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

Treating bipolar depression with esketamine: Safety and effectiveness data from a naturalistic multicentric study on esketamine in bipolar versus unipolar treatment-resistant depression

Background: Bipolar depression accounts for most of the disease duration in type I and type II bipolar disorder (BD), with few treatment options, often poorly tolerated. Many individuals do not respond to first-line therapeutic options, resulting in treatment-resistant bipolar depression (B-TRD). Esketamine, the S-enantiomer of ketamine, has recently been approved for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), but no data are available on its use in B-TRD. Objectives: To compare the efficacy of esketamine in two samples of unipolar and bipolar TRD, providing preliminary indications of its effectiveness in B-TRD. Secondary outcomes included the evaluation of the safety and tolerability of esketamine in B-TRD, focusing on the average risk of an affective switch. Methods: Thirty-five B-TRD subjects treated with esketamine nasal spray were enrolled and compared with 35 TRD patients. Anamnestic data and psychometric assessments (Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale/MADRS, Hamilton-depression scale/HAM-D, Hamilton-anxiety scale/HAM-A) were collected at baseline (T0), at one month (T1), and three months (T2) follow up. Results: A significant reduction in depressive symptoms was found at T1 and T2 compared to T0, with no significant differences in response or remission rates between subjects with B-TRD and TRD. Esketamine showed a greater anxiolytic action in subjects with B-TRD than in those with TRD. Improvement in depressive symptoms was not associated with treatment-emergent affective switch. Conclusions: Our results supported the effectiveness and tolerability of esketamine in a real-world population of subjects with B-TRD. The low risk of manic switch in B-TRD patients confirmed the safety of this treatment

Treating bipolar depression with esketamine: Safety and effectiveness data from a naturalistic multicentric study on esketamine in bipolar versus unipolar treatment-resistant depression

BackgroundBipolar depression accounts for most of the disease duration in type I and type II bipolar disorder (BD), with few treatment options, often poorly tolerated. Many individuals do not respond to first-line therapeutic options, resulting in treatment-resistant bipolar depression (B-TRD). esketamine, the s-enantiomer of ketamine, has recently been approved for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), but no data are available on its use in B-TRD. ObjectivesTo compare the efficacy of esketamine in two samples of unipolar and bipolar TRD, providing preliminary indications of its effectiveness in B-TRD. secondary outcomes included the evaluation of the safety and tolerability of esketamine in B-TRD, focusing on the average risk of an affective switch. MethodsThirty-five B-TRD subjects treated with esketamine nasal spray were enrolled and compared with 35 TRD patients. anamnestic data and psychometric assessments (montgomery-asberg depression rating scale/MADRS, hamilton-depression scale/HAM-D, hamilton-anxiety scale/HAM-A) were collected at baseline (T0), at one month (T1), and three months (T2) follow up. results a significant reduction in depressive symptoms was found at T1 and T2 compared to T0, with no significant differences in response or remission rates between subjects with B-TRD and TRD. Esketamine showed a greater anxiolytic action in subjects with B-TRD than in those with TRD. Improvement in depressive symptoms was not associated with treatment-emergent affective switch. conclusions our results supported the effectiveness and tolerability of esketamine in a real-world population of subjects with B-TRD. The low risk of manic switch in B-TRD patients confirmed the safety of this treatment