First evidence for fin whale migration into the Pacific from Antarctic feeding grounds at Elephant Island.

This study presents the first long-distance tracks of fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) equipped with satellite transmitters off the Antarctic Peninsula. Southern Hemisphere fin whales were severely depleted by twentieth century industrial whaling, yet recently, they have returned to historical feeding grounds off the northern Antarctic Peninsula, forming large aggregations in austral summers. To date, our knowledge only extended to summer behaviour, while information regarding migration routes and the location of breeding and wintering grounds are lacking. During the austral autumn of 2021, we deployed nsatellite transmitters on four fin whales at Elephant Island. Two transmitters stopped working while the animals were still at the feeding grounds, while two continued to transmit during the transition from feeding activity to migration. Both migrating animals left the feeding ground on 15 April 2021, travelling northward into the Pacific and up along the Chilean coast. The most northerly position received before all tags stopped transmitting on 1 May 2021 was at 48°S. These tracks provide initial evidence of seasonal migratory routes and a first indication toward possible locations of winter destinations. This information, even if preliminary, is critical for investigations of population connectivity, population structure and the identification of breeding grounds of Southern Hemisphere fin whales.

Setting the scene for Mediterranean litterscape management: The first basin-scale quantification and mapping of floating marine debris.

Plastic pollution has become one of the biggest environmental concerns of the Anthropocene as it represents a major threat to both wildlife and human health. Garbage patches in the world's oceans are well documented, but quantitative assessments of floating debris are still lacking in some major areas. The Mediterranean Sea is one such area, despite being one of the most plastic polluted environments. We used data from the first international basin-scale survey of the Mediterranean Sea to provide the first abundance estimate of floating mega-debris (>30 cm) and map their distribution over the entire Mediterranean Sea. We estimated the total number of floating mega-debris at 2.9 million items, taking into account imperfect detection. Items larger than 30 cm represent only one fourth of the complete load of anthropogenic debris (>2 cm) in the Mediterranean, which scales up the estimate to 11.5 million floating debris. The highest densities were observed in the central Mediterranean, and the lowest in the eastern basin. This acute marine pollution might threaten to disrupt entire ecosystems through its impact on marine fauna (entanglement, ingestion, contamination), eventually impacting the tourism industry and the well-being of Mediterranean populations.

First-episode psychosis at the West Bologna Community Mental Health Centre: results of an 8-year prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Research mostly conducted in the UK and northern Europe has established that there are high rates of first-episode psychosis (FEP) in large cities and immigrant populations; moreover, psychosis has been found to be associated with cannabis use and early trauma. The present study aimed to evaluate the incidence rate of FEP and the distribution of several risk factors (e.g. age, ethnicity, substance abuse) in Bologna, Italy. METHOD: The Bologna FEP (BoFEP) study is an 8-year prospective study. All FEP patients, 18-64 years old, consecutively referred to the West Bologna Community Mental Health Centre (CMHC) from 2002 to 2009 were evaluated. Sociodemographic information, migration history and clinical data were collected through an ad-hoc schedule. Psychiatric diagnoses were recorded using the Schedule for Clinical Assessment of Neuropsychiatry (SCAN). RESULTS: The overall incidence rate (IR) in the BoFEP study was 16.4 per 100 000 person-years [95% confidence interval (CI) 13.9-18.9]. The incidence was higher in young people, men and migrants (MI). CONCLUSIONS: The IR of FEP found by the Bologna study is lower than that found by other European studies. However, as in other studies, the incidence was higher in certain groups. This heterogeneity has implications for policy and mental health service development, and for understanding the aetiology of psychosis.

Intraoperative bronchoscopy for bronchial carcinoid parenchymal-sparing resection: a pediatric case report.

Bronchial carcinoid tumors are the most common primary pulmonary neoplasm in the pediatric population. The widely accepted treatment for carcinoid tumors is surgical, specifically aiming at being as much as conservative on lung parenchyma, while the entire tumor is resected. A brief case is described, highlighting the importance and advantages of a surgical and endoscopic combined approach.

A longitudinal analysis of physical functional disability over the course of juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the longitudinal course of physical functioning in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and identify predictors of long-term functional impairment. METHODS: Between January 1987 and December 2002, 227 patients had two or more functional ability questionnaires completed by a parent. The total number of questionnaires was 1356 and the follow-up between first and last questionnaire administration was 949.7 patient years. At each questionnaire administration, patients were assigned to one of three functional disability states (1 = no disability; 2 = mild to moderate disability; 3 = severe disability), based on their functional ability score. Predictor variables included sex, onset age, JIA category, age at visit, disease duration, presence of antinuclear antibodies, joint counts, acute phase reactants and initial disability state. RESULTS: Despite patient variability in the course of physical functioning, the following three longitudinal patterns were observed: (1) a stable state of disability throughout the entire study period, with continued absence of disability in 27.8% of patients and persistently moderate disability in 3.5% of patients; (2) a steady improvement (22.9% of patients) or deterioration (5.7% of patients) in disability over time; (3) a fluctuating course of disability, with deterioration and improvement (40.1% of patients). Younger age at disease onset and a greater restricted joint count were the strongest predictors of long-term functional impairment. CONCLUSION: A wide within-patient and between-patient variability in the longitudinal course of functional disability was found. Children with early disease onset and a greater number of restricted joints had the highest risk of developing long-term physical disability.

Skin biopsy of Mediterranean cetaceans for the investigation of interspecies susceptibility to xenobiotic contaminants.

Various studies on Mediterranean cetaceans have revealed bioaccumulation of contaminants such as organochlorines (OCs) and heavy metals. The susceptibility of these animals to organic pollutants and the relationship between bioaccumulation and population decline (as in the case of Delphinus delphis) are unexplored fields. In this study, we used a non-destructive approach (skin biopsy) to explore OC bioaccumulation processes and mixed-function oxidase activity (BPMO) in four species of cetaceans: striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba), bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), common dolphin (D. delphis) and fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus). Significant differences in BPMO induction and OC levels were found between odontocetes and mysticetes, the former having mixed-function oxidase activities four times higher than the latter, binding with levels of OCs one order of magnitude higher in odontocetes. A significant correlation (P < 0.05) between BPMO activities and OC levels was found in B. physalus. In an ongoing project, fibroblast cultures have been used as an alternative in vitro method of evaluating interspecies susceptibility to contaminants such as OCs and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These results suggest that cetacean skin biopsies are a powerful non-invasive tool for assessing ecotoxicological risk to Mediterranean marine mammals species.

Skin biopsies for cell cultures from Mediterranean free-ranging cetaceans.

The aim of this study was to develop a useful method for obtaining viable tissue samples for establishing cell cultures from skin biopsies of free-ranging cetaceans. The skin biopsies were performed by two methods: dart from an air gun and dart from a crossbow. The dart tip was modified to collect tissue. The tissue was kept in tissue culture medium at ambient temperature, then processed within 24 h. Many modifications in culture technique, with respect to conventional culture methods for human fibroblasts, were made. The cultures thus obtained can be used for many purposes, including genetic and toxicological studies. In toxicology they are an alternative in vitro system for studying threatened animals such as marine mammals. In particular, fibroblasts can be used to test the vulnerability of cetaceans and pinnipeds to different environmental contaminants such as organochlorine compounds, heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Relationship between organochlorine contaminants and mixed function oxidase activity in skin biopsy specimens of Mediterranean fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus).

The relationship between organochlorine contaminants (PCBs and DDTs) and mixed function oxidase, benzo(a)pyrene monooxigenase activity (BPMO), was investigated in skin biopsy specimens from fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) of the Mediterranean Sea. Skin biopsy material, sampled by a non invasive technique, is suitable for a wide range of chemical and biomarker analysis. In this study PCBs and DDTs were evaluated in subcutaneous blubber and MFO activity in epidermis. An interesting correlation was found in male specimens between the two variables.