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Girardia Ball, 1974 is the most diverse and widely distributed genus of the family Dugesiidae (Platyhelminthes: Continenticola) in the Neotropical region. Seven out of the 52 species of the genus are known for Argentina. The Somuncurá Plateau is a region in northern Patagonia with several endemic flora and fauna, but little is known about the free-living Platyhelminthes. We describe two new species of Girardia partially inhabiting in sympatry in the Somuncurá Plateau: Girardia somuncura sp.nov.and Girardia tomasi sp. nov. The identification criteria that we followed was an integrative taxonomic approach based on morphological and molecular data. Thus, we used anatomical features focused on the reproductive system, together with a phylogenetic analysis, using a mitochondrial (COI barcode region) genetic marker. This study is the first phylogenetic analysis of the genus Girardia in which we include the southernmost representatives of America here described, thus making it possible to incorporate them in global phylogenies. Key words: Argentina, Continenticola, endemic species, freshwater triclads, Girardia, phylogenetic analysis, taxonomy, turbellarians. Girardia Ball, 1974 est le genre de la famille des dugésides (plathelminthes : continenticoles) qui présente la plus grande diversité et la plus grande aire de répartition géographique dans la région néotropicale. Sept des cinquante-deux espèces connues du genre ont été recensées en Argentine. Le plateau de Somuncurá est une région du nord de la Patagonie comptant plusieurs assemblages floristiques et fauniques endémiques, mais les connaissances sur les plathelminthes libres sont très limitées. Nous décrivons deux nouvelles espèces de Girardia vivant en sympatrie partielle sur le plateau de Somuncurá: Girardia somuncura sp.nov.et Girardia tomasi sp. nov. Le critère d'identification quenous avons utiliséconsisteen une approche taxonomique intégrée reposant sur des données morphologiques et moléculaires. Ainsi, nous avons utilisé des éléments anatomiques centrés sur le système reproducteur, combinés à l'analyse phylogénétique ayant recours à un marqueur génétique mitochondrial (région des codes à barres COI). L'étude constitue la première analyse phylogénétique du genre Girardia, dans lequel nous incluons les représentants les plus méridionaux des Amériques, décrits dans l'article, ce qui permet de les incorporer aux phylogénies mondiales. [Traduit par la Rédaction] Mots-clés: Argentine, continenticoles, espèce endémique, triclades d'eau douce, Girardia, analyse phylogénétique, taxonomie, turbellariés., Introduction At the beginning of the 21st century, the diversity of freshwater triclads in the Neotropical region was considered low (Sluys et al. 2005). However, the species of the genus [...]

Disgust is a powerful emotion, that evolved to protect us from contamination and diseases; it also cores to very human feelings, such as shame. In anorexia nervosa, most of the knowledge on disgust regards food. However, disgust can be elicited by varied drivers, including body-related self-disgust, which may be more central to this condition. Here, we investigate in depth how disgust triggers related to the body influence altered representations in anorexia nervosa.Women with anorexia nervosa and healthy women performed the Hand Laterality Task, in which they were asked to judge the laterality of hands without and with a disgust charging feature (i.e. with a body product or with a body violation). We computed accuracy and reaction time for the effect of biomechanical constraints, an index of motor imagery. We also measured the general disgust sensitivity through a self-report questionnaire.Participants with anorexia nervosa were overall less accurate and slower compared to controls, suggesting a non-canonical (i.e. not based on motor imagery) approach to solving the task. However, they showed the same pattern of responses as controls for disgust-charged stimuli, despite reporting higher levels of disgust sensitivity.Our results suggested the absence of specific effects of disgust drivers on the (altered) body in action representation in anorexia nervosa. We discuss this evidence focusing on the role of the psychopathological symptoms characterizing anorexia nervosa. We also reflect on the efficacy of experimental methodologies used to detect alterations in body representation in this clinical condition.

The hand laterality task (HLT) and the foot laterality task (FLT) are used to explore motor imagery, the ability to imagine an action without executing it. With our limbs, we interact with our body, with others, and with the environment. These contacts might cause negative feelings, such as disgust. Disgust is elicited by different drivers. For instance, body products and body envelope violations provoke disgust to avoid contaminations and to avoid damaging our bodies. However, not much is known about how disgust changes our motor imagery processes. In this study, we examined whether there is any difference in the ability to imagine hands and feet when these are emotionally charged with reminders of disgust. Thirty-six participants completed an online version of a classic (neutral) HLT and FLT and two emotionally charged (disgust) versions. Our findings show that when body parts are modified so that they elicit emotional processing, disgust is salient overall, rather than being salient specifically for actions. This is true for both our hands and our feet., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Background: Treatment of metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) dramatically changed. PEACE-1 and ARASENS trials established triplet therapy efficacy. Identifying prognostic factors supporting treatment choice is pivotal., Methods: TEAM is an observational, retrospective study to evaluate prognostic role of variables in mHSPC patients receiving upfront docetaxel in 11 Italian centers. Outcome measures were progression-free survival (PFS) and overall-survival (OS)., Results: From September 2014 to December 2020, 147 patients were included. Median PFS and OS were 11.6 and 37.4 months. At univariate analysis, PFS-related variables were Gleason Score (GS) (P = .001), opioid use (P = .004), bone metastases number (P < .001), baseline PSA (P = .006), Hb (P < .001), ALP (P < .001) and LDH (P = .002), time between ADT and docetaxel start (P = .018), 3-month PSA (P < .001) and ALP (P < .001), and number of docetaxel cycles (P < .001). OS-related variables were PSA at diagnosis (P = .024), primary tumor treatment (P = .022), baseline pain (P = .015), opioid use (P < .001), bone metastases number (P < . 001), baseline Hb (P < .001), ALP (P < .001) and LDH (P = .001), NLR ratio (P = .039), 3-month PSA (P < .001) and ALP (P < .001) and docetaxel cycles number (P < .001). At multivariate analysis, independent prognostic variables were GS, opioid use, baseline LDH and time between ADT and docetaxel initiation for PFS, and baseline Hb and LDH for OS., Conclusion: Patients receiving upfront docetaxel with high GS, high disease burden, pain or opioid use, baseline unfavorable laboratory values had worse outcomes. Patients had greater docetaxel benefit when initiated early after ADT start. These parameters could be taken into account when selecting candidates for triplet therapy., Competing Interests: Disclosure All authors have no conflict of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Sorghum plants naturally produce dhurrin, a cyanogenic glycoside that may be hydrolysed to cyanide, resulting in often-lethal toxicoses. Ruminants are particularly sensitive to cyanogenic glycosides due to the active role of rumen microbiota in dhurrin hydrolysis. This work provides an overview of a poisoning outbreak that occurred in 5 farms in Northwest Italy in August 2022; a total of 66 cows died, and many others developed acute toxicosis after being fed on either cultivated ( Sorghum bicolor ) or wild Sorghum ( Sorghum halepense ). Clinical signs were recorded, and all cows received antidotal/supportive therapy. Dead animals were subjected to necropsy, and dhurrin content was determined in Sorghum specimens using an LC-MS/MS method. Rapid onset, severe respiratory distress, recumbency and convulsions were the main clinical features; bright red blood, a bitter almond smell and lung emphysema were consistently observed on necropsy. The combined i.v. and oral administration of sodium thiosulphate resulted in a rapid improvement of clinical signs. Dhurrin concentrations corresponding to cyanide levels higher than the tolerated threshold of 200 mg/kg were detected in sorghum specimens from 4 out of 5 involved farms; thereafter, such levels declined, reaching tolerable concentrations in September-October. Feeding cattle with wild or cultivated Sorghum as green fodder is a common practice in Northern Italy, especially in summer. However, care should be taken in case of adverse climatic conditions, such as severe drought and tropical temperatures (characterising summer 2022), which are reported to increase dhurrin synthesis and storage.

The mental representation of the body in action can be explored using motor imagery (MI) tasks. MI tasks can be allocated along a continuum going from more implicit to more explicit tasks, where the discriminant is the degree of action monitoring required to solve the tasks (which is the awareness of using the mental representation of our own body to monitor our motor imagery). Tasks based on laterality judgments, such as the Hand Laterality Task (HLT) and the Foot Laterality Task (FLT), provide an example of more implicit tasks (i.e., less action monitoring is required). While, an example of a more explicit task is the Mental Motor Chronometry task (MMC) for hands and feet, where individuals are asked to perform or imagine performing movements with their limbs (i.e., more action monitoring is required). In our study, we directly compared hands and feet at all these tasks for the first time, as these body districts have different physical features as well as functions. Fifty-five participants were asked to complete an online version of the HLT and FLT (more implicit measure), and an online version of the MMC task for hands and feet (more explicit measure). The mental representation of hands and feet in action differed only when the degree of action monitoring decreased (HLT ≠ FLT); we observed the presence of biomechanical constraints only for hands. Differently, when the degree of action monitoring increased hands and feet did not show any difference (MMC hands = MMC feet). Our results show the presence of a difference in the mental representation of hands and feet in action that specifically depends on the degree of action monitoring., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: Positive changes in weight gain and eating pathology were reported after inpatient treatments for anorexia nervosa (AN). However, changes in the physical body do not always mirror changes in the imagined body. Here, the effect of a treatment focused on body image (BI) was described., Methods: This retrospective observational study had a quasi-experimental pre-post design without the control group. During the treatment, participants (N = 72) undertake a variety of activities focused on BI. The main outcome was tested through the Body Uneasiness Test., Results: At the end of the treatment, BI uneasiness decreased with a significant increase in weight gain., Conclusion: This study highlights the positive short-term effect of a multidisciplinary inpatient intensive rehabilitation treatment on BI in AN. We encourage to design of psychological treatments focusing on the cognitive and emotional bodily representation (i.e. the body in the mind) to increase physical well-being., (© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

The marine microturbellarian diversity is scarcely known from the Pacific coastline of South America. The coastal margin of Peru is highly influenced by cold-water currents (Humboldt Current System). These cold-water currents play important roles in shaping the marine species diversity in this area. However, there are no previous records of marine microturbellarians for Peru. Here, we describe a new species of Rhabdocoela and report on five other species of marine microturbellarians for this country. Carcharodorhynchus giaae n. sp. (Kalyptorhynchia, Schizorhynchidae), can be identified based on the configuration of the proboscis lips and the male and female genital systems. The male copulatory organ lacks a cirrus, but has a funnel-like, curved stylet with three pairs of spines along it, which distinguishes this species from its congeners. The female system has a vagina with a sclerotized, heavily coiled structure - a feature not mentioned in any known species of the same genus. In addition, we describe noteworthy features for another rhabdocoel, Trigonostomum galapagoense (Dalytyphloplanida, Trigonostomidae). Finally, we provide new records for three rhabdocoel species (Alcha evelinae, Itaipusa divae, Utelga heinckei), one species of Fecampiida (Urastoma cyprinae), and an unidentified species of Prolecithophora.

In the last fifteen years a better understanding of the biological processes promoting tumour growth and progression led to an impressive revolution in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) treatment landscape. Angiogenesis plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of RCC. These biological evidences led to targeted therapies interfering with vascular endothelial growth factor and mammalian target of rapamycin pathway. Another big step in the RCC therapeutic landscape was recently made because of the understanding of the interplay between angiogenesis and immune cells. Dual immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and ICIs plus tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) combinations have been approved considering overall survival benefit compared to targeted therapies as first line treatment. We summarize the activity and the biological rationale of ICIs combinations as mRCC first line therapy. Additionally, we review the clinical and biological criteria useful to guide clinicians in the choice of treatment sequencing focusing on ICIs combinations resistance mechanisms., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The classic rubber hand illusion (RHI), based on visual, proprioceptive, and tactile feedback, can affect actions. However, it is not known whether these effects still occur if the paradigm is administered without visual feedback. In this study, we used the somatic RHI to test in thirty-two healthy individuals whether the incorporation of the rubber hand based on proprioceptive and tactile information only is sufficient to generate changes in actions. We measured maximum grip aperture (GA) changes towards a target and associated brain activations within the dorsal stream before and after the somatic RHI. Behavioural and neuroimaging data do not support an effect on maximum GA when the RHI is based on proprioceptive and tactile information only.

Free-living turbellarians mostly live in marine and freshwater environments, but they have been little considered in ecological studies. The coastal plain in southern Brazil harbors a diverse fauna and flora, but only a few studies have related environmental factors to the abundance, richness, and distribution of turbellarians. Hence, we analyzed the structure of turbellarian communities in floating vegetation in three differently sized limnic environments. We aimed to determine differences in abundance, density, and richness of turbellarians among these habitats in relation to environmental factors. We found 1,225 turbellarians (34 species) distributed among 6 taxa. The most abundant was Tricladida with 49.4% relative abundance; the remaining (Catenulida, Dalytyphloplanida, Macrostomorpha, Kalyptorhynchia, and Prorhynchida) were less abundant. We found no significant differences among population parameters and environments. Small shallow lakes are a potentially rich environment, while water channels are the richest environment. Larger shallow lakes are not very diverse for turbellarians. Similarities regarding turbellarian communities among close limnic systems could be explained by the connectivity of bodies of water that presents similar aquatic macrophytes and hydrological subsystems, while larger shallow lakes have a different community because they have their own contributing basin and could be influenced by other factors.

The Taim strict nature reserve (ESEC Taim) is a protected wetland (Ramsar site) in southern Brazil. Although the ESEC Taim harbours a broad conspicuous flora and fauna, this area lacks studies on free-living Platyhelminthes. Here, we describe three new species to science, one belonging to Macrostomorpha ( Macrostomum itai n. sp.) and two belonging to Dalytyphloplanoida ( Gieysztoria duopunctata n. sp. and G. hermes n. sp.). Macrostomum itai n. sp. differs from their congeners for its distinct stylet in "J"-shaped. Gieysztoria duopunctata n. sp. is distinguishable based on the crown-like penis stylet, this species possesses 12-18 spines of similar sizes and two smaller spines (one a bit longer than the other). Gieysztoria hermes n. sp. clearly differs from its congeners owing to its fibrous girdle, which bears two groups of complexes of spines and three different-in-length ventral spines. Moreover, we identified twenty-three species, eleven belonging to Catenulida, three to Macrostomorpha, seven to Dalytyphloplanoida, one to Kalyptorhynchia, and one to Prorhynchida. We recorded three species for the first time in Brazil ( Myostenostomum vanderlandi , Macrostomum quiritium and Strongylostoma elongatum ). This new information on these free-living Platyhelminthes makes this protected area a more valuable and reinforces the actions that are being done to protect it.

Purpose: The noninterventional, prospective NIMES-ROC phase IV study (NCT02825420) evaluated trabectedin plus pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) in real-life clinical practice., Patients and Methods: Eligible participants included adults with platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer (PS-ROC) who had received one or more cycles of trabectedin/PLD before inclusion according to the marketing authorization. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) according to investigator criteria., Results: Two hundred eighteen patients from five European countries were evaluated, 72.5% of whom were pretreated with at least two prior chemotherapy lines and received a median of six cycles of trabectedin/PLD (range: 1-24). Median PFS was 9.46 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 7.9-10.9), and median overall survival (OS) was 23.56 months (95% CI, 18.1-34.1). Patients not pretreated with an antiangiogenic drug obtained larger median PFS (p < .007) and OS (p < .048), largely owning to differences between the two populations. Twenty-four patients (11.0%) had a complete response, and 57 patients (26.1%) achieved a partial response for an objective response rate (ORR) of 37.2%. Fifty-nine patients (27.1%) had disease stabilization for a disease control rate of 64.2%. No statistically significant difference in PFS, OS, or ORR was observed by BRCA1/2 status and platinum sensitivity. Most common grade 3/4 adverse events (AEs) were neutropenia (30.3%), anemia (6.4%), thrombocytopenia (5.5%), and asthenia (5.0%). No deaths attributed to treatment-related AEs or unexpected AEs occurred., Conclusion: The combination of trabectedin/PLD represents a clinically meaningful and safe option for patients with PS-ROC regardless of prior treatment with an antiangiogenic drug, being comparable with previously observed outcomes in selected and less pretreated patients from clinical trials., Implications for Practice: This noninterventional, prospective study, conducted in 57 reference sites across Europe, consistently confirmed that trabectedin plus pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) in routine clinical practice represents a clinically meaningful and safe option for women with platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer. Although the study population represented a heterogeneous, older, and more pretreated population than those in prospective clinical trials, the combination of trabectedin plus PLD induced comparable clinical benefits, with a similar and manageable safety profile. Overall, these findings show that trabectedin in combination with PLD maintains antitumor activity when administered to heavily pretreated patients in real-life clinical practice., (© 2020 The Authors. The Oncologist published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of AlphaMed Press.)

Body representation (BR) refers to the mental representation of motor, sensory, emotional and semantic information about the physical body. This cognitive representation is used in our everyday life, continuously, even though most of the time we do not appreciate it consciously. In some cases, BR is vital to be able to communicate. A crucial feature of signed languages (SLs), for instance, is that body parts such as hands are used to communicate. Nevertheless, little is known about BR in SL: is the communicative function of the body overwriting the physical constraints? Here, we explored this question by comparing twelve British Sign Language (BSL) learners to seventeen tango dancers (body expertise but not for communication) and fourteen control subjects (no special body expertise). We administered the Body Esteem Scale (BES), the Hand Laterality Task (HLT) and the Mental Motor Chronometry (MMC). To control for visual imagery, we administered ad hoc control tasks. We did not identify parameters able to differentiate between SL users and the other groups, whereas the more implicit parameters distinguished clearly tango dancers from controls. Importantly, neither tasks on visual imagery nor the BES revealed differences. Our findings offer initial evidence that linguistic use of the body not necessarily influences the cognitive components we explored of body representation.

Obama nungara Carbayo, Álvarez-Presas, Jones, & Riutort, 2016 is a land planarian (Platyhelminthes: Geoplanidae) native to southern South America, which has recently dispersed towards several countries of the European continent, thus becoming a threat to the native soil fauna. Its dispersion would be favoured by its wide food habit and its tendency to live linked to humans, being the plant trade its most plausible vector of dispersion. Here, we explored the potential distribution of O. nungara on a global scale by using the MaxEnt software. We used 144 records (encompassing 10 countries) from sampling campaigns, citizen science, recent literature, and material deposited in scientific collections. Our results showed that southern South America has favourable climatic conditions for O. nungara. MaxEnt also allowed predicting expansions to countries of Europe where this planarian is already established and to others not yet colonized, as well as to Asia (southern coast of the Caspian Sea, Taiwan, and south-east of mainland China) and Oceania (south-east of Australia and New Zealand). The potential distribution of O. nungara was mainly outlined by climatic factors related to temperature (annual mean temperature, mean temperature of the coldest quarter, and annual temperature range). Thus, under a global warming scenario, a significant expansion of O. nungara relative to the current prediction is expected. This information may be useful to design strategies to prevent new introductions, since the dissemination of this planarian seems to be strongly man-linked., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Catenulida are mostly inhabitants of freshwater ecosystems, like ponds, streams, though the marine species are few (Larsson and Willems, 2010). About 110 species of catenulids are known worldwide, with most of the studies conducted in South America (Marcus, 1945a, 1945b; Noreña et al., 2005), North America (Kepner and Carter 1931; Nuttycombe and Waters, 1938) and Scandinavian Peninsula (Luther, 1960, Larsson and Willems, 2010; Larsson et al., 2008). The diversity of catenulids from India has not been studied intensively; however some reports on other turbellaria exists for the country (Annandale, 1912; Whitehouse, 1913; Kapadia, 1947; Basil and Fernando, 1975; Apte and Pitale, 2011; Kalita and Goswami, 2012; Venkataraman et al., 2015). The genus Stenostomum, however, has been studied extensively around the world with identification of over 60 species (Tyler et al., 2006-2016). This is first report of the genus from India. The present study was part of the project to catalogue the diversity of free living protozoan ciliates from the Hooghly stretch of the Ganga River during which the flatworms were found. The worms were studied based on the live observations, with recognition of characters which led to its identification. This study serves to fill knowledge gap in the freshwater flatworms from India.

Background: Metals are a minor constituent in honey, but they have been suggested to be a potential tool to characterize honeys according to their botanical or geographical origin., Methods: A total of 40 metals were analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry in monofloral and multifloral honeys from Northwestern Italy. PCA and ANOVA were used to discriminate honeys according to the various floral types., Results: The highest levels of trace elements and rare earth elements (REEs) were found in chestnut honey, while the lowest concentrations were recorded in acacia and rhododendron honeys. Rubidium and aluminum were the most represented nonessential elements, while manganese, iron, zinc and copper had the highest values of the essential elements. Potentially toxic elements arsenic, cadmium and lead were close to or below the limit of quantification., Conclusions: The present study showed significant differences in metal concentrations according to honey floral type, reflecting the strong influence of botanical origin on the chemical composition of this particular food., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

Honey is a very unusual food - a natural substance produced by bees from the nectar or secretion of plants and elaborated by the bees themselves. Differences in trace elements and rare earth elements (REEs) are related to botanical and geographical origin, and, as such, honey could be a suitable indicator for metal occurrence in the environment within the bee forage area. A total of 40 metals were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry in multi-floral honey samples from different geographical areas. The highest levels of trace elements and REEs were found in honey from Tanzania, while lower concentrations were recorded in Italian, Kazakhstan, the Balkans, and South American honeys. Tanzanian honey is of interest due to its different content of metals, related to the peculiar lithology and the mineral resources of this country. Rubidium and aluminum were the most represented nonessential elements, while manganese, iron, zinc, and copper registered the highest values of the essential elements. Very low concentrations were found for the toxic elements lead, cadmium, and arsenic. The present study showed differences in metal concentrations in multi-floral honey from different countries, confirming the strong influence of the area of origin on the chemical composition of honeys.

Rare earth elements (REEs) are central in several critical technologies; their use is constantly increasing as is their release into the environment. For this reason, it is important to investigate REE concentrations in different matrices to evaluate human exposure and environmental risk of these emerging contaminants. REEs were measured by ICP-MS in matrices of terrestrial (plant feed, fruit, honey, wildlife livers) and marine origin (seaweeds, zooplankton, bivalves, fish) collected from Northwestern Italy. Highest REE concentrations were measured at low trophic levels, both in terrestrial and marine environments, such as plants (ΣREE 1.8 mg kg -1 ) and seaweed (ΣREE 12 mg kg -1 ), the major source of exposure and transfer of REEs to food webs. REE concentrations were several orders of magnitude lower in fruit, honey, and livers from terrestrial wildlife, suggesting a negligible risk of exposure by these matrices. Marine biota, such as bivalves (ΣREE 0.16 mg kg -1 ) and fish (ΣREE 0.21 mg kg -1 ) may constitute a pathway for human or animal dietary exposure. The study confirmed that REEs have low potential for biomagnification, but instead are subject to trophic dilution. However, given the numerous sources of dietary introduction of REEs, they should be monitored for a possible harmful cumulative effect. Owing to the scarcity of data regarding REEs worldwide, our results contribute to assessment of the occurrence of these emerging contaminants., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Clinicians will have to face an increasing numbers of older HIV-infected patients in coming years. The age cut-off of 50 years often adopted to define "elderly" patients with HIV/AIDS is younger than that usually used in most other settings. The present contribution discusses the main peculiarities and new outcomes of interest of this class of patient from the clinical psychology perspective; the contribution is divided in three section exploring cognitive disorders, psycho-emotional problems and health-related quality of life proposing both a brief synthesis of the main evidence from the literature and some insights and proposals for the importance of involving a psychologist in the clinical care of these patients.

Species of Macrostomum are present in almost all regions of the world. These flatworms occur in different kinds of environments, from freshwater to marine ecosystems. Although Peru is considered one of the megadiverse countries in South America, little is known about freshwater microturbellarians in this country. Here we report the presence of M. rostratum Papi, 1951 for the first time in Peru, in a coastal brackish water wetland, and that of M. quiritium Beklemischev, 1951 and M. tuba Graff, 1882 in an inland portion of a river near the city of Lima. All the species were studied alive. Comments on the habitat and associated fauna are given. Detailed information on the copulatory system is provided for M. rostratum; the male system has a bilobed seminal vesicle with thick walls and full of spindle-shaped sperm cells, and a stylet in the form of a solid curved inverted cone with a subterminal opening located on the concave side of the stylet. These findings led us to suggest that M. rostratum may exhibit a hypodermic mating syndrome. The three species of Macrostomum reported here are widespread and, although the diagnostic characters of the species are present, some morphological differences in the copulatory stylet suggest they are cryptic species.

Here, we describe two new species of land planarians of the genera Pasipha and Imbira from the Atlantic Forest of Argentina: Pasipha quirogai sp. nov. and Imbira negrita sp. nov. Their external features and internal anatomy distinguish them from their congeners. Pasipha quirogai sp. nov. is about 40mm long, characterized by brown beige dorsal pigmentation with a golden yellow median band and thin graphite black para-median stripes, cylindrical pharynx, extrabulbar prostatic vesicle with paired proximal portion, male atrium with small folds in its proximal part, and female canal opening into the dorso-caudal wall of the female atrium. Imbira negrita sp. nov. is about 110mm long, with jet black dorsal pigmentation, pharynx collar-type, short female canal opening in the postero-dorsal portion of the female atrium, and epithelial lining of female atrium with stratified appearance. We also provide exhaustive descriptions of Geoplana quagga, Obama ladislavii, and Paraba multicolor, all recorded for the first time in Argentina, by analysing anatomical features of taxonomic relevance. In addition, we improve the description of G. quagga, mainly regarding the musculature, secretory cells, and the copulatory apparatus.

In this paper, we describe two new species of Syndesmis living in Pseudechinus magellanicus in the Southwest Atlantic Ocean. The new species have a long stylet in the male reproductive system, which is different from that of the known species of the genus. Specimens of Syndesmis selknami n. sp. have a ∼220-μm-long stylet (∼1/3 of the body length, 0.69 mm). This ratio is unique because only four species ( Syndesmis echinorum , Syndesmis rubida , Syndesmis inconspicua and Syndesmis echiniacuti ) have similar stylet lengths but are larger in body sizes (3-5 mm). Specimens of Syndesmis aonikenki n. sp. have a ∼148-μm-long stylet (∼1/10 of the body length, 1.11 mm). Syndesmis pallida has a similar ratio but the uterus is located posteriorly, and the filament glands are very small and located in the posterior region of the body. These are the first flatworms reported parasitizing Pseudechinus magellanicus .

Previous studies demonstrated complex architecture of the muscular system of Macrostomum species, especially in the rostrum area and the pharynx. However, little is known about the differences in muscular pattern between species of the genus. This study examines and compares the muscular systems of specimens belonging to three freshwater Macrostomum species (M. quiritium, M. tuba and M. velastylum), labeled with phalloidin-rhodamine and studied by confocal microscopy. Our results agree with the previous descriptions, confirming that the muscular patterns for the body wall, rostrum area, pharynx and caudal region differ among species. The muscles of the body wall follow the typical architecture, but the number of fibers in the species analyzed varies between dorsal and ventral surfaces, ranging from 80 to 100 fibers, this record being higher than previous observations. The arrangement of the fibers in the rostrum is complex, especially in the brain area. Macrostomum tuba and M. quiritium have a set of two muscles crossing at brain level and forming an "X," which is not evident in M. velastylum. We identified five different sets of fibers associated to the pharynx and mouth at ventral, medium and deep levels. These different sets are present in all three species studied. The caudal plate in M. tuba has an additional layer of diagonal fibers in the body wall, which is not evident in the other two species. The muscles of the reproductive system are independent of the body wall musculature in the species analyzed, but connected to the intestinal wall by specific fibers that may serve as an anchor. J. Morphol. 278:264-282, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals,Inc., (© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

A new species of land planarians of the genus Cratera is described. Cratera viridimaculata sp. n. was recorded in the Atlantic Forest Ecoregion, in north-eastern Argentina, and represents the first report of the genus Cratera outside Brazil. The new species is about 50 mm in length and externally characterized by a color pattern consisting of a light green olive pigmentation on the dorsum, stippled with dark gray fine spots, and dorsal eyes. Other features regarding the internal anatomy are the presence of a glandular margin, Cutaneous Muscular Index (CMI) of 10-13%, pharynx cylindrical, prostatic vesicle extrabulbar, tubular and C-shaped, with a proximal bifurcated portion, penis papilla protrusible with ejaculatory duct widened in its distal portion, and female atrium funnel-shaped. The new species is compared and discussed with its congeners.

The genus Pasipha Ogren & Kawakatsu, 1990 currently includes 22 species, most of them recorded in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Recently, Pasipha hauseri was documented in north-eastern Argentina, thus extending its distribution range. This paper reports new records of the genus Pasipha in the Interior Atlantic Forest ecoregion in Argentina, with the description of three new species: Pasipha atla sp. nov., Pasipha johnsoni sp. nov., and Pasipha mbya sp. nov. These new species exhibit similarities in internal anatomy, such as pharynx cylindrical, extrabulbar prostatic vesicle with folded walls and proximally forked, male atrium highly folded, being at least two times longer than the female atrium and with small folds in their proximal portion. However, they can be distinguished from each other mainly by the secretion types discharged into the prostatic vesicle as well as into the male and female atria. In addition, they have different colour patterns on the dorsal surface.

Pancreatic cancer (PC) would become the second leading cause of cancer death in the near future, despite representing only 3% of new cancer diagnosis. Survival improvement will come from a better knowledge of risk factors, earlier diagnosis, better integration of locoregional and systemic therapies, as well as the development of more efficacious drugs rising from a deeper understanding of disease biology. For patients with unresectable, non-metastatic disease, combined strategies encompassing primary chemotherapy and radiation seems to be promising. In fit patients, new polychemotherapy regimens can lead to better outcomes in terms of slight but significant survival improvement associated with a positive impact on quality of life. The upfront use of these regimes can also increase the rate of radical resections in borderline resectable and locally advanced PC. Second line treatments showed to positively affect both overall survival and quality of life in fit patients affected by metastatic disease. At present, oxaliplatin-based regimens are the most extensively studied. Nonetheless, other promising drugs are currently under evaluation. Presently, in addition to surgery and conventional radiation therapy, new locoregional treatment techniques are emerging as alternative options in the multimodal approach to patients or diseases not suitable for radical surgery. As of today, in contrast with other types of cancer, targeted therapies failed to show relevant activity either alone or in combination with chemotherapy and, thus, current clinical practice does not include them. Up to now, despite the fact of extremely promising results in different tumors, also immunotherapy is not in the actual therapeutic armamentarium for PC. In the present paper, we provide a comprehensive review of the current state of the art of clinical practice and research in PC aiming to offer a guide for clinicians on the most relevant topics in the management of this disease.

Background: The subfamily Geoplaninae (Geoplanidae) includes land planarian species of the Neotropical Region. In Argentina, the knowledge about land planarian diversity is still incipient, although this has recently increased mainly in the Atlantic Forest ecosystem. However, other regions like Chacoan forests remain virtually unexplored., Results: In this paper, we describe a new species of the genus Notogynaphallia of the Chacoan subregion. This species is characterized by a black pigmentation on the dorsum and a dark grey ventral surface. The eyes with clear halos extend to the dorsal surface. The pharynx is cylindrical. The main features of the reproductive system involve testes anterior to the ovaries, prostatic vesicle intrabulbar (with a tubular proximal portion and a globose distal portion) opening broadly in a richly folded male atrium, common glandular ovovitelline duct and female genital canal dorso-anteriorly flexed constituting a "C",female atrium tubular proximally and widening distally., Conclusions: This is the first report of the genus Notogynaphallia in Argentina (Chacoan subregion, Neotropical Region) which increases its geographic distribution in South America. Also, as a consequence of features observed in species of the genus, we propose an emendation of the generic diagnosis.

Land planarians are an interesting group of free-living flatworms that can be useful as bioindicators because of their high sensitivity to environmental changes and low dispersal capacity. In this study, we describe and compare assemblages of land planarians from areas with different conservation degrees of the Interior Atlantic Forest (Misiones, Argentina), and assess factors that could be related to their abundance and richness. Eight sites were tracked in search of land planarians in Reserva de Vida Silvestre Urugua-í (RVSU) and Campo Anexo Manuel Belgrano (CAMB). Diurnal and nocturnal surveys were performed in each site along nine sampling campaigns. We collected 237 individuals belonging to 18 species of the subfamily Geoplaninae. All sites were dominated by Geoplana sp. 1 and Pasipha hauseri. The richness estimators showed that there would be more species in RVSU than in CAMB. The abundance and richness of land planarians was high during the night and after rainfalls, suggesting an increased activity of flatworms under such conditions. The abundance and richness of land planarians were also related to the conservation condition of the sites. Disturbed sites showed less abundance and richness, and were segregated from non-disturbed ones by nmMDS analysis. Beta diversity between sites was higher than expected, indicating that the species turnover between sites contributed more to the total richness (gamma diversity) than the alpha diversity.