No abstract

While several studies point at off-shore aquaculture as a possible source of impacts on the local marine environment, very few have analysed its effects at large scales such as at the bay, gulf or basin levels. Similar analyses are hampered by the multiple sources of disturbance that may concomitantly affect a given area. The present paper addresses these issues taking the Gulf of Castellammare (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea) as an example. Nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) loads were calculated for the period 1970e2007, and compared to chlorophyll-a concentration as measured inside and outside the Gulf over the same period. Results indicate that N and P catchment loading has constantly decreased because of improved environmental management. Nevertheless, nutrient concentration in the Gulf has steadily increased since the establishment of aquaculture facilities in 1999. Chlorophyll-a concentration followed this trend, showing a marked increase from 2001 onwards. In the same period, chlorophyll-a concen- trations measured inside and outside the Gulf have significantly diverged. As all the other possible causes can be ruled out, aquaculture remains the sole explanation for the observed situation. This paper demonstrates for the first time ever that off-shore aquaculture may affect the marine ecosystem well beyond the local scale and provides an additional element of concern to be kept into consideration when allocating oceans’ space for new fish-farming activities

Background: A few studies have comprehensively assessed the epidemiology, aetiology, prognosis, and secondary prevention of ischaemic stroke in young adults. To gain further information on this field, we have prospectively studied a hospital-based series of young adults with a first-ever episode of cerebral ischaemia (CI). Methods: Sixty consecutive patients aged 17–45 with ischaemic stroke (55 patients) or transient ischaemic attack within 24 h before hospital admission were recruited and investigated by a standardized rigorous protocol. The patients were followed up for ≧1 year after hospital discharge. Arbitrary doses of aspirin 100 mg/d or ticlopidine 250 mg b.i.d. in case of intolerance to aspirin were given for the secondary prevention. Adjusted-dose oral anticoagulation (INR target 2.5) was used in the presence of cardioembolism or hypercoagulable states. Endpoints included the residual disability, rated by modified Rankin Scale (RS) and Barthel Index (BI), and poststroke recurrence. Results: CI was associated with two or more risk factors in 61.6% of patients. Cigarette smoking was more frequently associated with male gender (p < 0.05) and migraine history with female sex (p < 0.05). The atherothrombotic diagnostic subtype and the subtype from ‘other cause’ predominated significantly among patients ≧35 years old (p < 0.05) and <35 years (p < 0.025), respectively. The ‘other cause’ subset was more frequent in female gender (p < 0.05). Transoesophageal echocardiography (TEE) detected potential cardiac sources of emboli (PCSE) at an extent 3 times higher (p < 0.0001) than transthoracic echocardiography. Congenital heart defects were nearly threefold more frequent than acquired ones, with a prevalence of patent foramen ovale. At a mean of 6.1 ± 2.6 years (confidence interval 5.4 to 6.8), follow-up data were available for only 54 patients, since five patients were lost and one died in the acute phase. Poststroke recurrence rate was low (7.4%) and no event was fatal. General handicap was severe to moderately severe (RS>3) in 11% of the patients, slight to moderate (1≧RS≤3) in 59% and absent in 30% (RS = 0). Functional disability was relatively low with 50% of the patients independent (BI ≧95), 38.9% partially dependent (BI 60 to 86), and 11.1% fully dependent (BI <60). Thirty-seven (68.5%) patients returned to work, although adjustments (other job or part-time employment) were necessary for 10 out of them (27%). Conclusions: The present study, though limited by the relatively small number of subjects, suggests that the overall prognosis of ischaemic stroke in young adults is good. We strongly recommend TEE in all patients with ischaemic stroke as an essential tool to increase the detection of PCSE and make the therapeutic approach more efficient.

Abstract:Although the irritant effects of quaternium-15 have been established, little is known about the toxicological consequences induced by this xenobiotic on aquatic invertebrates. The present article reports toxicological, histological and physiological effects of quaternium-15 following the exposure of Mytilus galloprovincialis for 18 days at three different concentrations (0.1, 1.0 and 2.0 mg/L). The results demonstrate that at higher concentrations histological damages to M. galloprovincialis gills occur, like melanosis, light exfoliations, increase of mucus production and infiltrative inflammation. In addition digestive gland cells of M. galloprovincialis, were not able to perform the regulation volume decrease (RVD) owing to osmotic stress following the exposure to the preservative. Overall, this first study on quaternium-15 highlights that it can jeopardize both the morphology and vital physiological processes in marine invertebrates, depending on the duration of exposure and the concentration of the preservative, indicating that further studies are necessary to increase our knowledge about the effects of this substance, commonly added to our products of daily use.