The sharpnose sevengill shark (Heptranchias perlo) is a rare and poorly understood deep‐sea species, with only a few records in the Adriatic Sea over the last two centuries and a significant gap in ...sightings.
Throughout 2023, three new records are documented in the southernmost Adriatic Sea, found at depths ranging from 391 to 452 m off Vlorë.
This study marks the first comprehensive health examination of a deep‐sea shark, investigating potential trauma and injuries resulting from trawling. It encompasses pathological and histopathological examinations, supplemented by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
The research highlights alarming post‐capture mortality rates in this data deficient species, discusses further conservation implications, and proposes protective measures for the species.
Beyond addressing critical knowledge gaps, this study advocates for collaborative efforts with local fishermen to establish long‐term monitoring and obtain data on the frequency and abundance of elusive species.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
This paper describes the first record of the critically endangered gravid female spiny butterfly ray, Gymnura altavela (Linnaeus, 1758), in the northern Mediterranean and simultaneously the only ...record of the species in this century for the Adriatic Sea. The female (173 cm disc width and 43.25 kg total weight) was captured at c. 200 m, off Vlorë in the southern Adriatic Sea off Albania on 12 May 2022. Upon necropsy, seven near‐term foetuses (mean 328 ± 6.47 mm disc width and mean 355 ± 20.06 g in total weight) were transported for further in‐vitro incubation. These results represent the deepest capture for the species, as well as the largest litter size and largest size at birth in the Mediterranean Sea, which indicates the need for further research.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Historically, two angel shark species, common angel shark
and smoothback angel shark
, were common in the upper continental shelf of the eastern Adriatic Sea. Although both species are considered ...critically endangered in the Adriatic and the rest of the world, there are almost no data on the current status of populations, threat assessment and species-specific in-situ conservation. Common angel shark is still present in highly fragmented areas of the eastern Adriatic with extremely rare but consistent records, while smoothback angel shark is mostly considered regionally extinct in the Adriatic due to overfishing and overuse of non-selective fishing gear. There have been only 3 published records of common angel shark this century, the last two of which were reported by fishermen. This paper presents data on 34 new finds, including neonates, juveniles, subadults and adults recorded between January 2020 and August 2021 in the Zadar-Šibenik archipelago (central Adriatic) and one in Premantura (northern Adriatic). Two are original findings during the field expedition, 9 were reported directly by local fishermen, while 23 were reported through a detailed questionnaire. Additionally, plausible breeding and/or nursery grounds between Zadar and Šibenik are discussed with their importance for revitalization and long-term conservation in situ.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Upon examination of the catch, one female individual measuring 31.7 mm total length (TL), 21.1 mm disk width (DW), and 147 g total weight (TW) was identified with only one ocellus, located on its ...left dorsal pectoral fin (Fig. 1). Measurements (given in millimeters) and percentages of total length determined for Raja miraletus Linnaeus, 1758 with a single ocellus, caught in Vlore, Albania (southern Adriatic Sea) in January 2022 Measurement mm %TL Total length 317 100 Body length 140 44.16 Tail length 182 54.41 Disk width 211 66.56 Ocellus diameter 1.43 0.45 Ocellus to spine 25 7.89 Snout length 43 13.56 Mouth width 24 7.57 Pectoral fin anterior margin (left) 131 41.32 Pectoral fin anterior margin (right) 130 41 Pectoral fin posterior margin (left) 88 27.76 Pectoral fin posterior margin (right) 89 28.08 Pelvic anterior lobe (left) 35 11.04 Pelvic anterior lobe (right) 30 9.46 Pelvic posterior lobe (left) 50 15.77 Pelvic posterior lobe (right) 47 14.83 First dorsal fin length 18 5.68 First dorsal fin height 8 2.53 Second dorsal fin length 19 5.99 Second dorsal fin height 8 2.53 Space between the first and last gill slit (left) 23 7.26 Space between the first and last gill slit (right) 25 7.89 To investigate for potential compromised immune function as a potential cause of the miscoloration, liver and skin samples were fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin and processed with standard histological techniques, sectioned at 5 μm and stained with hematoxylin-eosin and periodic acid-Schiff. While the cause of the observed lack of ocellus is unknown, since histological examinations and immunological biomarkers in liver suggested normal functioning, additional studies are necessary to better understand the causal factors and how widespread they are within elasmobranchs from this region.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
The angular rough shark, Oxynotus centrina (Linnaeus, 1758), is a poorly known and rare bathydemersal shark inhabiting continental shelves and upper slopes with a significant lack of data and rarely ...published records in the Adriatic Sea in this century. In this paper, we present 20 new occurrences recorded from May 2015 to September 2021, of which 19 are in Croatian and one in Montenegrin territorial waters. Records of juveniles, subadults and adults are reported. Higher number of records off the Kornati archipelago in the central Adriatic Sea suggest that this area is of particular importance for this species. Furthermore, habitats in the Southern Adriatic might have lower density. Due to the nonsystematic research and nonprobabilistic data collection, it is difficult to establish whether the greater number of records in the continental shelf is just an ostensible phenomenon.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
This paper is describing a new finding of Carcharhinus plumbeus (Nardo, 1927) caught at the insular shelves off the Sazan Island at the depth of 120 m, which is the southernmost record for a sandbar ...shark in the Adriatic Sea. The individual had a partially healed umbilical scar and is considered as neonatal. Examined shark appeared in good body condition with showed no macroscopic signs of diseases or macroscopic parasites. Detailed morphometric measurements are compared with four neonate and juvenile specimens from the north and central Adriatic Sea and are provided in the paper. Despite it is not possible to establish a certain conclusion on whether our specimen was born in the studied area or elsewhere, presented finding provides the very first evidence that neonatal sandbar sharks can be found along the coast of Albania. Knowing the exact locations and movements of both neonates and juveniles is of high importance for the effective long-term in-situ conservation.
Ovaj rad opisuje nalaz novorođenog psa tupana Carcharhinus plumbeus (Nardo, 1927) ulovljenog kod otoka Sazana (Albanija) na dubini od 120 m, što je najjužniji susret u Jadranskom moru. Opisana jedinka imala je djelomično zacijeljen pupčani ožiljak. Patološki pregled pokazao je da je jedinka bila u dobrom tjelesnom stanju, bez makroskopskih promijena i parazita, dok su uzorci tkiva uzeti za daljnje histološke analize. Detaljnji morfometrijski podaci uspoređeni su s četiri neonatalne i juvenilne jedinke iz sjevernog i srednjeg Jadrana, te su navedene u radu. Iako nije moguće sa sigurnošću utvrditi da li je naša jedinka okoćena u istraživanom području ili drugdje, predstavljeni nalaz daje prvi znanstveni dokaz da se neonatalni psi tupani mogu naći duž obale Albanije. Poznavanje točnih lokacija i kretanje tek okoćenih i mladih morskih pasa od velike je važnosti za učinkovito dugoročno očuvanje in situ.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Though SARS-CoV-2 infections are yet to be completely characterised in a host-pathogen interaction context, some of the mechanisms governing the interaction between the novel betacoronavirus and the ...human host, have been brought to light in satisfactory detail. Among the emerging evidence, postulates regarding potential benefits of innate immune memory and heterologous immunity have been put under discussion. Innate immune memory entails epigenetic reprogramming of innate immune cells caused by vaccination or infections, whereas heterologous immunity denotes cross-reactivity of T cells with unrelated epitopes and bystander CD8+ activation. Familiarization of the host immune system with a certain pathogen, educates monocytes, macrophages and other innate cells into phenotypes competent for combating unrelated pathogens. Indeed, the resolution at which non-specific innate immune memory occurs, is predominant at the level of enhanced cytokine secretion as a result of epigenetic alterations. One vaccine whose non-specific effects have been documented and harnessed in treating infections, cancer and autoimmunity, is the Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine currently used for immunization against pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). The BCG vaccine induces a diverse cytokine secretion profile in immunized subjects, which in turn may stimulate epigenetic changes mediated by immunoreceptor signalling. Herein, we provide a concise summarization of previous findings regarding the effects of the BCG vaccine on innate immune memory and heterologous immunity, supplemented with clinical evidence of the non-specific effects of this vaccine on non-mycobacterial infections, cancer and autoimmunity. This interpretative synthesis aims at providing a plausible immunological and immunogenetic model by which BCG vaccination may, in fact, be beneficial for the current efforts in combating COVID-19.
Abstract
The angular rough shark,
Oxynotus centrina
(Linnaeus, 1758), is a poorly known and rare bathydemersal shark inhabiting continental shelves and upper slopes with a significant lack of data ...and rarely published records in the Adriatic Sea in this century. In this paper, we present 20 new occurrences recorded from May 2015 to September 2021, of which 19 are in Croatian and one in Montenegrin territorial waters. Records of juveniles, subadults and adults are reported. Higher number of records off the Kornati archipelago in the central Adriatic Sea suggest that this area is of particular importance for this species. Furthermore, habitats in the Southern Adriatic might have lower density. Due to the nonsystematic research and nonprobabilistic data collection, it is difficult to establish whether the greater number of records in the continental shelf is just an ostensible phenomenon.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
To date there is scarce published evidence reporting the dual blood supply reaching anterior papillary muscle (APM), which descends from both major coronary arteries. Such a vascular configuration ...can prevent the dysfunction of right ventricular entire valvular system in case of the occlusion of proximal part of either right coronary artery (RCA) or left coronary artery (LCA). The aim of our study was to determine the vascular pattern of APM blood supply which originates from two main coronary arteries, in the context of the APM and septomarginal trabecula (SMT) topography.
The study was carried out using tissue obtained from 36 human hearts. The material was divided into four morphological types of SMT/APM arrangement. Vascularization and blood supply pattern of papillary muscle was investigated following the analysis of multiple tissue cross sections. The origin of APM arterial supply was traced back to both main coronary arteries. Cross-sectional area of the arteries was estimated at the base of APM and compared within mixed male-female population, aged 18-76.
We noted that as much as 78% of entire APM material had a blood supply vasculature originating from both LCA and RCA branches. In contrast, 22% of cases APM was supplied by a single coronary artery, while in each case it proved to be LCA. We have never found APM arterial supply provided exclusively by RCA. In case of double AMP blood supply an average of total cross-section area of the arteries branching from LCA, was noted to be in excess of two and a half times bigger in type III and more than two times bigger in type IV, as compared with the arteries originating from RCA.
Our research confirm the possibility of double blood supply which vascularizes APM, but the finding does not necessarily apply in all cases. However, APM seems to be predominantly vascularized by arteries deriving from LCA, regardless of their morphological type.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Sphingomonas paucimobilis can be found in air, water systems, dialysis fluid, nebulizers and laboratory instruments in hospitals. Despite its low pathogenicity, it can cause severe infections.
A ...54-year-old man presented with fever, cough and pain in the right hemithorax. The laboratory results showed elevated inflammatory parameters. Chest radiography showed right upper lobe pneumonia. Empiric antibiotic therapy (cephalosporin) was prescribed. On control examination chest radiography showed incomplete regression. Chest computer tomography (CT) finding was bronchopneumonia in the right upper lobe. Bacteriological examination of fiberaspirate revealed Sphingomonas paucimobils. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole was prescribed based on the antibiogram. After two weeks the control laboratory analysis was normal. The patient was fully recovered.
Our patient had no comorbidities or malignancies, and no hospitalization in the recent past. He had a dental intervention 5 days prior to the onset of symptoms. We propose that it was an infection after the dental intervention.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
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