Reinforcing the idea of an early dispersal of Hippopotamus amphibius in Europe: Restoration and multidisciplinary study of the skull from the Middle Pleistocene of Cava Montanari (Rome, central Italy).

A skull of Hippopotamus recovered from the area of Tor di Quinto, within the urban area of Rome (central Italy) is here redescribed. Despite being one of the most complete specimens of hippopotamuses of the European Pleistocene, the Tor di Quinto skull did not attract much research interest, due to long-standing uncertainties on its provenance. This work begun in 2021, when the skull was restored, within a large renovation project on the vertebrate exposed at the Earth Science University Museum of Sapienza University of Rome.

Stratigraphic reassessment of Grotta Romanelli sheds light on Middle-Late Pleistocene palaeoenvironments and human settling in the Mediterranean.

During the last century, Grotta Romanelli (Southern Italy) has been a reference site for the European Late Pleistocene stratigraphy, due to its geomorphological setting and archaeological and palaeontological content. The beginning of the sedimentation inside the cave was attributed to the Last Interglacial (MISs 5e) and the oldest unearthed evidence of human occupation, including remains of hearths, was therefore referred to the Middle Palaeolithic. Recent surveys and excavations produced new U/Th dates, palaeoenvironmental interpretation and a litho-, morpho- and chrono-stratigraphical reassessment, placing the oldest human frequentation of the cave between MIS 9 and MIS 7, therefore embracing Glacial and Interglacial cycles.

A Middle Pleistocene wolf from central Italy provides insights on the first occurrence of Canis lupus in Europe.

Here, we describe a partial cranium of a large canid dated at 406.5 ± 2.4 ka from the Middle Pleistocene of Ponte Galeria (Rome, Italy).

The Late Pleistocene European badger Meles meles from Grotta Laceduzza (Brindisi, Apulia, Southern Italy): the analysis of the morphological and biometric variability.

In the last decades, many studies have focused on the description of fossil badger materials from Eurasia and several evolutionary hypotheses have been proposed. Nevertheless, the debate on taxonomy of the Late Villafranchian-Aurelian European badgers is still far from being solved and several species/subspecies were established over time. Herein, we described for the first time the craniodental and postcranial remains of Meles meles from Grotta Laceduzza (Apulia, Southern Italy), representing the largest sample of this taxon in the European Pleistocene record.

Lymphangioma communicating with the excretory system.

Lymphangioma is a rare benign tumor caused by failure in the development of the lymphatic communicating system. The corresponding nomenclature is confusing. In recent years ''renal lymphangiectasia'' is the preferred name.

Detection and genotypic characterization of Giardia cysts in water samples.

Water samples were collected from a wastewater treatment plant and from two lakes in the vicinity of Rome (Italy) for detection and genotypic characterization of Giardia. All wastewater samples and all but two of the lake samples were scored by immunofluorescence as positive for Giardia. In addition, Giardia cysts were detected, by nested PCR, in all of the examined samples.

Use of the ALN permanent/removable vena cava filter. A multi-centre experience.

Aim: Vena cava filters are used for the prevention of pulmonary embolism in cases of contraindication, failure or complications of the anticoagulant therapy. There are no certain data in the literature concerning the effectiveness of vena cava filters and, above all, the possible long-term complications are not known. For this reason increasing attention is paid to permanent/removable filters that permit exploitation of the short-term advantages of vena cava interruption, eliminating the possible long-term complications.

Analysis of production factors, costs, and process efficacy in the radiology department of a local health agency in Italy.

Purpose: To calculate the itemised and overall costs (including staff, technical equipment, and materials) of the services of a radiology department in order to ensure clearer communications between the service providers and clients concerning the service and its costs. The analysis was carried out in the radiology department of a city general hospital.

Materials And Methods: An Activity Based Cost Analysis was used to study the production process for each type of service delivered, considering all the direct and indirect costs.

Molecular cloning of Schistosoma mansoni calcineurin subunits and immunolocalization to the excretory system.

In order to explain the schistosomicidal effect of cyclosporin A, the hypothesis was advanced that the drug, complexed with cyclophilin, inhibits the phosphatase activity of parasite calcineurin (CN), with mechanisms similar to those operating in its immunosuppressive action. As a preparatory step to the testing of this hypothesis, we report the molecular cloning of both CN subunits in Schistosoma mansoni. The catalytic (A) subunit has a predicted sequence of 607 amino acids and shows substantial similarity to other cloned CNs, except for the carboxy-terminal end that is highly divergent.

Stage-specific expression of a Schistosoma mansoni polypeptide similar to the vertebrate regulatory protein stathmin.

The ubiquitous vertebrate protein stathmin is expressed and phosphorylated in response to a variety of external and internal signals. Stathmin, in turn, controls cell growth and differentiation through its capacity to regulate microtubule assembly dynamics. This is the first report on the molecular cloning and characterization of a stathmin-like protein (SmSLP) in an invertebrate, the human blood fluke Schistosoma mansoni.

Diagnosis of Hill-Sachs lesion of the shoulder. Comparison between ultrasonography and arthro-CT.

Aim: The Hill-Sachs lesion is a compression fracture caused by impact on the trabeculae of the humeral head during anterior glenohumeral dislocation. The early and accurate identification of patients who risk recurrence of shoulder dislocation requires a suitable screening method. This should be characterized by high sensitivity and specificity, low cost, and repeatability.

Pneumocystis carinii in a patient with pulmonary sarcoidosis and idiopathic CD4+ T lymphocytopenia.

A case of pulmonary sarcoidosis and idiopathic CD4+ T lymphocytopenia is reported. Pneumocystis carinii was detected in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of a young homosexual man who was asymptomatic without any evidence of congenital or acquired immunodeficiency but with a low CD4+ cell count. A clinical and histological diagnosis of pulmonary sarcoidosis was made.

[Quantitative computerized tomography in the study of osteoporosis. Our experience].

In the diagnosis of osteoporosis there are, today, several techniques for investigating bone mineral density. In this work the authors evaluate the sensitivity of Computed Tomography in the diagnosis of this metabolic disease, because of the built-in competence of this method in determining the density of the anatomical tissues. In a randomised study the Authors performed Single Energy Quantitative Computed Tomography (SEQCT) in estimating the bone mineral density of lumbar vertebrae in 44 female patients.

[Endogastric migration of an Angelchik prosthesis. A case report and review of the literature].

At first, the authors mention indications and way of placement of the Angelchik prosthesis. Then after a wide review of the literature, they describe the complications and results. Finally a case of penetration into the stomach of an Angelchik prosthesis is reported.

Nephroangiotomographic diagnosis of retroperitoneal spleen. Report of a case.

A case of retroperitoneal spleen diagnosed by nephroangiotomography is described. The embryologic background of this rare abnormality is explained. Stress is laid on the importance of nephroangiotomography in the correct evaluation of those alterations that normally pose difficult problems of interpretation.