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This study provides a general approach to the presence and possible role of orexins and their receptors in the gut (three gastric chambers and intestine) of confined environment bottlenose dolphin. The expression of prepro-orexin, orexin A and B and orexin 1 and 2 receptors were investigated by single immunostaining and western blot analysis. The co-localization of vasoactive intestinal peptide and orexin 1 receptor in the enteric nervous system was examined by double immunostaining. Also, orexin A concentration were measured in plasma samples to assess the possible diurnal variation of the plasma level of peptide in this species. Our results showed that the orexin system is widely distributed in bottlenose dolphin enteric nervous system of the all gastrointestinal tract examined. They are very peculiar and partially differs from that of terrestrial mammals. Orexin peptides and prepro-orexin were expressed in the main stomach, pyloric stomach and proximal intestine; while orexin receptors were expressed in the all examined tracts, with the exception of main stomach where found no evidence of orexin 2 receptor. Co-localization of vasoactive intestinal peptide and orexin 1 receptor were more evident in the pyloric stomach and proximal intestine. These data could suggest a possible role of orexin system on the contractility of bottlenose dolphin gastrointestinal districts. Finally, in agreement with several reports, bottlenose dolphin orexin A plasma level was higher in the morning during fasting. Our results emphasize some common features between bottlenose dolphin and terrestrial mammals. Certainly, further functional investigations may help to better explain the role of the orexin system in the energy balance of bottlenose dolphin and the complex interaction between feeding and digestive physiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The S100 protein in nervous tissue appears to play important roles in regulating neuronal differentiation, glial proliferation, plasticity, development, axonal growth, and in neurogenetic processes. In fish, the adult neurogenic activity is much higher than in mammals. In this study, the localization of S100 protein was investigated in the brain of annual teleost fish, Nothobranchius furzeri, which is an emerging model organism for aging research. By immunohistochemical techniques, S100 immunoreactivity (IR) was detected in glial cells, small neurons, and fibers throughout all regions of central nervous system (CNS) with different pattern of distribution. In the telencephalon, S100 IR was seen in the olphactory bulbs and in different areas of the telencephalic hemispheres. In the diencephalon, S100 positivity was observed in the habenular nuclei of the epithalamus, in the cortical thalamic nucleus, in the dorsal, ventral and caudal portions, the latter with the posterior recessus nucleus, and in the diffuse inferior lobe of the hypothalamus, along the diencephalic ventricle and in the dorsal optic tract. In the mesencephalon, S100 IR was observed in the longitudinal tori, in the optic tectum, and along the mesencephalic ventricle. In the rhombencephalon, S100 IR was shown in valvula and body of the cerebellum, and in some nuclei of the medulla oblongata. The results suggest that S100 may play a key role in the maintenance of the CNS and in neurogenesis processes in the adulthood. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leptin is a modulator of food intake and energy homeostasis both in mammals and in some species of nonmammals vertebrates. In this study, we reported for the first time, using an immunohistochemical and immunochemical approach, the presence and distribution of immunoreactivity to leptin-like protein in the gastroenteric tract of Dicentrarchus labrax (bass) and Carassius auratus (goldfish), two teleostean species with different feeding and different adaptative morphological organization of the gastroenteric tract. Bass stomach showed intense immunoreactivity to leptin-like protein in all regions, with immunoreactive cells located at the base of the mucosal plicae and at the apical margin of the gastric crypts. Immunoreactive fibers and neuronal cells were observed close to vascular structures in the pyloric region. In bass and goldfish intestine, rare immunoreactive cells were observed along the mucosal epithelium mostly at the base or the apex of intestinal folds in the proximal and medium intestine; numerous immunoreactive nerve fibers in the circular and longitudinal layers of the tunica muscolaris as well as in the myenteric plexus were observed. Western blot analysis recognized a ∼15 kDa signal with a similar expression pattern for goldfish and sea bass. Our results could contribute to confirm the evolutive conservation of leptin-like proteins and their probably precocious functional diversification in fish. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2011. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A river basin--oriented approach was developed to support the sustainable management of human activities in a coastal area of Regione Abruzzo, Italy. Consensus and collaboration between the public, different sectoral and territorial administrations, and the economic actors was identified as a crucial prerequisite for the long-term achievement of sustainable coastal development for this region and to make existing developments sustainable. The RICAMA (Rationale for Integrated Coastal Area Management) Project was set up on a regional scale to integrate the natural and economic information in a comprehensive integrated coastal planning, management, and development framework. To achieve this objective, 19 coastal municipalities, three provinces, and one regional government, each with their sectoral services (and their sectoral management activities), needed to be "networked" to promote effective sharing of information and a coordinated approach to management. A "wide area network" was developed that includes other authorities, stakeholders, and the general public. The methodology used to support the network is based on (i) suitable and updated information about the coastal state, (ii) use of informed maintenance strategies, (iii) use of Environmental Impact Assessment and Strategic Environmental Assessment for the assessment of goodness of projects/plans, (iv) adoption of an Environmental Management System for structuring the management actions at various (administrative) levels, and (v) adoption of soft intervention technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physiological kidney function is closely related to the state of the vascular network. Disorders, such as capillary rarefaction, predispose to chronic kidney disease (CKD). In this context, deepening of the methodologies for studying the renal vascular network can be of basic importance. To meet this need, numerous animal models and, in parallel, several methods have been developed. In this work we propose a protocol to accurately feature kidney vasculature in mouse, however, the same protocol is suitable to be applied also to other animal models. The approach is multiparametric and mainly based on micro-computed tomography (μCT) technique. Micro-ct allows to study in detail the vascular network of any organ by exploiting the possibility to perfuse the sample with a contrast agent. The proposed protocol provides a fast and reliable method to extract quantitative information from the μCT scan by using only the basic functions of the software supplied by the scanner without any additional analysis. Through iterative cropping of the scanned ROI and calculation of a sample-specific threshold we calculated that the average volume of a female BALB/c kidney of eighth weeks is 147.8 mm3 (5.4%). We also pointed out that the average volume of the vascular network is 4.9% (0.3%). In parallel we performed traditional histological and immunofluorescence techniques to integrate the information gained via μCT and to frame them in the tissue context. Vessel count on histological sections showed a different density in the different regions of the organ parenchyma, in detail, vessel density in the cortex was 19.03 ± 2.51 vessels/ROI while in the medulla it was 10.6 ± 1.7 vessels/ROI and 5.4 ± 1.3 vessels/ROI in the outer and inner medulla, respectively. We then studied vessel distribution in the renal parenchyma which showed that the 55% of vascular component is included in the cortex, the 30% in the outer medulla and the 15% in the inner medulla. Collectively, we propose an integrated approach that can be particularly useful in the preclinical setting to characterize the vasculature of any organ accurately and rapidly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: In this work, we documented the presence of two neurotrophins NGF (Nerve Growth Factor) and BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor) in the pancreas of two species of marine mammals, Tursiops truncatus (common bottlenose dolphin) and Otaria flavescens (South American sea lion). Pancreas samples were provided by the Mediterranean Marine Mammal Tissue Bank of the Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science of the University of Padua (Italy). These two growth factors are well-known mediators for maintaining the survival of neurons but also exert a metabotrophic effect. The localization in the pancreas of bottlenose dolphins and sea lions of these neurotrophins could help to better understand how these marine animals handle metabolic challenges in their adaptation to ocean life. In this study, we have investigated the immunolocalization of NGF (Nerve Growth Factor) and BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor) in the pancreas of two species of marine mammals: Tursiops truncatus (common bottlenose dolphin), belonging to the order of the Artiodactyla, and Otaria flavescens (South American sea lion), belonging to the order of the Carnivora. Our results demonstrated a significant presence of NGF and BDNF in the pancreas of both species with a wide distribution pattern observed in the exocrine and endocrine components. We identified some differences that can be attributed to the different feeding habits of the two species, which possess a different morphological organization of the digestive system. Altogether, these preliminary observations open new perspectives on the function of neurotrophins and the adaptive mechanisms of marine mammals in the aquatic environment, suggesting potential parallels between the physiology of marine and terrestrial mammals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neurotrophins, acting through their high-affinity signal-transducing Trk receptors, are involved in the development, differentiation and maintenance of discrete neuron populations in the higher vertebrates. Furthermore, the presence of Trk receptors in some non-neuronal tissues, including the endocrine cells of the gut, could indicate an involvement of neurotrophins also in these tissues. Recently, neurotrophins and neurotrophin receptor proteins have been identified in the lower vertebrates and invertebrates, whose amino acid sequences are highly homologous with those found in mammals. The present study investigates the occurrence and distribution of Trk-like proteins in the neurons and gut endocrine cells in five species of teleost. Single and double immunolabeling was carried out on fresh and paraffin-embedded tissue using commercially available antibodies against sequences of the intracytoplasmic domain of the mammalian Trk. Western-blot analysis, carried out on samples of stomach and intestine of bass, identified proteins whose estimated molecular masses (140 kDa, 145 kDa and 143–145 kDa) were similar to those reported for full-length TrkA, TrkB and TrkC in the higher vertebrates. TrkA-like immunoreactivity was found in the enteric nervous system plexuses of three fish species. Trk-like immunoreactivity was observed in the endocrine cells as follows: sparse TrkA-like immunoreactive endocrine cells were detected only in the intestine; TrkB-like immunoreactive cells were detected only in the stomach; and TrkC-like immunoreactive cells were found both in the intestine of the carp and in the stomach of the bass, where they also showed TrkB-like immunoreactivity. These findings confirm the occurrence and distribution of Trk-like proteins in teleosts. These proteins are closely related to the Trk neurotrophin receptors of mammals. The functional significance of Trk-like proteins in both neuronal and non-neuronal cells of teleosts is still not clear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide (PACAP) is a novel vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)-like peptide isolated from ovine hypothalamus. It is present in neuronal elements of a number of peripheral organs. We have examined whether PACAP occurs in the gill arch of Carassius auratus L. in which our recent studies have shown the presence of VIP-like peptide. Immunohistochemistry has revealed PACAP-like immunoreactivity in the anterior branches of the post-trematic glossopharyngeal and vagus nerves. PACAP-immunoreactive nerve cell bodies and fibers are present in connective tissue on the oral side of the gill arch. Colocalization studies carried out by the application of double immunofluorescence show that a PACAP-like peptide coexists with VIP in the same nerve cell bodies and fibers. The localization pattern of PACAP in the gill arch of goldfish suggests its possible involvement in the regulation of secretory activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]