Emerging from Presumed Extinction: Updated Distribution and Conservation of <em>Uromenus annae</em> (Targioni-Tozzetti 1881), Endemism of Sardinia (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae)

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The Tribe Dysoniini Part V: The group Paraphidniae, with Three New Species from Guatemala and Ecuador (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Phaneropterinae)

The moss-and-lichen mimic katydids of the group treated here are easily recognized by their long and slender wings held upward at an almost 45-degree angle. They live in rainforests of central and northern South America, with one species ranging southward to subtropical forest in NE Argentina. Here the recently introduced subgenus Anaphidna is raised to genus beside Paraphidnia, and three additional species are described: P. brevicristata n. sp. and P. tunki n. sp. from Ecuador, the latter along with the relatively complex male calling song, as well as A. obrieni n. sp. from Guatemala. P. gallina is redescribed. A key for the three species of Paraphidnia s. str. is included.Las esperanzas del grupo Paraphidniae que imitan musgo y líquenes son estudiadas en la presente contribución, estas se reconocen fácilmente por sus alas largas y delgadas que se proyectan hacia arriba en un ángulo cercano a los 40 o 45 grados. Estas son habitantes de las selvas tropicales de América Central y el norte de América del Sur, con una especie que llega hasta el sur, en el bosque subtropical del noreste de Argentina. El subgénero Anaphidna es elevado a la categoría de género, junto a Paraphidnia. Se redescribe a P. gallina y se describen tres nuevas especies: P. brevicristata n. sp. y P. tunki n. sp. provenientes del Ecuador, y A. obrieni n. sp. de Guatemala. También se describe el canto relativamente complejo del macho para P. tunki n. sp. Una clave para las actuales tres especies del género Paraphidnia es incluida.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Early Access in Oncology: Why Is It Needed?

Timely access to cancer therapies with significant added value is an important expectation for patients and a primary responsibility for every public health service. Over time, collaboration between the pharmaceutical industry and regulatory agencies has made it possible to agree to implement tools in order to accelerate the development and approval of potentially innovative drugs. In Italy, too, several early access tools have been introduced. In June 2018 a panel of experts agreed on the need to simplify and streamline early access assessment criteria and processes. The panel developed a proposal to categorize cancer drugs eligible for early access. In the curative setting, the evaluation of the medical need should take into account both the relapse rate, attributed on the basis of the disease free survival (DFS), and the strength of the recommendations of the Italian Association of Medical Oncology (AIOM) for any therapeutic alternatives already available. The panel then found it appropriate to use the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) criteria for the evaluation of the clinical benefit. The sum of the scores assigned to the three parameters should allow the clinical value of the drug to be defined and, consequently, the priorities for early access to be established. This multiparameter approach can also be adapted to the non-curative setting. The early access process should be reserved for first-in-class drugs and should provide for the recognition of a conditional reimbursement within 60 days, financed by a special fund. The proposal developed by the panel has the objective of starting a proactive discussion with the Italian health authority

Serum Albumin Is Inversely Associated With Portal Vein Thrombosis in Cirrhosis

We analyzed whether serum albumin is independently associated with portal vein thrombosis (PVT) in liver cirrhosis (LC) and if a biologic plausibility exists. This study was divided into three parts. In part 1 (retrospective analysis), 753 consecutive patients with LC with ultrasound-detected PVT were retrospectively analyzed. In part 2, 112 patients with LC and 56 matched controls were entered in the cross-sectional study. In part 3, 5 patients with cirrhosis were entered in the in vivo study and 4 healthy subjects (HSs) were entered in the in vitro study to explore if albumin may affect platelet activation by modulating oxidative stress. In the 753 patients with LC, the prevalence of PVT was 16.7%; logistic analysis showed that only age (odds ratio [OR], 1.024; P = 0.012) and serum albumin (OR, -0.422; P = 0.0001) significantly predicted patients with PVT. Analyzing the 112 patients with LC and controls, soluble clusters of differentiation (CD)40-ligand (P = 0.0238), soluble Nox2-derived peptide (sNox2-dp; P &lt; 0.0001), and urinary excretion of isoprostanes (P = 0.0078) were higher in patients with LC. In LC, albumin was correlated with sCD4OL (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient [r(s)], -0.33; P &lt; 0.001), sNox2-dp (r(s), -0.57; P &lt; 0.0001), and urinary excretion of isoprostanes (r(s), -0.48; P &lt; 0.0001) levels. The in vivo study showed a progressive decrease in platelet aggregation, sNox2-dp, and urinary 8-iso prostaglandin F2 alpha-III formation 2 hours and 3 days after albumin infusion. Finally, platelet aggregation, sNox2-dp, and isoprostane formation significantly decreased in platelets from HSs incubated with scalar concentrations of albumin. Conclusion: Low serum albumin in LC is associated with PVT, suggesting that albumin could be a modulator of the hemostatic system through interference with mechanisms regulating platelet activation

Potamobates anchicaya J. Polhemus & D. Polhemus 1995

Potamobates anchicaya J. Polhemus & D. Polhemus, 1995 Examined material: Esmeraldas prov. Montalvo, La Mayronga, N 00° 53 ’ 27 ’’ W 79 ° 13 ’ 2.5 ’’, 95 m, 2 ɗɗ 2 ΨΨ,legit F. M. Buzzetti & G. Carotti, coll. FMB; same data, 2 ɗɗ 2 ΨΨ, coll. ZMUC. Potamobates anchicaya is known from Panama and western Colombia (Polhemus & Polhemus, 1995). We now record it also from northwestern Ecuador, a record that represents its southernmost distribution limit.Published as part of Buzzetti, Filippo Maria, 2006, The genus Potamobates Champion in Ecuador, with description of P. shuar n. sp. (Hemiptera: Gerridae), pp. 51-56 in Zootaxa 1306 on page 52, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17372

A new species of Incanotus Beier from Ecuador

Incanotus mariaelenae sp. n. from Ecuadorean Amazon is described. The male is characterized by having modified cerci with a basal portion subhemispherical and a latero-distal tooth. Female for subgenital plate with hind wide lobes. An updated identification key for the genus is provided

Potamobates shuar Buzzetti, 2006, n. sp.

Potamobates shuar n. sp. Diagnosis: Potamobates shuar is morphologically similar to P. anchicaya, but differs in having a single lateral spine on the right side of the male’s VIII abdominal segment (Fig. 2 A). In P. anchicaya the male has two lateral spines on the right side of the VIII abdominal segment. In the female P. shuar, the connexiva (Fig. 1 C) almost join at the level of the last two abdominal segments, whereas in the P. anchicaya female the connexiva are well separated all along the abdomen. Description: Apterous male (Holotypus): Ground color shining black, body covered with very dense, short, dark pubescence; head entirely creamy white except vertex and hind margin (Fig. 1 D); pronotum with wedge­shaped and anteriorly pointing creamy white marking medially (Fig. 1 D); mesonotum black with three differently shaped creamy white longitudinal stripes (Fig. 1 D); abdomen black, pleurae ventrally and all sternites creamy white. Bright pubescence present on propleurae, posterolateral corners of mesonotum, mesocoxae, lateral sides of metanotum, metacoxae, and lateral of abdominal tergites I–VII. Length of head (1) more than twice the narrowest interocular space (0.35); width of eye 0.5; eyes extending posteriorly 1 / 5 onto propleura. Rostrum not reaching hind margin of prosternum. Pronotum wider (1.95) than long (0.95). Mesonotum long if compared with thoracical segments 2.85, widest across mosocoxae (2.5). Metanotum short if compared with other thoracical segments 0.85, widest across metacoxae (2.45). Abdomen short if compared with whole body, its length excluding genital segments 2.45, genital segments longer than abdomen (3.15). Tergites II–V subequal in length (0.2–0.3), tergite I 0.45, tergite VI 0.35, tergite VII 0.7, tergite VIII the longest (2.15). Tergite VII with angulated connexiva, these not produced and ventrally emarginated in middle. Tergite VIII (Fig. 2 A) modified, right lateral side bearing single stout spine rising from more or less defined lobe. In dorsal view hind margin of this tergite bent, wright side longer than left. Pygophore rotated 90 ° on left, proctiger bearing long, apically widened lateral process on left side, this visible in ventral view (Fig. 2 A). Antennae entirely black. Antennomere I longest (1.95), antennomeres II–IV: 0.65, 0.6, 0.9. Fore femur creamy white with inner­ventral black stripe, fore tibia and tarsi black. Mid and hind legs proximally dark brown to distally brown; segments length (femur, tibia, tarsus I, tarsus II): fore legs, 2.65, 2.5, 0.2, 0.55, mid, 9.93, 6.1, 2.9, 0.8, hind, 10.12, 5.0, 0.45, 0.2. Body length 8.1 (mean 8.05 with the 11 male paratypi). Apterous female (Allotypus): Body more robust than male, coloration similar to that of male. Connexiva almost joining at level of two last abdominal segments, produced posteriorly into long slender embracing lobes (Fig. 1 C). Body length 8.5. Macropterous male and female unknown. Derivatio nominis: P. shuar n. sp. is named after the Shuar tribe, which inhabits southern Ecuadorean Amazon. Examined material: (1 male Holotypus, 1 female Allotypus, 11 male Paratypi) Morona Santiago prov., Bomboiza, 800 m., 22.III.2004, 12ɗɗ 1 Ψ, legit. G. Carotti & P. Tirello. All material is in coll. FMB except holotypus and 2 paratypi in coll. ZMUC and 2 paratypi in coll. PUCE.Published as part of Buzzetti, Filippo Maria, 2006, The genus Potamobates Champion in Ecuador, with description of P. shuar n. sp. (Hemiptera: Gerridae), pp. 51-56 in Zootaxa 1306 on pages 52-54, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17372

Hydrometra argentina Berg 1879

Hydrometra argentina Berg, 1879 Hydrometra argentina Berg 1879: 182. Hydrometra mensor White 1879: 267. Limnobates chilensis Reed 1901: 70. Hydrometra kirkaldyana Torre-Bueno 1926: 104. Hydrometra husseyi Torre-Bueno 1926: 111. H. argentina: Moreira et al. 2009: 70. Material examined. ECUADOR: Manabi, Puerto Lopez, Aguas Blancas, ex aguas sulfureas, 24.XI. 2006, G. Onore legit, 1 3 macropterous, FMB. Notes. Described from Argentina, this species is widespread in South and Central America. This is the first record of this species in Ecuador.Published as part of Cianferoni, Fabio & Buzzetti, Filippo Maria, 2012, The genus Hydrometra Latreille in Ecuador with description of a new species (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Gerromorpha: Hydrometridae), pp. 55-62 in Zootaxa 3274 on page 56, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.21398