Description of a peculiar Rhithrogena nymph from the Iberian Peninsula (Ephemeroptera, Heptageniidae)

Recent collecting in southern Portugal (Algarve) let to the discovery of an unusual Rhithrogena that possibly belongs to the so-called Rh. sowai group. The nymph of the species is described but not named, and affinities and relationships with other members from the Iberian Peninsula are discussed.Una especie poco frecuente de Rhithrogena, que posiblemente pertenece al llamado grupo Rh. sowai ha sido descubierta en unos muestreos realizados recientemente en el sur de Portugal (Algarve). En este trabajo se describe la ninfa de la especie pero no se le da nombre. Se discuten también las relaciones y afinidades con otros miembros del género de la Península Ibérica

Importance of Gamete Quality in Ecotoxicological Application: Natural versus Bred Population in Paracentrotus lividus

Several approaches have been tested to respond to the depletion of wild stocks, from the production of seeds to the setting up of closed echinoculture systems, starting with fertilization of eggs with the consequent development to adult sea urchins. Hence, in the last years, our research group has focused on the assessment of a feasible and sustainable strategy aimed to ensure a rapid and effective gonadal growth of healthy gametes in recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) to employ in ecotoxicological application. In order to compare the health of obtained gametes with wild populations, the effectiveness of diets was evaluated with different biological parameters, such as fertilization and embryo-development test, and with histological analysis of gonads to appraise the stage of maturation. Moreover, the information regarding different breeding conditions of adults and genetic variability should be combined with the analysis of larval settlement and its requirements, demonstrating the importance of these parameters for the possible closure of the echinoculture cycle in RAS. Results achieved so far in terms of gonadal development and health of gametes have provided evidence of success in overcoming natural gaps between reproductive events in natural populations and an efficient and standardize breeding condition in RAS

Comparison of Two Core Biopsy Techniques Before and After Laparoscopic Cryoablation of Small Renal Cortical Neoplasms

A pre-ablation standard biopsy technique resulted in the most accurate pathologic diagnosis for patients undergoing cryoablation for renal cortical neoplasms

Comparison of Propensity Score Methods and Covariate Adjustment: Evaluation in 4 Cardiovascular Studies.

Propensity scores (PS) are an increasingly popular method to adjust for confounding in observational studies. Propensity score methods have theoretical advantages over conventional covariate adjustment, but their relative performance in real-word scenarios is poorly characterized. We used datasets from 4 large-scale cardiovascular observational studies (PROMETHEUS, ADAPT-DES [the Assessment of Dual AntiPlatelet Therapy with Drug-Eluting Stents], THIN [The Health Improvement Network], and CHARM [Candesartan in Heart Failure-Assessment of Reduction in Mortality and Morbidity]) to compare the performance of conventional covariate adjustment with 4 common PS methods: matching, stratification, inverse probability weighting, and use of PS as a covariate. We found that stratification performed poorly with few outcome events, and inverse probability weighting gave imprecise estimates of treatment effect and undue influence to a small number of observations when substantial confounding was present. Covariate adjustment and matching performed well in all of our examples, although matching tended to give less precise estimates in some cases. PS methods are not necessarily superior to conventional covariate adjustment, and care should be taken to select the most suitable method

Immunosuppression by monocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells in patients with pancreatic ductal carcinoma is orchestrated by STAT3

Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly devastating disease with an overall 5-year survival rate of less than 8%. New evidence indicates that PDAC cells release pro-inflammatory metabolites that induce a marked alteration of normal hematopoiesis, favoring the expansion and accumulation of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). We report here that PDAC patients show increased levels of both circulating and tumor-infiltrating MDSC-like cells. Methods: The frequency of MDSC subsets in the peripheral blood was determined by flow cytometry in three independent cohorts of PDAC patients (total analyzed patients, n = 117). Frequency of circulating MDSCs was correlated with overall survival of PDAC patients. We also analyzed the frequency of tumor-infiltrating MDSC and the immune landscape in fresh biopsies. Purified myeloid cell subsets were tested in vitro for their T-cell suppressive capacity. Results: Correlation with clinical data revealed that MDSC frequency was significantly associated with a shorter patients' overall survival and metastatic disease. However, the immunosuppressive activity of purified MDSCs was detectable only in some patients and mainly limited to the monocytic subset. A transcriptome analysis of the immunosuppressive M-MDSCs highlighted a distinct gene signature in which STAT3 was crucial for monocyte re-programming. Suppressive M-MDSCs can be characterized as circulating STAT3/arginase1-expressing CD14+ cells. Conclusion: MDSC analysis aids in defining the immune landscape of PDAC patients for a more appropriate diagnosis, stratification and treatment

Incidence, Patterns, and Associations Between Dual-Antiplatelet Therapy Cessation and Risk for Adverse Events Among Patients With and Without Diabetes Mellitus Receiving Drug-Eluting Stents: Results From the PARIS Registry.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to examine the frequency and clinical impact of different cessation patterns of dual-antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after percutaneous coronary intervention with drug-eluting stents among patients with and those without diabetes mellitus (DM). BACKGROUND: Early DAPT suspension after percutaneous coronary intervention increases the risk for major adverse cardiac events. However, temporal variability in risk and relation to DAPT cessation patterns among patients with DM remain unclear. METHODS: Using data from the PARIS (Patterns of Non-Adherence to Anti-Platelet Regimens in Stented Patients) registry, 1,430 patients with DM (34%) and 2,777 without DM (66%) treated with drug-eluting stents were identified. DAPT cessation modes were classified as temporary interruption (<14 days), disruption because of bleeding or poor compliance, and physician-recommended discontinuation. RESULTS: During 2-year follow-up, DM was associated with an increased risk for thrombotic events but a similar risk for bleeding. The cumulative incidence of DAPT cessation was significantly lower in patients with versus those without DM (50.1% vs. 55.4%; p < 0.01), driven largely by less frequent physician-guided discontinuation beyond 1 year. In contrast, 2-year rates of interruption and disruption were similar between groups. When DAPT was interrupted or discontinued under physician guidance, the risk for major adverse cardiac events was unchanged compared with patients with DM on uninterrupted DAPT. Conversely, when DAPT was disrupted, the risk for major adverse cardiac events increased compared with uninterrupted DAPT, regardless of diabetic status, with no evidence of statistical interaction. CONCLUSIONS: DAPT cessation patterns vary according to diabetic status, with less frequent physician-guided discontinuation among patients with DM. The presence of DM does not emerge as a modifier of cardiovascular risk after DAPT cessation

Technical Evaluation of Commercial Mutation Analysis Platforms and Reference Materials for Liquid Biopsy Profiling

Molecular profiling from liquid biopsy, in particular cell-free DNA (cfDNA), represents an attractive alternative to tissue biopsies for the detection of actionable targets and tumor monitoring. In addition to PCR-based assays, Next Generation Sequencing (NGS)-based cfDNA assays are now commercially available and are being increasingly adopted in clinical practice. However, the validity of these products as well as the clinical utility of cfDNA in the management of patients with cancer has yet to be proven. Within framework of the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) program CANCER-ID we evaluated the use of commercially available reference materials designed for ctDNA testing and cfDNA derived from Diagnostic Leukaphereses (DLA) for inter-and intra-assay as well as intra-and inter-laboratory comparisons. In three experimental setups, a broad range of assays including ddPCR, MassARRAY and various NGS-based assays were tested. We demonstrate that both reference materials with predetermined VAFs and DLA samples are extremely useful for the performance assessment of mutation analysis platforms. Moreover, our data indicate a substantial variability of NGS assays with respect to sensitivity and specificity