Orticoltura e benessere. Cinque anni di esperienze nell\u2019Orto Botanico Villa Beuca di Cogoleto (GE)

Villa Beuca Municipal Botanic Gardens were inaugurated on june 2001. They are located on the Beuca Hill (Municipality of Cogoleto near to Genova) and are aimed to valorize and preserve the diversiy of the Ligurian flora, to develop didactic training in Botany, and to contribute to the therapy of patients with social and psychological troubles. In the recent five years these Botanic Gardens are managed by the little social co-operative society \u201cIl giunco\u201d. The collaboration of the Local Mental Autorithy with this Co-op and the partecipation of the patients to the life of the Botanic Gardens allow significant amelioration of the patient conditions. The natural appearance of the Villa Beuca Botanic Gardens and the social-psychological well-being of the patients grow together as a \u201clandscape\u201d of social and natural interactions

Age-related timing of Short-toed Snake Eagle Circaetus gallicus migration along detoured and direct flyways

Capsule: Juvenile Short-toed Snake Eagles Circaetus gallicus hatching in the peripheral populations of Greece and Italy have limited opportunities for social learning of migration routes compared to those hatched elsewhere. Aims: To test the prediction that there would be a higher degree of migration synchrony between adult and juvenile Short-toed Snake Eagles originating from peripheral populations and using an extremely detoured flyway, when compared to other populations using a direct overland flyway. Methods: We use linear regression models to compare seasonal changes in the age distribution of migrating Short-toed Snake Eagles counted at two migration watch-sites in Italy (Arenzano) and Georgia (Batumi), along a detoured and a direct flyway, respectively. Results: Juveniles migrated a few days later than adults at both sites and the age ratios recorded at these two sites was similar. The daily proportion of juveniles increased along a similar slope during the migration season, thus showing a similar degree of synchrony between the age classes on both flyways. Conclusions: Contrary to our hypothesis, juvenile and adult migration is not more synchronized in peripheral populations using a detoured flyway compared to a core population using a direct migration flyway. Our results suggest that juveniles do not learn detours to complete trans-Mediterranean migration from their parents, but from other elders

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and thyroid cancer: results of a echographic, cytological and histological study.

Objective: The association between lymphocytic thyroiditis or Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) and papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) has been suggested by pathological studies, but it is difficult to prove due to the contrasting results obtained with different methodological approaches. Aim of this study was to evaluate this association comparing several diagnostic parameters. Patients and Methods: In a total of 207 patients thyroidectomized for thyroid nodules, we retrospectively compared: a) cytology and histology, b) presence of anti-thyroid autoantibodies (ATA), thyroid hypoecogenicity at ultrasound examination (USH) and lymphocytic thyroid infiltration (LTI), as parameters of HT. Cytology were classified as: benign (class II); mild increased risk (class III) and suspect or malignant (class IV) nodules. Histology were indicated as: follicular adenoma (FA), follicular carcinoma (FC) and PTC. Results: When presence/absence of HT parameters were considered, a significantly increased prevalence of class IV vs class II and III cytology (51.2% vs 35%) and PTC vs FA (44.5% vs 26.7%) in ATA positive nodules were found (p<0.05). A significantly increased prevalence of PTC vs FA (54.8% vs 35.6%, p<0.05) and an high prevalence of class IV vs class II and III cytology (57% vs 44.6%) were also observed in LTI positive nodules. These results were also confirmed with the highest ATA titres and diffuse LTI pattern were considered. Although the presence of USH correlated with ATA and LTI positivity, no association between USH and cytological and histological results were found. Conclusions: Our study confirmed a significant association between PTC and TH, in particular with ATA and LTI positivity, providing evidence for a true association instead a secondary autoimmune reaction to PTC

Dosaggio della tireoglobulina (TG) negli agoaspirati linfonodali in pazienti con anticorpi anti-Tg (TgAb) circolanti.

INTRODUZIONE: Il dosaggio della Tg nell’agoaspirato (Tg-FNAB) è utilizzato per identificare le metastasi dei tumori differenziati della tiroide (DTC). Un nostro studio preliminare suggerisce che la presenza di TgAb circolanti non modifica significativamente la validità del dosaggio della Tg-FNAB a differenza della Tg sierica. SCOPO DELLO STUDIO: a) estendere la casistica precedentemente studiata, b) dosare i TgAb nel liquido di lavaggio dei linfonodi aspirati. SOGGETTI E METODI: 73 pazienti (41 operati per DTC, 32 con noduli tiroidei sospetti) valutati per la presenza di linfoadenopatie laterocervicali sospette, divisi in due gruppi in base alla positività (22 TgAb+) o negatività (51 TgAb-) dei TgAb. Prima del 2003 Tg e TgAb erano dosati con IRMA e agglutinazione passiva rispettivamente. Dopo il 2003 Tg e TgAb erano dosati in chemiluminescenza ultrasensibile (Immulite 2000 Thyroglobulin and Anti-TgAb). Valori di Tg-FNAB superiori ai cut-off stabiliti (>36 ng/ml e >1 ng/ml in presenza o assenza della tiroide) sono stati considerati indicativi di metastasi da DTC. RISULTATI: a) In tutti i 29 casi (14 TgAb+ e 15 TgAb-) con Tg-FNAB >cut-off l’istologia deponeva per metastasi di DTC indipendentemente dalla positività dei TgAb. Dei 44 casi (8 TgAb+ e 36 TgAb-) con Tg-FNAB <cut-off, 38 avevano citologia non sospetta e 6 (tutti TgAb-) citologia sospetta; in questi ultimi l’istologia documentava 4 metastasi di carcinoma tiroideo indifferenziato e 2 linfoadenopatie reattive. Escludendo i casi di metastasi indifferenziate, la sensibilità e la specificità della Tg-FNAB raggiungevano il 100% in entrambi gruppi, mentre per la citologia si raggiungevano valori lievemente inferiori. b) Recentemente in 19 pazienti (8 TgAb+ e 11 TgAb-), è stato associato al dosaggio della Tg-FNAB il dosaggio dei TgAb nell’aspirato linfonodale (TgAb-FNAB). TgAb-FNAB sono risultati indosabili in tutti i casi TgAb- e dosabili in 2/6 linfonodi metastatici TgAb+. Interessante il fatto che i livelli di Tg-FNAB nei casi TgAb-FNAB positivi erano inferiori ai rimanenti 4 casi, con TgAb-FNAB indosabili, pur mantenendosi sempre largamente superiori ai cut-off. CONCLUSIONI: Questo lavoro conferma ed estende i nostri risultati preliminari che indicano come i TgAb circolanti non alterino la validità diagnostica della Tg-FNAB. Poichè la presenza di TgAb-FNAB può raramente causare una sottostima dei valori di Tg-FNAB, suggeriamo di associare al dosaggio della Tg quello dei TgAb nei FNAB linfonodali di pazienti TgAb positivi. Dal momento che la Tg-FNAB può risultare indosabile nei casi di metastasi di carcinoma indifferenziato della tiroide è comunque sempre indispensabile associare l’esame citologico

The diagnostic value for differentiated thyroid carcinoma metastases of thyroglobulin (Tg) measurement in wash-out fluid from fine needle aspiration biopsy of neck lymph nodes is maintained in the presence of circulating anti-Tg antibodies

Objective: Serum thyroglobulin (Tg) is the marker of differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) after total thyroidectomy, but its value is limited by the interference of anti-Tg antibodies (TgAb). Detection of Tg in fine-needle aspiration biopsy (Tg-FNAB) washout fluid is used to identify neck DTC recurrences/metastases, but the interference of serum TgAb in this procedure is unknown. Patients and Methods: Seventy-three patients (41 after surgery for thyroid cancer and 32 with thyroid nodules) evaluated for suspicious cervical lymph nodes were retrospectively reviewed. Tg was assayed by immunoradiometric assay or chemiluminescent assay in ultrasound-guided FNAB used for cytology. Serum TgAb were detected by passive agglutination or chemiluminescent assay. On the basis of preliminary data obtained in lymphadenitis, Tg-FNAB more than 36 ng/ml and more than 1.7 ng/ml (in the presence or absence of thyroid gland, respectively) was considered as indicative of metastasis. Results: In 51 TgAb-negative patients, Tg-FNAB was positive in 15 (12 with malignant and three with nondiagnostic cytology), all with histologically confirmed DTC metastases. Of the remaining 36 patients with negative Tg-FNAB, 30 had nonsuspicious and six had suspicious cytology. Histology of the latter showed four undifferentiated thyroid cancer metastases and two lymphadenitis. In 22 TgAb positive patients, Tg-FNAB was positive in 14 (12 with malignant and two with nondiagnostic cytology), all with histologically confirmed DTC metastases. Conclusions: Clinical performance of Tg-FNAB appears to be not substantially affected by TgAb, and this procedure remains superior to cytology in the identification of DTC neck metastases. However, cytology should always be performed because, irrespective of TgAb, Tg is undetectable in FNAB from undifferentiated metastases