A Warm Welcome to the Alps-The Northward Expansion of (Odonata, Libellulidae) in Italy.

Climate warming has already influenced the distribution, community composition, and phenology of European Odonata. had been confined to the southern regions of Italy for over 150 years. In only four decades, it has expanded its range and has recently been observed inhabiting several alpine valleys.

Adherence to Data-Driven Dietary Patterns and Lung Cancer Risk: A Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis.

The effect of dietary patterns on lung cancer risk is currently debated. In this study, we evaluated the association between different "a posteriori" dietary patterns and lung cancer risk. The search was carried out (February 2023) through Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed databases.

Applying Artificial Neural Networks to Oxidative Stress Biomarkers in Forager Honey Bees () for Ecological Assessment.

Insect pollinators provide an important ecosystem service that supports global biodiversity and environmental health. The study investigates the effects of the environmental matrix on six oxidative stress biomarkers in the honey bee . Thirty-five apiaries located in urban, forested, and agricultural areas in Central Italy were sampled during the summer season.

Butterflies as bioindicators of metal contamination.

Anthropogenic trace metal contamination has significantly increased and has caused many hazardous consequences for the ecosystems and human health. The Terni basin valley (Central Italy) shows a heavy load of pollutants from industrial activities, while the characteristic orography structure of the valley favours air stagnation, thus limiting air pollution dispersal. The present study conducted in 2014 aimed to determine the concentration of ten metals in five species of butterflies at nine sites in the Terni valley along a 21-km-long transect, including both relatively pristine and industrial areas.

Phylogenetic Diversity of the Red Swamp Crayfish and Its Dispersal Pattern in Northern and Central Italy.

The red swamp crayfish is one of the most threatening freshwater species in the world. The aim of this study is to provide a better understanding of the phylogeography and the invasion routes of populations in the Italian Peninsula through the analysis of mitochondrial phylogeny. Mitochondrial control region and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences of 153 samples collected from six Italian basins were analyzed and compared to worldwide data.

Sex and seasonal differences in metal accumulation of selected tissues in red swamp crayfish from Lake Trasimeno (Umbria, Italy).

Concentrations of essential metals (Cu, Co, Cr, Fe, Ni, Mn, and Zn) and non-essential and toxic metals (Ag, Cd, Hg, and Pb) were quantified in hepatopancreas and abdominal muscle for 73 specimens (37 males and 36 females) of Procambarus clarkii from Lake Trasimeno (Italy) in a year's campaign (July 2018 to June 2019). Elemental concentrations determined in crayfish differed in tissues, seasons, and gender. Both sexes showed lower concentrations in abdominal muscle than in hepatopancreas.

HSP70 upregulation in nasal mucosa of symptomatic children with allergic rhinitis and potential risk of asthma development.

Allergic rhinitis and asthma are the most common causes of chronic inflammation of the upper and lower airways in childhood. However, a nasal biomarker that can link to pulmonary inflammation is yet to be found. The present paper aims to investigate the possible role in inflammation of two inducible 70-kDa Heat Shock Proteins (HSP70) members, HSPA1A/B and HSPA6, in nasal mucosa cells of allergic children through their mRNA expression analysis, and their correlation to both spirometric and FeNO values.

Population Ecology and Genetic Diversity of the Invasive Alien Species in Lake Trasimeno (Italy).

The deliberate or accidental introduction of invasive alien species (IAS) causes negative ecological and economic impacts altering ecosystem processes, imperiling native species and causing damage to human endeavors. A monthly monitoring program was performed in Lake Trasimeno (Central Italy) from July 2018 to July 2019 in order to provide an upgrade of the population ecology of and to assess the genetic diversity by analyzing the relationships among mitochondrial DNA diversity. Our results confirmed that is well acclimatized in the lake, revealing a stable population structure favored by the resources and conditions typical of this ecosystem, which seem to be optimal for the maintenance of the species.

Characterization of long-range transported bioaerosols in the Central Mediterranean.

Airborne bacteria were characterized over a 2-y period via high-throughput massive sequencing of 16S rRNA gene in aerosol samples collected at a background mountain European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP) Network site (Monte Martano, Italy) located in the Central Mediterranean area. The air mass origin of nineteen samples was identified by air mass modelling and a detailed chemical analysis was performed. Four main origins (Saharan, North-western, North-eastern, and Regional) were identified, and distinct microbial communities were associated with these air masses.

Italian odonates in the Pandora's box: A comprehensive DNA barcoding inventory shows taxonomic warnings at the Holarctic scale.

The Odonata are considered among the most endangered freshwater faunal taxa. Their DNA-based monitoring relies on validated reference data sets that are often lacking or do not cover important biogeographical centres of diversification. This study presents the results of a DNA barcoding campaign on Odonata, based on the standard 658-bp 5' end region of the mitochondrial COI gene, involving the collection of 812 specimens (409 of which barcoded) from peninsular Italy and its main islands (328 localities), belonging to all the 88 species (31 Zygoptera and 57 Anisoptera) known from the country.

Evaluation of geochemical baselines and metal enrichment factor values through high ecological quality reference points: a novel methodological approach.

In this study, we propose a new approach to estimate geochemical local baselines and enrichment factor values for metals in riverine sediments. The goal is to describe catchment areas characterized by intensive and spread anthropogenic activities, for which it is challenging to identify undisturbed sites to utilize as reference. The case study is the Nestore river basin (Central Italy).

Small heat shock proteins in the amphibian Pelophylax bergeri: Cloning and characterization of Hsp27 and Hsp30 cDNAs and their expression analysis in ex vivo skin exposed to abiotic stresses.

Small Heat Shock Proteins (sHSP) are molecular chaperones that play an essential role in maintaining protein homeostasis and promoting cell survival. In this work, for the first time, multiple cDNAs encoding for small Hsp27 and Hsp30, designed, respectively, as PbHsp27-(1-2) and PbHsp30-(1-5), were cloned and characterized in the amphibian Pelophylax bergeri, which is a suitable model for studying biological responses to environmental perturbations. Domain architecture analysis showed that PbHsp27 and PbHsp30 cDNAs displayed the typical signature motifs of the sHSP family such as the conserved α-crystallin domain flanked by variable N-terminal and C-terminal regions.

Longitudinal study of Amphibiocystidium sp. infection in a natural population of the Italian stream frog (Rana italica).

Mesomycetozoean-induced infections (order Dermocystida, genus Amphibiocystidium) in European and North American amphibians are causing alarm. To date, the pathogenicity of these parasites in field conditions has been poorly studied, and demographic consequences on amphibian populations have not been explored. In this study, an Amphibiocystidium sp.

Airborne bacteria and persistent organic pollutants associated with an intense Saharan dust event in the Central Mediterranean.

In this paper, we present a comprehensive taxonomic survey of the bacterial community and accurate quantification of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) associated with an intense Saharan dust advection, which impacted Central Mediterranean area in the whole 2014-2015 period. This work is part of an intensive field campaign at the EMEP regional background site of Monte Martano (Central Italy), considered well representative of long-range transport in the Central Mediterranean area. 22 samples have been characterized in their provenance region and have been considered for the chemical and biological characterization.

Characterization of the Skin Microbiota in Italian Stream Frogs (Rana italica) Infected and Uninfected by a Cutaneous Parasitic Disease.

In human and wildlife populations, the natural microbiota plays an important role in health maintenance and the prevention of emerging infectious diseases. In amphibians, infectious diseases have been closely associated with population decline and extinction worldwide. Skin symbiont communities have been suggested as one of the factors driving the different susceptibilities of amphibians to diseases.

Short-term cadmium exposure induces stress responses in frog (Pelophylax bergeri) skin organ culture.

There have been a few studies on the negative effects of pollutants on amphibian skin, the first structural barrier that interacts with the environment and its potential contaminants. In this study an ex vivo skin organ culture from the amphibian Pelophylax bergeri was used to evaluate cell stress responses induced by short-term exposure to cadmium (Cd), a toxic heavy metal known to be an environmental hazard to both humans and wildlife. Histopathological studies were carried out on skin explants using light microscopy and changes in the expression of stress proteins, such as Metallothionein (MT) and Heat shock proteins (HSPs), were investigated by Real-time RT-PCR.

Effects of selenium supplemented diets on growth and condition indexes in juvenile red swamp crayfish, Procambarus clarkii.

Effects of selenium diets (Se, 0.3 and 1.2mgkg(-1)) on juvenile red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii were observed for eight weeks.