Discovery of an Italian slow worm (Anguis veronensis Pollini, 1818) population on a Western Mediterranean Island confirmed by genetic analysis

The genus Anguis is known to be mainly continental in the Mediterranean area, and accordingly it has never been recorded in Western Mediterranean islands. Here we report for the first time the presence of the slow worm in a Western Mediterranean island, the Ile Sainte-Marguerite from Lérins archipelago (southeastern France). The molecular analysis of ND2 and PRLR genes assigned the specimens to A. veronensis Pollini, 1818 and showed that they are genetically related to the mainland population from Les Mayons, in mainland France.

Assessment of health literacy skills in family doctors’ patients by two brief, self-administered Italian measures

Health Literacy (HL) is an important health determinant: low HL skills result in less healthy choices, riskier behavior, poorer health, less self-management and more hospitalization. An observational study was conducted in a selected population, attending the waiting rooms of family general practitioners, with the aim of assessing HL capabilities through the administration of two HL screeners (IMETER and SILS-IT), and comparing the two measures. An anonymous questionnaire was administered, consisting of the Italian versions of the two tests on a single sheet. Demographic data, as well as concomitant chronic diseases and vaccines received, were also collected. HL skills were asured by the scores observed at both tests, and by the frequency of subjects with low HL levels according to the respective cut-off values. Overall, 305 questionnaires were collected and analyzed. Regarding IMETER, the observed frequency of subjects with low HL skills was 25.2% and the mean score and mean adjusted-score (26.3 ・} 8.8 and 23.2 ・} 9.4, respectively) were lower than those observed in previous studies. Similarly, at SILS-IT the percentage of subjects with low skills (49.9%) was higher than observed previously. IMETER showed high internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha > 0.9). The two measures were significantly correlated, although with a low Spearman’s coefficient, and IMETER did not provide significant information about the probability to predict low HL according to SILS-IT. These results are explainable by the differences in assessment and domains between the two tests, both reliable and suitable to screen patients with low functional HL.

A network approach to identify bioregions in the distribution of Mediterranean amphipods associated with Posidonia oceanica meadows

Although amphipods are key components of the macro-fauna associated with Posidonia oceanica meadows, to date no studies focused on the structure and diversity of their assemblages across the whole Mediterranean Sea. Here, we applied a network approach based on modularity on a dataset mined from literature to identify biogeographic modules and to assess the biogeographic roles of associated localities. We also correlated the patterns evidenced with the biogeographic distribution of amphipod groups by means of a multivariate analysis. Modularity analysis highlighted four biogeographic modules bounded by the main Mediterranean biogeographic divides and evidenced a decrease in species diversity along a NW-SE gradient. Assemblages associated with Central-Western Mediterranean and, to a lesser extent, Tunisian modules showed the highest species richness and were identified as hubs, characterized by species with regional distributions that behave as source in a biogeographic context. The paleogeographic history of the host seagrass and the ecology of associated amphipods, both suggest the joint effect of species persistence and post-Last Glacial Maximum expansion in explaining the pattern of amphipod distribution in the Mediterranean Sea.n

Venous thromboembolism secondary to hospitalization for COVID-19: patient management and long-term outcomes

Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a complication of COVID-19 in hospitalized patients. Little information is available on long-term outcomes of VTE in this population.Objectives: We aimed to compare the characteristics, management strategies, and long-term clinical outcomes between patients with COVID-19-associated VTE and patients with VTE provoked by hospitalization for other acute medical illnesses.Methods: This is an observational cohort study, with a prospective cohort of 278 patients with COVID-19-associated VTE enrolled between 2020 and 2021 and a comparison cohort of 300 patients without COVID-19 enrolled in the ongoing START2-Register between 2018 and 2020. Exclusion criteria included age <18 years, other indications to anticoagulant treatment, active cancer, recent (<3 months) major surgery, trauma, pregnancy, and participation in interventional studies. All patients were followed up for a minimum of 12 months after treatment discontinuation. Primary end point was the occurrence of venous and arterial thrombotic events.Results: Patients with VTE secondary to COVID-19 had more frequent pulmonary embolism without deep vein thrombosis than controls (83.1% vs 46.2%, P <.001), lower prevalence of chronic inflammatory disease (1.4% and 16.3%, P <.001), and history of VTE (5.0% and 19.0%, P <.001). The median duration of anticoagulant treatment (194 and 225 days, P = 0.9) and the proportion of patients who discontinued anticoagulation (78.0% and 75.0%, P = 0.4) were similar between the 2 groups. Thrombotic event rates after discontinuation were 1.5 and 2.6 per 100 patient-years, respectively (P = 0.4). Conclusion: The risk of recurrent thrombotic events in patients with COVID-19- associated VTE is low and similar to the risk observed in patients with VTE secondary to hospitalization for other medical diseases