202 research outputs found
Rainfall intensity in the Genoa Metropolitan Area: secular variations and consequences
No full textAccording to historical papers the Genoa Metropolitan Area (GMA) is affected by floods since the Middle Ages. Anyhow in the last years an increase in flash floodings has been registered; recently in 2014, at least 4 floods took place, three of them in Fall.Then, secular pluviometric variations were analysed.
The research analyses the pluviometric data recorded at Genoa University (since 1833) and Chiavari (since 1877) stations, which represent, respectively, the central and the eastern zone of the GMA along the coast. Weather data recorded at Isoverde and Giacopiane Dam (since 1925) stations allow to complete the analysis in the hinterland of GMA, respectively in the western valley and eastern mountain. The analysis was based on mean annual, seasonal and monthly rainfall, rainy days and rainfall rate (the ratio between the formers) for the 4 stations. Furthermore, annual maximum data of hourly rainfall for Pontecarrega (Bisagno stream, the most hit valley in Genoa) and Giacopiane Dam stations were analysed. The annual rainfall does not show any trend while significant decreases for rainy days have been highlighted. As a consequence, the rainfall rate increase in the coastal and mountain stations. Also, hourly rainfall at 3 and 6 hours increase. These facts can be related with the intensification of flash flood events measured in the last decade. So, interventions to reduce flood risk in the GMA are no more postponin
Increased flash flooding in Genoa Metropolitan Area: a combination of climate changes and soil consumption?
No full textThe Genoa Metropolitan Area (GMA) has been historically affected by floods for two reasons, namely meteorological conditions and the city’s geographical arrangement. In the past few years in GMA, an increase in flash floods has been registered; among the causes, climate variations have been analysed. In 2014, several floods took place. In some areas of the hinterland, the cumulative annual rainfall exceeded 4000 mm. This research analyses the rainfall statistics collected by Genoa University and Chiavari stations (GMA along the coast) and at Isoverde and Diga Giacopiane stations (hinterland of GMA). The analysis was based on the mean annual, seasonal and monthly rainfall and rainy days for the four stations and daily series for Genoa University. Furthermore, annual maximum data of hourly rainfall for the Pontecarrega station were analysed. The annual rainfall does not show any trend. The monthly analysis highlights significant decreases for rainfall and rainy days between spring and summer. Climate indices recorded on daily data at Genoa University station show a certain increase in rainfall intensity in recent years. Additionally, hourly rainfall at 1 and 3 h increased, and the series showed a change point in the 1990s. Furthermore, urban sprawl has continually increased until now, and its contribution has already been accepted. These facts can be related to the intensification of flash flood events measured in the last decade. Furthermore, historical data from several sources confirm an increase in the number of events and casualties. These conditions determine a clear need for monitoring potentially hazard situations
The Hypothalamus of the Beaked Whales: The Paraventricular, Supraoptic, and Suprachiasmatic Nuclei
No full textSimple Summary Beaked whales are singular and unconventional marine mammals, living in deep offshore waters. There is a scarce, almost absent, number of neuroanatomical studies on these toothed whales. The hypothalamus is a small brain region and it serves as the primary connection between the nervous and endocrine systems. This region is responsible for maintaining the body in a steady state of equilibrium known as homeostasis. The hypothalamic paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei of the Cuvier's beaked whale and Blainville's beaked whale are characterized here. A hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus, the central biological clock, is also described for the first time in the two animals. The paraventricular nucleus occupied the preoptic region and the anterior or suprachiasmatic regions. The supraoptic nucleus was located in the preoptic, supraoptic, and tuberal regions. The suprachiasmatic nucleus was located in the ventromedial extremity of the tuberal hypothalamic region, occupying the median eminence of the hypothalamus. This study adds new insights and sets the stage for future investigations into the brains of beaked whales.Abstract The hypothalamus is the body's control coordinating center. It is responsible for maintaining the body's homeostasis by directly influencing the autonomic nervous system or managing hormones. Beaked whales are the longest divers among cetaceans and their brains are rarely available for study. Complete hypothalamic samples from a female Cuvier's beaked whale and a male Blainville's beaked whale were processed to investigate the paraventricular (PVN) and supraoptic (SON) nuclei, using immunohistochemical staining against vasopressin. The PVN occupied the preoptic region, where it reached its maximum size, and then regressed in the anterior or suprachiasmatic region. The SON was located from the preoptic to the tuberal hypothalamic region, encompassing the optical structures. It was composed of a retrochiasmatic region (SONr), which bordered and infiltrated the optic tracts, and a principal region (SONp), positioned more medially and dorsally. A third vasopressin-positive nucleus was also detected, i.e., the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), which marked the end of the SON. This is the first description of the aforementioned nuclei in beaked whales-and in any marine mammals-as well as their rostro-caudal extent and immunoreactivity. Moreover, the SCN has been recognized for the first time in any marine mammal species
Neurodegenerative Diseases: What Can Be Learned from Toothed Whales?
No full textNeurodegeneration involves a wide range of neuropathological alterations affecting the integrity, physiology, and architecture of neural cells. Many studies have demonstrated neurodegeneration in different animals. In the case of Alzheimer's disease (AD), spontaneous animal models should display two neurohistopathological hallmarks: the deposition of beta-amyloid and the arrangement of neurofibrillary tangles. However, no natural animal models that fulfill these conditions have been reported and most research into AD has been performed using transgenic rodents. Recent studies have also demonstrated that toothed whales - homeothermic, long-lived, top predatory marine mammals - show neuropathological signs of AD-like pathology. The neuropathological hallmarks in these cetaceans could help to better understand their endangered health as well as neurodegenerative diseases in humans. This systematic review analyzes all the literature published to date on this trending topic and the proposed causes for neurodegeneration in these iconic marine mammals are approached in the context of One Health/Planetary Health and translational medicine.131,375,9Q1Q1SCI
Caracterización macroscópica y microscópica, histoquímica e inmunohistoquímica, de los núcleos central de la amígdala paraventricular y supraóptico del hipotálamo y locus coeruleus del encéfalo
No full textSanidad Anima
Distribution of calcium-binding proteins immunoreactivity in the bottlenose dolphin entorhinal cortex
No full textIntroduction: The entorhinal cortex has been shown to be involved in high-level cognitive functions in terrestrial mammals. It can be divided into two main areas: the lateral entorhinal area (LEA) and the medial entorhinal area (MEA). Understanding of its structural organization in cetaceans is particularly important given the extensive evidence for their cognitive abilities. The present study describes the cytoarchitectural and immunohistochemical properties of the entorhinal cortex of the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus, Montagu, 1821), perhaps the most studied cetacean species and a paradigm for dolphins and other small cetaceans. Methods: Four bottlenose dolphins’ entorhinal cortices were processed. To obtain a precise overview of the organization of the entorhinal cortex we used thionin staining to study its laminar and regional organization, and immunoperoxidase technique to investigate the immunohistochemical distribution of three most commonly used calcium-binding proteins (CBPs), calbindin D-28k (CB), calretinin (CR) and parvalbumin (PV). Entorhinal cortex layers thickness were measured, morphological and morphometric analysis for each layer were conducted and statistically compared. Results: Six layers in both the LEA and MEA were identified. The main difference between the LEA and the MEA is observed in layers II and III: the neurons in layer II of the LEA were denser and larger than the neurons in layer II of MEA. In addition, a relatively cell-free zone between layers II and III in LEA, but not in MEA, was observed. The immunohistochemical distribution of the three CBPs, CB, CR and PV were distinct in each layer. The immunostaining pattern of CR, on one side, and CB/PV, on the other side, appeared to be distributed in a complementary manner. PV and CB immunostaining was particularly evident in layers II and III, whereas CR immunoreactive neurons were distributed throughout all layers, especially in layers V and VI. Immunoreactivity was expressed by neurons belonging to different morphological classes: All CBPs were expressed in non-pyramidal neurons, but CB and CR were also found in pyramidal neurons. Discussion: The morphological characteristics of pyramidal and non-pyramidal neurons in the dolphin entorhinal cortex are similar to those described in the entorhinal cortex of other species, including primates and rodents. Interestingly, in primates, rodents, and dolphins, most of the CBP-containing neurons are found in the superficial layers, but the large CR-ir neurons are also abundant in the deep layers. Layers II and III of the entorhinal cortex contain neurons that give rise to the perforant pathway, which conveys most of the cortical information to the hippocampal formation. From the hippocampal formation, reciprocal projections are directed back to the deep layer of the entorhinal cortex, which distributes the information to the neocortex and subcortical area. Our data reveal that in the dolphin entorhinal cortex, the three major CBPs label morphologically heterogeneous groups of neurons that may be involved in the information flow between entorhinal input and output pathways
Decompression vs. Decomposition: Distribution, Amount, and Gas Composition of Bubbles in Stranded Marine Mammals
No full text© The Author(s), 2012. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Frontiers in Physiology 3 (2012): 177, doi:10.3389/fphys.2012.00177.Gas embolic lesions linked to military sonar have been described in stranded cetaceans including beaked whales. These descriptions suggest that gas bubbles in marine mammal tissues may be more common than previously thought. In this study we have analyzed gas amount (by gas score) and gas composition within different decomposition codes using a standardized methodology. This broad study has allowed us to explore species-specific variability in bubble prevalence, amount, distribution, and composition, as well as masking of bubble content by putrefaction gases. Bubbles detected within the cardiovascular system and other tissues related to both pre- and port-mortem processes are a common finding on necropsy of stranded cetaceans. To minimize masking by putrefaction gases, necropsy, and gas sampling must be performed as soon as possible. Before 24 h post mortem is recommended but preferably within 12 h post mortem. At necropsy, amount of bubbles (gas score) in decomposition code 2 in stranded cetaceans was found to be more important than merely presence vs. absence of bubbles from a pathological point of view. Deep divers presented higher abundance of gas bubbles, mainly composed of 70% nitrogen and 30% CO2, suggesting a higher predisposition of these species to suffer from decompression-related gas embolism.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation with two research projects: (AGL 2005-07947) and (CGL 2009/12663), as well as the Government of Canary Islands (DG Medio Natural). The Spanish Ministry of Education contributed with personal financial support (the University Professor Formation fellowship). The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Marine Mammal Centre and Wick and Sloan Simmons provided funding for the latest stage of this work
Veterinary Medical Education: Challenges and Perspectives
No full textVeterinarians are valued and respected professional figures. Veterinary research transcends species boundaries and includes the study of both spontaneously occurring and experimentally induced models of both human and animal diseases. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of the One Health program, and this adaptive and responsive approach should be implemented in veterinary medical education. These fundamental changes in the roles, responsibilities, and spectrum of activities of veterinary professionals require equal changes, improvements, and adaptations to veterinary science and medical education training programs. These modifications may include, for instance, increasing the participation of veterinary professionals in multidisciplinary human medicine teaching, training, and research teams (i.e., human anatomy, physiology, or biology, among others). Significantly, recent scientific and technological breakthroughs (i.e., RNA-based vaccines, improved molecular diagnostic tools (PCRs), innovative ICTs applied to health assessment and research, etc.) have been seen to influence current teaching and training programs in key, modern, and innovative veterinary colleges and universities
“Of Marine Mammal Neuroscience and Men”: Needs and Perspectives in Marine Mammal Neuroscience
No full textAs neuroscience techniques become increasingly sophisticatedand accessible, their application to marine mammal research
remainsunderdeveloped and fragmented. Cetacean and pinniped brains exhibit remarkableevolutionary specializations; yet
systematic, reproducible data across speciesare scarce. Ethical, logistical, and methodological constraints hinder samplingand
analysis of central nervous system tissues, often limiting studies to smallcohorts and reducing diagnostic accuracy in
neuropathological investigations.Gaps persist in understanding neuroanatomical organization, pathogeneticmechanisms of
neurodegeneration, and the effects of acoustic and environmentalstressors on brain health. Noninvasive neuroimaging methods
such as post-mortemmagnetic resonance imaging and diffusion-weighted imaging offer promise butsuffer from incompatible
protocols and limited standardization. In-vitro andmolecular techniques including cellular reprogramming may provide new
avenuesfor translational research if harmonized approaches are adopted. We identify a criticalneed for coordinated efforts to
standardize best practice protocols for the sampling, storage and systematic analyses of marine mammal nervous tissues. To
this end, we propose the formation of an inclusive, multidisciplinary network and invitecollaboration through our Open Science
Framework project. By aligning methodologies and broadeninginternational partnerships, we aim to transform marine mammal
neuroscience intoa robust contributor to comparative neurobiology and environmental healthmonitoring. This is a call to action
to collectively grow this emerging field
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