The Monte Orfano Conglomerate revisited: stratigraphic constraints on Cenozoic tectonic uplift of the Southern Alps (Lombardy, northern Italy)

The Monte Orfano Conglomerate (MOC), exposed in the foothills of the Southern Alps (northern Italy), is one of the few outcrops of sediments documenting the Cenozoic tectonic evolution of the Alpine retrowedge. Calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy allowed us to constrain the upper part of the MOC, formerly attributed to the Early-Middle Miocene in the type-locality, to the earliest Miocene (Neogene part of the NN1 nannofossil zone). A likely latest Oligocene age is therefore suggested for the bulk of the underlying conglomerates, whose base is not exposed. Deposition of the MOC can be framed into the post-collisional tectonic uplift of the Alps, documented in the Lake Como area by the Como Conglomerate (CC) at the base of the Gonfolite Lombarda Group, and supports the correlation with Upper Oligocene clastic sediments cropping out further to the East, in the Lake Garda and in the Veneto-Friuli areas (“molassa”). The remarkable difference in petrographic composition between the western (CC) and eastern (MOC) clastics deposited in the Alpine retro-foreland basin highlights the synchronous tectonic activity of two structural domains involving different crustal levels. Whilst the bulk of the CC, that straddles the Oligocene/Miocene boundary, records the tectonic exhumation of the Alpine axial chain crystalline complexes, the coeval MOC consists of detritus deriving from the Alpine retrowedge superficial crustal section (Triassic to Paleogene sedimentary rocks), and constrains the onset of the post-collisional deformation phase of the Southern Alps as not younger than the latest Oligocene

A dynamic distention protocol for whole-organ bladder decellularization: histological and biomechanical characterization of the acellular matrix

A combined physical\u2013chemical protocol for whole full-thickness bladder decellularization is proposed, based on organ cyclic distention through repeated infusion/withdrawal of the decellularization agents through the urethra. The dynamic decellularization was intended to enhance cell removal efficiency, facilitating the delivery of detergents within the inner layers of the tissue and the removal of cell debris. The use of mild chemical detergents (hypotonic solution and non-ionic detergent) was employed to limit adverse effects upon matrix 3D ultrastructure. Inspection of the presence of residual DNA and RNA was carried out on decellularized matrices to verify effective cell removal. Histological investigation was focused on assessing the retention of adequate structural and functional components that regulate the biomechanical behaviour of the acellular tissue. Biomechanical properties were evaluated through uniaxial tensile loading tests of tissue strips and through ex vivo filling cystometry to evaluate the whole-organ mechanical response to a physiological-like loading state. According to our results, a dynamic decellularization protocol of 17 h duration with a 5 ml/min detergent infusion flow rate revealed higher DNA removal efficiency than standard static decellularization, resulting in residual DNA content\u2009<\u200950 ng/mg dry tissue weight. Furthermore, the collagen network and elastic fibres distribution were preserved in the acellular ECM, which exhibited suitable biomechanical properties in the perspective of its future use as an implant for bladder augmentation

Human lipoaspirate as autologous injectable active scaffold for one-step repair of cartilage defects

Research on mesenchymal stem cells from adipose tissue shows promising results for cell-based therapy in cartilage lesions. In these studies, cells have been isolated, expanded, and differentiated in vitro before transplantation into the damaged cartilage or onto materials used as scaffolds to deliver cells to the impaired area. The present study employed in vitro assays to investigate the potential of intra-articular injection of microfragmented lipoaspirate as a one-step repair strategy; it aimed to determine whether adipose tissue can act as a scaffold for cells naturally present at their anatomical site. Cultured clusters of lipoaspirate showed a spontaneous outgrowth of cells with a mesenchymal phenotype and with multilineage differentiation potential. Transduction of lipoaspirate clusters by lentiviral vectors expressing GFP evidenced the propensity of the outgrown cells to repopulate fragments of damaged cartilage. On the basis of the results, which showed an induction of proliferation and ECM production of human primary chondrocytes, it was hypothesized that lipoaspirate may play a paracrine role. Moreover, the structure of a floating culture of lipoaspirate, treated for 3 weeks with chondrogenic growth factors, changed: tissue with a high fat component was replaced by a tissue with a lower fat component and connective tissue rich in GAG and in collagen type I, increasing the mechanical strength of the tissue. From these promising in vitro results, it may be speculated that an injectable autologous biologically active scaffold (lipoaspirate), employed intra-articularly, may 1) become a fibrous tissue that provides mechanical support for the load on the damaged cartilage; 2) induce host chondrocytes to proliferate and produce ECM; and 3) provide cells at the site of injury, which could regenerate or repair the damaged or missing cartilage

Quality of Life and psychopathology in adults who underwent Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) in childhood: a qualitative and quantitative analysis.

Background: Patients who undergo pediatric Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) may experience long-term psychological sequelae and poor Quality of Life (QoL) in adulthood. This study aimed to investigate subjective illness experience, QoL, and psychopathology in young adults who have survived pediatric HSCT. Method: The study involved patients treated with HSCT in the Hematology-Oncology Department between 1984 and 2007. Psychopathology and QoL were investigated using the SCL-90-R and SF-36. Socio-demographic and medical information was also collected. Finally, participants were asked to write a brief composition about their experiences of illness and care. Qualitative analysis of the texts was performed using T-LAB, an instrument for text analysis that allows the user to highlight the occurrences and co-occurrences of lemma. Quantitative analyses were performed using non-parametric tests (Spearman correlations, Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests). Results: Twenty-one patients (9 males) participated in the study. No significant distress was found on the SCL-90 Global Severity Index, but it was found on specific scales. On the SF-36, lower scores were reported on scales referring to bodily pain, general health, and physical and social functioning. All the measures were significantly (p < 0.05) associated with specific socio-demographic and medical variables (gender, type of pathology, type of HSCT, time elapsed between communication of the need to transplant and effective transplantation, and days of hospitalization). With regard to the narrative analyses, males focused on expressions related to the body and medical therapies, while females focused on people they met during treatment, family members, and donors. Low general health and treatment with autologous HSCT were associated with memories about chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and the body parts involved, while high general health was associated with expressions focused on gratitude (V-Test \ub1 1.96). Conclusion: Pediatric HSCT survivors are more likely to experience psychological distress and low QoL in adulthood compared with the general population. These aspects, along with survivors' subjective illness experience, show differences according to specific medical and socio-demographic variables. Studies are needed in order to improve the care and long-term follow-up of these families

Reassessing the biostratigraphy and the paleobathymetry of the Gonfolite Lombarda Group in the Como area (northern Italy)

Calcareous nannofossil and foraminiferal analyses have been carried out on outcrops from the type-area of the Gonfolite Lombarda Group (Como, northern Italy). In these marine fine- to coarse-grained clastics, rapidly accumulating at the southern front of the uprising Alpine range during the Oligo-Miocene, a scarce, but reliable, sequence of calcareous nannofossil events has been observed, allowing to refine the previous age assignments. Planktonic foraminifera were found to be extremely rare and provided limited biostratigraphic information. The Villa Olmo Conglomerate and the Chiasso Formation contain the Last Occurrence (LO) of Sphenolithus distentus and the First Occurrence (FO) of Triquetrorhabdulus carinatus, which are characteristic of the nannofossil zones NP24 and NP25 (Chattian), respectively. The lower part of the Como Conglomerate was deposited during the zone NP25, whilst the upper part of the Como Conglomerate straddles the Chattian/Aquitanian boundary in zone NN1. The deposition of the Prestino Mudstones also occurred during zone NN1. However, the upper part of this formation has been dated as Burdigalian during nannofossil zone NN2. The deposition of the upper part of the Val Grande Sandstone has been assigned to the NN3 zone owing to the presence of the taxon Sphenolithus belemnos, which is restricted to NN3. The upper part of the investigated section is characterized by the deposition of the Lucino Conglomerate and its fine-grained members (Lucinasco and Lurate Caccivio Mudstones). The Lucinasco Mudstones have been dated as late Burdigalian corresponding to zone NN4, whilst the overlying Lurate Caccivio Mudstones were deposited during the Langhian part of the zone NN5, based on the presence of S. heteromorphus and the absence of H. ampliaperta. On the whole, the base and the top of the outcropping Gonfolite Lombarda Group result from our study to be younger than hitherto proposed, allowing to resolve certain previous conflicts with the few radiometric dates available for clasts from the Gonfolite Lombarda Group. The depth of deposition was upper bathyal during the Chattian and the Aquitanian and shallowed to neritic during the deposition of the Langhian Lurate Caccivio Mudstones

The otter population of the River Ticino (N Italy) 20 years after its reintroduction

On the River Ticino (Piedmont and Lombardy regions, N Italy), the Eurasian otter Lutra lutra became extinct in the 1980s and was reintroduced in 1997. Since then, the status of the reintroduced population has been assessed only occasionally, in 2008 and 2010. Between 2016 and 2018, we conducted an extensive survey for otter signs along the whole Italian stretch of the River Ticino, following the \u2018Standard Method\u2019 for otter surveys. In 2016\u20132017, we found 101 spraints (mean marking intensity: 0.40 spraints/100 m), spread over a 97-km long stretch of the river. In 2018 only five spraints were collected, the two furthermost marking sites being 32 km apart. Genotyping of nDNA extracted from 21 faecal samples enabled the identification of six different individuals. The surveys led to drawing a reliable picture of otter distribution and population size, with evidence of otter occurrence on a longer than previously recorded stretch of the river. The results of the 2018 survey suggest that stochastic factors may still threaten the survival of reintroduced otters and would suggest a reinforcement of the population is required to increase its genetic diversity

End-Triassic calcification crisis and blooms of organic-walled 'disaster species'

The Triassic–Jurassic (T–J) mass-extinction event is marked by isotope anomalies in organic (δ13Corg) and carbonate carbon (δ13Ccarb) reservoirs. These have been attributed to a (rapid) 4-fold rise in pCO2 as a result of massive flood basalt volcanism and/or methane hydrate dissociation. Here we examine the response of marine photosynthetic phytoplankton to the proposed perturbation in the carbon cycle. Our high-resolution micropalaeontological analysis of T–J boundary beds at St Audrie's Bay in Somerset, UK, provides evidence for a bio-calcification crisis that is characterized by (1) extinction and malformation in calcareous nannoplankton and (2) contemporaneous blooms of organic-walled, green algal 'disaster' species which comprise in one case > 70% of the total palynomorph fraction. Blooms of prasinophytes and acritarchs occur at the onset and in association with a prominent negative shift in δ13Corg values close to the first appearance of the Early Jurassic ammonite Psiloceras planorbis. Across the same interval we obtained palaeotemperature and palaeosalinity estimates from oyster low-Mg calcite based on Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca and δ18O records. The results of our palynological and geochemical analyses strongly suggest that shallow marine basins in NW Europe during this period became salinity stratified, inducing anoxic conditions. The T–J boundary event shows similarities with the Permian–Triassic (P–T) mass-extinction event, which was also marked by extensive flood basalt volcanism, negative excursions in carbon isotope records, a bio-calcification crisis, the development of shallow-marine anoxia and mass abundances of acritarchs in the Early Triassic. This leads us to suggest that the proliferation of green algal phytoplankton may be symptomatic of elevated carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere and oceans during mass-extinction events

Gli echinodermi come modelli per lo studio di Distruttori Endocrini: un approccio integrato

Gli echinodermi rappresentano dei validi modelli sperimentali nell\u2019ambito dell\u2019ecotossicologia marina. Essi infatti sono organismi bentonici a diretto contatto con potenziali fonti di xenobiotici e offrono un ampio range di processi biologici utili per questo tipo di approccio. In questo lavoro sono presentati i risultati pi\uf9 significativi ottenuti nel nostro laboratorio utilizzando questi organismi come modelli per lo studio degli effetti di potenziali Distruttori Endocrini (ED). Sono stati presi in esame due diverse specie di echinodermi, il riccio di mare Paracentrotus lividus e il crinoide Antedon mediterranea, e due diversi aspetti della loro fisiologia, la biologia riproduttiva e lo sviluppo rigenerativo, rispettivamente. Esemplari adulti di entrambe le specie sono stati esposti a diversi ED, potenzialmente in grado di interferire con gli ormoni sessuali. Le concentrazioni utilizzate erano comparabili a quelle ambientali. La ricerca si \ue8 basata su un approccio multidisciplinare che ha previsto analisi morfologiche, chimiche e biochimiche. I risultati ottenuti hanno evidenziato la capacit\ue0 di questi composti di interferire con diversi parametri quali la crescita rigenerativa, il pattern istologico e il diametro delle uova prodotte, sebbene lo specifico meccanismo d\u2019azione sia ancora da chiarire. Infatti, nel caso di P. lividus, la somministrazione diretta di ormoni sessuali, quali l\u2019estradiolo, non produce effetti significativi sulla biologia riproduttiva dell\u2019animale. Nel complesso i risultati ottenuti sottolineano sia l\u2019importanza di utilizzare modelli alternativi nei test ecotossicologici sia la necessit\ue0 di approfondire maggiormente la fisiologia di base degli organismi modello

Multimodal imaging and diagnosis of myopic choroidal neovascularization in Caucasians

To investigate myopic choroidal neovascularization (mCNV) by fluorescein angiography (FA), spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), near-infrared (NIR) reflectance, and autofluorescence (AF)