79 research outputs found
Natriuretic peptide B plasma concentration increases in the first 12 h of pulmonary edema recovery
No full textBACKGROUND:
According to guidelines, single determination of B-type Natriuretic peptide (BNP) should be used for distinguishing between cardiac and non-cardiac acute dyspnea at the emergency room. BNP measurement is also recommended before hospital discharge in patients hospitalized for heart failure to assess prognosis and to evaluate treatment efficacy. In acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema, BNP is measured using a single BNP determination, but the temporal behavior of BNP during pulmonary edema recovery is unknown.
METHODS:
Fifty chronic low ejection fraction ( 60 min (n = 17). BNP was measured at arrival and 4, 8, 12 and 24 h afterwards.
RESULTS:
At arrival, BNP was elevated in all patients without significant difference among groups. In the entire population, BNP median and interquartile range value were 791 (528-1327) pg/ml, 785(559-1299) pg/ml, 1014(761-1573) pg/ml, 1049(784-1412) pg/ml, 805(497-1271) pg/ml at arrival and 4, 8, 12 and 24 h afterwards, respectively, showing higher values at 8 and 12 h. This peculiar temporal behavior of BNP was shared by all study groups. Patients with the longest edema resolution showed the highest BNP level 8 and 12 h after admission.
CONCLUSIONS:
In acute pulmonary edema, BNP increased up to 12 h after emergency admission regardless of dyspnea recovery time, making BNP quantitative meaning in the acute phase of pulmonary edema uncertain
Correction to: Free Diced Dorsal Augmentation (FDDA) rhinoplasty in non-caucasian patients: tips and tricks (European Journal of Plastic Surgery, (2025), 48, 1, (7), 10.1007/s00238-024-02259-1)
No full textIn this article the author’s name ‘Gianluca Marcaccini’ was incorrectly written as ‘Gianlcua Marcaccini’. Authors ‘Mirco Pozzi’ and ‘Pietro Susini’ should have been denoted as equally contributing author[s]. The original article has been corrected
Hamma franciscae Bayendi Loudit, Durante & Susini, n. sp.
No full text<i>Hamma franciscae</i> Bayendi Loudit, Durante & Susini n. sp. (Figs. 14, 15) <p>Holotype</p> <p>♂ Gabon, Makokou, Ipassa research station (Ivindo National Park), 0°30’43”N 12°48’13”E, Feb.-Mar. 2011, A. Susini leg. In MSNS.</p> <p>Diagnosis</p> <p> Morphologically this species could not be confused to any other, thanks to its pronotal reddish blunt tubercles, to the absence of the terminal spine of the posterior process (in common only with <i>H. carlini</i>), and to the compressed from above view but laterally large first node of the posterior process. Superficially, its posterior process looks like the one of <i>H. ugandensis</i> in lateral view, but every other view and character are clearly different.</p> <p>Size</p> <p>Total length: 3.3 mm Pronotal length: 3.7 mm Tegminal length: 3.3 mm</p> <p>Description</p> <p>HEAD: black, vertical, slightly convex, punctuate, with sparse yellowish pilosity and two small reddish tubercles between ocelli; vertex approximately 1.6 times longer than wide; upper margin slightly arcuate; ventral margin Wshaped, with the lower parts slightly bent forward; centro-ocular line just below ocelli.</p> <p>Frontoclypeus roundish, a little longer than wide, lateral lobes completely fused to frontoclypeus and hardly distinguishable; rostrum brown with black base and tip; antennae reddish brown.</p> <p>PRONOTUM: black, densely punctate with reddish brown blunt tubercles with a small bristle at the summit; metopidium as high as wide, median carina reddish brown, percurrent; supraocular callosities large, sub-triangular in fronto-lateral view, smooth and brown, lacking significant punctation; humeral angle prominent and blunt; posterior angle rounded; no suprahumeral horns.</p> <p>Posterior process black, densely punctuate, with large reddish brown patches, emerging posteriorly from the pronotum and continuously from the posterior margin; sinuate in lateral view, with three nodes, the first of which laterally more compress than the other two; after rising from metopidium, the first arch acute, ending in the second node, and from this the second arch large, ending in the third node, very high on the tegminal anal margin; no terminal spine at the caudal end; dorsal and ventral carinae reddish brown. First half of the posterior process with few small blunt tubercles, second half with more dense and bigger pointed tubercles. All the tubercles reddish brown with a small bristle at the apex.</p> <p>SCUTELLUM: reddish brown at base, blackish in the middle, and brown again at the apex, punctuate, with the base longer than the height, emarginated with scutellar apices acute; base swollen except for the corners, with one ogival tubercle on each side of the swelling. The said tubercles with a tuft of small whitish backwards setae.</p> <p>FOREWING: three times longer than wide, hyaline, sclerotized basally, golden light brown and punctate. Pterostigma with quite dense small setae, roughly sub-oval; this and venation same colour of wing base, just slightly hyaline. A brownish green large dot on the limbus at the anal angle. The first apical cell triangularish, with sinuate base adjacent to the first and second discoidal cells. Venation with few very sparse small setae.</p> <p>LEGS: light brown, tibiae of the second pair with a yellow distal band.</p> <p>Abdomen yellowish with heavy brown punctation on the anterior four fifth of each segment. Punctation dense dorsally, gradually more sparse laterally until the ventral side. Sternum yellowish brown with many golden setae.</p> <p>Etimology</p> <p>The species is dedicated to Francesca Susini, daughter of the third author.</p>Published as part of <i>Loudit, Sandrine Mariela Bayendi, Durante, Antonio & Susini, Antonio, 2014, Membracidae of Gabon: the genus Hamma Buckton, 1905 (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha) with description of three new species, pp. 323-346 in Zootaxa 3838 (3)</i> on pages 344-345, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3838.3.5, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/252079">http://zenodo.org/record/252079</a>
Risultati preliminari di un'indagine epidemiologica condotta nell'area territoriale della ASL 12 Viareggio sulla diffusione di Microsporum canis
No full textOccurrence of microplastics in bivalves: can a systematic literature review support the risk assessment?
No full textMicroplastics (MPs) are a global environmental issue, particularly affecting the aquatic ecosystem. Due to their small size (<5 mm), MPs can be absorbed or ingested by aquatic organisms, and transferred through food webs. Toxic effects due to the ingestion of MPs, alone or contaminated with additives or pollutants, have been hypothesized. Human exposure is inevitable, also following accumulation in the food chain. Seafood, especially bivalves, being filter feeders and consumed as whole, are an important potential pathway. The scientific interest in the topic is rising, and several narrative reviews on MPs in food, including seafood, have been published since the publication of a statement on the presence of MPs and nanoplastics in food by EFSA in 2016 (1), highlighting a scarcity of data on MPs occurrence. The aim of this review was to systematically revise scientific papers (SPs) to assess the occurrence of MPs in different categories of bivalves (mussels, clams, oysters and scallop) worldwide. A double-step filtration was used, applying increasingly stricter quality criteria. Data on MPs abundance were first discussed focusing on all the investigated species and geographical areas. Then, a subset of SPs selected in the second filtering step was used to calculate the weighted MPs mean abundance and the human exposure per serving size. In the first filtering process 87 SPs, published between 2014 and 2020 in 30 different scientific journals, were retained. Overall, 67 species, 6 genera and 1 family of bivalves were analysed. Mussels were the most analysed (61 SPs), followed by clams (55 SPs), oysters (31 SPs), and scallops (7 SPs). Mytilus edulis and M. galloprovincialis were the most investigated species, followed by P. viridis, Mytilus sp., R. philippinarum and C. gigas. All these are commercial species, globally farmed and distributed. Marine FAO areas 61 and 27 were most investigated. Overall, MPs mean abundance was variably reported, as well as the use of different methods and procedural controls. Therefore, in this study, the weighted MPs mean abundance was calculated only including data from a subset of SPs (n=32; 37%). The overall weighted MPs mean abundance including data from all FAO areas was 1.19 MPs/g ww. The highest value was observed in FAO area 61 (2.33 MPs/g ww), while values <1 MPs/g ww were observed in FAO areas 27 and 57. Among bivalve categories, the highest weighted MPs mean abundance (overall FAO areas) was observed for scallops (1.99 MPs/g ww), followed by mussels (1.71 MPs/g ww), clams (0.84 MPs/g ww) and oysters (0.65 MPs/g ww). Thus, the consumption of standard portions of each bivalve category determines the ingestion of a different number of MPs depending on the FAO area; the highest value (⁓645 MPs) would be ingested with a portion of mussels from FAO area 61. Our findings confirmed the existence of quality issues and the lack of analytical standardization. A disparity among investigated species and geographical areas was observed, and only three studies addressed processed products. These aspects affect the outcome of systematic reviews to support risk assessment; future studies should explore the issue of MPs adopting an interdisciplinary perspective, integrating different technical and scientific competences to collect evidences for risk assessment and management
Review on fish welfare and assessment methods in aquaculture
No full textResearch from the last two decades suggests that fish are sentient and conscious organisms, and they can also experience pain (Jarvis et al., 2021). Moreover, there is an increasing public concern about fish welfare and a scientific interest for understanding the physiological and behavioural bases of stress responsiveness. Also, it is well known that to meet the increasing demand of consumers for fish, the aquaculture sector has intensified its production (Li et al., 2022; FAO, 2022a) and multiplied events and conditions that can cause stress to the farmed fish. For instance, fish welfare may be compromised by several common stressors such as stocking density, handling, transportation, vaccination, grading procedures and so on (Martos-Sitcha et al., 2020). In this context, standardized protocols for assessing fish welfare are necessary (Weirup et al., 2022) both for ethical reasons and for improving productivity and reducing economic losses.
The aim of this work is to highlight the state-of-the-art of fish welfare monitoring in aquaculture sector and review the most recent findings in fish welfare assessment methods. Translation of this knowledge to the aquaculture industry was also considered.
A keyword-based reference search was undertaken to identify papers published between 2003-2023, where fish welfare and assessment methods were discussed. According to the typology of the proposed assessment methods, they can be first classified into a) direct and b) indirect. Secondly, fish welfare indicators may be classified as: animal-based (direct) and environmental-based (indirect) indicators. In turn, animal-based indicators can be divided into individual-based indicators (e.g., gill beat rate, emaciation state, deformed opercula), group-based indicators (e.g., mortality rate, appetite, behaviour) and blood-based indicators (e.g., cortisol, glucose, lactate). The environmental-based indicators can be divided into water quality indicators (e.g., dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature) and rearing system indicators (e.g., stocking density, water current speed, lighting) (Stien et al., 2020). These indicators may be helpful to define a standardized protocol to assess fish welfare at single farm level and for the entire aquaculture sector. The use of indicators belonging to different categories is highly suggested
Valutazione di biomarkers su molluschi bivalvi quali indicatori di inquinamento ambientale
No full textABSTRACT
For many years, the problem of environmental pollution and its harmful effects on food products has been addressed through the evaluation of type, quantity and, in some cases, theoretical toxicity of each chemical compound. The pollution sources are not uniformly distributed and the toxic substances are released in the environment in a discontinuous manner and often they are subject to transformations which are difficult to predict. Moreover, in the case of substances released in the sea, it is important to consider that water masses are continuously moving and the environmental conditions change rapidly. In polluted ecosystems, the pollutants may alter the health status of organisms, causing the “stress syndrome” which is a physiological alteration induced by environmental change. Such alteration can be quantified using specific indicators, called biomarkers.
Biomarkers are defined as “biochemical, cellular, physiological or behavioural changes which can be measured in body tissues, in fluids or at the level of the whole organism (individual or population) and reveal the exposure to one or more chemical pollutants” (Depledge, 1994).
Biomarkers have been used since the seventies, and their use has been intensified in the last two decades in the environmental biomonitoring programs. The use of biomarkers as indicators of the presence of stress factors and environmental pollutants, can be very effective to evaluate whether a population lives in a risky environment and can hence accumulate harmful substances which damage the species itself or the consumer. Biomarkers can therefore be used in the field of diagnostics and food safety in addition to classical chemical and toxicological analysis.
Generally, only 30-40 substances can be quantified, although more than 100.000 substances could be present in the environment (problem of significance of overall assessment). Chemical analyses are costly and very specific and it is not possible to perform them for all environmental pollutants theoretically present (normally, only evaluations required by law are performed). Additionally, none of the available chemical methodologies is able to precisely assess the real available fraction over the total and thus the real amount which can potentially interact with the biota (problem of identification of cause-effect relation).
Biomarkers can be effectively used as a method of screening both in fish and molluscs, allowing a targeted use of chemical analysis in case of a positive result which would indicate the presence of an environmental pollutant.
The research for this thesis focused on the preparation and utilization of biomarkers on bivalves sampled during monitoring activities in the production areas in Tuscany and Puglia. The biomarkers that have been used are both non-specific general stress indicators (neutral red assay) and specific exposure biomarkers (acetylcholinesterase activity, micronuclei frequency). These biomarkers have been applied on various matrices of bivalves (hepatopancreas, hemolymph and gills) in order to monitor their health status and the quality of the production areas.
RIASSUNTO
Il problema dell’inquinamento ambientale e dei suoi effetti nocivi sugli alimenti è stato per anni affrontato valutando il tipo, la quantità e, in taluni casi, la tossicità teorica dei singoli composti chimici. Le sorgenti di inquinamento sono diffuse in maniera non uniforme e le sostanze tossiche sono immesse nell’ambiente in maniera discontinua e spesso possono subire trasformazioni difficilmente prevedibili. Per le sostanze immesse in mare va inoltre considerato che le masse d’acqua sono in continuo movimento e di conseguenza le caratteristiche dell’ambiente subiscono modificazioni repentine. In ecosistemi inquinati, le sostanze tossiche alterano lo stato di salute degli organismi provocando una “sindrome da stress”, ovvero un’alterazione misurabile dello stato fisiologico indotta da un cambiamento ambientale. Tale alterazione può essere quantificata mediante l’utilizzo di opportuni indici, i biomarker.
I biomarker sono definiti come “ … quella variazione biochimica, cellulare, fisiologica o comportamentale che può essere misurata in un tessuto, in un fluido biologico o a livello dell’intero organismo (individuo o popolazione) e che fornisce l’evidenza di un’esposizione a uno o più composti inquinanti…” (Depledge, 1994).
L’utilizzo dei biomarker, a partire dagli anni ‘70, si è intensificato negli ultimi due decenni nei programmi di biomonitoraggio in campo ambientale. Il loro uso, come indicatori di contatto con fattori di stress e contaminanti ambientali, può essere molto efficace per verificare se una popolazione animale vive in un ambiente a rischio e, quindi, possa accumulare sostanze nocive in grado di danneggiare la specie stessa o il consumatore. Possono così essere utilizzati anche nel campo della diagnostica e della sicurezza alimentare integrando le analisi chimiche e tossicologiche classiche.
In generale è possibile effettuare determinazioni quantitative solo per circa 30-40 sostanze chimiche, mentre sono più di 100.000 quelle che potrebbero essere presenti nell’ambiente (problema di significatività della valutazione complessiva). Le analisi chimiche sono costose e, per loro natura, molto specifiche; ne consegue necessariamente che non possono essere eseguite verso tutti gli inquinanti teoricamente presenti (di fatto, generalmente, ci si limita alle ricerche previste dalla normativa). A questo va aggiunto che nessuna metodologia chimica è in grado di stabilire con sicurezza qual è, sul totale presente, la frazione realmente biodisponibile e quindi in grado di interagire con il biota (problema di identificazione delle relazioni causa – effetto).
I biomarkers possono, invece, essere efficacemente utilizzati come metodo di screening sia nei pesci che nei molluschi consentendo un uso mirato dell’analisi chimica quando una loro positività segnala la presenza di un inquinante ambientale.
Sulla base di quanto detto, il lavoro di tesi ha previsto l’allestimento e l’applicazione di biomarkers su campioni di molluschi bivalvi prelevati durante le attività di monitoraggio delle zone di produzione della Regione Puglia e in tre diversi siti della costa Tirrenica.
I biomarkers utilizzati sono sia indicatori generici di stress, aspecifici (saggio del rosso neutro) che biomarker di esposizione, specifici (attività dell’acetilcolinesterasi, frequenza dei micronuclei). Questi biomarkers sono stati applicati su diverse matrici di molluschi bivalvi (epatopancreas, emolinfa e branchie) al fine di monitorare il loro stato di salute e la qualità delle zone di produzione
Toxic invasive pufferfish (Tetraodontidae family) along Italian coasts: Assessment of an emerging public health risk
No full textSeveral pufferfish species belonging to the Tetraodontidae family are currently present in the Mediterranean Sea. Since 2013 Lagocephalus sceleratus is increasingly reported also along Italian coasts, where other two species of less concern, Lagocephalus lagocephalus and Sphoeroides pachygaster, have also occured since a long time. This study represents one of the first attempts to sistematically describe the occurrence in the Mediterranean, and in particular along Italian coasts, of the three aforesaid species, in order to characterize an emerging public health hazard. Reports were searched in scientific articles and dedicated online databases. The following data were collected: number of specimens and type of record, geographical location and date of report, fish size, depth and type of seabed. Overall, at least 111079 individuals of the three species were found in the Mediterranean Sea, including 110237 specimens of L. sceleratus (since 2003), 126 of L. lagocephalus (1878–2017) and 716 of S. pachygaster (1979–2017). The evident differences confirm the invasive character of the toxic Lessepsian immigrant L. sceleratus, the species of main public health concern. Despite this species was recorded along Italian coasts in low numbers (0.08% of the total individuals of L. sceleratus) and its current distribution is limited to southern regions, the picture could change rapidly. Moreover, the collected data show that most L. sceleratus specimens have a large size and are mainly caught by commercial fishing gears. These factors may increase the risk of this species entering the seafood chain with serious consequences for consumers’ health. Results suggest that the presence of L. sceleratus should be strictly monitored. Institutional measures should be implemented to inform people as regards a new hazard that has the potential to affect the Italian seafood chain
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