The olfactory system of sharks and rays in numbers.

Cartilaginous fishes have large and elaborate olfactory organs, but only a small repertoire of olfactory receptor genes. Here, we quantitatively analyze the olfactory system of 21 species of sharks and rays, assessing many features of the olfactory organ (OOR) (number of primary lamellae, branches of the secondary folds, sensory surface area, and density and number of sensory neurons) and the olfactory bulb (OB) (number of neurons and non-neuronal cells), and estimate the ratio between the number of neurons in the two structures. We show that the number of lamellae in the OOR does not correlate with the sensory surface area, while the complexity of the lamellar shape does.

New Insights into Geometric Morphometry Applied to Fish Scales for Species Identification.

The possibility of quick and cheap recognition of a fish species from a single dermal scale would be interesting in a wide range of contexts. The methods of geometric morphometry appear to be quite promising, although wide studies comparing different approaches are lacking. We aimed to apply two methods of geometric morphometry, landmark-based and outline-based, on a dataset of scales from five different teleost species: , , , , and .

Near-Infrared 810 nm Light Affects Porifera (Nardo, 1847) Regeneration: Molecular Implications and Evolutionary Considerations of Photobiomodulation-Animal Cell Interaction.

Chemotrophic choice as a metabolic source of energy has characterised animal cell evolution. However, light interactions with animal cell photoacceptors that are able to increase energetic metabolism (photo-biomodulation (PBM)) have been previously described. In the present study, we cut three specimens of into four equal parts (12 fragments), and we irradiated the regenerating edge of six fragments with the previously characterised 810 nm near-infrared light, delivered at 1 W, 60 J/cm, 1 W/cm, and 60 J in a continuous-wave mode for 60 s through a flat-top hand-piece with a rounded spot-size area of 1 cm.

Innovative In Vitro Strategy for Assessing Aluminum Bioavailability in Oral Care Cosmetics.

Aluminum is an element found in nature and in cosmetic products. It can interfere with the metabolism of other cations, thus inducing gastrointestinal disorder. In cosmetics, aluminum is used in antiperspirants, lipsticks, and toothpastes.

Microgeophysics and geomatics data integration reveals the internal fracturing conditions of the statue of Ramses II (Museo Egizio, Torino, Italy).

The combined acquisition of 3D ultrasonic tomography and radar scans is growing for cultural heritage diagnostics. Both methods proved to be efficient in the detection and location of fractures and weaknesses within the investigated artefacts. Although the two techniques are widely applied together, an integrated approach for data interpretation is still missing.

Potential Biomedical Applications of Collagen Filaments derived from the Marine Demosponges (Schmidt, 1864) and (Schmidt, 1862).

Collagen filaments derived from the two marine demosponges and were for the first time isolated, biochemically characterised and tested for their potential use in regenerative medicine. SDS-PAGE of isolated filaments revealed a main collagen subunit band of 130 kDa in both of the samples under study. DSC analysis on 2D membranes produced with collagenous sponge filaments showed higher thermal stability than commercial mammalian-derived collagen membranes.

Experimental and Clinical Applications of Red and Near-Infrared Photobiomodulation on Endothelial Dysfunction: A Review.

Background: Under physiological conditions, endothelial cells are the main regulator of arterial tone homeostasis and vascular growth, sensing and transducing signals between tissue and blood. Disease risk factors can lead to their unbalanced homeostasis, known as endothelial dysfunction. Red and near-infrared light can interact with animal cells and modulate their metabolism upon interaction with mitochondria's cytochromes, which leads to increased oxygen consumption, ATP production and ROS, as well as to regulate NO release and intracellular Ca concentration.

Pasteurella multocida: First case report of uterine abscess and septic metastasis.

Human pasteurellosis with a gynecologic tropism is rare. A 54 year-old woman presented with sepsis due to a uterine abscess from pasteurella multocida (PM) secondarily complicated by gluteal abscess. She had a history of adenomyosis and had previously undergone hysteroscopic sterilization with micro-inserts.

Interaction between Laser Light and Osteoblasts: Photobiomodulation as a Trend in the Management of Socket Bone Preservation-A Review.

Bone defects are the main reason for aesthetic and functional disability, which negatively affect patient's quality of life. Particularly, after tooth extraction, the bone of the alveolar process resorbs, limiting the optimal prosthetic implant placement. One of the major pathophysiological events in slowly- or non-healing tissues is a blood supply deficiency, followed by a significant decrease in cellular energy amount.

Quantification of neurons in the olfactory bulb of the catsharks Scyliorhinus canicula (Linnaeus, 1758) and Galeus melastomus (Rafinesque, 1810).

In vertebrates, the olfactory bulb (OB) is the zone of the brain devoted to receiving the olfactory stimuli. The size of the OB relative to the size of the brain has been positively correlated to a good olfactory capability but, recently, this correlation was questioned after new investigation techniques were developed. Among them, the isotropic fractionator allows to estimate the number of neurons and non-neurons in a given portion of nervous tissue.

Secondary Folds Contribute Significantly to the Total Surface Area in the Olfactory Organ of Chondrichthyes.

The olfactory organ of Chondrichthyes is characterized by a central support with several lamellae covered by a sensory olfactory epithelium. Although secondary folds are present on the lamellae in all the chondrichthyan species analyzed to date, their shape and size have not been described. We here analyze the olfactory organ of 13 elasmobranch and 1 holocephalan species, describe the shape of the secondary folds and evaluate how they contribute to the epithelial surface area.

Prenatal diagnosis of a fibrosarcoma of the thigh: a case report.

We report a rare case of fibrosarcoma of the thigh suspected prenatally. At 27 weeks of gestation a voluminous, vascularised mass was discovered at ultrasound on the foetus' left leg, suggestive of haemangioma or a fibrosarcoma. There were no signs of heart failure.

[Pemphigoid gestationis and vasculorenal syndrome: a fortuitous association?].

Pemphigoid gestationis is a gestational skin disease usually appearing between the 28th and the 32nd week of amenorrhea. It is a rare vesiculobullous skin disease and the eruption is located around the umbilicus. The diagnosis is made with clinical symptoms but mainly on histologic examination (after skin biopsy) and direct immunofluorescence.