Eco-evolutionary drivers of avian migratory connectivity

Migratory connectivity, reflecting the extent by which migrants tend to maintain their reciprocal positions in seasonal ranges, can assist in the conservation and management of mobile species, yet relevant drivers remain unclear. Taking advantage of an exceptionally large (similar to 150,000 individuals, 83 species) and more-than-a-century-long dataset of bird ringing encounters, we investigated eco-evolutionary drivers of migratory connectivity in both short- and long-distance Afro-Palearctic migratory birds. Connectivity was strongly associated with geographical proxies of migration costs and was weakly influenced by biological traits and phylogeny, suggesting the evolutionary lability of migratory behaviour. The large intraspecific variability in avian migration strategies, through which most species geographically split into distinct migratory populations, explained why most of them were significantly connected. By unravelling key determinants of migratory connectivity, our study improves knowledge about the resilience of avian migrants to ecological perturbations, providing a critical tool to inform transboundary conservation and management strategies at the population level

Antimatter and Matter Production in Heavy Ion Collisions at CERN (The NEWMASS Experiment NA52)

Besides the dedicated search for strangelets NA52 measures light (anti)particle and (anti)nuclei production over a wide range of rapidity. Compared to previous runs the statistics has been increased in the 1998 run by more than one order of magnitude for negatively charged objects at different spectrometer rigidities. Together with previous data taking at a rigidity of -20 GeV/c we obtained 10^6 antiprotons 10^3 antideuterons and two antihelium3 without centrality requirements. We measured nuclei and antinuclei (p,d,antiprotons, antideuterons) near midrapidity covering an impact parameter range of b=2-12 fm. Our results strongly indicate that nuclei and antinuclei are mainly produced via the coalescence mechanism. However the centrality dependence of the antibaryon to baryon ratios show that antibaryons are diminished due to annihilation and breakup reactions in the hadron dense environment. The volume of the particle source extracted from coalescence models agrees with results from pion interferometry for an expanding source. The chemical and thermal freeze-out of nuclei and antinuclei appear to coincide with each other and with the thermal freeze-out of hadrons.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, to appear in the proceedings of the conference on 'Fundamental Issues in Elementary Matter' Bad Honnef, Germany, Sept. 25-29, 200

Clinical Prognostic Factors in Patients With Metastatic Adrenocortical Carcinoma Treated With Second Line Gemcitabine Plus Capecitabine Chemotherapy

Gemcitabine plus Capecitabine (Gem/Cape) is a frequently adopted second line chemotherapy for metastatic adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC), but only a minority of patients is destined to obtain a clinical benefit. The identification of baseline predictive factors of efficacy is relevant. We retrospectively analyzed clinical data from 50 consecutive patients with metastatic progressing ACC treated between 2011 and 2019. Patients received intravenous Gemcitabine and oral Capecitabine on a metronomic schedule. Previous mitotane therapy was maintained. Clinical benefit (partial response + stable disease) at 4 months was 30%, median progression-free survival (PFS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) from Gem/Cape start were 3 and 8 months, respectively. Among clinical variables evaluated before the start of Gem/Cape, presence of ECOG performance status ≥1 [HR 6.93 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.03–0.54, p.004] and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) ≥5 [HR 3.88, 95% (CI) 0.81–0.90, p.003] were independent indicators of poor PFS at multivariate analysis. Conversely, surgery of primary tumor, the presence of lung or lymph-node metastases, blood mitotane level, anemia, and the Advanced Lung cancer Inflammation index (ALI) failed to be independently associated. This study confirms that the Gem/Cape schedule is modestly active in heavily pretreated ACC patients (28% received at least two previous chemotherapy lines). NLR and performance status (PS) are easily available clinical parameters that are helpful to identify patients not likely to derive significant advantage from Gem/Cape chemotherapy

Large-scale spatial distribution of breeding Barn Swallows Hirundo rustica in relation to cattle farming

Capsule: The information on the spatial distribution of cattle farming stored in public bovine computerized databases can predict the distribution and abundance of breeding Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica L. across Europe. Aims: To develop and validate models of habitat factors which account for the distribution of breeding Barn Swallow colonies. Results: The models were based on data on the distribution of cattle farming provided by the public Bovine Computerized Database of the Regione Lombardia (northern Italy). Cattle distribution was a strong predictor of presence and size of Barn Swallow colonies as well as of the number of swallow colonies in a municipality. The models were robust and passed a cross-validation procedure and were used to estimate the spatial distribution of about 116,000 breeding pairs in awide area (8695 km(2)) of the low Po plain of northern Italy in 2001. Conclusions: Bovine computerized databases are mandatory in all European Union (EU) countries according to the EU Regulation (CE) 1760/2000. They may serve as a basis for wide scale modelling of the distribution and abundance of breeding Barn Swallow in Europe

Nematodes and rotifers on two Alpine debris-covered glaciers

Debris-covered glaciers (DCGs) are glaciers whose ablation area is mostly covered by a continuous layer of debris, and are considered to be among the continental glacierized environments richest in life. DCG colonization by microorganisms, plants and animals, has been investigated in a few studies, while the meiofauna (metazoans smaller than 2\uc2\ua0mm) of these environments has been neglected so far. In this study, we analyzed nematode and rotifer fauna on the two largest debris-covered glaciers of the Italian Alps: the Miage Glacier and the Belvedere Glacier. In total, we collected 38 debris samples on the glaciers in July and September 2009. All the rotifers we found belonged to the bdelloid Adineta vaga (Davis, 1873). Nematodes belonged to 19 species. Miage Glacier hosted a richer and more diverse nematode fauna than the Belvedere. The dominant genus was Plectus Bastian, 1865, a common genus in habitats at high latitude and altitude. Analysis of the feeding type of nematodes highlighted that bacterivores were dominant on Miage Glacier, while bacterivores and herbivores were more widespread on Belvedere Glacier. Predator nematodes were absent. Analysis of the food-web structure indicated that nematode assemblages on both glaciers were typical of environments with depleted food availability, probably resulting from instability of the glacier surface and the short exposure of sediments, preventing the evolution of true soil and enrichment in organic matter of the debris. The scarcity of bacterial primary producers suggests that deposition of allochthonous organic matter is the principal organic carbon source in this environment

Performances in cerebellar and neuromuscular transmission tests are correlated in migraine with aura

In previous studies, we described subclinical abnormalities of neuromuscular transmission and cerebellar functions in migraineurs. The aim of this study was to search if these two functions are correlated in the same patient. Thirteen migraineurs [five without aura (MO) and eight with aura (MA)] underwent both stimulation-SFEMG and 3D-movement analysis. Single fiber EMG (SFEMG) results were expressed as the “mean value of consecutive differences” (mean MCD). Precision of arm-reaching movements (measured with an infrared optoelectronic tracking system) was expressed as the average deviation in the horizontal plane. Median values of mean MCD and mean horizontal deviation were not different between MO and MA. However, in MA, but not in MO, both variables were positively correlated. Thus, we conclude that neuromuscular transmission and cerebellar functions are correlated in the same patient when affected by migraine with aura. We suggest that this correlation might be due to a common molecular abnormality

[68Ga]Ga-DOTANOC Uptake at Pancreatic Head/Uncinate Process: Is It a Persistent Diagnostic Pitfall Over Time?

Simple Summary The purpose of the present study is to describe the frequency of non-malignant [68Ga]Ga-DOTANOC uncinate process (UP) uptake and to evaluate its variations over time. Among the first 6 months of enrolment of a monocentric prospective observational electronic archive, analyses of a large number of PET/CT scans (n = 268) of NEN pts (n = 172) demonstrated that: UP uptake is a frequent finding (observed in almost half of the cases, slightly higher than previously reported), mostly presenting with a diffuse pattern and, interestingly, characterized by variations over time in almost one third of the cases. The consciousness of this diagnostic pitfall is of utmost importance for accurate [68Ga]Ga-DOTANOC PET/CT reporting, since the pancreas represents one of the most frequent sites of NEN. Purpose: [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-peptide uptake in the pancreatic head/uncinate process (UP) is a frequent PET/CT finding. Although mostly physiologic, it can represent a pitfall in PET/CT reading, especially when focal. An increased frequency of UP uptake has been reported in patients (pts) affected by diabetes mellitus (DM). The aim of the study is to describe the frequency of [68Ga]Ga-DOTANOC UP uptake to evaluate its variations over time and its possible correlation with DM. Methods: In September 2017, a monocentric prospective observational electronic archive was initiated at our center to collect clinical and imaging data of pts undergoing [68Ga]Ga-DOTANOC PET/CT. Among the pts enrolled in the first 6 months (Sept 2017 to Feb 2018), those presenting [68Ga]Ga-DOTANOC PET/CT uptake at UP level were included. Pts with UP lesions already documented on CT/MRI or those that underwent surgical excision of UP before PET/CT were excluded from the analysis. [68Ga]Ga-DOTANOC UP uptake was classified as diffuse or focal and compared with the pattern observed in previous PET/CT scans performed at our center. An increased frequency of UP uptake was also correlated with the presence of DM. Results: In the first 6 months, 253 pts were enrolled in the archive and 172 out of them were included in the analysis. UP increased uptake was frequently observed (77/172, 44.8%) and was mostly diffuse (62/77). In 75/172 pts (43.6%), previous [68Ga]Ga-DOTANOC PET/CT scans were available (overall 268 scans; number of previous PET per pt range: 1-20) and were retrospectively reviewed. Despite the fact that, in most pts, the uptake pattern was stable over time (54/75 pts, 72%), it changed in approximately one third of cases (21/75, 28%). Among DM pts (29/172), only 10/29 (34.4%) presented increased UP uptake. Conclusions: UP [68Ga]Ga-DOTANOC uptake is a frequent non-malignant finding (slightly higher than previously reported), mostly presenting with a diffuse pattern. However, contrary to previous reports, our data show that the pattern of uptake may vary over time in approximately one third of the cases and it is not more frequently observed in pts with DM