First Occurrence Of The Tilapia Oreochromis Niloticus Niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758) In Lesina Lagoon (Eastern Italian Coast)

Individuals of the tilapia species Oreochromis niloticus niloticus(Linnaeus, 1758) were caught in Lesina Lagoon during experimental sampling for the shrimp Penaeus kerathurus using fyke net traps from December 1999 to September 2000. The species O. niloticusis not native in Italian coastal waters, although attempts of tilapia culture in land-based aquaculture farms were occasionally carried out in the past. The number of individuals captured in the samples suggests a colonization of the area of Lesina lagoon. The highest catches were observed during July. In July, the individuals caught represented the 22.3±4.1 % of the total catch weight. Such colonization of a marine environment byO. niloticusniloticus is the first case reported for Italy. The occurrence of the species in Lesina lagoon is attributed to fish which escaped from fish farms in the area and entered the lagoon through the numerous streams and irrigation-drainage channels that outflow along the south coastline

Patterns of some extracellular matrix gene expression are similar in cells from cleft lip-palate patients and in human palatal fibroblasts exposed to diazepam in culture

Prenatal exposure to diazepam, a prototype sedative drug that belongs to Benzodiazepines, can lead to orofacial clefting in human newborns. By using real-time PCR, in the present study we investigated whether diazepam elicits gene expression alterations in extracellular matrix (ECM) components, growth factors and gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor (GABRB3), implicated in the coordinate regulation of palate development. Palate fibroblasts were treated with diazepam (Dz-N fibroblasts) and compared to cleft lip-palate (CLP) fibroblasts obtained from patients with no known exposure to diazepam or other teratogens. Untreated fibroblasts from non-CLP patients were used as control. The results showed significant convergences in gene expression pattern of collagens, fibromodulin, vitronectin, tenascin C, integrins and metalloprotease MMP13 between Dz-N and CLP fibroblasts. Among the growth factors, constitutive Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 (FGF2) was greatly enhanced in Dz-N and CLP fibroblasts and associated with a higher reduction of FGF receptor. Transforming Growth Factor beta 3 (TGFbeta(3)) resulted up-regulated in CLP fibroblasts and decreased in Dz-N fibroblasts. We found phenotypic differences exhibited by Dz-N and CLP fibroblasts in GABRB3 gene regulation, so further studies are necessary to determine whether GABAergic system could be involved in the development of diazepam mediated CLP phenotype. Taken together the results elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying possible toxicology effects induced by diazepam. Counselling of women on the safety of diazepam exposure is clinically important, also for the forensic consequences