Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides Lacépède): results of farming trials

In the last years in the United States, the demand of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) larger than the size usually produced for sport fishing purposes has increased. The growth phase is carried on in ponds, after having evaluated different strains (Williamson and Carmichael, 1990) using feeds for salmonids (Tidwell et al., 1996) supplemented with amino acids (Coyle et al., 2000). Also in Italy, the market currently requires largemouth bass of 300-500 g. This situation has induced one farmer to cooperate with our research centre and carried out trials to verify the possibility of rearing this fish, from the fingerling stage up to the size suitable for food, using the same farming techniques as those currently being applied in the United States (Davis and Lock, 1997)

Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides Lacépède): reproduction management and larval rearing in Italy

Micropterus salmoides (Lacépède) was originally present into the waters of the eastern United States of America, northern Mexico and southern Canada. This species can be distinguished from the other black basses by the fact that its mouth extends to and beyond the edge of the eye and the first and the second dorsal fins are almost separated by a deep dip and there are no scales on the soft rayed of the second dorsal fin

Perfuorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS), Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA), Brominated Dioxins (PBDDs) and Furans (PBDFs) in Wild and Farmed Organisms at Different Trophic Levels in the Mediterranean Sea

The present study shows the results of perfuorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), brominated dioxins (PBDDs) and furans (PBDFs) measured in several marine fish and seafood of commercial interest at different trophic levels of the food chain. The aims were to investigate the level of the contamination in Mediterranean aquatic wildlife, and in farmed fish, to assess human exposure associated to fishery products consumption. Samples of wild fish were collected during three different sampling campaigns in different Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) 37 areas of the Mediterranean Sea. In addition, farmed fish (gilthead sea bream and European sea bass) from off-shore cages from different marine aquaculture plants. Results showed contamination values of PFOS and PFOA were lower than those detected in sea basins other than the Mediterranean Sea. Concentration values of PFOS were generally higher than those of PFOA; moreover, levels in farmed fish were lower than in wild samples from the Mediterranean Sea. Intake of PFOS and PFOA through fishery products consumption was estimated to be 2.12 and 0.24 ng/kgBWday, respectively, for high consumers (95th percentile). Results of 2,3,7,8-substituted congeners of PBDDs and PBDFs were almost all below the limit of detection (LOD), making it difficult to establish the contribution of these compounds to the total contamination of dioxin-like compounds in fish and fishery products

265Generation of iPSC-based cardiomyocytes for investigating mechanisms of dilated cardiomyopathy due to Lamin A/C mutations

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Association of FOXO3A locus with extreme longevity in the Southern Italian Centenarian Study

A number of potential candidate genes in a variety of biological pathways have been associated with longevity in model organisms. Many of these genes have human homologs and thus have the potential to provide insights into human longevity. Recently, several studies suggested that FOXO3A functions as a key bridge for various signaling pathways that influence aging and longevity. Interestingly, Willcox and colleagues identified several variants that displayed significant genotype-gender interaction in male human longevity. In particular, a nested case-control study was performed in an ethnic Japanese population in Hawaii, and five candidate longevity genes were chosen based on links to the insulin-insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) signaling pathway. In the Willcox study, the investigated genetic variations (rs2802292, rs2764264, and rs13217795) within the FOXO3A gene were significantly associated with longevity in male centenarians. We validated the association of FOXO3A polymorphisms with extreme longevity in males from the Southern Italian Centenarian Study. Particularly, rs2802288, a proxy of rs2802292, showed the best allelic association-minor allele frequency (MAF) = 0.49; p = 0.003; odds ratio (OR) = 1.51; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.15-1.98). Furthermore, we undertook a meta-analysis to explore the significance of rs2802292 association with longevity by combining the association results of the current study and the findings coming from the Willcox et al. investigation. Our data point to a key role of FOXO3A in human longevity and confirm the feasibility of the identification of such genes with centenarian-controls studies. Moreover, we hypothesize the susceptibility to the longevity phenotype may well be the result of complex interactions involving genes and environmental factors but also gender

Lack of replication of genetic associations with human longevity

The exceptional longevity of centenarians is due in part to inherited genetic factors, as deduced from data that show that first degree relatives of centenarians live longer and have reduced overall mortality. In recent years, a number of groups have performed genetic association studies on long-living individuals (LLI) and young controls to identify alleles that are either positively or negatively selected in the centenarian population as consequence of a demographic pressure. Many of the reported studies have shown genetic loci associated with longevity. Of these, with the exception of APOE, none have been convincingly reproduced. We validated our populations by typing the APOE locus. In addition, we used 749 American Caucasian LLI, organized in two independent tiers and 355 American Caucasian controls in the attempt to replicate previously published findings. We tested Klotho (KL)-VS variant (rs952706), Cholesteryl Ester Transfer Protein (CETP) I405V (rs5882), Paraoxonase 1 (PON1) Q192R (rs662), Apolipoprotein C-III (APOC3) -641C/A (rs2542052), Microsomal Transfer Protein (MTP) -493G/T (rs2866164) and apolipoprotein E (APOE) epsilon2 and epsilon4 isoforms, (rs7412 and rs429358) haplotypes respectively. Our results show that, at present, except for APOE, none of the selected genes show association with longevity if carefully tested in a large cohort of LLI and their controls, pointing to the need of larger populations for case-control studies in extreme longevity

Drip vs. furrow irrigation in the delivery of Escherichia coli to onions

Surface irrigation systems that reuse water may deliver bacteria to produce destined for fresh consumption. Four irrigation systems delivered (1) well water free of Escherichia coli via subsurface drip irrigation, (2) canal water with moderate levels of E. coli via subsurface drip irrigation, (3) canal water with moderate levels of E. coli via furrow irrigation, and (4) canal water with enhanced levels of E. coli via furrow irrigation. The four irrigation systems (replicated five times) applied water to onion on silt loam. Water was sampled hourly for E. coli, and the lateral movement of E. coli in the soil solution was tracked by soil samples following irrigations. Onion bulbs were sampled for E. coli contamination. The most probable numbers of E. coli in water and soil water were determined using IDEXX Colilert® and Colisure®, respectively, and Quanti-Tray/2000®. Under both furrow and subsurface drip irrigation, a fraction of the E. coli was delivered to the soil immediately adjacent to the onion bulbs. The silt loam retained most of the E. coli content away from the onion bulbs and close to where the water entered the soil. No E. coli was detected inside of the onion bulbs from any irrigation treatment. Current subsurface drip or furrow (flood) irrigation practices do not appear to pose a significant risk for bacterial contamination of dry bulb onion grown on silt loam

Circulating miR-184 is a potential predictive biomarker of cardiac damage in Anderson–Fabry disease

open21noFunding: This work was supported by the Italian Ministry of Health (PE-2013-02356818) to GCEnzyme replacement therapy (ERT) is a mainstay of treatment for Anderson–Fabry disease (AFD), a pathology with negative effects on the heart and kidneys. However, no reliable biomarkers are available to monitor its efficacy. Therefore, we tested a panel of four microRNAs linked with cardiac and renal damage in order to identify a novel biomarker associated with AFD and modulated by ERT. To this end, 60 patients with a definite diagnosis of AFD and on chronic ERT, and 29 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals, were enrolled by two Italian university hospitals. Only miR-184 met both conditions: its level discriminated untreated AFD patients from healthy individuals (c-statistic = 0.7522), and it was upregulated upon ERT (P < 0.001). On multivariable analysis, miR-184 was independently and inversely associated with a higher risk of cardiac damage (odds ratio = 0.86; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.76–0.98; P = 0.026). Adding miR-184 to a comprehensive clinical model improved the prediction of cardiac damage in terms of global model fit, calibration, discrimination, and classification accuracy (continuous net reclassification improvement = 0.917, P < 0.001; integrated discrimination improvement [IDI] = 0.105, P = 0.017; relative IDI = 0.221, 95% CI = 0.002–0.356). Thus, miR-184 is a circulating biomarker of AFD that changes after ERT. Assessment of its level in plasma could be clinically valuable in improving the prediction of cardiac damage in AFD patients.openSalamon I.; Biagini E.; Kunderfranco P.; Roncarati R.; Ferracin M.; Taglieri N.; Nardi E.; Laprovitera N.; Tomasi L.; Santostefano M.; Ditaranto R.; Vitale G.; Cavarretta E.; Pisani A.; Riccio E.; Aiello V.; Capelli I.; La Manna G.; Galie N.; Spinelli L.; Condorelli G.Salamon I.; Biagini E.; Kunderfranco P.; Roncarati R.; Ferracin M.; Taglieri N.; Nardi E.; Laprovitera N.; Tomasi L.; Santostefano M.; Ditaranto R.; Vitale G.; Cavarretta E.; Pisani A.; Riccio E.; Aiello V.; Capelli I.; La Manna G.; Galie N.; Spinelli L.; Condorelli G

Changes in microphytobenthos fluorescence over a tidal cycle: implications for sampling designs

Intertidal microphytobenthos (MPB) are important primary producers and provide food for herbivores in soft sediments and on rocky shores. Methods of measuring MPB biomass that do not depend on the time of collection relative to the time of day or tidal conditions are important in any studies that need to compare temporal or spatial variation, effects of abiotic factors or activity of grazers. Pulse amplitude modulated (PAM) fluorometry is often used to estimate biomass of MPB because it is a rapid, non-destructive method, but it is not known how measures of fluorescence are altered by changing conditions during a period of low tide. We investigated this experimentally using in situ changes in minimal fluorescence (F) on a rocky shore and on an estuarine mudflat around Sydney (Australia), during low tides. On rocky shores, the time when samples are taken during low tide had little direct influence on measures of fluorescence as long as the substratum is dry. Wetness from wave-splash, seepage from rock pools, run-off, rainfall, etc., had large consequences for any comparisons. On soft sediments, fluorescence was decreased if the sediment dried out, as happens during low-spring tides on particularly hot and dry days. Surface water affected the response of PAM and therefore measurements used to estimate MPB, emphasising the need for care to ensure that representative sampling is done during low tide