New records of springtails (Collembola) from Sicily, Italy

Along with some studies on soil fauna in various Sicilian sites, both agricultural lands and typical Mediterranean habitats, particular attention was paid to the Collembolan. Specifc identifcation allowed to assess the occurrence in Sicily of 39 species not previously recorded, belonging to 10 families: Hypogastruridae (six species), Brachystomellidae (one species), Neanuridae (fve species), Onychiuridae (three species), Tullbergiidae (seven species), Isotomidae (nine species), Entomobryidae (three species), Cyphoderidae (one species), Dicyrtomidae (one species), and Katiannidae (one species). Of these 39 species, 21 are new also for Italy. Furthermore, this is the frst record of the genus Doutnatcia Rusek, 1974 for the fauna of Italy. The discovery of such a number of new species for Sicily (i.e. 35 % of those known) and Italy by sampling a limited number of habitats, shows that the knowledge relating to this group of arthropods in Sicily is still very scarce

New species of Entomobrya from Etna Mountain, Sicily (Collembola, Entomobryomorpha)

A new species of the genus Entomobrya Rondani, 1861 (Collembola, Entomobryidae) from Mount Etna in eastern Sicily is described. Entomobrya siciliana n. sp. is separated from all other known species by the following combination of characters: characteristic colour pattern, ratio antennae/head length ≈ 2, apical vesicle bilobated, labral papillae almost smooth, with two small projections on central ones, claw with 4 internal teeth and empodium with serrate external edge (leg III). The macrochaetotaxy is described. For the identification and description of these species we used the set of characters proposed by JORDANA and BAQUERO (2005)

Autopsy findings of fatal retroperitoneal hemorrhage after traumatic rupture of bilateral renal angiomyolipoma

the present work reports the autopsy findings of a unique case characterized by fatal retroperitoneal hemorrhage following the traumatic rupture of bilateral renal angiomyolipomas. renal angiomyolipomas are generally benign tumors with an unpredictable clinical course, ranging from asymptomatic to sudden rupture and hemorrhagic shock. they may be associated with genetic disorders such as tuberous sclerosis complex. the case under investigation is unprecedented in the medical literature due to its bilateral nature and fatal outcome. autopsy analysis revealed an extensive retroperitoneal hemorrhage originating from bilateral ruptured tumors. microscopic examination found features consistent with bilateral renal angiomyolipoma. circumstantial information identified a traffic accident before the death, considering it as the cause of the tumors' traumatic rupture. In this case, due to the severity of the situation, immediate medical measures-such as fluid resuscitation, coagulopathy correction, and surgical treatment, which are usually lifesaving-could not be performed. this led to the patient being declared dead at the scene of the crash

Health Management in Italian prisons during Covid 19 OUTBREAK: a focus on the second and third wave

The SARS-CoV-2 spread is a threatening and challenging issue for correctional systems worldwide because of many factors, particularly overcrowding and of the intrinsic characteristics of the population. The prevention measures adopted by the Italian Government were aimed to protect and preserve both inmates’ and prison workers’ health. The present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the adopted strategies. Methods: Data regarding Italian prisons’ occupation and prisoners’ population from January 2019 to June 2021, as well as the cumulative weekly increase of confirmed cases and the number of doses of vaccine administered among the population of inmates, the prison workers, and Italian population from November 2020 to the end of June 2021, were collected. Results: Prisons’ occupation dropped from 120% to 106% after the beginning of the pandemics. The confirmed cases between inmates were consistently lower than among the Italian population and prison workers. A time-series chart showed a time lag of one week between the peaks of the different population. Conclusions: The containing strategies adopted by the Italian correctional system have proved their effectiveness in terms of the prevention and protection of both inmate and staff health

Distinguishing injury patterns in fatal falls from heights versus pedestrian impacts: an autopsy study for differential diagnosis in ambiguous cases

this study investigated the injury patterns associated with fatal falls from heights compared to individuals struck by cars, aiming to enhance the differential diagnosis in ambiguous cases, where it is unclear whether the body fell from nearby building or was left on the street following a road traffic incident. a retrospective review of comprehensive forensic reports from the Institute of legal medicine of the university of rome "tor vergata" between 2012 and 2023 was conducted. the analysis included 232 cases, gathering data on internal organ injuries, skeletal fractures, external skin injuries, as well as pleural, peritoneal, and pericardial effusions. bilateral lung injuries were significantly more common in falls from height (33.3%) compared to pedestrians (13.6%, p < 0.001). liver injuries also occurred more frequently in fall victims (49.6%) than in pedestrians (28.2%, p < 0.001). skull fractures were more frequent in falls from height (68.2%) versus individuals struck by cars (55.3%, p = 0.044), while unilateral leg fractures were more common in pedestrians (28.2%) compared to fall victims (16.3%, p = 0.029). external injuries, notably to the head and legs, were more frequent in pedestrians. the "total Injured skin area" analysis revealed a significant discriminative power with an optimal cut-off of 84.2 cm(2), suggesting that injuries exceeding this threshold may be indicative of a pedestrian road fatality

Grasslands and shrublands of the Mediterranean region

The Mediterranean Region extends to the 1.6% of the world's land surface and more than the half of the Mediterranean-type ecosystems of the world. The remarkable species richness in the Mediterranean Region mainly originates from an exceptional habitat diversity and the presence of several natural barriers facilitating the segregation and differentiation of local taxa and biocoenoses. In this article, we deal with the habitats characterized by grasslands and shrublands that clearly show the adaptations to what could be called "the Mediterranean syndrome", i.e., the intrazonal Mediterranean grasslands and shrublands (MG&S). The main driving forces of the adaptive radiation and high biodiversity that characterize the MG&S are geographical segregation and appearance of new lands, climatic variability, substrate heterogeneity, species-specific plant-animal interactions and short generation times. MG&S are of paramount importance for delivering a wide array of ecosystem services. Apart from their importance for the maintenance of biodiversity, they play a major role in providing high quality forage for both livestock and wild animals; they support communities of insects with major roles in the ecosystem services of control and pollination; they sustain apiculture, and contribute to the prevention of erosion processes and maintenance of the water cycle; they buffer the negative impacts from fertilizers and pesticides and display highly significant aesthetic and recreational values. However, major threats to the provision of ecosystem services mostly originate from climate change, and recent land use changes (such as: "coastalization," unbalanced grazing activities and abandonment of traditional practices). To mitigate the adverse effects of land use changes, the management of MG&S may be based on four principles; (a) ecosystem sustainability, (b) natural regeneration, (c) multifunctionality, and (d) protection. © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Profiling Players Involved in Overkill: An Analysis of 71 Cases in Central Italy

"Overkill" is characterized by the finding of excessive wounds on the victim's body. Despite the large use of this term, it does not have a definition in the literature yet. Our study aimed to analyze the information related to the dynamics of overkill cases, collecting objective variables, and producing a profile of the players involved in this type of homicides. Data on 71 overkill cases from reports of the autopsies performed in the Section of Legal Medicine of the University of Rome Tor Vergata from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2020 were collected. The victims and the perpetrators of overkill shared similar characteristics: they were usually male aged between 20 and 50 years, more likely in the 20-35 years range; victims however also showed another age peak in the range 50-55 years. The type of damage can be linked to the sole action of a cold weapon or the simultaneous use of multiple harmful tools with no significant differences. The most common motive proved to be a dispute for futile reasons; however, in the case of a single perpetrator of the crime, the economic and passionate motives are as frequent as the previous one. Implications of the findings and avenues for future research are discussed