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European National Forest Inventories (NFIs) are well established in most of the European countries. In some NFIs, core samples are taken to estimate volume increments at annual resolution. However, the potential of the NFI for dendroecological investigations has not been evaluated so far. Therefore, the aim of this study was to test the potential of dendrochronological data collected during the Italian NFI in 2006. Silver fir was selected as a test species. Core samples were taken from eighty-one trees including one sample per inventory plot (IP). The 81 IPs were distributed across the Italian Alps and the northern Apennine thus well representing the site conditions of the study area. The effects of the detrending method and sample size on detecting middle- to long-term growth trends and high-frequency climate signals were tested. Further, cluster analysis was applied to find dissimilarities among tree-ring width (TRW) series. Results suggest the detrending method to be the most important factor for detecting growth trends, but not for identification of high-frequency climate signals. Sample size essentially influences the final mean chronology, but it does not bring new information when larger than 30 series. Two groups of trees were recognised with distinct middle-term TRW patterns, although being the same in terms of climate sensitivity. Results are mostly in line with recent findings of other authors, which suggest the potential of the NFI data for dendroecological investigations.

The maintenance and enhancement of High Nature Value (HNV) farming and forestry systems is a strategic objective of the European Rural Development Policy. The assessment of the effectiveness of rural development measures as regards this objective is a challenging task. The paper focuses on HNV forest areas and presents an approach to assessing their baseline extent in Italy. The procedure described here is consistent with the guidelines provided by the European Evaluation Network for Rural Development. Based on National Forest Inventory (NFI) data, sound estimates are provided of the extent of HNV forest area at national and regional level. The use of NFI data ensures consistency of data collection and processing at the national level as required in European Commission’s methodological guidelines. Following this approach, the overall of HNV forest in Italy amounts to 2,259,066 ha, which corresponds to 26% of the total forest area.

The k-Nearest Neighbour (k-NN) estimation and prediction technique is widely used to produce pixel-level predictions and areal estimates of continuous forest variables such as area and volume, often by subcategories such as species. An advantage of k-NN is that the same parameters (e.g., k-value, distance metric, weight vector for the feature space variables) can be used for all variables, whether continuous or categorical. An obvious question is the degree to which accuracy can be improved if the k-NN estimation parameters are tailored for specific variable groups such as volumes by tree species or categorical variables. We investigated prediction of categorical forest attribute variables from satellite image spectral data using k-NN with optimisation of the weight vector for the ancillary variables obtained using a genetic algorithm. We tested several genetic algorithm fitness functions, all derived from well-known accuracy measures. For a Finnish test site, the categorical forest attribute variables were site fertility and tree species dominance, and for an Italian test site, the variables were forest type and conifer/broad-leaved dominance. The results for both test sites were validated using independent data sets. Our results indicate that use of the genetic algorithm to optimize the weight vector for prediction of a single forest attribute variable had a slight positive effect on the prediction accuracies for other variables. Errors can be further decreased if the optimisation is done by variable groups.

Le SOD sono enzimi implicati nella difesa antiossidante e ripartiva di quasi tutte le cellule, poiché catalizzano la dismutazione del radicale superossido a perossido d’idrogeno che, successivamente, è convertito in ossigeno e acqua dall’enzima catalasi. Questi enzimi hanno la capacità di prevenire il danno provocato dagli alti livelli di ROS prodotti, in particolare da radiazioni ionizzanti (Epperly et al., 2003). Nelle cellule sono presenti tre isoforme: la SOD 1 è localizzata nel citosol, la SOD 2 nella matrice mitocondriale, mentre la SOD 3 è secreta nello spazio extracellulare (Oberley, 2005). L’isoforma SOD 2, conosciuta anche come manganese superossido dismutasi (MnSOD), ricopre un ruolo di notevole importanza nella conversione del radicale superossido (O2.-) nei mitocondri e, dunque, rappresenta la prima linea di difesa contro questo radicale (Wang et al., 2001). Recentemente nel laboratorio di ricerca del dott. Aldo Mancini (Istituto Nazionale Tumori G.Pascale) è stata isolata un’isoforma di SOD da cellule di liposarcoma umano in coltura (LSA-Type MnSOD) che ha mostrato sia in vivo che in vitro una azione citotossica specifica e selettiva solo per le cellule esprimenti il recettore per gli estrogeni. Pur avendo la stessa attività enzimatica comune a tutte le SOD, la LSA-Type MnSOD si differenzia dalla sua corrispondente nativa per la presenza del peptide leader (da 24 amminoacidi), evidentemente non clivato, che le conferisce la peculiare capacità di penetrare in tutte le cellule. Tale proteina è stata riprodotta in forma ricombinante, rMnSOD, a partire da uno specifico clone di cDNA derivato da cellule di liposarcoma umano (Mancini et al., 2006). La rMnSOD è risultata, in vitro, essere radioprotettiva per le cellule normali e radiosensibilizzante per quelle tumorali, nonchè è stata impiegata con successo nel trattamento di estese aree di necrosi tissutale di un esemplare di tartaruga Caretta caretta. (Occhiello A. et al 2009). Sulla base dei risultati precedentemente ottenuti è stato allestito uno studio pilota su 20 pazienti affetti da ulcere trofiche, piaghe da decubito, ustioni, perdite di sostanza post-traumatiche e ferite post-chirurgiche, i quali si sono spontaneamente dichiarati disponibili al trattamento con la formulazione in crema contenente la rMnSOD, I pazienti di entrambi i sessi di età compresa tra i 25 e i 85 anni sono stati medicati con una formulazione O/A a base di rMnSOD in occlusione, una volta al giorno per un tempo variabile da 15gg a 2 mesi. In tutti i pazienti si eè osservata rapida formazione di tessuto di granulazione con una riduzione significativa dei tempi di riparazione e soddisfacenti esiti cicatriziali. • Borrelli A, Schiattarella A, Mancini R, Morrica B, Cerciello V, Mormile M, d'Alesio V, Bottalico L, Morelli F, D'Armiento M, D'Armiento FP, Mancini A. Free Radical Biology and Medicine. 2009 Jan 1;46(1):110-6. Epub 2008 . • Epperly M.W., Gretton J. E., Sikora C.A., Jefferson M., Bernarding M., Nie S. and Greenberger J.S. (2003). Radiation Research. 160 (5): 568-578. • Mancini A., Borrelli A., Schiattarella A., Fasano S., Occhiello A., Pica A., Sher P., Tommasino M., Nüesch J. P. F. and Rommelaere J. (2006). International Journal of Cancer. 119 (4): 932-943. • Oberley L.W. Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy. 59 (4): 143-148. • Occhiello A., Bentivegna F., Borrelli A., Schiattarella A., Mancini A., Pica A. Comparative clinical Pathology. DOI 10.1007/s00580-009-0816-9 • Wang L.I., Miller D.P., Sai Y., Liu G., Su L., Wain J.C., Lynch T.J. and Christiani D.C. (2001). Journal of the National Cancer Institute. 93 (23): 1818-1821. • Santoianni P., Nino M. Giornale italiano di dermatologia e venereologia. 2003. 138(6):455-64 • Nino M., Santoianni P. . Giornale italiano di dermatologia e venereologia 2006. 141(5):471-4

We describe a 31-year-old woman with an asymptomatic solitary red plaque on the back which measured 2 × 1 cm. The patient reported that it had been growing for a few months. Upon dermoscopic examination, multiple well-demarcated red globules were seen. At the periphery a fine pigment network was present. The lesion was excised and examined histopathologically. The specimen showed proliferation of irregular branching venules with inconspicuous lumina. The tumor cells lacked cellular atypia. Microvenular hemangioma is a rare, slowly growing, benign vascular tumor. It usually presents on the trunk or the extremities of young to middle-aged adults. Microvenular hemangioma is a benign vascular tumor with distinct dermoscopic and histopathological features which enable it to be distinguished from other vascular neoplasms.

National forest inventories represent a fundamental source of data and knowledge for forestry and environmental policy and allow for the production of national and regional level statistics on forests. The value of these statistics confirms the need for a sampling design that adequately delivers representation by reducing sampling error, but also for a data quality process that limits the non-sampling errors. The article summarizes the quality control procedures of the three sampling phases adopted in the Italian national forest inventory, carried out between 2003 and 2006. The development of an integrated system of actions and controls which are able to limit subjective interpretations, in order to guarantee harmonized information all over the country, was a considerable effort within the overall project. Critical points to be considered were the consistent number of measures and evaluations undertaken during the three inventory phases, the high variability of observed attributes, the consistent number of surveyors involved, and costs of quality control, especially those related to fieldwork. At the end, examples on the overall quality of the classification performed on land cover and vegetation are discussed, as well as the impact of classification errors on the total forest area estimates.

Background and purpose The purpose of this study was to add, to the objective evaluation, an instrumental assessment of the skin damage induced by radiation therapy. Materials and methods A group of 100 patients affected by breast cancer was recruited in the study over one year. Patients were divided into five groups of 20 patients. For each group it was prescribed a different topical treatment. The following products were used: Betaglucan, sodium hyaluronate (Neoviderm®), Vitis vinifera A. s-I-M.t-O.dij (Ixoderm®), Alga Atlantica plus Ethylbisiminomethylguaicolo and Manganese Cloruro (Radioskin1®) and Metal Esculetina plus Ginko Biloba and Aloe vera (Radioskin 2®); Natural triglycerides-fitosterols (Xderit®); Selectiose plus thermal water of Avene (Trixera+®). All hydrating creams were applied twice a day starting 15 days before and one month after treatment with radiations. Before and during treatment patients underwent weekly skin assessments and corneometry to evaluate the symptoms related to skin toxicity and state of hydration. Evaluation of acute cutaneous toxicity was defined according to the RTOG scale. Results All patients completed radiotherapy; 72% of patients presented a G1 cutaneous toxicity, 18% developed a G2 cutaneous toxicity, 10% developed a G3 toxicity, no one presented G4 toxicity. The corneometry study confirmed the protective role of effective creams used in radiation therapy of breast cancer and showed its usefulness to identify radiation-induced dermatitis in a very early stage. Conclusions The preventive use of topic products reduces the incidence of skin side effects in patients treated with radiotherapy for breast cancer. An instrumental evaluation of skin hydration can help the radiation oncologist to use strategies that prevent the onset of toxicity of high degree. All moisturizing creams used in this study were equally valid in the treatment of skin damage induced by radiotherapy.