Conservazione e gestione della naturalità negli ecosistemi marino-costieri. Il trapianto delle praterie di Posidonia oceanica

Dal 1980 ad oggi, ogni 30 minuti, si è persa un’area ricoperta di fanerogame marine equivalente ad 1 campo di calcio cioè, nel tempo di gioco di una partita, 3 campi di fanerogame marine scompaiono”. Nell’area mediterranea, le praterie di Posidonia oceanica, uno degli ecosistemi marini di maggior pregio, sono oggi in forte regressione, principalmente a causa delle diverse pressioni antropiche che insistono sulla fascia costiera. Accanto alle numerose azioni di protezione, si è ultimamente sviluppata l’idea di tutelare le praterie anche mediante interventi di trapianto, in grado sia di accelerare la lenta colonizzazione della prateria sia di favorire il ripristino dell’ecosistema degradato. Nel lavoro “Il trapianto delle praterie di Posidonia oceanica”, ISPRA presenta una rassegna delle informazioni ad oggi disponibili su tale tematica, derivanti sia dall’analisi critica della letteratura scientifica esistente e degli aspetti normativi vigenti, sia da specifiche esperienze tecniche maturate in alcuni casi studio. Tale manuale può inoltre costituire un valido strumento di supporto per tecnici e amministratori coinvolti nella gestione della fascia costiera e nella tutela degli ecosistemi ivi presenti

Assessing Seagrass Restoration Actions through a Micro-Bathymetry Survey Approach (Italy, Mediterranean Sea)

Underwater photogrammetry provides a means of generating high-resolution products such as dense point clouds, 3D models, and orthomosaics with centimetric scale resolutions. Underwater photogrammetric models can be used to monitor the growth and expansion of benthic communities, including the assessment of the conservation status of seagrass beds and their change over time (time lapse micro-bathymetry) with OBIA classifications (Object-Based Image Analysis). However, one of the most complex aspects of underwater photogrammetry is the accuracy of the 3D models for both the horizontal and vertical components used to estimate the surfaces and volumes of biomass. In this study, a photogrammetry-based micro-bathymetry approach was applied to monitor Posidonia oceanica restoration actions. A procedure for rectifying both the horizontal and vertical elevation data was developed using soundings from high-resolution multibeam bathymetry. Furthermore, a 3D trilateration technique was also tested to collect Ground Control Points (GCPs) together with reference scale bars, both used to estimate the accuracy of the models and orthomosaics. The root mean square error (RMSE) value obtained for the horizontal planimetric measurements was 0.05 m, while the RMSE value for the depth was 0.11 m. Underwater photogrammetry, if properly applied, can provide very high-resolution and accurate models for monitoring seagrass restoration actions for ecological recovery and can be useful for other research purposes in geological and environmental monitoring

Randomised controlled trial combining vitamin E-functionalised chocolate with physical exercise to reduce the risk of protein-energy malnutrition in predementia aged people: study protocol for Choko-Age

Objective: Protein-energy malnutrition and the subsequent muscle wasting (sarcopenia) are common ageing complications. It is knowing to be also associated with dementia. Our programme will test the cytoprotective functions of vitamin E combined with the cortisol-lowering effect of chocolate polyphenols (PP), in combination with muscle anabolic effect of adequate dietary protein intake and physical exercise to prevent the age-dependent decline of muscle mass and its key underpinning mechanisms including mitochondrial function, and nutrient metabolism in muscle in the elderly. Methods and analysis: In 2020, a 6-month double-blind randomised controlled trial in 75 predementia older people was launched to prevent muscle mass loss, in respond to the 'Joint Programming Initiative A healthy diet for a healthy life'. In the run-in phase, participants will be stabilised on a protein-rich diet (0.9-1.0 g protein/kg ideal body weight/day) and physical exercise programme (high-intensity interval training specifically developed for these subjects). Subsequently, they will be randomised into three groups (1:1:1). The study arms will have a similar isocaloric diet and follow a similar physical exercise programme. Control group (n=25) will maintain the baseline diet; intervention groups will consume either 30 g/day of dark chocolate containing 500 mg total PP (corresponding to 60 mg epicatechin) and 100 mg vitamin E (as RRR-alpha-tocopherol) (n=25); or the high polyphenol chocolate without additional vitamin E (n=25). Muscle mass will be the primary endpoint. Other outcomes are neurocognitive status and previously identified biomolecular indices of frailty in predementia patients. Muscle biopsies will be collected to assess myocyte contraction and mitochondrial metabolism. Blood and plasma samples will be analysed for laboratory endpoints including nutrition metabolism and omics. Ethics and dissemination: All the ethical and regulatory approvals have been obtained by the ethical committees of the Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata of Verona with respect to scientific content and compliance with applicable research and human subjects' regulation. Given the broader interest of the society toward undernutrition in the elderly, we identify four main target audiences for our research activity: national and local health systems, both internal and external to the project; targeted population (the elderly); general public; and academia. These activities include scientific workshops, public health awareness campaigns, project dedicated website and publication is scientific peer-review journals. Trial registration number: NCT05343611

Deep Aggregations of the Polychaete <i>Amage adspersa</i> (Grube, 1863) in the Ionian Sea (Central Mediterranean Sea) as Revealed via ROV Observations

Many sessile and tube-dwelling polychaetes can act as ecosystem engineers, influencing the physical–chemical and biological characteristics of their habitats, increasing structural complexity. Thus, they are considered structuring species. In summer of 2021, in southern Sicily (Ionian Sea), benthic assemblages dominated by Ampharetidae Amage adspersa were discovered via an ROV survey at a depth range between 166 and 236 m on muddy horizontal seafloor. Large aggregations of this species (up to 297.2 tubes m−2), whose tubes are formed from Posidonia oceanica debris, occurred alternately with tube-free areas. The area was characterized by the sporadic presence of vulnerable sea pens Funiculina quadrangularis (up to 0.08 col. m−2) and Virgularia mirabilis (up to 0.16 col. m−2), and it was possible to detect signs of trawling as well the presence of marine litter (up to 24.0 items 100 m−2). The habitat description, distribution, and density of the tubes of A. adspersa were assessed via imaging analysis. In addition, morphological diagnostic analyses were carried out on some sampled specimens and on their tubes. The acquired data shed new light on how polychaetes can exploit the dead tissues of P. oceanica, contributing to highlight interactions between benthic fauna and seagrass detritus in the marine environment and their ecological role in enhancing the spatial heterogeneity of soft areas of the Mediterranean seafloor

3D-Reconstruction of a Giant Posidonia oceanica Beach Wrack (Banquette): Sizing Biomass, Carbon and Nutrient Stocks by Combining Field Data With High-Resolution UAV Photogrammetry

Beach wracks are temporary accumulations of vegetal detritus that can be found along coastlines all over the world. Although beach wracks are often perceived as a nuisance for beach users, they play a crucial ecological role in carbon and nutrient connectivity across ecosystem boundaries, especially when they reach a relevant size, as in the case of the wedge-shaped seagrass accumulations called banquette. In this study, threedimensional mapping of a giant Posidonia oceanica banquette was carried out for the first time using high-resolution UAV photogrammetry combined with field sampling and compositional and chemical analysis. The combined approach allowed a reliable estimation of the amount and spatial distribution of both vegetal biomass and sedimentary mass, as well as of total carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus content, revealing that i) banquette act as a sediment trap and represent hot spots of seagrass biomass and carbon accumulation; ii) banquette thickness, rather than the distance from the sea, influences the spatial distribution of all variables. Moreover, high-resolution digital elevation models (DEM) revealed discontinuous patterns in detritus accumulation resulting in an unknown banquette type here termed “Multiple Mega-Ridge banquette” (MMR banquette). On the one hand, this study highlighted the high potential of the UAV approach in very accurately 3D mapping and monitoring of these structures, with relevant implications for ecosystem service estimation and coastal zone management. On the other hand, it opened new questions about the role played by temporary beach wracks and, in particular, by P. oceanica banquette in the blue carbon exchange across land-ocean boundaries

Liposome-based nanoparticles impact on regulatory and effector phenotypes of macrophages and T cells in multiple Sclerosis patients

Current available treatments of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) reduce neuroinflammation acting on different targets on the immune system, but potentially lead to severe side effects and have a limited efficacy in slowing the progression of the disease. Here, we evaluated in vitro the immunomodulatory potential of a new class of nanoparticles - liposomes, constituted by a double-layer of phosphatidylserine (PSCho/PS), and double-faced, with an outer layer of phosphatidylserine and an inner layer of phosphatidic acid (PSCho/PA), either alone or in the presence of the myelin basic protein (MBP) peptide (residues 85-99) (PSCho/PS-MBP and PSCho/PA-MBP). Results showed that PSCho/PS are equally and efficiently internalized by pro-and anti-inflammatory macrophages (M1 and M2 respectively), while PSCho/PA were internalized better by M2 than M1. PSCho/PS liposomes were able to inhibit the secretion of innate pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1 beta. PSCho/PS liposomes expanded Tregs, reducing Th1 and Th17 cells, while PSCho/PA liposomes were unable to dampen pro-inflammatory T cells and to promote immune-regulatory phenotype (Treg). The ability of PSCho/PS liposomes to up-regulate Treg cells was more pronounced in MS patients with high basal expression of M2 markers. PSCho/PS liposomes were more effective in decreasing Th1 (but not Th17) cells in MS patients with a disease duration &gt; 3 months. On the other hand, down-modulation of Th17 cells was evident in MS patients with active, Gadolinium enhancing lesions at MRI and in MS patients with a high basal expression of M1-associated markers in the monocytes. The same findings were observed for the modulation of MBP-driven Th1/Th17/Treg responses. These observations suggest that early MS associate to a hard-wired pro-Th1 phenotype of M1 that is lost later during disease course. On the other hand, acute inflammatory events reflect a temporary decrease of M2 phenotype that however is amenable to restauration upon treatment with PSCho/PS liposomes. Thus, together these data indicate that monocytes/macrophages may play an important regulatory function during MS course and suggest a role for PSCho/PS and PSCho/PS-MBP as new therapeutic tools to dampen the pro-inflammatory immune responses and to promote its regulatory branch

Recovering or Persisting: The Immunopathological Features of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Children

Background. The profile of cellular immunological responses of children across the spectrum of COVID-19, ranging from acute SARS-CoV-2 infection to full recovery or Long COVID, has not yet been fully investigated. Methods. We examined and compared cytokines in sera and cell subsets in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (B and regulatory T lymphocytes) collected from four distinct groups of children, distributed as follows: younger than 18 years of age with either acute SARS-CoV-2 infection (n = 49); fully recovered from COVID-19 (n = 32); with persistent symptoms (Long COVID, n = 51); and healthy controls (n = 9). Results. In the later stages after SARS-CoV-2 infection, the cohorts of children, both with recovered and persistent symptoms, showed skewed T and B subsets, with remarkable differences when compared with children at the onset of the infection and with controls. The frequencies of IgD+CD27− naïve B cells, IgD+IgM+ and CD27−IgM+CD38dim B cells were higher in children with recent infection than in those with an older history of disease (p p p = 0.0005, respectively). Despite the heterogeneity, partially due to age, sex and infection incidence, the susceptibility of certain children to develop persistent symptoms after infection appeared to be associated with the imbalance of the adaptive immune response. Following up and comparing recovered versus Long COVID patients, we analyzed the role of circulating naïve and switched B and regulatory T lymphocytes in counteracting the evolution of the symptomatology emerged, finding an interesting correlation between the amount and ability to reconstitute the natural Tregs component with the persistence of symptoms (linear regression, p = 0.0026). Conclusions. In this study, we suggest that children affected by Long COVID may have a compromised ability to switch from the innate to the adaptive immune response, as supported by our data showing a contraction of naïve and switched B cell compartment and an unstable balance of regulatory T lymphocytes occurring in these children. However, further prospective immunological studies are needed to better clarify which factors (epigenetic, diet, environment, etc.) are involved in the impairment of the immunological mechanisms in the Long COVID patients