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The conservation status of Alessioporus ichnusanus is discussed considering new insights emerged from the IUCN global assessment. New locations were identified and Italy is confirmed as the center of distribution of this species. According to the IUCN categories and criteria, A. ichnusanus is assigned to the category Vulnerable C2a(i). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glyphosate is the most widely used and widespread plant protection product in the world with 718,600 tons in 2012 according to Transparency Market Research, of which 1,795 tons only in Italy, equal to 6 kg per hectare of utilized agricultural area. It is one of the most widely found products in Italian waters when it was sought together with its aminomethylphosphonic acid metabolite (AMPA) whose half life in the soil is between 76 and 958 days Academic studies, as well as those sponsored by industry, clearly show that glyphosate has negative effects on reproduction and causes malformations on laboratory animals. Studies in laboratory mammals (rats and rabbits) have shown significant dose-dependent correlations with dilation and other cardiac malformations even at low doses, increased fetal and early mortality, bone malformations. Evidence of deleterious interference on the glycosal bacterial flora composition by glyphosate is available for cattle and pigs. As for human beings, glyphosate caused birth defects. The alterations induced by glyphosate may contribute to the genesis of disorders such as celiac disease, obesity, diabetes, but also to other body disorders such as heart disease, depression, autism, infertility, cancer, Alzheimer's disease. The deleterious effect of glyphosate on beneficial gastrointestinal bacteria would lead to an impoverishment in the supply of selenomethionine and selenocysteine. Glyphosate has been recently declared a probable human carcinogen and as such it has been included in the 2A group by the Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). In conclusion, for its risks to health and the environment, confirmed its extreme diffusion and since there are eco-sustainable alternatives, the use of this product (as well as most of the high-impact "herbicides" and "desiccants" environmental) should be avoided wherever possible. Consequently, any higher management costs resulting from the deletion of use for the purpose of achieving the sustainability of human activities, must be allowed and appropriately financed or de-taxed. The use of this product can not, however, fall within the integrated agriculture regulations that provide for the obligation to use mechanical means to cut the grass in arboreal crops or to interfere before sowing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the last few years, Zika virus rapidly spread across Central and South America and in the last months has spread also across Southern States of USA. As the epidemic began in Brazil, an increase of microcephaly cases was registered, causing concern and inducing the World Health Organization to raise an alarm. Certainly, the Zika virus, as many other viruses, has the capacity to induce severe cerebral lesions in foetuses of women infected during the first months of pregnancy. Moreover, more than 80% of cases of craniostenosys that verisimilarly took place in Brazil from September 2015 up to now were registered in few states of North- Eastern Brazil, where peaks of this malformation were registered several years before the appearance of Zika virus. In addition, in none of the 60 Countries where Zika virus is epidemiologically active an increase of the incidence of microcephaly has been reported. This paper intends to analyse some doubts concerning the link between Zika virus and the epidemic of craniostenosys.