Studi demografici e genetici su specie vegetali di interesse per la conservazione in Sardegna

Il Bacino del Mediterraneo è uno degli hotspots di biodiversità a livello globale (Myers et al., 2000), infatti risulta terzo al mondo per l’abbondante presenza di piante endemiche (circa 13.000 specie esclusive che corrispondono al 4,3% di tutte le piante del mondo). All’interno dell’area mediterranea sono state individuate 10 aree cruciali per la conservazione e gestione della biodiversità (Médail, Quézel, 1999), hotspots che rappresentano il 22% (circa 515.000 Km2) della superficie totale dell’area mediterranea, includono circa 5.500 entità endemiche e presentano una ricchezza floristica superiore a 2.000 specie/15.000 Km2 (Médail, Quézel, 1999). In questo ambito il Dipartimento di Botanica ed Ecologia vegetale dell’Università degli Studi di Sassari ha intrapreso studi di tipo demografico e genetico sulla dinamica e vitalità delle popolazioni di entità incluse nell’All. II della Direttiva Habitat o che identificano habitat comunitari ai sensi dell’All. I della stessa Direttiva, finalizzati alla loro conservazione. In questa sede si riportano dati preliminari su Centaurea horrida Badarò (Pisanu, Filigheddu, 2005; Mameli et al., 2006), Anchusa crispa Viv. ed entità congeneriche (Farris et al., 2006) e Taxus baccata L. (Farris, Filigheddu, 2005)

Gli Habitat terrestri costieri e litorali della Sardegna settentrionale: verifica della loro attribuzione sintassonomica ai sensi della Direttiva 43/92/CEE “Habitat”

In this work we talk about coastal and littoral terrestrial habitats and plant communities in Northern Sardinia. We check the right attribution of different plant communities to their habitat type, among those indicated in the Annexe I of the 43/92/EEC Habitat Directive, and the coherence between the Natura 2000 Network and the tested habitat presence in the study area. Finally, some critical examples, regarding either the interpretation or the application of the Habitat Directive, are discussed. In the study area 16 community habitats have been detected, and among them three are priority habitats (1510*, 2250* and 2270*). 15 habitats are confirmed, been mentioned in at least one Natura 2000 formulary, instead, habitat 2220 is here reported for the first time in Northern Sardinia. The presence in the study area of 5 habitats mentioned in Natura 2000 formularies (1310, 2110, 2120, 2240 and 5410) is not confirmed. The percentage of high threatened habitats in the study area (37.5%) is higher than the national one (24%). On the other hand the percentage of low risk habitats in coastal areas of Northern Sardinia (37.5%) is lower than the Italian one (48%). These considerations give priority to the conservation of the coastal and littoral areas in Northern Sardinia. Finally, the discussion of some critical applicative examples bring us to ask for a really needed Habitat Directive Annexe I revision

Supra-transumbilical laparotomy (STL) approach for small bowel atresia repair: Our experience and review of the literature

Background : Supra-Transumbilical Laparotomy (STL) has been used in paediatric surgery for a broad spectrum of abdominal procedures. We report our experience with STL approach for small bowel atresia repair in newborns and review previous published series on the topic. Patients and Methods: Fourteen patients with small bowel atresia were treated via STL approach at our Institution over a 5-year period and their charts were retrospectively reviewed. Results: STL procedure was performed at mean age of 3.1 day. No malrotation disorders were detected with pre-operative contrast enema. Eight patients (54.1%) presented jejunal atresia, five (35.7%) ileal atresia, and one (7.1%) multiple ilealand jejunal atresias. Standard repair with primary end-to-back anastomosis was performed in all but one patient. In the newborn with multiple atresia, STL incision was converted in supra-umbilical transverse incision due to diffi culty of exposition. After surgery, one patient developed anastomotic stricture, and another developed occlusion due to adhesions: Both infants required second laparotomy. No infections of the umbilical site were recorded, and cosmetic results were excellent in all patients. Conclusions: Increasing evidence suggests that STL approach for small bowel atresia is feasible, safe and provides adequate exposure for small bowel atresia surgery. When malrotation and colonic/multiple atresia are pre-operatively ruled out, STL procedure can be choosen as first approach. Key words : Jejuno-ileal atresia, mini-invasivesurgery, newborn

Axillary Treatment Management in Breast Cancer during COVID-19 Pandemic (Association between ACOSOG Z0011 Criteria and OSNA Test)

The outbreak of the SARS-COVID-2 pandemic (COVID-19) had a significant effect on the organisation of healthcare systems. Surgical units saw a significant reduction in the volume of surgical procedures performed, with lengthening waiting lists as a consequence. We assessed the surgical activity in relation to breast cancer that took place at the University Hospital of Cagliari, Italy, from February 2018 to March 2022. Two phases were identified based on the epidemiological circumstances: Phase 1—February 2018 to February 2020; Phase 2—March 2020 to March 2022. The surgery performed in the two phases was then compared. All the patients in our sample underwent a breast surgical procedure involving a lymph node biopsy using OSNA associated with the ACOSOG Z0011 criteria. In the study period overall at our facility, there were 4214 procedures, 417 of which involved breast surgery. In Phase 2, 91 procedures were performed using the OSNA method and ACOSOG Z0011 criteria, enabling the intraoperative staging of axillary nodes. Axillary treatment in breast cancer using this approach resulted in a significant reduction in the number of reoperations for the radicalisation of metastatic sentinel lymph nodes

Ricchezza floristica e diversità degli habitat umidi temporanei nella Sardegna nord-occidentale

Questa ricerca evidenzia come a scala regionale il network di aree protette sia inadeguato per la salvaguardia della biodiversità specifica ed ecosistemica, come dimostrato anche da gap analysis a livello globale (RODRIGUES et al., 2004): entità quali Callitriche brutia, Elatine alsinastrum, Eryngium barrelieri e Myosotis sicula, non sono incluse in nessuna delle aree protette attualmente presenti nella Sardegna settentrionale (Parco Nazionale dell'Asinara, Parco Nazionale della Maddalena, Parco Naturale Regionale di Porto Conte), mentre risultano presenti in aree non interessate da nessun programma di conservazione

Sensitivity and specificity of in vivo COVID-19 screening by detection dogs: Results of the C19-Screendog multicenter study

Trained dogs can recognize the volatile organic compounds contained in biological samples of patients with COVID-19 infection. We assessed the sensitivity and specificity of in vivo SARS-CoV- 2 screening by trained dogs. We recruited five dog-handler dyads. In the operant conditioning phase, the dogs were taught to distinguish between positive and negative sweat samples collected from volunteers’ underarms in polymeric tubes. The conditioning was validated by tests involving 16 positive and 48 negative samples held or worn in such a way that the samples were invisible to the dog and handler. In the screening phase the dogs were led by their handlers to a drive-through facility for in vivo screening of volunteers who had just received a nasopharyngeal swab from nursing staff. Each volunteer who had already swabbed was subsequently tested by two dogs, whose responses were recorded as positive, negative, or inconclusive. The dogs’ behavior was constantly monitored for attentiveness and wellbeing. All the dogs passed the conditioning phase, their responses showing a sensitivity of 83-100% and a specificity of 94-100%. The in vivo screening phase involved 1251 subjects, of whom 205 had a COVID-19 positive swab and two dogs per each subject to be screened. Screeningsensitivity and specificity were respectively 91.6-97.6% and 96.3-100% when only one dog was involved, whereas combined screening by two dogs provided a higher sensitivity. Dog wellbeing was also analysed: monitoring of stress and fatigue suggested that the screening activity did not adversely impact the dogs’ wellbeing. This work, by screening a large number of subjects, strengthen recent findings that trained dogs can discriminate between COVID-19 infected and healthy human subjects and introduce two novel research aspects: i) assessement of signs of fatigue and stress in dogs during training and testing, and ii) combining screening by two dogs to improve detection sensitivity and specificity. Using some precautions to reduce the risk of infection and spillover, in vivo COVID-19 screening by a dog-handler dyad can be suitable to quickly screen large numbers of people: it is rapid, non- invasiveand economical, since it does not involve actual sampling, lab resources or waste management, and is suitable to screen large numbers of people

Primary mesenteric liposarcoma. Report of a case

Primary mesenteric liposarcomas are very rare neoplasms. The authors report a case of mesenteric liposarcoma recently observed. The patient presented with a history of dyspeptic syndrome, meteorism and abdominal pain associated with a change in bowel habit and constipation. On physical examination there was a large, well-circumscribed, abdominal mass. Computed tomography revealed an abdominal, dishomogeneous, low-density mass. Surgical excision with a tumour-free margin was achieved. The histologic appearances were those of a well-differentiated liposarcoma (atypical lipomatous tumour). The patient is alive and disease-free 33 months after the surgery. Primary mesenteric liposarcoma is often resectable and requires aggressivesurgical management; in consideration of the high risk of tumour recurrence, the treatment of choice is a wide surgical excisio

Nuove tecniche nella chirurgia delle paratiroidi

La patologia delle paratiroidi ha assunto un rilievo sempre maggiore per le innovazioni in ambito diagnostico e chirurgico che ne hanno consentito una più precisa individuazione nosografica e terapeutica. L’utilizzo della scintigrafia con Sesta-MIBI consente una attendibile localizzazione dell’adenoma; l’introduzione del monitoraggio intraoperatorio del paratormone intatto ha reso possibile l’esplorazione unilaterale del collo con una mini-incisione. L’affermarsi della tecnologia video ha portato l’innovazione della paratiroidectomia endoscopica, realizzata per la prima volta nel 1996 e successivamente eseguita senza l’ausilio della CO2. La scintigrafia SPECT consente di ottenere una visione tridimensionale dell’adenoma ed è lo studio più preciso di localizzazione disponibile, consentendo di avviare il paziente ad accessi mini-invasivi. Presupposto fondamentale per l’utilizzo delle tecniche mini-invasive è la determinazione intraoperatoria del PTH, effettuabile con diverse tecniche. La nostra esperienza si basa su 135 pazienti sottoposti a paratiroidectomia negli ultimi 8 anni con 5 casi di iperparatiroidismo persistente sottoposti a successivo reintervento, una degenza postoperatoria media di 2 giorni e 6 complicanze (una emorragia e 5 casi di ipoparatiroidismo transitorio). L’utilizzo delle nuove tecnologie in chirurgia paratiroidea consente di ottenere risultati ottimali, un migliore risultato estetico ed una più rapida ripresa postoperatoria, con una bassa incidenza di ripresa di malattia e di complicanze

Effects of the management regime on the performance of the endangered Mediterranean <i>Centaurea horrida</i> Badarò (Asteraceae)

The Mediterranean Basin, possessing 4.3% of all plants of the world, is considered one of the biodiversity hotspots at global scale. Several forms of impact on biodiversity are currently taking place in European Mediterranean countries as a result of the abandonment of traditional extensive production systems in areas of particular value for nature conservation. In this study we investigated the effects of the cessation of agro-sylvo-pastoral activities on Centaurea horrida Badarò, a very rare sea-cliff plant, endemic to North-Western Sardinia (Italy) and listed by the IUCN as vulnerable. In a similar way to other cliff species, Centaurea horrida can expand its range when unsuitable surrounding habitats are disturbed. The analysis of aerial photos indicates that about 88.5% of a surface previously occupied by a Centaurea horrida dwarf community was replaced by juniper scrub over a 50-year period. In the juniper scrub Centaurea horrida density is at present 1/5 of that observed in the dwarf community. The spatial distribution of Centaurea horrida individuals was not random but concentrated in open microhabitats, more abundant in the dwarf community than in the juniper scrub. Juveniles were found mainly on bare soil; this being the only microhabitat where seedling emergence may occur. Furthermore, disturbance had a positive effect on the survival rates of saplings. Our data show that Centaurea horrida is a species that is linked to the initial stages of secondary succession, when patches of bare soil are available, but it is non-competitive with the late-succession species of the juniper scrub. Active management practices to maintain Centaurea horrida populations are therefore proposed and discussed

A Natural homoploid hybrid between <i>Centaurea horrida</i> and <i>Centaurea filiformis</i> (Asteraceae) as revealed by morphological and genetic traits

Studies over the last two decades demonstrate that hybridization has played an integral role in the evolution of several sections of the genus Centaurea. Nevertheless, natural hybridization between narrow Mediterranean endemic Centaurea species has not been documented as yet. A population of fertile Centaurea individuals exhibiting intermediate morphological traits between two Sardinian narrow endemics, C. horrida and C. filiformis, was identified at the Tavolara Islet (Sardinia, Italy). Intermediate leaf length and head width characterized this population, suggesting its hybrid origin. The putative hybrid population was structured (i.e., composed of seedlings, saplings and adult individuals) and had a relatively high levels of seed production. The number of chromosomes was identical to that of the proposed progenitors (2n = 18). Genotyping at five microsatellite loci showed that the putative hybrid possessed several alleles in common with the proposed parental species and intermediate values of genetic differentiation, as indicated by both F ST and R ST, between C. horrida and C. filiformis. We therefore conclude that the studied intermediate population is of hybrid origin, and discuss possible mechanisms of its reproductive isolation from the parental species, potential re-introgression, and evolutionary implications of this hybridization