Mid-term (5 years) impacts of wildfire on soil chemical and biological properties in a UK peatland

Peat degradation due to human activities and global change exposes peatlands to increasing fire risk. Given their key ecological role in carbon storage and water filtration, studying fire impacts on a UK peatland is significant in a global context. This study aimed to assess the medium-term impacts of the 2018 wildfire on peatland soil within the Roaches Nature Reserve (UK). To test whether fire effects were still evident five years after the event and whether marginally affected areas exhibited greater soil recovery, several peat characteristics were evaluated in 2023 at increasing distances from the unburnt control area toward the fire's ignition point, in the order S1, S2, S3 and S4. Results confirmed that the fire effect was still evident after five years, showing a significant increase in pH from 3.59 ± 0.04 in control to 3.85 ± 0.03 in burnt peat, a 60 and 70 % reduction in water and organic carbon content compared to control (65.2 ± 1.33 % and 42.9 ± 1.80 %, respectively), up to 85 % reductions in microbial carbon and nitrogen relative to control (2.48 ± 0.12 and 0.17 ± 0.01 g kg−1, respectively). The observed spatial gradient of fire impact was: S4 ≫ S3 = S1 ≥ S2, only partially confirming the second hypothesis. As expected, S4 site, farther from the unburnt area, exhibited the worst recovery, but S1 site, proximal to the unburnt area, did not show the highest recovery. This is probably due to the variable nature of peatland fire dynamics and post-fire recovery, highlighting the need for more detailed analyses in future studies

Abdominal lymphatic malformations in children: case series

Lymphatic Malformations (LMs) are benign congenital malformations of the lymphatic system that commonly involve the abdomen in children (mesentery of the small intestine and omentum). The management of these malformations is not unique. 7 children with different ages (range: newborn to 14 years), diagnosis was incidental in some cases, while in others for abdominal pain. All patients underwent abdominal ultrasound and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Laparoscopy for diagnosis was useful in 4 cases. Treatment was: conservative in 1 child, laparoscopic excision in 3 patients, laparotomic excision in 3 cases. At follow up we observed recurrence in a case that required integrated treatment and bowel occlusion after excision in 1 case. This benign malformations may not cause any symptoms to patient. The goal of treatment is to maintain organ function, preserve aesthetic integrity and complications control. Management of these patients could be varied: the best approach should be evaluated on the basis of the patient

Technical Modifications Employed in RARP to Improve Early Continence Recovery: A Literature Review

Prostate cancer presents a substantial challenge, necessitating a delicate balance between effective treatment and preserving the overall quality of life for men, while robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) stands as the premier surgical approach, with a negligible rate of patients who remained incontinent. This review explores various technical modifications employed in RARP to improve early continence recovery, offering a summary of their implementation and potential benefits. Techniques like bladder neck preservation, subapical urethral dissection, and nerve-sparing approaches are critically discussed, highlighting their role in minimizing continence issues and ensuring a better post-operative experience for patients with prostate cancer

Exploring the role of serum adiponectin and its holigomerization in fibrotic interstitial lung diseases: results from a cross-sectional study

Intestitial lung diseases (ILDs) include a group of inflammatory and fibrotic pulmonary disorders with different etiologies which in several patients might lead to a progressive reduction of respiratory capacities and chronic respiratory failure. Nowadays, biomarkers for predicting the ILD progression and response to therapies are lacking. Adiponectin, the most abundant peptide secreted by adipocytes, has emerged as a potential response biomarker in fibrotic progressive ILDs. The aim of this observational prospective single-center cross-sectional study is therefore to verify whether serum adiponectin levels were altered in patients with fibrotic ILDs (f-ILDs) and its correlation with clinical and pulmonary function data. Sixty-four f-ILDs patients – divided in three subgroups IPF, CTD-ILDs and other f-ILDs - and 45 healthy subjects were recruited. Serum adiponectin concentration were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Pulmonary function tests and clinical data were systematically collected. The results showed that patients with f-ILDs have reduced circulating levels of serum adiponectin (12.5 [10.8–15.4] versus 19.3 [17.3–20.8] p < 0.001). No significant difference in adiponectin levels were observed in the different f-ILDs subgroups (p = 0.619). Adiponectin levels were not associated with progression of f-ILDs (p = 0.745). High molecular weight adiponectin isoform was highly reduced in patients with f-ILDs. In patients with CTD-ILDs – but not in other subgroups – adiponectin levels were associated with pulmonary function and GAP index. These resuls support a potential role of adiponectin as diagnostic and prognostic biomarker of f-ILDs

Alkimiya Mag: Materioteca preziosa. Alkimiya Mag: Precious Material Library

Il gruppo di Ricerca “Geogioiello design” ha promosso la fondazione della Rivista internazionale “Alkimya Mag jewelry design maps” di design del gioiello, edita dall’Istituto Gemmologico GEM TECH, nata da una convenzione con il Centro Orafo OROMARE, GEM TECH, Officina Vanvitelli, che indaga le sinergie tra Istituzioni, Scuole, Enti, Associazioni, Aziende che lavorano nel campo del prezioso. Oggi il gioiello può assumere un ruolo culturale di grande importanza: un artefatto di design sostenibile perchè utilizza le risorse locali; un oggetto prossemico portatore di valori, un accessorio per il benenssere delle persone. Alkimiya Mag è strutturata in 8 sezioni: Radici, Incontri, Contemporaneità, Gemme, Premi, Luoghi, Mall, Made in Italy. Dai grandi maestri del design ai talenti emergenti, dai racconti fotografici alle interviste, dagli eventi nazionali ed internazionali alle nuove tendenze, con un focus dedicato alla fucina di idee e progetti del Dipartimento di Architettura e Disegno Industriale “Luigi Vanvitelli”. Il numero Speciale di Alkimiya mag, “Materioteca preziosa” qui proposto, presenta i primi risultati raggiunti da uno studio sui materiali tradizionali e innovativi legati alla filiera orafa italiana, e su materiali sperimentali potenzialmente applicabili al settore del gioiello, condotto dai docenti e dottorandi della suddetta linea di Ricerca

Drude, manutengole, folli criminali: che ‘genere’ di storia per le ‘brigantesse’?

Il saggio analizza il fenomeno del brigantaggio declinato al femminile, il ruolo delle ‘brigantesse’, per alcuni, primi esemplari di partecipazione ‘politica’ ad un movimento rivoluzionario, per altri, apparentemente relegate a figure minori nel movimento di resistenza al processo di unificazione nazionale, addirittura, vittime dei briganti con la motivazione fondata su un determinismo biologico che giustificava l’infirmitas sexus. L’indagine svolta consente di individuare la propaganda denigratoria delle forze filopiemontesi che ha sempre avuto come principale bersaglio le donne che ‘militarono’ a diverso titolo nel brigantaggio

Two-step-7-Pink Rule: A Practical Tool for the Dermoscopic Evaluation of Fully Amelanotic Skin Lesions

Introduction: The diagnosis of fully amelanotic skin tumors is difficult on clinical and dermoscopic examination. Objectives: We sought to identify an accurate and user-friendly dermoscopic algorithm to differentiate between benign and malignant pink lesions. Methods: The database of 1 referral center was retrospectively reviewed for images of noninflammatory fully amelanotic skin lesions. Two dermatologists jointly assessed a validation set of images for dermoscopic criteria and constructed a diagnostic algorithm, the 2-step-7-pink rule (2S-7PR). Two external clinicians, with different skills in dermoscopy and blinded to the final diagnosis, separately evaluated images from the validation test sets using the prevalent criterion method and the new 2S-7PR algorithm. Results: A total of 763 lesions from 652 patients were included in the validation set database, of which 68.3% were malignant and 31.7% were benign. Three suspicious dermoscopic criteria were included in the first step of the 2S-7PR: polymorphous or sharply focused vessels, scales or crusts, and erosions or ulcerations; and 4 non-suspicious criteria were included in the second: white collarette, white scar-like area, vascular lacunae, and necklace pinpoint vessels. High levels of specificity and sensitivity were calculated in the validation and test phases for both the expert and non-expert evaluators, the former achieving higher levels of both sensitivity and specificity by employing the 2S-7PR compared to the prevalent method, and the latter only improved specificity. Conclusions: The present study showed that an algorithm focused on a few reproducible and easily recognizable criteria could improve diagnostic accuracy in the management of amelanotic lesions