Webpages of Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory Library: Tools for Users and for Librarians

The present poster has a double aim. First, it wants to illustrate the organization of information resources on the new library webpage. Second,it wants to show a software utility which has simplified the librarian’s job in the maintenance of the website.The great demand for services and for information resources from userswas the main reason for changing the webpage. We analyze the development of the new home page to make it user friendly. Then, we present a practical tool. The library website has been developed using a templating tool, called the Perl Template Toolkit

Spatial behaviour of yellow-necked wood mouse Apodemus flavicollis in two sub-Mediterranean oak coppice stands

Strong mutual relationships exist between rodents and ecosystems. By modifying the structure and functioning of ecosystems, human activity can affect rodent behaviour and ecology. The yellow-necked mouse Apodemus flavicollis is widespread in Europe and its spatial ecology has been studied in various habitats, but studies are lacking for Mediterranean forests often altered by forest management practices. We investigated the spatial behaviour of A. flavicollis in a sub-Mediterranean deciduous oak forest of central Italy subject to forest management. We radio-tracked 27 individuals in two different coppice stands, i.e. a recently cut area and a high forest, differing in terms of species-specific habitat quality and rodent population density. We analysed the size of home ranges in relation to habitat type and sex. Our results revealed that home range and core area size did not differ between habitat types or sexes. The spatial behaviour of A. flavicollis thus did not appear to be influenced by population density and habitat quality. The lack of sex-related differences confirms the current knowledge on the species’ spatial ecology. Our findings provide the first useful information on the spatial behaviour of A. flavicollis in sub-Mediterranean deciduous oak forests, whose ecological processes may be markedly influenced by this key-species at several trophic levels.acceptedVersio

Sarcopenia and bone health: new acquisitions for a firm liaison

Osteosarcopenia (OS) is a newly defined condition represented by the simultaneous presence of osteopenia/osteoporosis and sarcopenia, the main age-related diseases. The simultaneous coexistence of the two phenotypes derives from the close connection of the main target tissues involved in their pathogenesis: bone and muscle. These two actors constitute the bone-muscle unit, which communicates through a biochemical and mechanical crosstalk which involves multiple factors. Altered pattern of molecular pathways leads to an impairment of both the functionality of the tissue itself and the communication with the complementary tissue, composing the OS pathogenesis. Recent advances in the genetics field have provided the opportunity to delve deeper into the complex biological and molecular mechanisms underlying OS. Unfortunately, there are still many gaps in our understanding of these pathways, but it has proven essential to apply strategies such as exercise and nutritional intervention to counteract OS. New therapeutic strategies that simultaneously target bone and muscle tissue are limited, but recently new targets for the development of dual-action drug therapies have been identified. This narrative review aims to provide an overview of the latest scientific evidence associated with OS, a complex disorder that will pave the way for future research aimed at understanding the bone-muscle-associated pathogenetic mechanisms

Persistent bradycardia after hypoglycaemia: a case report and a brief literature review

Hypoglycaemia can cause cardiac arrhythmias such as QT interval prolongation and ventricular arrhythmias. Supraventricular arrhythmias and sinus bradycardia were rarely reported. We present the clinical case of an 84- year-old man who developed a persistent bradycardia after a hypoglycaemic episode. After restoration of normoglycaemia, bradycardia persisted for almost eighteen hours, without QT prolongation or any symptoms. Hypoglycaemia is an unusual cause of bradyarrhytmias mainly mediated by neurologic and endocrine systems. Our clinical case supports recent recommendations for more relaxed inpatient glycaemic targets in frail older adults who may be particularly vulnerable to hypoglycaemia and its consequences

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with neurological disorders: an urgent need to enhance the health care system's preparedness

The major ethical issue posed by the COVID 19 pandemic are discussed with special reference to the impact on acute and chronic neurological disorder

COLAEVA: Visual Analytics and Data Mining Web-Based Tool for Virtual Coaching of Older Adult Populations

The global population is aging in an unprecedented manner and the challenges for improving the lives of older adults are currently both a strong priority in the political and healthcare arena. In this sense, preventive measures and telemedicine have the potential to play an important role in improving the number of healthy years older adults may experience and virtual coaching is a promising research area to support this process. This paper presents COLAEVA, an interactive web application for older adult population clustering and evolution analysis. Its objective is to support caregivers in the design, validation and refinement of coaching plans adapted to specific population groups. COLAEVA enables coaching caregivers to interactively group similar older adults based on preliminary assessment data, using AI features, and to evaluate the influence of coaching plans once the final assessment is carried out for a baseline comparison. To evaluate COLAEVA, a usability test was carried out with 9 test participants obtaining an average SUS score of 71.1. Moreover, COLAEVA is available online to use and explore.This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 769830

Tumor Desmóide: Relato de Caso / Desmoid Tumor: A Case Report

Mulher de 40 anos apresentou-se com história de massa torácica posterior iniciada em 2015 com crescimento progressivo. Na história pregressa apresentava lesão neurológica hipóxico isquêmica após PCR durante indução anestésica em procedimento de histerectomia em meados de 2014. Ao exame, apresentava massa fixa, lisa, de consistência firme, bem delimitada, de aproximadamente 34 x 20 x 10 cm de tamanho, localizada em região dorso cervical à esquerda. A ressonância magnética do pescoço revelou lesão expansiva, apresentando moderado ganho de sinal após administração venosa de contraste, contornos lobulados na topografia do músculo romboide esquerdo, deslocando estruturas adjacentes, sem erosão ou remodelação óssea evidente. A histopatologia revelou fibromatose. Esta, é uma neoplasia fibrosa benigna originada da fáscia, periósteo e estruturas músculo aponeuróticas do corpo. Na região da cabeça e pescoço tende a ser localmente agressiva com uma natureza de invadir estruturas ósseas e de tecidos moles.

Long-term disability trajectories in relapsing multiple sclerosis patients treated with early intensive or escalation treatment strategies

Background and aims: No consensus exists on how aggressively to treat relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) nor on the timing of the treatment. The objective of this study was to evaluate disability trajectories in RRMS patients treated with an early intensive treatment (EIT) or with a moderate-efficacy treatment followed by escalation to higher-efficacy disease modifying therapy (ESC). Methods: RRMS patients with ⩾5-year follow-up and ⩾3 visits after disease modifying therapy (DMT) start were selected from the Italian MS Registry. EIT group included patients who received as first DMT fingolimod, natalizumab, mitoxantrone, alemtuzumab, ocrelizumab, cladribine. ESC group patients received the high efficacy DMT after ⩾1 year of glatiramer acetate, interferons, azathioprine, teriflunomide or dimethylfumarate treatment. Patients were 1:1 propensity score (PS) matched for characteristics at the first DMT. The disability trajectories were evaluated by applying a longitudinal model for repeated measures. The effect of early versus late start of high-efficacy DMT was assessed by the mean annual Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) changes compared with baseline values (delta-EDSS) in EIT and ESC groups. Results: The study cohort included 2702 RRMS patients. The PS matching procedure produced 363 pairs, followed for a median (interquartile range) of 8.5 (6.5-11.7) years. Mean annual delta-EDSS values were all significantly (p < 0.02) higher in the ESC group compared with the EIT group. In particular, the mean delta-EDSS differences between the two groups tended to increase from 0.1 (0.01-0.19, p = 0.03) at 1 year to 0.30 (0.07-0.53, p = 0.009) at 5 years and to 0.67 (0.31-1.03, p = 0.0003) at 10 years. Conclusion: Our results indicate that EIT strategy is more effective than ESC strategy in controlling disability progression over time

T regulatory cells are markers of disease activity in multiple sclerosis patients

FoxP3+ Treg cells are believed to play a role in the occurrence of autoimmunity and in the determination of clinical recurrences. Contradictory reports are, however, available describing frequency and function of Treg cells during autoimmune diseases. We examined, by both polychromatic flow cytometry, and real-time RT-PCR, several Treg markers in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune disease affecting the central nervous system. We found that Tregs, as defined by CD25, CD39, FoxP3, CTLA4, and GITR expression, were significantly decreased in stable MS patients as compared to healthy donors, but, surprisingly, restored to normal levels during an acute clinical attack. We conclude that Treg cells are not involved in causing clinical relapses, but rather react to inflammation in the attempt to restore homeostasis