Past, present and future of chamois science

The chamois Rupicapra spp. is the most abundant mountain ungulate of Europe and the Near East, where it occurs as two spe- cies, the northern chamois R. rupicapra and the southern chamois R. pyrenaica. Here, we provide a state-of-the-art overview of research trends and the most challenging issues in chamois research and conservation, focusing on taxonomy and systematics, genetics, life history, ecology and behavior, physiology and disease, management and conservation. Research on Rupicapra has a longstanding history and has contributed substantially to the biological and ecological knowledge of mountain ungulates. Although the number of publications on this genus has markedly increased over the past two decades, major differences persist with respect to knowledge of species and subspecies, with research mostly focusing on the Alpine chamois R. r. rupicapra and, to a lesser extent, the Pyrenean chamois R. p. pyrenaica. In addition, a scarcity of replicate studies of populations of different subspecies and/or geographic areas limits the advancement of chamois science. Since environmental heterogeneity impacts behavioral, physiological and life history traits, understanding the underlying processes would be of great value from both an evolutionary and conservation/management standpoint, especially in the light of ongoing climatic change. Substantial contri- butions to this challenge may derive from a quantitative assessment of reproductive success, investigation of fine-scale foraging patterns, and a mechanistic understanding of disease outbreak and resilience. For improving conservation status, resolving taxonomic disputes, identifying subspecies hybridization, assessing the impact of hunting and establishing reliable methods of abundance estimation are of primary concern. Despite being one of the most well-known mountain ungulates, substantial field efforts to collect paleontological, behavioral, ecological, morphological, physiological and genetic data on different popu- lations and subspecies are still needed to ensure a successful future for chamois research and conservation

20-Year Risks of Breast-Cancer Recurrence after Stopping Endocrine Therapy at 5 Years

The administration of endocrine therapy for 5 years substantially reduces recurrence rates during and after treatment in women with early-stage, estrogen-receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer. Extending such therapy beyond 5 years offers further protection but has additional side effects. Obtaining data on the absolute risk of subsequent distant recurrence if therapy stops at 5 years could help determine whether to extend treatment

Sicurezza e sostenibilità dell’energia nucleare da fissione: reattori veloci refrigerati a piombo

L’impiego pacifico di energia nucleare, ad oggi basato sullo sfruttamento di neutroni termici e combustibile arricchito in Uranio-235 refrigerato ad acqua, ha ben risposto alla crescente domanda di energia elettrica cui assistiamo da alcuni decenni. Tuttavia, sebbene gli standard di sicurezza già raggiunti nel settore siano sicuramente i più elevati nel mondo industriale, con i reattori attualmente operanti, le riserve di combustibile attualmente conosciute e la quantità di rifiuti nucleari attualmente prodotta, la sostenibilità a lungo termine di questa fonte di energia, nel modo in cui oggi viene impiegata, è un qualcosa su cui riflettere. I reattori di “quarta generazione” potrebbero rappresentare la valida risposta alla richiesta di un’energia nucleare da fissione che sia più sostenibile. Fra questi, appare particolarmente promettente il reattore a neutroni veloci refrigerato a piombo liquido (LFR). La progettazione di un reattore LFR dimostrativo europeo (denominato “ALFRED”) è la sfida raccolta dal progetto europeo “LEADER”, coordinato da Ansaldo Nucleare S.p.A.. Il presente articolo riassume i vantaggi offerti dai reattori LFR, descrive il reattore ALFRED e mette in evidenza i temi su cui concentrare i futuri sforzi della ricerca internazionale

Conditions determining PCR success in otter landscape genetics

Non-invasive sampling for genetic analysis using DNA from feces is a useful technique to monitor animal populations. But despite being a very promising tool, it still has some limitations and can give some problems such as low success rates of genotyped samples, contamination concerns and high microsatellite genotyping error rates. To optimize success, it is important to follow specific steps, including a stringent sample selection in the field, proper storage conditions, and choice of the optimal DNA extraction method for the study species. Furthermore, the PCR success rate could potentially be influenced by factors prior to collection, such as temperature and the diet of the species, as well as by sample storage time. Here, we investigated the effect of temperature at time of collection, average maximum temperature one week prior to collection and storage time on the amplification success rate of microsatellite DNA extracted from XX fecal samples of the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) in the Netherlands. To do this, we considered two cases: firstly, we performed a logistic regression to assess whether temperature at time of collection and/or storage time could be used to predict the genotyping success rate for one microsatellite locus, that is used as a primary selection tool for sample quality. Secondly, we considered PCR success rate as the number of successfully scored loci out of the total 13 loci used in the landscape genetic study of Dutch otters and assessed the effect of temperature at time of collection, average maximum temperatures one week prior to collection and storage time. Results showed that when considering one locus only, the amplification success rate was not influenced by temperature. However, when considering all the loci temperature at time of collection and temperature one week prior positively influenced the PCR success rate, meaning that as the temperature raised, the success rate increased. This result was contrasting most of the literature, indeed, as it would be expected, high temperatures should cause a more rapid degradation of DNA caused by higher activity of hydrolytic enzymes in feces. Probably there were outside factors (e.g. the otters\u2019 diet) that we did not control and that were confounded with temperature requiring the need for further investigation. Storage time had no effect on DNA amplification success rate in any of our tests. Our results suggest that DNA amplification success rate is influenced by many factors. Before starting a non-invasive study, it is fundamental to take into account several factors and to study to what extent each factor influences the amplification success in order to maximize the DNA amplification success rate and to reduce genotyping error rates

ATTACCO DEL MARMO DA PARTE DEI SISTEMI H2O-CO2

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Aspetti clinici ed anticorpi anti-neurone nella malattia celiaca con disordini neurologici

Gli aspetti clinici ed immunologici dei pazienti celiaci con disordini neurologici sono ancora scarsamente conosciuti. In una ampia serie di pazienti adulti con malattia celiaca abbiamo studiato la prevalenza di disordini neurologici e il loro decorso clinico, unitamente all\u2019identificazione di anticorpi anti-neurone. Sintomi neurologici sono stati indagati in 160 pazienti consecutivi (120 F, 40 M) con malattia celiaca istologicamente dimostrata. Anticorpi anti-neurone diretti contro il sistema nervoso centrale e/o enterico sono stati indagati in tutti i pazienti neurologici, in 20 pazienti celiaci senza patologia neurologica e in 20 controlli. Tredici (8%) pazienti avevano disordini neurologici, comprendenti epilessia (n = 3), disturbi dell\u2019attenzione e della memoria (n = 3), atassia cerebellare (n = 2), neuropatia periferica (n = 2), sclerosi multipla (n = 1), malattia di Moya-moya (n = 1), malattia di Steinert (n = 1). Non sono state identificate differenze significative, demografiche o cliniche (gastrointestinali o non gastrointestinali legate alla celiachia) tra pazienti con e senza coinvolgimento neurologico. In tutti i casi, eccetto due, i disordini neurologici erano antecedenti la diagnosi di celiachia. I sintomi neurologici sono migliorati o scomparsi in 7 pazienti che hanno iniziato una dieta aglutinata entro 6 mesi dall\u2019esordio neurologico e in nessuno dei 4 pazienti che l\u2019hanno iniziata pi\uf9 tardi. La prevalenza di anticorpi anti-neurone diretti contro il sistema nervoso centrale era significativamente maggiore nei pazienti neurologici (61%) rispetto agli altri pazienti (5%) (P = 0.0007) e ai controlli (0%) (P = 0.00001). La malattia celiaca pu\uf2 a volte presentarsi con l\u2019aspetto di un disordine neurologico, che pu\uf2 notevolmente migliorare quando una dieta aglutinata \ue8 iniziata prontamente. Pertanto l\u2019eventuale presenza di una malattia celiaca deve essere attentamente considerata in pazienti con atassia cerebellare, epilessia, disturbi dell\u2019attenzione e della memoria o neuropatia periferic