Search

The unique life history features of seahorses (low mobility, site fidelity, low fecundity, high parental care) make them vulnerable to the environmental changes and anthropic pressures. Despite increasing concern over their conservation status, many biological and ecological aspects remain poorly documented therefore disabling and limiting management strategies. Most of the Mediterranean populations are threatened by human activities and a recent document drawn up by the Italian Committee of IUCN for marine fish of the Italian coasts defined the two species as Near Threatened (NT). During the last 15 years, despite the absence of specific funding projects and thanks to the large group of volunteers working alongside researchers, a considerable research group has been created, allowing investigation of several aspects of seahorse life cycle in an area that has never been studied before. In this period, we have conducted several studies on their spatial and temporal persistence, population structure, habitat preferences, and diet composition. Hippocampus guttulatus and H. hippocampus are two sympatric species distributed throughout the entire Mediterranean Sea. Thau lagoon was considered as the area with the highest seahorse density but, thanks to this research group, the importance of Taranto Mar Piccolo as a site of the extraordinary conservation interest has been highlighted. Both species display patchy distribution and a high spatial demographic heterogeneity despite the fact that the most abundant populations are unbalanced in terms of size classes, presumably indicating problems in the local recruitment or due to the anomalous mortality. They show a tendency for covered substrates (e.g. Corallina sp. and Cladophora sp. facies) offering complex and holdfast-rich microhabitats. Both species, however, can also exploit uncovered substrates as well as infralittoral habitats. The diet shows strong differences in diversity and abundance of preyed taxa related to the habitat of occurrence. Overall, amphipods, copepods and isopods are the major contributors to the diet. Although temporal persistence on a large scale was observed, indicating the capacity to resist and persist in time and space, seahorses are in a state of distress because of patchy distribution and unstructured populations. This, even more, highlights the need for suitable strategies to protect foraging habitats and ecosystems where there are numerous populations, like in Mar Piccolo of Taranto.

The aim of this study was to provide further knowledge of the ecological, spatial, and temporal distribution and life-cycle traits of the sympatric seahorse species Hippocampus hippocampus and Hippocampus guttulatus. From 2011 to 2014, data were collected from 20 sites along the Apulian coast (Southern Italy) in order to cover a wide range of coastal marine, open water, and lagoon sites, from the surface to a depth of 48 metres. Seahorses were found at seven of the 20 sites investigated. Both species displayed temporal persistence, patchy distribution, and a high spatial demographic heterogeneity. This study revealed a smaller maximum size and size at maturity of H. guttulatus than has been reported elsewhere. Although it is possible that environmental factors are influencing the size of these animals, there may be genetic explanations, especially for lagoon populations. Despite the fragmented distribution and often low abundance found along the Apulian coast, some seahorse populations appear to be locally persistent and stable over time, suggesting that there is a need for appropriate location-specific conservation strategies. Not just maintaining but increasing the area of artificial substrates, which enhance habitat complexity and provide holdfasts, could represent a possible approach to help conserve marine littoral biodiversity and to protect endangered species in lagoons.

In the last two decades, Seventh-day Adventist scholars have been attempting to articulate a balanced and distinct ecclesiology, aimed at helping the denomination to retain its global unity, maintain its relevance and enable a more fruitful and meaningful interaction with others. No comprehensive account of the church has been developed yet, however. This thesis is intended to facilitate a more rounded and systematically articulated concept of church from an Adventist perspective. Part I presents a thumbnail history of the denomination and considers the advantages and limitations of its standard claim to be the 'remnant', awaiting a pre-millennial parousia. Part II engages with the ideas of some of the ablest communio ecclesiologists of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and considers their ecclesiological system, built around the concept of koinonia, while Part III examines ways in which their theoretical framework can assist the Adventist community to deal with practical ecclesial issues. Four major proposals are made for deepening Adventist understanding of the nature of church. Whereas the formal structure of communio framework can help Adventists move beyond one-sided, single-metaphor communal self-descriptions, the idea of the church as essentially a koinonia of believers in God can supplement their predominantly functionalist portrayal of the church as herald or messenger. Thirdly, the Adventist notion of truth can be enriched by viewing the community of believers not only as a messenger, but also as an organic part of divine revelation. This makes ecclesiology central to the theological enterprise, intrinsic to the grounding of theological claims and the interpretation of biblical texts. Finally, the development of a richer interpretation of the Spirit’s activity in the church is seen as one of the key prerequisites for a fuller, more nuanced account of the church’s participation in the life of the triune God. The highlighting of these four aspects, hitherto neglected or underdeveloped in Adventism, and the presentation of tentative solutions to its ongoing ecclesiological problems, form the principal contribution of this monograph.

Beta-defensins and surfactant proteins are components of the pulmonary innate immune system. Their gene expression is regulated by development, hormones, growth and immunoregulatory factors. It was our hypothesis that growth and differentiation factors such as all-trans retinoic acid (RA) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) may affect expression of selected innate immune genes by respiratory epithelial cells. Ovine JS7 cells (alveolar type II pneumocytes) were incubated in serum-free Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) complete media that contained: no treatment (negative control), RA (500 nM), or VEGF (100 ng/ml) for 6, 12 or 24 h incubation. Total RNA was isolated, cDNA synthesized, and relative mRNA levels of surfactant protein A (SP-A) and SP-D, and sheep beta-defensin-1 (SBD-1) were determined by real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Cells had significantly increased expression of SP-D mRNA at 6 h and 24 h, decreased expression of SP-A mRNA at 12 h, and unchanged levels of SBD-1 mRNA after the treatment with RA compared with their respective negative controls. VEGF did not alter the expression of the three innate immune genes. These findings suggest that SP-A and SP-D have different transcription regulation pathways, and that expression of SBD-1 is not inducible by RA similar to its human homolog HBD-1. The lack of changes induced by VEGF treatment suggests that VEGF does not have a direct effect on epithelial cells, but may affect gene expression indirectly.

1382 Use of Meropenem in Neonatal Severe Infections Caused by Multiresistant Gram Negative Bacteria

Sabellaria species are among the most important frame-builders in temperate, shallow marine areas. These polychaetes are suspension feeders able to build bioconstructions using sand and shell fragments cemented with a sticky mucous. Such feature makes these invertebrates “unusual bioconstructors”, as they do not produce calcium carbonate. Sabellaridae reefs are widespread in the Mediterranean and along the Atlantic coast of Europe, but their sedimentological aspects are still poorly known. Over short time intervals, these bioconstructions can rapidly alternate between phases of growth, stasis and destruction during different seasons. In this paper, we compare reefs of two Sabellaria species (S. alveolata—Ostia, Roma and Tyrrhenian Sea, S. spinulosa—Torre Mileto, Foggia and Adriatic Sea) found at two different sites along the Italian coast. We describe the morphology of worm tubes at the macro- and microscale. Similarities and differences are discussed based on eco-biological features and physical environmental conditions. This work shows a measurement and observation scheme for this type of bioconstructions that has been verified at both the macro- and microscale and which was shown to be useful for defining evolutionary trends of sabellarian bioconstructions. The monitoring parameters were identified and verified over a long period.

Illegal wildlife trade is considered one of the most serious threats to biodiversity worldwide, along with habitat loss/degradation and overfishing of wild stocks. Seahorses are considered at high risk as these fish represent an important component of traditional Chinese medicine but are also sold as curios and ornamental fish. On a worldwide level, illegal trade is controlled by numerous laws and regulations, but it seems to continue by assuming more dynamic routes. In the Mediterranean Sea, Hippocampus guttulatus formed one of the largest populations at Mar Piccolo di Taranto in South-Eastern Italy. During the routine monitoring of this population in 2016, a dramatic density decrease was observed. By using questionnaires and long-term datasets, the present study determined possible causes of this decline by investigating habitat changes, temperature trends and the existence of seahorse trafficking while also examining abundance trends during the last decade. The results indicated a sharp density decline starting from 2015, co-occurring with the period of high temperatures, while habitats remained almost constant. However, interviews with main stakeholders described both illegal and legal fishing activities as the main drivers for the declining seahorse density. Indeed, at one of the studied sites, which was under strict military control, seahorse abundance started to decline only after the intensification of fishing pressure in the basin. The study suggests that Mar Piccolo di Taranto could be one of the sources for international seahorse trade, thus highlighting the need for more intense and effective actions to prevent and combat illegal poaching, while threatened populations are requiring continuous and close monitoring. Due to unfavorable socio-economic conditions, a viable and thriving seahorse population at Mar Piccolo di Taranto could contribute to the revitalization of the coastal economy and the development of environmental awareness.