Eustrongylides spp. is considered a freshwater fish zoonotic nematode. In the present study, the prevalence of Eustrongylides spp. in six edible fish (European perch - Perca fluviatilis, goldfish - Carassius auratus, largemouth black bass - Micropterus salmoides, tench- Tinca tinca, carp - Cyprinus carpio and sand smelt - Atherina boyeri) of Trasimeno lake was surveyed. The investigations were conducted from October 2014 to September 2015 and 384 specimens per species for each season were caught in Trasimeno lake and examined for the presence of larvae in the abdominal cavity and muscle. The presence of nematodes in the abdominal cavity and musculature was revealed in three fish species. The prevalence of Eustrongylides spp. infection was 6.84, 1.89 and 0.13% in perch, largemouth black bass and sand smelt, respectively. The number of parasites per fish was only one in largemouth black bass and sand smelt and ranged from one up to three in perch. This study states that the European perch, largemouth black bass and sand smelt of Trasimeno lake are infected with zoonotic parasites; therefore, food business operators have to take appropriate measures to guarantee the health of consumers.

The aim of our study was to describe the balance between health benefits and risks associated with the consumption of crawfish and nine fish species from lake Trasimeno. We thus determined both fatty acid profiles (particularly, eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids) and chemical pollutants (some polychlorinated biphenyls, pesticides, and heavy metals) in fish muscle tissues. The contents of all fatty acids varied significantly among species. Sand smelt, carp, and tench, which have a high fat content, contained considerable amounts of EPA and DHA; lean fish, like perch, pike, and largemouth bass, which have relatively high percentages of the predominant n-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, showed lower amounts of these fatty acids because of their low lipid contents. Some species contributed strongly to the Dietary Reference Intake (RDI) of EPA and DHA. The contribution of lean fish to the RDI of EPA and DHA was more limited. The concentrations of all contaminants in fish muscle tissues were lower than the regulatory limits, demonstrating the safety of the environmental conditions of the lake. The contribution to health-based reference values and benefit–risk quotients indicated that the health benefits of consumption of fish from lake Trasimeno outweigh the potential risks.

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The involvement of Ras and three major Ras effectors, Raf, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) and Ral guanine nucleotide exchange factor in the regulation of lysosomal proteases cathepsin L and B in human fibroblasts was compared. We found that cathepsin L cell content was increased by active Ras overexpression through Raf- and PI3K-mediated signaling pathways, while cathepsin B processing was altered by active Ras overexpression. Cathepsin L increased level following active Ras overexpression correlates with an increase of p38 MAPK activation and content and with an increase of p44/42 MAPK activation, so we investigated the role of these signaling pathways using pharmacological inhibitors. Unexpectedly, the p38 MAPK inhibitor SB203580 produced an increase of cathepsin L content, while the p44/42 MAPK signaling cascade inhibitor U0126 produced a remarkable shift of cathepsin L processing in favor of procathepsin L. In both cases, cathepsin B level and processing were not affected. The analysis of CTSL1 gene transcript demonstrated that cathepsin L protein and transcript correlate both in fibroblasts expressing Ras mutants and in pharmacologically treated cells, thus indicating a transcriptional up-regulation.