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Interaction with fishing gears represents the main anthropogenic threat at sea for sea turtles worldwide, and identifying the hotspots of turtle bycatch is a priority knowledge gap.Turtle stranding data represent a source of information about mortality areas at sea that are not fully exploited. This study aims to infer turtle mortality areas of turtles stranded along the Italian Adriatic Coast in the period 2019–2021 (1432 records), through backtrack modelling of carcasses. Specifically, the decomposition process of eight loggerhead carcasses was monitored, and the relationship between floating period (FP), turtle size and sea temperature was modelled through a generalized additive model. Oceanographic information was then used to track the routes of floating carcasses back, knowing their size and decomposition stage, and finally estimate the likely area of mortality. A complementary numerical experiment of connectivity between coastal and offshore areas gave indication that areas of potential mortality are relatively close to the coast, particularly in the northern Adriatic.Stranded turtles probably represent just a small fraction (17%–25%) of total at‐sea mortalities in the study area (Italian Adriatic waters), with decomposition rates, season and distance from shore influencing their stranding likelihood. Hence, strandings can inform only about spatio‐temporal variability of coastal mortality hotspots.Inferred areas of turtle mortality were most likely located in the North and Central Adriatic all over the year and overlap with heatmaps of fishing effort, obtained from vessel monitoring system (VMS) and automatic identification system (AIS) data, in the Gulf of Manfredonia and in the North‐West Adriatic in the cold (September–December) and warm (May–August) periods, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A preliminary study published in BJU International explores the potential link between vitamin D levels in urine analysis and the risk of developing urinary tract infections (UTIs) and sepsis. The study analyzed urine samples from 121 subjects and found a significant difference in vitamin D levels between individuals with positive and negative urine analyses, with higher levels detected in the latter group. The study suggests that low urine vitamin D levels may be associated with an increased risk of UTIs. Further research is needed to validate these findings and determine the utility of assessing vitamin D levels in urine as a biomarker for UTI risk. [Extracted from the article]

This article discusses the treatment of low-grade non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) and the potential for deintensifying treatment to avoid overtreatment while maintaining oncological safety. The study found that the majority of patients with low-grade NMIBC do not experience progression to high-grade disease, suggesting the potential for treatment de-intensification. Factors such as age were associated with an increased risk of high-grade recurrence. The study highlights the need for personalized follow-up and management for patients with low-grade NMIBC and suggests the use of less invasive approaches in selected patients. However, the study has limitations due to its retrospective design and limited sample size. Further research is needed to confirm these findings and provide more robust evidence. [Extracted from the article]

Assessing abundance and monitoring ecology and population trends are of critical importance for animal species of conservation concern. For sea turtles, annual nest counts represent the most common method of estimating population size. However, to develop a better understanding of population trends, these data need to be complemented by other reproductive parameters, which are lacking for many nesting populations across central Africa.To this end, an intensive capture–mark–recapture programme was conducted spanning 21 years (1997–2018) in the most important nesting sites on the Atlantic coast of central Africa (Gabon and Congo) for leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) and olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) sea turtles.A total of 18,105 encounters of 14,109 D. coriacea individuals and 2678 encounters of 2427 L. olivacea individuals were recorded. Biological and technical parameters such as clutch frequency, inter‐nesting interval, remigration interval, annual survival rate, somatic growth, size trends, tag loss and number of annual nesting females were estimated through a variety of methods and models.The study detected a decline in body size and low survival probability (not due to tag loss) in both species but no clear decline in estimated annual number of nesting females. High fidelity to nesting sites (<30 km for both species) implies that the current conservation strategy, protecting the main nesting areas, could be effective.We recommend that local conservation managers promote: (i) continued monitoring of the nesting activity of the two species through capture–mark–recapture programmes; (ii) continued nest counts at long‐term monitoring sites, which may also detect possible spatial shifts; and (iii) strengthening of cross‐border cooperation between Gabon and Republic of the Congo given the observed connectivity between nesting sites of the two countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abbreviations AS active surveillance BIAS Bladder Cancer Italian Active Surveillance Register DI delayed intervention HG high grade IQR interquartile range LG low grade LMR lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (N)MIBC (non-) muscle-invasive bladder cancer NLR neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio PLR platelets-to-lymphocyte ratio T2DM Type 2 diabetes mellitus TURBT transurethral resection of bladder tumour Approximately 75% of newly diagnosed bladder cancer are non-muscle-invasive bladder cancers (NMIBCs), and 50% of them are low-risk diseases [[1]]. Similarly, Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) was found to be associated with a higher risk of recurrence and progression in patients with T1 high-grade (HG) bladder cancer compared to those without T2DM [[5]]. Long-term follow-up and factors associated with active surveillance failure for patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer: the bladder cancer Italian active surveillance (BIAS) experience. [Extracted from the article]

Objective: To evaluate the accuracy of a new electronic nose to recognize prostate cancer in urine samples. Methods: A blind, prospective study on consecutive patients was designed. Overall, 174 subjects were included in the study: 88 (50.6%) in prostate cancer group, and 86 (49.4%) in control group. Electronic nose performance for prostate cancer was assessed using sensitivity and specificity. The diagnostic accuracy of electronic nose was reported as area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. Results: The electronic nose in the study population reached a sensitivity 85.2% (95% confidence interval 76.1–91.9; 13 false negatives out of 88), a specificity 79.1% (95% confidence interval 69.0–87.1; 18 false positives out of 86). The accuracy of the electronic nose represented as area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.821 (95% confidence interval 0.764–0.879). Conclusions: The diagnostic accuracy of electronic nose for recognizing prostate cancer in urine samples is high, promising and susceptible to supplemental improvement. Additionally, further studies will be necessary to design a clinical trial to validate electronic nose application in diagnostic prostate cancer nomograms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studying the impact of bycatch on marine megafauna, including sea turtles, is challenging for a variety of technical and biological reasons. The Mediterranean Sea has among the highest levels of turtle bycatch globally, notably of the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta), and bottom trawling represents a particularly relevant threat.Bottom trawlers from a recently discovered neritic foraging area, the Gulf of Manfredonia, reported 1,152 loggerhead turtles incidentally caught in the period 2015–2020. Capture locations were available for 497 turtles. These data were complemented by the distribution of fishing effort obtained by the vessel monitoring system.High bycatch rates were observed, leading to more than an estimated 5,600 annual captures and to the death of a minimum of 560 large individuals with high reproductive value. These findings are extremely concerning for the affected population and require immediate action. A strong seasonality of turtle bycatch was observed, with most captures occurring in November–March when fishing effort occurs in shallow waters where turtles concentrate all year round.Therefore, a seasonal approach (e.g. adopting measures only in the high‐turtle bycatch season) can be pursued as long as the spatial distribution of fishing effort varies among seasons. However, such a spatio‐temporal pattern should be monitored; then, in the case of change, although more difficult to implement, an area‐based conservation approach should be pursued. Several recommendations are provided, including the urgent implementation of turtle excluder devices, at least on a seasonal basis.This case shows that identifying the best conservation approaches requires information on the actual spatio‐temporal pattern of turtle occurrence and bycatch. Such information can only be derived from spatial distribution of bycatch and fishing effort obtained through a voluntary collaboration of fishers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Understanding the spatial ecology of animal movements is a critical element in conserving long‐lived, highly mobile marine species. Analyzing networks developed from movements of six sea turtle species reveals marine connectivity and can help prioritize conservation efforts. Location: Global. Methods: We collated telemetry data from 1235 individuals and reviewed the literature to determine our dataset's representativeness. We used the telemetry data to develop spatial networks at different scales to examine areas, connections, and their geographic arrangement. We used graph theory metrics to compare networks across regions and species and to identify the role of important areas and connections. Results: Relevant literature and citations for data used in this study had very little overlap. Network analysis showed that sampling effort influenced network structure, and the arrangement of areas and connections for most networks was complex. However, important areas and connections identified by graph theory metrics can be different than areas of high data density. For the global network, marine regions in the Mediterranean had high closeness, while links with high betweenness among marine regions in the South Atlantic were critical for maintaining connectivity. Comparisons among species‐specific networks showed that functional connectivity was related to movement ecology, resulting in networks composed of different areas and links. Main conclusions: Network analysis identified the structure and functional connectivity of the sea turtles in our sample at multiple scales. These network characteristics could help guide the coordination of management strategies for wide‐ranging animals throughout their geographic extent. Most networks had complex structures that can contribute to greater robustness but may be more difficult to manage changes when compared to simpler forms. Area‐based conservation measures would benefit sea turtle populations when directed toward areas with high closeness dominating network function. Promoting seascape connectivity of links with high betweenness would decrease network vulnerability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatio‐temporal distribution is fundamental information for species of conservation concern, like sea turtles, that are threatened by anthropogenic activities at sea such as fishing. While coarse‐scale distribution information is available for several sea turtle populations, fine‐scale distribution informing on hot‐spot areas for spatial management is more difficult to obtain.Here a citizen science approach involving tourism boats was undertaken to investigate the spatio‐temporal distribution of the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) in the Pelagie Archipelago, located in a major foraging area for this species in the Mediterranean and where high fishing‐induced mortality occurs. The study was designed to provide data of absence and total sampling effort, commonly under‐reported in citizen science studies, allowing comparison among zones and periods. This was complemented by reports from fishing vessels.Tourism boats reported 584 loggerhead turtle sightings during 1718 daily trips and fishing vessels reported 280 loggerhead turtles captured during 1040 fishing days. The results indicate a strong heterogeneous distribution in the Archipelago, with a low turtle occurrence around the main island, Lampedusa, where the highest human presence and activity occur. This may represent rare evidence of displacement behaviour of turtles that is worth further investigation. This also suggests that the current small marine protected area around Lampedusa has a low conservation impact. Zones with higher loggerhead turtle occurrence appear to be in the south and the west parts of the Archipelago, suggesting that spatial management would be possible when relatively small hot‐spots have been identified through specific surveys.This study shows the potential of citizen science for providing preliminary information to guide more demanding and specific investigations. Such an approach may tremendously and rapidly improve the current knowledge on fine‐scale sea turtle distribution in regions with a great extension of coastlines and intensive tourist activities, such as the Mediterranean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have shown that PBP training reduces objectively assessed intra-operative procedure performance errors by ~60% in comparison to traditional training programmes, including not only the Halstedian model but also newer approaches, such as simulation-based training, mastery learning and proficiency-based learning [[5]]. The general surgical exposure of European urology residents in the performance of invasive procedures, their confidence in the execution, and the overall satisfaction with their training is low [[1]]. The final ambition of the project is to provide European urology trainers with high-quality teaching tools and compendia, laying the foundation for a standardized European training programme for residents based on a scientific training approach. [Extracted from the article]

Objective To report the oncological safety and the risk of progression for patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer ( NMIBC) included in an active surveillance ( AS) programme after the diagnosis of recurrence. Patients and methods This is a prospective study enrolling patients with history of pathologically confirmed low grade pTa- pT1a NMIBC and diagnosed with a tumour recurrence. Inclusion criteria consisted of negative urine cytology, presence of ≤5 lesions with a diameter of ≤10 mm, absence of carcinoma in situ ( CIS) or persistent gross haematuria. The primary outcome of interest was adherence to AS. Need to proceed with treatment was defined as progression in number/dimension/positive cytology/symptoms (gross haematuria persistent) or any further intervention (resection or electro-fulguration). Finally, we assessed the up-grading and up-staging when transurethral resection of bladder tumour was performed. Results The study population consisted of 55 patients with a previous diagnosis of NMIBC (70 AS events) prospectively recruited since 2008. The mean patient age was 69.8 years. The median follow-up was 53 months. The median time patients remained under AS was 12.5 months. There was disease progression in 28 patients (51%). No patient progressed to muscle-invasive disease. In all, 15 patients (27.3%) had an increase in the number and/or size of the tumour, nine (16.4%) had haematuria, and four (7.3%) had a positive cytology. Only five (9%) patients in the whole series progressed to a high-grade tumour (Grade 3) or presented with associated CIS. The overall adherence to the follow-up schedule was 95%. Conclusion Our data show that an AS protocol for NMIBC could be a reasonable option in a select group of patients with small, recurrent cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the major gaps in the knowledge of sea turtle population dynamics is survival probability, in particular of juveniles, which represent the bulk of the population and whose survival has the greatest effect on population growth. One of the major global threats to sea turtles is incidental bycatch, although not all animals die in the process. This is particularly acute for the loggerhead sea turtle ( Caretta caretta)., Here fisheries-dependent monitoring is used to seek insights into patterns of survival at multiple Mediterranean foraging areas: north and south Adriatic, north Ionian, and the Tunisian shelf. Annual survival probability was estimated using the catch curve method. Size data of 2191 loggerhead turtles ranging from 19 to 92 cm curved carapace length were converted to age according to eight age-size curves available from the Mediterranean Sea., The mean annual survival probabilities for the four areas were heterogeneous and ranged between 0.710 and 0.862. Results suggest that the survival probabilities for Mediterranean loggerheads, especially in some areas, are lower than would be expected from a healthy population. This is of particular concern for the Greek rookeries, which appear most affected by anthropogenic mortality occurring in the study areas. This supports the implementation in those areas of measures mitigating the main threats, notably bycatch., Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT In migratory species female- and male-mediated gene flow are important for defining relevant Management Units, and for evaluating connectivity between these and their respective foraging grounds., The stock composition at five Mediterranean foraging areas was investigated by analysing variation in the mitochondrial D-loop and six microsatellite loci in a sample of 268 loggerhead turtles ( Caretta caretta) stranded or accidentally caught by fisheries. This involved a comprehensive Mixed Stock Analysis which considers also recent data from major rookeries in Libya and Turkey, and the generation of a standardized nomenclature of allele sizes at the microsatellite loci., The results indicate: that the north Adriatic, the Tunisian continental shelf, the waters around Malta and the Italian Ionian Sea represent important areas for the conservation of rookeries in Greece, Libya and Turkey, respectively;, that waters off the Italian peninsula and the islands of Lampedusa and Malta are mainly inhabited by individuals of Mediterranean origin, with a major contribution from the nearest and largest colonies, while Atlantic turtles are restricted to the western areas;, that specific migratory routes exist from rookeries to foraging grounds;, a poor bi-parental genetic structuring, which suggests a high male-mediated gene flow in the Mediterranean;, mixing of small turtles in waters distant from natal rookeries, and recovery of structuring for large-sized individuals; and, that uncommon mtDNA haplotypes are more powerful markers than microsatellite alleles in assessing an individual's origin, owing to their higher geographic specificity., , Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sea turtle by-catch data in the Mediterranean were reviewed and analysed with fishing effort. The results indicate over 132 000 captures per year, with probably over 44 000 incidental deaths per year, while many others are killed intentionally. Small vessels using set net, demersal longline or pelagic longline represent most of the Mediterranean fleet and likely cause more incidental or intentional deaths than large vessels typically using bottom trawl or pelagic longline. When interactions, mortality, intentional killing, size (a proxy for reproductive value) and turtle populations are considered, results indicate that Mediterranean green ( Chelonia mydas) and loggerhead turtles ( Caretta caretta) are more affected (i) by fishing gears such as bottom trawlers, demersal longlines and set nets, (ii) by small-scale fisheries, and (iii) by fishing in the eastern basin. Although small-scale fisheries should be the priority target, available measures are easier to implement on the fewer large vessels. Moreover, these measures are few, and they are not implemented yet, while others should still be tested for the Mediterranean fisheries. Thus, measures for reducing captures or mortality through changing gear-specific characteristics may help, but probably a more holistic conservation strategy aimed to an ecosystem-based fishery management for a sustainable fishing would be the only solution for the long-term survival of Mediterranean Sea turtle populations and their habitats. Small-scale fisheries should manage marine resources, including turtles, in a responsible and sustainable way. Turtles may not only benefit from but can also help this process if their non-consumptive value is fully recognized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study which investigates the anthropogenic factors and spatio-temporal distribution of loggerhead turtles in Italian waters. It reveals several conservation issues including the higher anthropogenic mortality than natural mortality in the area and interaction with fisheries as the most significant factor of anthropogenic mortality. It notes that Italy borders foraging domains for the turtles and this confirms issues on the anthropogenic mortality level in Italian waters.

The article presents a study on the loggerhead turtles or Caretta caretta collected by a turtle rescue center in Lampedusa island, Italy in central Mediterranean from year 2001 to 2005. Observations showed that drifting longlines are a major cause of sea turtle mortality in the area, a turtle with a hook in the lower esophagus or stomach has a very low chance of surviving the joint effect of hook and branchline, and the average mortality of a turtle caudht by a drifting longline is probably much higher than 30%.

The article discusses the effect of bycatch on the population of sea turtles in Lampedusa Island, Italy. It states that bottom trawl, the first fishing gear that interacts with the larger size classes of sea turtles, has the greatest effect on its reproductive potential and population trends. Another is the pelagic longline, which has been recognized as another fishing gear that results in a very high number of captures and mortality rate. A study was conducted by the Sea Turtle Rescue Centre to monitor the daily fishing trips of the local vessels, which shows the number of turtles caught and the type of target species.

Objective Methods Results Conclusion To develop performance metrics that objectively define a reference approach to a transurethral resection of bladder tumours (TURBT) procedure, seek consensus on the performance metrics from a group of international experts.The characterisation of a reference approach to a TURBT procedure was performed by identifying phases and explicitly defined procedure events (i.e., steps, errors, and critical errors). An international panel of experienced urologists (i.e., Delphi panel) was then assembled to scrutinise the metrics using a modified Delphi process. Based on the panel's feedback, the proposed metrics could be edited, supplemented, or deleted. A voting process was conducted to establish the consensus level on the metrics. Consensus was defined as the panel majority (i.e., >80%) agreeing that the metric definitions were accurate and acceptable. The number of metric units before and after the Delphi meeting were presented.A core metrics group (i.e., characterisation group) deconstructed the TURBT procedure. The reference case was identified as an elective TURBT on a male patient, diagnosed after full diagnostic evaluation with three or fewer bladder tumours of ≤3 cm. The characterisation group identified six procedure phases, 60 procedure steps, 43 errors, and 40 critical errors. The metrics were presented to the Delphi panel which included 15 experts from six countries. After the Delphi, six procedure phases, 63 procedure steps, 47 errors, and 41 critical errors were identified. The Delphi panel achieved a 100% consensus.Performance metrics to characterise a reference approach to TURBT were developed and an international panel of experts reached 100% consensus on them. This consensus supports their face and content validity. The metrics can now be used for a proficiency‐based progression training curriculum for TURBT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]