Evolution of fast-growing piscivorous herring in the young Baltic Sea.

The circumstances under which species diversify to genetically distinct lineages is a fundamental question in biology. Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) is an extremely abundant zooplanktivorous species that is subdivided into multiple ecotypes that differ regarding spawning time and genetic adaption to local environmental conditions such as temperature, salinity, and light conditions. Here we show using whole genome analysis that multiple populations of piscivorous (fish-eating) herring have evolved sympatrically after the colonization of the brackish Baltic Sea within the last 8000 years postglaciation.

Parasympathetic Dysfunction Prevails in GBA1-Associated Parkinson's Disease.

Background: The role played by sympathetic and parasympathetic autonomic branches in patients with Parkinson's disease carrying variants in the GBA1 gene (GBA-PD) is still elusive.

Objectives: To characterize cardiovascular autonomic function in GBA-PD and I-PD patients with early and mid-stage disease.

Methods: These assessments were performed: cardiovascular autonomic tests, analysis of heart rate and blood pressure variability, cardiac noradrenergic imaging.

Feline Panleukopenia Virus in a Marsican Brown Bear and Crested Porcupine, Italy, 2022-2023.

The virus species Protoparvovirus carnivoran 1 encompasses pathogens that infect both domestic and wild carnivores, including feline panleukopenia virus. We identified and characterized feline panleukopenia virus strains in a Marsican brown bear (Ursus arctos marsicanus) and a crested porcupine (Hystrix cristata) in Italy, extending the known host range of this virus.

Pathology-Based Animal Cancer Registry of Abruzzo and Molise Regions (Central Italy): A Ten-Year Retrospective Study (2014-2023).

Pets have a crucial role in cancer research. Specifically, dogs and cats share the same environment as their owners and thus may serve as sentinels of naturally occurring tumors that are linked to the exposure to environmental hazards. Quantitative comparison of tumor types may reveal unusual cancer frequencies, providing directions for research and generation of hypotheses of cancer causation in a specific area and identification of risk factors.

The Determination of the Prohibited Herbicide 4,6-Dinitro-Ortho-Cresol (DNOC) in Poisoned Domestic and Wild Animals in Italy.

This study reports the determination of DNOC in the baits and gastric contents of poisoned dogs and wild canids collected in the Abruzzo region between 2014 and 2022. A total of 663 samples of the baits and carcasses of domestic and wild animals were analyzed for the determination of DNOC through GC-MS. DNOC was found to be present in 58 cases from 663 analyzed samples, with 49 poison baits and nine gastric content samples from dogs and red foxes.

: A Brief Summary of the Last Five Years of Its Presence in the Abruzzo and Molise Regions in Italy.

is the causative agent of Q fever. The main reservoirs for this bacterium, which can lead to human infection, in our region are typically cattle, goats, and sheep. In animals, infection is often detected due to reproductive problems.

Design, Synthesis, and Photophysical Characterization of Biocompatible Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescent Carbazole-Coumarins for Sensing Applications.

A series of fluorescent carbazole-coumarins exhibiting good photoluminescence quantum yields and thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) properties have been designed and synthetized using computer-aided density functional theory calculations. The TADF characteristics of the carbazole-coumarins were systematically explored both in solution and in the solid state, utilizing poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) as a matrix. The study revealed that the introduction of carbazole units onto the coumarin benzene ring led to compounds with thermally induced reverse intersystem crossing and delayed fluorescence.

Domestic dogs as environmental sentinel in comparative toxicologic pathology: Assessment of metals and rare earth elements concentrations in healthy and neoplastic mammary glands.

Quantification of trace element concentrations in human and animal tissues has acquired great importance in the last few years, considering the pivotal role of these elements in several physiological and pathological processes. Variations in their concentrations appear to have a role in the development and advancement of diseases in both humans and animals, for example, cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate the concentration of rare earth elements and metals in healthy and neoplastic Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded (FFPE) mammary gland tissue of dogs.

Classifying batted ball outcomes from Division I collegiate baseball players.

Modern technology challenges anecdotal beliefs on baseball performance. The study's purpose examines these beliefs by classifying batted ball outcomes. Three categories of independent variables (anthropometry, in-game situation, technique-based), from 1,922 batted ball outcomes produced by 230 players, were used to classify the likelihood of hits during 2021 college baseball games.

Post-COVID parkinsonism: A scoping review.

Background: The clinical features and outcomes of post-COVID parkinsonism have not been organized systematically, and the possible correlations between COVID-19 and parkinsonism have not been elucidated. This scoping review addresses these two unmet needs.

Methods: We searched two databases (Pubmed, Embase) for all published cases of post-COVID parkinsonism.

Survey of spp. in Eurasian Badgers () in Central Italy.

A survey to determine the presence of spp. in the Abruzzo and Molise regions was conducted by testing samples from 124 badgers found dead or road-killed during the 2013-2021 period. Head lymph nodes were collected from all carcasses, as well as mediastinal lymph nodes from 20 of them, for bacteriological and molecular tests; tissues were inoculated onto a set of solid egg-based Lowenstein-Jensen media and in a liquid culture system (BACTEC) and were analyzed by polymerase chain reactions (PCRs).

Ustekinumab safety and effectiveness in patients with ulcerative colitis: results from a large real-life study.

Background: Ustekinumab (UST) is an interleukin-12/interleukin-23 receptor antagonist recently approved for treating ulcerative colitis (UC) but with limited real-world data. Therefore, we evaluated the effectiveness and safety of UST in patients with UC in a real-world setting.

Research Design And Methods: This is a multicenter, retrospective, observational cohort study.

Tauro-Urso-Deoxycholic Acid Trials in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: What is Achieved and What to Expect.

Phase II studies on tauro-urso-deoxycholic acid (TUDCA) raised the promise of safety and efficacy in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a currently incurable and devastating disease. We review the available evidence on the efficacy and safety of TUDCA, administered alone or in combination, by analyzing and comparing published and ongoing studies on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Two independent phase II studies (using TUDCA solo or combined with sodium phenylbutyrate) showed similar efficacy in slowing disease progression measured by functional scales.

Statistical inference for time-to-event data in non-randomized cohorts with selective attrition.

In multi-season clinical trials with a randomize-once strategy, patients enrolled from previous seasons who stay alive and remain in the study will be treated according to the initial randomization in subsequent seasons. To address the potentially selective attrition from earlier seasons for the non-randomized cohorts, we develop an inverse probability of treatment weighting method using season-specific propensity scores to produce unbiased estimates of survival functions or hazard ratios. Bootstrap variance estimators are used to account for the randomness in the estimated weights and the potential correlations in repeated events within each patient from season to season.

Care in emergencies and disasters: Can it be person-centered?

Objectives: While person-/patient-centered care aims to influence policymakers' rules and regulations to improve the care of individuals worldwide, exploration of the concept in the context of disaster and public health emergencies as an alternative ethical approach is lacking. This study aims to provide a nuanced understanding of the advantages and challenges of diverse ethical approaches in emergencies, to improve patient care.

Methods: A survey, created after several rounds of Delphi methodology, with 22 statements, was applied to 39 participants from nine different countries.

Comparative Population Transcriptomics Provide New Insight into the Evolutionary History and Adaptive Potential of World Ocean Krill.

Genetic variation is instrumental for adaptation to changing environments but it is unclear how it is structured and contributes to adaptation in pelagic species lacking clear barriers to gene flow. Here, we applied comparative genomics to extensive transcriptome datasets from 20 krill species collected across the Atlantic, Indian, Pacific, and Southern Oceans. We compared genetic variation both within and between species to elucidate their evolutionary history and genomic bases of adaptation.

Phenotypic Characterization of Female Carrier Mice Heterozygous for Tafazzin Deletion.

Barth syndrome (BTHS) is caused by mutations in tafazzin resulting in deficits in cardiolipin remodeling that alter major metabolic processes. The tafazzin gene is encoded on the X chromosome, and therefore BTHS primarily affects males. Female carriers are typically considered asymptomatic, but age-related changes have been reported in female carriers of other X-linked disorders.

Identification of the Novel subsp. Sequence Type 525 in Donkeys of Abruzzo Region, Italy.

sub. (SEZ) is described as a commensal bacterium of several animal species, including humans. Growing evidence supports the potential role of SEZ in the onset and progression of severe clinical manifestations of diseases in horses and other animals.

Use of tofacitinib as first or second-line therapy is associated with better outcomes in patients with ulcerative colitis: data from a real-world study.

Background: Data regarding the real-world (RW) use of tofacitinib (TOF) in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) are limited. We aimed to investigate TOF's RW efficacy and safety in Italian UC patients.

Research Design And Methods: A retrospective assessment of clinical and endoscopic activity was performed according to the Mayo score.

Nodular gill disease in Northeastern Italy: An investigation on the prevalence of the disease and the risks of introduction in rainbow trout farms.

Nodular Gill Disease (NGD) is an emerging pathogenic condition that causes gill damage and mainly affects farmed freshwater fish, rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in particular, and this inevitably generates noticeable economic losses for the industry. The present study aimed to assess the prevalence of NGD in the Autonomous Province of Trento, a highly productive area located in Northeastern Italy, traditionally suited to rainbow trout production, and to identify possible risk factors for the introduction of this disease in trout farms. The necessary data were obtained through a questionnaire and the collection of fish samples.