Observations of juvenile sandbar sharks Carcharhinus plumbeus () around the Bojana River delta (Southern Adriatic Sea).

The sandbar shark (Carcharhinus plumbeus) is considered rare in the Adriatic Sea and the majority of records originate from the northern Adriatic, where a nursery area for this species close to the Po delta system has been repeatedly proposed. This study provides 5 new records and analyses the previously published records of sandbar sharks recorded around the delta of the River Bojana (in Montenegro, in the south-eastern Adriatic). The River Bojana located on the border between Montenegro and Albania, is the second largest river flowing into the Adriatic Sea, where it forms a highly productive ecosystem already known as a local hotspot for smooth-hound sharks (Mustelus spp.). New records of sandbar sharks have emerged as a result of citizen science (a social media survey) and direct reports from fishermen. The total length of C. plumbeus juveniles ranged from approximately 800 mm to 1100 mm, and most (n=5) were caught by set gillnets. The data presented here show that juveniles are consistently present around the estuary and indicate the importance of this fragile estuarine ecosystem for sandbar sharks. Additionally, this study also provides morphometric data collected from a single individual.

Contemporary records of the rare and critically endangered angular rough shark, Oxynotus centrina (Linnaeus, 1758), from the eastern Adriatic Sea.

The angular rough shark, Oxynotus centrina (Linnaeus, 1758), is a poorly known and rare bathydemersal shark inhabiting continental shelves and upper slopes with a significant lack of data and rarely published records in the Adriatic Sea in this century. In this paper, we present 20 new occurrences recorded from May 2015 to September 2021, of which 19 are in Croatian and one in Montenegrin territorial waters. Records of juveniles, subadults and adults are reported. Higher number of records off the Kornati archipelago in the central Adriatic Sea suggest that this area is of particular importance for this species. Furthermore, habitats in the Southern Adriatic might have lower density. Due to the nonsystematic research and nonprobabilistic data collection, it is difficult to establish whether the greater number of records in the continental shelf is just an ostensible phenomenon.

A holistic approach to the age validation of Mullus barbatus L., 1758 in the Southern Adriatic Sea (Central Mediterranean).

The growth of Mullus barbatus has been widely studied using different methods, but no previous study has focused on age validation. The uncertainty in estimating the age of the red mullet by otolith reading is linked to the number of false-growth increments laid down before the annulus. The capture of red mullets in the early life stage allowed us to estimate their size at the metamorphosis from the pelagic to the demersal phase. The comparison between the metamorphosis size and the back-calculated length of the first growth increment clarified the position of the false growth increment on the otolith. Moreover, the analyses of the otolith marginal increments in adult and juvenile specimens allowed us to define the deposition patterns of their annuli. The modal components of the length-frequency distribution analysis (LFDA) were identified in the winter survey (ELEFAN and Bhattacharya methods), and they did not show significant differences from the length back-calculation of the annuli. Moreover, no significant differences were found between the growth curves calculated by otolith reading (back-calculation and direct otolith reading) and the LFDA. The agreement between the length-frequency results and the otolith age estimation either corroborated or indirectly validated the growth pattern estimated in the otoliths of the red mullet, mainly when the direct validation methods (e.g. mark-recapture, captivity, radiochemical) were difficult to implement, like the case of this species. The comparison of the results of the present work to previous Mediterranean studies showed agreement with the slow growth pattern.

Biochemical profile of Serbian youth national soccer teams / Perfil bioquímico de equipos juveniles de fútbol serbios

The aim of the present study was to determine biochemical profile of youth national soccer teams and to compare the values of nine biochemical parameters between three Serbian youth national teams (under 14, 15 and 16 years old), as well as between soccer players and non-athletes. Eighty young soccer players and thirty non-athletes participated in the study. Nine biochemical parameters (glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, urea, creatinine, total bilirubin, AST (SGOT), ALT (SGPT), iron) were measured. In order to determine the significance of differences between the groups on a multivariate level a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was administered, and to test the differences between the groups on an univariate level a univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied. Statistically significant differences were found between groups (soccer players up to 14, 15 and 16 years of age) on a multivariate level of the applied biochemical variables (MANOVA, p= 0.00). ANOVA also revealed significant differences in Creatinine (p= 0.00), Total bilirubin (p= 0.00) and ALT (SGPT) (p= 0.02). Statistically significant differences in the applied variables were found between soccer players and non-athletes on a multivariate level (MANOVA p= 0.00). ANOVA also revealed significant differences in Glucose, Cholesterol, Triglycerides, Creatinine, Total bilirubin, ALT (SGPT) and Iron (p= 0.00) between soccer players and non-athletes, but there were no statistically significant differences in other variables (AST (SGOT) and Urea). It was concluded that there is significant difference in almost all variables (glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, etc.), except AST (SGOT) and Urea between soccer players and non-athletes. From a practical point of view, the clinician has to take into account not only age, but also training status of individuals when evaluating their blood tests.

El objetivo fue determinar el perfil bioquímico de los equipos juveniles de fútbol nacional y comparar los valores de nueve parámetros bioquímicos entre tres equipos nacionales serbios (menores de 14, 15 y 16 años de edad), así como entre los jugadores de fútbol y no atletas. Ochenta jóvenes jugadores de fútbol y treinta no atletas participaron en el estudio. Se midieron nueve parámetros bioquímicos (glucosa, colesterol, triglicéridos, urea, creatinina, bilirrubina total, AST (SGOT), ALT (SGPT), hierro). Con el fin de determinar la significación de las diferencias entre los grupos en un nivel multivariado se administró un análisis multivariado de varianza (MANOVA), y para poner a prueba las diferencias entre los grupos en un nivel univariado se aplicó un análisis univariado de la varianza (ANOVA). Se encontraron diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre los grupos (jugadores de fútbol hasta 14, 15 y 16 años de edad) en un nivel multivariado de las variables bioquímicas (MANOVA, p= 0,00). ANOVA también reveló diferencias significativas en creatina (p= 0,00), la bilirrubina total (p= 0,00) y ALT (SGPT) (p= 0,02). Se encontraron diferencias estadísticamente significativas en las variables aplicadas entre los jugadores de fútbol y no atletas a nivel multivariado (MANOVA p= 0,00). ANOVA también reveló diferencias significativas en glucosa, colesterol, triglicéridos, creatinina, bilirrubina total, ALT (SGPT) y hierro (p= 0,00) entre los jugadores de fútbol y no atletas. Sin embargo no hubo diferencias estadísticamente significativas en otras variables (AST (SGOT) y urea). Se concluyó que a excepción de la AST (SGOT) y urea no existe diferencia significativa en casi todas las variables (glucosa, colesterol, triglicéridos, etc.) entre los jugadores de fútbol y no atletas. Desde un punto de vista práctico, el médico debe tener en cuenta no solamente la edad, sino también la formación de estado de los individuos en la evaluación de sus análisis de sangre.