LATE-ONSET ULCERATIVE COLITIS: THE IG-IBD 'AGED STUDY'

BACKGROUND & AIMS: With increasing incidence, late-onset UC represents an important issue for the near future, but its outcome and relative therapeutic strategies are yet poorly addressed. This study has been undertaken to better define the natural history of late-onset ulcerative colitis. METHODS: In a multicenter retrospective study, disease presentation and course in the first 3 years after diagnosis were investigated in 1,091 UC patients divided into three age groups (diagnosis 6565 years, 40-64 years, and <40 years). Disease patterns, medical and surgical therapy and relative risk factors for outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: Chronic active or relapsing disease accounts for 44% of patients with late onset UC. In all groups, these disease patterns require 3 to 7-fold more steroids than remitting disease, but immunomodulators and, to a lesser extent, biologics are less frequently prescribed to the elderly. Advanced age, concomitant diseases and related therapies were found to be inversely associated with the use of immunomodulators or biologics, but not with surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Disease onset followed by a mild course was more frequent in patients diagnosed with UC 6565 years, but a generalized assumption that late-onset UC follows a mild course may apply only to a subset of patients. A sizeable number of elderly patients present with more aggressive disease. Since steroid use and surgery rates did not differ in this subgroup, lower use of immunosuppressive therapy and biologics may reflect concerns in prescribing such therapies in the elderly

Two seas for one great diversity: Checklist of the marine heterobranchia (Mollusca; Gastropoda) from the Salento Peninsula (South-East Italy)

The Salento peninsula is a portion of the Italian mainland separating two distinct Mediterranean basins, the Ionian and the Adriatic seas. Several authors have studied the marine Heterobranchia (Mollusca, Gastropoda) fauna composition living in the Ionian Sea, but to date further knowledge regarding this interesting group of mollusks is still needed. Recent studies have corroborated the peculiarity of the Mediterranean Sea showing high levels of endemism and cryptic diversity. On the other hand, marine sea slugs have been revealed to be important indicators of the marine ecosystem's health, due to their species-specific diet that consist of a vast variety of sessile and benthic invertebrates. A baseline study of the marine Heterobranchia diversity is therefore a necessary step to reveal the hidden diversity and to monitor the possible presence of alien species. The present study shows results from approximately 600 scientific dives carried out during a nine-year period in all of the main submarine habitats of the studied area, while accounting for the marine Heterobranchia from both the Ionian and Adriatic Seas. With this contribution, the list of marine Heterobranchia inhabiting the Salento Peninsula rises to 160. Furthermore, it also reports, for the first time, the presence of one alien species and three new records for Italian waters. Ecological notes and geographical distribution for each added species are provided together with animal iconography, consisting mainly of in situ photographs, for species identification

Tritonia nilsodhneri marcus Ev., 1983 (Gastropoda, heterobranchia, tritoniidae): First records for the adriatic sea and new data on ecology and distribution of mediterranean populations

The nudibranch Tritonia nilsodhneri, usually feeding on a variety of gorgoniacean species, is known from different localities of the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Knowledge of the host preferences of the Mediterranean populations is still scarce. Few records of this nudibranch have been reported from the eastern Mediterranean basin. With this report, the occurrence of T. nilsodhneri within the Mediterranean basin is extended to the Adriatic Sea. Furthermore, the list of the host species associated to the Mediterranean populations for feeding habits is increased from two up to five. Mediterranean specimens of T. nilsodhneri were observed for the first time feeding and spawning on Leptogorgia sarmentosa, Eunicella cavolini and E. labiata. Finally, these last two Gorgoniidae species are also reported here as a new host species for T. nilsodhneri

Alien molluscan species established along the Italian shores: An update, with discussions on some Mediterranean "alien species" categories

The state of knowledge of the alien marine Mollusca in Italy is reviewed and updated. Littorina saxatilis (Olivi, 1792), Polycera hedgpethi Er. Marcus, 1964 and Haminoea japonica Pilsbry, 1895 are here considered as established on the basis of published and unpublished data, and recent records of the latter considerably expand its known Mediterranean range to the Tyrrhenian Sea. COI sequences obtained indicate that a comprehensive survey of additional European localities is needed to elucidate the dispersal pathways of H. japonica. Recent records and interpretation of several molluscan taxa as alien are discussed both in light of new Mediterranean (published and unpublished) records and of four categories previously excluded from alien species lists. Within this framework, ten taxa are no longer considered as alien species, or their records from Italy are refuted. Furthermore, Trochocochlea castriotae Bellini, 1903 is considered a new synonym for Gibbula albida (Gmelin, 1791). Data provided here leave unchanged as 35 the number of alien molluscan taxa recorded from Italy as well as the percentage of the most plausible vectors of introduction, but raise to 22 the number of established species along the Italian shores during the 2005-2010 period, and backdate to 1792 the first introduction of an alien molluscan species (L. saxatilis) to the Italian shores

Sending femtosecond pulses in circles: highly non-paraxial accelerating beams

We use caustic beam shaping on 100 fs pulses to experimentally generate non-paraxial accelerating beams along a 60 degree circular arc, moving laterally by 14 \mum over a 28 \mum propagation length. This is the highest degree of transverse acceleration reported to our knowledge. Using diffraction integral theory and numerical beam propagation simulations, we show that circular acceleration trajectories represent a unique class of non-paraxial diffraction-free beam profile which also preserves the femtosecond temporal structure in the vicinity of the caustic

Arbitrary non-paraxial accelerating periodic beams and spherical shaping of light

We report the observation of arbitrary accelerating beams designed using a non-paraxial description of optical caustics. We use a spatial light modulator-based setup and techniques of Fourier optics to generate circular and Weber beams subtending over 95 degrees of arc. Applying a complementary binary mask also allows the generation of periodic accelerating beams taking the forms of snake-like trajectories, and the application of a rotation to the caustic allows the first experimental synthesis of optical accelerating beams upon the surface of a sphere in three dimensions.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures articl

Performance of the galactomannan antigen detection test in the diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis in children with cancer or undergoing haemopoietic stem cell transplantation

AbstractSerum galactomannan (GM) antigen detection is not recommended for defining invasive aspergillosis (IA) in children undergoing aggressive chemotherapy or allogeneic haemopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The ability of the GM test to identify IA in children was retrospectively evaluated in a cohort of children. Test performance was evaluated on samples that were collected during 195 periods at risk of IA. Proven IA was diagnosed in seven periods, all with positive GM test results (true positives, 4%), and possible IA was diagnosed in 15 periods, all with negative GM test results (false negatives, 8%). The test result was positive with negative microbiological, histological and clinical features in three periods (false positives, 1%), and in 170 periods it was negative with negative microbiological, histological and clinical features (true negatives, 87%). The sensitivity was 0.32 and the specificity was 0.98; the positive predictive value was 0.70 and the negative predictive value was 0.92. The efficiency of the test was 0.91, the positive likelihood ratio was 18.3, and the negative likelihood ratio was 1.4. The probability of missing an IA because of a negative test result was 0.03. Test performance proved to be better during at-risk periods following chemotherapy than in periods following allogeneic HSCT. The GM assay is useful for identifying periods of IA in children undergoing aggressive chemotherapy or allogeneic HSCT

Theoretical Foundations of Remote Sensing for Glacier Assessment and Mapping

The international scientific community is actively engaged in assessing ice sheet and alpine glacier fluctuations at a variety of scales. The availability of stereoscopic, multitemporal, and multispectral satellite imagery from the optical wavelength regions of the electromagnetic spectrum has greatly increased our ability to assess glaciological conditions and map the cryosphere. There are, however, important issues and limitations associated with accurate satellite information extraction and mapping, as well as new opportunities for assessment and mapping that are all rooted in understanding the fundamentals of the radiation transfer cascade. We address the primary radiation transfer components, relate them to glacier dynamics and mapping, and summarize the analytical approaches that permit transformation of spectral variation into thematic and quantitative parameters. We also discuss the integration of satellite-derived information into numerical modeling approaches to facilitate understandings of glacier dynamics and causal mechanisms

Sonification of surface tapping changes behavior, surface perception, and emotion

The audio feedback resulting from object interaction provides information about the material of the surface and about one's own motor behavior. With the current developments in interactive sonification, it's now possible to digitally change this audio feedback, making the use of interactive sonification a compelling approach to shape tactile surface interactions. Here, the authors present a prototype for a sonic interactive surface, capable of delivering surface tapping sounds in real time when triggered by users' taps on a real surface or on an imagined 'virtual' surface. In this system, the delivered audio feedback can be varied so that the tapping sounds correspond to different applied strengths during tapping. The authors also propose a multidimensional measurement approach to evaluate user experiences of multimodal interactive systems. They evaluated their system by looking at the effect of the altered tapping sounds on emotional action-related responses, the users' interactions with the surface, and perceived surface hardness. Results show the influence of the sonification of tapping at all levels: emotional, behavioral, and perceptual. These results have implications on the design of interactive sonification displays and tangible auditory interfaces aiming to change perceived and subsequent motor behavior as well as perceived material properties