Brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) feeding damage determines early drop in olive crops

The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys Stål, is an invasive species and a polyphagous pest. BMSB feeding activity was suspected to be responsible for olive damage. To evaluate the effect of feeding damage from adults and nymphs of BMSB, 30 rearing sleeves were positioned in an olive grove, at an early stage of drupe development. The individuals were kept in the rearing sleeves for 48 h, and the number of olives in each sleeve was checked weekly, visually assessing signs of damage and measuring their volume. After the 48-hr exposure, the number of early dropped olives was significantly higher for rearing sleeves containing BMSB adults and nymphs compared with control, with visible signs of damage. The volume of olives still attached was significantly lower for rearing sleeves with adults. These results provide key evidence on BMSB damage in developing olives. If the numbers of BMSB keep increasing in Mediterranean regions (where most of the olive production occurs), actions should be taken to prevent economic losse

Melanoma indotto da farmaci oncologici?

Introduzione Lo sviluppo di melanoma pu\uf2 essere favorito da diversi gruppi di farmaci tra cui diuretici tiazidici, idroclorotiazide, sildenafil. In letteratura \ue8 descritta una maggiore incidenza di nuovi melanomi primari (NPM) nei pazienti oncologici trattati con inibitori BRAF e recentemente \ue8 stato riportato tale evento anche per un paziente in tripla terapia con vemurafenib, cobimetinib e atezolizumab per il melanoma metastatico. Noi presentiamo la nostra casistica di NPM nei pazienti giunti alla nostra osservazione per tossicit\ue0 cutanea in corso di trattamento oncologico. Materiali e Metodi Noi abbiamo cercato nel nostro archivio 2018-2019 quanti casi di NPM sono stati diagnosticati in 1520 pazienti giunti alla nostra osservazione per tossicit\ue0 cutanea da terapie oncologiche. Risultati In 19 mesi abbiamo diagnosticato 6 melanomi in 4 donne e 2 uomini in terapia oncologica. I melanomi si trovavano prevalentemente in zone fotoesposte: 2 tronco, 2 arto superiore, 2 viso. Il loro spessore in media \ue8 stato di 0.5mm: 1 pTis, 4 pT1a, 1 pT1b. I pazienti erano affetti da differenti tumori per i quali erano in terapia oncologica: 1 linfoma non Hodgkin B diffuso a grandi cellule, 1 melanoma, 1 carcinoide tipico polmonare, 1 adenocarcinoma polmonare, 1 carcinoma squamocellulare polmonare, 1 carcinoma mammario duttale infiltrante. Tre pazienti presentavano localizzazione primitiva al polmone ma con diversi istotipi. Tre pazienti (2F e 1 M) presentavano in anamnesi remota problematiche tiroidee: 2 carcinoma papillifero della tiroide e 1 adenoma di Plummer. Un\u2019altra paziente era stata operata anche per carcinoma mammario, carcinoma renale e leiomioma intestinale. Tutti i pazienti erano in corso di terapia oncologica: 1 lenalidomide, 1 trilogy study (vemurafeniv e cobimetinib + atezolizumab/placebo), 1 temozolide, 2 afatinib, 1 epirubicina e ciclofosfamide. Due pazienti sono deceduti. Conclusioni Il melanoma indotto da farmaci si sta rivelando essere un problema di importanza significativa. Per indagare tale fenomeno \ue8 importante spogliare completamente i pazienti in corso di visita dermatologica anche se richiesta per la sola tossicit\ue0 cutanea per effettuare un controllo nevi

Factors influencing short-term parasitoid establishment and efficacy for the biological control of Halyomorpha halys with the samurai wasp Trissolcus japonicus

Background: Classical biological control has been identified as the most promising approach to limit the impact of the invasive pest species Halyomorpha halys (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae). This study investigated the parasitism rate at sites where the biocontrol agent Trissolcus japonicus (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) was released and where its unintentional introduction took place, in the Trentino-South Tyrol region. The effect of land-use composition was studied to understand which factors favor the establishment of hosts and parasitoids, including native and exotic species. Results: The released T. japonicus were detected a year after the start of the program, with a significant parasitoid impact and discovery, compared to control sites. Trissolcus japonicus was the most abundant H. halys parasitoid, and Trissolcus mitsukurii and Anastatus bifasciatus were recorded also. The efficacy of T. mitsukurii was lower in sites where T. japonicus was successfully established, suggesting a possible competitive interaction. Parasitism level by T. japonicus at the release sites was 12.5% in 2020 and 16.4% in 2021. The combined effect of predation and parasitization increased H. halys mortality up to 50% at the release sites. Landscape composition analysis showed that both H. halys and T. japonicus were more likely to be found at sites with lower altitude and with permanent crops, whereas other hosts and parasitoids preferred different conditions. Conclusion: Trissolcus japonicus showed a promising impact on H. halys, at release and adventive sites, with minor nontarget effects, mediated by landscape heterogeneity. The prevalence of T. japonicus in landscapes with permanent crops could support IPM in the future. © 2023 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry

Effects of Bioactive Peptides from Atlantic Salmon Processing By-Products on Oxyntopeptic and Enteroendocrine Cells of the Gastric Mucosa of European Seabass and Gilthead Seabream

The present study was designed to evaluate the effects of dietary levels of bioactive peptides (BPs) derived from salmon processing by-products on the presence and distribution of peptic cells (oxyntopeptic cells, OPs) and enteric endocrine cells (EECs) that contain GHR, NPY and SOM in the gastric mucosa of European seabass and gilthead seabream. In this study, 27 seabass and 27 seabreams were divided into three experimental groups: a control group (CTR) fed a control diet and two groups fed different levels of BP to replace fishmeal: 5% BP (BP5%) and 10% BP (BP10%). The stomach of each fish was sampled and processed for immunohistochemistry. Some SOM, NPY and GHR-IR cells exhibited alternating “open type” and “closed type” EECs morphologies. The BP10% group (16.8 ± 7.5) showed an increase in the number of NPY-IR cells compared to CTR (CTR 8.5 ± 4.8) and BP5% (BP10% vs. CTR p ≤ 0.01; BP10% vs. BP5% p ≤ 0.05) in the seabream gastric mucosa. In addition, in seabream gastric tissue, SOM-IR cells in the BP 10% diet (16.8 ± 3.5) were different from those in CTR (12.5 ± 5) (CTR vs. BP 10% p ≤ 0.05) and BP 5% (12.9 ± 2.5) (BP 5% vs. BP 10% p ≤ 0.01). EEC SOM-IR cells increased at 10% BP (5.3 ± 0.7) compared to 5% BP (4.4 ± 0.8) (5% BP vs. 10% BP p ≤ 0.05) in seabass. The results obtained may provide a good basis for a better understanding of the potential of salmon BPs as feed ingredients for seabass and seabream.publishedVersio

Biphasic calcium phosphate biomaterials: Stem Cell-derived Osteoinduction or In-vivo Osteoconduction? Novel insights in Maxillary Sinus Augmentation by advanced Imaging

none11noMaxillary sinus augmentation is often necessary prior to implantology procedure, in particular in cases of atrophic posterior maxilla. In this context, bone substitute biomaterials made of biphasic calcium phosphates, produced by three-dimensional additive manufacturing were shown to be highly biocompatible with an efficient osteoconductivity, especially when combined with cell-based tissue engineering. Thus, in the present research, osteoinduction and osteoconduction properties of biphasic calcium-phosphate constructs made by direct rapid prototyping and engineered with ovine-derived amniotic epithelial cells or amniotic fluid cells were evaluated. More in details, this preclinical study was performed using adult sheep targeted to receive scaffold alone (CTR), oAFSMC, or oAEC engineered constructs. The grafted sinuses were explanted at 90 days and a cross-linked experimental approach based on Synchrotron Radiation microCT and histology analysis was performed on the complete set of samples. The study, performed taking into account the distance from native surrounding bone, demonstrated that no significant differences occurred in bone regeneration between oAEC-, oAFMSC-cultured, and Ctr samples and that there was a predominant action of the osteoconduction versus the stem cells osteo-induction. Indeed, it was proven that the newly formed bone amount and distribution decreased from the side of contact scaffold/native bone toward the bulk of the scaffold itself, with almost constant values of morphometric descriptors in volumes more than 1 mm from the border.openGiovanna Iezzi, Antonio Scarano, Luca Valbonetti, Serena Mazzoni, Michele Furlani, Carlo Mangano, Aurelio Muttini, Mario Raspanti, Barbara Barboni, Adriano Piattelli, Alessandra GiulianiIezzi, Giovanna; Scarano, Antonio; Valbonetti, Luca; Mazzoni, Serena; Furlani, Michele; Mangano, Carlo; Muttini, Aurelio; Raspanti, Mario; Barboni, Barbara; Piattelli, Adriano; Giuliani, Alessandr

The combination of dermoscopy and reflectance confocal microscopy increases the diagnostic confidence of amelanotic/hypomelanotic lentigo maligna

The dermoscopic diagnosis of amelanotic/hypomelanotic lentigo maligna/lentigo maligna melanoma (AHLM/LMM) may be very difficult in its early stages because of lack of pigment. Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) is an imaging technique that is especially helpful for the diagnosis of lentigo maligna. To determine the diagnostic performances of dermoscopy and RCM in the diagnosis of AHLM/LMMs we evaluated dermoscopic and RCM images of consecutive cases of histopathologically confirmed AHLM/LMMs, amelanotic/hypomelanotic basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma (AHBCCs/AHSCCs), amelanotic/hypomelanotic benign lesions (AHBLs), and actinic keratoses (AKs) from five participating centers. Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, predictive values, and level of diagnosis confidence were calculated for both diagnostic procedures. Both dermoscopy and RCM showed diagnostic performance >97% in the diagnosis of AHLM/LMMs versus AHBCC/AHSCCs and their combination slightly improved diagnostic performance, with accuracy increasing from 98.0% to 99.1%. Similarly, RCM in combination with dermoscopy showed a tiny increase in the diagnostic performance in the diagnosis of AHLM/LMMs versus AHBLs (accuracy increased from 87.2% to 88.8%) and versus AKs (accuracy increased from 91.4% to 93.4%). Although the increase in diagnostic performance due to RCM was modest, the combination of dermoscopy and RCM greatly increased the level of confidence; high confidence in the diagnosis of AHLM/LMMs versus AHBLs increased from 36.2% with dermoscopy alone to 76.6% with dermoscopy plus RMC. Based on our results, dermoscopy and RCM should be complementary to improve not only diagnostic accuracy but also the level of diagnostic certainty in the diagnosis of AHLM/LMMs

Human DPSCs fabricate vascularized woven bone tissue : a new tool in bone tissue engineering

Human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) are mesenchymal stem cells that have been successfully used in human bone tissue engineering. To establish whether these cells can lead to a bone tissue ready to be grafted, we checked DPSCs for their osteogenic and angiogenic differentiation capabilities with the specific aim of obtaining a new tool for bone transplantation. Therefore, hDPSCs were specifically selected from the stromal-vascular dental pulp fraction, using appropriate markers, and cultured. Growth curves, expression of bone-related markers, calcification and angiogenesis as well as an in vivo transplantation assay were performed. We found that hDPSCs proliferate, differentiate into osteoblasts and express high levels of angiogenic genes, such as vascular endothelial growth factor and platelet-derived growth factor A. Human DPSCs, after 40 days of culture, give rise to a 3D structure resembling a woven fibrous bone. These woven bone (WB) samples were analysed using classic histology and synchrotron-based, X-ray phase-contrast microtomography and holotomography. WB showed histological and attractive physical qualities of bone with few areas of mineralization and neovessels. Such WB, when transplanted into rats, was remodelled into vascularized bone tissue. Taken together, our data lead to the assumption that WB samples, fabricated by DPSCs, constitute a noteworthy tool and do not need the use of scaffolds, and therefore they are ready for customized regeneration

Human DPSCs fabricate vascularized woven bone tissue: a new tool in bone tissue engineering

Human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) are mesenchymal stem cells that have been successfully used in human bone tissue engineering. To establish whether these cells can lead to a bone tissue ready to be grafted, we checked DPSCs for their osteogenic and angiogenic differentiation capabilities with the specific aim of obtaining a new tool for bone transplantation. Therefore, hDPSCs were specifically selected from the stromal-vascular dental pulp fraction, using appropriate markers, and cultured. Growth curves, expression of bone-related markers, calcification and angiogenesis as well as an in vivo transplantation assay were performed. We found that hDPSCs proliferate, differentiate into osteoblasts and express high levels of angiogenic genes, such as vascular endothelial growth factor and platelet-derived growth factor A. Human DPSCs, after 40 days of culture, give rise to a 3D structure resembling a woven fibrous bone. These woven bone (WB) samples were analysed using classic histology and synchrotron-based, X-ray phase-contrast microtomography and holotomography. WB showed histological and attractive physical qualities of bone with few areas of mineralization and neovessels. Such WB, when transplanted into rats, was remodelled into vascularized bone tissue. Taken together, our data lead to the assumption that WB samples, fabricated by DPSCs, constitute a noteworthy tool and do not need the use of scaffolds, and therefore they are ready for customized regeneration

Risk factors for suicidal attempts in a sample of outpatients with treatment-resistant depression: an observational study

IntroductionTreatment-resistant depression (TRD) is commonly defined as the failure of at least two trials with antidepressant drugs, given at the right dose and for an appropriate duration. TRD is associated with increased mortality, compared to patients with a simple major depressive episode. This increased rate was mainly attributed to death from external causes, including suicide and accidents. The aim of our study is to identify socio-demographic and psychopathological variables associated with suicidal attempts in a sample of outpatients with TRD.Material and methodsWe performed a monocentric observational study with a retrospective design including a sample of 63 subjects with TRD referred to an Italian outpatient mental health centre. We collected socio-demographic and psychopathological data from interviews and clinical records.Results77.8% of the sample (N=49) were females, the mean age was 49.2 (15.9). 33.3% (N=21) of patients had attempted suicide. 54% (N=34) of patients had a psychiatric comorbidity. Among the collected variables, substance use (p=0.031), psychiatric comorbidities (p=0.049) and high scores of HAM-D (p=0.011) were associated with the occurrence of suicide attempts. In the regression model, substance use (OR 6.779), psychiatric comorbidities (OR 3.788) and HAM-D scores (OR 1.057) were predictive of suicide attempts. When controlling for gender, only substance use (OR 6.114) and HAM-D scores (OR 1.057) maintained association with suicide attempts.ConclusionThe integrated treatment of comorbidities and substance abuse, which involves different mental health services, is fundamental in achieving the recovery of these patients. Our study supports the importance of performing a careful clinical evaluation of patients with TRD in order to identify factors associated with increased risk of suicide attempts

The combination of dermoscopy and reflectance confocal microscopy increases the diagnostic confidence of amelanotic/hypomelanotic lentigo maligna

The dermoscopic diagnosis of amelanotic/hypomelanotic lentigo maligna/lentigo maligna melanoma (AHLM/LMM) may be very difficult in its early stages because of lack of pigment. Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) is an imaging technique that is especially helpful for the diagnosis of lentigo maligna. To determine the diagnostic performances of dermoscopy and RCM in the diagnosis of AHLM/LMMs we evaluated dermoscopic and RCM images of consecutive cases of histopathologically confirmed AHLM/LMMs, amelanotic/hypomelanotic basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma (AHBCCs/AHSCCs), amelanotic/hypomelanotic benign lesions (AHBLs), and actinic keratoses (AKs) from five participating centers. Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, predictive values, and level of diagnosis confidence were calculated for both diagnostic procedures. Both dermoscopy and RCM showed diagnostic performance >97% in the diagnosis of AHLM/LMMs versus AHBCC/AHSCCs and their combination slightly improved diagnostic performance, with accuracy increasing from 98.0% to 99.1%. Similarly, RCM in combination with dermoscopy showed a tiny increase in the diagnostic performance in the diagnosis of AHLM/LMMs versus AHBLs (accuracy increased from 87.2% to 88.8%) and versus AKs (accuracy increased from 91.4% to 93.4%). Although the increase in diagnostic performance due to RCM was modest, the combination of dermoscopy and RCM greatly increased the level of confidence; high confidence in the diagnosis of AHLM/LMMs versus AHBLs increased from 36.2% with dermoscopy alone to 76.6% with dermoscopy plus RMC. Based on our results, dermoscopy and RCM should be complementary to improve not only diagnostic accuracy but also the level of diagnostic certainty in the diagnosis of AHLM/LMMs