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The goal of this study was to investigate habitat effects on the population structure and condition of the sea urchins Paracentrotus lividus and Arbacia lixula. Population structure (density, biomass, size frequency distribution) of both species has been investigated in two areas along the Ligurian coast, characterised by a different level of human disturbance, representing two alternative states of the infralittoral rocky bottom habitat, the photophilic algae assemblage and the barren ground. Samplings have been carried out in two sites within each area in two times, during Spring 2006. According to this experimental design, 10 individuals per species have been collected to evaluate trophic and reproductive conditions and analyse their gut contents, and, in order to relate feeding conditions to food availability, benthic assemblages have been characterised. P. lividus and A. lixula densities are different, as much as their diets change according to the benthic assemblage the urchins live in, but their trophic and reproductive conditions are not affected by food availability. Our results suggest that top-down processes rule the population structure while bottom-up ones cause changes in the diet, but do not alter the general conditions of the urchins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients with acute stroke often require venous access to facilitate diagnostic investigations or intravenous therapy. The primary aim of this study was to describe the rate and type of complications associated with the placement of a short peripheral catheter (SPC) in patients with acute ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke. A prospective, observational, single-cohort study was conducted at Niguarda Hospital, Italy, with enrolment in the Emergency Department. Adult patients with an ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke requiring an SPC were enrolled. Complications, such as infiltration, occlusion, phlebitis and dislodgment, were recorded daily. Descriptive statistics were used, and the incidence rate ratio (IRR) was estimated to assess the difference in complications, considering catheter calibre, dominant side, exit site, limb, and limb mobility, ictus type (ischemic/haemorrhagic), impairment deficit (language, motor, visual) and EA-DIVA score. A total of 269 participants and 755 SPC were analysed. Removal of SPC due to at least one local complication occurred in 451 (60%). Dislodgment was the major cause of SPC removal (31%), followed by infiltration (18%), occlusion (6%), and phlebitis (5%). The SPC calibre (22G), exit-site other than antecubital and forearm, visual deficit and EA-DIVA ≥ 8 were associated with a higher rate of SPC complications: IRR, 1.71 [1.31; 2.31]; 1.27 [1.01; 1.60], 1.38 [1.06; 1.80], 1.30 [1.04; 1.64], respectively. No other differences in complication rates were observed according to the insertion site, i.e. dominant side, left side, plegic/hyposthenic limb, or exit site. This study provides novel insights into the frequency and types of complications associated with SPC in patients with acute stroke. Compared to the literature, a higher dislodgment rate was observed, being the first cause of SPC removal, whereas no differences in the number of infiltrations, occlusions, and phlebitis were recorded., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

With the rapid pandemic spread of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV2), Emergency Departments of affected countries are facing an increasing number of patients presenting with hypoxemic respiratory failure due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Providing mechanical support and endotracheal intubation can be challenging due to a number of patients larger than usual, often exceeding available resources. Considering the lack of recommendations available, we developed a flowchart to standardize the first approach to patients presenting to the Emergency Department with hypoxemic respiratory failure due to COVID-19.