Translating Marine Animal Tracking Data into Conservation Policy and Management

There have been efforts around the globe to track individuals of many marine species and assess their movements and distribution with the putative goal of supporting their conservation and management. Determining whether, and how, tracking data have been successfully applied to address real-world conservation issues is however difficult. Here, we compile a broad range of case studies from diverse marine taxa to show how tracking data have helped inform conservation policy and management, including reductions in fisheries bycatch and vessel strikes, and the design and administration of marine protected areas and important habitats. Using these examples, we highlight pathways through which the past and future investment in collecting animal tracking data might be better used to achieve tangible conservation benefits

Diagnostic utility of contemporary echo and BNP assessment in patients with acute heart failure during early hospitalization

Background The use of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and echocardiography in acute heart failure (AHF) diagnosis is poorly employed in the Emergency Department. The aim of the present study is to evaluate relation among BNP levels systolic and diastolic dysfunction during early phases of AHF hospitalization. Methods We performed contemporary echocardiographic and BNP assessment in 310 patients with AHF within 12 h since hospital admission. We studied the correlation among BNP and degree of diastolic dysfunction evaluated by pulsed Doppler transmitral flow and Tissue Doppler flow. Finally we investigated the relation among BNP and the right systolic longitudinal ventricular function (TAPSE) and the systolic pulmonary arterial pressure (PAPs). Results BNP levels were 1417 ± 1126, 1081 ± 955, 894 ± 901 pg/mL, for patients with EF ≤ 25%, EF 25-40% and EF 40-50% (p = 0.005), respectively. BNP levels linearly correlate with the degree of diastolic dysfunction: 582 ± 406 pg/mL in altered relaxation pattern, 712 ± 557 pg/mL in pseudonormal pattern and 1694 ± 805 in restrictive filling pattern (p < 0.001 for all patterns). BNP levels were significantly increased in patients with right systolic ventricular dysfunction (TAPSE < 18 mm; p = 0.006) and in patients with PAPs ≥ 40 mmHg (p = 0.001). ROC curve and logistic regression analysis highlighted the power of BNP to detect severe systolic dysfunction, right ventricular (RV) overload and dysfunction and diastolic dysfunction patterns. Conclusions BNP levels correlate linearly with LV systolic dysfunction as well as with impaired degree of diastolic dysfunction. Significant PAP increase is a further factor influencing BNP elevation in patients with AHF during early hospitalization phase

Infectious Burden and Semen Parameters

To investigate the relationship between chronic infections detected in serum and semen quality. The pathogen burden is a concept consisting in the observation that, in patients with heart disease, damaging effects of the coronary arteries increase concomitantly with the number of agents responsible of chronic infections to which patients mounted a serological response. Previous observations that H. pylori infection may reduce the semen quality prompted us to perform the present study

Sperm Parameters and Semen Levels of Inflammatory Cytokines in Helicobacter pylori-infected Men

OBJECTIVE To explore the relationships between seminal interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) with semen parameters, sperm apoptosis, and necrosis in subjects infected by Helicobacter pylori (HP) expressing and not expressing CagA. METHODS In 109 selected patients, HP infection and seminal levels of IL-6 and TNF-alpha were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Western blotting was used to detect antibodies to CagA. Semen parameters were determined following World Health Organization guidelines and sperm apoptosis and necrosis by annexin V and propidium iodide assay. RESULTS Twenty-eight subjects were infected by HP (HP+); among them, 12 were CagA seropositive (CagA+) and 16 were negative (CagA-). Eighty-one men were HP seronegative (HP-). Semen TNF-alpha and IL-6 concentrations were increased in HP+ vs HP- groups (TNF-alpha: 41 pg/mL vs 27 pg/mL; IL-6: 11 pg/mL vs 5 pg/mL; P < .01). In comparison to the HP- group, CagA+ group showed reduced sperm motility (24% vs 32% motile sperm; P < .05), enhanced necrosis (33.5% vs 21% necrotic sperm; P < .05), and increased cytokines levels (TNF-alpha: 46 pg/mL vs 27 pg/mL; P < .01; IL-6: 17.5 pg/mL vs 5 pg/mL; P < .01). Sperm motility of CagA+ group was lower vs CagA- group (24% vs 36.5% motile sperm; P < .05). Both IL-6 and TNF-alpha levels positively correlated with the percentage of necrotic sperm (P < .001). CONCLUSION CagA+ HP infection increases semen levels of inflammatory cytokines, which may reduce sperm motility and determine sperm damage and contribute to reduce the reproductive potential in men

Infection by CagA positive Helicobacter pylori strains may contributed to alter the sperm quality of men with fertility disorders and increases the systemic levels of TNF-α

Lettera di accettazione 22/01/200

Changes in serum HDL and LDL cholesterol in patients with Paget's bone disease treated with pamidronate

Amino bisphosphonates represent one of the most important advances in the management of Paget's and other metabolic bone diseases. Although their mechanism of action has not yet been completely clarified, they seem to inhibit the mevalonate pathway and so they could interfere with cholesterol synthesis. The present study aimed to evaluate cholesterol and lipoprotein serum levels in patients with Paget's bone disease treated with intravenous pamidronate. The study included 20 consecutive patients (mean age, 67.6 +/- 11.0 years) with Paget's bone disease for at least 1 year, who needed intravenous amino bisphosphonate treatment; 12 patients with inactive Paget's bone disease served as controls. The patients with active Paget's bone disease underwent three cycles (every 3 months) of treatment with 60 mg of intravenous pamidronate. Controls were given a saline infusion following the same administration schedule. In all subjects total alkaline phosphatase (total ALP), bone alkaline phosphatase (bone ALP), total cholesterol (TC), tryglycerides (TG), and high- and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C and LDL-C, respectively) were measured before infusions (pamidronate or saline) at baseline and at 3-month intervals up to 9 months. In the control group no significant changes were observed through the study period for any of the biochemical parameters. In the pamidronate-treated patients, both bone ALP and total ALP significantly fell at the end of the study. In patients with active treatment, at the end of the study period HDL-C significantly (P < 0.05) increased by 10.3%, whereas LDL-C significantly (P < 0.05) decreased by 5.5%. In these patients TC showed a negative trend without reaching statistical significance, whereas the HDL-C/LDL-C ratio rose 16.2% above the basal value and TC/HDL-C decreased by 12.5%. In conclusion, pamidronate given intravenously seems to be able to induce a prolonged shifting in circulating cholesterol from the LDL-C to the HDL-C from associated with a weak decrease in total cholesterol, thus producing a possible improvement in the atherosclerotic risk index

Exemestane after tamoxifen as adjuvant hormonal therapy in postmenopausal women with breast cancer: effects on body composition and lipids.

Recent studies have shown that administering the aromatase inhibitor exemestane after 2-3 years of tamoxifen therapy significantly improves disease-free survival in postmenopausal women with primary breast cancer in comparison with standard 5-year tamoxifen treatment. Although many of the adverse effects associated with exemestane and tamoxifen have been analysed, there are no comparative data concerning body weight and body composition. The aim of this randomised study was to evaluate the longitudinal changes in body composition and lipid profiles in postmenopausal women switched from tamoxifen to exemestane. In total, 60 overweight or obese postmenopausal patients were enrolled. Their anthropometric data, body composition, including fat mass (FM) and fat-free mass (FFM), and lipid profiles, caloric intake and physical activity were assessed 1 week before randomisation, and 6 and 12 months later. In all, 55 patients (27 on tamoxifen and 28 on exemestane) completed the 1-year study period. Fat mass had significantly decreased by month 12 in the exemestane, but not in the tamoxifen group; the between-group difference was statistically significant (P<0.01). The FFM/FM ratio had significantly increased in the exemestane group, but not the tamoxifen group; the between-group difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol significantly decreased (P<0.01; P<0.05), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol significantly increased (P<0.01) in the exemestane group at the end of the 1-year study period. Our findings suggest that switching patients to adjuvant exemestane treatment after at least 2 years of tamoxifen therapy may be associated with an advantage over continuing adjuvant tamoxifen treatment in terms of body composition