Dysregulated zinc homeostasis and microadenomas in the anterior pituitary: pathological insights into suicide risk.

Background: Suicide is a significant public health problem influenced by various risk factors, including dysregulation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Zinc (Zn), essential for pituitary function in hormone synthesis and release, has been linked to suicide, with studies noting reduced serum levels and altered brain transport mechanisms. Despite Zn's crucial role in pituitary function and its involvement in suicidal behavior, information on pituitary Zn in suicide is scarce. Tumor cells modify Zn dynamics in tissues, and a previous report suggests microadenomas in the anterior pituitary as a risk factor for suicide. Methods: Histopathological analysis with hematoxylin-eosin stain and histochemical techniques to assess Zn homeostasis were carried out on anterior pituitary postmortem samples from 14 suicide completers and 9 non-suicidal cases. Results: Pituitary microadenomas were identified in 35% of suicide cases and none in the non-suicidal cases. Furthermore, compartmentalized Zn (detected via dithizone reactivity), but not free Zn levels (detected via zinquin reactivity), was lower in the suicide cases compared to the non-suicidal group. Conclusion: This is the first report of a potential association between disrupted Zn homeostasis and microadenomas in the anterior pituitary as a feature in suicide and provides critical insights for future neuroendocrine Zn-related research.

An annual study on plastic accumulation in surface water and sediment cores from the coastline of Tenerife (Canary Island, Spain).

Sediment core samples from high tide lines and in submerged zones as well as surface water samples from eight beaches of Tenerife were analysed. Sampling was conducted over a period of one year in intervals of 5 weeks. The majority of particles were found in the high tide sediment (66%), followed by water samples (23%) and finally in sediment from submerged zones (11%). Regarding the particle amount per volume (items/L), accumulation in sediment samples was statistically higher compared to water samples. Mean values of items/L were higher in high tide sediments. In high tide and water samples, mostly white and transparent particles >1 mm were found. More than 70% were represented by fragments. In sediments from submerged zones, yellow and blue microparticles (<1 mm) were predominant and 61.9% consisted of fibres. Larger particles were mainly identified as PP, PE, PS, PTFE and PVC, while polymer types of smaller particles were more variable.

Evidence of microplastic ingestion by cultured European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax).

The presence of microplastics (MPs) in the marine environment is a concerning topic due to the ecotoxicological effects and possible seafood contamination. Data is needed to evaluate human exposure and assess risks, in the context of a healthy and beneficial seafood consumption. While microplastic ingestion by wild fish has been reported since the early 70's, farmed fish are rarely investigated. Here, for the first time the presence of microplastics in fish cultivated in the coastal water of Tenerife (Canary Island, Spain) was evaluated. From 83 examined individuals, 65% displayed microplastics in their gastrointestinal tracts, with averages between 0.6 ± 0.8 (SD) and 2.7 ± 1.85 (SD) particles per fish. The total number of microplastics detected was 119. Fibres (81%) and fragments (12%) were the predominant shapes. FTIR analysis showed that fibres were mostly composed by Cellulose (55%) and Nylon (27%), whereas fragments by PE (25%) and PP (25%).

Plastic pollution on eight beaches of Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain): An annual study.

Stranded marine debris from eight beaches of Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain) was analyzed. Sampling was conducted along the high tide line every 35 m over the whole lengths in periods of 5 weeks for one year. Evaluated particles included all materials bigger than 2 mm, which were subdivided in Mesoparticles (2-10 mm) and Macroparticles (>10 mm). There was a great variability of plastic abundance regarding the locations and the sampling dates. In contrast, the occurrence of debris along the beaches showed consistency and even zones of high and low accumulation. The most polluted beach was Poris, which is indeed infrequently visited, but highly affected by the main current. Plastic particles were principally mesoparticles and white/transparent color. This study not only confirms, that the Canary Islands are highly affected by the marine plastic pollution, but also for the first time shows, that stranded plastic accumulates in restricted areas of sandy coastlines.

Mitocondrial COI and 16S rDNA sequences support morphological identification and biogeography of deep-sea red crabs of the genus Chaceon (Crustacea, Decapoda, Geryonidae) in the Eastern Central and South Atlantic Ocean.

The geographical spreading of new fishing activities and the increasingly deeper locations of these activities have shown the worldwide distribution of gerionid crabs and new descriptions of Chaceon taxa. However, incomplete penetrance, variable expressivity, and phenotypic overlap make the morphometric identification of these species difficult. In this study, partial sequences of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) and 16S mitochondrial ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) genes have been analyzed in Chaceon species from the Eastern Central and South Atlantic and compared with sequences of species from Western Atlantic. Our results corroborate the proposed morphological species and highlight the significant separation of the Eastern Atlantic species and those from Atlantic coasts of South America for both markers (97% Bayesian posterior probability, BPP / 83% Bootstrap replicates, BT). Interestingly, Chaceon sanctaehelenae shows a closer relationship with the species of the American coast than with those from the Eastern Atlantic. On the other hand, while COI marker clearly separates Chaceon atopus and Chaceon erytheiae species (99 BPP / 91% BT), these species share haplotypes for the 16S rRNA marker, pointing to a recent speciation process. Moreover, a close relationship was observed between Chaceon maritae and Chaceon affinis (94% BPP / 77% BT). The topologies of the trees obtained indicate that the ancestor of this genus was closer related to those species from South America than to those from the Eastern Atlantic.

Pseudoquiste suprarrenal / Adrenal pseucyst

El quiste suprarrenal (QS) es un padecimiento raro, con una frecuencia de 0.06 por ciento. La mayor parte son hallazgos incidentales (por imagenología, laparoscopia y como hallazgo de autopsia). Los quistes no neoplásicos incluyen los parasitarios, de retención, embrionarios, endoteliales y los pseudoquistes. Por lo común se presentan entre la quinta y sexta décadas de la vida; en los niños es poco frecuente, aunque hay casos reportados in útero. Nuestro caso es el de una mujer de 45 años de edad que ingresó porque padecía dolor tipo cólico en el hipocondrio derecho, acompañado de náusea y vómito. Se le realizó una ultrasonografía abdominal en la que se observaron litos vesiculares y un tumor retroperitoneal que se corroboró mediante tomografía axial computada. Se le efectuó una colecistectomía y resección de la lesión.