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Environmental pollution, particularly in the marine environment, has become a significant concern due to the increasing presence of pollutants and their adverse effects on ecosystems and human health. This study focuses on the bioaccumulation of trace elements in the muscle tissue of the blackmouth catshark ( Galeus melastomus ) from different areas in the Mediterranean Sea. Trace elements are of interest due to their persistence, toxicity, and potential for bioaccumulation. This research aims to assess the distribution and accumulation of trace elements in the muscle tissue of G. melastomus and investigate their potential impact on the deep-sea environment of the Mediterranean. The focused areas include the Ligurian Sea, the northern and central Tyrrhenian Sea, the southern Tyrrhenian Sea, the Ionian Sea, the Pantelleria Waters, and the Gela Waters. Samples were collected following established protocols, and trace element analysis was conducted using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The study provides data on the concentrations of 17 trace elements, namely aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, copper, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, zinc, selenium, strontium, lead, chromium, iron, barium, bismuth, and uranium. The findings contribute to a better understanding of trace element bioaccumulation patterns in elasmobranch species, specifically G. melastomus , and highlight the potential risks associated with chemical contamination in the Mediterranean Sea. This research emphasizes the importance of studying the impacts of pollutants on marine organisms, particularly those occupying key ecological roles, like sharks, to support effective conservation and management strategies.

Stock assessments routinely evaluate the status of commercially harvested species, but seldom account for the possible mortality of released or escaping fish. This study presents a method for estimating the escape survival of the red mullet ( Mullus barbatus ) from demersal trawling in the Central Mediterranean Sea. Fish escaping from the trawl codend were collected in a detachable cage, which was lined to reduce water flow and protect the sampled fish from further fatigue and injury. Control fish (from an open codend) showed high survival, 94% (87-97%, 95% Confidence Interval), and minimal injuries, while fish escaping through codend meshes had significantly increased injuries and reduced survival, 63% (55-70%). During 7 days of captive monitoring, treatment group mortality was highest in the first 24 h and ceased for both groups within 48 h. Conflicting length-related mortality was observed, where larger treatment fish had a higher probability of dying, while the opposite was observed in the controls. Analysis showed that treatment fish were significantly more injured than control fish, with treatment fish predominantly injured in the head zone. In conclusion, this improved methodology should be repeated to provide accurate escape mortality estimates for the improved stock assessment of the red mullet in the Central Mediterranean.

The genetic changes sustaining the development of cancers of unknown primary (CUP) remain elusive. The whole-exome genomic profiling of 14 rigorously selected CUP samples did not reveal specific recurring mutation in known driver genes. However, by comparing the mutational landscape of CUPs with that of most other human tumor types, it emerged a consistent enrichment of changes in genes belonging to the axon guidance KEGG pathway. In particular, G842C mutation of PlexinB2 (PlxnB2) was predicted to be activating. Indeed, knocking down the mutated, but not the wild-type, PlxnB2 in CUP stem cells resulted in the impairment of self-renewal and proliferation in culture, as well as tumorigenic capacity in mice. Conversely, the genetic transfer of G842C-PlxnB2 was sufficient to promote CUP stem cell proliferation and tumorigenesis in mice. Notably, G842C-PlxnB2 expression in CUP cells was associated with basal EGFR phosphorylation, and EGFR blockade impaired the viability of CUP cells reliant on the mutated receptor. Moreover, the mutated PlxnB2 elicited CUP cell invasiveness, blocked by EGFR inhibitor treatment. In sum, we found that a novel activating mutation of the axon guidance gene PLXNB2 sustains proliferative autonomy and confers invasive properties to stem cells isolated from cancers of unknown primary, in EGFR-dependent manner., (© 2023 The Authors. Published under the terms of the CC BY 4.0 license.)

The composition of free amino acids (FAAs) in seafood products contributes to characterizing their flavor, as well as freshness and quality during storage. Deep-water rose shrimps ( Parapenaues longirostris , Lucas, 1846) (DWRS) are being increasingly harvested in the Mediterranean Sea, and the captured specimens are quickly frozen onboard fishing trawlers to preserve freshness and post-harvest quality. Here, we quantified the FAA profiles of DWRS packaged using five methods: (1) 100% N 2 ; (2) vacuum; (3) 50% N 2 + 50% CO 2 ; (4) commercial anhydrous sodium sulfite; and (5) air (control). All samples were quickly frozen at -35°C and stored for 12 months at -18°C. Arginine (661 mg/100 g), proline (538 mg/100 g), and glycine (424 mg/100 g) were the most abundant FAAs, whereas the least abundant were tyrosine (67 mg/100 g), histidine (58 mg/100 g), and aspartic acid (34 mg/100 g). FAAs in all samples gradually (and significantly) increased in the first 6 to 8 months of storage, and then significantly decreased. The sodium sulfite treatment (Method 4) kept the initial FAA contents lower than the other treatments, due to the strong antioxidant action of sulfite agents. Interestingly, similar results were obtained for vacuum packaging (Method 2). Thus, combining frozen storage with vacuum packaging represents an alternative approach to chemical additives in shrimp/prawn processing to meet the increasing demand for high-quality seafood products with long shelf-life., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Rusanova, Bono, Dara, Falco, Gancitano, Lo Brutto, Okpala, Nirmal, Quattrocchi, Sardo and Hassoun.)

More still needs to be learned regards the relative contamination of heavy metals and pesticide residues, particularly those found in widely consumed Nigerian food crops like cereals, vegetables, and tubers. In this current study, the heavy metals and pesticide residues detectable in widely consumed Nigerian food crops were respectively quantified using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and gas chromatography (GC). Specifically, the widely consumed Nigerian food crops included cereals (rice, millet, and maize), legume (soybean), tubers (yam and cassava), as well as leaf (fluted pumpkin, Amaranthus leaf, waterleaf, and scent leaf) and fruit vegetables (okro, cucumber, carrot, and watermelon). Results showed that the detected heavy metals included arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co), iron (Fe), lead (Pb), manganese (Mn), mercury (Hg), and nickel (Ni), whereas the pesticide residues included Aldrin, Carbofuran, g-chlordane, Chlorpyrifos, DichloroBiphenyl, Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (DDD), Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), Dichlorvos, Endosulfan, Heptachlor, Hexachlorobenzene (HCB), Isopropylamine, Lindane, t-nonachlor, and Profenofos. Across the studied food crops, the concentrations of heavy metals and pesticides were varied, with different trends as they largely fell below the established maximum permissible limits, and with some exceptions. Our findings suggest there could be a somewhat gradual decline in the concentration of the heavy metals and pesticide residues of these studied food crops when compared to previously published reports specific to Nigeria. To help substantiate this observation and supplement existing information, further investigations are required into the concentration of these heavy metals and pesticide residues specific to these studied food crops at other parts of the country.

Numerous reactive oxygen species (ROS) entities exist, and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) is very key among them as it is well known to possess a stable but poor reactivity capable of generating free radicals. Considered among reactive atoms, molecules, and compounds with electron-rich sites, free radicals emerging from metabolic reactions during cellular respirations can induce oxidative stress and cause cellular structure damage, resulting in diverse life-threatening diseases when produced in excess. Therefore, an antioxidant is needed to curb the overproduction of free radicals especially in biological systems (in vivo and in vitro). Despite the inherent properties limiting its bioactivities, polysaccharides from natural sources increasingly gain research attention given their position as a functional ingredient. Improving the functionality and bioactivity of polysaccharides have been established through degradation of their molecular integrity. In this critical synopsis; we articulate the effects of H 2 O 2 on the degradation of polysaccharides from natural sources. Specifically, the synopsis focused on free radical formation/production, polysaccharide degradation processes with H 2 O 2, the effects of polysaccharide degradation on the structural characteristics; physicochemical properties; and bioactivities; in addition to the antioxidant capability. The degradation mechanisms involving polysaccharide's antioxidative property; with some examples and their respective sources are briefly summarised.

In this current work, the functional and quality characteristics of ginger, pineapple, and turmeric juice mix as influenced by blend variations were investigated. Specifically, the blends had constant ginger amounts, decreased pineapple, and increased turmeric proportionally. Additionally, the functional properties involved physicochemical (pH, soluble solids (SS), total titratable acidity (TA) and viscosity), proximate (moisture, protein, fat and ash), minerals (Ca, and Mg) and vitamin C and β-carotene analyses, whereas quality properties involved microbiological and sensory analyses. The results showed that as quantities of pineapple and turmeric respectively decreased and increased, there was significant increases in Ca, Mg, vitamin C, and β-carotene contents ( p < 0.05). Across the blends, the degree of significant differences ( p < 0.05) in the protein, fat, and ash seemed more compared to those of moisture contents. Despite the increases in pH and viscosity, and decreases in SS and TA, the increases in turmeric potentially reinforced by ginger most likely decreased the bacterial/fungi counts, as well as inhibition zones. Increasing and decreasing the respective amounts of turmeric and pineapple might not necessarily make the blends more acceptable, given the decreases in appearance, taste, aroma, and mouthfeel scores.

The influence of biological maturity status (BMS) on talent identification and development within elite youth soccer is critically debated. During adolescence, maturity-related performance differences within the same age group may cause greater chances of being selected for early maturing players. Therefore, coaches need to consider players' BMS. While standard methods for assessing BMS in adolescents are expensive and time-consuming imaging techniques (i.e., X-ray and MRI), there also exist more pragmatic procedures. This study aimed to evaluate commonly used methods to assess BMS within a highly selected sample of youth soccer players. A total of N = 63 elite male soccer players (U12 and U14) within the German Soccer Association's talent promotion program completed a test battery assessing BMS outcomes. Utilizing MRI diagnostics, players' skeletal age (SA MRI ) was determined by radiologists and served as the reference method. Further commonly used methods included skeletal age measured by an ultrasound device (SA US ), the maturity offset (MO MIR ), and the percentage of adult height (PAH KR ). The relation of these alternative BMS outcomes to SA MRI was examined using different perspectives: performing bivariate correlation analyses (1), modeling BMS as a latent variable (BMS lat ) based on the multiple alternative diagnostics (2), and investigating individual differences in agreement (3). (1) Correlations of SA MRI and the further BMS variables ranked from r = 0.80 to r = 0.84 for the total sample and were lower for U12 (0.56 ≤ r ≤ 0.66), and U14 (0.61 ≤ r ≤ 0.74) (2). The latent structural equation modeling (SEM) ( R 2 = 51%) revealed a significant influence on BMS lat for MO MIR (β = 0.51, p <0.05). The additional contribution of PAH KR (β = 0.27, p = 0.06) and SA US (β = -0.03, p = 0.90) was rather small (3). The investigation of individual differences between the reference method and alternative diagnostics indicated a significant bias for MO MIR ( p <0.01). The results support the use of economical and time-efficient methods for assessing BMS within elite youth soccer. Bivariate correlation analyses as well as the multivariate latent variable approach highlight the measures' usefulness. However, the observed individual level differences for some of the utilized procedures led to the recommendation for practitioners to use at least two alternative assessment methods in order to receive more reliable information about players' BMS within the talent promotion process., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Leyhr, Murr, Basten, Eichler, Hauser, Lüdin, Romann, Sardo and Höner.)

The mercury (Hg) poisoning of Minamata Bay of Japan widely activated a global attention to Hg toxicity and its potential consequences to the aquatic ecosystem and human health. This has resulted to an increased need for a dynamic assembly, contextualization, and quantification of both the current state-of-the-art and approaches for understanding the cause-and-effect relationships of Hg exposure. Thus, the objective of this present review is to provide both hazardous toxic properties and toxicological update of Hg, focusing on how it ultimately affects the aquatic biota to potentially produce human health effects. Primarily, we discussed processes that relate to Hg exposure, including immunological aspects and risk assessment, vulnerability, toxicokinetics, and toxicodynamics, using edible fish, swordfish (Xiphias gladius), as a model. In addition, we summarized available information about Hg concentration limits set by different governmental agencies, as recognized by national and international standardization authorities.

We report the case of a woman with a low-rate atrial fibrillation and a wire lead inadvertently inserted in the left ventricle through an ostium secundum defect. The malposition of the lead was diagnosed 8 years after the procedure on the basis of the presence of a right bundle branch block pattern of the paced QRS, at echocardiography and at chest X-ray. The patient, who was neither on antiaggregant nor anticoagulant therapy, was asymptomatic. Biventricular pacing is a useful tool in the therapy of patients with severe chronic heart failure and intraventricular conduction delay but the insertion of the lead in the left ventricle through the coronary sinus is not always feasible. Because a patent foramen ovale is a frequent occurrence in the adult population, we suggest that in case of an unsuccessful catheterization of the coronary sinus, the physician should search for a patent foramen ovale through which to introduce the wire lead into the left ventricle, especially if the patient is already receiving anticoagulant therapy.

Background: QT dispersion (maximal minus minimal QT interval calculated on a standard 12-lead electrocardiogram) has been suggested to reflect regional variations of ventricular repolarization and to provide a substrate for reentry ventricular arrhythmias. In this study we evaluate QT dispersion in patients with acute myocardial infarction and assess its relation with early severe ventricular arrhythmias., Methods and Results: We studied 101 patients with acute myocardial infarction and a control group of 97 healthy subjects. We determined QT and QTc dispersion on the electrocardiograms performed 12 hours and 3 and 10 days after the onset of symptoms in myocardial infarction patients and on the control group. The average values of QT and QTc dispersion (measured hereafter in milliseconds, ms) were as follows: 70.5 +/- 42.5-87 +/- 46.6 (after 12 hours), 66.5 +/- 37.8-76.9 +/- 43.5 (on day 3), 68.9 +/- 42-76.3 +/- 43.8 (on day 10) and 44 +/- 13.4-54.2 +/- 16.3 (in control group). We observed statistically significant differences in QT and QTc dispersion between the electrocardiogram of normal subjects and each of the three electrocardiograms performed on patients with infarction (p < 0.0005, p < 0.005). We recorded a greater QT dispersion in patients with anterior infarction with respect to those with inferior/lateral infarction (79 +/- 38.6 vs 65.2 +/- 43.16, p < 0.05) and in patients with ejection fraction < 45% (93.1 +/- 28.4 vs 68.3 +/- 34.1 p < 0.005). During the first three days, QT dispersion did not differ in patients treated with thrombolytic agents with respect to those who were untreated, while on day 10 untreated patients showed higher values (74.9 +/- 45.3 vs 60.5 +/- 37.7, p < 0.05). Creatine kinase peak level, sex and age of the patients did not influence QT dispersion. Thirteen patients (12.8%) developed severe ventricular arrhythmias within 72 hours after infarction: 8 patients (7.9%) had ventricular fibrillation and 5 patients (4.9%) had sustained ventricular tachycardia. We found higher early QT and QTc dispersion values in patients who developed severe ventricular arrhythmias (108.8 +/- 63.2 and 125.8 +/- 68.5) with respect to patients who did not (63.3 +/- 32.9 and 80.8 +/- 38.9, p < 0.0005, p < 0.0005)., Conclusions: Our data suggest that QT dispersion: 1) increases during acute myocardial infarction; 2) peaks in the early hours after symptom onset; 3) drops late after infarction in patients treated with thrombolytic agents; 4) is associated with early severe ventricular arrhythmias.

Background: The management of patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) is unsuccessful, because AF recurs in about 50% of patients despite an antiarrhythmic treatment. Usefulness of non-pharmacological strategies is available in a limited subset of patients and it does not present a global solution to the problem. At present, treatment with antiarrhythmic agents is the only available tool in patients with AF recurrence. The aim of this study was to assess the predictive value of the electropharmacological transesophageal (TE) test in the management of patients with paroxysmal AF treated by flecainide., Methods: In 32 patients, ranging in age from 38 to 70 years (mean: 59 +/- 12 years), with documented episodes of paroxysmal AF (mean: 5.6 +/- 3.7 episodes/last year), we performed an electrophysiological transesophageal (TE) test following pharmacological wash-out. An aggressive protocol was used: step A: 10 sec atrial burst at Wenckebach point + 10 bpm, 200 and 250 bpm; step B: 10 sec atrial bursts at 300, 400, 500 and 600 bpm; step C: 8 sec increasing rate burst from 200 to 800 bpm. Induction of sustained AF (> 1 min) was considered the end-point. Patients were treated with flecainide 100 mg bid and a second TE test was performed at the steady-state, with an identical induction protocol and end-point. Based on the response of the second test, patients were divided into responders (R Group: non-inducible AF) and non-responders (NR Group: inducible, sustained AF). Patients were followed-up by periodical controls and contacted by telephone to confirm their clinical status., Results: Sustained AF was induced in 30 patients (94%) at the first TE study. Eight of them dropped-out at the time of the second TE test (6 patients for lack of consent, 1 patient for side-effects and another one for proarrhythmic effects). In the mean follow-up of 15 +/- 6 months, among patients who underwent a second TE test, AF recurrence was documented in 2 out of 14 patients from the R Group and in 7 out of 10 patients from the NR Group (p < 0.01). There were 4 AF episodes in the R Group and 19 in the NR Group (p < 0.001). We did not find significant statistical differences between the two groups in terms of age, sex, body weight, AF episodes/past year, P-wave duration, left atrial dimension, structural heart disease, AF duration at the first TE test and follow-up duration. In five patients from the NR Group with induced AF lasting > 5 min, the percentage of recurrence was 100% and there were 16 AF episodes. Global percentage of patients with recurrence was 37%., Conclusions: Flecainide is effective in reducing the incidence of AF and results are similar to other antiarrhythmic agents generally used. The electropharmacological TE test might be a useful tool to predict the response to an antiarrhythmic treatment.

Successful cardioversion of atrial fibrillation may result in prolonged recovery of normal atrial mechanical function. This prolonged recovery of atrial contraction (so-called atrial stunning) might depend on: the amount of energy delivered during direct current cardioversion; the time course between the onset of atrial fibrillation and the conversion to sinus rhythm; the size of the left atrium; the underlying cardiac disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate, in subjects with normal atrial size and without heart disease, the phenomenon of atrial stunning soon after pharmacological cardioversion of an episode of atrial fibrillation of recent onset. Twenty-five patients with an acute episode of atrial fibrillation, without evidence of heart disease and M-mode left atrial dimension (< or = 40 mm received i.v. propafenone or flecainide 2 mg/kg/10 min in order to restore sinus rhythm. Atrial fibrillation lasted < 48 hours in all patients. Doppler echocardiography was used to assess atrial function, by recording the peak velocity of atrial contraction (A wave). An echocardiographic study was performed within 12 hours of successful cardioversion and was repeated on day 3, 12 and 30. The size of the left atrium (37 +/- 3.9; 37.57 +/- 2.9; 37.4 +/- 4; 37.82 +/- 3.7 mm) and peak E velocity (57.97 +/- 18.3; 59.4 +/- 18.3; 59.0 +/- 16; 59.07 +/- 16.7 cm/s) did not show any significant differences over the time, as demonstrated by the serial echocardiographic evaluations. In contrast, both peak A velocity (cm/s) and E/A ratio evaluated within 12 hours of cardioversion (60.29 +/- 12.3 and 1.0 +/- 0.37) and on day 3 (73.71 +/- 10.7 and 0.82 +/- 0.27) were statistically different (p < 0.000001 and p < 0.00001). No further statistically significant increase was found in subsequent examinations (respectively 76.31 +/- 12 and 0.78 +/- 0.24 on day 12, and 76.91 +/- 14.8 and 0.78 +/- 0.21 on day 30). In conclusion, this study suggests that patients with alone atrial fibrillation of recent onset have a delayed recovery of normal atrial systolic function even after pharmacological cardioversion.

The paper reports an electrocardiographic and M and B-mode echocardiographical study in 3682 non-selected patients among which a total of 241 were identified with mitral valve prolapse. In males the highest frequency was found during the second decade of life with a tendency to decrease with increasing age. In females, who were found to be the most severely affected (2:1 in relation to males), two peaks of incidence were observed during the third and fifth decade, with a greater frequency in the latter and a marked absence of cases in the fourth decade. Many echocardiographically diagnosed mitral prolapses were both clinically and electrocardiographically silent; moreover it was observed that the risks of this complication increased in parallel to the thinness and redundance of the mitralic flap affected by prolapse and the dilation of the valvular ring.