Search

Gaining a comprehensive understanding of how weed communities respond to both environmental and human-induced factors is of paramount importance in developing effective and ecologically sound weed control strategies. The objectives of the current research were to (1) assess the effect of the main weed management practices used in Greek olive groves on weed species' diversity; (2) explore the filtering effect of management, site, and soil variables in determining weed species' composition; and (3) shed light on the association between weed species' composition and the diversity of the understory vegetation of olive groves. To accomplish these objectives, winter weed species' coverage was assessed in 116 olive groves, both conventional and organic, distributed across three provinces in southern Greece. The investigation encompassed 29 explanatory variables, categorized into three groups: soil (22), management practices (6), and site conditions (1). It was confirmed that glyphosate use may lower biodiversity and species richness; however, this trend was not universal. In fact, the negative influence of the presence of Oxalis pes-caprae L. on species richness and diversity far outweighed the effect of spraying glyphosate. Redundancy analysis (RDA) revealed that among the 29 variables used to describe the ecological niche, eight (i.e., Mn, Mg, chemical spraying, mowing, rotary tiller, grazing, irrigation, and elevation) were significant and explained 21.5% of the total variation in weed species' data. Interestingly, the soil Mn concentration was identified as the most influential one, highlighting the importance of soil micronutrients in determining weed species' composition. The variation partitioning procedure demonstrated that the effect of the management variables on weed species' composition accounted for 2.2 times the variance of soil variables and 4.5 times the variance of elevation. The present findings might help to enhance optimal management in olive groves that can sustain the biodiversity of flora and, in turn, provide various ecosystem services to agro-ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background In patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), the absent or diminished dystrophin leads to progressive skeletal muscle and heart failure. We evaluated the role of myocardial inflammation as a precipitating factor in the development of heart failure in DMD. Methods 20 DMD patients (aged 15-18 yrs) and 20 age-matched healthy volunteers were studied and followed-up for 2 years. Evaluation of myocarditis with cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) was performed using STIR T2-weighted (T2W), T1-weighted (T1W) before and after contrast media and late enhanced images (LGE). Left ventricular volumes and ejection fraction were also calculated. Myocardial biopsy was performed in patients with positive CMR and immunohistologic and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis was employed. Results In DMD patients, left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV) was not different compared to controls. Left ventricular end-systolic volume (LVESV) was higher (45.1 ± 6.6 vs. 37.3 ± 3.8 ml, p < 0.001) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was lower (53.9 ± 2.1 vs. 63 ± 2.4%, p < 0.001). T2 heart/skeletal muscle ratio and early T1 ratio values in DMD patients presented no difference compared to controls. LGE areas were identified in six DMD patients. In four of them with CMR evidence of myocarditis, myocardial biopsy was performed. Active myocarditis was identified in one and healing myocarditis in three using immunohistology. All six patients with CMR evidence of myocarditis had a rapid deterioration of left ventricular function during the next year. Conclusions DMD patients with myocardial inflammation documented by CMR had a rigorous progression to heart failure.

Aortic arch interruption is a rare cardiac malformation. In some cases, it is part of a more complex congenital heart disease. Survival of extremely low birth weight infants with this cardiac disease is very rare. Surgical correction is the only treatment. Ductal stenting as a bridge procedure in small affected infants is a good alternative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe the first application in Greece of a telemetrically adjustable device for pulmonary artery banding (FloWatch-PAB device) in a 2-month-old baby, weighing 3.6 kg, with congenital heart disease (complete atrioventricular septal defect with pulmonary hypertension). The surgical application of the device was easy, the postoperative course of the patient was smooth, and the telemetric regulation of the device was simple and effective. We believe that the FloWatch-PAB device is suitable for most cases of pulmonary artery banding in congenital heart disease with pulmonary hypertension in infants and small children.