Fine-scale spatial genetic structure and dispersal among Italian smooth newt populations in a rural landscape.

Amphibians are particularly sensitive to habitat loss and fragmentation caused by the intensification and modernization of farming occurring in the second half of the twentieth century in the Mediterranean basin. However, artificial water bodies, associated with traditional husbandry, proved to be important surrogate for amphibian feeding and reproduction. Here, multilocus genotypes were used to investigate the spatial population structure of Lissotriton vulgaris meridionalis and the role of drinking troughs in supporting viable breeding populations within a rural landscape interested by traditional husbandry and agriculture.

Microsatellite Characterization and Panel Selection for Brown Bear () Population Assessment.

An assessment of the genetic diversity and structure of a population is essential for designing recovery plans for threatened species. Italy hosts two brown bear populations, (), endemic to the Apennines of central Italy, and (), in the Italian Alps. Both populations are endangered and occasionally involved in human-wildlife conflict; thus, detailed management plans have been in place for several decades, including genetic monitoring.

Epidemiology and familial clustering of pediatric epilepsy in the geographic isolate of Ischia.

Background: Geographic isolates are the ideal setting to study the genetic background and the epidemiology of epilepsy. There are only few published reports on the epidemiology of pediatric epilepsy in geographic isolates.

Methods: This study was performed in the Ischia island, district of Napoli (Southern Italy).

Spontaneous intracranial hypotension: two steroid-responsive cases.

Purpose: Spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) is characterised by orthostatic headache, low cerebrospinal fluid pressure and diffuse pachymeningeal enhancement after intravenous gadolinium contrast administration. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) often plays a crucial role for correct diagnosis.

Case Description: We described two similar cases of SIH, whose clinical and imaging features are typical for this pathology.

An improved microsatellite panel to assess genetic variability of the Italian smooth newt ().

Habitat loss and fragmentation are threatening amphibians by increasing population isolation. However, artificial waterbodies created for livestockmay contrast this phenomenon by providing surrogate habitats for amphibians. Here, we performed a genetic study on an amphibian species, , in a rural area in central Italy where natural wetlands are disappearing and drinking troughs for cattle watering are widespread.

An enigmatic clinical entity: A new case of olfactory schwannoma.

Olfactory schwannomas, also described as subfrontal or olfactory groove schwannomas, are very rare tumors, whose pathogenesis is still largely debated. We report a case of olfactory schwannoma in a 39-year-old woman who presented with anosmia and headache. The clinical examination did not show lesions in the nose-frontal region and there was no history of neurofibromatosis.

Epidemiology of bovine tick-borne diseases in southern Italy.

This investigation was carried out in an area covering part of three southern Italian regions: Campania, Basilicata and Apulia. Eighty-one farms were involved using the formula suggested by Thrusfield; they were equally distributed over the area which was subdivided into 81 geo-referenced sub-areas. In May and June 1999 from a total of 506 cattle, older than 18 months, blood-samples were taken and ticks were collected and identified.