Population Dynamics of Native Parasitoids Associated with the Asian Chestnut Gall Wasp (Dryocosmus kuriphilus)

Native parasitoids may play an important role in biological control. They may either support or hinder the effectiveness of introduced nonnative parasitoids released for pest control purposes. Results of a three-year survey (2011–2013) of the Asian chestnut gall wasp (ACGW) Dryocosmus kuriphilus Yasumatsu (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) populations and on parasitism rates by native indigenous parasitoids (a complex of chalcidoid hymenopterans) in Italian chestnut forests are given. Changes in D. kuriphilus gall size and phenology were observed through the three years of study. A total of 13 species of native parasitoids were recorded, accounting for fluctuating parasitism rates. This variability in parasitism rates over the three years was mainly due to the effect of Torymus flavipes (Walker) (Hymenoptera: Torymidae), which in 2011 accounted for 75% of all parasitoid specimens yet decreased drastically in the following years. This strong fluctuation may be related to climatic conditions. Besides, our data verified that parasitoids do not choose host galls based on their size, though when they do parasitize smaller ones, they exploit them better. Consequently, ACGWs have higher chances of surviving parasitism if they are inside larger galls

Changes in renal function after nephroureterectomy for upper urinary tract carcinoma: analysis of a large multicenter cohort (Radical Nephroureterectomy Outcomes (RaNeO) Research Consortium)

Purpose To investigate prevalence and predictors of renal function variation in a multicenter cohort treated with radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) for upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). Methods Patients from 17 tertiary centers were included. Renal function variation was evaluated at postoperative day (POD)-1, 6 and 12 months. Timepoints differences were Delta 1 = POD-1 eGFR - baseline eGFR; Delta 2 = 6 months eGFR - POD-1 eGFR; Delta 3 = 12 months eGFR - 6 months eGFR. We defined POD-1 acute kidney injury (AKI) as an increase in serum creatinine by >= 0.3 mg/dl or a 1.5 1.9-fold from baseline. Additionally, a cutoff of 60 ml/min in eGFR was considered to define renal function decline at 6 and 12 months. Logistic regression (LR) and linear mixed (LM) models were used to evaluate the association between clinical factors and eGFR decline and their interaction with follow-up. Results A total of 576 were included, of these 409(71.0%) and 403(70.0%) had an eGFR < 60 ml/min at 6 and 12 months, respectively, and 239(41.5%) developed POD-1 AKI. In multivariable LR analysis, age (Odds Ratio, OR 1.05, p < 0.001), male gender (OR 0.44, p = 0.003), POD-1 AKI (OR 2.88, p < 0.001) and preoperative eGFR < 60 ml/min (OR 7.58, p < 0.001) were predictors of renal function decline at 6 months. Age (OR 1.06, p < 0.001), coronary artery disease (OR 2.68, p = 0.007), POD-1 AKI (OR 1.83, p = 0.02), and preoperative eGFR < 60 ml/min (OR 7.80, p < 0.001) were predictors of renal function decline at 12 months. In LM models, age (p = 0.019), hydronephrosis (p < 0.001), POD-1 AKI (p < 0.001) and pT-stage (p = 0.001) influenced renal function variation (ss 9.2 +/- 0.7, p < 0.001) during follow-up. Conclusion Age, preoperative eGFR and POD-1 AKI are independent predictors of 6 and 12 months renal function decline after RNU for UTUC

Verbenone Affects the Behavior of Insect Predators and Other Saproxylic Beetles Differently: Trials Using Pheromone-Baited Bark Beetle Traps

In our study, we assessed the effects of verbenone, the most widely studied bark beetle aggregation inhibitor, on saproxylic beetles in a Mediterranean pine forest in Tuscany. Verbenone pouches were devised in the laboratory and then applied to Ips sexdentatus pheromone traps so that their catches could be compared to those of traps containing just the pheromone. The trial was carried out in spring–summer 2023, and insect catches were collected every two weeks. A total of 9440 beetles were collected that belonged to 32 different families and 57 species. About 80% of the captures were bark beetles, mainly Orthotomicus erosus. Beetle predators accounted for about 17% of the captures, with a total of 12 species. Some of these predator species had not yet been studied in relation to verbenone effects, like other saproxylic beetles recorded in this study. A significant reduction in captures was recorded for some beetles (e.g., I. sexdentatus and O. erosus), while for other species, no differences emerged, and in some cases, captures increased significantly when verbenone was present in the traps (i.e., Hylurgus ligniperda, Corticeus pini, and Aulonium ruficorne). The diversity of caught saproxylic beetles increased significantly in the verbenone traps, highlighting possible implications of the use of verbenone when managing bark beetle outbreaks

The revolving door syndrome in internal medicine: a study on 11,846 subjects discharged from all Internal Medicine Departments of Tuscany with diagnosis of heart failure and pneumonia

Rehospitalization is the return of a patient to a surgical or medical department within 30 days from discharge. We have limited information on the frequency and patterns of rehospitalization in Italy. Our purpose is to describe this phenomenon in Tuscany. We analyzed regional hospital discharge abstract data in Tuscany 2012, to describe 30-day all cause readmissions. We studied patients aged 18 or more (11,846) discharged with diagnoses of heart failure and pneumonia from Internal Medicine Departments. Relationships between 30-day readmission rates, demographic and clinical characteristics have been analyzed. 18% and 15% of subjects respectively discharged with diagnosis of heart failure and pneumonia were readmitted within 30 days. Risk factors significantly related to readmissions were longer length of stay, increasing number of different medications taken during the year preceding hospitalization and greater number of hospitalizations during the semester preceding admission. From the analysis of risk factors we found that frailty and complexity of patients (identified by long hospitalization stays, high number of drugs and previous admissions) are the most important factors for unplanned readmissions

Particle Swarm Optimization in SAR-based Method enabling Real-Time 3D Positioning of UHF-RFID Tags

This paper presents a particle swarm optimization (PSO) in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) methods to enable real-time 3D localization of UHF-RFID tags. The reader antennas are moved through a moving agent (e.g., unmanned aerial vehicle, unmanned ground vehicle, robot) and they collect several phase samples by resembling a synthetic array. Thanks to the PSO approach the 3D matching function of the SAR method can be calculated in a reduced number of points by keeping an acceptable localization error. A numerical analysis demonstrates the method applicability through a comparison with conventional SAR methods based on the exhaustive search (3D dense grid) of the maximum point. Localization performance is investigated when an agent is equipped with a single antenna moving along a 3D trajectory or with two reader antennas at different height running a planar trajectory. Then, an experimental campaign in indoor scenario with an RFID-equipped unmanned ground vehicle shows the method effectiveness in performing real-time 3D positioning with centimeter-order localization error

Development of a Weighted-Incidence Syndromic Combination Antibiogram (WISCA) to guide the choice of the empiric antibiotic treatment for urinary tract infection in paediatric patients: a Bayesian approach

Background To evaluate the ability of Weighted-Incidence Syndromic Combination Antibiograms (WISCA) to inform the selection of empirical antibiotic regimens for suspected paediatric community-acquired urinary tract infections. Methods Data were collected from outpatients (< 15 years) accessing the emergency rooms of Padua University-Hospital and Mestre Dell' Angelo-Hospital (Venice) between January 1st, 2016, and December 31st, 2018. WISCAs were developed by estimating the coverage of eight regimens using a Bayesian hierarchical model adjusted for age, sex, and previous antibiotic treatment or renal/urological comorbidities. Results 385 of 620 urine culture requests were included in the model analysis. The most frequently observed bacterium was E. coli (85% and 87%, Centre A and B). No centre effect on coverage estimates was found, and data were successfully pooled together. Coverage ranged from 77.8% (Co-trimoxazole) to 97.6% (Carbapenems). Complex cases and males had significantly lower odds of being covered by a regimen than non-complex cases and females (odds ratio (OR) 0.49 [95% HDI, 0.38-0.65], and OR: 0.73 [95% HDIs, 0.56-0.96] respectively). Children aged 3-5 years had lower odds of being covered by a regimen than other age groups, except for neonates. Conclusions The developed WISCAs provide highly informative estimates on coverage patterns overcoming the limitation of combination antibiograms and expanding the framework of previous Bayesian WISCA algorithm

Patterns and Predictors of Optimal Surgical and Functional Outcomes after Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate (HoLEP): Introducing the Concept of “Trifecta”

Purpose: The present study sought to provide reproducible and patient-oriented metrics to assess the rate of “successful” outcomes (Trifecta) following holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP). Clinical and surgical predictors of failure to achieve Trifecta were investigated. Materials and Methods: We queried our prospectively collected database of all patients treated with HoLEP between March 2017 and January 2021. Trifecta was defined as the contemporary presence of: (1) no postoperative complication within 3 months; (2) no urinary incontinence at 3-months follow-up; and (3) 3-month postoperative max flow-rate >15 mL/s. Cases were grouped according to Trifecta achievement. All surgical procedures were carried out by a single surgeon. Surgical experience was divided into two different eras according to the number of procedures conducted (surgical era). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to assess predictors of Trifecta failure. Results: Overall 305 patients were included. Of these, 192 patients (63.0%) achieved Trifecta. Preoperative patient-related features were comparable between the two groups, except for a higher post-void residual (PVR) in non-Trifecta patients (median 180 vs. 130 mL, p=0.003). A significant proportion of Trifecta patients (88.5%) were treated in the second surgical era and in 126 (65.6%) cases an en-bloc enucleation was performed. Multivariate analysis confirmed PVR ≥250 mL, first surgical era and standard three-lobes enucleation technique as independent predictors of Trifecta failure. Conclusions: In our experience the rate of “successful” HoLEP, defined according to our newly introduced Trifecta metric, was 63.0%. We demonstrated that surgical strategy together with rising experience and baseline PVR are key elements to forecast the outcomes

Impact of the Treatment of <i>Serenoa repens</i>, <i>Solanum lycopersicum</i>, <i>Lycopene</i> and <i>Bromelain</i> in Combination with Alfuzosin for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia. Results from a Match-Paired Comparison Analysis

Background: Phytotherapeutic agents aroused an increasing interest either as alternative or in addition to conventional therapy in the management of BPH. The aim of the article was to evaluate the clinical and functional changes after add-on treatment with Serenoa repens associated with Solanum lycopersicum, lycopene and bromelain in patients with BPH presenting with mild to moderate LUTS and previously treated only with Alfuzosin over a 6–12 months period. Materials and methods: Between January and July 2019, patients with symptomatic BPH already on treatment with Alfuzosin (Al) 10 mg for at least 6–12-month were enrolled at three academic referral centres, included in a prospective treatment group, and managed with a combination treatment of Al and 6-month daily oral single-tablet supplementation of Serenoa repens and Solanum lycopersicum + lycopene + bromelain (SeR + SL + Ly + Br). A retrospective control group with comparable baseline characteristics was obtained by performing a propensity score matching from a database of 434 patients managed with Alfuzosin 10 mg/day only over a 6–12 months period between March 2015 and December 2018. IPSS, QoL questionnaires, voiding diary assessment, postvoid residual volume (PVR), maximal (Qmax) and average (Qave) urinary flow rates were evaluated at baseline in the treatment group at the moment of patient accrual, in the control group after 6-month of treatment with alfuzosin, and thereafter at 3 and 6 months in both groups. Results: Overall, 250 patients entered the study (n = 125 treatment group; n = 125 control group). Total IPSS score significantly decreased at 6-month assessment from baseline in the treatment vs control group (17 [IQR: 12–20] vs 12 [IQR: 9–14], p = 0.02) with a significative storage symptoms improvement detected both at 3- (p = 0.03) and 6-month evaluation (p = 0.001). PVR significantly improved at each follow-up visit with the most relevant reduction at 6-month assessment (125 cc vs. 102 cc; p = 0.02). Moreover, a significative improvement in LUTS-related quality of life (QoL) was recorded at 3- and 6-month assessment with a median decrease of −1 and −2 (p = 0.05 and p = 0.001 respectively) from baseline. Conclusions: Combination treatment with AB and SeR + SL + Ly + Br led to meaningful improvements in LUTS severity compared to AB as monotherapy, after a 6-month treatment period in men with mild to moderate LUTS/BPH