Using Age-Stage Two-Sex Life Tables to Assess the Suitability of Three Solanaceous Host Plants for the Invasive Cotton Mealybug Tinsley.

Tinsley (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Pseudococcidae), the cotton mealybug, is an invasive polyphagous species that has been extending its geographic range, posing a conspicuous threat to many Mediterranean crops of economic importance. These include three species of Solanaceae, namely L. (tomato), L.

Exposing belowground plant communication.

Root exudation could be harnessed for ecological and applied research.

Sodium Zirconium Cyclosilicate in CKD, Hyperkalemia, and Metabolic Acidosis: NEUTRALIZE Randomized Study.

Key Points: Sodium zirconium cyclosilicate effectively lowers serum potassium and maintains normokalemia in patients with CKD with concomitant hyperkalemia and metabolic acidosis. Despite high screen failure and small sample size, a nominally significant increase in sHCO was seen for sodium zirconium cyclosilicate versus placebo. Further studies on the basis of an appropriate cohort size may help validate the trend observed in sHCO levels, supporting these clinically relevant findings.

Cutting-Edge Techniques and Drugs for the Treatment of Pulmonary Embolism: Current Knowledge and Future Perspectives.

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a potentially life-threatening condition requiring prompt diagnosis and treatment. Recent advances have led to the development of newer techniques and drugs aimed at improving PE management, reducing its associated morbidity and mortality and the complications related to anticoagulation. This review provides an overview of the current knowledge and future perspectives on PE treatment.

Global cardiovascular risk, COVID-19 severity and post-COVID-19 syndrome: a clinical study.

Objective: Post-COVID-19 is a syndrome defined by signs and symptoms present until 12 weeks after COVID-19, lasting for more than 8 weeks, not explained by an alternative diagnosis. The present study aimed to assess whether the cardiovascular risk (CVR) of patients with COVID-19 correlates with symptoms and changes in respiratory function parameters in post-COVID-19. The association between CVR and the severity of acute disease was also considered.

The Chalcidoidea bush of life: evolutionary history of a massive radiation of minute wasps.

Chalcidoidea are mostly parasitoid wasps that include as many as 500 000 estimated species. Capturing phylogenetic signal from such a massive radiation can be daunting. Chalcidoidea is an excellent example of a hyperdiverse group that has remained recalcitrant to phylogenetic resolution.

The Relationship between Post-COVID Syndrome and the Burden of Comorbidities Assessed Using the Charlson Comorbidity Index.

The post-COVID-19 syndrome is a clinical entity characterized by the manifestation of signs and symptoms that develop after the acute phase of COVID-19, which persist for a duration of more than 12 weeks and are not explained by any alternative diagnosis. It has been observed that individuals with pre-existing chronic diseases, including cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, are at a greater risk of developing post-COVID-19 syndrome. The Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) is a useful tool employed to evaluate the burden of comorbidities and predict the prognosis of patients with post-COVID-19 syndrome.

Ipsilateral and contralateral carotid stenosis contribute to the outcome of reperfusion treatment for ischemic stroke.

Introduction: Ipsilateral and contralateral carotid stenosis (ICS, CCS) influence acute ischemic stroke (AIS) severity and prognosis. Few data are available about their impact on reperfusion therapies efficacy. Aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of ICS and CCS on the effect of intravenous thrombolysis (IT), mechanical thrombectomy (MT) or both and of antiplatelet therapy (AT).

Small volatile lipophilic molecules induced belowground by aphid attack elicit a defensive response in neighbouring un-infested plants.

In pioneering studies on plant-aphid interactions, we have observed that plants infested by aphids can transmit signals via the rhizosphere that induce aboveground defence in intact, neighbouring plants. The aphid parasitoid is significantly attracted towards intact broad bean plants grown in a hydroponic solution previously harbouring -infested plants. To identify the rhizosphere signal(s) possibly mediating this belowground plant-plant communication, root exudates were collected using Solid-Phase Extraction (SPE) from 10-day old -infested and un-infested plants hydroponically grown.

Not All Field Margins Are Equally Useful: Effects of the Vegetation Structure of Margins on Cereal Aphids and Their Natural Enemies.

Differences in the semi-natural vegetation of field margins will affect the biological control services derived from the presence of these semi-natural habitats adjacent to fields. Of the plant functional traits that are most relevant for insects, plant life forms reflect different aspects of plant structure and functioning that can help predict the value of marginal vegetation for arthropods in agricultural systems. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the vegetation structure of field margins on cereal aphids and on some of their natural enemies (parasitoids, hoverflies and ladybugs) in terms of plant life forms.

Efficacy of Conventional and Organic Insecticides against : Field and Semi-Field Trials.

is the main vector of phytoplasmas associated with Flavescence dorée (FD), one of the most serious threats to viticulture in many European countries. To minimize the spread of this disease, mandatory control measures against were decided in Europe. In the 1990s, the repeated application of insecticides (mainly organophosphates) proved to be an effective measure to control the vector and the related disease in north-eastern Italy.

Prevention and treatment of catheter-related venous thrombosis in long-term parenteral nutrition: A SINuC position statement.

The implementation of long-term parenteral nutrition (PN) often requires the placement of central venous access, a procedure that carries a considerable risk of catheter-related venous thrombosis (CRT). The occurrence of CRT represents a major event in the natural history of patients in PN since it can lead to central venous access loss and PN failure. Despite the importance of this topic in clinical nutrition, the prevention and treatment of CRT in PN represents one of the "gray areas" of the literature of the presence of few randomized controlled clinical trials and the generally low level of evidence of published scientific papers.

Genomic and metabolic profiling of two tomato contrasting cultivars for tolerance to Tuta absoluta.

Dissimilar patterns of variants affecting genes involved in response to herbivory, including those leading to difference in VOC production, were identified in tomato lines with contrasting response to Tuta absoluta. Tuta absoluta is one of the most destructive insect pest affecting tomato production, causing important yield losses both in open field and greenhouse. The selection of tolerant varieties to T.

L-DOPA functions as a plant pheromone for belowground anti-herbivory communication.

While mechanisms of plant-plant communication for alerting neighbouring plants of an imminent insect herbivore attack have been described aboveground via the production of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), we are yet to decipher the specific components of plant-plant signalling belowground. Using bioassay-guided fractionation, we isolated and identified the non-protein amino acid l-DOPA, released from roots of Acyrtosiphon pisum aphid-infested Vicia faba plants, as an active compound in triggering the production of VOCs released aboveground in uninfested plants. In behavioural assays, we show that after contact with l-DOPA, healthy plants become highly attractive to the aphid parasitoid (Aphidius ervi), as if they were infested by aphids.

Clusters of Comorbidities in the Short-Term Prognosis of Acute Heart Failure among Elderly Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background and Objectives: Elderly patients affected by acute heart failure (AHF) often show different patterns of comorbidities. In this paper, we aimed to evaluate how chronic comorbidities cluster and which pattern of comorbidities is more strongly related to in-hospital death in AHF. Materials and Methods: All patients admitted for AHF to an Internal Medicine Department (01/2015−01/2019) were retrospectively evaluated; the main outcome of this study was in-hospital death during an admission for AHF; age, sex, the Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), and 17 different chronic pathologies were investigated; the association between the comorbidities was studied with Pearson’s bivariate test, considering a level of p ≤ 0.

Wolbachia infection and genetic diversity of Italian populations of Philaenus spumarius, the main vector of Xylella fastidiosa in Europe.

Philaenus spumarius is a cosmopolitan species that has become a major threat to European agriculture being recognized as the main vector of the introduced plant pathogen Xylella fastidiosa, the agent of the "olive quick decline syndrome", a disease which is devastating olive orchards in southern Italy. Wolbachia are bacterial symbionts of many insects, frequently as reproductive parasites, sometime by establishing mutualistic relationships, able to spread within host populations. Philaenus spumarius harbors Wolbachia, but the role played by this symbiont is unknown and data on the infection prevalence within host populations are limited.

Implementation of EHMRG Risk Model in an Italian Population of Elderly Patients with Acute Heart Failure.

Acute heart failure (AHF) is a cardiac emergency with an increasing incidence, especially among elderly patients. The Emergency Heart failure Mortality Risk Grade (EHMRG) has been validated to assess the 7-days AHF mortality risk, suggesting the management of patients admitted to an emergency department (ED). EHMRG has never been implemented in Italian ED nor among elderly patients.

Effect of Sodium Zirconium Cyclosilicate on Serum Potassium and Bicarbonate in Patients with Hyperkalemia and Metabolic Acidosis Associated with Chronic Kidney Disease: Rationale and Design of the NEUTRALIZE Study.

Introduction: Sodium zirconium cyclosilicate (SZC) is a selective potassium (K+) binder for hyperkalemia management that provides rapid and sustained correction of hyperkalemia. The NEUTRALIZE study is investigating whether SZC, in addition to correcting hyperkalemia and maintaining normal serum K+, can provide sustained increases in serum bicarbonate (HCO3-) in patients with hyperkalemia and metabolic acidosis associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Methods: This is a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3b study of US adults with stage 3-5 CKD not on dialysis with hyperkalemia (K+ >5.

Improving the EHMRG Prognostic Evaluation of Acute Heart Failure with TAPSE/PASp: A Sequential Approach.

The Emergency Heart Failure Mortality Risk Grade (EHMRG) can predict short-term mortality in patients admitted for acute heart failure (AHF) in the emergency department (ED). This paper aimed to evaluate if TAPSE/PASp, an echocardiographic marker of ventricular desynchronization, can improve in-hospital death prediction in patients at moderate-to-high risk, according to EHMRG score classification. From 1 January 2018 to 30 December 2019, we retrospectively enrolled all the consecutive subjects admitted to our Internal Medicine Department for AHF from the ED.

Shared Molecular Mechanisms among Alzheimer's Disease, Neurovascular Unit Dysfunction and Vascular Risk Factors: A Narrative Review.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia, affecting 24 million individuals. Clinical and epidemiological studies have found several links between vascular risk factors (VRF), neurovascular unit dysfunction (NVUd), blood-brain barrier breakdown (BBBb) and AD onset and progression in adulthood, suggesting a pathogenetic continuum between AD and vascular dementia. Shared pathways between AD, VRF, and NVUd/BBB have also been found at the molecular level, underlining the strength of this association.

Echocardiographic predictors of mortality in intermediate-risk pulmonary embolism.

Data regarding further risk stratification of intermediate-risk pulmonary embolism (IR-PE) are scanty. Whether transthoracic echocardiography may be helpful in further risk assessment of death in such population has still to be proven. Two-hundred fifty-four consecutive patients (51.

DROP: Molecular voucher database for identification of Drosophila parasitoids.

Molecular identification is increasingly used to speed up biodiversity surveys and laboratory experiments. However, many groups of organisms cannot be reliably identified using standard databases such as GenBank or BOLD due to lack of sequenced voucher specimens identified by experts. Sometimes a large number of sequences are available, but with too many errors to allow identification.

Development of Diphenethylamines as Selective Kappa Opioid Receptor Ligands and Their Pharmacological Activities.

Among the opioid receptors, the kappa opioid receptor (KOR) has been gaining substantial attention as a promising molecular target for the treatment of numerous human disorders, including pain, pruritus, affective disorders (i.e., depression and anxiety), drug addiction, and neurological diseases (i.

N-Phenethyl Substitution in 14-Methoxy-N-methylmorphinan-6-ones Turns Selective µ Opioid Receptor Ligands into Dual µ/δ Opioid Receptor Agonists.

Morphine and structurally-derived compounds are µ opioid receptor (µOR) agonists, and the most effective analgesic drugs. However, their usefulness is limited by serious side effects, including dependence and abuse potential. The N-substituent in morphinans plays an important role in opioid activities in vitro and in vivo.

Electrophysiological and behavioural response of Philaenus spumarius to essential oils and aromatic plants.

The meadow spittlebug, Philaenus spumarius, is a highly polyphagous widespread species, playing a major role in the transmission of the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa subspecies pauca, the agent of the "Olive Quick Decline Syndrome". Essential oils (EOs) are an important source of bio-active volatile compounds that could interfere with basic metabolic, biochemical, physiological, and behavioural functions of insects. Here, we report the electrophysiological and behavioural responses of adult P.