Ground-dwelling arthropods as biodiversity indicators in maize agroecosystems of Northern Italy

Reliable monitoring of arthropod diversity in a given agroecosystem is essential for the conservation of the related ecosystem services, such as biological control. The often daunting complexity of arthropod collection and identification, however, highlights the need for surrogate taxa that can be easily sampled and be representative of a number of other taxa in term of diversity, general community features and specific composition. In this study, we used pitfall traps to sample three ground-dwelling arthropod taxa important as biocontrol agents (ground beetles, rove beetles and spiders) in 9 conventionally managed maize agroecosystems of Northern Italy over the course of two years, with the goal of characterizing their assemblages and evaluating their reciprocal potential as indicators of activity density, species richness, community turnover and species co-occurrence. Although dominated by few generalist species, sampled arthropod communities were relatively species-rich, and included the first Italian record of the spider Zelotes metellus (Roewer) (Araneae: Gnaphosidae). Ground beetles as a group were confirmed as promising indicators for the species richness and community composition turnover of rove beetles and spiders. Additionally, several abundant arthropod species acted as indicators of the species richness of their respective groups, and the ground beetle Pterostichus macer (Marsham) also worked as an indicator of overall rove beetle activity density. While the co-occurrence of individual arthropod species was limited for the studied taxa, a few species such as the ground beetle Parophonus maculicornis (Duftschmid) did show promise as species-specific bioindicators. Our results could be useful in improving the monitoring and management of these important natural enemies in maize-growing regions

Late-onset of immunodysregulation, polyendocrinopathy, enteropathy, x-linked syndrome (IPEX) with intractable diarrhea

The syndrome of immune dysregulation, polyendocrinopathy, enteropathy, X linked (IPEX) is a rare disorder caused by mutations in the FOXP3 gene. Diarrhea, diabetes and dermatitis are the hallmark of the disease, with a typical onset within the first months of life. We describe the case of a twelve-year old male affected by a very late-onset IPEX with intractable enteropathy, which markedly improved after starting Sirolimus as second-line treatment. This case suggests that IPEX should always be considered in the differential diagnosis of watery intractable diarrhea, despite its unusual onset

ANALISI SPETTRALE E CICLI DI MILANKOVITCH IN SUCCESSIONI CRETACICHE DEL SUDALPINO ORIENTALE

Spectral analysis technique has been applied for the first time in the Southern Alps, to three pelagic and hemipelagic sections (Venetian Prealps and Dolomites) of Barremian-Cenomanian age, characrerized by a couplet alternation of carbonate rich and carbonate poor layers. This technique is used to detect these lithologic periodicities in the measured sections, in order to search for climatic Milankovitch-type cycles (short eccentricity, obliquity and precession cycles). We have applied two different processing routines: the FFT algorithm has been developed to process, for example, bed thickness, bed-joint position and calcimetric time series; for the other cases rhe FWT algorithm has been used to deal with a codified time series, such as lithotype signals or the presence/absence of some bioturbation signal. The results of the data processing are amplitude and power spectra, showing frequency peaks with maximum energy. They are computed first in terms of space measurements (cm) and later are converted into time (thousand of years) using the average sedimentation rate, inferred for each section by the duration of stratigraphic units (stages) and their thickness in the studied section. To prevent distortion related to the form of the input signal a smoothed triangular filter of different length was used, as a way of obtaining a sinusoidal-like wave. The stability of the most relevant peaks can be tested by dividing the original time series into two or more subsections. They are then processed by sample rates to generate spectra with different resolution levels

Author Correction: The role of presepsin in pediatric patients with oncological and hematological diseases experiencing febrile neutropenia

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The role of presepsin in pediatric patients with oncological and hematological diseases experiencing febrile neutropenia

Febrile neutropenia (FN) represents one of the main complications of pediatric patients with oncological and hematological diseases. In these patients, it is crucial to identify bacterial infections. The aim of this study is to evaluate presepsin as an early biomarker of bacterial infections during FN. We compared patients with oncological and hematological diseases and a 2:1 age-matched healthy control group. In the FN group, we evaluated 4 biomarkers, namely, C reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), interleukin 6 (IL6) and presepsin at the onset of fever (T0) and 48 h after T0 (T1). In the control group, we only evaluated presepsin. We enrolled a total of 41 children with oncological and hematological diseases disease experiencing 50 FN episodes and 100 healthy patients in the control group. In patients with FN, we found that presepsin was significantly higher than in the control group (p < 0.001). However, in the FN group, we did not find a statistically significant difference between patients with and without bacteremia (p = 0.989 at T0, p = 0.619 at T1). Presepsin values at T1 were higher in patients experiencing an unfavorable outcome (p = 0.025). This study shows that presepsin increases in neutropenic patients, but it only revealed useful in predicting an unfavorable outcome 48 h from the onset of fever

The emerging role of nutritional support in the supportive care of pediatric patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (allo-HSCT) represents a potentially curative strategy for many oncological, hematological, metabolic, and immunological diseases in children. The continuous effort in ameliorating supportive care represents one of the cornerstones in the improvement of outcome in these patients. Nowadays, more than ever nutritional support can be considered a key feature. Oral feeding in the early post-transplant period is severely impaired because of mucositis due to conditioning regimen, characterized by, mainly by vomiting, anorexia, and diarrhea. Gastrointestinal acute graft-versus-host-disease (GvHD), infections and associated treatments, and other medications, such as opioids and calcineurin inhibitors, have also been correlated with decreased oral intake. The consequent reduction in caloric intake combined with the catabolic effect of therapies and transplantation-related complications with consequent extended immobilization, results in a rapid deterioration of nutritional status, which is associated with decreased overall survival and higher complication rates during treatment. Thus, nutritional support during the early post-transplantation period becomes an essential and challenging issue for allo-HSCT recipients. In this context, the role of nutrition in the modulation of the intestinal flora is also emerging as a key player in the pathophysiology of the main complications of HSCT. The pediatric setting is characterized by less evidence, considering the challenge of addressing nutritional needs in this specific population, and many questions are still unanswered. Thus, we perform a narrative review regarding all aspects of nutritional support in pediatric allo-HSCT recipients, addressing the assessment of nutritional status, the relationship between nutritional status and clinical outcomes and the evaluation of the nutritional support, ranging from specific diets to artificial feeding

Early gut microbiota signature of aGvHD in children given allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation for hematological disorders

The onset of acute Graft-versus-Host Disease (aGvHD) has been correlated with the gut microbiota (GM) composition, but experimental observations are still few, mainly involving cohorts of adult patients. In the current scenario where fecal microbiota transplantation has been used as a pioneer therapeutic approach to treat steroid-refractory aGvHD, there is an urgent need to expand existing observational studies of the GM dynamics in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT). Aim of the present study is to explore the GM trajectory in 36 pediatric HSCT recipients in relation to aGvHD onset

The Highly Energetic Expansion of SN2010bh Associated with GRB 100316D

We present the spectroscopic and photometric evolution of the nearby (z = 0.059) spectroscopically confirmed type Ic supernova, SN 2010bh, associated with the soft, long-duration gamma-ray burst (X-ray flash) GRB 100316D. Intensive follow-up observations of SN 2010bh were performed at the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) using the X-shooter and FORS2 instruments. Owing to the detailed temporal coverage and the extended wavelength range (3000--24800 A), we obtained an unprecedentedly rich spectral sequence among the hypernovae, making SN 2010bh one of the best studied representatives of this SN class. We find that SN 2010bh has a more rapid rise to maximum brightness (8.0 +/- 1.0 rest-frame days) and a fainter absolute peak luminosity (L_bol~3e42 erg/s) than previously observed SN events associated with GRBs. Our estimate of the ejected (56)Ni mass is 0.12 +/- 0.02 Msun. From the broad spectral features we measure expansion velocities up to 47,000 km/s, higher than those of SNe 1998bw (GRB 980425) and 2006aj (GRB 060218). Helium absorption lines He I lambda5876 and He I 1.083 microm, blueshifted by ~20,000--30,000 km/s and ~28,000--38,000 km/s, respectively, may be present in the optical spectra. However, the lack of coverage of the He I 2.058 microm line prevents us from confirming such identifications. The nebular spectrum, taken at ~186 days after the explosion, shows a broad but faint [O I] emission at 6340 A. The light-curve shape and photospheric expansion velocities of SN 2010bh suggest that we witnessed a highly energetic explosion with a small ejected mass (E_k ~ 1e52 erg and M_ej ~ 3 Msun). The observed properties of SN 2010bh further extend the heterogeneity of the class of GRB supernovae.Comment: 37 pages and 12 figures (one-column pre-print format), accepted for publication in Ap

Safety and Efficacy of Ribociclib in Combination with Letrozole in Patients with HR+, HER2- Advanced Breast Cancer: Results from the Italian Subpopulation of Phase 3b CompLEEment-1 Study

Background Ribociclib plus letrozole demonstrated manageable safety and efficacy profiles in hormone receptor-positive (HR+), human epidermal growth factor receptor-2-negative (HER2-) advanced breast cancer (ABC) in the Phase 3b CompLEEment-1 trial. Objective To evaluate the safety and efficacy of ribociclib plus letrozole in the Italian subpopulation with HR+, HER2- ABC from the CompLEEment-1 trial. Patients and Methods Patients with HR+, HER2- ABC received ribociclib (600 mg/day, 3 weeks on/1 week off) plus letrozole (2.5 mg/day) while men and premenopausal women additionally received goserelin. Patients were allowed with = 3 AEs occurred in 98.9 % and 77.8 % patients, respectively. The most common treatment-related AEs were neutropenia (73.6 %), followed by leukopenia (32.1 %), and nausea (25.3 %). The overall response rate was 28.2 % (95 % confidence interval [CI], 24.4-32.1); clinical benefit rate was 71.7 % (95 % CI, 67.7-75.4); and median time to progression was 26.7 months (95 % CI, 24.8-non-estimable). Health-related quality of life scores were maintained during treatment. Conclusion The safety and efficacy profiles of ribociclib plus letrozole in the Italian subpopulation was found to be consistent with the CompLEEment-1 global population result, MONALEESA-2, and MONALEESA-7 outcomes, which reaffirm ribociclib plus letrozole as the frontline treatment option in patients with HR+, HER2- ABC