Vertical stratification of selected Hymenoptera in a remnant forest of the Po Plain (Italy, Lombardy) (Hymenoptera: Ampulicidae, Crabronidae, Sphecidae)

Communities of the canopy of temperate forests are still relatively unexplored. Furthermore, very little is known on how vertical stratification for some insect groups is related to biological strategies. In this study, we investigated the community composition of both canopy and understory of the families Ampulicidae, Crabronidae and Sphecidae (Hymenoptera) of the Natural Reserve of "Bosco della Fontana", a remnant lowland forest in northeastern Italy. Observed patterns in vertical stratification have been related to species foraging habits. Our study reveals that the bulk of the community of Spheciformes of the understory consists of species predating dipterans and spiders, while species associated with the canopy are mainly predators of sap-sucking honeydew producers and epiphyte grazers, like aphids, thrips, and barkflies. Comparing the communities of canopy and understory may lead to a better understanding of species ecology and provides useful information to forest managers

New species and records of Afrotropical Campopleginae II. (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae)

Four new Afrotropical ichneumon wasp species are described: Casinaria caliginea Vas, sp. n. and Casinaria corvina Vas, sp. n. from Burundi, Dusona nigrescens Vas, sp. n. and Dusona solinervosa Vas, sp. n. from Uganda. Dusona elegans (Szépligeti, 1908) is first reported from Uganda, and the hitherto unknown female is described

Hymenoptera Ichneumonidae of Montecristo Island (Tuscan Archipelago), with some new records for the Italian fauna

Data on the presence in the Island of Montecristo (Tuscan Archipelago, Italy) of 35 taxa of Ichneumonidae (Hymenoptera Ichneumonoidea) are provided. The specimens were collected with a Malaise trap in 2011 and 2012. Seven of the identified species were already known for the Tuscan archipelago, four for the Island of Montecristo. The total number of Ichneumonidae in the Archipelago rises from 20 to 49 species, that of Montecristo from 5 to 36. Eleven species are new records for South Italy. Townostilpnus chagrinator Aubert, 1916, previously known only from Corsica and southern France, is new to Italy

Composizione delle comunità di Imenotteri Icneumonidi (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) in habitat frammentati

Gli Icneumonidi rappresentano il gruppo con la maggiore diversità in specie tra gli Imenotteri e uno dei gruppi ad avere avuto una notevole radiazione adattativa, con adattamenti in gran parte dei biomi terrestri. In questo studio sono state prese in esame le comunità di icneumonidi delle foreste planiziali relitte e degli impianti naturaliformi della Pianura Padana orientale. Una prima analisi ha riguardato lo studio della distribuzione orizzontale e verticale degli icneumonidi nella Riserva Naturale di Bosco della Fontana (Lombardia). Secondariamente, sono state analizzate le comunità di icneumonidi dei querco-carpineti relitti e degli impianti naturaliformi di recente costituzione, presenti nella Pianura Padana veneta e friulana. In parallelo, è stata sviluppata una chiave interattiva per la discriminazione delle sottofamiglie e tribù di icneumonidi della fauna europea, che possa rappresentare uno strumento utile a favorire un primo approccio al gruppo ed incentivarne l'uso in ecologia

Screening for Tuberculosis in Health Care Workers. Experience in an Italian Teaching Hospital

Health care workers (HCW) are particularly at risk of acquiring tuberculosis (TB), even in countries with low TB incidence. Therefore, TB screening in HCW is a useful prevention strategy in countries with both low and high TB incidence. Tuberculin skin test (TST) is widely used although it suffers of low specificity; on the contrary, the in vitro enzyme immunoassay tests (IGRA) show superior specificity and sensitivity but are more expensive. The present study reports the results of a three-year TB surveillance among HCW in a large teaching hospital in Rome, using TST (by standard Mantoux technique) and IGRA (by QuantiFERON-TB) as first- and second-level screening tests, respectively. Out of 2290 HCW enrolled, 141 (6.1%) had a positive TST; among them, 99 (70.2%) underwent the IGRA and 16 tested positive (16.1%). The frequency of HCW tested positive for TB seems not far from other experiences in low incidence countries. Our results confirm the higher specificity of IGRA, but, due to its higher cost, TST can be considered a good first level screening test, whose positive results should be further confirmed by IGRA before the patients undergo X-ray diagnosis and/or chemotherapy

New records of Campopleginae for Italy (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae)

The present study is based on material collected through an intensive sampling in north-eastern Italy, with thirteen species of the subfamily Campopleginae (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) newly recorded for Italy: Campoletis agilis (Holmgren, 1860), C. thomsoni (Roman, 1915), Campoplex punctulatus (Szépligeti, 1916), C. rothi (Holmgren, 1860), Diadegma annulicrus (Thomson, 1887), Echthronomas ochrostoma (Holmgren, 1860), Hyposoter coxator (Thomson, 1887), H. discedens (Schmiedeknecht, 1909), H. meridionellator Aubert, 1965, H. tenuicosta (Thomson, 1887), Olesicampe binotata (Thomson, 1887), Rhimphoctona melanura (Holmgren, 1860) and Sinophorus nitidus (Brischke, 1880). Hyposoter meridionellator Aubert, 1965 (stat. rev.) is recognized as a different species to Hyposoter rufovariatus (Schmiedeknecht, 1909). The male of Echthronomas facialis (Thomson, 1887) and the hitherto unknown male of Echthronomas ochrostoma (Holmgren, 1860) are described for the first time. The number of Campopleginae known from Italy is raised to 245 species

Spray-drying as a method for microparticulate controlled release systems preparation: advantages and limits. I. Water soluble drugs

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Taxonomic revision of the Campoplex difformis group (Ichneumonidae, Campopleginae), with particular reference to species of economic importance

Despite their importance as potential biological control agents, species of the campoplegine genus Campoplex Gravenhorst, 1829 are hard to identify. Previous works provided short descriptions or poor illustrations of crucial characters, meaning it is often impossible to distinguish closely related species. We provide illustrations to identify species of the Campoplex difformis group and redescriptions of and illustrations for C. difformis (Gmelin, 1790), C. capitator Aubert, 1960, C. dubitator Horstmann, 1985, C. formosanae Horstmann, 2012, and C. unicingulatus (Schmiedeknecht, 1909). In addition, the taxonomic status of C. difformis is clarified; a lectotype is designated for C. capitator in Aubert’s collection in Lausanne and the host record for this species on Ancylis mitterbacheriana (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) is queried; Campoplex corsicator Aubert, 1960 stat. nov. is removed from synonymy with Campoplex tibialis (Szépligeti, 1916) and redescribed

Microencapsulation of semisolid ketoprofen/polymer microspheres

Ketoprofen controlled release microspheres were prepared, by emulsion/solvent evaporation, at 15 degreesC, in order to avoid the formation of semisolid particles. An identical procedure was carried out at 60 degreesC to speed up the solvent evaporation and the formed semisolid microspheres were directly microencapsulated by complex coacervation and spray-dried in order to recover them as free flowing powder. Microspheres and microcapsules were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffractometry, in vitro dissolution studies, and then used for the preparation of tablets. During this step, the compressibility of the prepared powders was measured. Microspheres and microcapsules showed compaction abilities by far better than those of the corresponding physical mixtures. In fact, it was impossible to obtain tablets by direct compressing drug and polymer physical mixtures, but microspheres and microcapsules were easily transformed into tablets. Finally, in vitro dissolution studies were performed and the release control of the tablets was pointed out. Microspheres were able to control ketoprofen release only after their transformation into tablets. Tablets containing eudragit RS were the most effective in slowing down drug release