Obstructive sleep apnea and chronic kidney disease: Open questions on a potential public health problem

Editorial, no abstrac

Conferma della presenza di Aphanius fasciatus (Valenciennes, 1821) (Cyprinodontiformes Cyprinodontidae) nel bacino idrografico del Fiume Imera Meridionale (Sicilia)

Un\u2019abbondante popolazione del Ciprinodontide autoctono Aphanius fasciatus \ue8 stata rinvenuta nel Fiume ImeraMeridionale ed in alcuni suoi affluenti. \uc9 cos\uec confermata la persistenza della specie nel sito, nonostante le pesanti alterazioni ambientali che hanno interessato il fiume e che avevano fatto ritenere A. fasciatus localmente estinto. Trattandosi di una delle poche popolazioni di Aphanius fasciatus sopravvissute nei corsi d\u2019acqua siciliani e alla luce della notevole diversit\ue0 genetica e morfologica riscontrata tra le differenti popolazioni siciliane di questo Ciprinodontide, la sopravvivenza di questa popolazione assume un\u2019importante valenza conservazionistica

Blood-pressure variability in patients with obstructive sleep apnea: current perspectives

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is often associated with hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases. Blood pressure (BP) variability is part of the assessment of cardiovascular risk. In OSA, BP variability has been studied mainly as very short-term (beat-by-beat) and short-term (24-hour BP profile) variability. BP measured on consecutive heartbeats has been demonstrated to be highly variable, due to repeated peaks during sleep, so that an accurate assessment of nocturnal BP levels in OSA may require peculiar methodologies. In 24-hour recordings, BP frequently features a "nondipping" profile, ie, <10% fall from day to night, which may increase cardiovascular risk and occurrence of major cardiovascular events in the nocturnal hours. Also, BP tends to show a large "morning BP surge", a still controversial negative prognostic sign. Increased very short-term BP variability, high morning BP, and nondipping BP profile appear related to the severity of OSA. Treatment of OSA slightly reduces mean 24-hour BP levels and nocturnal beat-by-beat BP variability by abolishing nocturnal BP peaks. In some patients OSA treatment turns a nondipping into a dipping BP profile. Treatment of arterial hypertension in OSA usually requires both antihypertensive pharmacological therapy and treatment of apnea. Addressing BP variability could help improve the management of OSA and reduce cardiovascular risk. Possibly, drug administration at an appropriate time would ensure a dipping-BP profile

First evidence of an egg-laying attempt of feral trachemys scripta (Schoepff, 1792) in sicily (lake pergusa, Italy)

First evidence of an egg-laying attempt of feral Trachemys scripta (Schoepff, 1792) in Sicily (Lake Pergusa, Italy

Dystrophin Orchestrates the Epigenetic Profile of Muscle Cells Via miRNAs

Mammalian musculature is a very robust and dynamic tissue that goes through many rounds of degeneration and regeneration in an individual’s lifetime. There is a biological program that maintains muscle progenitor cells that, when activated, give rise to intermediate myoblast progeny that consequently differentiate into mature muscle cells. Recent works have provided a picture of the role that microRNAs (miRNAs) play in maintaining aspects of this program. Intriguingly, a subset of these miRNAs is de-regulated in muscular dystrophies (MDs), a group of fatal inherited neuromuscular disorders that are often associated with deficiencies in the Dystrophin (Dys) complex. Apparently, transcriptional expression of many of the muscle specific genes and miRNAs is dependent on chromatin state regulated by the Dys–Syn–nNOS pathway. This puts Dystrophin at the epicenter of a highly regulated program of muscle gene expression in which miRNAs help to coordinate networking between multiple phases of muscle maintenance, degeneration, and regeneration. Therefore, understanding the role of miRNAs in physiology of normal and diseased muscle tissue could be useful for future applications in improving the MD therapies and could open new clinical perspectives

Cladocera (Branchiopoda, Anomopoda, Ctenopoda, and Onychopoda) from Sicilian inland waters: an updated inventory

An extensive survey aimed at updating and increasing the knowledge on species richness and distribution of Cladocera (Branchiopoda) in Sicily has been carried out in the period 2000-2004. More than 250 water bodies, mainly temporary, have been sampled on the whole Sicilian territory and the circum-Sicilian islands. This sampling effort led to the discovery of several species new to the fauna of the island and, coupled with a careful bibliographic review, allowed the realization of an updated checklist that includes 57 species definitely present on the island (only 33 were formerly known), and two more, whose actual presence in Sicily is dubious and needs confirmation. The chorological spectrum of the Sicilian cladoceran fauna shows a predominance of taxa with a wide distribution, but several others with a strictly Mediterranean range are also present. A slightly major affinity of the Sicilian cladoceran fauna with the Tunisian one, rather than with that inhabiting the water bodies of the Italian mainland, was observed. Moreover, the lack of detailed information on cladoceran species richness and composition in Tunisia does not allow to determine a definitive outline of the affinities and origins of the fauna on the island. Nevertheless, the island, located in the middle of the Mediterranean basin, represents a pivotal point in this area, characterized by high biodiversity indices