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A comprehensive understanding of the concentration of microplastics (MPs) in seawaters is essential to implement monitoring programs and understand the impacts on ecosystems, as required by the European legislation to protect the marine environment. In this context, the purpose of this study is to investigate the composition, quantity, and spatial distribution of microplastics from coastal to offshore areas in three Italian seawaters. In addition, the distribution of microplastics between surface and subsurface water layers was analyzed in order to better understand the dynamics of MPs in the upper layers of the water column. A total number of 6069 MPs (mean total concentration of 0.029 microplastics · m -2 ) were found to be heterogeneous in type, shape, and color. In general, MPs concentrations decrease with coastal distance, except when environmental forcings are predominant (such as sea currents). Moreover, the amount of surface MPs was almost four times that of subsurface microplastics, which consisted mostly of fibers. In light of these results, it becomes clear how critical it is to plan remediation actions and programs to minimize microplastic accumulations in the sea., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Current fishing practices often do not allow adequate selection of species or sizes of fish, resulting in unwanted catches, subsequently discarded, with the consequent negative effects on both marine communities and fisheries profitability. The cross-analysis of density patches of potential unwanted catches and distribution of fishing effort can support the identification of spatial-temporal hot-spots in which the fishing pressure should be reduced to limit the amount of discards. The MinouwApp represents a technological and methodological framework to bring different, and structurally complex, sources of georeferenced data together into a simple visual interface aiming to interactively explore temporal ranges and areas of interest. The objective is to improve the understanding of fisheries dynamics, including discards, thus contributing to the implementation of discard management plans in a context of participative, ecosystem-based fisheries management strategies.

Purpose: Orbital decompression (OD) is a consolidated procedure for the treatment of exophthalmos in Graves' orbitopathy (GO). The efficacy of the various procedures remains unclear due to the variability of the techniques used. To address this issue, we performed a randomized clinical trial to compare the efficacy of two surgical techniques. The primary endpoint was the reduction in proptosis. Secondary aims were the risk of post-operative diplopia (POD) in primary gaze and other surgical complications., Patients: 38 patients (76 orbits) affected with GO were enrolled and randomized into single lateral decompression (LD) (n = 19) or balanced medial plus lateral wall decompression (MLD) (n = 19). Following surgery, patients were seen for a follow-up ophthalmological evaluation at 6 months. Pre-operative diplopia in secondary gaze was present in 13/38 patients (34.2%, 8/19 treated with LD and 5/19 treated with MLD)., Results: The reduction of exophthalmos was greater in patients treated with MLD (5.1 ± 1.5 mm, range 2-8 mm) than in those treated with LD (3.5 ± 1.3 mm, range 1-6.5 mm) (p = 0.01). The overall incidence of POD in primary gaze was 5/38 (13.2%) and all of these patients had pre-operative diplopia in secondary gaze (5/13, 38.5%, vs patients with no pre-operative diplopia p = 0.005). Two of 19 patients (10.5%) treated with LD and 3/19 (15.8%) treated with MLD, developed POD in primary gaze, with no statistical difference between the two techniques., Conclusion: MLD provides a better result in terms of proptosis reduction compared to LD. The two techniques used here appear to have a similar safety profile in terms of POD. Pre-operative diplopia in the secondary gaze remains a major risk factor for development of POD.

Background: Oxidative stress is involved in the pathogenesis of Graves' orbitopathy (GO) and several antioxidant agents, namely, selenium, quercetin, enalapril, vitamin C, N-acetyl-L-cysteine, and melatonin, have been shown to reduce oxidative stress and its consequences in primary culture of orbital fibroblasts. In addition, selenium is effective for the treatment of mild GO. Here, we investigated the action of three additional antioxidants in orbital fibroblasts, namely, retinol, β-carotene, and vitamin E., Methods: Primary cultures of orbital fibroblasts were established from GO patients and control subjects. To induce oxidative stress, cells were treated with H 2 O 2 , after which glutathione disulfide (GSSG) (a parameter of oxidative stress), cell proliferation, hyaluronic acid, TNFα, IFNγ, and IL1β were measured., Results: H 2 O 2 -dependent oxidative stress (augmented GSSG) was associated with increased cell proliferation and cytokine release. All the three antioxidant substances reduced GSSG in both GO and control fibroblasts. β-carotene reduced proliferation in GO, but not in control fibroblasts. IL1β was reduced by all three substances. Retinol reduced IFNγ in GO and control fibroblasts., Conclusions: Our study supports an antioxidant role of retinol, β-carotene, and vitamin E in orbital fibroblasts from patients with GO and provides a basis for a possible clinical use these substances.

Objective: Oxidative stress is involved in the pathogenesis of Graves' orbitopathy (GO) and an antioxidant approach has been advocated for GO treatment. Here, we investigated the action of three antioxidants in orbital fibroblasts, namely, vitamin C, N-acetyl-L-cysteine, and melatonin., Methods: Primary cultures of orbital fibroblasts from six GO patients and six control subjects were established. Cells were treated with H 2 O 2 to induce oxidative stress. Cell vitality assays were performed to determine the non-cytotoxic dose of each antioxidant. The following assays were performed: glutathione disulfide (GSSG), as a measure of oxidative stress, cell proliferation, hyaluronic acid (HA), TNFα, IFNγ, and IL1β., Results: H 2 O 2 induced oxidative stress (augmented GSSG), increased cell proliferation as well as cytokine release, but did not affect HA release. All of the three antioxidant substances reduced H 2 O 2 -dependent oxidative stress. Vitamin C reduced proliferation in GO, but not in control fibroblasts. N-acetyl-L-cysteine reduced proliferation and IFNγ in GO, and HA and IL1β in both GO and control fibroblasts. Melatonin reduced IL1β and HA in GO and control fibroblasts, and IFNγ only in GO fibroblasts., Conclusions: Our study provides evidence in support of an antioxidant role of vitamin C, N-acetyl-L-cysteine and melatonin in orbital fibroblasts. Some of the effects of these compounds are exclusive to GO fibroblasts, whereas some other are observed also in control fibroblasts. Our observations provide a basis for a possible clinical use of these substances in patients with GO.

Objective: One of the hypotheses on the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases, including Graves' disease (GD) and Graves' orbitopathy (GO), involves bacterial or viral infections. Recently, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been proposed to play a role in the pathogenesis of idiopathic orbital inflammatory pseudotumor (IOIP) in Asians. The aim of the present study was to investigate the possible association of GO with EBV infection/exposure, as compared with IOIP, using serum and tissue samples, as well as primary cultures of orbital fibroblasts., Methods: Thirty-one patients were studied, including four with IOIP, ten with GO, nine with GD without GO and eight control patients without IOIP, GD and GO. All patients with IOIP and GO underwent orbital decompression. Control patients underwent palpebral surgery. Fibroadipose orbital tissue samples were collected. Serum anti-EBV antibodies were measured in all patients. EBV-DNA was measured in blood samples, orbital tissue samples and primary cultures of orbital fibroblasts., Results: Serum assays showed that the vast majority of patients have had a previous exposure to EBV, but no one had an acute infection. EBV-DNA was detected in ~40% of blood samples from GO, GD and control patients, but in none of the IOIP samples. EBV-DNA was not detected in any of the orbital tissue samples tested or in primary cultures of orbital fibroblasts., Conclusions: EBV infection does not seem to be associated with GD, GO and IOIP in Caucasians. Whether EBV is involved in IOIP in Asians or other populations remains to be confirmed.

Lingual thyroid is an uncommon condition, often asymptomatic. Given its benign nature, every treatment should be well balanced in terms of advantages and local morbidity. When a treatment is planned, medical and surgical therapy should be weighed against each other. Among surgical options, robotic techniques offer several advantages compared to traditional transoral procedures and external approaches, in terms of ability of resection, morbidity and quality of life. Here we present the case of a patient with tongue-base ectopic thyroid managed by means of transoral robotic surgery. The intuitiveness of the procedure associated with very minimal invasiveness are confirmed in this case. Particularly when dealing with benign lesions that involve hard-to-reach regions such as the tongue base, robotic techniques should be considered as a truly valid alternative to traditional techniques.

Background: Inhibition of fibroblast (FB) proliferation and hyaluronic acid (HA) production may be a therapeutic approach to Graves' ophthalmopathy (GO). The flavonoid quercetin has a wide range of activities, including reduction of FB growth., Aim: To investigate the effects of quercetin in orbital FB from GO patients and control subjects., Methods: Primary cultures of orbital FB were treated with quercetin or with its glycosides rutin and quercitrin. Cell proliferation, necrosis, apoptosis, HA production, and cell cycle were measured., Results: Beginning at a 30 μM concentration, quercetin, but not rutin and quercitrin, reduced cell proliferation, with no difference between GO and control FB. The effect of quercetin on proliferation was due to necrosis and cell cycle blockade, whereas apoptosis was unaffected. Quercetin reduced HA in the cell media, with no difference between GO and control FB., Conclusions: Quercetin reduces cell proliferation and HA release in orbital FB. Whether these initial findings have any potential for the use of quercetin in the clinical practice remains to be established.

It has been proposed that thyroglobulin (Tg) may be involved in the pathogenesis or the progression of Graves' ophthalmopathy (GO). According to this hypothesis, following its release from the thyroid, Tg would reach orbital tissues, thereby eliciting an autoimmune aggression. In support of this, we recently found that intact Tg is present in orbital tissues of patients with GO, where it is complexed with glycosaminoglycans. In this study, we searched for additional Tg binding sites in orbital tissues, using primary cultures of orbital and skin fibroblasts from 7 GO patients who had undergone orbital decompression. Biotin-labeled Tg bound to both skin and orbital fibroblasts in a saturable manner, with constants of dissociation of approximately 75 nmol/l for skin fibroblasts and approximately 40 nmol/I for orbital fibroblasts. In an attempt to identify Tg binding sites, fibroblast extracts were blotted onto membranes that were incubated with biotin-labeled Tg, which bound especially to a protein migrating at approximately 300 kDa, present in both orbital and skin fibroblast extracts. Because no appreciable inhibition of binding of biotin-labeled Tg was produced by unlabeled Tg, we concluded that binding was poorly specific and it is unlikely to be involved in the pathogenesis of GO.

The importance of nasal obstruction in the pathogenesis of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) has not yet been totally defined. Numerous studies have reported an association between nasal obstruction and OSAS, but the precise nature of this relationship remains to be clarified. This study was undertaken to evaluate the prevalence of nasal obstruction disorders in a group of OSAS patients. For this purpose, we analyzed the nasal resistance of 36 OSAS patients by performing a traditional basal anterior active rhinomanometry test (AAR) and a positional AAR, with the patient in a supine position. Seven patients had a pathologic nasal resistance in the seated position that increased further in the supine position; 9 patients had normal resistance in the seated position but a pathologic resistance in the supine position. In 20 patients, nasal resistance was normal in both positions. No statistically significant differences in the degree of apnea/hypopnea index (AHI) was found between the 20 patients with normal positional AAR and the 16 with pathologic positional AAR (p = 0.13). Moreover, no statistically significant differences in the degree of AHI was found between the 7 patients with pathologic basal and positional AAR and the 9 patients with normal basal AAR and pathologic positional AAR (p = 0.38).