305,691 research outputs found
Meristic character analysis and skeletal anomalies during growth in reared sharpsnout seabream
No full textSharpsnout seabream (Diplodus puntazzo) is a species currently reared in Mediterranean fish farms. In order to detect the main types of body deformation in sharpsnout seabream. 120 specimens (60 juveniles and 60 adults) taken from a Mediterranean hatchery were examined. In juveniles and adults non-significant differences were found in the number of vertebrae, dorsal spines and pectoral fin rays. Moreover, the number of anomalies varied with age. The juveniles presented 28 types of anomaly, the adults 25. The most important anomalies for juveniles (in terms of frequency of occurrence) were anomalous neural arch or spine (47%), anomalous hemal arch or spine (43%), fusion of hypurals (67%) and presence of calculi in the terminal tract of urinary ducts (43%), while for adults were anomalous neural arch or spine (43%), fusion of hypurals (90%) and fusion of epurals (37%). While anomalous hemal arch or spine and presence of calculi in the terminal tract of urinary ducts decreased with age, fusion of hypurals and fusion of epurals increased. Lordosis and kyphosis were found in a slight form only in juveniles and with a low frequency of occurrence. These decreased or disappeared in adults. No mortality was detected either in juveniles or in adults. In any case, these anomalies did not influence the growth performance of juveniles and no lethal anomalies were detected
Meristic variation and skeletal anomalies of wild and reared sharpsnout seabream juveniles (Diplodus puntazzo, Cetti 1777) off coastal Sicily, Mediterranean Sea
No full textShape change during the growth of sharpsnout seabream reared under different conditions in a fish farm of the southern Tyrrhenian Sea
No full textMeristic character counts and incidence of skeletal anomalies in the wild Diplodus puntazzo (Cetti, 1777) of an area of the south-eastern Mediterranean Sea.
No full textThe sharpsnout seabream (Diplodus
puntazzo, Cetti 1777) is a species rarely found
in coastal areas of Sicily, but is important
in Mediterranean aquaculture. In order to detect
the number of meristic characters and
the main types of body deformation, 588 specimens
of sharpsnout seabream were collected
from a coastal zone of south-east Sicily (Licata,
AG—Italy). Different sized classes were examined
and the relationship between size and the
number of meristic characters (number of fin
rays) was found. The number of vertebrae, anal
fin hard rays and dorsal fin hard rays was
constant and did not vary with size. Seventeen
types of skeletal and fin anomalies were
observed, but no grave anomalies were found,
such as the absence of a swimbladder, lordosis,
kyphosis and calculi in the terminal tract of
the urinary duct. The most prevalent anomalies
were associated with the fins, especially
E7 (pectoral fin rays), F7 (anal fin rays) and
I7 (dorsal fin soft rays). There was no correlation between frequency of anomaly and size
class. The malformation index was 4.54
Preanalytical issues that may cause misdiagnosis in haemophilia and von Willebrand disease
No full textvon Willebrand disease (VWD) and haemophilia represent common inherited or acquired bleeding disorders, but many laboratories and clinicians continue to struggle with their diagnosis or exclusion. Difficulties in achieving a correct diagnosis or exclusion of VWD or haemophilia might be due to analytical issues. Sometimes assays may generate a wrong result (ie an analytical error) or may have limitations in their dynamic range of measurement and/or their level of low analytical sensitivity. Less well recognized is the influence of preanalytical issues on the diagnosis of VWD or haemophilia. Therefore, this narrative review aims to provide an overview of some important preanalytical aspects that may affect the diagnosis of VWD or haemophilia, as well as a range of solutions that may help in mitigating or abrogating their influence. The review includes discussion of the more commonly noted preanalytical issues, such as haemolysis/icterus/lipaemia, and sample collection, processing and transport. However, we also extensively discuss other less well-recognized preanalytical issues, including clinical requests, anticoagulants and anticoagulant therapy, and laboratory test choices to name a few
Response to "comment on e-cigarettes and cardiovascular risk: beyond science and mysticism".
No full textComment on e-cigarettes and cardiovascular risk: beyond science and mysticism
Laboratory hemostasis: milestones in Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine.
No full textHemostasis is a delicate, dynamic and intricate system, in which pro- and anti-coagulant forces cooperate for either maintaining blood fluidity under normal conditions, or else will prompt blood clot generation to limit the bleeding when the integrity of blood vessels is jeopardized. Excessive prevalence of anticoagulant forces leads to hemorrhage, whereas excessive activation of procoagulant forces triggers excessive coagulation and thrombosis. The hemostasis laboratory performs a variety of first, second and third line tests, and plays a pivotal role in diagnostic and monitoring of most hemostasis disturbances. Since the leading targets of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine include promotion of progress in fundamental and applied research, along with publication of guidelines and recommendations in laboratory diagnostics, this journal is an ideal source of information on current developments in the laboratory technology of hemostasis, and this article is aimed to celebrate some of the most important and popular articles ever published by the journal in the filed of laboratory hemostasis
Harms and benefits of using aspirin for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease: a narrative overview
No full textAspirin is one of the most often used drugs for prevention and treatment of a variety of thrombotic disorders. This narrative review aims to provide an overview of evidence highlighting potential benefits and relative harms of aspirin in primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. The authors summarize key findings of the ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) Investigator Group randomized trial and also provide a comparative overview of recent meta-analyses. Overall, all-cause mortality was largely heterogeneous, with some meta-analyses showing a modestly decreased risk in patients taking aspirin, with others reporting no effects, but the ASPREE Investigator Group trial evidencing 14% higher risk. Regarding cardiovascular disease, the most favorable impact could be noted for major adverse cardiovascular events, with most meta-analyses reporting a decreased risk in people receiving aspirin. Conversely, the ASPREE Investigator Group trial demonstrated no significant impact of aspirin on risk of cardiovascular mortality or ischemic stroke. A modest favorable effect of aspirin in decreasing the risk of myocardial infarction was noted in two meta-analyses, but not in other reports or in the ASPREE Investigator Group trial. Furthermore, one meta-analysis reported a lower risk of future cancer, others failed to report a significant effect, and the ASPREE Investigator Group trial reported a 31% increased risk. Unlike these conflicting outcomes, the bleeding risk of patients receiving aspirin was found to be consistently enhanced in all reports reviewed. These recent findings would lead us to conclude that the harms of aspirin in primary prevention of cardiovascular disease may be larger than the benefits, especially in the elderly general population
An Update on Biological and Clinical Associations between E-Cigarettes and Myocardial Infarction
No full textRecent biological and epidemiologic findings, as briefly reviewed here, would lead us to conclude that significant associations may exist between e-cigarette use and myocardial infarction, which appear to be dose-dependent and potentially magnified by concomitant use of “conventional” combustible cigarettes. Although no prospective studies have been published to date that can provide stronger epidemiologic evidence on this matter, the results of some biological investigations seem to support this association, whereby a prothrombotic phenotype (especially characterized by enhanced platelet activation, and possibly increased adhesion and aggregation) may develop after exposure to nicotine-containing e-cigarette vapors. Although it is premature to currently draw definitive conclusions, also noting that the harmful effects of e-cigarettes appear globally lower than those causes by conventional combustible cigarettes, we still raise well-founded doubts that recreational use of e-cigarette is safe, so that their usage in nonsmokers should probably continue to be discouraged
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