyses showed that the most frequent items were Osteichthyes of the family Myctophidae, except for one population, in which the most common items were Cephalopods and Crustacean of the Decapods order. Plastic debris was also found in all populations analysed and classified by colour and shape. This study ought to increase the knowledge of the feeding ecology of the blackmouth catshark, thus improving the meagre literature about Tyrrhenian and Ionian waters. Galeus melastomus is the most common Pentanchidae in the Mediterranean Sea. A scavenger and opportunistic feeder, and despite the wide distribution, little is known about its feeding habits in Italian waters. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the diet of the blackmouth catshark by analysing the stomach contents. The specimens analysed were obtained from five populations of the Tyrrhenian and of the Ionian Seas, collected from a depth between 40 and 700 m. A total of 259 stomachs were analysed. The stomach contents were grouped into macro-categories and identified to the lowest taxonomic level possible. Crustaceans such as Parapenaeus longirostris, the Cephalopods Heteroteuthis dispar and Onychoteuthis banksii, and Osteichthyes, mostly Myctophidae, were identified. Plastic debris was also found among the stomach contents and classified according to its colour and shape. Osteichthyes represent the most abundant item (44%), above all the Myctophidae family, except for the catshark population from Tuscany, in which the most frequent species were Cephalopods, such as Abralia veranyi and Heteroteuthis dispar. Differences in the plastic debris contents were also observed between the Tuscany population and other populations. These could be explained as a probable consequence of the different depths at which the blackmouth catshark populations were sampled

Interactions between Primary Neurons and Graphene Films with Different Structure and Electrical Conductivity

Graphene-based materials represent a useful tool for the realization of novel neural interfaces. Several studies have demonstrated the biocompatibility of graphene-based supports, but the biological interactions between graphene and neurons still pose open questions. In this work, the influence of graphene films with different characteristics on the growth and maturation of primary cortical neurons is investigated. Graphene films are grown by chemical vapor deposition progressively lowering the temperature range from 1070 to 650 °C to change the lattice structure and corresponding electrical conductivity. Two graphene-based films with different electrical properties are selected and used as substrate for growing primary cortical neurons: i) highly crystalline and conductive (grown at 1070 °C) and ii) highly disordered and 140-times less conductive (grown at 790 °C). Electron and fluorescence microscopy imaging reveal an excellent neuronal viability and the development of a mature, structured, and excitable network onto both substrates, regardless of their microstructure and electrical conductivity. The results underline that high electrical conductivity by itself is not fundamental for graphene-based neuronal interfaces, while other physico–chemical characteristics, including the atomic structure, should be also considered in the design of functional, bio-friendly templates. This finding widens the spectrum of carbon-based materials suitable for neuroscience applications

Aggregate Unemployment Decreases Individual Returns to Education

On the basis of a theoretical model, we argue that higher aggregate unemployment affects individual returns to education. We therefore include aggregate unemployment and an interaction term between unemployment and the individual education level in a standard Mincer equation. Our results show that an increase in regional unemployment by 1% decreases the returns to education by 0.005 percentage points. This implies that higher skilled employees are better sheltered from labour market changes with respect to their jobs but encounter larger wage changes than less skilled employees. Differences in regional unemployment can in addition almost fully explain the observed large differences in regional returns to education. We use representative individual data and regional panel variation in unemployment between different German regions and for different employee groups. We demonstrate that our results are robust with respect to aggregation bias, time lags and potential endogeneity of the unemployment variable