Performance of mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis under variable environmental conditions and anthropogenic pressure: A survey of two distinct farming sites in the Adriatic Sea.

Changes in natural conditions and anthropogenic pollutants, alone or in combination, pose a significant challenge to coastal bivalve populations. The susceptibility of economically important bivalves to potential stressors in their farming environment has not been sufficiently investigated, despite the increase in anthropogenic pressure along the coast and the remarkable warming of seawater in recent years. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) from two important farming sites in the eastern Adriatic, namely Mali Ston Bay (MSB) and Lim Bay (LB), in relation to variations of seawater parameters, reproductive cycle dynamics and tissue content of potentially harmful pollutants.

First insight in element localisation in different body parts of the acanthocephalan Dentitruncus truttae using TEM and NanoSIMS.

Acanthocephalans, intestinal parasites of vertebrates, are characterised by orders of magnitude higher metal accumulation than free-living organisms, but the mechanism of such effective metal accumulation is still unknown. The aim of our study was to gain new insights into the high-resolution localization of elements in the bodies of acanthocephalans, thus taking an initial step towards elucidating metal uptake and accumulation in organisms under real environmental conditions. For the first time, nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) was used for high-resolution mapping of 12 elements (C, Ca, Cu, Fe, N, Na, O, P, Pb, S, Se, and Tl) in three selected body parts (trunk spines, inner part of the proboscis receptacle and inner surface of the tegument) of Dentitruncus truttae, a parasite of brown trout (Salmo trutta) from the Krka River in Croatia.

Effect of Abrasive Grain Size on the Abrasion Volume Loss of Subfossil and Recent Oak Wood in Three Characteristic Sections.

Subfossil wood is a valuable and rare material often used for production of expensive furniture and decorative artistic items of unique beauty. Its mechanical and tribological properties are still being studied and are considered specific due to the particular conditions of its long-lasting formation in aqueous sediment sludge. Various elements that have been impregnated into the wood tissue over many years make the machining and grinding of this type of wood rather difficult compared to normal recent wood.

Cafeteria Diet and High-Fructose Rodent Models of NAFLD Differ in the Metabolism of Important PUFA and Palmitoleic Acid without Additional Influence of Sex.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of high-fat (HF) and cafeteria diet (CAF) diets and sex on the metabolism of important fatty acids in the liver and perirenal fat tissue. Dietary treatments induced changes in the fatty acid profile in comparison to the untreated group, but the characteristic differences between treated groups were also observable. The HF diet induced an increase in the content of C16:1-7 and C18:1-7 in the liver phospholipids (PL) and triglycerides (TG) and perirenal fat tissue compared to the control and CAF diet.

Toxicity prediction and effect characterization of 90 pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs measured in plasma of fish from a major European river (Sava, Croatia).

Chemical analysis of plasma samples of wild fish from the Sava River (Croatia) revealed the presence of 90 different pharmaceuticals/illicit drugs and their metabolites (PhACs/IDrgs). The concentrations of these PhACs/IDrgs in plasma were 10 to 1000 times higher than their concentrations in river water. Antibiotics, allergy/cold medications and analgesics were categories with the highest plasma concentrations.

Author Correction: Growth, health aspects and histopathology of brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus L.): replacing fishmeal with soybean meal and brewer's yeast.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Author Correction: Cumulative impact of anti-sea lice treatment (azamethiphos) on health status of Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss, Walbaum 1792) in aquaculture.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Growth, health aspects and histopathology of brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus L.): replacing fishmeal with soybean meal and brewer's yeast.

A ten-week feeding trial was carried out to investigate the effects of replacing fishmeal (FM) with soybean meal (SBM) and brewer's yeast (BY) on growth performance, blood parameters, oxidative stress and micromorphology of liver and intestines in brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus L.). Fish were fed nine feeds in which FM was replaced with 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% SBM (K1, K2, K3 and K4) and 17% + 8%, 42% + 8%, 67% + 8% and 92% + 8% of SBM/BY combination (K5, K6, K7, K8).

Cumulative impact of anti-sea lice treatment (azamethiphos) on health status of Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss, Walbaum 1792) in aquaculture.

Despite its widespread use in aquaculture, the impact of chemical anti-sea lice treatment on salmonids following application in a commercial farm has not been previously reported. This work reports the cumulative effect of three consecutive anti-sea lice treatments using azamethiphos on the health status of aquaculture reared rainbow trout through the investigation of clinical chemistry, histopathology and proteome expression. The serum biomarkers showed decreasing trends in total protein, albumin and potassium concentrations and an average increase of total bilirubin and phosphate concentration towards the end of the treatment period.

Aquatic bacterial contamination associated with sugarplant sewage outfalls as a microbial hazard for fish.

The aim of the study was to compare bacterial composition and load in waters and fish related to the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), particularly waters and wild fish affected by sugarplant processing (sugar cane and sugar beet). Aeromonads were the most frequently isolated group from water and fish. A.

Assessment of river sediment toxicity: Combining empirical zebrafish embryotoxicity testing with in silico toxicity characterization.

Quantitative chemical analyses of 428 organic contaminants (OCs) indicated the presence of 313 OCs in the sediment extracts from Sava River, Croatia. Pharmaceuticals were present in higher concentrations than pesticides thus confirming their increasing threat to freshwater ecosystems. Toxicity evaluation of the sediment extracts from four locations (Jesenice, Rugvica, Galdovo and Lukavec) using zebrafish embryotoxicity test (ZET) accompanied with semi-quantitative histopathological analyses exhibited correlation with cumulative number and concentrations of OCs at the investigated sites (10.

Evaluation of architectural and histopathological biomarkers in the intestine of brown trout (Salmo trutta Linnaeus, 1758) challenged with environmental pollution.

In the present study novel histopathological approach, using fish intestine as a sensitive bioindicator organ of pollution impact in the freshwater ecosystem, was proposed. Histopathological alterations were compared between native brown trout (Salmo trutta Linnaeus, 1758) from the reference (Krka River spring) and pollution impacted location (influence of technological/municipal wastewaters and agricultural runoff near the Town of Knin) of the karst Krka River in Croatia. In brown trout from both locations, severe parasitic infestation with acanthocephalan species Dentitruncus trutae was found, enabling evaluation of acanthocephalan infestation histopathology, which indicated parasite tissue reaction in a form of inflammatory, necrotic and hyperplastic response that extended throughout lamina epithelialis mucosae, lamina propria, and lamina muscularis mucosae.

Embryotoxic and genotoxic effects of sewage effluents in zebrafish embryo using multiple endpoint testing.

Wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents are often complex mixtures of various organic and inorganic substances. Quality control of wastewaters and sludges has been regulated with measuring several physico-chemical parameters and sometimes using biological methods with non-specific responses, while synergistic action mechanisms of contaminants in such complex mixtures is still unknown. Toxic effects of wastewaters within and downstream of the WWTP in City of Virovitica, Croatia, were tested on zebrafish Danio rerio using a set of biomarkers that enabled an insight in wastewaters toxic potential on embryos at the cellular, tissue and the whole organism level during an early ontogenesis (24 and 48 hpf).

Native Prussian carp (Carassius gibelio) health status, biochemical and histological responses to treated wastewaters.

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of treated wastewaters on native wild Prussian carp inhabiting effluent-receiving waters (ERC) receiving municipal and sugar plant treated wastewaters, further downstream waters (DW), and a detached canal unaffected by the WWTP activities. To that end, general fish health status was determined, including plasma biochemical, haematological, oxidative stress and tissue histopathological indices, over three seasons. The greatest tissue alterations were in fall in ERC during sugar beet processing, as hypertrophy of gill epithelial and interlamellar cells, necrosis and lymphocytic infiltration, hyperplasia and hypertrophy of renal tubules, distention of hepatic sinusoids.

Multilevel ecotoxicity assessment of environmentally relevant bisphenol A concentrations using the soil invertebrate Eisenia fetida.

Bisphenol A (BPA) presents a serious threat to soil ecosystems, yet its effects on soil-inhabiting organisms are mostly unexplored. Therefore, the impact of environmentally relevant BPA concentrations on a terrestrial model organism, the earthworm Eisenia fetida, was assessed. Animals were cutaneously exposed to 100nM and 10μM BPA up to 10days (10-d).

Impact of treated wastewater on organismic biosensors at various levels of biological organization.

Relating the treated wastewater quality and its impact on organismic biosensors (Prussian carp, Carassius gibelio and earthworm, Eisenia fetida) was the main objective of the study. The impact on health status of fish living downstream, microbiological contamination and antimicrobial resistance, fish tissue structure, blood biochemistry, oxidative stress, genotoxic effects, as well as multixenobiotic resistance mechanism (MXR) was assessed. Treated wastewater discharged from the WWTP modified the environmental parameters and xenobiotic concentrations of the receiving surface waters.

Detection and diversity of aeromonads from treated wastewater and fish inhabiting effluent and downstream waters.

A two-season investigation of the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent, of related waters, sludge and fish across a wide area and 11 stations, with emphasis on Aeromonas spp. was conducted. Aeromonas veronii was the prevailing aeromonad isolated by MALDI TOF MS in the summer period.

Evaluation of histopathological alterations in the gills of Vardar chub (Squalius vardarensis Karaman) as an indicator of river pollution.

Quantification of histopathological alterations in the gills of Vardar chub (Squalius vardarensis Karaman) was performed in 2012 in rivers of north-eastern Macedonia, with the aim to examine the effects of water quality in the rivers (Zletovska and Kriva River-impacted by active Pb/Zn mines; Bregalnica River-contaminated by agricultural waste). The biological alterations in chub were classified as: circulatory disturbances, regressive and progressive changes, but their severity differed. Altogether the mildest changes were observed in the gills of chub from the Bregalnica River, a less polluted river, whereas mining impacted rivers were characterized by more severe alterations.

Indication of metal homeostasis disturbance in earthworm Eisenia fetida after exposure to semi-solid depot sludge.

Treated sewage sludge is commonly used in agriculture as fertilizer. It is, therefore, necessary to determine possible detrimental influences of sludge application on soil contamination and accumulation of contaminants in tissues of terrestrial animals, which in the long run could also have undesirable effects on humans. With that aim, the study was performed using earthworm Eisenia fetida as test organism and semi-solid depot sludge from a wastewater treatment plant as exposure media.

The effect of artificial feed on blood biochemistry profile and liver histology of wild saddled bream, Oblada melanura (Sparidae).

Floating fish farms attract a great number of wild fish species, changing their behaviour and physiology. The saddled bream, Oblada melanura, sampled from populations aggregated around the Adriatic fish farm and from natural/control populations, were analysed for differences in eleven blood biochemistry parameters and liver histomorphology. The levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alkaline phosphatase (ALKP) and urea (URE) in cage-associated saddled bream (428.