SUSTAINABLE CROP MANAGEMENT MODEL IN SYRIAN STRATEGIC CROPS THE EXPERIENCE OF THE COOPERATION PROJECT RATIONALIZATION OF RAS EL AIN IRRIGATION SYSTEMS

N° ISBN - 978-2-7380-1284-5International audienceThis paper reports the main results of an integrated initiative of international technical cooperation in agriculture financed by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and jointly implemented by the CIHEAM MAI Bari and the Syrian Ministries of Irrigation and of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform. The project entitled: “Rationalization of Ras El Ain Irrigation Systems” started in January 2005 and ended in March 2008. The project was aimed at addressing the problem of water resources scarcity in the project area of Ras El Ain, around the springs of Al Khabour, located in the Hassakeh province (North Mesopotamia) of the Syrian Arab Republic. During the project implementation, a real field experience was carried out involving national and international researchers, local officers and technicians, and local farmers as direct beneficiaries. An appropriate sustainable model concerning the crop management practice was elaborated to save both water resources and production inputs for cotton and wheat. In this paper the main results of this innovative cooperation approach in a multiethnic context are presented

Eye and headache: Not always an inseparable association

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Severe Milk-Alkali Syndrome in a Patient with Hypoparathyroidism Associated with 1,25(OH)2D, Hydrochlorothiazide and Anthranoid Laxative Consumption

Background: Milk-alkali syndrome is a life-threatening condition defined by the triad of hypercalcaemia, metabolic alkalosis and acute renal failure, and is associated with consumption of calcium and absorbable alkali. Methods: We report the case of a patient admitted to a step-down unit of a large hospital in Italy. Results: The patient was a 59-year-old woman with hypoparathyroidism and mild chronic kidney insufficiency, treated for a preceding episode of hypocalcaemia with high doses of calcitriol and calcium carbonate, who was also taking hydrochlorothiazide and unreported herbal anthranoid laxatives. The patient was admitted to hospital with severe hypercalcaemia, severe metabolic alkalosis and acute renal insufficiency. The patient was successfully treated with urgent dialysis, loop diuretics and calcitonin administration. Conclusions: This case underlines the need for caution when treating patients with impaired calcium metabolism regulation, and suggests that herbal anthranoid laxatives might act as triggers for milk-alkali syndrome.

Plasma Exchange for the Treatment of Transient Extreme Hypertriglyceridemia Associated with Diabetic Ketoacidosis and Acute Pancreatitis

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) can quite frequently present in association with acute pancreatitis (AP) caused by transient severe hypertriglyceridemia (HTG). Here we report the case of a patient presenting with DKA, severe HTG and AP who received urgent plasma exchange for HTG control, and who reached adequate serum triglyceride levels only after appropriate DKA management. The treatment of patients presenting with DKA and coexistent AP associated with severe HTG should focus first on appropriate DKA management. Plasma exchange as a treatment for severe HTG in patients with DKA and AP should be evaluated carefully

An RNA-seq study in Friedreich ataxia patients identified hsa-miR-148a-3p as a putative prognostic biomarker of the disease

friedreich ataxia (FRDA) is a life-threatening hereditary ataxia; its incidence is 1:50,000 individuals in the caucasian population. a unique therapeutic drug for FRDA, the antioxidant omaveloxolone, has been recently approved by the US food and drug administration (FDA). FRDA is a multi-systemic neurodegenerative disease; in addition to a progressive neurodegeneration, FRDA is characterized by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, diabetes mellitus and musculoskeletal deformities. cardiomyopathy is the predominant cause of premature death. the onset of FRDA typically occurs between the ages of 5 and 15. given the complexity and heterogeneity of clinical features and the variability of their onset, the identification of biomarkers capable of assessing disease progression and monitoring the efficacy of treatments is essential to facilitate decision making in clinical practice. we conducted an RNA-seq analysis in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from FRDA patients and healthy donors, identifying a signature of small non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs) capable of distinguishing healthy individuals from the majority of FRDA patients. among the differentially expressed sncRNAs, microRNAs are a class of small non-coding endogenous RNAs that regulate posttranscriptional silencing of target genes. In FRDA plasma samples, hsa-miR-148a-3p resulted significantly upregulated. the analysis of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, combining the circulating expression levels of hsa-miR-148a-3p and hsa-miR-223-3p (previously identified by our group), revealed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.86 (95%, confidence Interval 0.77-0.95; p-value < 0.0001). an in silico prediction analysis indicated that the IL6ST gene, an interesting marker of neuroinflammation in FRDA, is a common target gene of both miRNAs. our findings support the evaluation of combined expression levels of different circulating miRNAs as potent epi-biomarkers in FRDA. moreover, we found hsa-miR-148a-3p significantly over-expressed in Intermediate and late-onset friedreich ataxia patients' group (IOG and LOG, respectively) compared to healthy individuals, indicating it as a putative prognostic biomarker in this pathology

Drug-Induced Urolithiasis in Pediatric Patients

Drug-induced nephrolithiasis is a rare condition in children. The involved drugs may be divided into two different categories according to the mechanism involved in calculi formation. The first one includes poorly soluble drugs that favor the crystallization and calculi formation. The second category includes drugs that enhance calculi formation through their metabolic effects. The diagnosis of these specific calculi depends on a detailed medical history, associated comorbidities and the patient's history of drug consumption. There are several risk factors associated with drug-induced stones, such as high dose of consumed drugs and long duration of treatment. Moreover, there are some specific risk factors, including urinary pH and the amount of fluid consumed by children. There are limited data regarding pediatric lithogenic drugs, and hence, our aim was to perform a comprehensive review of the literature to summarize these drugs and identify the possible mechanisms involved in calculi formation and discuss the management and preventive measures for these calculi

Bone Mineral Density and Trabecular Bone Score Changes throughout Menopause in Women with HIV

Objective: The objectives of this study were to describe the trajectories of bone mineral density (BMD) and trabecular bone score (TBS) changes throughout pre-menopause (reproductive phase and menopausal transition) and post-menopause (early and late menopause) in women with HIV (WWH) undergoing different antiretroviral therapies (ARTs) and explore the risk factors associated with those changes. Methods: This was an observational longitudinal retrospective study in WWH with a minimum of two DEXA evaluations comprising BMD and TBS measurements, both in the pre-menopausal and post-menopausal periods. Menopause was determined according to the STRAW+10 criteria, comprising four periods: the reproductive period, menopausal transition, and early- and late-menopausal periods. Mixed-effects models were fitted to estimate the trajectories of the two outcomes (BMD and TBS) over time. Annualized lumbar BMD and TBS absolute and percentage changes were calculated in each STRAW+10 time window. A backward elimination procedure was applied to obtain the final model, including the predictors that affected the trajectories of BMD or TBS over time. Results: A total of 202 WWH, all Caucasian, were included. In detail, 1954 BMD and 195 TBS data were analyzed. The median number of DEXA evaluations per woman was 10 (IQR: 7, 12). The median observation periods per patient were 12.0 years (IQR = 8.9-14.4) for BMD and 6.0 years (IQR: 4.3, 7.9) for TBS. The prevalence of osteopenia (63% vs. 76%; p < 0.001) and osteoporosis (16% vs. 36%; p < 0.001) increased significantly between the pre-menopausal and post-menopausal periods. Both BMD (1.03 (±0.14) vs. 0.92 (±0.12) g/cm2; p < 0.001) and TBS (1.41 (IQR: 1.35, 1.45) vs. 1.32 (IQR: 1.28, 1.39); p < 0.001) decreased significantly between the two periods. The trend in BMD decreased across the four STRAW+10 periods, with a slight attenuation only in the late-menopausal period when compared with the other intervals. The TBS slope did not significantly change throughout menopause. The delta mean values of TBS in WWH were lower between the menopausal transition and reproductive period compared with the difference between menopause and menopausal transition. Conclusions: Both BMD and TBS significantly decreased over time. The slope of the change in BMD and TBS significantly decreased in the menopausal transition, suggesting that this period should be considered by clinicians as a key time during which to assess bone health and modifiable risk factors in WWH

Exosomes from Plasma of Neuroblastoma Patients Contain Doublestranded DNA Reflecting the Mutational Status of Parental Tumor Cells

Neuroblastoma (NB) is an aggressive infancy tumor, leading cause of death among preschool age diseases. Here we focused on characterization of exosomal DNA (exo-DNA) isolated from plasma cell-derived exosomes of neuroblastoma patients, and its potential use for detection of somatic mutations present in the parental tumor cells. Exosomes are small extracellular membrane vesicles secreted by most cells, playing an important role in intercellular communications. Using an enzymatic method, we provided evidence for the presence of double-stranded DNA in the NB exosomes. Moreover, by whole exome sequencing, we demonstrated that NB exo-DNA represents the entire exome and that it carries tumor-specific genetic mutations, including those occurring on known oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes in neuroblastoma (ALK, CHD5, SHANK2, PHOX2B, TERT, FGFR1, and BRAF). NB exo-DNA can be useful to identify variants responsible for acquired resistance, such as mutations of ALK, TP53, and RAS/MAPK genes that appear in relapsed patients. The possibility to isolate and to enrich NB derived exosomes from plasma using surface markers, and the quick and easy extraction of exo-DNA, gives this methodology a translational potential in the clinic. Exo-DNA can be an attractive non-invasive biomarker for NB molecular diagnostic, especially when tissue biopsy cannot be easily available