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The European wildcat is an elusive small carnivore species whose distribution, behavioural ecology and interactions with domestic cats are scantly known. However, the use of camera-trapping is steadily increasing in wildlife studies as well as citizen science, with the latter setting the basis for a large source of robust data. Here we provide an overview of our efforts to create an independent network, named Piccoli Fototrappolatori Indipendenti (Little Independent Camera-trappers, hereafter PFI), of citizen scientists who are contributing with the goal of a deeper understanding of wildcat ecology. We engaged 31 volunteers who collected domestic cats, putative hybrids (hereafter hybrids) and wildcats' detections at 503 locations throughout Italy from 11/04/2006 to 24/10/2022. So far, this dataset hosts 312 images and 1015 videos (1327 detections) which were morphological examined and standardised, leading to 123, 137 and 1016 detections of domestic cats, hybrids and wildcats, respectively. We documented the expansion of the wildcat towards Northern Italy, with the first camera-trapping records from the Western Alps (Val D'Aosta) and from the Northern Apennines (Liguria), as well as the detection of kink-tailed wildcats in new regions. Moreover, we observed behavioural differences among cat types, with domestic cats marking at a lower rate and with hybrids being less elusive than wildcats at night. Further research and efforts are needed to better explore the conservation consequences of our findings, as well as to investigate the full potential of citizen science combined with camera trapping which are promising tools in wildcat conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We give a proof of the (possibly optimal) Sharp Gårding inequality for system operators with symbol of limited smoothness directly from the original symmetrization arguments by Friedrichs and Kumano-Go. The fact that only a few derivatives of the regularized symbol are really important was already there. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School sense of community has been associated with students' well-being. However, this finding is based on cross-sectional studies and longitudinal studies are required to confirm this association. We hypothesized that school sense of community is longitudinally associated with students' well-being. We recruited 106 Italian students attending a public high school. We measured school sense of community and students' well-being at the beginning of the school year (Time 1) and students' well-being at the end of the school year (Time 2). Results from Bayesian linear regression analysis revealed that school sense of community at Time 1 significantly predicts students' well-being at Time 2. In addition, school sense of community at Time 1 was a statistically significant predictor of students' well-being at Time 2, even after controlling for students' well-being at Time 1, age, and gender. Results of this study support the theory that school sense of community increases well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We implemented an online anonymous survey targeted to current and former students, where the interviewed indicate whether and to what extent they cheated during written university examinations. We find that 61% of respondents have cheated once or more. Cheaters are more likely to report that their classmates and friends cheated and that in general people can be trusted. Two different cheating styles emerge: 'social cheaters,' who self-report that they have violated the rules interacting with others; 'individualistic' cheaters, who self-report that they have used prohibited materials. Only social cheaters exhibit higher levels of trust compared to individualistic cheaters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We deal with the following Cauchy problem for a Schrödinger equation: D t u - Δ u + ∑ j = 1 n a j (t , x) D x j u + b (t , x) u = 0 , u (0 , x) = g (x). We assume a decay condition of type | x | - σ , σ ∈ (0 , 1) , on the imaginary part of the coefficients a j of the convection term for large values of |x|. This condition is known to produce a unique solution with Gevrey regularity of index s ≥ 1 and loss of an infinite number of derivatives with respect to the data for every s ≤ 1 1 - σ . In this paper, we consider the case s > 1 1 - σ , where, in general, Gevrey ill-posedness holds. We explain how the space where a unique solution exists depends on the decay and regularity of an initial data in H m , m ≥ 0 . As a by-product, we show that a decay condition on data in H m produces a solution with (at least locally) the same regularity as the data, but with an expected different behavior as | x | → ∞ . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research suggests that sense of community in the school is a promising construct in terms of its ability to promote students’ well-being. However, mechanisms behind and the potential benefits of school sense of community have not been studied in detail. This cross-sectional study tested a model which examined the role of sense of community in the school, social skills, exposure to aggression, and victimization in shaping students’ well-being. The sample consisted of 1076 students from 22 public middle schools and 724 students from 22 public high schools located in the Italian Region of Liguria. Using a Bayesian estimation for a structural equation model, results showed that sense of community in the school directly predicted students’ social skills, exposure to aggression, and well-being and, indirectly (through social skills and exposure to aggression), victimization. In addition, we found that social skills were related to victimization. Finally, results showed that victimization was predicted by exposure to aggression and predicted well-being. The current study suggests that sense of community in the school and social skills are key variables for interventions that aim to prevent aggressive behaviors at school and to increase students’ well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider the Cauchy problem for strictly hyperbolic m-th order partial differential equations with coefficients low-regular in time and smooth in space. It is well-known that the problem is L2 well-posed in the case of Lipschitz continuous coefficients in time, Hs well-posed in the case of Log-Lipschitz continuous coefficients in time (with an, in general, finite loss of derivatives) and Gevrey well-posed in the case of Hölder continuous coefficients in time (with an, in general, infinite loss of derivatives). Here, we use moduli of continuity to describe the regularity of the coefficients with respect to time, weight sequences for the characterization of their regularity with respect to space and weight functions to define the solution spaces. We establish sufficient conditions for the well-posedness of the Cauchy problem, that link the modulus of continuity and the weight sequence of the coefficients to the weight function of the solution space. The well-known results for Lipschitz, Log-Lipschitz and Hölder coefficients are recovered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Civic participation in community life and within community organizations is generally considered as associated with positive outcomes for youth development and well-being. However, supportive empirical evidence on such benefits is still limited, as well as on the processes that may explain such positive outcomes. In this paper, we examined the impact of young people's participation in different community and youth organizations on Social well-being, and the mediating role of Sense of community (SoC) and Empowerment. The sample comprised 835 adolescents and young adults, aged 16-26 years old ( M = 20.8). 414 participants were males (49.6 %) and 421 participants were females (50.4 %). Results confirm that organizational membership of volunteer, youth, and religious associations significantly enhances Social well-being, both directly and through the mediation of SoC and Empowerment. Membership of leisure and recreational associations only marginally and indirectly affects Social well-being through the mediation of Empowerment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We define and experimentally test a public provision mechanism that meets three basic ethical requirements and allows community members to influence, via monetary bids, which of several projects is implemented. For each project, participants are assigned personal values, which can be positive or negative. We provide either public or private information about personal values. This produces two distinct public provision games, which are experimentally implemented and analyzed for various projects. In spite of the complex experimental task, participants do not rely on bidding their own personal values as an obvious simple heuristic whose general acceptance would result in fair and efficient outcomes. Rather, they rely on strategic underbidding. Although underbidding is affected by projects' characteristics, the provision mechanism mostly leads to the implementation of the most efficient project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of structural characteristics of the residential context in influencing adolescents' Sense of community (SoC) has received limited consideration in the literature. Aim of this study was to assess SoC in male and female adolescents living in two Italian provinces characterized by different positions on indicators of quality of life. The moderating role of adolescent gender and age group on SoC was also considered. The sample includes 1,182 adolescents: 46.2 % male and 53.8 % female. Age ranged from 16 to 22 years ( M = 17.5; SD = 1.23). Findings indicate that levels of Sense of community differ between the two provinces and are higher among adolescents living in the more 'advantaged' context (Rimini) based on quality of life objective indicators. Males score higher than females except in the more 'advantaged' context, whereas girls experience greater opportunities for influence. SoC tends to decrease with age, as the context becomes increasingly insufficient for satisfying adolescents' needs. Findings indicate that the context significantly affects adolescents' SoC and that such effect is partly moderated by gender and age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the study of young people's relationships with residential contexts, it is important to consider the role of developmental tasks (e.g. identity construction, academic and professional choices, etc.) in influencing Place Identity and Sense of Community. Residential mobility may represent an adaptive strategy for modifying some aspects of one's identity and a contributing factor to the development of autonomy from the family. Limited attention has been devoted to the study of the ways young people deal with their attachments to old and new places within this process. This study involved 203 university students, attending a large university in the North of Portugal. The aim was to investigate Place Identity (PI) and Sense of Community (SoC) related to the home town, and differences according to residential condition (native vs. temporary resident) and year of attendance (I vs. IV). Among students who moved, the role of motives (forced vs. voluntary) and of residential choices after graduation on PI and SoC were assessed. Results indicated that, among students who moved for academic reasons, SoC and PI related to the home town were lower and decreased from the first to the fourth year. SoC was higher among students who experienced the relocation as a forced choice. Students who anticipated to return to their home town after graduation had higher SoC and PI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We prove results of well-posedness of the global Cauchy problem in Sobolev spaces for a class of evolution equations with real characteristics that contains an Euler- Bernoulli vibrating beam model. We consider non-Lipschitz coefficients with respect to the time variable t and study the sharp rate of their oscillations. This is coupled with some necessary decay conditions as the spatial variable x → ∞. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study, involving a sample of 764 emergency workers, investigates dimensions of quality of life at work (Compassion fatigue, Burnout and Compassion satisfaction), and their relationships with Coping strategies and some psychosocial variables (Sense of Community, Collective Efficacy and Self-efficacy). Results indicate the usefulness of distinguishing between positive and negative indicators of emergency workers’ quality of life. Compassion satisfaction is positively correlated with efficacy beliefs, Sense of Community and the use of Active coping strategies. Burnout and Compassion fatigue are especially correlated with the use of dysfunctional coping strategies like distraction and self-criticism. Volunteer emergency workers enjoy a higher well being than full-time professional workers. Results and their implications for interventions aimed at increasing rescue workers’ quality of life by enhancing psychosocial competences are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim of the study was to assess the relationship between social participation and Sense of Community in a sample of University students and the impact of such variables on Social well being. A further aim was to assess the generality of the relationships between these constructs across different countries, and specifically, the USA, Italy and Iran. The sample includes 200 Italian, 125 American and 214 Iranian University students, male and female. Results show higher levels of social participation, Sense of Community and Social well being among American students. Sense of Community is positively correlated with social participation in all three samples; however, only among Italian students social participation positively predicts Social well being. Implications of results will be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the outcome of intravenous high-dose immunoglobulin (IVIg) treatment in four children with narcolepsy and cataplexy, in whom the early diagnosis and the extreme disease severity were indications for this potentially efficacious therapy. One of four patients showed an objective and persistent improvement in clinical features during and after IVIg treatment. Our data partially support the recent report of the efficacy of IVIg treatment in early diagnosed narcolepsy with cataplexy and support the need for a controlled multicenter clinical trial on IVIg in narcolepsy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use the Littlewood-Paley decomposition technique to obtain a C∞-well-posedness result for a weakly hyperbolic equation with a finite order of degeneration. Keywords: Littlewood-Paley decomposition, Hyperbolic equations, C∞-well-posedness, Approximate energy method [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study relations between modulus of continuity of the coefficients and loss of derivatives in the Cauchy problem for evolution operators with real characteristics in the Petrovsky sense. We also provide counterexamples to show that the obtained classification is sharp. Keywords: Cauchy problem, Evolution equations, Loss of regularity of the solution [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is most commonly due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency and presents with a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations, from prenatal virilization and salt-wasting in the neonatal period to precocious pubarche and late-onset hyperandrogenic symptoms during adulthood. A limited number of mutations account for the majority of all mutated alleles, but a growing number of rare mutations are responsible for the disease in some patients. By sequence analysis of the CYP21A2 gene, we identified two novel (I171N and L446P) and two rare (R341P and R426H) mutations in seven Italian patients with CAH. One of the patients was diagnosed with mild non-classical CAH and was found to be a compound heterozygote (I171N/V281L), while all other patients showed severe phenotypes with latent or manifest salt-wasting. The residual activities measured after expression of the four mutant enzymes in COS-1 cells were all below 1% towards both natural substrates (17-OH-progesterone and progesterone) compared with the wild-type protein. All four mutations are, thus, associated with severe enzyme deficiency and are predicted to cause classic CAH if found in trans with other mutations causing severe enzyme deficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors prove well posedness in Gevrey classes of Cauchy problem for nonlinear hyperbolic equations of constant multiplicity with Hölder dependence on the time variable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of inhibin B and the determination of its concentration to diagnose testicular damage after treatment for a childhood malignancy. Thirty-seven males treated for Hodgkin disease (n = 11) or non-Hodgkin lymphoma (n = 26) were examined at a mean age of 16.9 +/- 2.9 years. Mean age at the stop of therapy was 11.3 +/- 3.0 years and in most cases the chemotherapy regimen included gonadal damaging alkylating agents. Thirty-three normal males (mean age 17.9 +/- 4.1 years) were examined as controls. Serum samples were collected for determination of inhibin B, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and testosterone. Median inhibin values were significantly lower in patients than in controls (96.0 vs 225.0 pg/ml, P < 0.0001) and a strong negative correlation was found between inhibin B and FSH (r = -0.86, P < 0.0001), a weak correlation with LH (r= -0.32, P < 0.05) and no correlation with testosterone. In post-pubertal patients (i.e., over 16 years) a positive correlation was found between testicular size and inhibin level (r = 0.53, P < 0.05), but not between testicular size and testosterone level. Pathological low levels (values that differed by more than 2 SD from the mean value of control subjects) were found in 20 patients for inhibin B and 8 for testosterone (P < 0.01) and pathological high values in 19 patients for FSH and 3 for LH. Conclusion This study confirms the role that inhibin B plays in the regulation of FSH secretion and provides further evidence of the utility of its evaluation as a direct indicator of male gonadal dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: A high plasma cholesterol level is a major predisposing factor for coronary artery disease, and new treatments are currently under consideration. Supported by the close relationship between cholesterol and bile acid metabolism, recent studies have reported a hypocholesterolaemic effect of the bile acid ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis but, unfortunately, no data are available in primary hypercholesterolaemia. We performed this study to evaluate the effects of oral administration of UDCA on serum lipoprotein patterns in patients with primary hypercholesterolaemia. Design and Setting: A double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study with a 4-week washout period carried out at an outpatient clinic at a university hospital. Study Participants: Twelve individuals with a total serum cholesterol level >5.17 mmol/L. Intervention: Patients were assigned to receive UDCA (8 to 10 mg/kg/day) or placebo for 28 days. They then crossed over to receive the other treatment after a 4-week washout period. Main Outcome Measures and Results: Serum total, low density lipoprotein (LDL), high density lipoprotein (HDL), very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol and apoprotein A and B were determined before and after 28-day UDCA and placebo administration. After UDCA administration, the mean (±SD) total serum cholesterol level decreased significantly from 6.37 ± 1.01 mmol/L to 6.06 ± 0.97 mmmol/L (F = 5.7, p = 0.041); no significant differences from baseline were observed in LDL, HDL, VLDL cholesterol, apoprotein A and B. No significant changes in serum lipid parameters occurred after the placebo period. When compared with placebo, the UDCA-induced decrease in total serum cholesterol levels was statistically significant (F = 5.5, p = 0.043). Conclusion: This study shows that UDCA reduces total serum cholesterol levels in patients with mild to moderate hypercholesterolaemia. This effect suggests that the administration of UDCA may improve cholesterol metabolism in these individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine whether β-cell function could be impaired by the treatment for Wilms' tumour (WT) in childhood, we investigated the insulin secretion of 44 survivors of WT (22 males) with a median off-treatment follow up of 8.3 years (range 1–19.8). All patients had an intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT) (0.5 gm/kg, max 25 g) to determine the first-phase insulin response (FPIR) (sum of the 1- and 3-min insulin concentrations). Median age at the time of the study was 12.7 years (range 4.2–22.7). Eight subjects (7 males) had a FPIR value below the 3rd percentile, and 7 (3 males) above the 97th centile. Among the 22 patients who received radiotherapy, 7 (6 males) showed a FPIR < 3rd percentile versus only 1 (a male) of the 22 patients who received no radiation (31.8% vs 4.5%; P < 0.05). Analysis of variance showed that the time elapsed since therapy had a significant role on the development of low FPIR only in males. The 7 patients with an insulin release > 97th percentile did not show any significant difference compared to subjects with lower insulin values for weight, age at diagnosis, sex, time elapsed since treatment, radiotherapy and chemotherapy protocol.Conclusion An impaired insulin response is evident in some patients treated for WT in childhood, mainly in male patients who received abdominal radiotherapy and were examined a longer time after therapy. We hypothesize that this decreased insulin release is related to damage due to radiotherapy and therefore a careful follow up is recommended in adulthood in these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues for a linguistic explanation of the nature of Virtual Communities. Virtual Communities develop and grow in electronic space. or ‘cyberspace’. Authors such as Benedikt Meyrowitz and Mitchell have theorised about the nature of electronic space whilst Lefebvre. Popper, Hakim Bey (aka Lamborn Wilson) and Kuhn have theorised more generally about the nature of space. Extending this tradition and the works of these authors, this paper presents a language based perspective on the nature of electronic spaces. Behaviour in cyberspace is based on and regulated by hardware, software tools and interfaces. A definition of electronic space cannot be given beyond its linguistic characteristics, which underlie and sustain it. The author believes that the more users and developers understand the relationship between language and cyberspace, the more they will be able to use specific metaphors for dwelling and inhabiting it. In particular, MUDs/MOOs and the Web are interesting places for testing and observing social behaviours and dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microencephalic rats obtained by gestational treatment with the DNA alkylating agent methylazoxymethanol, show a remarkable lack of sensitivity to excitotoxic neuropathology caused by systemic injections of the convulsant neurotoxin kainic acid. Taking advantage of this, we have studied in these rats, as well as in normal rats, the relationship between the induction of cellular signals supposedly related to cell death and the neuronal apoptosis consequent to kainic acid administration. While normal rats responded to the excitatory insult with a large and relatively long lasting increase of the activity of the enzyme ornithine decarboxylase and of the concentration of putrescine in some brain regions, these alterations were much smaller in microencephalic rats. Expression of c- fos in brain regions sensitive to kainic acid was quicker but lasted a noticeably shorter time in microencephalic rats as compared to normal animals. A profusion of apoptotic neurons, labeled by an in situ technique, were observed in the olfactory cortex, amygdala and hippocampus of normal rats injected with kainic acid, in particular 48 h and 72 h after drug administration. At corresponding time intervals and with similar topographic localization, neurons expressing p53 protein were observed. By contrast, microencephalic rats displayed only in a few cases and in a small number apoptotic neurons in restricted areas of the ventral hippocampus and entorhinal cortex. Noticeably, in these cases small populations of p53-expressing neurons were also present in the same areas. The present observations clearly show that oncogenes such as c- fos and p53, as well as ornithine decarboxylase which behaves as an immediate-early gene in the brain under certain circumstances, undergo noticeably lower and/or shorter induction in microencephalic rats exposed to excitotoxic stimuli. In these rats, therefore, the cellular signalling pathways studied here and related to excitotoxic sensitivity and committment to cell death are downregulated as a probable consequence of altered brain wiring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of European Journal of Psychology of Education - EJPE (Springer Science & Business Media B.V.) is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of European Journal of Psychology of Education - EJPE (Springer Science & Business Media B.V.) is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Annali dell'Universita di Ferrara: Sezione VII-Scienze Mathematiche is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Annali dell'Universita di Ferrara: Sezione VII-Scienze Mathematiche is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Annali dell'Universita di Ferrara: Sezione VII-Scienze Mathematiche is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

LH-RH tests (50 μg i.v.) and hCG tests (2000 IU/day for 3 days) were carried out in 16 normal boys in stage P1 both for genitalia and pubic hair ( group 1); 7 normal boys over 91/2 years in stage P 1 for genitalia and stage P 2-3 for pubic hair ( group 2); 9 boys in stage P 2-3 for genitalia but stage P 1 for pubic hair ( group 3); 10 boys in stage P 2-3 both for genitalia and pubic hair ( group 4). In 10 prepubertal boys in group 1 ( group 1a) and in all subjects in groups 2, 3 and 4 the levels of Δ4-androstenedione (Δ4), dehydroepi-androsterone (DHEA), dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEA-S) and 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OH-P) were evaluated under basal conditions. In groups 1 and 2 the mean basal and post-hCG testosterone values, and the basal and post-LH-RH (peak, maximum increase and area of the curve) values for LH and FSH were not significantly different. The values of Δ4, DHEA, DHEA-S for the boys in group 2 were higher ( P<0.01, P<0.05, and P<0.01 respectively) than for those in group 1. In the two groups of subjects in stage P 2-3 for genitalia and in different stages for pubic hair, no differences were noted for post-hCG testosterone or for gonadotropins. The basal value of testosterone was higher for the boys in group 4, as was DHEA. The values of Δ4, DHEA, DHEA-S for the boys in group 4 were higher ( P<0.05) than those of group 1a. The values of Δ4 and DHEA in the subjects in group 3 were lower ( P<0.001 and P<0.01 respectively) than those of the boys of group 2. Our data seem to show that: (a) the appearance of pubic hair without a simultaneous increase in the volume of the testes (even if it occurs in the normal period for pubertal development), and cannot be considered an expression of the activation of the hypothalamopituitary-gonadal axis; (b) adrenarche and maturation of gonadal function are two independent processes which are usually linked in time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we consider partial differential operators of the type P(x, D)= P(D)+Q(x, D), where the constant coefficient principal part P is supposed to be hyperbolic-elliptic. We study the propagation of Gevrey singularities for solutions u of the equation P(x, D) u=f, for ultradistributions f, finding exactly to which spaces of ultradistribuiions u microlocally belongs. The results are obtained by constructing a fundamental solution for P when the lower order part Q is with constant coefficients, and a parametrix otherwise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Survival of children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) has increased considerably in recent years and data on the spontaneous growth and final height of these children are conflicting. Therefore, we analysed the longitudinal growth and final height in 52 survivors (33 females, 19 males) of childhood ALL. These children were diagnosed and treated in a single institution, all remained in first remission and were submitted to cranial irradiation with either 2400 or 1800 cGy. None of the patients received testicular or spinal irradiation. Median age at diagnosis was 4.2 (range 1.3-9.6) years in the first group (2400 cGy) and 3.9 (0.8-10.5) years in the second (1800 cGy). Standing height was measured at diagnosis, at the end of treatment (median 3.1 years after diagnosis), 6, 12, 24 months after the end of treatment, and finally at the completion of growth. In girls a significant decrease of mean height standard deviation score (SDS) during treatment and a catch up in growth after the end of therapy was followed by a second period of reduced growth. Mean final height SDS was significantly lower than the value at diagnosis in both groups of girls, but only in males treated with 2400 cGy. Mean overall loss in height SDS from diagnosis to final height was higher in females (-1.24) than in males (-0.40) (P = 0.009). Females < or = 4 years of age at diagnosis showed a higher loss in final height than females > 4 years.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth hormone (GH) gene (hGH-N) cluster was analysed using polymerase chain reaction, Southern and polymorphism analysis in five patients (including two pairs of siblings) with extreme short stature and absence of GH secretion. Patients 1 and 2 (siblings) were homozygous for a large deletion removing four genes of the cluster: hGH-N, hCS-L, hCS-A and hGH-V. Both siblings produced high anti-GH antibody levels in response to exogenous GH therapy, followed by growth arrest a few months after starting replacement therapy. In patient 3 we detected a heterozygous deletion which involved three genes of the cluster (hCS-A, hGH-V, hCS-B) and left an intact hGH-N gene. Direct sequencing of hGH-N specific amplified fragments excluded the presence of any point mutations in exons and splicing regions. In patients 4 and 5 (sisters) our study did not demonstrate any gene deletions. Analysis of polymorphic restriction patterns in this family demonstrated that both sisters inherited the same alleles from the father but different alleles from the mother, suggesting that the defect was not linked to the hGH-N gene. These results confirm the difficulty of clinical identification of subjects with hGH-N deletion and underline the importance of DNA analysis in patients with absence of GH secretion and extreme growth retardation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbohydrate homeostasis was evaluated in 47 girls with Turner syndrome and in 25 "short normal" girls by means of an oral glucose tolerance test. Of the Turner patients 34% showed an impaired glucose tolerance vs 8% of the controls (chi 2 = 5.9, P less than 0.05). Mean glucose levels were significantly higher and mean insulin levels and insulinogenic index significantly lower in young Turner patients aged 5-12 years but not in adolescents aged 12-16 years. In both groups of patients, insulin levels and the insulinogenic index were significantly lower than those of the controls. In Turner patients between 12 and 16 years, carbohydrate tolerance improved and this may be explained by the lack of oestrogen release in these patients. Glucose tolerance was normal in patients with mosaicism. We conclude that (1) carbohydrate tolerance is defective in young children with Turner syndrome but improves in puberty due to the almost complete absence of oestrogen-progestogen secretion; (2) a difference in carbohydrate tolerance is evident depending on karyotype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The haemorheologic condition was evaluated in 43 obese children and 35 controls. In 18 of the obese children and in 21 controls the euglobulin lysis time (ELT) was also studied. Blood viscosity at 94.5 and at 0.204 s-1 shear rates, plasma viscosity, fibrinogen and erythrocyte filtration time were significantly higher in obese than in control children. No significant differences were observed in haematocrit levels. Triglycerides, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), pre-beta-lipoprotein and insulin rates were all significantly higher in obese than in control children. There were no significant differences in glycaemia and in haemoglobin A1 values. ELT, both basal and after stimulation with 1-deamino-8-D-arginine-vasopressin (DDAVP), was significantly higher in the obese than in control children. The haemorheologic disturbances together with alterations of the haemostatic balance and fibrinolysis may be an important risk factor for the development of vascular changes at paediatric age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied three groups of patients with coeliac disease: group 1 = 95 adult patients with gastro-intestinal symptoms diagnosed after reaching adult height, 41 of whom had had symptoms during childhood; group 2 = 23 adult patients with classic coeliac disease treated before or during puberty; group 3 = 11 coeliac children with short stature and no gastro-intestinal symptoms diagnosed and treated before or during puberty. We evaluated the adult height in groups 1 and 2 and the growth during the first years of diet in group 3. Our study leads us to the following conclusions. Dieting leads to a modest increase (on average not more than 3 cm) of the final height of coeliac patients. Subjects with gastro-intestinal symptoms who have been treated before adulthood reach a mean height similar to the normal population and have a slightly better adult height than non-treated subjects. This difference seems to exist only in men and this might be related to puberty evolving more rapidly in women receiving treatment. Subjects without symptoms during childhood reach a normal final height even without treatment. In our patients, early treatment seemed to have no great effect on adult height. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Capillary blood samples on filter paper were assayed by means of an RIA method (Kit Nichols Institute USA) from 1096 newborns divided into full term, preterm and small-for-date infants. The somatomedin-C (Sm-C) mean value, which did not differ in the three groups, was 0.15 +/- 0.09 IU/ml. One hundred and ten (10%) showed Sm-C disc values less than or equal to 0.075 IU/ml, the minimum value measurable by our method. The day of life and birth weight had a significant influence on Sm-C levels. Gestational age did not have any significant effect. No significant interaction was found among the parameters considered. All the groups presented a progressive increase of Sm-C. Unlike preterm and small-for-date infants, in full term infants the latter increase seemed already to be evident from 5th day of life and reached higher levels from the 7th day of life onwards. In conclusion, Sm-C rates were reduced in the neonatal phase of life, but showed a tendency to rise later. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A girl with Diamond-Blackfan syndrome and hypopituitarism was suspected of having pituitary haemosiderosis because of the clinical picture and the long history of blood transfusions. On T1-weighted MR images the pituitary exhibited a markedly hypointense anterior lobe (mimicking the empty sella), suggesting iron deposition, while on T2W MRI the low signal of the pituitary was surrounded by the high signal of the CSF. MR may be considered the examination of choice for detecting iron overload in the pituitary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]