Aspects of the summer circulation in the eastern Ligurian Sea

Two striped dolphins (SD1, SD2), stranded along the Ligurian coast of Italy, were diagnosed with a nonsuppurative meningoencephalitis associated with previously undescribed protozoan tissue cysts. As tissue cysts were morphologically different from those of Toxoplasma gondii, additional histopathological, immunohistochemical, ultrastructural, and biomolecular investigations were performed, aiming to fully characterize the organism. Histopathology revealed the presence of large Sarcocystis-like tissue cysts, associated with limited inflammatory lesions in all CNS areas studied. IHC was inconclusive, as positive staining with polyclonal antisera did not preclude cross-reaction with other Sarcocystidae coccidia. Applied to each animal, 11 different PCR protocols precluded a neural infection by Sarcocystis neurona, Sarcocystis falcatula, Hammondia hammondi, and Neospora caninum. T. gondii coinfection was confirmed only in dolphin SD2. Sarcocystis sp. sequences, showing the highest homology to species infecting the Bovidae family, were amplified from SD1 myocardium and SD2 skeletal muscle. The present study represents the first report of Sarcocystis-like tissue cysts in the brain of stranded cetaceans along with the first description of Sarcocystis sp. infection in muscle tissue of dolphins from the Mediterranean basin.

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Distribution of seafloor litter and its interaction with benthic organisms in deep waters of the Ligurian Sea (Northwestern Mediterranean)

The Science of The Total Environment ◽

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147745 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 147745

Author(s):

Angiolillo Michela ◽

Gérigny Olivia ◽

Valente Tommaso ◽

Fabri Marie-Claire ◽

Tambute Eric ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Benthic Organisms ◽

Ligurian Sea ◽

Deep Waters ◽

Northwestern Mediterranean

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The Remarkable Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Potential of the Extracts of the Brown Alga Cystoseira amentacea var. stricta

Marine Drugs ◽

10.3390/md19010002 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

pp. 2

Author(s):

Gina De La Fuente ◽

Marco Fontana ◽

Valentina Asnaghi ◽

Mariachiara Chiantore ◽

Serena Mirata ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Oxidative Stress ◽

No Production ◽

Low Grade ◽

Raw 264.7 ◽

Ros Scavenging ◽

Ligurian Sea ◽

Raw 264.7 Macrophages ◽

Pharmaceutical Industries ◽

Anti Inflammatory ◽

First Time

Inflammation and oxidative stress are part of the complex biological responses of body tissues to harmful stimuli. In recent years, due to the increased understanding that oxidative stress is implicated in several diseases, pharmaceutical industries have invested in the research and development of new antioxidant compounds, especially from marine environment sources. Marine seaweeds have shown the presence of many bioactive secondary metabolites, with great potentialities from both the nutraceutical and the biomedical point of view. In this study, 50%-ethanolic and DMSO extracts from the species C. amentacea var. stricta were obtained for the first time from seaweeds collected in the Ligurian Sea (north-western Mediterranean). The bioactive properties of these extracts were then investigated, in terms of quantification of specific antioxidant activities by relevant ROS scavenging spectrophotometric tests, and of anti-inflammatory properties in LPS-stimulated macrophages by evaluation of inhibition of inflammatory cytokines and mediators. The data obtained in this study demonstrate a strong anti-inflammatory effect of both C. amentacea extracts (DMSO and ethanolic). The extracts showed a very low grade of toxicity on RAW 264.7 macrophages and L929 fibroblasts and a plethora of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects that were for the first time thoroughly investigated. The two extracts were able to scavenge OH and NO radicals (OH EC50 between 392 and 454 μg/mL; NO EC50 between 546 and 1293 μg/mL), to partially rescue H2O2-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages cell death, to abate intracellular ROS production in H2O2-stimulated macrophages and fibroblasts and to strongly inhibit LPS-induced inflammatory mediators, such as NO production and IL-1α, IL-6, cyclooxygenase-2 and inducible NO synthase gene expression in RAW 264.7 macrophages. These results pave the way, for the future use of C. amentacea metabolites, as an example, as antioxidant food additives in antiaging formulations as well as in cosmetic lenitive lotions for inflamed and/or damaged skin.

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Community structure of mesopelagic copepods (>500 μm) in the Ligurian Sea (Western Mediterranean)

Journal of Marine Systems ◽

10.1016/s0924-7963(97)00094-8 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 15 (1-4) ◽

pp. 511-522 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

B. Gasser ◽

G. Payet ◽

J. Sardou ◽

P. Nival

Keyword(s):

Community Structure ◽

Western Mediterranean ◽

Ligurian Sea

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The numerical simulation of the three-dimensional teleconnections in the summer circulation over the Northern Hemisphere

Advances in Atmospheric Sciences ◽

10.1007/bf03179740 ◽

1985 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 81-92 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

Huang Ronghui

Keyword(s):

Numerical Simulation ◽

Northern Hemisphere ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Summer Circulation

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The butterfly squid Stoloteuthis leucoptera in the Mediterranean

Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom ◽

10.1017/s0025315400037383 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 71 (1) ◽

pp. 47-51 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Lidia Orsi Relini ◽

Daniela Massi

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle ◽

Adult Male ◽

The Other ◽

Otter Trawl ◽

Ligurian Sea ◽

The Mediterranean ◽

Unique Species ◽

Recent Immigration

The presence of Stoloteuthis leucoptera in the Mediterranean is recorded on the basis of three specimens, including an adult male, caught by IKMT and by commercial otter-trawl in the Ligurian Sea. The hypothesis of a recent immigration is discussed.The list of Mediterranean cephalopods (Mangold Wirz, 1963; Torchio, 1968; Bello, 1986; Mangold & Boletzsky, 1987) includes the Sepiolidae of the subfamily Heteroteuthinae, whose members are supposed to be pelagic throughout their life cycle. Mangold Wirz (1963) recognizes in the Mediterranean fauna the unique species Heteroteuthis dispar, the other authors include H. atlantis Voss, which Voss himself (1955) reported at Messina. To this group may now be added Stoloteuthis leucoptera (Verrill, 1878) a species until now recorded in limited Atlantic areas. Verrill (1881) wrote “This species is an exceedingly beautiful one, when living, owing to the elegance and brilliancy of its colours and the gracefulness of its movements. In swimming it moves its fins in a manner analogous to the motion of the wings of a butterfly.”

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