Development of an autonomous on-site dissolved inorganic carbon analyzer using conductometric detection.

BACKGROUND: The increase in anthropogenic CO2 concentrations in the Earth's atmosphere since the industrial revolution has resulted in an increased uptake of CO2 by the oceans, leading to ocean acidification. Dissolved Inorganic Carbon (DIC) is one of the key variables to characterize the seawater carbonate system. High quality DIC observations at a high spatial-temporal resolution is required to improve our understanding of the marine carbonate system. To meet the requirements, autonomous DIC analyzers are needed which offer a high sampling frequency, are cost-effective and have a low reagent and power consumption. RESULTS: We present the development and validation of a novel analyzer for autonomous measurements of DIC in seawater using conductometric detection. The analyzer employs a gas diffusion sequential injection approach in a "Tube In A Tube" configuration that facilitates diffusion of gaseous CO2 from an acidified sample through a gas permeable membrane into a stream of an alkaline solution. The change in conductivity in the alkaline medium is proportional to the DIC concentration of the sample and is measured using a detection cell constructed of 4 hollow brass electrodes. Physical and chemical optimizations of the analyzer yielded a sampling frequency of 4 samples h-1 using sub mL reagent volumes for each measurement. Temperature and salinity effects on DIC measurements were mathematically corrected to increase accuracy. Analytical precision of ±4.9 µmol kg-1 and ±9.7 µmol kg-1 were achieved from measurements of a DIC reference material in the laboratory and during a field deployment in the southwest Baltic Sea, respectively. SIGNIFICANCE: This study describes a simple, cost-effective, autonomous, on-site benchtop DIC analyzer capable of measuring DIC in seawater at a high temporal resolution as a step towards an underwater DIC sensor. The analyzer is able to measure a wide range of DIC concentrations in both fresh and marine waters. The achieved accuracy and precision offer an excellent opportunity to employ the analyzer for ocean acidification studies and CO2 leakage detection in the context of Carbon Capture and Storage operations.

Effects of the New COVID-19-Induced Rule on Substitutions and Performance in Italian Elite Soccer.

COVID-19 has resulted in widespread changes, including within the realm of sports. Professional soccer has adapted by allowing more substitutions, leading to tactical adjustments and potential physical benefits. Accordingly, this study analyzed the impact of the new rule in Italian top-level soccer, focusing on substitution patterns and performance differences between the pre-COVID (2017-2018, 2018-2019 seasons) and post COVID (2020-2021, 2021-2022 seasons) eras. As such, publicly available data from 1520 matches (760 matches per era) were recorded. The sample included matches played from 40 Italian top division teams in both the pre- and post-COVID eras. Analyses confirmed substitutions follow a consistent temporal pattern throughout the match in both eras, highlighting a slight difference in second-half management, and showed the new rule is still not used to its full potential, thus raising concerns about teams' financial strength, as not all managers possess "deep benches" (i.e., a large number of top-level players available to play). Further analyses revealed a statistically significant increment (p = 0.002) in the quantity of collectively produced sprints in the post-COVID era compared to the pre-COVID one. The results from this study emphasize the need to carefully address sprint preparation and repeated sprint abilities, also considering factors such as the number of substitutes and their skill level.

The Use of Bi-Potentiostat as a Simple and Accurate Electrochemical Approach for the Determination of Orthophosphate in Seawater.

Autonomous on-site monitoring of orthophosphate (PO43-), an important nutrient for primary production in natural waters, is urgently needed. Here, we report on the development and validation of an on-site autonomous electrochemical analyzer for PO43- in seawater. The approach is based on the use of flow injection analysis in conjunction with a dual electrochemical cell (i.e., a bi-potentiostat detector (FIA-DECD) that uses two working electrodes sharing the same reference and counter electrode. The two working electrodes are used (molybdate/carbon paste electrode (CPE) and CPE) to correct for matrix effects. Optimization of squarewave voltammetry parameters (including step potential, amplitude, and frequency) was undertaken to enhance analytical sensitivity. Possible interferences from non-ionic surfactants and humic acid were investigated. The limit of quantification in artificial seawater (30 g/L NaCl, pH 0.8) was 0.014 µM for a linear concentration range of 0.02-3 µM. The system used a Python script for operation and data processing. The analyzer was tested for ship-board PO43- determination during a four-day research cruise in the North Sea. The analyzer successfully measured 34 samples and achieved a good correlation (Pearson' R = 0.91) with discretely collected water samples analyzed using a laboratory-based colorimetric reference analyzer.

Relative age effect in Italian soccer: a cultural issue in talent management?

BACKGROUND: Relative age effect (RAE) is a well-known phenomenon among those involved in youth sports, especially when the sport being investigated is widespread and involves early selection for participation in national and international competitions. METHODS: The purpose of this study was to verify whether the Italian youth soccer ecosystem has adapted to this issue over the years, comparing players born in 1995 and in 2005 and been playing in Under 16 teams in the appropriate years. The sample included 13 professional Italian soccer teams. The number of players analysed was 260 (1995) and 344 boys (2005), respectively, making a total of 604 players enrolled in this study. RESULTS: Relative age effects were detected by χ2 goodness of fit tests both in players born in 1995 (P<0.000;V=0.40) and in 2005 (P<0.0001;V=0.39). χ2 test of independence showed no significant difference between the two groups of players (P=0.986;V=0.02), confirming a substantial parity of the phenomenon over the two investigated birth years. CONCLUSIONS: Ten years of research and dissemination of RAE did not change the selection policies adopted by coaches and/or scouts, who favor relatively older players during the selection processes. Therefore, RAE appears as the result of the Talent Identification and Development Structures, characterized by early selection and early specialization, and which consider performance as the pre-requisite for gaining access to the next developmental stages. Sport organizations should be aware of this issue and counteract accordingly, since it is important to mitigate the presence of RAE, as it causes inequality of opportunity.

Temporal patterns of fatigue in repeated sprint ability testing in soccer players and acute effects of different IHRs: a comparison between genders.

BACKGROUND: Repeated sprint ability (RSA) in soccer is deemed fundamental to ensure high level of performance. The aim of this study was to investigate the acute effects of two different Initial Heart Rates (IHR) on fatigue when testing RSA in males and females' soccer players and to compare the respective patterns of fatigue. METHODS: Nineteen female soccer players (age: 22.5±3.3 years, height 163.9±7.3 cm, body weight 54.3±6.4 kg, BMI 20.6±1.5 kg·m-2) and 15 male soccer players (age: 17.9±1.5 years, height 175.9±5.8 cm, body weight 68.5±9.6 kg, BMI 22.3±1.5 kg·m-2) participated in this study. HRs reached at the end of two different warm-up protocols (~90 vs. ~ 60% HRmax), have been selected and the respective RSA performances were compared, within and between the groups of participants. Two sets of ten shuttle-sprints (15+15 m) with a 1:3 exercise to rest ratio with different IHR% were administered, in different days, in randomized order. To compare the different sprint performances, we employed the calculated Fatigue Index (FI%). Blood lactate concentration (BLa-) was also measured before and after testing, to compare metabolic energy. RESULTS: Significant differences among trials within each set (P<0.01) were found in both genders. Differences between sets were found in male players, (Factorial ANOVA 2x5; P<0.001), not in female. BLa- after warm-up was higher in 90% vs. 60% HRmax (P<0.05), in both genders but at the completion of RSA tests (after 3 minutes) the differences were not significant (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: difference between genders were found, suggesting specific approach in testing and training RSA in soccer players.

Relative age effects and the youth-to-senior transition in Italian soccer: the underdog hypothesis versus knock-on effects of relative age.

Relative Age Effects (RAEs) appear largely throughout youth soccer. However, little is known about how RAEs at youth levels can impact transition at senior levels. Accordingly, this study aimed to: (a) provide further test of RAEs by exploring the birth quarter (BQ) distribution of 2,030 Italian players born from 1975 to 2001 who have played in any of the Youth National Italian Soccer Teams; and (b) investigate how RAEs influence future career outcomes, by exploring the BQ distribution of players who completed the transition from youth squads to the Senior National Team (n = 182). Chi-square statistics revealed significantly skewed BQ distributions for all Youth squads (P values <0.0001), and for the cohort of players who completed the transition (P = 0.003). In contrast, results from the Odds Ratios highlighted how BQ4s were more likely to transition from youth-to-senior compared to BQ1s. Results showed BQ1s remained overrepresented at senior level due to a residual bias effect. Whereas BQ4s who were able to overcome selection processes at youth levels recorded the highest likelihood of competing at senior levels. Involving players' career trajectories in RAEs studies is needed to understand how RAEs impacts career outcomes of early selected players.

Non-synonymous to synonymous substitutions suggest that orthologs tend to keep their functions, while paralogs are a source of functional novelty.

Orthologs separate after lineages split from each other and paralogs after gene duplications. Thus, orthologs are expected to remain more functionally coherent across lineages, while paralogs have been proposed as a source of new functions. Because protein functional divergence follows from non-synonymous substitutions, we performed an analysis based on the ratio of non-synonymous to synonymous substitutions (dN/dS), as proxy for functional divergence. We used five working definitions of orthology, including reciprocal best hits (RBH), among other definitions based on network analyses and clustering. The results showed that orthologs, by all definitions tested, had values of dN/dS noticeably lower than those of paralogs, suggesting that orthologs generally tend to be more functionally stable than paralogs. The differences in dN/dS ratios remained suggesting the functional stability of orthologs after eliminating gene comparisons with potential problems, such as genes with high codon usage biases, low coverage of either of the aligned sequences, or sequences with very high similarities. Separation by percent identity of the encoded proteins showed that the differences between the dN/dS ratios of orthologs and paralogs were more evident at high sequence identity, less so as identity dropped. The last results suggest that the differences between dN/dS ratios were partially related to differences in protein identity. However, they also suggested that paralogs undergo functional divergence relatively early after duplication. Our analyses indicate that choosing orthologs as probably functionally coherent remains the right approach in comparative genomics.

Improvement of On-Site Sensor for Simultaneous Determination of Phosphate, Silicic Acid, Nitrate plus Nitrite in Seawater.

Accurate, on-site determinations of macronutrients (phosphate (PO43-), nitrate (NO3-), and silicic acid (H4SiO4)) in seawater in real time are essential to obtain information on their distribution, flux, and role in marine biogeochemical cycles. The development of robust sensors for long-term on-site analysis of macronutrients in seawater is a great challenge. Here, we present improvements of a commercial automated sensor for nutrients (including PO43-, H4SiO4, and NO2- plus NO3-), suitable for a variety of aquatic environments. The sensor uses the phosphomolybdate blue method for PO43-, the silicomolybdate blue method for H4SiO4 and the Griess reagent method for NO2-, modified with vanadium chloride as reducing agent for the determination of NO3-. Here, we report the optimization of analytical conditions, including reaction time for PO43- analysis, complexation time for H4SiO4 analysis, and analyte to reagent ratio for NO3- analysis. The instrument showed wide linear ranges, from 0.2 to 100 µM PO43-, between 0.2 and 100 µM H4SiO4, from 0.5 to 100 µM NO3-, and between 0.4 and 100 µM NO2-, with detection limits of 0.18 µM, 0.15 µM, 0.45 µM, and 0.35 µM for PO43-, H4SiO4, NO3-, and NO2-, respectively. The analyzer showed good precision with a relative standard deviation of 8.9% for PO43-, 4.8% for H4SiO4, and 7.4% for NO2- plus NO3- during routine analysis of certified reference materials (KANSO, Japan). The analyzer performed well in the field during a 46-day deployment on a pontoon in the Kiel Fjord (located in the southwestern Baltic Sea), with a water supply from a depth of 1 m. The system successfully collected 443, 440, and 409 on-site data points for PO43-, Σ(NO3- + NO2-), and H4SiO4, respectively. Time series data agreed well with data obtained from the analysis of discretely collected samples using standard reference laboratory procedures and showed clear correlations with key hydrographic parameters throughout the deployment period.

Talent development environments in elite taekwondo population: a study within an Italian context.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to analyze the quality perception of the main talent development environments within the elite taekwondo population, through the Talent Development Environment Questionnaire (TDEQ-5). METHODS: The TDEQ-5 was given to 107 top level athletes from the Italian National Team and from 12 domestic clubs. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was carried out and the descriptive statistics were measured for all the individual item scores; for each factor the independent t-tests were carried out to identify differences in scores between the National and the Club environments. RESULTS: The EFA revealed four principal components (56.68%). These four factors reported good reliability values (α= from 0.63 to 0.93) and significant correlations. The development environments were positively perceived by the athletes, with factor 1 being the highest performing component and factor 2 the weakest. Factor 1 was identified as the strength of the Club environment, while factor 2 as the area of improvement for the National environment. The scale values of factors 1, 2 and 3 were significantly higher (P<0.01) in the Club environment. The item-by-item analysis revealed the presence of three strengths and six areas of improvement in the national environment, eleven strengths and no areas of improvement in the Club environment. CONCLUSIONS: Our study highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the different development environments surveyed and may allow to plan targeted interventions to increase the perception of quality of the talent development environments, thus allowing the stakeholders to optimize their work.

Socioeconomic inequalities in low birth weight risk before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may have exacerbated existing socioeconomic inequalities in health. In Argentina, public hospitals serve the poorest uninsured segment of the population, while private hospitals serve patients with health insurance. This study aimed to assess whether socioeconomic inequalities in low birth weight (LBW) risk changed during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This multicenter cross-sectional study included 15929 infants. A difference-in-difference (DID) analysis of socioeconomic inequalities between public and private hospitals in LBW risk in a pandemic cohort (March 20 to July 19, 2020) was compared with a prepandemic cohort (March 20 to July 19, 2019) by using medical records obtained from ten hospitals. Infants were categorized by weight as LBW < 2500 g, very low birth weight (VLBW) < 1500 g and extremely low birth weight (ELBW) < 1000 g. Log binomial regression was performed to estimate risk differences with an interaction term representing the DID estimator. Covariate-adjusted models included potential perinatal confounders. FINDINGS: Of the 8437 infants in the prepandemic cohort, 4887 (57•9%) were born in public hospitals. The pandemic cohort comprised 7492 infants, 4402 (58•7%) of whom were born in public hospitals. The DID estimators indicated no differences between public versus private hospitals for LBW risk (-1•8% [95% CI -3•6, 0•0]) and for ELBW risk (-0•1% [95% CI -0•6, 0•3]). Significant differences were found between public versus private hospitals in the DID estimators (-1•2% [95% CI, -2•1, -0•3]) for VLBW risk. The results were comparable in covariate-adjusted models. INTERPRETATION: In this study, we found evidence of decreased disparities between public and private hospitals in VLBW risk. Our findings suggest that measures that prioritize social spending to protect the most vulnerable pregnant women during the pandemic contributed to better birth outcomes. FUNDING: No funding was secured for this study.

Lab-on-chip analyser for the in situ determination of dissolved manganese in seawater.

A spectrophotometric approach for quantification of dissolved manganese (DMn) with 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol (PAN) has been adapted for in situ application in coastal and estuarine waters. The analyser uses a submersible microfluidic lab-on-chip device, with low power (~ 1.5 W) and reagent consumption (63 µL per sample). Laboratory characterization showed an absorption coefficient of 40,838 ± 1127 L⋅mol-1⋅cm-1 and a detection limit of 27 nM, determined for a 34.6 mm long optical detection cell. Laboratory tests showed that long-term stability of the PAN reagent was achieved by addition of 4% v/v of a non-ionic surfactant (Triton-X100). To suppress iron (Fe) interferences with the PAN reagent, the Fe(III) masking agents deferoxamine mesylate (DFO-B) or disodium 4,5-dihydroxy-1,3-benzenedisulfonate (Tiron) were added and their Fe masking efficiencies were investigated. The analyser was tested during a deployment over several weeks in Kiel Fjord (Germany), with successful acquisition of 215 in situ data points. The time series was in good agreement with DMn concentrations determined from discretely collected samples analysed via inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), exhibiting a mean accuracy of 87% over the full deployment duration (with an accuracy of > 99% for certain periods) and clear correlations to key hydrographic parameters.

Gender differences in instep soccer kicking biomechanics, investigated through a 3D human motion tracker system.

BACKGROUND: This study aims at describing and comparing each other male and female soccer players kicking instep a stationary ball. The different measures we collected by the 3D motion capture system Movit G1 and the High-Speed Camera (240 fps) were considered as dependent variables, whereas the gender was considered as the independent one. METHODS: Twenty soccer well trained non-professional players: 10 men (age: 25.3±6.5 yrs; height 1.80±0.07 m; body mass 76.9±13.2 kg) and 10 women (age: 19±3.34 yrs; height 1.64±0.07 m; body mass 58.2±7.2 kg) volunteered to participate in the study. RESULTS: Gender differences were found, with a statistical significance (P<0.05) or interesting magnitude (Cohen d>0.5). The most relevant ones were the differences in hip extension of the kicking leg when the foot of the supporting one touches the ground, just before the impact on the ball (independent sample t-Test; P=0.03; Cohen d=1.64) and the speed of the ball, reached immediately after kicking (P<0.001;d=1.23). CONCLUSIONS: These results, together with the greater pelvic acceleration shown by men compared to women, highlight the need to develop a gender-differentiated training model, in order to customize the kicking technique in women and to reduce the likelihood, currently higher than for men, of kicking related injuries.

3D Automatic Segmentation of Aortic Computed Tomography Angiography Combining Multi-View 2D Convolutional Neural Networks.

PURPOSE: The quantitative analysis of contrast-enhanced Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA) is essential to assess aortic anatomy, identify pathologies, and perform preoperative planning in vascular surgery. To overcome the limitations given by manual and semi-automatic segmentation tools, we apply a deep learning-based pipeline to automatically segment the CTA scans of the aortic lumen, from the ascending aorta to the iliac arteries, accounting for 3D spatial coherence. METHODS: A first convolutional neural network (CNN) is used to coarsely segment and locate the aorta in the whole sub-sampled CTA volume, then three single-view CNNs are used to effectively segment the aortic lumen from axial, sagittal, and coronal planes under higher resolution. Finally, the predictions of the three orthogonal networks are integrated to obtain a segmentation with spatial coherence. RESULTS: The coarse segmentation performed to identify the aortic lumen achieved a Dice coefficient (DSC) of 0.92 ± 0.01. Single-view axial, sagittal, and coronal CNNs provided a DSC of 0.92 ± 0.02, 0.92 ± 0.04, and 0.91 ± 0.02, respectively. Multi-view integration provided a DSC of 0.93 ± 0.02 and an average surface distance of 0.80 ± 0.26 mm on a test set of 10 CTA scans. The generation of the ground truth dataset took about 150 h and the overall training process took 18 h. In prediction phase, the adopted pipeline takes around 25 ± 1 s to get the final segmentation. CONCLUSION: The achieved results show that the proposed pipeline can effectively localize and segment the aortic lumen in subjects with aneurysm.

Acute effects of two different initial heart rates on testing the repeated sprint ability in elite women soccer players.

BACKGROUND: Repeated sprint ability (RSA) in women's soccer is crucial to ensure high level of performance during the game. The aim of this study is to investigate the acute effects of two different initial heart rates intensities on fatigue when testing the RSA. METHODS: Since there are many kinds of pre-match warming-ups, the heart rate reached at the end of two different warm-up protocols (~90 vs. ≈60% HRmax) as an indicator of internal load has been selected and the respective RSA performances were compared. RSA tests were performed by 19 elite women soccer players (age: 22.5±3.3 years, height 163.9±7.3 cm, body mass 54.3±6.4 kg, BMI 20.6±1.5 kg/m2) with two sets of ten shuttle-sprints (15+15 m) with a 1:3 exercise to rest ratio, in different days (randomized order) with different initial HR% (60% and 90% HRmax). In order to compare the different sprint performances a Fatigue Index (FI%) was computed; the blood lactate concentrations (BLa-) were measured before and after testing, to compare metabolic energy. RESULTS: Significant differences among trials within each set (P<0.01) were found, as evidence of fatigue. Differences between sets were not found, (Factorial ANOVA 2x10; P>0.05). Although the BLa- after warm-up was higher between 90% vs. 60% HRmax (P<0.05), at the completion of RSA tests (after 3 minutes) the differences were considerably low and not significant (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that, contrary to male soccer, the initial heart rates, induced by different modes of warming-up, do not affect the overall performance while testing RSA in women's soccer players.

Enhanced transfer of organic matter to higher trophic levels caused by ocean acidification and its implications for export production: A mass balance approach.

Ongoing acidification of the ocean through uptake of anthropogenic CO2 is known to affect marine biota and ecosystems with largely unknown consequences for marine food webs. Changes in food web structure have the potential to alter trophic transfer, partitioning, and biogeochemical cycling of elements in the ocean. Here we investigated the impact of realistic end-of-the-century CO2 concentrations on the development and partitioning of the carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and silica pools in a coastal pelagic ecosystem (Gullmar Fjord, Sweden). We covered the entire winter-to-summer plankton succession (100 days) in two sets of five pelagic mesocosms, with one set being CO2 enriched (~760 µatm pCO2) and the other one left at ambient CO2 concentrations. Elemental mass balances were calculated and we highlight important challenges and uncertainties we have faced in the closed mesocosm system. Our key observations under high CO2 were: (1) A significantly amplified transfer of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus from primary producers to higher trophic levels, during times of regenerated primary production. (2) A prolonged retention of all three elements in the pelagic food web that significantly reduced nitrogen and phosphorus sedimentation by about 11 and 9%, respectively. (3) A positive trend in carbon fixation (relative to nitrogen) that appeared in the particulate matter pool as well as the downward particle flux. This excess carbon counteracted a potential reduction in carbon sedimentation that could have been expected from patterns of nitrogen and phosphorus fluxes. Our findings highlight the potential for ocean acidification to alter partitioning and cycling of carbon and nutrients in the surface ocean but also show that impacts are temporarily variable and likely depending upon the structure of the plankton food web.

Exercise-to-rest ratios in repeated sprint ability training in women's soccer.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the applicability of three different exercise-to-rest ratios in repeated sprint ability (RSA) training in women's soccer players, applying those which are usually adopted in male adult and young players, when performing three different sprinting modes (straight, shuttle, and sprinting with changing of direction). METHODS: Fifteen trained female soccer players (height: 1.65±0.06 m; weight: 59.3±9.0 kg; BMI 21.6±2.7 kg/m2; age: 23.3±5.9 years) participated to the study. In order to compare the different values of the time recorded, an index of fatigue (IF%) was used. Recovery times among trials in the sets were administered according to the 1:5, 1:3, 1:2 exercise-to-rest ratio, respectively. Blood lactate concentrations at the end of each set were analyzed. RESULTS: Significant differences among trials within each set (repeated measures ANOVA; P<0.05) were found, as evidence of fatigue over time, with an average decay of performance of about 5% but no significant differences were found in IF%, among the three different sprinting modalities when applying the investigated exercise-to-rest ratios (factorial ANOVA; P>0.05). Significant differences were found in blood lactate concentrations (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study confirm that the exercise-to-rest ratios considered in this study might be suitable to design effective testing protocols and training sessions aimed at the development of the RSA in women's soccer players, keeping the performances in the speed domain (IF% <7-8%) but inducing the fatigue processes sought with this kind of training method.

Síndrome de Susac: um raro diagnóstico diferencial de surdez súbita, mimetizando esclerose múltipla ­ relato de caso / Susac's syndrome: rare sudden deafness differential diagnosis mimetizing multiple sclerosis ­ case report

Introdução: a tríade clássica composta por progressiva disfunção neurológica, associada à surdez, e alterações visuais, foi descrita inicialmente em 1979 por Susac et. al. Rara, entretanto, com grande potencial de destruição, a Síndrome de Susac (SS) sempre deve ser aventada por otorrinolaringologistas em casos de surdez súbita, principalmente quando associada a quadros de encefalopatia aguda. Se diagnosticada corretamente, tratada de forma agressiva, precoce e em período adequado aumenta substancialmente o sucesso na recuperação da doença, bem como na prevenção de sequelas. Objetivo: o presente manuscrito descreve o caso clínico de uma paciente jovem, do sexo feminino, com Síndrome de Susac. Metodologia: a história clínica do caso foi desenhada a partir de anamnese detalhada com a paciente portadora da síndrome, que também nos forneceu os resultados de seus exames laboratoriais, de imagens e audiométricos. Fundamentando o tema a dados disponíveis na literatura científica, foi redigido o manuscrito a seguir. Resultados: o presente caso descreve o relato de uma jovem com SS tendo como primeira hipótese a esclerose múltipla, entretanto somente após o aparecimento completo da tríade, se confirmou o diagnóstico adequado. Conclusão: é importante incluir a hipótese da SS no diagnóstico diferencial de esclerose múltipla em adultos jovens, principalmente se a clínica do paciente evolui de forma atípica. Sutis manifestações otorrinolaringológicas ou de retina nestes pacientes, são dados essenciais e devem chamar atenção para a Síndrome de Susac.

Introduction: the classic triad composed by progressive neurological dysfunction associated to deafness and visual changes was first described in 1979 by Susac et. al. Despite of being a rare disease, Susac's syndrome (SS) has a high destruction potential, and has to be evaluated otolaryngologist in sudden deafness case, manly when associated with acute encephalopathy. If occur a correctly diagnostic associated with an aggressive, premature and appropriated period of treatment, the success of disease's recovery increase substantially, as well as sequels prevention. Objective: The present manuscript describes the report of a young woman with Susac´s syndrome. Methodology: the clinical history of the case was described from the detailed anamnesis with the patient with the syndrome, who also provided the results of her laboratory, imaging and audiometric tests. Based on the data available in the scientific literature, the following manuscript was written. Results: the present case describes the report of a young woman with SS. She had multiple sclerosis as first diagnosis, though the right diagnosis had only been confirmed after the triad completely appeared. Conclusion: it is important to include the SS hypothesis in the differential diagnosis of multiple sclerosis in young adults, especially if the patient's clinic evolves atypically. Subtle otolaryngological or retinal manifestations in these patients are essential data and should call attention to the Susac Syndrome.

Abundance of the iron containing biomolecule, heme b, during the progression of a spring phytoplankton bloom in a mesocosm experiment.

Concentrations of heme b were determined in a mesocosm experiment situated in Gullmar Fjord off Sweden. The mesocosm experiment lasted for ca. one hundred days and was characterised by the growth of a primary nutrient replete and a secondary nutrient deplete phytoplankton bloom. Heme b varied between 40 ± 10 pmol L-1 in the prebloom period up to a maximum of 700 ± 400 pmol L-1 just prior to the time of the primary chlorophyll a maximum. Thereafter, heme b concentrations decreased again to an average of 120 ± 60 pmol L-1. When normalised to total particulate carbon, heme b was most abundant during the initiation of the nutrient replete spring bloom, when ratios reached 52 ± 24 µmol mol-1; ten times higher than values observed both pre and post the primary bloom. Concentrations of heme b correlated with those of chlorophyll a. Nevertheless, differences were observed in the relative concentrations of the two parameters, with heme b concentrations increasing relative to chlorophyll a during the growth of the primary bloom, decreasing over the period of the secondary bloom and increasing again through the latter period of the experiment. Heme b abundance was therefore influenced by nutrient concentrations and also likely by changing community composition. In half of the mesocosms, pCO2 was elevated and maintained at ca.1000 µatm, however we observed no significant differences between heme b in plus or ambient pCO2 mesocosms, either in absolute terms, or relative to total particulate carbon and chlorophyll a. The results obtained in this study contribute to our understanding of the distribution of this significant component of the biogenic iron pool, and provide an iron replete coastal water end member that aids the interpretation of the distributions of heme b in more iron deplete open ocean waters.

Ocean acidification effects on mesozooplankton community development: Results from a long-term mesocosm experiment.

Ocean acidification may affect zooplankton directly by decreasing in pH, as well as indirectly via trophic pathways, where changes in carbon availability or pH effects on primary producers may cascade up the food web thereby altering ecosystem functioning and community composition. Here, we present results from a mesocosm experiment carried out during 113 days in the Gullmar Fjord, Skagerrak coast of Sweden, studying plankton responses to predicted end-of-century pCO2 levels. We did not observe any pCO2 effect on the diversity of the mesozooplankton community, but a positive pCO2 effect on the total mesozooplankton abundance. Furthermore, we observed species-specific sensitivities to pCO2 in the two major groups in this experiment, copepods and hydromedusae. Also stage-specific pCO2 sensitivities were detected in copepods, with copepodites being the most responsive stage. Focusing on the most abundant species, Pseudocalanus acuspes, we observed that copepodites were significantly more abundant in the high-pCO2 treatment during most of the experiment, probably fuelled by phytoplankton community responses to high-pCO2 conditions. Physiological and reproductive output was analysed on P. acuspes females through two additional laboratory experiments, showing no pCO2 effect on females' condition nor on egg hatching. Overall, our results suggest that the Gullmar Fjord mesozooplankton community structure is not expected to change much under realistic end-of-century OA scenarios as used here. However, the positive pCO2 effect detected on mesozooplankton abundance could potentially affect biomass transfer to higher trophic levels in the future.