A biological tool to assess flow connectivity in reference temporary streams from the Mediterranean Basin.

Many streams in the Mediterranean Basin have temporary flow regimes. While timing for seasonal drought is predictable, they undergo strong inter-annual variability in flow intensity. This high hydrological variability and associated ecological responses challenge the ecological status assessment of temporary streams, particularly when setting reference conditions. This study examined the effects of flow connectivity in aquatic macroinvertebrates from seven reference temporary streams across the Mediterranean Basin where hydrological variability and flow conditions are well studied. We tested for the effect of flow cessation on two streamflow indices and on community composition, and, by performing random forest and classification tree analyses we identified important biological predictors for classifying the aquatic state either as flowing or disconnected pools. Flow cessation was critical for one of the streamflow indices studied and for community composition. Macroinvertebrate families found to be important for classifying the aquatic state were Hydrophilidae, Simuliidae, Hydropsychidae, Planorbiidae, Heptageniidae and Gerridae. For biological traits, trait categories associated to feeding habits, food, locomotion and substrate relation were the most important and provided more accurate predictions compared to taxonomy. A combination of selected metrics and associated thresholds based on the most important biological predictors (i.e. Bio-AS Tool) were proposed in order to assess the aquatic state in reference temporary streams, especially in the absence of hydrological data. Although further development is needed, the tool can be of particular interest for monitoring, restoration, and conservation purposes, representing an important step towards an adequate management of temporary rivers not only in the Mediterranean Basin but also in other regions vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

[Epidemiology of sexting]. / Sexting: epidemiologia del fenomeno.

AIM: Aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of sexting, defined as "the sharing of images or videos of sexually explicit content", identifying the age groups involved and assessing the possible cultural ties. The study also aimed at providing a clear picture of the phenomenon to educators and parents, an essential starting point for planning any effective educational program. METHODS: We performed a literature search on Medline (PubMed) database. In addition, the 2011 and 2012 surveys released by Eurispes and Telefono Azzurro were also consulted. "Google Trends" application provided additional details. RESULTS: In Italy teenagers from 12 to 18 years who received sexually oriented material increased from 10.2% in 2011 to 25.9% in 2012. In the USA 69.4% declared having received sexually oriented material, while 66.7% reported having sent it. In Italy, 1 out of 10 teenagers (age range 16-18) found himself in danger for having posted his nude photos online. CONCLUSION: The practice of sexting involves a wide age range with different legal implications. Teenagers practice sexting to attract attention and prove to be involved in a relationship. Sexting usually does not have any consequence but in rare cases, about 4%, malicious behavior such as sexting for money, to tease or take someone under threat has been reported. Moreover, during the past decade the cases of online harassment increased, especially involving young women. Only by closely monitoring the phenomenon and studying its deeper motivations it could be possible to plan effective educational programs, integrating sexting and the correct use of new media into a structured sexual education project.

Comparability of ecological quality boundaries in the Mediterranean basin using freshwater benthic invertebrates. Statistical options and implications.

Within the Mediterranean region each country has its own assessment method based on aquatic macroinvertebrates. However, independently of the classification system, quality assessments should be comparable across members of the European Commission, which means, among others, that the boundaries between classes should not deviate significantly. Here we check for comparability between High-Good and Good-Moderate classifications, through the use of a common metric. Additionally, we discuss the influence of the conceptual and statistical approaches used to calculate a common boundary within the Mediterranean countries participating in the Intercalibration Exercise (e.g., using individual national type-boundaries, one value for each common type or an average boundary by country; weighted average, median) in the overall outcome. All methods, except for the IBMWP (the Iberian BMWP) when applied to temporary rivers, were highly correlated (0.82

Least Disturbed Condition for European Mediterranean rivers.

The present report describes a three-step approach that was used to characterize and define thresholds for the Least Disturbed Condition in Mediterranean streams of four different types, regarding organic pollution and nutrients, hydrological and morphological alterations, and land use. For this purpose, a common database composed of national reference sites (929 records) from seven countries, sampled for invertebrates, diatoms and macrophytes was used. The analyses of reference sites showed that small (catchment <100 km(2)) siliceous and non-siliceous streams were mainly affected by channelization, bank alteration and hydropeaking. Medium-sized siliceous rivers were the most affected by stressors: 25-43% of the samples showed at least slight alterations regarding channelization, connectivity, upstream dam influence, hydropeaking and degradation of riparian vegetation. Temporary streams were the least affected by hydromorphological changes, but they were nevertheless affected by alterations in riparian vegetation. There were no major differences between all permanent stream types regarding water quality, but temporary streams showed lower values for oxygenation (DO) and wider ranges for other variables, such as nitrates. A lower threshold value for DO (60%) was determined for this stream type and can be attributed to the streams' natural characteristics. For all other river types, common limits were found for the remaining variables (ammonium, nitrate, phosphate, total P, % of artificial areas, % of intensive and extensive agriculture, % of semi-natural areas in the catchment). These values were then used to select the list of reference sites. The biological communities were characterized, revealing the existence of nine groups of Mediterranean invertebrate communities, six for diatoms and five for macrophytes: each group was characterized by specific indicator taxa that highlighted the differences between groups.

Immunohistochemical detection of fibroblast growth factor receptors in normal endocrine cells and related tumors of the digestive system.

Endocrine tumors (ETs) of the digestive system produce several growth factors including acidic and basic fibroblast growth factors (aFGF and bFGF, respectively), which are thought to be involved in the growth of tumor cells and in the proliferation of tumor stromal cells. Their actions depend on binding to four specific receptors--FGFR1, FGFR2, FGFR3, and FGFR4--whose distribution in normal endocrine cells and related tumors of the gastroenteropancreatic (GEP) system has previously been examined. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded normal tissues and 60 well-characterized GEP endocrine tumors were immunostained using specific antibodies directed against various GEP hormones, aFGF, FGFR1, FGFR2, FGFR3, and FGFR4. Acidic FGF immunoreactivity (IR) was found in gut EC cells; FGFR1 immunoreactivity in rare duodenal endocrine cells and in pancreatic A cells; FGFR2 immunoreactivity in gastric and duodenal G cells, pancreatic B cells, and rectal EC cells; FGFR3 immunoreactivity in duodenal G cells; and FGFR4 immunoreactivity in rectal L cells and in pancreatic B, PP, and A cells. Immunoreactivity for at least one of the four FGFRs was found in all tumors, independently of FGFR expression in the putative cell of origin. EC cell tumors, which were all positive for aFGF, were found to express at least three different FGFRs. FGFRs also were localized in the stromal cells of all the tumors examined. The tumor stroma was more abundant in EC cell tumors than in other types of neoplasms. The results suggest that aFGF-FGFR interaction may be involved in the modulation of normal endocrine cell functions and in the regulation of tumor growth and stromal proliferation of EC cell carcinoids.

Mixed mucus-secreting and oncocytic carcinoma of the thyroid: pathologic, histochemical, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural study of a case.

We report a carcinoma that is, to the best of our knowledge, the first case of a mixed mucus-secreting and oncocytic carcinoma of the thyroid. We also describe the histochemical, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural features of this tumor. A 59-year-old man complaining of severe bone pain and weight loss underwent clinical and radiologic investigations. The studies revealed a nodule in the left thyroid lobe that was "cold" by (131)I scintiscan and multiple lytic lesions of the skeleton that showed increased uptake by (99m)Tc-Sestamibi scintiscan. Left hemithyroidectomy was performed and the surgical specimen contained a well-circumscribed nodule of 3 cm in the greatest diameter. Light microscopy showed an oncocytic carcinoma with an area of glandular and papillary proliferation of mucin-producing cells. A double histochemical approach (Alcian blue-periodic acid-Schiff and Alcian blue-high-iron diamine) combined with ultrastructural investigation confirmed the presence of true mucus, ruling out the presence of breakdown products of thyroglobulin. Ultrastructural and immunohistochemical studies, together with clinical findings, excluded a possible metastatic origin of the mucin-producing component.

MR imaging of the pars interarticularis.

MR imaging of the lumbar spine has become a useful method for the noninvasive evaluation of low back pain. However, bone abnormalities are more difficult to detect than soft-tissue lesions, such as herniated disk. We reviewed 14 MR images of the lumbar spine in adults with spondylolisthesis. These were correlated with CT scans and plain films in all cases. From the CT scans and plain films we found that seven patients had spondylolysis and that seven had other causes for their spondylolisthesis. It was our opinion that the MR images suggested an abnormality of the pars interarticularis in all seven of the cases confirmed to have spondylolysis and in six of the seven patients that did not have spondylolysis. We also studied four cadaver lumbar spine, obtained as blocks of tissue, and scanned in the coronal, sagittal, and axial planes with MR and in the sagittal and axial planes with CT. The tissue blocks were then sectioned in the sagittal plane. Spondylolysis is suggested on sagittal MR images when there is an inability to resolve the marrow signal in the pars as uninterrupted from the superior to the inferior facet. This is caused by a dark signal on all pulsing sequences in the pars resulting from marginal sclerosis at the site of the break. If there is also a gap at the site of the break then there will also be an increased signal in the gap resulting from the presence of soft tissue. We found four situations in which the pars can simulate spondylolysis on sagittal MR images: (1) sclerosis of the neck of the pars: (2) partial volume imaging of the degenerative spur of the superior facet slightly lateral to the pars; (3) partial facetectomy; and (4) osteoblastic metastatic replacement of the marrow of the pars.

Balloon test occlusion of the internal carotid artery with stable xenon/CT cerebral blood flow imaging.

We describe a technique to predict preoperatively the safety of permanently occluding an internal carotid artery. The method was performed by imaging stable xenon cerebral blood flow (CBF) with the internal carotid artery both open and temporarily occluded with a nondetachable balloon on a double lumen Swan-Ganz catheter. Patients were those in whom we planned to sacrifice the internal carotid artery (those with giant or inaccessible aneurysms) or those in whom such a sacrifice was at least likely (those with skull base tumors). Patients were divided into three groups on the basis of a comparison of occluded and nonoccluded CBF values. Group-I patients had no significant change in CBF with internal carotid artery occlusion; group-II patients showed a symmetric decrease in CBF; and group-III patients had an asymmetric decrease in CBF, always greater on the occluded side. A fourth group clinically failed to tolerate even brief carotid occlusion. The internal carotid artery in one patients from group III was sacrificed at surgery: the size and shape of his postoperative infarct corresponded almost exactly to the area of asymmetrically decreased CBF on his occluded study. The data suggest that if surgery is likely to result in permanent occlusion of the internal carotid artery, then patients who are at risk for delayed neurologic injury due to a compromised cerebral blood flow should have arterial bypass grafts before such surgery is performed.

Acute myocardial infarction: sex-related differences in prognosis.

In 641 patients (535 men and 106 women) with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), a mortality of 16.63% was recorded among the former and one of 42.45% among the latter. No significant difference was observed in the age groups up to 40 years, in the group from 41 to 55 years, and in those over 71; the difference between percentages (17.09 vs 38.23) was instead statistically significant (p less than 0.01) in patients in the age group from 56 to 70 years. This difference was significant (p less than 0.01 or 0.001) with regard to mortality in diabetics (21.36% vs 46.34%), nondiabetics (13.09% vs 30.36%), hypertensives (19.72% vs 37.70%) and nonhypertensives (12.86% vs 36.11%), as well as in patients with previous infarction (33.36% vs 81.82%) and in those with first infarction (12.18% vs 31.39%). Since this phenomenon does not seem related to any particular feature of infarction nor to a particular predisposition to specific causes of death, the reasons for such severe prognosis in women require clarification.

[ST segment alternams in myocardial infarct: apropos of a case]. / L'alternanza del tratto ST nell'infarto miocardico: a proposito di un caso.

Alternans of the ST segment is frequent in Prinzmetal's angina and is referred to a dyshomogeneity of myocardial refractoriness during ischemia. Reports of this phenomenon in myocardial infarction are, on the contrary, extremely rare. A case of alternans of the ST segment in a man with myocardial infarction is described. Based on the previous experimental reports, the hypothesis is advanced that delayed and blocked electrical activity of the ischemic area may be responsible for the event observed. This phenomenon is probably not infrequent in myocardial infarction.