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Mountain ecosystems are particularly sensitive to changes in climate and land cover, but at the same time, they can offer important refuges for species on the opposite of the more altered lowlands. To explore the potential role of mountain ecosystems in butterfly conservation and to assess the vulnerability of the alpine species, we analyzed the short-term changes (2006-2008 vs. 2012-2013) of butterflies' distribution along altitudinal gradients in the NW Italian Alps. We sampled butterfly communities once a month (62 sampling stations, 3 seasonal replicates per year, from June to August) by semi-quantitative sampling techniques. The monitored gradient ranges from the montane to the alpine belt (600-2700 m a.s.l.) within three protected areas: Gran Paradiso National Park (LTER, Sitecode: LTER_EU_IT_109), Orsiera Rocciavrè Natural Park and Veglia Devero Natural Park. We investigated butterflies' temporal changes in accordance with a hierarchical approach to assess potential relationships between species and community level. As a first step, we characterized each species in terms of habitat requirements, elevational range and temperature preferences and we compared plot occupancy and altitudinal range changes between time periods (2006-2008 vs. 2012-2013). Secondly, we focused on community level, analyzing species richness and community composition temporal changes. The species level analysis highlighted a general increase in mean occupancy level and significant changes at both altitudinal boundaries. Looking at the ecological groups, we observed an increase of generalist and highly mobile species at the expense of the specialist and less mobile ones. For the community level, we noticed a significant increase in species richness, in the community temperature index and a tendency towards homogenization within communities. Besides the short time period considered, butterflies species distribution and communities changed considerably. In light of these results, it is fundamental to continue monitoring activities to understand if we are facing transient changes or first signals of an imminent trend.

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Elevational gradients are natural laboratories to study species diversity and community level responses along patterns of environmental variation. Understanding how multiple contrasting taxa respond to elevation along the same gradient, as well as how the same taxa respond to different elevational gradients, is still an important and urgent task in conservation biology. Protected areas play a key role in reducing losses of biological diversity as climate and land-uses change (KHAROUBA & KERR 2010). For these reasons, in 2006-2007 Gran Paradiso National Park (GPNP) developed a monitoring scheme to study animal biodiversity in mountain ecosystems along altitudinal gradients and to set the basis for the development of an historical dataset, focused on multi-taxa community data. The protocol will be repeated every 5 years (2 years monitoring - 4 years stop) in order to analyse variation through space and time. Main objectives are: - to measure the biodiversity status, describing animal biodiversity along altitudinal gradients. This is fundamental for creating a baseline against which to identify future changes and for planning highly focused conservation actions; - to forecast the biodiversity status, for estimating the risk of biodiversity loss, also through the application of environmental change scenarios. This will allow to identify the threshold beyond which the risk of biodiversity loss will be extremely elevated and to identify potential 'vulnerability and safety'. Led by GPNP, in 2007-2008, the project was extended to two other protected areas in the NW Italian Alps (Orsiera-Rocciavré Natural Park and Veglia Devero Natural Park), representing the first attempt to develop a protocol for long-term monitoring of multiple taxa in the Italian Alps. As planned, in the years 2012-2013, the 3 protected areas carried out the first repetition of the sampling activities. Moreover, in 2013-2014, 3 more Italian National Parks (Dolomiti Bellunesi NP, Stelvio NP, Val Grande NP), located in the Alps, started the same monitoring project. Currently, 6 Italian Parks, all located in the Alpine Region and covering its natural variability, are sharing a common protocol to study animal biodiversity in mountain ecosystems.

Attraverso una chiamata pubblica, fotografi naturalisti e associazioni di fotografia naturalistica sono stati coinvolti nella realizzazione di questo volume per illustrare gli ecosistemi montani italiani e i complessi processi che ne determinano la dinamica. Il volume include quattro capitoli (ecosistemi montani, ambiente fisico, rete trofica, cambiamenti e impatti) nei quali vengono raccontate le principali tipologie di ecosistemi montani italiani e le differenze tra regioni e quote diverse, le caratteristiche peculiari degli ecosistemi e gli adattamenti di piante e animali alle difficili condizioni dell'ambiente di montagna, i rapporti esistenti tra le varie componenti degli ecosistemi e la complessa interazione tra attività umane e ambiente montano.

The alpine grassland of Gran Paradiso National Park (Italy) resulted from centuries of human activities that created high biodiversity semi-natural areas below the timberline. The progressive abandonment of management practices as well as climate change lead to variations in species diversity. In order to apply active management actions for maintaining such ecosystem, a long-term monitoring programme started in 2016 in selected sites of the Park, aimed to: 1) evaluate the effects of a well managed grazing system on animal and plant biodiversity; 2) compare the evolution of managed and non-managed areas, the latter obtained by excluding a portion of the meadows from grazing. Together with CO2 fluxes, monitoring includes also plant community, invertebrates, soil properties. We present the first results of spatial and temporal variability of CO2 fluxes from grasslands in relation to air temperature, radiance and soil properties.

Purpose: Continuous therapy (CT) prolongs progression-free survival 1 (PFS1; time from random assignment until the first progression or death), but chemotherapy-resistant relapse may negatively impact overall survival (OS). Progression-free survival 2 (PFS2; time from random assignment until the second progression or death) may represent an additional tool to estimate outcome. This study evaluates the benefit of novel agent-based CT versus fixed duration of therapy (FDT) in patients with newly diagnosed myeloma. Methods: We included patients enrolled onto three phase III trials that randomly assigned patients to novel agent-based CT versus FDT. Primary analyses were restricted to the intent-to-treat population eligible for CT (patients progression free and alive at 1 year after random assignment). Primary end points were PFS1, PFS2, and OS. All hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs were adjusted for several potential confounders using Cox models. Results: In the pooled analysis of the three trials, 604 patients were randomly assigned to CT and 614 were assigned to FDT. Median follow-up was 52 months. In the intent-to-treat CT population, CT (n = 417), compared with FDT (n = 410), significantly improved PFS1 (median, 32 v 16 months, respectively; HR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.40 to 0.56; P < .001), PFS2 (median, 55 v 40 months, respectively; HR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.50 to 0.75; P < .001), and OS (4-year OS, 69% v 60%, respectively; HR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.54 to 0.88; P = .003). Conclusion: In this pooled analysis, CT significantly improved PFS1, PFS2, and OS. The improvement in PFS2 suggests that the benefit reported during first remission is not cancelled by a shorter second remission. PFS2 is a valuable end point to estimate long-term clinical benefit and should be included in future trials. Copyright © 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology. All rights reserved.

Novel agents in combination with melphalan and prednisone (MP) significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in multiple myeloma (MM). Randomized trials comparing MP plus bortezomib (VMP) versus MP plus thalidomide (MPT) are lacking. Nine hundred and fifty-six elderly (>65 years) newly diagnosed MM patients from six European randomized trials were retrospectively analyzed and matched for age, albumin, and beta2-microglobulin at diagnosis, 296 patients were selected from the VMP groups, and 294 from MPT. Complete response rate was 21% in the VMP patients and 13% in the MPT patients (P=0.007). After a median follow-up of 34 months (range, 1-92), VMP significantly prolonged both PFS (median 32.5 vs. 22.9 months, HR 0.65; 95% CI 0.52-0.82; P

Purpose To investigate prevalence and predictors of renal function variation in a multicenter cohort treated with radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) for upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). Methods Patients from 17 tertiary centers were included. Renal function variation was evaluated at postoperative day (POD)—1, 6 and 12 months. Timepoints differences were Δ1 = POD-1 eGFR − baseline eGFR; Δ2 = 6 months eGFR − POD-1 eGFR; Δ3 = 12 months eGFR − 6 months eGFR. We defined POD-1 acute kidney injury (AKI) as an increase in serum creatinine by ≥ 0.3 mg/dl or a 1.5 1.9-fold from baseline. Additionally, a cutoff of 60 ml/min in eGFR was considered to define renal function decline at 6 and 12 months. Logistic regression (LR) and linear mixed (LM) models were used to evaluate the association between clinical factors and eGFR decline and their interaction with follow-up. Results A total of 576 were included, of these 409(71.0%) and 403(70.0%) had an eGFR p p = 0.003), POD-1 AKI (OR 2.88, p p p p = 0.007), POD-1 AKI (OR 1.83, p = 0.02), and preoperative eGFR p p = 0.019), hydronephrosis (p p p = 0.001) influenced renal function variation (ß 9.2 ± 0.7, p Conclusion Age, preoperative eGFR and POD-1 AKI are independent predictors of 6 and 12 months renal function decline after RNU for UTUC.

Butterflies of the European Euphydryas aurinia complex include a series of taxa, showing morphological and eco-ethological differences. All of them are threatened by changes in land use affecting both the structural and functional connectivity of habitat patches, as well as habitat quality. In this framework, we analysed the use of resources by two of the three taxa occurring in Italy, E. (a.) glaciegenita (Alpine) and E. (a.) provincialis (Mediterranean), at "landscape", "patch" and "microhabitat" scale. We collected data on spatial distribution of adults by Mark-Release-Recapture to understand which parameters affect adult distributions at landscape scale and to test the degree of adult aggregation at patch scale. We sampled first instar larvae within fixed plots and compared the microhabitat characteristics of occupied vs. unoccupied host plants. We found that both populations were affected by management at landscape scale, with contrasting patterns depending on both sites and sex. The food plants were not a limiting factor for adult distribution, probably because they were abundant in the study areas. Within patches, males of E. (a.) glaciegenita showed aggregate distributions in comparison to those of E. (a.) provincialis, suggesting the existence of a "lek strategy". At microhabitat scale, we observed that females carefully chose their egg-laying sites according to host plant density and microclimatic cues, even though selection was driven by distinct factors in the two populations. Understanding the ecological requirements of all life stages is essential to develop appropriate conservation strategies to preserve butterflies of the E. aurinia complex in Italy.

BACKGROUND: This open-label, randomized, phase 3 study compared melphalan at a dose of 200 mg per square meter of body-surface area plus autologous stem-cell transplantation with melphalan-prednisone-lenalidomide (MPR) and compared lenalidomide maintenance therapy with no maintenance therapy in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. METHODS: We randomly assigned 273 patients 65 years of age or younger to high-dose melphalan plus stem-cell transplantation or MPR consolidation therapy after induction, and 251 patients to lenalidomide maintenance therapy or no maintenance therapy. The primary end point was progression-free survival. RESULTS: The median follow-up period was 51.2 months. Both progression-free and overall survival were significantly longer with high-dose melphalan plus stem-cell transplantation than with MPR (median progression-free survival, 43.0 months vs. 22.4 months; hazard ratio for progression or death, 0.44; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.32 to 0.61; P