Colorectal Cancer Stage at Diagnosis Before vs During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy

IMPORTANCE Delays in screening programs and the reluctance of patients to seek medical attention because of the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 could be associated with the risk of more advanced colorectal cancers at diagnosis. OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was associated with more advanced oncologic stage and change in clinical presentation for patients with colorectal cancer. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This retrospective, multicenter cohort study included all 17 938 adult patients who underwent surgery for colorectal cancer from March 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021 (pandemic period), and from January 1, 2018, to February 29, 2020 (prepandemic period), in 81 participating centers in Italy, including tertiary centers and community hospitals. Follow-up was 30 days from surgery. EXPOSURES Any type of surgical procedure for colorectal cancer, including explorative surgery, palliative procedures, and atypical or segmental resections. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was advanced stage of colorectal cancer at diagnosis. Secondary outcomes were distant metastasis, T4 stage, aggressive biology (defined as cancer with at least 1 of the following characteristics: signet ring cells, mucinous tumor, budding, lymphovascular invasion, perineural invasion, and lymphangitis), stenotic lesion, emergency surgery, and palliative surgery. The independent association between the pandemic period and the outcomes was assessed using multivariate random-effects logistic regression, with hospital as the cluster variable. RESULTS A total of 17 938 patients (10 007 men [55.8%]; mean [SD] age, 70.6 [12.2] years) underwent surgery for colorectal cancer: 7796 (43.5%) during the pandemic period and 10 142 (56.5%) during the prepandemic period. Logistic regression indicated that the pandemic period was significantly associated with an increased rate of advanced-stage colorectal cancer (odds ratio [OR], 1.07; 95%CI, 1.01-1.13; P = .03), aggressive biology (OR, 1.32; 95%CI, 1.15-1.53; P < .001), and stenotic lesions (OR, 1.15; 95%CI, 1.01-1.31; P = .03). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE This cohort study suggests a significant association between the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and the risk of a more advanced oncologic stage at diagnosis among patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer and might indicate a potential reduction of survival for these patients

Le mythe de Perséphone exploré dans un journal artistique au cours de la transition de l’automne à l’hiver : une étude heuristique.

Ce travail de recherche vise à comprendre l'expérience heuristique de la chercheuse lors du processus de création. La question de recherche est : « quelle est l’expérience vécue par la chercheuse lors de l’exploration du mythe de Perséphone à l’intérieur du journal créatif, au cours du changement saisonnier entre l’automne et l’hiver? » La revue de littérature aborde les théories liées au pouvoir de transformation du mythe en art-thérapie, le mythe de Perséphone et Déméter, le blues de l’hiver, ainsi que le journal visuel comme format d’expression créative. Par la méthodologie heuristique en six étapes de Moutakas (1990), la chercheuse examine son vécu à travers le processus créatif durant les mois de novembre, décembre et janvier. Au cours de cette période, la création de 24 images, à travers l’exploration du mythe, a permis de recueillir des informations sur le monde imaginaire et affectif de la chercheuse. Les images analysées par la technique du dialogue proposé par McNiff (1992) évoquent des images reliées aux thèmes de l’obscurité, de l’incubation, du cycle de vie-mort renaissance et du repos. Cette exploration heuristique a permis à la chercheuse de mettre l’accent sur des besoins inconscients et d’approfondir son vécu affectif, lié au blues de l’hiver. De plus, les aspects art-thérapeutiques de la contenance, de l’incubation et de la transition sont explorés. La chercheuse exprime les aspects de sa recherche liés à la psychologie jungienne et elle propose de nouvelles pistes de recherche dans le vaste domaine de l’art thérapie

Analisi del popolamento a Coleotteri Carabidi in ecosistemi di alta quota per la valutazione ambientale

I Coleotteri Carabidi sono ampiamente utilizzati come bioindicatori per studi di conservazione e gestione ambientale in quanto particolarmente sensibili alle variazioni dell’habitat da essi occupato. Il presente lavoro è un contributo alla conoscenza delle comunità di Carabidi che popolano alcuni ambienti di alta quota delle Dolomiti tra il Veneto occidentale e il Trentino Alto-Adige orientale e ad un loro impiego come indicatori ecologici in ecosistemi montani. Sono esposti i risultati di campionamenti svolti tramite trappole a caduta tra i mesi di giugno e settembre 2012 presso il Passo Valles, valico alpino al confine tra la provincia di Belluno e quella di Trento. L’analisi è integrata con dati provenienti da campionamenti effettuati tra il 2008 e il 2011 presso alcuni siti della Val Venegia, vallata alpina del Trentino orientale compresa nel Parco Naturale Paneveggio Pale di San Martino. L’attenzione è stata rivolta alle praterie alpine d’alta quota (festuceti, seslerieti e nardeti), agli ambienti estremi (formazioni vegetali frammentarie poste al limite altitudinale della vegetazione e ghiaioni colonizzati da vegetazione pioniera), e ad alcune foreste a dominanza di abete. Al fine di studiare l'aspetto evolutivo-adattativo dei popolamenti in ecosistemi di alta quota, sono state individuate alcune caratteristiche morfo-funzionali chiave dei Carabidi: potere di dispersione (stimato in base alla dimensione alare), distribuzione geografica, dieta e ritmo riproduttivo. I siti campionati e le specie raccolte sono stati esaminati mediante tecniche di analisi dei gruppi. Sono state delineate le seguenti carabidocenosi, denominate in base alle specie più abbondanti: comunità a Pterostichus schaschli e Nebria diaphana degli ambienti estremi, comunità a Pterostichus unctulatus e Pterostichus jurinei delle foreste di abete, comunità a Calathus melanocephalus e Notiophilus aquaticus dei seslerieti, comunità a Amara praetermissa e Carabus bertolinii dei festuceti, comunità a Carabus germari e Bembidion lampros dei nardeti. La rilevazione della presenza/assenza delle caratteristiche biologiche considerate, del loro peso e del loro significato all’interno di ogni popolamento è stata impiegata per la stima della diversità biologica, del pregio faunistico e, in ultima analisi, del livello di stabilità delle comunità individuate. Si delinea un quadro in cui le comunità degli ambienti estremi e delle foreste di abete sono caratterizzate da un elevato pregio faunistico e una buona stabilità ecosistemica, mentre le carabidocenosi dei festuceti e soprattutto dei nardeti sono fortemente disturbate dall’azione del pascolo. Ad un livello intermedio si colloca la comunità dei seslerieti, che tra le praterie alpine d’alta quota è quella che presenta il maggior pregio faunistico. Since Carabid beetles are particularly sensitive to habitat changes, they are widely used as bioindicators for conservational and environmental management. This research is a contribution to the knowledge of Carabid communities harboured by alpine biotopes in the Dolomites between western Veneto and eastern Trentino-Alto Adige regions, and a contribution to their use as ecological indicators in mountain ecosystems. Pitfall sampling has been used from June to September 2012 in Passo Valles, an alpine pass on the border between Belluno and Trento provinces. The analysis has been integrated with data collected from 2008 to 2011 in some Val Venegia sites, an alpine valley in the eastern Trentino-Alto Adige included in Paneveggio Pale di San Martino Natural Park. Our work focused on alpine grasslands (Festuca halleri, Sesleria-Carex and Nardus stricta grasslands), plant-cushion formation on limestome bedrocks and instable screes with pioneer vegetation (high altitude habitats) and coniferous forests. Some meaningful morpho-functional species traits have been drawn, aiming at studying the evolutionary-adaptative features of high altitude ecosystems populations: dispersal power (based on wing size), geographical distribution, diet and reproductive rhythm. Sample sites and collected species have been examined through cluster analysis techniques. The following carabid coenoses have been recognized and named by means of their characterizing species: Pterostichus schaschli - Nebria diaphana community of the extreme environments, Pterostichus unctulatus – Pterostichus jurinei community of coniferous forests, Calathus melanocephalus - Notiophilus aquaticus community of Seslerietum pastures, Amara praetermissa – Carabus bertolinii community of the Festucetum pastures and Carabus germari - Bembidion lampros community of the Nardetum pastures. In order to study species diversity, natural value and the degree of stability of the described coenoses, the frequency of the species traits, their weight and their meaning in every population have been evaluated. What we can see is that extreme environments and coniferous communities are characterized by a high natural value index and a good stability of the ecosystem, whereas Festucetum and, above all, Nardetum ones are strongly disturbed by grazing. An intermediate stage is given by Seslerietum pasture community, the alpine grassland with the highest natural value index

Carabid patterns in olive orchards and woody semi-natural habitats: first implications for conservation biological control against Bactrocera oleae

The role of carabids (Coleoptera: Carabidae) for pest control service in perennial crop systems has been scarcely investigated. We addressed this knowledge gap exploring activity patterns and traits of adult carabids dwelling olive orchard agroecosystems as potential natural enemies of third instar larvae and pupae of Bactrocera oleae (Diptera: Tephritidae). Olive orchard supported a well-structured carabid assemblage, whose species phenologies revealed a temporal overlapping within the pest cycle. The assemblage of adjacent woody semi-natural habitats is more of conservation interest, but may play a weaker role in B. oleae control provisioning. We suggest the identification of carabids main traits for B. oleae conservation biological control as a cost-effective strategy for addressing future attention and resources only to those predators that satisfy basic requirements. This research may open new scenarios on management interventions to both conserve predators and encourage alternative approaches against olive orchards pest. Carabid patterns in olive orchards and woody semi-natural habitats: first implications for conservation biological control against Bactrocera oleae. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/311249108_Carabid_patterns_in_olive_orchards_and_woody_semi-natural_habitats_first_implications_for_conservation_biological_control_against_Bactrocera_oleae [accessed May 22, 2017]

Carabid patterns in olive orchards and woody semi-natural habitats: first implications for conservation biological control against Bactrocera oleae

The role of carabids (Coleoptera: Carabidae) for pest control service in perennial crop systems has been scarcely investigated. We addressed this knowledge gap exploring activity patterns and traits of adult carabids dwelling olive orchard agroecosystems as potential natural enemies of third instar larvae and pupae of Bactrocera oleae (Diptera: Tephritidae). Olive orchard supported a well-structured carabid assemblage, whose species phenologies revealed a temporal overlapping within the pest cycle. The assemblage of adjacent woody semi-natural habitats is more of conservation interest, but may play a weaker role in B. oleae control provisioning. We suggest the identification of carabids main traits for B. oleae conservation biological control as a cost-effective strategy for addressing future attention and resources only to those predators that satisfy basic requirements. This research may open new scenarios on management interventions to both conserve predators and encourage alternative approaches against olive orchards pes

Conflict regulation in flavour perception

For many, flavour is the quintessential multisensory experience. The perception of flavour arises from the concurrent processing of inputs across a wide variety of sensory modalities, including but not limited to taste, smell, sound, several somatosensory channels as well as a range of other cues that help generate expectations about the flavour object (visual cues, smell through the nose, contextual cues, etc). For these bundles of inputs to be experienced as a unitary flavour percept, and to lead to a positive hedonic response, a certain degree of agreement between them is necessary. Remarkably, despite the mounting amounts of empirical evidence currently available, a framework to understand the processes triggered by sensory (in)congruence in flavour perception is lacking. Here, we consider the psychophysical, cognitive, and neural mechanisms related to flavour congruency within the framework of conflict monitoring. More specifically, we argue that brain mechanisms monitoring for, signalling, and eventually orchestrating the resolution of sensory discrepancies are decisive for the emergence of a unified subjective flavour percept, and its associated hedonic appraisal. This framework could help to elucidate certain well documented facets of the experience of flavour such as attentional processes, hedonic responses and perhaps even expectancy effects as well as suggest new avenues for future research