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Carbendazim is a systemic fungicide used in several countries, particularly in Brazil. However, studies suggest that it is related to the promotion of tumors, endocrine disruption, and toxicity to organisms, among other effects. As a result, carbendazim is not allowed in the United States, Australia, and some European Union countries. Therefore, further studies are necessary to evaluate its effects, and zebrafish is a model routinely used to provide relevant information regarding the acute and long‐term effects of xenobiotics. In this way, zebrafish water tank samples (water samples from aquari containing zebrafish) and liver samples from animals exposed to carbendazim at a concentration of 120 μg/L were analyzed by liquid chromatography coupled to high‐resolution mass spectrometry, followed by multivariate and univariate statistical analyses, using the metabolomics approach. Our results suggest impairment of lipid metabolism with a consequent increase in intrahepatic lipids and endocrine disruption. Furthermore, the results suggest two endogenous metabolites as potential biomarkers to determine carbendazim exposure. Finally, the present study showed that it is possible to use zebrafish water tank samples to assess the dysregulation of endogenous metabolites to understand biological effects. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;42:437–448. © 2022 SETAC [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article titled "Challenges and missed opportunities in lithium monitoring for bipolar disorder: A reflection on Bosi et al.'s finding" discusses the monitoring of blood lithium levels, creatinine, TSH, and calcium in adults diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The article points out several shortcomings, including a lack of clarity regarding the diagnosis of bipolar disorder in the cohort, the criteria applied to patients who initiated lithium therapy, and the reasons behind therapy transitions. Additionally, the article highlights the need for further clarification on factors leading to decreased monitoring and the continuation of treatment in patients with a diminished glomerular filtration rate. The study also mentions adverse drug effects as a common reason for lithium discontinuation but does not provide specific details. Overall, the article emphasizes the need for more comprehensive understanding and elaboration of the study's findings and implications. [Extracted from the article]

The article titled "Insights and improvements: A critical analysis of methodological limitations in the investigation of smoking and valproic acid in treatment-resistant schizophrenia" by Tsukahara et al. examines the impact of smoking and the use of valproic acid (VPA) on relapse rates in patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS). The study identifies several limitations and areas for improvement, including the lack of information on symptom severity at discharge, inadequate information on hospitalization duration, quantitative inconsistencies in gender representation, lack of information on previous treatments, unclear diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia, insufficient explanation for VPA use, omission of ethnicity data, and the need for further exploration of the influence of smoking and VPA on relapse rates. Addressing these limitations would enhance the research findings and contribute to the overall quality of the study. [Extracted from the article]

Giovanni Martinotti: Treating bipolar depression with esketamine: Safety and effectiveness data from a naturalistic multicentric study on esketamine and bipolar × unipolar treatment resistant depression Dear Editor, The paper by Martinotti et al.[1] reports an important finding which is the effectiveness of esketamine in treating resistant unipolar and bipolar depression. Fifth, 28.6% of patients with bipolar disorder use esketamine in the dosis of 84 mg (bipolar 1 or 2), compared to 60% of unipolar patients who use 84 mg. [Extracted from the article]

Abstract: Apparent digestibility coefficients (ADCs) of processed agro‐food by‐products were assessed in European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax). Each experimental diet was obtained by replacing 300 g/kg of a commercial‐based diet used as reference (REF) with a test ingredient: wheat germ (GERM), okara meal (OKA), poultry by‐product meal (POULT), steam hydrolysed (FeHY) and enzyme‐treated feather meal (FeENZ), beta‐lactoglobulin (β‐Lg) and peptide fractions >3,000 Da obtained from brewer's yeast (YeastP) and fish by‐products (FishP). Dry matter ADC was highest in β‐Lg (95%) and lowest in OKA (40%). Protein ADCs were high in β‐Lg, FishP, GERM and POULT (>93%); intermediate in FeHY and FeENZ (85%–88%); and moderate in OKA and YeastP (70%–78%). The essential amino acids' ADC mean was above 91% in POULT, β‐Lg, GERM and FishP, 84%–89% in FeHY and FeENZ and 73%–76% in YeastP and OKA. Energy ADC was highest in POULT and β‐Lg (89%–95%) and lowest in YeastP and OKA (61%–64%). Lipid ADC was highest for POULT and GERM (100%). Phosphorus ADC was lowest in GERM (19%) and highest in β‐Lg (88%). FeHY, FeENZ, POULT, GERM, FishP and β‐Lg are highlighted as protein sources for European seabass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study that showed that mucoadhesive chitosan nanoparticles can remain adhered to the mucosal surfaces of fish, offering a new perspective for fish drug application. Topics include the nanoparticles supporting the development of pharmaceutical for fish making the use of antibiotics most rational and minimizing risk of selection of resistant microorganisms and environmental contamination. Also mentioned is chitosan being labelled with fluoroscein isothiocyanate (FITC).

Introduction. Bipolar disorder (BD) implies risk of suicide. The age at onset (AAO) of BD carries prognostic significance. Substance abuse may precede the onset of BD and cannabis is the most common illicit drug used. The main goal of this study is to review the association of cannabis use as a risk factor for early onset of BD and for suicide attempts. Materials and Methods. PubMed database was searched for articles using key words “bipolar disorder,” “suicide attempts,” “cannabis,” “marijuana,” “early age at onset,” and “early onset.” Results. The following percentages in bipolar patients were found: suicide attempts 3.6–42%; suicide attempts and substance use 5–60%; suicide attempts and cannabis use 15–42%. An early AAO was associated with cannabis misuse. The mean age of the first manic episode in individuals with and without BD and cannabis use disorder (CUD) was 19.5 and 25.1 years, respectively. The first depressive episode was at 18.5 and 24.4 years, respectively. Individuals misusing cannabis showed increased risk of suicide. Discussion. Cannabis use is associated with increased risk of suicide attempts and with early AAO. However, the effect of cannabis at the AAO and suicide attempts is not clear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feedstock conversion and yield products are studied through a 3D model simulating the main reactor of the fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) process. Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) is used with Eulerian-Eulerian approach to predict the fluid catalytic cracking behavior. The model considers 12 lumps with catalyst deactivation by coke and poisoning by alkaline nitrides and polycyclic aromatic adsorption to estimate the kinetic behavior which, starting from a given feedstock, produces several cracking products. Different feedstock compositions are considered. The model is compared with sampling data at industrial operation conditions. The simulation model is able to represent accurately the products behavior for the different operating conditions considered. All the conditions considered were solved using a solver ANSYS CFX 14.0. The different operation process variables and hydrodynamic effects of the industrial riser of a fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) are evaluated. Predictions from the model are shown and comparison with experimental conversion and yields products are presented; recommendations are drawn to establish the conditions to obtain higher product yields in the industrial process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myxosporean cysts containing spores of Henneguya sp. were observed in the gills of the dog snapper Lutjanus jocu. Adjacent to the cysts were capillaries, allowing observation of peripheral blood cells. Numerous white blood cells displaying uncommon cytoplasmic projections were observed amongst the erythrocytes. Their morphology allowed them to be identified as thrombocytes (TCs). Each TC displayed 18-26 cytoplasmic projections, most of which were in close proximity to erythrocytes. At their apical end, each cytoplasmic projection presented an ellipsoidal vacuole ( c. 0·6 µm × 0·3 µm) from which a secretory tubule, 0·3-0·4 µm long and c. 120 nm in total diameter, extended towards the periphery of the TC plasmalemma and fused with the cellular membrane. From this opening, contents of vacuoles were apparently released into the lumen of the capillaries. Other vacuoles with similar features, and containing an electron-lucent matrix, were observed in the cytoplasm of the TC. This is the first description of fish TC with these ultrastructural features and organization, which suggest that they perform a secretory function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 70 days feeding trial was carried out on juvenile gilthead seabream ( Sparus aurata) (mean initial body weight: 362 ± 59 g) to evaluate whether the simultaneous replacement of fishmeal and fish oil by vegetable ingredients affected the muscle's proteolytic potential. Fish were fed either a fishmeal/fish oil diet, a fishmeal/vegetable oil diet, a plant protein/fish oil or a plant protein/vegetable oil diet. The use of dietary plant proteins resulted in lower sulphated glycosaminoglycans' content and lower glycogen phosphorylase activity in the muscle, while both plant proteins and vegetable oil increased muscle pH and reduced cathepsin B activity. Our results indicate that high replacement of fish meal and/or fish oil with plant ingredients has a significant impact on early postmortem metabolic processes and proteolytic potential of seabream muscle, especially when replacing both fish meal and fish oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses about some ultra-structural features of the sporogony of Calyptospora spinosa, a species recently described in an estuarine Amazonian fish. Livers of Crenicichla lepidota Heckel (Teleostei, Cichlidae) collected from the estuarine Amazon region near Belem, Brazil, infected with C. spinosa were used in this study. Subsequently, an internal differentiation of cytoplasmic membranes gave rise to a network which fused and surrounded each nucleus, forming the future plasmalemma of the uninucleate sporoblast.

Introduction and Aims: This study estimates cross-country variation in socioeconomic disparities in adolescent alcohol use and identifies country-level characteristics associated with these disparities., Design and Methods: The association between socioeconomic status (family wealth and parental education) and alcohol use (lifetime use and episodic heavy drinking) of 15- to 16-year-olds from 32 European countries was investigated. Country-level characteristics were national income, income inequality and per capita alcohol consumption. Multilevel modelling was applied., Results: Across countries, lifetime use was lower in wealthy than in less wealthy families (odds ratio [OR] (girls)  = 0.95, OR (boys)  = 0.94). The risk of episodic heavy drinking, in contrast, was higher for children from wealthier families (OR (girls)  = 1.04, OR (boys)  = 1.08) and lower when parents were highly educated (ORs = 0.95-0.98). Socioeconomic disparities varied substantially between countries. National wealth and income inequality were associated with cross-country variation of disparities in lifetime use in few comparisons, such that among girls, the (negative) effect of family wealth was greatest in countries with unequally distributed income (OR = 0.86). Among boys, the (negative) effect of family wealth was greatest in low-income countries (OR = 1.00), and the (positive) effect of mothers' education was greatest in countries with high income inequality (OR = 1.11)., Discussion and Conclusions: Socioeconomic disparities in adolescent alcohol use vary across European countries. Broad country-level indicators can explain this variation only to a limited extent, but results point towards slightly greater socioeconomic disparities in drinking in countries of low national income and countries with a high income inequality. [Gomes de Matos E, Kraus L, Hannemann T-V, Soellner R, Piontek D. Cross-cultural variation in the association between family's socioeconomic status and adolescent alcohol use., (© 2017 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.)