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The management and conservation of large carnivores is a challenging task because of their great spatial requirements and the hostility encountered in certain socio-political contexts. Particular fundamental requirements concern those species, such as brown bears (Ursus arctos), that need to hibernate in order to optimise the balance between energy acquisition and energy expenditure during winter. Thus, a thorough knowledge of bears’ winter behaviour is critical to ensure a proper management and protection of this species. The aim of the present study was to assess the location and features of the hibernation sites of a bear population reintroduced in the Central-Eastern Alps (Italy). Sixty-five bear dens and 85 unused caves were located and described. Bears were found to select natural rock caves (N= 64) located in medium-high slope at an altitude between 520 and 1950 m a.s.l.. Caves usually were in poorly accessible areas with low human disturbance. In particular, the comparison between used and unused caves showed that three main factors drove the selection of hibernation sites by brown bear: (i) small entrance and suitable length of the cave, (ii) their location in wooded areas and (iii) high level of solar radiation and favourable internal micro-climatic conditions. Caves selected by bears showed significantly higher monthly temperatures from October to March (especially in October and November, when bears typically search for a suitable hibernation site) than caves that were not used despite their similar structural characteristics. No differences in cave selection were found between native and reintroduced bears, suggesting that cave selection was driven by objective cave characteristics, rather than by population-specific traditions. Lastly, among different age and sex classes, pregnant females were found to select caves with a greater total length, located in more hidden areas and with more solar radiation around the entrance. Brown bear cave selection seems therefore to be driven mainly by measures, exterior habitat features and inner temperature.

In a retrospective fashion we reviewed the clinical aspects and the neuroradiological findings in 23 young patients (mean age at the onset 9.2 year-old) affected by Pseudotumor Cerebri, examinated at our Institution in the last ten years. The syndrome is characterized by high CSF pressure value without hydrocephalus, expansive lesions or biochemical modifications of the liquor.The aim of this study is to evaluate the importance of the neuroradiological examinations in the diagnosis of Pseudotumor Cerebri.

Background The current treatment options for cancer of the base of the tongue and glosso-epiglottic region are surgery, radiotherapy, or a combination of both modalities. Comparisons between different modalities are not common in the literature, and a real standard of treatment has not yet been established. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the results of treatment in a large series of patients from 18 Italian institutions in relation to the main treatment adopted.Methods The present study is a retrospective survey. The series was divided into a combined surgery group and a radiotherapy group. The Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test were used for survival calculations and comparisons.Results Eight hundred patients were registered (25.7% stage III and 62% stage IV), 336 in the surgery and 372 in the radiotherapy group. Conventional fractionation was adopted in almost all cases. The five-year overall and disease free survival of the whole series was 32% and 38%, respectively. Survival was slightly better for patients with tumors of the glosso-epiglottic region than for those with a tumor of the base of the tongue. Five-year disease-free survival was 55% for patients treated with surgery +/- radiochemotherapy and 26% for those submitted to radiotherapy alone or in combination with chemotherapy. As far as the total dose and the treatment duration were concerned, only 26% of the patients of the radiotherapy group met the established criteria of adequacy, but in patients with adequate radiation the control rate was better only for small tumors (T1-T2).Conclusions The results in patients treated with surgery +/-postoperative radiotherapy were similar to or better than those reported in the best series in the literature. By contrast, the survival rate of irradiated patients was lower than those reported by other centers.