assessing the capabilities of a new linear inversion method for quantitative microwave imaging

We investigate the imaging capabilities of a new linear microwave imaging approach, which allows to quantitative retrieve the complex permittivity distribution of unknown nonweak targets. To this end, we carry out a parametric numerical analysis for a canonical scatterer (a homogeneous dielectric cylinder with circular cross section) and derive a quantitative criterion to foresee the method's applicability. The reliability of the criterion is then tested against noncanonical scatterers to show the effectiveness of the method in imaging nonweak targets and in outperforming the linearized inversion method based on the standard Born approximation

Morning Blood Pressure Surge, Dipping, and Risk of Coronary Events in Elderly Treated Hypertensive Patients

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Unique Associations between Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein-1, Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 and T Cell Immunoglobulin Mucin 3 in Successful Twin Pregnancies Conceived with Donor Oocytes

Background and Objectives: To investigate if pregnancies conceived using an oocyte donor necessitate an alteration in immune regulation, we compared concentrations of insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP)-1, insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 and T cell immunoglobulin mucin-3 (Tim-3) in women with ongoing successful twin pregnancies conceived spontaneously, using assisted reproductive technologies that utilized homologous oocytes or with donor oocytes. Differences in levels of these immune modulatory proteins may be magnified and easier to detect in twin as compared to singleton pregnancies. Methods: In this prospective study IGFBP-1 and IGF-1 were measured in sera and Tim-3 in lysates of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) by ELISA. Results: Median IGFBP-1 levels were lower in women with donor oocytes (41.4 ng/ml) as compared to those with a spontaneous conception (51.2 ng/mL) or who conceived with various assisted reproduction protocols using homologous oocytes (52.4 ng/mL) (p < 0.001). IGF-1 and Tim-3 levels were comparable in each group. The IGFBP-1 level was inversely correlated to the IGF-1 concentration only in women with donor oocytes (p = 0.032). IGFBP-1 and Tim-3 levels were similarly negatively correlated in the donor oocyte group (p = 0. 012). Women in the assisted reproduction group who conceived following intracytoplasmic sperm injection were the only other group in which IGFBP-1 and Tim-3 were negatively correlated (p = 0.018). Conclusions: Down-regulation of IGFBP-1 production in pregnancies conceived with donor oocytes may reduce the extent of pro-inflammatory immunity and contribute to successful outcome in totally allogeneic pregnancies

Development of a Desmocollin-3 Active Mouse Model Recapitulating Human Atypical Pemphigus

Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is a life-threatening mucocutaneous autoimmune blistering disease. It is often associated with autoantibodies to the desmosomal adhesion proteins Desmoglein 3 (DSG3) and Desmoglein 1 (DSG1). Recently, auto-antigens, such as desmocollins and others have been described in PV and in atypical pemphigus forms such as Pemphigus Herpetiformis (PH), Pemphigus Vegetans (PVeg), and Paraneoplastic Pemphigus (PP). Desmocollins belong to a cadherin subfamily that provides structure to the desmosomes and play an important role in cell-to-cell adhesion. In order to verify the pathogenic activity of anti-Desmocollin 3 (DSC3) antibodies, we developed an active disease model of pemphigus expressing anti-DSC3 autoantibodies or antiDSC3 and anti-DSG3 antibodies. This approach included the adoptive transfer of DSC3 and/or DSG3 lymphocytes to Rag2(-/-) immunodeficient mice that express DSC3 and DSG3. Our results show that the presence of anti-DSC3 auto-antibodies is sufficient to determine the appearance of a pathological phenotype relatable to pemphigus, but with features not completely super-imposable to those observed in the DSG3 active model, suggesting that the DSC3 active model might mimic the atypical pemphigus. Moreover, the presence of both anti-DSC3 and anti-DSG3 antibodies determines a more severe phenotype and a slower response to prednisolone. In conclusion, we have developed an adult DSC3 pemphigus mouse model that differs from the DSG3 model and supports the concept that antigens other than desmogleins may be responsible for different phenotypes in human pemphigus

Prognostic value of morphologic and morphometric analyses in IgA nephropathy biopsies

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Disease Reactivation after Fingolimod Discontinuation in Pregnant Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Recent studies estimated an incidence of 4-25% of disease rebound after withdrawal of fingolimod (FTY) for any reason, but specific data on disease reactivation after FTY withdrawal due to pregnancy are limited. The aim of the study was to evaluate the frequency and predictors of disease reactivation in patients who stopped FTY for pregnancy. A multicentre retrospective cohort study was conducted in four Italian MS centres in 2013-2019. Both planned and unplanned pregnancies were included. The annualized relapse rate (ARR) was calculated before FTY treatment, during FTY treatment, during pregnancy and during the year after delivery. In total, 27 patients (mean age 29 years) were included. The ARR 1 year before FTY treatment was 1.3. Patients were exposed to FTY for a median of 2.9 years. The ARR was 0.04 during the last year before conception (p < 0.001 compared with the ARR before FTY treatment). Eleven patients became pregnant after a mean of 88 days following FTY discontinuation, whereas 16 patients stopped FTY after pregnancy confirmation. Relapses were observed in 22% of patients during pregnancy and in 44% in the postpartum period. ARR increased both during pregnancy (0.49; p = 0.027) and in the first year after delivery (0.67; p < 0.001) compared to the last year before pregnancy. Compared with radiological assessment before pregnancy, more patients showed new or enlarging T2 lesions (63% vs 30%; p = 0.02) and gadolinium-enhancing lesions (44% vs 0; p = 0.0001) on brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Relapses during pregnancy were the only significant predictor for postpartum relapses (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.11-3.1). One case of spontaneous abortion and no cases of abnormal foetal development were observed. Despite adequate and prolonged control of disease activity, women who discontinue FTY because of pregnancy are at risk for disease reactivation. In patients who relapsed during pregnancy, the initiation of high-efficacy disease modifying drugs (DMDs) soon after delivery is advisable to prevent postpartum relapses

Pisa Syndrome in Parkinson's Disease: evidence for bilateral vestibulospinal dysfunction

Introduction. Pisa syndrome (PS) is a postural complication of Parkinson's disease (PD). Yet, its pathophysiology remains unclear, although a multifactorial component is probable. Cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (cVEMPs) explore vestibulospinal pathway, but they have not been measured yet in PD patients with PS (PDPS) to assess a potential vestibular impairment. Materials and Methods. We enrolled 15 PD patients, 15 PDPS patients, and 30 healthy controls (HCs). They underwent neurological examination and were examined with Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale II-Ill (UPDRSII-III), audiovestibular workup, and cVEMP recordings. Data were analysed with Chi-square, one-way ANOVA, multinomial regression, nonparametric, and Spearman's tests. Results. cVEMPs were significantly impaired in both PD and PDPS compared with HCs. PDPS exhibited more severe cVEMP abnormalities with prevalent bilateral loss of potentials, compared with the PD group, in which a prevalent unilateral loss was instead observed. No clinical-neurophysiological correlations emerged. Conclusions. Differently from HC, cVEMPs are altered in PD. Severity of cVEMPs alterations increases from PD without PS to PDPS, suggesting an involvement of vestibulospinal pathway in the pathophysiology of PS. Our results provide evidence for a significant impairment of cVEMPs in PDPS patients and encourage further studies to test validity of cVEMPs as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers of PD progression

Contribution to the ecology of the Italian hare (Lepus corsicanus)

the italian hare (Lepus corsicanus) is endemic to Central-Southern Italy and Sicily, classified as vulnerable due to habitat alterations, low density and fragmented populations and ecological competition with the sympatric european hare (Lepus europaeus). Despite this status, only few and local studies have explored its ecological features. We provided some key traits of the ecological niche of the italian hare as well as its potential distribution in the italian peninsula. All data derived from genetically validated presences. We generated a habitat suitability model using maximum entropy distribution model for the italian hare and its main competitor, the european hare. the dietary habits were obtained for the italian hare with DnA metabarcoding and High-throughput Sequencing on faecal pellets. The most relevant environmental variables affecting the potential distribution of the italian hare are shared with the european hare, suggesting a potential competition. the variation in the observed altitudinal distribution is statistically significant between the two species.The diet of the Italian hare all year around includes 344 plant taxa accounted by 62 families. The Fagaceae, Fabaceae, Poaceae, Rosaceae and Solanaceae (counts > 20,000) represented the 90.22% of the total diet. Fabaceae (60.70%) and Fagaceae (67.47%) were the most abundant plant items occurring in the Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter diets, respectively. the Spring/Summer diet showed richness (N = 266) and diversity index values (Shannon: 2.329, Evenness: 0.03858, Equitability: 0.4169) higher than the Autumn/Winter diet (N = 199, Shannon: 1.818, Evenness: 0.03096, Equitability: 0.3435). Our contribution adds important information to broaden the knowledge on the environmental (spatial and trophic) requirements of the Italian hare, representing effective support for fitting management actions in conservation planning

Dietary Patterns Associated with Diabetes in an Older Population from Southern Italy Using an Unsupervised Learning Approach

Dietary behaviour is a core element in diabetes self-management. There are no remarkable differences between nutritional guidelines for people with type 2 diabetes and healthy eating recommendations for the general public. This study aimed to evaluate dietary differences between subjects with and without diabetes and to describe any emerging dietary patterns characterizing diabetic subjects. In this cross-sectional study conducted on older adults from Southern Italy, eating habits in the “Diabetic” and “Not Diabetic” groups were assessed with FFQ, and dietary patterns were derived using an unsupervised learning algorithm: principal component analysis. Diabetic subjects (n = 187) were more likely to be male, slightly older, and with a slightly lower level of education than subjects without diabetes. The diet of diabetic subjects reflected a high-frequency intake of dairy products, eggs, vegetables and greens, fresh fruit and nuts, and olive oil. On the other hand, the consumption of sweets and sugary foods was reduced compared to non-diabetics (23.74 ± 35.81 vs. 16.52 ± 22.87; 11.08 ± 21.85 vs. 7.22 ± 15.96). The subjects without diabetes had a higher consumption of red meat, processed meat, ready-to-eat dishes, alcoholic drinks, and lower vegetable consumption. The present study demonstrated that, in areas around the Mediterranean Sea, older subjects with diabetes had a healthier diet than their non-diabetic counterparts

Ensemble modelling, uncertainty and robust predictions of organic carbon in long-term bare-fallow soils

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This study was supported by the project “C and N models inter-comparison and improvement to assess management options for GHG mitigation in agro-systems worldwide” (CN-MIP, 2014- 2017), which received funding by a multi-partner call on agricultural greenhouse gas research of the Joint Programming Initiative ‘FACCE’ through national financing bodies. S. Recous, R. Farina, L. Brilli, G. Bellocchi and L. Bechini received mobility funding by way of the French Italian GALILEO programme (CLIMSOC project). The authors acknowledge particularly the data holders for the Long Term Bare-Fallows, who made their data available and provided additional information on the sites: V. Romanenkov, B.T. Christensen, T. Kätterer, S. Houot, F. van Oort, A. Mc Donald, as well as P. Barré. The input of B. Guenet and C. Chenu contributes to the ANR “Investissements d’avenir” programme with the reference CLAND ANR-16-CONV-0003. The input of P. Smith and C. Chenu contributes to the CIRCASA project, which received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement no 774378 and the projects: DEVIL (NE/M021327/1) and Soils‐R‐GRREAT (NE/P019455/1). The input of B. Grant and W. Smith was funded by Science and Technology Branch, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, under the scope of project J-001793. The input of A. Taghizadeh-Toosi was funded by Ministry of Environment and Food of Denmark as part of the SINKS2 project. The input of M. Abdalla contributes to the SUPER-G project, which received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement no 774124.Peer reviewedPostprin