Morphological and molecular responses in ovaries of Mytilus galloprovincialis collected in two different sites of the Naples Bay.

Mytilus galloprovincialis female specimens were collected from two mussel farms located in two sites next to Castel dell'Ovo, a historical complex located in the Naples Bay. Such sites were named, respectively, A-area and B-area for the different microbiological parameters so that mussels from A-area can be sold without purification, whereas mussels from B-area must be purified before sale. The mussels were collected during the nonreproductive (summer 2009) and reproductive periods (autumn 2009). Gonadosomatic index, structural organization of the ovary, presence of apoptosis, estrogen receptors expression, as well as the bisphenol A (BPA) content in the ovaries, were evaluated. Ovaries from specimens collected in area B showed a different and significant distribution of the investigated biomarkers as well as of BPA content in respect to those measured in the A-area specimens, confirming that mussels are valid sentinel organisms to biomonitor in the Naples bay too.

Biocide triclosan impairs byssus formation in marine mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis.

The effects of the biocide Triclosan, used in personal care products and known as a common environmental contaminant, on byssal apparatus were studied in the marine mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis. Experimental evidences indicated that an exposure for 7 days at a concentration of 10 µg/L induced marked alterations in the byssus gland resulting in a significant delay in byssus regrowth and in a decrease in threads resistance to traction. Such alterations in animals exposed to tidal and waves action would cause a significant loss in ecological fitness and severely impact on mussel survival. Triclosan release in coastal environments therefore should be more carefully monitored to prevent drastic consequences.

Is population genetic structure of vascular plants shaped more by ecological or geographic factors? A study case on the Mediterranean endemic Centaurea filiformis (Asteraceae).

All known populations of the Sardinian endemic Centaurea filiformis Viv. (Asteraceae) were studied in order to understand the impact of both geographic and ecological factors on the genetic structuring of this species. Fourteen populations and 234 individuals were sampled. The demographic structure of the populations and the reproductive ecology were estimated in 28 plots. Population genetic analyses were based on SSR markers. Genetic structure was investigated by spatial Bayesian methods. Average densities of 0.51 individuals m-2 were detected, with a prevalence of adults. Ten species of pollinators were identified; C. filiformis ability to self-pollinate and myrmecochory were demonstrated experimentally. The populations displayed an average heterozygosity value of He  = 0.576 and high genetic differentiation (overall FST  = 0.218). Bayesian analysis suggests that five is the most probable number of gene pools of origin. A strong correlation between geographic distances and genetic distances among populations was highlighted. The demographic population structure of C. filiformis is dominated by adults, suggesting that it is a stable-regressive or senile species, investing more in local persistence than colonisation ability. Despite the scattered distribution, the populations studied do not present evidence of genetic erosion. The analysis of genetic differentiation reveals very high differentiation levels among populations, thus indicating that effective barriers exist against gene flow. A general conclusion is that population distribution results in a clear genetic structure for the populations studied, and that geography and not ecology is shaping the present distribution of this species.

Effects of nonylphenol on vitellogenin synthesis in adult males of the spotted ray Torpedo marmorata.

The aim of this investigation was to assess the effects of nonylphenol (NP), an oestrogen-like environmental pollutant, on the vitellogenin (VTG) synthesis in adult males of the aplacental viviparous cartilaginous fish Torpedo marmorata. The VTG recovery in males is considered a biomarker of xeno-oestrogenic pollution as this lipophosphoglycoprotein is physiologically induced by oestrogens only in females of oviparous and ovoviparous vertebrates. Using in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry, T. marmorata males injected with nonylphenol showed the presence of VTG in the liver and the kidney. In particular, vtg messenger (m)RNA and VTG protein were expressed in the liver, whereas in the kidney cells only the presence of VTG was recorded. By contrast, no expression for VTG was detected in the testis. These results demonstrate that in T. marmorata NP induces the expression of vtg only in the liver; the presence of VTG in the kidney and its absence in the testis are discussed.

The microbe, creator of the pathologist: an inter-related history of pathology, microbiology, and infectious disease.

This brief historical review of pathology stresses the impact of microbial discovery on the development of pathology as a medical specialty. If, as it has been said, the microscope invented the pathologist, it was the microbe, especially the pathogenic bacterium, that gave him his name and made him clinically relevant.

Surgical treatment of aorto-enteric fistulas.

BACKGROUND: Our series of secondary aorto prosthetic fistulas (PEF) to identify if and how different surgical treatment affect outcome is reviewed. METHODS: Between 1982 and December 1999, in the authors department, 42 patients were investigated for a secondary PEF. Mean age was 65 years: the mean time interval since the primitive aortic procedure was 49 months. Twenty patients were treated in emergency surgery: 29 presented evidence of gastrointestinal bleeding. The preoperative work-up included esophagogastroduodenoscopy, CT scan, and aortography. The vast majority of PEF were in a duodenal location. Surgical procedure carried out was graft excision, bowel suture or bowel resection, aortic stump closure and axillofemoral (AXF) bypass (11), new in situ revascularization by synthetic prosthesis (5), simple suture (9), graft excision without revascularization (1), in situ revascularization using arterial homograft (13). RESULTS: The mean surgery duration was 4 hours and 53 minutes, the mean blood loss was 1845+/-1132. Two patients died shortly after proximal aortic control was obtained. Early overall mortality was 50%, the early overall bypass occlusion rate was 12.5%, the early overall amputation rate was 10%, and the early new PEF rate was 12.5%. Late overall mortality was 22.5%, the late overall bypass occlusion rate was 20%, the late overall amputation rate was 7.5%, and the late new PEF rate was 10%. CONCLUSIONS: Bleeding of the gastrointestinal tract in patients with a history of intra-abdominal reconstructive vascular surgery must raise severe suspicion as to the certainty of existence of a PEF unless the diagnostic procedure excludes this possibility. All treatment methods resulted in catastrophic failure, related to recurrent PEF or septic complication. Perhaps, in the presence of PEF extra-anatomical bypass associated with aortic ligature remains an interesting surgical solution.

Gastrointestinal basidiobolomycosis. Morphologic findings in a cluster of six cases.

We describe the histopathologic features of 6 cases of gastrointestinal basidiobolomycosis examined at 4 Phoenix, AZ, area hospitals during the last 4 years. Resected stomach and intestinal specimens were characterized by marked mural thickening with fibrosis, prominent tissue eosinophil infiltration and palisading granulomatous inflammation around pale fungal hyphae. In 2 cases, there was colonic perforation. Basidiobolus ranarum hyphae (associated with spore-like spherules in 4 cases) were identified within tissue sections; the irregularly branched, thin-walled, occasionally septated hyphae were typically surrounded by a thick eosinophilic cuff (Splendore-Hoeppli phenomenon). Although the histologic features of B ranarum are well described in the skin and subcutaneous tissue, gastrointestinal involvement has presented considerable diagnostic difficulty. Before the occurrence of this cluster of cases, intra-abdominal B ranarum infection has been reported only rarely.

Physico-chemical parameters of nitrate esters. A contribution to the choice of a candidate for preclinical development.

Physico-chemical parameters of new nitrate esters were carried out in order to contribute to the choice of a drug candidate for preclinical development. Thermal analysis (DSC), wettability and solubility of the compounds were investigated in this study.

Ofloxacin, a new broad-spectrum fluoroquinolone. Results from a Multicenter, National Comparative Activity Surveillance Study. The Ofloxacin Surveillance Group.

Ofloxacin, a newer broad-spectrum fluoroquinolone, was evaluated against 6967 clinical isolates in a multicenter surveillance trial using a standardized disk diffusion method. Thirty-five geographically diverse laboratories contributed zone diameter results for two (ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin) to five (ofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, ampicillin, cefaclor, and cefixime) antimicrobial agents, depending on the site of infection. Ofloxacin was determined to have the widest spectrum of activity and potential empiric use (90.6%, range 87.1%-92.2%) for respiratory tract, urinary tract, and cutaneous infections. The spectrum was superior to ciprofloxacin (average 85.3% versus three sites), ampicillin (35.5%, respiratory tract), cefaclor (60.5%, respiratory tract), cefixime (60.9%, respiratory tract), and norfloxacin (87.3%, urinary tract). Strains resistant to ofloxacin (35 isolates, 0.5%) were confirmed by reference laboratory tests and cross resistance was observed among several current and investigational fluoroquinolone agents. The species most often found to be fluoroquinolone resistant among the Enterobacteriaceae were Klebsiella pneumoniae, Serratia marcescens, and Providencia spp. Monitoring for increasing fluoroquinolone resistance should be considered as greater use of drugs in this class develops. By these cited statistics, ofloxacin appears to have a broad and balanced spectrum of potential use, particularly against Gram-positive pathogens.

Cellular neurothekeoma.

The histological and immunohistochemical features of 3 cases of cellular neurothekeomas of skin are presented. Based on the findings in these cases and comparisons made with others reported in the literature, it is proposed that neurothekeomas may be divided into two distinct types: the myxoid and cellular variants. The relationship between these variants and a related entity, the Pacinian neurofibroma, is discussed.

[Mycetoma in Somalia - results of a survey done from 1959 to 1964]. / Les mycétomes en Somalie - conclusions d'une enquête menée de 1959 à 1964.

The Pasteur Institute studied 103 mycetoma patients in Somalia between 1959 and 1964. Grains were seen in 94 of them and this, added to cultural features, allowed the diagnosis of 60 pathogens as follows: 44 Madurella mycetomi, 1 Leptosphaeria senegalensis, 7 Pyrenochaeta romeroi (or Madurella grisea), 3 Allescheria boydii, 1 Fusarium sp., 3 Neotestudina (Zopfia) rosatii, and 1 unidentified; 34 were actinomycetes: 24 Streptomyces somaliensis, 4 Actinomadura madurae, 3 A. pelletieri and 3 Nocardia spp. The patients delayed too long in consulting their doctors and health education is vital if amputations are to be avoided. The geographical distribution is related to climate and fungal species. In central Somalia the association of M. mycetomi and S. somaliensis, organisms characteristic of desert conditions, was found; white grain mycetomata and those caused by Nocardia spp. occurred in more humid areas. The study revealed 2 new fungi. One, obtained in culture was called Neotestudina (Zopfia) rosatii. The 3 patients affected, lived in Mudugh (2 in El Bur). The other fungus was not identified. It also was recovered from El Bur and one with similar microscopic characters has been seen in Chad and also in "territoire français des Afars et des Issas". Both fungi are desert species.