Agrobiodiversity Index scores show agrobiodiversity is underutilized in national food systems.

The diversity of plants, animals and microorganisms that directly or indirectly support food and agriculture is critical to achieving healthy diets and agroecosystems. Here we present the Agrobiodiversity Index (based on 22 indicators), which provides a monitoring framework and informs food systems policy. Agrobiodiversity Index calculations for 80 countries reveal a moderate mean agrobiodiversity status score (56.

Diagnostic accuracy of anti-phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R) antibodies in idiopathic membranous nephropathy: an Italian experience.

Background: Autoantibodies against-phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R) are specific markers of idiopathic membranous nephropathy (iMN). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is becoming the preferred method in many laboratories for the determination of anti-PLA2R antibodies, because it provides quantitative results, and is not prone to subjective interpretation, as is the case with indirect immunofluorescence assay.

Methods: The purpose of our study was to determine the diagnostic performance of serum PLA2R antibodies detected by commercially available ELISA in a large Italian multicenter cohort of patients with biopsy-proven iMN and in patients with other renal diseases, with special focus on evaluating the optimal cut-off value to discriminate positive and negative results.

Citation classics: ranking of the top 100 most cited articles in nephrology.

Background: The number of citations of a scientific article is considered a weight of that work in the field of interest. Bibliometric analysis of the most cited articles conducted in some medical disciplines has identified the most relevant scientific contributions that pushed forward knowledge and clinical practice of that discipline.

Methods: We conducted a bibliometric analysis of the most cited articles in nephrology, by extracting relevant words that identify issues of nephrological interest and querying the Google Scholar database.

Definition of a new cut-off for the anti-phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R) autoantibody immunoassay in patients affected by idiopathic membranous nephropathy.

Autoantibodies against phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R) are a sensitive and specific marker for idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN). The aim of our study was to redefine the cut-off value for the measurement of anti-PLA2R autoantibody levels by an automated enzyme immunoassay, in a large single-center cohort of Italian IMN patients at the time of diagnosis. Sixty-seven consecutive incident patients, with biopsy-proven IMN, were recruited.

[Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome (PRES) induced by Rituximab in two patients with vasculitis, and treated by hemodialysis].

Small and medium vessel vasculitides, either ANCA-associated or caused by anti-GBM antibodies, are multisystemic diseases with predominantly renal involvement that often require dialysis support; clinical remission can be induced with immunosuppressive therapies including apheretic treatments, high doses of steroids, and immune suppressants. In addition to the complications resulting from the primary pathological process, those associated with the immunosuppressive therapies are not negligible. Reversible Posterior Encephalopathy Syndrome (PRES) is a clinical condition with a hyperacute onset, which can complicate the evolution of vasculitides while treated by immunosuppressive therapy.

EVALUATING THE INTRINSIC PERMEABILITY OF CEMENTITIOUS MATERIALS USING A FALLING-HEAD GAS PERMEAMETER.

This paper explores a new approach to estimating the pressure-dependent gas permeability of a cementitious material when using a falling-head gas permeameter. A series of experiments were performed on mortars with varying mixture proportions, and measurements were made with different initial applied pressures. The governing equation is based on an analogy to a falling-head liquid permeameter, but accounting for the gas compressibility and the pressure-dependent Klinkenberg effect that can occur during gas permeation.

Membrane integrity evaluation in rabbit spermatozoa.

Objectives: The behaviour of head and tail sperm membrane subjected to different vitality tests was evaluated, searching for possible correlations with sperm motility.

Study Design: On fresh semen from seven rabbits we performed: the Eosin Exclusion Test (EET) and, with different incubation times (T(0), T(5), T(30)), a Hypoosmotic Swelling Test (HOS-test) and a combined Hypoosmotic and Eosin Test (HE-test). Kinetic parameters were determined by using the CASA system CELL-TRAK.