Molecular phylogenetics of Haustrinae and Pagodulinae (Neogastropoda: Muricidae) with a focus on New Zealand species

We investigated the relationships of the muricid subfamilies Haustrinae, Pagodulinae and the genus Poirieria using a molecular phylogenetic approach on a dataset of three mitochondrial genes (12S, 16S and COI). These taxa form a well-supported clade within Muricidae. The phylogenetic analysis suggests that Poirieria is the sister group of Pagodulinae and that Axymene, Comptella, Pagodula, Paratrophon, Trophonella, Trophonopsis, Xymene, Xymenella, Xymenopsis and Zeatrophon are all worthy of genus-level rank within this subfamily. We propose the use of Enixotrophon for a group of species currently classified in Pagodula. The results also support a new taxonomic arrangement in Haustrinae

Cenozoic evolution of Muricidae (Mollusca, Neogastropoda) in the Southern Ocean, with the description of a new subfamily

Gastropods are among the most studied group in Antarctica, and taxa with an advanced status of systematic knowledge can be used as a model to study how oceanographic and climatic patterns shaped Recent faunal assemblages. Within the ongoing study of the muricid phylogeny, we have analysed molecular and morphological data from species traditionally ascribed to the muricid subfamily Trophoninae. Particularly, the availability of specimens collected in the Southern Ocean and surrounding basins allowed to demonstrate as the genera Pagodula, Xymenopsis, Xymene and Trophonella, which are traditionally classified in the Trophoninae, actually belong to a distinct lineage, for which the new subfamily Pagodulinae is herein introduced. We propose and discuss a possible framework for the origin and radiation of Antarctic muricid

Mitochondrial DNA reveals regional and interregional importance of the central Mediterranean African shelf for loggerhead sea turtles (<em>Caretta caretta</em>)

The wide north African continental shelf in the central Mediterranean is known to be one of the few important areas in the basin for loggerhead turtles in the neritic stage. In order to assess the origin of these turtles, sequences of the mtDNA control region were obtained from 70 turtles caught by bottom trawlers in the area, and compared with known sequences from turtles from Mediterranean and Atlantic nesting sites. Five haplotypes were identified (Haplotype diversity = 0.262; nucleotide diversity = 5.4×10-3). Specific haplotypes indicate contributions from distant rookeries such as Turkey and the Atlantic, which shows that Atlantic turtles entering the Mediterranean while in the oceanic phase use at least one Mediterranean continental shelf as a neritic foraging ground. A new haplotype and another one previously found only in foraging areas, highlight the genetic information gaps for nesting sites, which undermine powerful mixed stock analyses. Despite these limitations, the results reveal the regional importance of the study area as a neritic foraging ground for turtles that are probably from most of the Mediterranean nesting aggregates. Therefore, reducing turtle mortality resulting from the high fishing effort in the area should be regarded as key for Mediterranean turtle conservation and is also possibly important for Atlantic populations

Exploración de algunas posibilidades para mejorar la economía del proceso de producción de aislado de proteína de semillas de algodón

A nivel de laboratorio se pretendió obtener información respecto de la incidencia del grado de tratamiento hidrotérmico de la torta usada como materia prima, sobre el valor nutricional del aislado obtenido cuando se extrae la proteína utilizando como solventes agua, cloruro de sodio o agua y cloruro de sodio selectiva y combinadamente, establecer las condiciones de extracción de la proteína mediante el proceso a adoptar. Sobre la base de los resultados alcanzados, se procedió a efectuar los ensayos de planta piloto para hacer el escalamiento respectivo y acometer el perfil económico del proceso. El incremento de la intensidad del tratamiento térmico origina en la torta contenidos cada vez menores de nitrógeno soluble en álcali, lisina disponible y gosipol libre. Para el aislado se comprobó el descenso del nivel de lisina disponible, el valor biológico fue alto, siendo mayor para aislados obtenidos de tortas con menor intensidad en el tratamiento térmico y muy superior al aislado obtenido a partir de la torta industrial usada como referencia. En la etapa de extracción, la cantidad de proteína extraida fue mayor cuando se hizo en forma combinada. En la etapa de precipitación, el rendimiento se vio favorecido conforme el pH se hizo más ácido, lo mismo que con temperaturas bajas.Algodó

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis-associated uveitis: a retrospective analysis from a centre of South Italy

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The application of structural retinal biomarkers to evaluate the effect of intravitreal ranibizumab and dexamethasone intravitreal implant on treatment of diabetic macular edema

Background: The aim of this study was to compare the therapeutic effect of intravitreal treatment with ranibizumab and dexamethasone using specific swept-source optical coherence tomography retinal biomarkers in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME). Methods: 156 treatment-naïve patients with DME were divided in two groups: 75 patients received 3 monthly intravitreal injections of ranibizumab 0.5 mg (Lucentis®) (Group 1) and 81 patients received an intravitreal implant of dexamethasone 0.7 mg (Ozurdex®) (Group 2). Patients were evaluated at baseline (V1), at three months post-treatment in Group 1, and at two months post-treatment in Group 2 (V2). Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and swept source-OCT were recorded at each interval. Changes between V1 and V2 were analyzed using the Wilcoxon test and differences between the two groups of treatment were assessed using the Mann-Whitney test. Multiple regression analysis was performed to evaluate the possible OCT biomarker (CRT, ICR, CT, SND, HRS) as predictive factors for final visual acuity improvement. Results: In both groups, BCVA improved (p-value &lt; 0.0001), and a significant reduction in central retinal thickness, intra-retinal cysts, red dots, hyper-reflective spots (HRS), and serous detachment of neuro-epithelium (SDN) was observed. A superiority of dexamethasone over ranibizumab in reducing the SDN height (p-value = 0.03) and HRS (p-value = 0.01) was documented. Conclusions: Ranibizumab and dexamethasone are effective in the treatment of DME, as demonstrated by functional improvement and morphological biomarker change. DME associated with SDN and HRS represents a specific inflammatory pattern for which dexamethasone appears to be more effective

The new Checklist of the Italian Fauna: marine Mollusca.

The mollusc fauna of the Mediterranean Sea is still considered as the best-known marine mollusc fauna in the world. The previous modern checklists of marine Mollusca were produced by joint teams of amateurs and professionals. During the last years the Italian Society of Malacology (Società Italiana di Malacologia – S.I.M.) maintained an updated version of the Mediterranean checklist, that served as the backbone for the development of the new Italian checklist. According to the current version (updated on April 1st, 2021), 1,777 recognised species of marine molluscs are present in the Italian Economic Exclusive Zone, including also the Tyrrhenian coasts of Corsica and the continental shelf of the Maltese archipelago. The new checklist shows an increase of 17% of the species reported in the 1995 Checklist. This is largely (yet not solely) due to the new wave of studies based on Integrative Taxonomy approaches. A total of 135 species (7.6%) are strictly endemic to the Italian waters; 44 species (2.5%) are alien and correspond to the 28% of the Mediterranean alien marine molluscs. All eight extant molluscan classes are represented. The families represented in the Italian fauna are 307, an increase of 14.6% from the first checklist, partly due to new records and partly to new phylogenetic systematics. Compared with the whole Mediterranean malacofauna, the Italian component represents 71% in species and 61% in families, which makes it a very remarkable part of the Mediterranean fauna

Influence of the organic matter on the specific surface of a Typic argiudoll

El contenido de materia orgánica (MO) del suelo se relaciona positivamente, en algunos casos, con la superficie específica (SE) del mismo, pero grandes cantidades de MO pue­den resultar en una SE menor, cuando se la determina a través de la adsorción de nitrógeno a bajas temperaturas. Tradicionalmente se asocia a la MO una elevada SE, del orden de los 500 a 800 m2 g-1. Estos valores, obtenidos mediante técnicas que emplean solventes po­lares, por ejemplo, etilenglicol, hicieron suponer que la misma contribuye en gran medida a la SE del suelo. No obstante, hay referencias que señalan una sobrestimación de los resultados obtenidos, atribuida a la utilización de estos solventes. Mediciones que emplean el método con adsorción de N2 a 77 K, cuya interpretación se basa en el modelo de Brunauer, Emmett y Teller (BET), considerado internacionalmente como método patrón, arrojan valores de SE para la MO que son menores que los primeros, en dos órdenes de magnitud. Con el objetivo de aportar conocimiento que contribuyera a una mejor comprensión del papel de la MO en procesos edáficos, se realizaron determinacio­nes de SE en muestras de un Argiudol típico, con diferentes contenidos de MO y contenido de arcilla constante (20%). Las medidas se llevaron a cabo interpretando las isotermas de adsorción de N2 a 77 K, mediante el modelo BET. Los resultados obtenidos mostraron una relación no lineal negativa entre la SE y el contenido de MO. La eliminación de la MO mediante H2O2 incrementó la SE de las muestras en todos los casos. La variación de SE por unidad de MO eliminada sugiere que la misma no se adsorbe de manera uniforme y continua sobre la superficie de la fase mineral.The organic matter (OM) of soil is posi­tively related to the specific surface area (SSA), but large amounts of OM result in reduced SSA when determined by the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method with N2 adsorption at low temperature. It is common to assign a large SSA to OM, ranging from 500 to 800 m2 g-1. These values, obtained with methods using polar adsorbates, e.g. ethylene glycol, imply a high contribution of OM to soil SSA. However, some works claimed an overestimation of the effect of OM on SSA when polar solvents are used. Measurements with the BET method (using N2 at 77 K), considered internationally as a standard method, resulted in values of SSA for OM two order of magnitude smaller than the former ones. With the objective to contribute to a better knowledge about the OM role in edaphological processes, determinations of SSA in samples from a Typic argiudoll with different OM contents were made. Measure­ments of SSAwere carried out with N2 at77 K, and the isotherms were interpreted with the BET model. Results showed a negative non linear relationship between SSA and the OM content of the samples. Destruction of OM with H2O2 increased SSA in all cases. The increments in SSA, normalized by the content of removed OM, suggested that the adsorption of OM on the mineral surface is not uniform.Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestale