Acute Stress in Lesser-Spotted Catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula Linnaeus, 1758) Promotes Amino Acid Catabolism and Osmoregulatory Imbalances

Economic Improvement of Artisanal Fishing by Studying the Survival of Discarded Plectorhinchus mediterraneus

Europe calls for the end to fisheries discards, which means bringing all caught fish (subject to minimum sizes or quotas) to land. This decision is beneficial to the ecosystem, since it forces the selectivity of the fishing gears to improve. However, artisanal fishermen find themselves in a vulnerable situation where their subsistence depends on catches with small profit margins. An exemption to this landing obligation exists, as it is also ruled that those animals whose survival is scientifically guaranteed may be returned to the sea. Here we study the survival of Plectorhinchus mediterraneus captured by hookline and gillnet, as well as their physiological recovery. Survival exceeds 93% in both cases. The physiological assessment of primary (cortisol) and secondary (energy mobilization, acid-base and hydromineral balance, and immune system) stress responses indicates that surviving animals are able to recover after fishing. Thus, we propose the optimal size of capture of this species to achieve greater economic benefit. For this, we rely on the prices according to size in recent years, as well as on the growth curves of the species. In this way, by releasing fish of less than 1 kg, the current benefits could be multiplied between 2.3 and 9.6 times. This pilot study lays the groundwork for regulating artisanal fisheries through scientific data related to survival of discards along with information on the sale prices.

TLC–Densitometry for Determination of Omeprazole in Simple and Combined Pharmaceutical Preparations

TLC combined with densitometry was used and chromatographic conditions developed to separate omeprazole and diclofenac sodium from their potential impurities. The development of the TLC–densitometry method is based on the elaboration of new chromatographic conditions allowing for the simultaneous determination of omeprazole and diclofenac sodium in a pharmaceutical preparation. Identification and quantification of omeprazole in simple and combined (with diclofenac) pharmaceutical preparations was performed on silica gel 60F₂₅₄ using one mobile phase: chloroform–methanol–ammonia (36:4:0.60, v/v). Diclofenac sodium was determined in the presence of omeprazole after 2D separation on silica gel using two mobile phases of the first phase of chloroform–methanol–ammonia (36:4:0.60, v/v) and the second mobile phase cyclohexane–chloroform–methanol–glacial acetic acid (6:3:0.5:0.5 v/v). The developed method is simple, economical, specific, precise, accurate, sensitive, and robust, with a good range of linearity for the quantification of omeprazole and diclofenac sodium. TLC in combination with densitometry can be used as an effective analytical tool for quality control and quantitative determination of omeprazole in simple and combined pharmaceutical preparations containing diclofenac sodium. TLC in combination with densitometry can be recommended for the analysis of omeprazole and diclofenac sodium in the absence of HPLC or spectrophotometer in the laboratory or to confirm results obtained with other analytical techniques.

Hematology and Plasma Chemistry Reference Values in Nursehound Shark (Scyliorhinus Stellaris) Maintained Under Human Care

Studies determining baseline hematological reference intervals (RI) in elasmobranchs are very limited. In this study, blood samples were collected from 94 clinically healthy Nursehound Shark (Scyliorhinus stellaris) maintained under human care. Median (RI) in major leukocyte types were similar to other Carcharhinid sharks as lymphocytes were the predominant leukocyte with 38.0 (28.2–53.5)%, followed by coarse eosinophilic granulocytes with 20.0 (12.2–31.7)%, fine eosinophilic granulocytes with 6.0 (1.2–12.8) %, monocytes with 2.0 (0.0–6.0)%, and neutrophils with 2.0 (0.0–6.0)%. Nursehound Shark produced granulated thrombocytes, which were classified as granulocytes and represented 28.5 (12.4–39.7)% of all leukocytes. Median (RI) manual red blood cell and white blood cell counts were 177.50 (132.50–210.00) x 109 cells/l and 8.26 (5.24–14.23) x 109 cells/l, respectively. Median (RI) plasma chemistry values showed alkaline phosphatase 7.7 (4.2–13.0) U/l, aspartate aminotransferase 7.6 (3.3–17.1) U/l, blood urea nitrogen 281.6 (261.2–305.0) mmol/l, calcium 3.97 (3.59–4.47) mmol/l, total cholesterol 2.04 (1.02–3.91) mmol/l, chloride 233.0 (215.2–259.0) mmol/l, iron 3.79 (1.74–6.93) μmol/l, glucose 0.87 (0.47–1.44 mmol/l), potassium 3.8 (2.9–4.6) mmol/l, sodium 243.0 (227.7–271.0) mmol/l, phosphorus 1.58 (1.13–2.10) mmol/l, total protein 24.0 (20.0–35.0) g/l, and triglycerides 0.97 (0.49–3.35) mmol/l. Creatine kinase, gamma glutamyl transferase, and lactate dehydrogenase levels were below the instrument reading range.