Inchiesta Sulla Dialisi Peritoneale in Italia

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Mapping Greenhouse Plastic Wastes in the West Region of Portugal

Plastic materials are used in many applications in agriculture, as greenhouse and tunnel covering films, direct coverings, shading and protective nets, irrigation pipes, fertilizers bags, pots and others. In Mediterranean countries, plastic film is the most common greenhouse covering material. Due to the direct exposure to solar radiation and wind, greenhouse plastic cover needs to be replaced every 6 to 45 months, depending on the material. The huge quantities of plastic waste produced need a proper management in order to avoid environmental and economic impacts. The plastic waste is usually recycled by special companies that collect and treat this waste material. The aim of this study was to apply Geographical Information Systems and photointerpretation techniques to evaluate the amount of plastic waste produced in one of the most important regions of greenhouse production in Portugal, the West Region specifically the Torres Vedras municipality. The methodology has integrated the characterization of the type of plastic covering material and the cartography of the greenhouses land units. It was used the Land Use Map 2007, Bing Map images and administrative boundaries to determine the geographic position and the types of greenhouses. For each administrative unit it was calculated the frequency and total greenhouses area. The identification of the type of plastic material was made by photointerpretation and direct interviews in one Company that sells material for greenhouses in Torres Vedras. The database created allowed to determine the amount of plastic used as greenhouse cover materials and to identify the needs for recycling in this area. The geodatabase produced is a first step to monitoring plastic waste production in time and space

Genetic diversity of Escherichia coli isolates from surface water and groundwater in a rural environment

The genetic characteristics among Escherichia coli strains can be grouped by origin of isolation. Then, it is possible to use the genotypes as a tool to determine the source of water contamination. The aim of this study was to define water aptitude for human consumption in a rural basin and to assess the diversity of E. coli water populations. Thus, it was possible to identify the main sources of fecal contamination and to explore linkages with the hydrogeological environment and land uses. The bacteriological analysis showed that more than 50% of samples were unfit for human consumption. DNA fingerprinting analysis by BOX-PCR indicated low genotypic diversity of E. coli isolates taken from surface water and groundwater. The results suggested the presence of a dominant source of fecal contamination. The relationship between low genotypic diversity and land use would prove that water contamination comes from livestock. The genetic diversity of E. coli isolated from surface water was less than that identified in groundwater because of the different hydraulic features of both environments. Furthermore, each one of the two big strain groups identified in this basin is located in different sub-basins, showing that hydrological dynamics exerts selective pressure on bacteria DNA.Fil: Gambero, Maria Laura. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Departamento de Microbiología e Inmunología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Blarasin, Mónica Teresa. Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto. Facultad de Cs.exactas Fisicoquimicas y Naturales. Departamento de Geologia. Cat.de Hidrogeologia; ArgentinaFil: Bettera, Susana Gertrudis. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Departamento de Microbiología e Inmunología; ArgentinaFil: Giuliano Albo, María Jesica. Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto. Facultad de Cs.exactas Fisicoquimicas y Naturales. Departamento de Geologia. Cat.de Hidrogeologia; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Implementation of the MASK-Air® App for Rhinitis and Asthma in Older Adults: MASK@Puglia Pilot Study

Introduction: MASK-air® is an app whose aim is to reduce the global burden of allergic rhinitis and asthma. A transfer of innovative practices was performed to disseminate and implement MASK-air® in European regions. The aim of the study was to examine the implementation of the MASK-air® app in older adults of the Puglia TWINNING in order to investigate (i) the rate of acceptance in this population, (ii) the reasons for refusal and (iii) the evaluation of the app after its use. Methods: All consecutive geriatric patients aged between 65 and 90 years were included by the outpatient clinic of the Bari Geriatric Immunoallergology Unit. After a 1-h training session, older adults used the app for 6 months. A 6-item questionnaire was developed by our unit to evaluate the impact of the app on the management of the disease and its treatment. Results: Among the 174 recruited patients, 102 accepted to use the app (mean age, SD: 72.4 ± 4.6 years), 6 were lost to follow-up, and 63 had a low education level. The reasons given not to use the app included lack of interest (11%), lack of access to a smartphone or tablet (53%), low computer literacy (28%), and distrust (8%). At follow-up, the overall satisfaction was high (89%), the patient considered MASK-air® “advantageous” (95%), compliance to treatment was improved (81%), and the rate of loss to follow-up had decreased to 6%. Conclusion: Older adults with a low level of education can use the MASK-air® app after a short training session

Occurrence of Mycotoxins in Extruded Commercial Cat Food

The occurrence of the most important mycotoxins (deoxynivalenol, fumonisin B1 and B2, aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, and G2, ochratoxin A, zearalenone, T-2, and HT-2 toxins) was determined in 64 extruded cat foods purchased in Italy through ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. Deoxynivalenol and fumonisins were the most common contaminants (quantified in 80 and 95% of the samples, respectively). Conversely, aflatoxins B2, G1, and G2 were not identified in any sample. Some cat foods exceeded the regulatory limit for aflatoxin B1 (n = 3) or the guidance values for zearalenone (n = 3), fumonisins (n = 2), ochratoxin A (n = 1), and T-2 (n = 1) recently established for pets in the European Union. A widespread co-occurrence of mycotoxins was observed (28, 42, and 8% of the samples contained quantifiable amounts of two, three, and four mycotoxins, respectively). This study describes criticisms regarding the mycotoxin issue in pet food and suggests an improvement of the monitoring of the pet food chain

Evaluation of Ki-67 expression in feline non-ocular melanocytic tumours

Fifty tumours located in skin (n = 33) and mucosae (n = 17) were included. Forty-eight percent and 95% of amelanotic tumours (n = 21) stained positive for Melan A and S100, respectively. Most achromic tumours were mucosal (P  5, Ki-67 > 20% and lack of treatment administration. On multivariable analysis, only tumour histotype and treatment retained prognostic significance. Conclusions Although the majority of feline NOMs behave aggressively, Ki-67 index, together with other parameters, may contribute to prognostic assessment. Prospective studies on homogeneous populations are warranted to identify reliable threshold values for this marker

Rapid molecular assay for the evaluation of clove essential oil antifungal activity against wheat common bunt

Common bunt of durum wheat (DW), Triticum turgidum L. ssp. durum (Desf.) Husn., is caused by the two closely related fungal species belonging to Tilletia genus (Tilletiales, Exobasidiomycetes, Ustilaginomycotina): Tilletia laevis Kühn (syn. T. foetida (Wallr.) Liro.) and T. caries (DC) Tul. (syn. T. tritici (Bjerk.) G. Winter). This is one of the most devastating diseases in wheat growing areas worldwide, causing considerable yield loss and reduction of wheat grains and flour quality. For these reasons, a fast, specific, sensitive, and cost-effective method for an early diagnosis of common bunt in wheat seedlings is urgent. Several molecular and serological methods were developed for diagnosis of common bunt in wheat seedlings but at late phenological stages (inflorescence) or based on conventional PCR amplification, with low sensitivity. In this study, a TaqMan Real Time PCR-based assay was developed for rapid diagnosis and quantification of T. laevis in young wheat seedlings, before tillering stage. This method, along with phenotypic analysis, was used to study conditions favoring pathogen infection and to evaluate the effectiveness of clove oil-based seed dressing in controlling the disease. The overall results showed that: i) the Real Time PCR assay was able to quantify T. laevis in young wheat seedlings after seed dressing by clove oil in different formulations, greatly reducing times of analysis. It showed high sensitivity, detecting up to 10 fg of pathogen DNA, specificity and robustness, allowing to directly analyze crude plant extracts and representing a useful tool to speed up the tests of genetic breeding for disease resistance; ii) temperature was a critical point for disease development when using wheat seeds contaminated by T. laevis spores; iii) at least one of the clove oil-based formulations tested was able to efficiently control wheat common bunt, suggesting that clove oil dressing could represent a promising tool for managing the disease, especially in sustainable farming

Preoperative Chemotherapy and Resection Margin Status in Colorectal Liver Metastasis Patients: A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis

In this article, we compared the early and long-term outcomes of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer treated with chemotherapy followed by resection with those of patients undergoing surgery first, focusing our analysis on resection margin status. Patients who underwent liver resection with curative intent for colorectal liver metastases from July 2001 to January 2018 were included in the analysis. Propensity score matching was used to reduce treatment allocation bias. The cohort comprised 164 patients; 117 (71.3%) underwent liver resection first, whereas the remaining 47 (28.7%) had preoperative chemotherapy. After a 1:1 ratio of propensity score matching, 47 patients per group were evaluated. A positive resection margin was found in 13 patients in the surgery-first group (25.5%) versus 4 (8.5%) in the preoperative chemotherapy group (P = 0.029). Postmatched logistic regression analysis showed that only preoperative chemotherapy was significantly associated with the rate of positive resection margin (odds ratio 0.24, 95% confidence interval 0.07-0.81; P = 0.022). Median follow-up was 41 months (interquartile range 8-69). Cox proportional hazard regression analysis revealed that only positive resection margin was a significant negative prognostic factor (hazard ratio 2.2, 95% CI 1.18-4.11; P = 0.014). Within the preoperative chemotherapy group, median overall survival was 40 months in R0 patients and 10 months in R1 patients (P = 0.016). Although preoperative chemotherapy in colorectal liver metastasis patients may affect the rate of positive resection margin, its impact on survival seems to be limited. In the present study, the most important prognostic factor was the resection margin status

Lysosomal dysfunction disrupts presynaptic maintenance and restoration of presynaptic function prevents neurodegeneration in lysosomal storage diseases

Lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs) are inherited diseases characterized by lysosomal dysfunction and often showing a neurodegenerative course. There is no cure to treat the central nervous system in LSDs. Moreover, the mechanisms driving neuronal degeneration in these pathological conditions remain largely unknown. By studying mouse models of LSDs, we found that neurodegeneration develops progressively with profound alterations in presynaptic structure and function. In these models, impaired lysosomal activity causes massive perikaryal accumulation of insoluble α-synuclein and increased proteasomal degradation of cysteine string protein α (CSPα). As a result, the availability of both α-synuclein and CSPα at nerve terminals strongly decreases, thus inhibiting soluble NSF attachment receptor (SNARE) complex assembly and synaptic vesicle recycling. Aberrant presynaptic SNARE phenotype is recapitulated in mice with genetic ablation of one allele of both CSPα and α-synuclein. The overexpression of CSPα in the brain of a mouse model of mucopolysaccharidosis type IIIA, a severe form of LSD, efficiently re-established SNARE complex assembly, thereby ameliorating presynaptic function, attenuating neurodegenerative signs, and prolonging survival. Our data show that neurodegenerative processes associated with lysosomal dysfunction may be presynaptically initiated by a concomitant reduction in α-synuclein and CSPα levels at nerve terminals. They also demonstrate that neurodegeneration in LSDs can be slowed down by re-establishing presynaptic functions, thus identifying synapse maintenance as a novel potentially druggable target for brain treatment in LSDs

Relevant genetic differentiation among Brazilian populations of Anastrepha fraterculus (Diptera, Tephritidae)

We used a population genetic approach to detect the presence of genetic diversity among six populations of A. fraterculus across Brazil. To this aim, we used Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) markers, which may capture the presence of differentiative processes across the genome in distinct populations. Spatial analyses of molecular variance were used to identify groups of populations that are both genetically and geographically homogeneous while also being maximally differentiated from each other. The spatial analysis of genetic diversity indicates that the levels of diversity among the six populations vary significantly on an eco-geographical basis. Particularly, altitude seems to represent a differentiating adaptation, as the main genetic differentiation is detected between the two populations present at higher altitudes and the other four populations at sea level. The data, together with the outcomes from different cluster analyses, identify a genetic diversity pattern that overlaps with the distribution of the known morphotypes in the Brazilian area.Fil: Manni, Mosè. Università degli Studi di Pavia; ItaliaFil: Lima, Kátia Manuela. Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz; BrasilFil: Rosalba Guglielmino, Carmela. Università degli Studi di Pavia; ItaliaFil: Lanzavecchia, Silvia Beatriz. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias. Centro de Investigación de Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Genética; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Juri, Marianela Lucia. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias. Centro de Investigación de Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Genética; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Vera, Maria Teresa. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Agronomía y Zootecnia; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Cladera, Jorge. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias. Centro de Investigación de Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Genética; ArgentinaFil: Scolari, Francesca. Università degli Studi di Pavia; ItaliaFil: Gomulski, Ludvik. Università degli Studi di Pavia; ItaliaFil: Bonizzoni, Mariangela. Università degli Studi di Pavia; ItaliaFil: Gasperi, Giuliano. Università degli Studi di Pavia; ItaliaFil: Gomes Silva, Janisete. Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz; BrasilFil: Malacrida, Anna Rodolfa. Università degli Studi di Pavia; Itali