The fungus Nectria aurantiicola Berk. et Br. (Fusarium larvarum Fuckel) a biocontrol agent of the armored scale Suturaspis archangelskyae (Lindinger) in Apulia (Southern Italy)

Suturaspis archangelskyae [(Lindinger) 1929] (Homoptera, Diaspididae), an armored scale insect collected in Apulia (Italy) on Prunus dulcis (Miller) D. A. Webb (=almond) and Prunus webbii (Spach) Vierh., is reported to be infected by Fusarium larvarum Fuckel. The cycle of the fungus, as studied on female lineage of S. archangelskyae, shows mycelium in August and September, orange sporodochia from November to March, while mature red perithe- cia of the teleomorph Nectria aurantiicola Berk. et Br. are observed since middle January up to the first half of February. The fungus survives during the hot dry season as mycelium in the dead body of the host. The fungus is able to kill about 50% of the scales and spreads among demes by conidia carried on crawlers. Both varieties, the creamy var. larvarum Fuckel and the carmine-red var. rubrum Gerlach, are found on natural infected scales. The male progeny of S. archangelskyae seems not to be affected by the fungus. Ascospores are observed as well, but their role in pathogenesis remains unknown. Fusarium larvarum seems to be the main “natural” biocontrol agent (sensu Rosen et DeBach, 1990) of S. archangelskyae in Apulia. Key words: semi-arid (mediterranean) habitat, entomopathogens, pathogenic symbiosis, armo- red scale, coccids, Cheyletidae (Acari preying crawlers), biology, Puglia. NECTRIA AURANTIICOLA BERK. ET BR. (FUSARIUM LARVARUM FUCKEL) ANTAGONISTA DI SUTURASPIS ARCHANGEL- SKYAE (LINDINGER) IN PUGLIA (ITALIA MERIDIONALE) Gli autori descrivono la simbiosi fra un fungo entomopatogeno, Fusarium larvarum Fuckel (teleomorfo Nectria aurantiicola Berk. et Br.), ed il diaspino Suturaspis archangelskyae (Lindinger, 1929) su Prunus dulcis (Miller) D. A. Webb e P. webbii (Spach) Vierh. presso “Castel del Monte” (Andria, BA) ed in numerose località della Puglia. Sono state osservate le modalità di disseminazione del fungo ed il procedere dell’infezione, che culmina con l’uccisione delle cocciniglie prima che queste possano riprodursi. Durante i mesi invernali il fungo produce sporodochi reniformi di colore arancio, ricchi di conidi falciformi, e periteci globoso-piriformi di colore rosso arancio, contenenti le ascospore. Il fungo risulta essere il principale fattore biotico limitante del diaspino del quale uccide le femmine adulte. Esso sembra suscettibile di utilizzo come agente di controllo biologico per inoculazione od incremento, sempre che vengano assicurati a fondo i fattori, ecologici che regolano l’infezione. Aspetto favorevole all’uso di F. larvarum nelle regioni temperate è la sua predilezione per le temperature moderate. Non è stato possibile chiarire il ruolo delle ascospore nella diffusione del fungo. Parole chiave: mandorlo, habitat semi-aridi (mediterranei), coccoidei, Cheyletidae (Acari predatori di neanidi)

Pro Deo et Patria: forward Sons of Italy! "Congedo Giuseppe di Galatina, sacerdote in New York" tra emigrazione e fascismo

EnThe experience of Giuseppe Maria Congedo (1883-1954), a priest from Galatina who arrived in New York in 1905, fits into the context of the massive Italian emigration to the United States in the years 1880-1915. Italians, stigmatized as genetically inferior, are not only despised but also considered dangerous because they are mafia or 'subversive' of the democratic order, as anarchists and socialists. The "red scare" rages against them, the fear of a possible Bolshevik revolution leading to numerous arrests in a climate of strong tension, which also affects the parish of the "Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary" of father Congedo, where a bomb. To mistrust and prejudice, Don Congedo opposes his educational mission of Italian children in the parish school to facilitate their insertion into American society. The Fascist regime does not escape the propaganda value of the work of Congedo, which is invited several times to take his students to Italy on a reward trip. Congedo was awarded a gold medal for his merits in the "dissemination of Italian culture". Efficient and pragmatic, he has an attitude towards Mussolini not unlike that of the many Italian-Americans who sympathize with the dictatorship, simply because fascism was able to make patriotic pride a response to national humiliations.ItL'esperienza di Giuseppe Maria Congedo (1883-1954), sacerdote di Galatina approdato a New York nel 1905, si inserisce nel contesto della imponente emigrazione italiana negli Stati Uniti degli anni 1880-1915. Gli Italiani, stigmatizzati come geneticamente inferiori, vengono non solo disprezzati ma considerati anche pericolosi perché mafiosi o 'sovversivi' dell'ordine democratico, in quanto anarchici e socialisti. Contro di loro infuria la "red scare", la paura di una possibile rivoluzione bolscevica conducendo a numerosi arresti in un clima di forte tensione, che tocca anche la parrocchia dei "Sacri Cuori di Gesù e Maria" di don Giuseppe, dove viene trovata una bomba. Alla diffidenza e al pregiudizio, don Congedo oppone la sua missione educativa dei ragazzi italiani nella scuola parrocchiale per facilitarne l'inserimento nella società americana. Al regime fascista non sfugge il valore propagandistico dell'opera di Congedo che viene invitato più volte a condurre, in viaggio premio, i suoi studenti in Italia. Congedo è insignito di medaglia d'oro per i suoi meriti nella "diffusione della cultura italiana". Efficiente e pragmatico, egli ha verso Mussolini un atteggiamento non dissimile da quello dei tanti italo-americani simpatizzanti della dittatura, semplicemente perché il fascismo seppe fare dell'orgoglio patriottico una risposta alle umiliazioni nazionali

Pro Deo et Patria: forward Sons of Italy! "Congedo Giuseppe di Galatina, sacerdote in New York" tra emigrazione e fascismo

EnThe experience of Giuseppe Maria Congedo (1883-1954), a priest from Galatina who arrived in New York in 1905, fits into the context of the massive Italian emigration to the United States in the years 1880-1915. Italians, stigmatized as genetically inferior, are not only despised but also considered dangerous because they are mafia or 'subversive' of the democratic order, as anarchists and socialists. The "red scare" rages against them, the fear of a possible Bolshevik revolution leading to numerous arrests in a climate of strong tension, which also affects the parish of the "Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary" of father Congedo, where a bomb. To mistrust and prejudice, Don Congedo opposes his educational mission of Italian children in the parish school to facilitate their insertion into American society. The Fascist regime does not escape the propaganda value of the work of Congedo, which is invited several times to take his students to Italy on a reward trip. Congedo was awarded a gold medal for his merits in the "dissemination of Italian culture". Efficient and pragmatic, he has an attitude towards Mussolini not unlike that of the many Italian-Americans who sympathize with the dictatorship, simply because fascism was able to make patriotic pride a response to national humiliations.ItL'esperienza di Giuseppe Maria Congedo (1883-1954), sacerdote di Galatina approdato a New York nel 1905, si inserisce nel contesto della imponente emigrazione italiana negli Stati Uniti degli anni 1880-1915. Gli Italiani, stigmatizzati come geneticamente inferiori, vengono non solo disprezzati ma considerati anche pericolosi perché mafiosi o 'sovversivi' dell'ordine democratico, in quanto anarchici e socialisti. Contro di loro infuria la "red scare", la paura di una possibile rivoluzione bolscevica conducendo a numerosi arresti in un clima di forte tensione, che tocca anche la parrocchia dei "Sacri Cuori di Gesù e Maria" di don Giuseppe, dove viene trovata una bomba. Alla diffidenza e al pregiudizio, don Congedo oppone la sua missione educativa dei ragazzi italiani nella scuola parrocchiale per facilitarne l'inserimento nella società americana. Al regime fascista non sfugge il valore propagandistico dell'opera di Congedo che viene invitato più volte a condurre, in viaggio premio, i suoi studenti in Italia. Congedo è insignito di medaglia d'oro per i suoi meriti nella "diffusione della cultura italiana". Efficiente e pragmatico, egli ha verso Mussolini un atteggiamento non dissimile da quello dei tanti italo-americani simpatizzanti della dittatura, semplicemente perché il fascismo seppe fare dell'orgoglio patriottico una risposta alle umiliazioni nazionali

Different Molecular Signatures in Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Staged Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy Muscles

Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is one of the most common muscular dystrophies and is characterized by a non-conventional genetic mechanism activated by pathogenic D4Z4 repeat contractions. By muscle Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) we observed that T2-short tau inversion recovery (T2-STIR) sequences identify two different conditions in which each muscle can be found before the irreversible dystrophic alteration, marked as T1-weighted sequence hyperintensity, takes place. We studied these conditions in order to obtain further information on the molecular mechanisms involved in the selective wasting of single muscles or muscle groups in this disease

Management of Cerebral Venous Thrombosis Due to Adenoviral COVID-19 Vaccination

Objective Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) caused by vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) is a rare adverse effect of adenovirus-based severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines. In March 2021, after autoimmune pathogenesis of VITT was discovered, treatment recommendations were developed. These comprised immunomodulation, non-heparin anticoagulants, and avoidance of platelet transfusion. The aim of this study was to evaluate adherence to these recommendations and its association with mortality. Methods We used data from an international prospective registry of patients with CVT after the adenovirus-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. We analyzed possible, probable, or definite VITT-CVT cases included until January 18, 2022. Immunomodulation entailed administration of intravenous immunoglobulins and/or plasmapheresis. Results Ninety-nine patients with VITT-CVT from 71 hospitals in 17 countries were analyzed. Five of 38 (13%), 11 of 24 (46%), and 28 of 37 (76%) of the patients diagnosed in March, April, and from May onward, respectively, were treated in-line with VITT recommendations (p < 0.001). Overall, treatment according to recommendations had no statistically significant influence on mortality (14/44 [32%] vs 29/55 [52%], adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 0.43, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.16-1.19). However, patients who received immunomodulation had lower mortality (19/65 [29%] vs 24/34 [70%], adjusted OR = 0.19, 95% CI = 0.06-0.58). Treatment with non-heparin anticoagulants instead of heparins was not associated with lower mortality (17/51 [33%] vs 13/35 [37%], adjusted OR = 0.70, 95% CI = 0.24-2.04). Mortality was also not significantly influenced by platelet transfusion (17/27 [63%] vs 26/72 [36%], adjusted OR = 2.19, 95% CI = 0.74-6.54). Conclusions In patients with VITT-CVT, adherence to VITT treatment recommendations improved over time. Immunomodulation seems crucial for reducing mortality of VITT-CVT. ANN NEUROL 2022Peer reviewe

Sex differences in cerebral venous sinus thrombosis after adenoviral vaccination against COVID-19

Introduction: Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis associated with vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (CVST-VITT) is a severe disease with high mortality. There are few data on sex differences in CVST-VITT. The aim of our study was to investigate the differences in presentation, treatment, clinical course, complications, and outcome of CVST-VITT between women and men. Patients and methods: We used data from an ongoing international registry on CVST-VITT. VITT was diagnosed according to the Pavord criteria. We compared the characteristics of CVST-VITT in women and men. Results: Of 133 patients with possible, probable, or definite CVST-VITT, 102 (77%) were women. Women were slightly younger [median age 42 (IQR 28–54) vs 45 (28–56)], presented more often with coma (26% vs 10%) and had a lower platelet count at presentation [median (IQR) 50x109/L (28–79) vs 68 (30–125)] than men. The nadir platelet count was lower in women [median (IQR) 34 (19–62) vs 53 (20–92)]. More women received endovascular treatment than men (15% vs 6%). Rates of treatment with intravenous immunoglobulins were similar (63% vs 66%), as were new venous thromboembolic events (14% vs 14%) and major bleeding complications (30% vs 20%). Rates of good functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale 0-2, 42% vs 45%) and in-hospital death (39% vs 41%) did not differ. Discussion and conclusions: Three quarters of CVST-VITT patients in this study were women. Women were more severely affected at presentation, but clinical course and outcome did not differ between women and men. VITT-specific treatments were overall similar, but more women received endovascular treatment.</p

Ragguagli "dello stato del Giappone e della China": testimonianze dei missionari gesuiti salentini Francesco Perez Mogavero e Sabatino de Ursis

EnThe essay deals with the missionary experience of two Jesuits born in Ruffano, Lecce, Francesco Perez Mogavero (1551-1602) and Sabatino de Ursis (1575 -1620). Through their letters, but mainly on some extracts of the one that de Ursis sent from Macao on 21/01/1605 in Lecce, the historical events of the Catholic Church in Japan and China are reconstructed, contextualized within the process of unification in act in Japan between the end of the 16th and the beginning of the 18th century.The recipient of de Ursis's letter is Bernardino Realino (1530-1616), the holy founder of the Society of Jesus in Lecce (1574).ItLo scritto riprende l'esperienza missionaria di due gesuiti nati a Ruffano, Lecce, Francesco Perez Mogavero (1551-1602) e Sabatino de Ursis (1575-1620). Attraverso le loro lettere, ma principalmente su alcuni estratti della missiva che de Ursis invia da Macao il 21/01/1605 a Lecce, si ricostruiscono le vicende storiche della chiesa cattolica in Giappone e in Cina, contestualizzate all'interno del processo di unificazione in atto in Giappone tra la fine del XVI e l'inizio del XVIII secolo. Il destinatario della lettera di de Ursis è Bernardino Realino (1530-1616) il santo fondatore della Compagnia di Gesù a Lecce (1574)

Echi leonardeschi nella Cina dei Ming: l'idraulica occidentale del missionario salentino Sabatino de Ursis

EnThe essay starts from an article by Ladislao Reti of 1963, Francesco di Giorgio Martini's Treatise on Engineering and Its Plagiarists, in which the contribution of this important fifteenth century architect to later scholars is obscured: among these the most striking case is certainly that of Leonardo. Reti also, among the various real or alleged plagiarists of Giorgio Martini, mentions the Jesuit from Salento Sabatino de Ursis (1575-1620), an extraordinary figure of missionary scientist in China. Moral heir of Matteo Ricci, de Ursis had important merits especially in astronomy and geography, he was a theologian, architect, botanist, technologist. Among his works, written in mandarin chinese, the authors of the essay examine the Treatise on hydraulic pumps, or Western hydraulics (Tai xi shui fa), with a careful and powerful bibliographic reconstruction. The authors want to show how de Ursis certainly had knowledge of Leonardo's acquisitions, which the Jesuit permeated in his Chinese studies. Trait d'union between the two cultures, were the Arab and Persian astronomers who in the Yuan era (1279-1368), in the service of the Khan, contributed enormously to the scientific and cultural progress of the Mongol empire. In this way, de Ursis, like so many mathematical and physical missionary colleagues, present in the same years in the Ming's China and mediators of the two cultures, worked an original synthesis between the ideas coming from the West and oriental wisdom.ItIl saggio prende le mosse da un articolo di Ladislao Reti del 1963, Francesco di Giorgio Martini's Treatise on Engineering and Its Plagiarists, nel quale si adombra il contributo dato da questo importante architetto del Quattrocento agli studiosi venuti successivamente: fra questi il caso più eclatante è certamente quello di Leonardo Da Vinci. Reti inoltre, fra i vari veri o presunti plagiari di di Giorgio Martini, cita il gesuita salentino Sabatino de Ursis (1575-1620), straordinaria figura di scienziato missionario in Cina. Erede morale di Matteo Ricci, de Ursis ebbe importanti meriti soprattutto in campo astronomico e geografico, fu teologo, architetto, botanico, tecnologo. Fra le sue opere, scritte in cinese mandarino, gli autori del saggio prendono in esame il Trattato sulle pompe idrauliche, ovvero L'idraulica Occidentale (Tai xi shui fa), con una attenta e poderosa ricostruzione bibliografica. Gli autori vogliono dimostrare come de Ursis ebbe certamente conoscenza delle acquisizioni di Leonardo, che il gesuita permeò nei suoi studi cinesi. Trait d'union fra le due culture erano stati gli astronomi arabi e persiani che in epoca Yuan (1279-1368), al servizio del Khan, contribuirono enormemente al progresso scientifico e culturale dell'impero mongolo. Così de Ursis, al pari di tanti colleghi missionari matematici e fisici, presenti negli stessi anni nella Cina dei Ming e mediatori delle due culture, operò una originale sintesi fra le idee provenienti dall'Occidente e la sapienza orientale