Terrain, oceanographic, and biological factors underlying the development of Mediterranean coastal animal forests.

Marine Animal Forests (MAFs) form three-dimensional seascapes and provide substrate and shelter for a variety of species. We investigated the fine-scale distribution pattern of three habitat-forming species of the coastal Mediterranean MAFs: Eunicella cavolini, E. singularis and Paramuricea clavata, and assessed the influence of terrain, oceanographic, and biological factors on their distribution and the formation of MAFs in the central-northern Tyrrhenian Sea.

Integrating low-altitude drone based-imagery and OBIA for mapping and manage semi natural grassland habitats.

Monitoring semi-natural grasslands is difficult and costly because they occur in highly dynamic and extremely complex habitat mosaics. We combined the use of a low-cost unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and Structure from Motion (SfM) photogrammetry to acquire high spatial resolution (∼1.5 cm pixel) RGB imagery.

Fleshy red algae mats act as temporary reservoirs for sessile invertebrate biodiversity.

Many coastal ecosystems, such as coral reefs and seagrass meadows, currently experience overgrowth by fleshy algae due to the interplay of local and global stressors. This is usually accompanied by strong decreases in habitat complexity and biodiversity. Recently, persistent, mat-forming fleshy red algae, previously described for the Black Sea and several Atlantic locations, have also been observed in the Mediterranean.

Transplantation on a Posidonia oceanica meadow to facilitate its recovery after the Concordia shipwrecking.

Ecological restoration is an important tool to reverse habitat loss and recover ecosystem services. Here, for two years, we examine the dynamic of Posidonia oceanica following the restoration of a 1149 m meadow damaged by the Concordia shipwreck. To evaluate the suitability of a recently employed seagrass restoration protocol, we assessed the patches' survival and development by high-spatial resolution photomosaics over the whole transplanted surface.

High spatial resolution underwater data for mapping seagrass transplantation: A powerful tool for visualization and analysis.

These datasets derived from our mapping protocol are presented as a research article in the Journal of Environmental Management [1]. In particular, by using a Structure from Motion photogrammetric workflow we produced high spatial resolution 2D raster maps and 3D outputs such as dense points clouds and textured meshes of an underwater seagrass restoration site. In this area transplanted fragments of Posidonia oceanica were planted to restore this impacted site after the Costa Concordia shipwrecking which occurred on 13 January 2012 along the NE coast of Giglio Island (Tuscany, Italy).

Seagrass restoration monitoring and shallow-water benthic habitat mapping through a photogrammetry-based protocol.

Seagrasses rank among the most productive yet highly threatened ecosystems on Earth. Loss of seagrass habitat because of anthropogenic disturbances and evidence of their limited resilience have provided the impetus for investigating and monitoring habitat restoration through transplantation programmes. Although Structure from Motion (SfM) photogrammetry is becoming a more and more relevant technique for mapping underwater environments, no standardised methods currently exist to provide 3-dimensional high spatial resolution and accuracy cartographic products for monitoring seagrass transplantation areas.

Capitoline Dolphins: Residency Patterns and Abundance Estimate of at the Tiber River Estuary (Mediterranean Sea).

Periodic assessments of population status and trends to detect natural influences and human effects on coastal dolphin are often limited by lack of baseline information. Here, we investigated for the first time the site-fidelity patterns and estimated the population size of bottlenose dolphins () at the Tiber River estuary (central Mediterranean, Tyrrhenian Sea, Rome, Italy) between 2017 and 2020. We used photo-identification data and site-fidelity metrics to study the tendency of dolphins to remain in, or return to, the study area, and capture-recapture models to estimate the population abundance.

Reteporella spp. success in the re-colonization of bare coralligenous reefs impacted by Costa Concordia shipwreck: The pioneer species you did not expect.

We report here for the first time the effectiveness of Reteporella bryozoan genus in the early stage of coralligenous reefs recolonization through the analysis of the settlement and the population size structure over a two-years period at two impacted and two control sites. Results highlighted how Reteporella spp. colonies strongly recolonized, from 2017 to 2019, the bare coralligenous reefs subjected to the Costa Concordia shipwreck and its related anthropogenic disturbances, notably increasing both their density and percentage coverage.

Impact of the Costa Concordia shipwreck on a Posidonia oceanica meadow: a multi-scale assessment from a population to a landscape level.

The Costa Concordia shipwreck permitted to assess how multiple disturbances affected marine biota at different spatial and temporal scales, evaluating the effects of mechanical and physical disturbances on Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile, an endemic seagrass species of the Mediterranean Sea. To assess the impacts of the shipwreck and its salvaging from 2012 to 2017 at a population and a landscape level, a diversified approach was applied based on the application of a geographical information system coupled with seascape metrics and structural descriptors.

Adherence and kinetics of biofilm formation of Staphylococcus epidermidis to different types of intraocular lenses under dynamic flow conditions.

Purpose: To compare the adherence and biofilm formation of Staphylococcus epidermidis under in vitro flow conditions on intraocular lenses (IOLs) made of 4 biomaterials: poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), silicone, hydrophilic acrylic, and hydrophobic acrylic.

Setting: Department of Ophthalmology, Croix-Rousse University Hospital and University Research Laboratory, Lyon, France.

Methods: Intraocular lenses were placed in a bioreactor designed to replicate intraocular conditions.

A novel in vitro model to study staphylococcal biofilm formation on intraocular lenses under hydrodynamic conditions.

Purpose: To develop a novel in vitro model to study the formation of Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilm on intraocular lenses (IOLs) from the primary-attachment phase to the biofilm-accumulation phase. The model was designed to replicate intraocular conditions especially by taking into account intraocular hydrodynamics.

Methods: The model consisted of Tygon tubing connected to a vial containing acrylic hydrophobic IOLs.

Antibacterial activity of clonidine and neostigmine in vitro.

We conducted an in vitro study to investigate the antibacterial activity of clonidine and neostigmine on common microorganisms encountered during infectious complications after regional anesthesia. Standardized suspensions of Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Escherichia coli were incubated during 1, 3, 6, and 24 h at 37 degrees C with concentrations of 37.5, 75, and 150 microg/mL of clonidine and 125, 250, and 500 microg/mL of neostigmine.

Screening of nonpolyenic antifungal metabolites produced by clinical isolates of actinomycetes.

The purpose of this work was to screen clinical isolates of actinomycetes producing nonpolyenic antifungals. This choice was made to limit the problem of rediscovery of well-known antifungal families, especially polyenic antifungals. One hundred and ten strains were tested, using two diffusion methods and two test media, against three yeast species and three filamentous fungi.

[Metastatic penile lesions secondary to transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder: a rare cause of "malignant priapism"].

Metastases to the penis from transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder are rare. In the literature about 300 cases of secondary penile malignancies were described; 35% out of these cases were from primary neoplasms of the bladder. The Authors describe a case of priapism secondary to penile metastases from a transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder.

Renal abscess: recovery without hospitalization and drainage.

Background: Renal absceeses in childhood are rare and require hospitalization, antibiotic therapy and drainage.

Patients: Two cases of renal abscess in childhood are described. In both cases there was no history of either antecedent skin infection or urinary tract infection or reflux.

Genetic relatedness analysis of nocardia strains by random amplification polymorphic Dna: validation and applications.

Until now, no simple and rapid technique existed for epidemiological study of strains belonging to the Nocardia genus. The application of the arbitrarily primed PCR procedure to generate randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprints for such analysis of Nocardia isolates was investigated. Fifty-one unrelated clinical isolates of N.

Management of testicular seminoma. Our experience.

Background: The authors report their experience in the management of seminomas.

Materials: They examine 12 cases of seminoma among a series of 19 patients with testicular germ cell tumours observed at the Second Surgical Department of the Second University of Naples.

Results: Their results showed a better prognosis for patients in early stage of the disease who underwent surgery and adjuvant prophylactic radiotherapy; good survival rates for patients in advanced stages of the disease were achieved by the combined use of surgery, adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy.