Interspecific differences in the bioaccumulation of arsenic of three Patagonian top predator fish: Organ distribution and arsenic speciation.

Interspecific differences in arsenic bioaccumulation and organ distribution (muscle, liver, kidney and gills) in three predator fish (creole perch, rainbow trout and brown trout) from a Patagonian lake impacted by volcanic eruptions were studied. Arsenic in fish organs were compared analyzing: 1) temporal (before and after volcanic eruption) and spatial (near and far from the volcano) influence of Puyehue-Cordón Caulle volcanic complex activity on arsenic concentrations; 2) the influence of growth (as total length), organ type and their interactions over arsenic accumulation; and 3) arsenic speciation and total arsenic relationship with carbon to nitrogen ratios (C:N), as a proxy of lipid presence, in fish muscle. In general, total arsenic concentrations in creole perch organs were 2-7 times higher than those recorded in the corresponding organs of salmonids. Arsenic was preferentially accumulated in liver and kidney in the three fish species. The influence of the volcanic activity over arsenic concentrations was more evident in creole perch: organs from creole perch captured closest to the volcano exhibited higher arsenic concentrations. Temporal variations were not so consistent. No clear relationship between arsenic and fish length was observed. Positive and linear relationship between arsenic in all pair of organs was found in creole perch, while rainbow trout showed a quadratic relationship between muscle and the remaining organs, indicating different arsenic assimilation-elimination relationships between organs and fish. The arsenic liver:muscle ratio in the three fish species was greater than 1, suggesting some level of arsenic stress. Arsenobetaine (AB) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) were the dominant arsenic species in muscle of these fish, having creole perch 3-4 times higher AB than rainbow trout. A positive relationship between C:N ratio and total arsenic concentrations was found, with higher C:N in creole perchs near the volcano. In terms of food safety, no inorganic arsenic compound were detected, therefore arsenic levels in fish from Lake Nahuel Huapi does not represent any health risk to consumers.

[Multiple hypochromic or achromic macules in children and risk of tuberous sclerosis]. / Macules hypochromiques ou achromiques multiples de l'enfant et risque de sclérose tubéreuse de Bourneville.

AIM: To describe in a large paediatric cohort the characteristics of hypopigmented and depigmented (hypochromatic and achromic) macules with no clear diagnosis but potentially evocative of tuberous sclerosis (TS). PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective multicentre study performed between 2010 and 2017 at a reference centre for rare skin diseases; it included all children consulting for hypochromic and achromic macules. A descriptive analysis was made of the characteristics of macules with no clear diagnosis, enabling them to be classified in three secondary groups: TS certain, TS ruled out, TS uncertain. RESULTS: Of the 3300 children seen during this 7-year period 7,265 were consulting for hypochromic or achromic macules, with no clear diagnosis in 18 cases: 7 girls and 11 boys of median age at 7.21 years (range: 4 months to 16 years and 7 months). The lesions were congenital in 7 cases. The number of macules varied, with over 20 in some cases. The majority were in the form of ash-leaf spots, followed by the oval form. Two children were diagnosed at clinical examination, and 16 underwent it is not examinations, resulting in a diagnosis of certain ST in 6 of these cases. No particular characteristics of the macules appeared to guide the clinical examination towards ST or isolated lesions. Café-au-lait spots were more frequent in the group in which ST was ruled out than in the other two groups: 67% vs. 33% and 33%. Neurologic involvement was more common in children with certain or uncertain ST than in children in whom ST was ruled out (83% and 67% vs. 11%). CONCLUSION: No identified characteristics of stains enabled the clinical examination to confirm or rule out tuberous sclerosis. Screening for acute any signs of ST is essential. Diagnostic efficacy is enhanced by additional exams.

Inter-observer reliability of animal-based welfare indicators included in the Animal Welfare Indicators welfare assessment protocol for dairy goats.

This study was conducted within the context of the Animal Welfare Indicators (AWIN) project and the underlying scientific motivation for the development of the study was the scarcity of data regarding inter-observer reliability (IOR) of welfare indicators, particularly given the importance of reliability as a further step for developing on-farm welfare assessment protocols. The objective of this study is therefore to evaluate IOR of animal-based indicators (at group and individual-level) of the AWIN welfare assessment protocol (prototype) for dairy goats. In the design of the study, two pairs of observers, one in Portugal and another in Italy, visited 10 farms each and applied the AWIN prototype protocol. Farms in both countries were visited between January and March 2014, and all the observers received the same training before the farm visits were initiated. Data collected during farm visits, and analysed in this study, include group-level and individual-level observations. The results of our study allow us to conclude that most of the group-level indicators presented the highest IOR level ('substantial', 0.85 to 0.99) in both field studies, pointing to a usable set of animal-based welfare indicators that were therefore included in the first level of the final AWIN welfare assessment protocol for dairy goats. Inter-observer reliability of individual-level indicators was lower, but the majority of them still reached 'fair to good' (0.41 to 0.75) and 'excellent' (0.76 to 1) levels. In the paper we explore reasons for the differences found in IOR between the group and individual-level indicators, including how the number of individual-level indicators to be assessed on each animal and the restraining method may have affected the results. Furthermore, we discuss the differences found in the IOR of individual-level indicators in both countries: the Portuguese pair of observers reached a higher level of IOR, when compared with the Italian observers. We argue how the reasons behind these differences may stem from the restraining method applied, or the different background and experience of the observers. Finally, the discussion of the results emphasizes the importance of considering that reliability is not an absolute attribute of an indicator, but derives from an interaction between the indicators, the observers and the situation in which the assessment is taking place. This highlights the importance of further considering the indicators' reliability while developing welfare assessment protocols.

Consistency over time of animal-based welfare indicators as a further step for developing a welfare assessment monitoring scheme: The case of the Animal Welfare Indicators protocol for dairy goats.

Consistency over time (COT) of animal-based indicators is key to a reliable and feasible welfare protocol, indicating that results are representative over long-term situations. High levels of consistency ensure fairness for the farmer and credibility of the system. In addition, indicator COT reduces recording costs, as having indicators that do not change over a long period of time will require less farm visits to achieve reliable estimates. To date, COT of animal-based indicators included in the welfare assessment of dairy goats has never been tested. Therefore, our aim was to investigate COT of animal-based indicators included in the Animal Welfare Indicators (AWIN) welfare assessment prototype protocol for dairy goats. To meet this goal, a study was designed where an average of 3 mo elapsed between 2 sets of visits to the same 20 dairy goat farms (10 in Portugal and 10 in Italy), with no major changes in management routines or housing conditions occurring during this period. Initially, we performed a Wilcoxon signed rank test to investigate whether the results obtained during the 2 visits were significantly different. After this preliminary screening, the indicators presenting nonsignificant differences between visits were submitted to a second step analysis, where discriminative and evaluative analyses were conducted to reach a final indicator lineup. The discriminative approach helped distinguishing among farms, whereas the agreement analysis showed us the range of differences between repeated assessments. Some particular conclusions could be drawn from this combined analysis, helping to the development of the final AWIN welfare assessment protocol for dairy goats and as a further step to develop a welfare assessment monitoring scheme for this and other species. In this sense, the AWIN welfare assessment protocol allows for the quick differentiation between farms based on the identification of persistent welfare problems, by recording highly consistent and feasible indicators. In a second step, a more comprehensive protocol, consisting of indicators more likely to be subject to variations along time, was applied. Repeated assessments and long-term studies of indicator consistency are needed to help determine the frequency of visits required to obtain a consistent and feasible welfare assessment scheme. This paper adds to the literature by providing guidance on the variability of animal-based indicators over time.

Reproductive strategy of the Patagonian catfish Hatcheria macraei.

This study describes the reproductive strategy of the stream-dwelling catfish Hatcheria macraei in the Pichileufu River, Argentina. Gonad maturity phases, classified on the basis of histological analysis, stages of gamete development and the frequency distribution of oocyte size, were correlated with macroscopic features of the gonads. Hatcheria macraei has a cystovarian ovary, asynchronous oocyte development and lobular testes. Five oocyte and four spermatogenic stages were identified and related to macroscopic gonad characteristics, making it possible to divide gonad development into five phases for females and males. Mature oocyte diameter ranged from 922 to 1935 µm. Absolute fecundity in mature females varied from 115 to 480 oocytes. Hatcheria macraei has multiple spawning during a protracted reproductive season that extends from December to April. This, together with its small size, is characteristic of an opportunistic reproductive strategy, commonly found in species that inhabit adverse and unpredictable environments, such as the low-order rivers of Patagonia.

Freshwater fishes of Patagonia: conservation and fisheries.

The absence of much literature on the Patagonian fish fauna in comparison with that of the neotropics, has previously been blamed on its poor species diversity. Knowledge of the fishes of Patagonia, however, rose sharply at the beginning of the present century, allowing for an understanding of the complex biogeographical history that has led to the present diversity and distribution patterns. There are several new and potential threats to biodiversity and conservation of Patagonian fishes, such as the introduction of exotic species, damming, climate change and changes geared to safeguard economic interests, often acting synergistically. A great amount of new information is now available and the aim of the present review is to articulate this knowledge in a comprehensive way in order to aid in the development of tools to face the increasing challenges posed by environmental change and human activity. Knowledge about fishes of Patagonia has grown at the same time as human actions, and presence.

Invited review: Animal-based indicators for on-farm welfare assessment for dairy goats.

This paper reviews animal-based welfare indicators to develop a valid, reliable, and feasible on-farm welfare assessment protocol for dairy goats. The indicators were considered in the light of the 4 accepted principles (good feeding, good housing, good health, appropriate behavior) subdivided into 12 criteria developed by the European Welfare Quality program. We will only examine the practical indicators to be used on-farm, excluding those requiring the use of specific instruments or laboratory analysis and those that are recorded at the slaughterhouse. Body condition score, hair coat condition, and queuing at the feed barrier or at the drinker seem the most promising indicators for the assessment of the "good feeding" principle. As to "good housing," some indicators were considered promising for assessing "comfort around resting" (e.g., resting in contact with a wall) or "thermal comfort" (e.g., panting score for the detection of heat stress and shivering score for the detection of cold stress). Several indicators related to "good health," such as lameness, claw overgrowth, presence of external abscesses, and hair coat condition, were identified. As to the "appropriate behavior" principle, different criteria have been identified: agonistic behavior is largely used as the "expression of social behavior" criterion, but it is often not feasible for on-farm assessment. Latency to first contact and the avoidance distance test can be used as criteria for assessing the quality of the human-animal relationship. Qualitative behavior assessment seems to be a promising indicator for addressing the "positive emotional state" criterion. Promising indicators were identified for most of the considered criteria; however, no valid indicator has been identified for "expression of other behaviors." Interobserver reliability has rarely been assessed and warrants further attention; in contrast, short-term intraobserver reliability is frequently assessed and some studies consider mid- and long-term reliability. The feasibility of most of the reviewed indicators in commercial farms still needs to be carefully evaluated, as several studies were performed under experimental conditions. Our review highlights some aspects of goat welfare that have been widely studied, but some indicators need to be investigated further and drafted before being included in a valid, reliable, and feasible welfare assessment protocol. The indicators selected and examined may be an invaluable starting point for the development of an on-farm welfare assessment protocol for dairy goats.

Cephalic morphological variation in freshwater silversides Odontesthes hatcheri and Odontesthes bonariensis in Patagonia: introgression and ecological relationships.

Based on geometric morphometrics and discriminant analysis, the percentage of silverside Odontesthes hatcheri and Odontesthes bonariensis individuals identified by a taxonomic key and misclassified by discriminant analysis was obtained and a negative correlation between the percentage of misclassified individuals of O. hatcheri and the distance to the nearest hatchery stocking silversides was found, suggesting a genetic introgression. Morphological analyses between species, between populations and within populations pointed to the same anatomical structures, suggesting a nested variation related to environmental cues such as availability of littoral shelter. The dependence between the cephalic morphology of O. hatcheri and body size would be in agreement with the trophic niche shifts of the species. Introgression adds a new threat to the already observed decline of populations of O. hatcheri and suggests that this species deserves particular consideration in terms of conservation guidelines.

Short communication: Breed differences affecting dairy cattle welfare in traditional alpine tie-stall husbandry systems.

The aim of this investigation was to compare the prevalence of indicators of poor welfare among 5 Italian cattle breeds (Italian Holstein-Friesian, Italian Bruna, Pezzata Rossa Italiana, Grigia Alpina, and Pezzata Rossa d'Oropa) kept in tie-stalls in the Italian Alps under similar housing and management conditions. We recorded the presence of integument alterations (hairless patch areas, lesion/swollen areas, or overgrown claws) and lameness in 612 cows. Additionally, we checked 834 cows for the presence of physical malformations ("open" shoulders). In general, the prevalence of welfare problems showed a decreasing trend from the more productive to the less productive breeds. Local breeds (Grigia Alpina and Pezzata Rossa d'Oropa) showed a significantly lower prevalence of welfare problems compared with the other 3 breeds, whereas Italian Holstein-Friesian usually had the highest percentage of individuals with problems. No differences were found between Pezzata Rossa Italiana and Italian Bruna, both of which showed fewer problems than Italian Holstein-Friesian. The effect of the breed significantly affected the welfare of dairy cows in tie-stalls in alpine traditional husbandry systems. The prevalence of the negative welfare indicators studied was lower in local breeds, which are better adapted to local breeding conditions. Our results indicate an urgent need to promote changes in the criteria used for genetic selection in the dairy industry and underline the importance of maintaining the diversity of local breeds, which should be carefully chosen for each specific environmental condition.

Y-chromosome evidence suggests a common paternal heritage of Austro-Asiatic populations.

BACKGROUND: The Austro-Asiatic linguistic family, which is considered to be the oldest of all the families in India, has a substantial presence in Southeast Asia. However, the possibility of any genetic link among the linguistic sub-families of the Indian Austro-Asiatics on the one hand and between the Indian and the Southeast Asian Austro-Asiatics on the other has not been explored till now. Therefore, to trace the origin and historic expansion of Austro-Asiatic groups of India, we analysed Y-chromosome SNP and STR data of the 1222 individuals from 25 Indian populations, covering all the three branches of Austro-Asiatic tribes, viz. Mundari, Khasi-Khmuic and Mon-Khmer, along with the previously published data on 214 relevant populations from Asia and Oceania. RESULTS: Our results suggest a strong paternal genetic link, not only among the subgroups of Indian Austro-Asiatic populations but also with those of Southeast Asia. However, maternal link based on mtDNA is not evident. The results also indicate that the haplogroup O-M95 had originated in the Indian Austro-Asiatic populations ~65,000 yrs BP (95% C.I. 25,442-132,230) and their ancestors carried it further to Southeast Asia via the Northeast Indian corridor. Subsequently, in the process of expansion, the Mon-Khmer populations from Southeast Asia seem to have migrated and colonized Andaman and Nicobar Islands at a much later point of time. CONCLUSION: Our findings are consistent with the linguistic evidence, which suggests that the linguistic ancestors of the Austro-Asiatic populations have originated in India and then migrated to Southeast Asia.

Oral carcinoma in a young man: a case of dyskeratosis congenita.

We report a 28-year-old male with a voluminous growth of the tongue, present for 6 months. The histological examination revealed a squamous cell carcinoma. The patient was also affected by oral leukoplakia, nail dystrophy, reticulated poikiloderma of the neck and hyperkeratosis of palms and soles. On the basis of clinical features and histological findings, as well as findings from the family, the diagnosis of dyskeratosis congenita (DKC) was made.

Angiokeratoma corporis diffusum (Anderson-Fabry's disease): a case report.

We report on a 14-year-old boy who presented with a 4-year history of acral pains and febrile episodes. On physical examination, numerous small reddish papules were present on his abdomen, located predominantly on the periumbelical region. Renal function was within normal limits. Ophthalmological examination revealed whorled opacities of the cornea (cornea verticillata) and dilated tortuous conjunctival vessels. Histopathological examination of one of the cutaneous papules showed several dilated blood vessels in the superficial dermis surrounded by collarettes of thickened rete ridges, consistent with a diagnosis of angiokeratoma. The electron-microscopic study of a skin specimen demonstrated the presence of dilated lysosomes with deposition of electron-dense bodies, some of which with laminated structure, in endothelial cells and fibroblasts. These findings were regarded as indicative of Fabry's disease. Subsequent biochemical analysis confirmed the presence of a alpha-galactosidase A deficiency in leukocytes. In conclusion, we described the clinical, histopathological and submicroscopic findings of a case of Fabry's disease, in which the combination of electron microscopic and biochemical approaches allowed the correct diagnosis.

[Infantile acute hemorrhagic edema (IAHE). A report of a new clinical case]. / Edema Emorragico Infantile Acuto (EEIA). Descrizione di un nuovo caso clinico.

The authors describe a new case of infantile acute haemorrhagic oedema in a six-month-old child. Even being a vasculitis the authors do not retain to assimilate it to the Schönlein-Henoch syndrome.

[A case of recurrent circinate erythematous psoriasis (Lapière)]. / Su di un caso di psoriasi eritematosa circinata recidivante (Lapière).

The Authors report a case of infantile recurrent circinate erythematous psoriasis, as described by Lapière, in a nine year old child. Particular features of the case are the relative rarity of the disease that shows a benign chronic recurrent course.