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Mammals have evolved to occupy spatial and temporal niches in order to optimize resource utilization and minimize predation risk or competition. Subsequently, niche partitioning may be influenced by phylogenetic associations, which could have substantial consequences for ecosystem structure and function. We use the output from occupancy models based on camera trapping data to construct a tri-partite network describing the environmental and temporal partitioning of activity among twelve sympatric mammals in the Apennine Mountains of central Italy. We further evaluate if there were any effects of phylogenetic associations on the contributions of species to the properties of this spatio-temporal network. The Apennines form a pristine region in central Italy with a relatively intact Mediterranean mammal fauna. The mammal community in our study consisted of species ranging in size from 300 gs to over 200 kg, and included herbivores, omnivores and predators. There was limited structuring of the network describing environmental and temporal niche use. Furthermore, we did not find any phylogenetic signal in species contributions to network structures, and phylogenetic relatedness among species was not associated with their similarities in environmental or spatial niche use. However, animals appeared to have partitioned environmental niches more than temporal ones, suggesting that spatial variation in resource availability may have been more important than temporal avoidance of predation risk or competition in shaping activity within this mammal community. Our study highlights the need to evaluate under which conditions evolutionary history is influencing contemporary ecological processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study evaluates if the addition of a curcumin formulation with a polyvinylpyrrolidone-hydrophilic carrier (CHC; Diabec®, Alfa Intes, Italy) to intravitreal injections of dexamethasone (DEX-IVT) can affect the morphological retinal characteristics, extending the steroid re-treatment period in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME). Methods: A randomized controlled clinical trial was carried out in DME patients, randomly assigned to receive DEX-IVT or DEX-IVT and a CHC. The evaluation of the mean difference of central retinal thickness (CRT) was the primary aim. Secondary aims were the evaluations of best-corrected visual acuity, differences in the predetermined retinal layer thickness, the number/time of re-treatment, and the assessment of safety. Results: A total of 73 DME patients were included (35 in the control group and 38 in the combined therapy group). In both the control and combined therapy groups, the mean CRT change from T0 to the 6 months' evaluation was significant (p = 0.00). The mean CRT result was significantly different at month 4 (p = 0.01) between the control and combined therapy groups, with a greater reduction in the combined therapy group, in particular, in patients with ≤10 years of diabetes. A trend of CRT reduction in the combined therapy group has been observed also considering patients with subfoveal neuroretinal detachment. In addition, we observed that the reduction of inner retinal layer thickness was greater in the combination group, in comparison with controls. Conclusion: The combination of a CHC to DEX-IVT is a promising therapeutic option in case of DME, in particular, for patients with early-stage diabetes and with an inflammatory phenotype. Further studies will be necessary to confirm these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the patterns of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related disease in a large cohort of HBsAg-positive patients, in Central Italy, by collecting a screening form with demographic, clinical and laboratory data. Overall, 737 HBsAg-positive cases were included (70% male; median age 52 years): 30% were inactive HBsAg carriers, 51% had chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and 19% had HBV-related cirrhosis. Patients from non-European Union (EU) countries (n = 65) were significantly younger, had a higher prevalence of HBeAg-positive infection and hepatitis delta virus (HDV) co-infection than patients of Italian origin. Therefore, as immigration from non-EU countries continues to grow, we can expect a change in the landscape of HBV-related disease in our area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of curcumin formulation with a polyvinylpyrrolidone-hydrophilic carrier (CHC*; Diabec®—AlfaIntes, Italy) for the treatment of macular edema (ME) from uncommon etiologies. We conducted retrospective interventional case series, reviewing the medical records of patients referred to the Eye Center, Humanitas Hospital, Bergamo due to persistent ME related to uncommon causes and treated by oral administration of CHC. The main outcomes assessed were best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central macular thickness (CMT), and the presence of intraretinal and/or subretinal fluid (SRF). Only patients with a minimum follow-up (f/u) of 6 months were included. The occurrence of any adverse effect was registered. Thirty-one eyes of 30 patients were included, with a mean f/u of 8.32 ± 1.77 months. Of them, 9 patients (10 eyes) were affected by postoperative ME and 21 by chronic central serous chorioretinopathy. Median BCVA significantly improved after treatment, changing from 0.3 [0.16–0.5] to 0.1 [0–0.3] logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (P < .001). Also CMT was significantly improved, as it decreased from 400 [364–438] μm before treatment to 280 [242–307] μm at the last f/u visit (P < .001). The complete absorption of intraretinal/SRF was detected in 23 of 31 eyes (74%) at the final f/u. No adverse effects were registered. In conclusion, treatment with CHC was effective and safe for eyes affected by ME of various uncommon etiologies, resulting in significant improvement of both functional and anatomical outcomes, with the complete resolution of the edema in the majority of cases (74%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methods and Materials: From July 2006 to December 2015, 295 patients suitable for breast-conserving therapy entered a single-arm phase II study and were treated with IOERT as radical treatment. Inclusion criteria were age >50, postmenopausal status, cT1N0M0 stage, grade G1-G2, positive estrogen receptor status; unicentric and unifocal disease, histologically proven invasive ductal carcinoma no previous breast irradiation, good performance status., Results: With a median follow-up of 7.1 years (95% CI, 6.5;7.4) 6 women (2.0%) experienced a true local recurrence (reappearance of the tumour in the same quadrant). Five-year overall survival and local recurrence-free survival were 96% (95% CI, 92.9;97.8) and 94.9% (95% CI, 91.6;97.0) respectively., Conclusion: Our trial suggests that, in highly selected early stage breast cancers, a single-dose IOERT can be safely delivered with excellent results and very low long-term recurrence rates., Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Although acute conjunctivitis has been listed from the beginning as a possible sign of COVID-19, the likelihood of this association remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between COVID-19 and conjunctivitis., Methods: In this retrospective, observational study, we recruited all patients with signs and symptoms of acute conjunctivitis seen at the Eye Emergency Department (ED), Turin Eye Hospital, between 01/01/2020 and 12/05/2020 and cross-checked our data with the Piedmont Region online COVID-19 registry in the same period., Results: Among 10,065 patients seen at our ED during the timespan considered, 88 underwent a nasopharyngeal swab (NS) for SARS-CoV-2 detection within 4 weeks before/after our examination. On average, NS was performed -0.72 ± 1.8 weeks before/after eye examination. Of the 77 patients with a negative NS, 26 (33.8%) had a diagnosis of acute conjunctivitis, whereas the remaining 51 (66.2%) had other eye disorders. Among the 11 patients with COVID-19, 7 (63,6%) had a diagnosis of acute conjunctivitis. We found a non-statistically significant increase in NS positivity rate (21.2%) among cases examined at our ED for acute conjunctivitis, compared to the NS positivity rate (7.3%) in patients examined for all other eye conditions ( p  = 0.092). The Odds Ratio of having a positive NS in patients with acute conjunctivitis was 3.43 (95% I.C. = 0.9-12.8, p  = 0.06). Considering online-registry data of Turin population during the same time-span, among 2441 positive NS cases only 27 (1.1%) presented with acute conjunctivitis., Conclusion: Our results do not reveal a statistically significant correlation between COVID-19 and acute conjunctivitis., Synopsis: The present study analyzes retrospectively data from a tertiary eye referral center to investigate the relationship between COVID-19 infection and conjunctivitis.

Purpose: To determine the incidence and risk factors for late-onset ocular hypertension (LOH) after vitrectomy., Methods: From the electronic medical records of consecutive patients who underwent primary vitrectomy, from January 2010 to December 2015, at 5 tertiary vitreoretinal centers in Italy, patient demographics, systemic, ophthalmic, operative, and postoperative data were drawn. Main outcome measure was the presence of LOH, defined as intraocular pressure >21 mmHg detected more than 2 months after vitrectomy on at least 2 consecutive visits., Results: Among 6,048 patients, LOH was found in 294 (4.9%) vitrectomized eyes and in 87 (1.4%) fellow eyes, (chi square; P < 0.001). Multivariable logistic regression showed that significant risk factors for developing LOH included intraoperative triamcinolone use (odds ratio [OR], 7.62; P < 0.001), longer axial length (OR, 1.55; P = 3.023), preoperative higher intraocular pressure (OR, 1.81; P = 0.003), and postvitrectomy pseudophakic/aphakic status (OR, 2.04; P < 0.001). Decision-tree analysis showed that the stronger predictor of LOH was intraoperative triamcinolone use (P < 0.001). Secondary predictors were a preoperative intraocular pressure more than 15 mmHg (P < 0.001) in eyes that use triamcinolone, and postvitrectomy pseudophakic/aphakic status (P = 0.007) in eyes that did not use triamcinolone., Conclusion: Late-onset ocular hypertension occurred in 4.9% of vitrectomized eyes. The main risk factors were intraoperative use of triamcinolone and postvitrectomy pseudophakic/aphakic status.

Aim: To evaluate the physiopathology of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) along the pituitary-testicular-prostate axis at the time of initial diagnosis of prostate cancer in relation to the available clinical variables and to the subsequent cluster selection of the patient population., Patients and Methods: The study included 98 patients who were diagnosed with prostate cancer. Age, percentages of positive cores (P+) at transrectal ultrasound scan biopsy, biopsy Gleason score (bGS), luteinizing hormone (LH), FSH, total testosterone, free testosterone (FT) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) were the continuous clinical variables. All patients had not previously received hormonal manipulations. FSH correlation and multiple linear analyses were computed in the population. The FSH/PSA ratio was computed and then ranked for clustering the population as groups A (0.13≤FSH/PSA≤0.57), B (0.57

Cataract represents one of the most frequent eye complications in type 1 and type 2 patients; contrarily, acute cataract in young diabetic patients occurs very rarely. The aim of this study was to describe six cases of acute cataract in adolescents at the onset of type 1 diabetes. Eight hundred and twenty-six patients with type 1 diabetes were retrospectively studied. A multivariate analysis was applied to verify the weight of the following laboratory findings taken on admission (independent variables): glycemia, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), pH, base excess (BE),and on the occurrence of cataract (dependent variable). Six patients (0.7%) presented with acute lens opacities. Cataract development was significantly correlated with HbA1c and glycemia. The relative risk increases about twice for each percentage point from 12.8 to 14.1% of HbA1c; glycemic blood levels represent a moderate risk factor for cataractogenesis. Ketoacidosis and BE were not significantly correlated., (© 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.)

Objectives: Prostate cancer is an interesting tumor for endocrine investigation. The prostate-specific antigen/free testosterone (PSA/FT) ratio has been shown to be effective in clustering patients in prognostic groups as follows: low risk (PSA/FT ≤0.20), intermediate risk (PSA/FT >0.20 and ≤0.40) and high risk (PSA/FT >0.40 and ≤1.5). In the present study we explored the total PSA and FT distributions, and linear regression of FT predicting PSA in the different groups (PSA/FT, pT and pG) and subgroups (pT and pG) of patients according to the prognostic PSA/FT ratio., Patients and Methods: The study included 128 operated prostate cancer patients. Pretreatment simultaneous serum samples were obtained for measuring free testosterone (FT) and total PSA levels. Patients were grouped according to the total PSA/FT ratio prognostic clusters (≤0.20, >0.20 and ≤0.40, >0.40), pT (2, 3a and 3b+4) and pathological Gleason score (pG) (≤6, = 7 >3 + 4, ≥7 >4 + 3). The pT and pG sets were subgrouped according to the prognostic PSA/FT ratio. Linear regression analysis of FT predicting total PSA was computed according to the different PSA/FT prognostic clusters for the: (1) total sample population, (2) pT and pG groups, (3) intraprostatic (pT2) and extraprostatic disease (pT3a/3b/4), and (4) low-intermediate grade (pG ≤6) and high-grade (pG ≥7) prostate cancer., Results: Analysis of variance always showed highly significant different PSA distributions for (1) the different PSA/FT, pT and pG groups; and (2) the pT and pG prognostic subgroups. Significant FT distributions were detected for the (1) PSA/FT and pT groups; and (2) the pT2, pT3a and pG ≤6 prognostic PSA/FT subgroups. Correlation, variance and linear regression analysis of FT predicting total PSA was significant for (1) the PSA/FT prognostic clusters, (2) all the pT2 and pT3a subgroups, and (3) the pT3b/4 subgroup with PSA/FT >0.20 and ≤0.40, and (4) all the pG subsets. Linear regression analysis showed that the slopes of the predicting variable (FT) were always highly significant for patients with (1) intraprostate and extraprostate disease, and (2) low-grade and high-grade prostate cancer., Conclusions: According to the prognostic PSA/FT ratio, significantly lower levels of FT are detected in prostate cancer patients with extensive and high-grade disease. Also, significant linear correlations of FT predicting PSA are assessed in the different groups and subgroups of patients clustered according to the prognostic PSA/FT ratio. Confirmatory studies are needed., (Copyright © 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Objectives: To explore the significance of the pretreatment total prostate-specific antigen (PSA) to free testosterone (FT) ratio (PSA/FT) as a marker for assessing the pathologic Gleason sum (pGS) and levels of tumor extension (pT) in prostatectomy specimens., Patients and Methods: 128 of 135 consecutive patients diagnosed with prostate cancer underwent radical prostatectomy. Simultaneous pretreatment serum samples were obtained to measure serum total testosterone, FT and total PSA levels. The statistical design of the study included 2 sections: the first part trying to explore the role of the PSA/FT ratio in clustering patients with different pathologic prognostic factors, and the second to investigate the PSA/FT ratio distribution in different groups of patients according to the pathologic stage and pGS of the specimen after radical prostatectomy., Results: The average age was 65.80 (range 51.21-77.26) years, mean PSA was 8.88 (range 1.22-44.27) μg/l, mean FT was 35.32 (range 13.70-69.30) pmol/l, and the mean PSA/FT ratio was 0.27 (range 0.04-1.48). The PSA/FT ratio significantly clustered both the pT and pGS groups. Analysis of variance for the distribution of the PSA/FT ratio was significant for the pT model groups. The mean PSA/FT ratio increased as the tumor extended and grew through the prostate gland (high-stage disease). Analysis of variance for the different distributions of the PSA/FT ratio was significant for all model pGS groups. In our investigation we also found (data not shown) that a PSA/FT ratio of ≥0.40 was strongly correlated with large extensive (pT3b+pT4) and high-grade cancers (pGS8+pGS9)., Conclusions: Prostate cancer patients may be classified into 3 different pathologic prognostic groups according to the PSA/FT ratio: low risk (PSA/FT ≤0.20), intermediate risk (PSA/FT >0.20 and ≤0.40), and high risk (PSA/FT >0.40 and ≤1.5). The PSA/FT ratio may be considered as the marker expressing different biology groups of prostate cancer patients, and it is strongly associated with pT and pGS., (Copyright © 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

COX-1 polymorphism C50T, in complete linkage disequilibrium with the other polymorphism A-842G, has been depicted as a determinant of pharmacological response to aspirin treatment. Whether these polymorphisms exert an effect on response to aspirin both in vitro and ex vivo is still controversial. We genotyped a population of 148 healthy individuals for the C50T/A-842G haplotype. Thirty of them underwent low-dose aspirin (100 mg daily) treatment for four weeks and were followed up for seven days after withdrawal. In this subgroup, we evaluated the thromboxane-dependence of biochemical and functional indexes used to monitor the antiplatelet effect of low-dose aspirin. Among the 148 subjects studied, 10 were heterozygous for the C50T/A-842G haplotype (6.7%) and only one was homozygous for the 50T/-842G haplotype (0.67%). In the group on low-dose aspirin, serum thromboxane (TX) B(2) as well as urinary 11-dehydro-TXB(2) and arachidonic acid (AA)-induced aggregation were similarly suppressed in carriers and non-carriers of the 50T/-842G haplotype, with an increase until basal levels of all the parameters within seven days after withdrawal. We found no relationship between the 50T/-842G haplotype and the so-called phenomenon of aspirin resistance. Platelet cyclooxygenase activity, as reflected by serum TXB(2), was uniformly and persistently suppressed by low-dose aspirin in both carriers and non carriers of these polymorphisms.

Background: The prognostic usefulness of 6-min walk testing (6 MWT) was reported both in patients with severe as well as in those with moderate systolic heart failure. However, more than 80% of the patients investigated were males and the value of the test had never been separately evaluated in women. The aim of the present study was to prospectively assess the prognostic value of 6 MWT in women with mild to moderate congestive heart failure., Methods: Ninety-five women with congestive heart failure (mean age 63.9 years) were enrolled in the study. All patients were followed for a mean period of 38 months in order to assess the event-free survival (death, heart transplantation). The prognostic value of the distance walked during 6 MWT was compared to the NYHA functional classification and to the echocardiographically-derived indexes of heart function. The results were then compared with those of a group of 129 male patients with similar clinical characteristics., Results: Thirty-four female patients (36%) died of cardiovascular causes and 2 underwent heart transplantation. In the same period, the overall survival in male patients was 74% and 3 patients were successfully transplanted. Regardless of gender, the 3-year event-free survival was significantly lower in patients who walked < 300 m during 6 MWT compared to that observed in those with an intermediate (300-400 m) or high level (> 400 m) of performance. At univariate and multivariate analyses, the NYHA class and the distance covered during 6 MWT were significantly related to survival in both genders while with regard to the left ventricular ejection fraction, this relationship was observed only in women. The patient's age was not related to the mortality., Conclusions: A distance < 300 m during 6 MWT identifies a subgroup at high risk of death even in female patients with mild to moderate heart failure.