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A growing body of data supports the hypothesis that probiotics can exert psychotropic effects. Recently, it has been demonstrated that in mice the probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus impacts behavior and produces neuroactive substances such as GABA and serotonin, which act on the brain-gut axis. We tested the effects of L. rhamnosus on behavioural and swimming performance in zebrafish (Danio rerio), a well known model organism in translational neuroscience and behavioural research. Adult zebrafish were treated for 28 days with L. rhamnosus, and parameters were measured weekly. Spontaneous activity of fish was evaluated with a video-tracker software, while maximal swimming performance was individually evaluated in a swimming tunnel. Compared with control fishes, treated animals displayed an increase in growth rate and mean spontaneous swimming speed, as well as a change in the shoaling behavior. On the other end, no effect was observed in the maximal swimming speed in a sprint swimming protocol.

A comparative analysis of five teleostean genomes, namely zebrafish, medaka, three-spine stickleback, fugu and pufferfish was performed with the aim to highlight the nature of the forces driving both length and base composition of introns (i.e., bpi and GCi). An inter-genome approach using orthologous intronic sequences was carried out, analyzing independently both variables in pairwise comparisons. An average length shortening of introns was observed at increasing average GCi values. The result was not affected by masking transposable and repetitive elements harbored in the intronic sequences. The routine metabolic rate (mass specific temperature-corrected using the Boltzmann’s factor) was measured for each species. A significant correlation held between average differences of metabolic rate, length and GC content, while environmental temperature of fish habitat was not correlated with bpi and GCi. Analyzing the concomitant effect of both variables, i.e., bpi and GCi, at increasing genomic GC content, a decrease of bpi and an increase of GCi was observed for the significant majority of the intronic sequences (from ,40% to ,90%, in each pairwise comparison). The opposite event, concomitant increase of bpi and decrease of GCi, was counter selected (from ,1% to ,10%, in each pairwise comparison). The results further support the hypothesis that the metabolic rate plays a key role in shaping genome architecture and evolution of vertebrate genomes.

The Angitola lake is an artificial basin located in Calabria Region, in South Italy, part of the “Natural Regional Park of Serre”. Its surface area is 1.96 km2 and it is approximately 3 km away from Sant’Eufemia gulf. The basin was created in 1966 by damming the homonymous river. Four major rivers enter the lake: three in the far southeast, the fourth, smaller and active only during the winter period, in the southwest area. The international Ramsar Convention includes the basin and surroundings; in light of the Rio Convention, its directives have been transposed in the “Birds Directive” (BD) and “Habitats Directive” (HD). The Angitola lake, entrusted to the WWF Calabria, is one of the 2299 Italian SIC (code IT9340086): this area significantly contributes in maintaining and restoring the endangered freshwater habitat listed in HD, in protecting biodiversity of the region and it is part of the Natura 2000 network. The present study is part of the Angitola FISH2O project (European Fisheries Fund/FEP code 02/BA/12) and it aimed to examine the benthic macro-invertebrates community of the southeast part of Angitola lake. The first 15 cm in depths of sediments have a very variable composition, from fine sand to mud (rich in organic matter). This variability can be explained by the different characteristic of the chosen sampling transepts. Fauna sampling, carried out by core drills and plankton nets, shows presence of Diptera and Tricoptera larvae and some Nematoda, Polichaeta and Mollusca. Preliminary conclusion is that the Angitola lake is a diversified environment in which areas with different anthropic interference are present. The benthic macro-invertebrates community might be involved by possible disturbances induced by chemicals (e.g. water pollution) and/or physical variations (e.g. high sedimentation). Medium and long-term investigations are imperative to protect and promote the lake biodiversity, to verify the effects of seasonal fluctuations and how these are related to human activities such as tourism, demographic increase and industrial activities.

The Angitola lake is an artificial basin (created in 1966) located in the southern Italy. The basin is protected by the international Ramsar Convention, “Natura 2000” Network and specific Regional acts. There are few scientific data concerning the lake characteristics, its wildlife and environmental health. In the present study, we examined biodiversity presence and environmental interactions with focus on benthic macro-invertebrates community. We observed an oscillation in water level with a maximum in May and a minimum in December. The visibility ranging from 70 to 40 cm. This study do not focus on quantitative data about mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. Fishing sampling showed a high amount of Carassius carassius, a small number of Perca fluviatilis and Squalius cephalus (Lake sampling points); a large number of Gambusia spp., a good presence of Salaria fluviatilis and a few presence of Cobitis bilineata (River sampling points). Spring and summer samplings show the highest number of insects; autumn and winter samplings a higher presence of mollusk, segmented and round worms. Seasonal variation within classes did not result significant in all sampling stations. Taxa numerosity in the lake differed between each class over time (P=0.0024) and time did not show any effect (P=0.98). Interaction of classes over time resulted significant (P=0.03). Similar results were recorded for the river (class difference P

The nature of the forces driving the genomic GC content of both prokaryotes and eukaryotes is matter of debate. Latest results favor selection as the main factor shaping base composition in bacteria. In vertebrates the subject is still under discussion. Focusing on teleostean fish, the mass specific routine metabolic rate temperature corrected using the Boltzmann's factor (MR) and base composition of genomes (GC%) were re-examined and related with their major habitats: polar, temperate, sub-tropical, tropical and deep-water. Fish of the polar habitat showed the highest MR. The MR of temperate fish was significantly higher than that of tropical one, which showed the lowest average value. Regarding GC%, polar and temperate fish both showed significantly higher values than both sub-tropical and tropical fish. Plotting MR and GC% a significant correlation was found between the two variables.

The present study was conducted to assess by HPLC the α-tocopherol resource in fillets from European eel Anguilla anguilla. gilthead bream Sparus aurata, and European anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus, and its variation following 24hr and 48hr storage at 4°C and after traditional Mediterranean cooking. Results showed a high resource of α-tocopherol in Anguilla anguilla and Engraulis encrasicolus; a progressive significant decrease during fillet storage (all species), after boiling (Sparus aurata) and frying with flouring (Engraulis encrasicolus), and an increase after frying without flouring (Anguilla anguilla). These α-tocopherol antioxidative resource variations are discussed in relation to lipid peroxidation in post-mortem tissues and to their significance for setting rules limiting losses in antioxidants as well in quality

A method for perfusion of the isolated trout heart coronary circulation with red blood cells (RBCs) was developed. The method was used to analyse the influence of RBC perfusion on myocardial O2 supply and O2 consumption and to test the hypothesis that nitrite is converted to vasoactive nitric oxide in the RBC-perfused coronary circulation. Perfusion with RBCs significantly increased myocardial O2 supply and O2 consumption by increasing the incoming O2 concentration and the O2 extraction. Coronary flow did not differ between RBC perfusion and saline perfusion, but RBC perfusion established a strong linear increase in myocardial O2 consumption with coronary flow. Nitric oxide was measured in the atrial effluent of the preparation. Perfusion with saline under hypoxic conditions was associated with NO production. The nitric oxide synthase inhibitor L-NA obliterated this NO production and significantly decreased coronary flow, showing that the NO was vasoactive and probably of endothelial origin. RBC perfusion at low PO2 similarly caused an L-NAinhibitable NO production. The change in NO production upon subsequent nitrite addition, by contrast, was not inhibited by L-NA. Nitrite entered trout erythrocytes independent of degree of oxygenation, but the O2 saturation of RBCs showed a major decrease in the coronary circulation, and [NO2 –] decreased while methaemoglobin rose, suggesting that deoxyHb-mediated reduction of nitrite to NO may have occurred. However, other possibilities (e.g. NO2 –rNO conversion in myocardial cells) cannot be excluded. The NO formation associated with nitrite had no effect on coronary flow, possibly because NO was produced after the resistance vessels.