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Vitamin D deficiency has been reported in patients with chronic inflammatory conditions, such as rheumatic and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). We evaluated the role of biologic therapy on vitamin D, calcium and parathormone (PTH) levels. This cross-sectional study enrolled consecutive patients with either rheumatic diseases or IBD who underwent an ambulatory visit. Patients receiving vitamin D/calcium supplementation were excluded. Vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency was diagnosed when values were <20 ng/mL and 21-29 ng/ml, respectively. Patients were sub-grouped according to biologic therapy. A multivariate analysis was performed. Two-hundred patients, including 136 with a rheumatic disease (M/F 37/99; mean age 60.7 ± 12.9 years) and 64 with IBD (M/F 41/23; Mean age 49.6 ± 13.1 years) were enrolled. Vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency was detected in as many as 63.5 % patients, being 61.8 and 67.2 % in patients with either rheumatic diseases or IBD, respectively. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency was higher in those receiving biologics than other therapies (78.3 vs 43.2 %; p < 0.0001), in either rheumatic diseases (78.7 vs 41 %; p < 0.0001) or IBD (75 vs 50 %; p = 0.03) group. At multivariate analysis, only biologic therapy was independently associated with vitamin D deficit (OR 4.61; p = 0.001). Patients with vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency had hypocalcemia more frequently than controls (22.8 vs 10.9 %; p = 0.03), while PTH values did not differ significantly. This study finds that the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency was very high in patients with either rheumatic diseases or IBD receiving a biologic therapy.

Transposable elements (TEs) comprise a major fraction of many plant genomes and are known to drive their organization and evolution. Several studies show that these repetitive elements have a prominent role in shaping noncoding regions of the genome such as microRNA (miRNA) loci, which are components of post-transcriptional regulation mechanisms. Although some studies have reported initial formation of miRNA loci from TE sequences, especially in model plants, the approaches that were used did not employ systems that would allow results to be delivered by a user-friendly database. In this study, we identified 152 precursor miRNAs overlapping TEs in 10 plant species. PlanTE-MIR DB was designed to assemble this data and deliver it to the scientific community interested in miRNA origin, evolution, and regulation pathways. Users can browse the database through a web interface and search for entries using various parameters. This resource is cross-referenced with repetitive element (Repbase Update) and miRNA (miRBase) repositories, where sequences can be checked for further analysis. All data in PlanTE-MIR DB are publicly available for download in several file formats to facilitate their understanding and use. The database is hosted at http://bioinfo-tool.cp.utfpr.edu.br/plantemirdb/ .

This work investigates the prognostic role of advanced age as a risk factor for recurrence in a population of patients undergoing surgery for N0 stage colon cancer, and also evaluates whether that role is affected by tumor location. A population of 129 consecutive patients who underwent radical surgery for N0 stage colon cancer was selected. Patients were subdivided into three age groups: <65, 65-80 and >80. The only correlation found in the examined population between age and clinical-pathological features was between advanced age (>80) and tumor location in the right side of the colon. Overall survival (OS) and disease- free survival (DFS) were significantly lower in patients over 80 than in the other two classes. Two multivariate analyses were carried out: when tumor location was not considered, age >80 represented a negative prognostic factor for risk of recurrence, regardless of the other factors examined. This role was also confirmed when tumor location was considered. As hypothesized by several authors, the role of advanced age which emerges from this study is mainly due to the increased fragility of elderly patients caused by multiple pathophysiological factors, but it does not necessarily represent an absolute contraindication to surgery. The role played by tumor location remains controversial, as more and more studies show that right colon cancer (RCC) is a biological entity distinct from left colon cancer (LCC). Further studies are required to examine right and left colon cancers as two separate diseases.

Complications after surgical treatment of diverticulitis are not very frequent, in view of the total number of patients affected by this pathology, but they do become significant in absolute terms because of the high prevalence of the disease itself. Surgeons continue to debate which option is better: Hartmann resection or combined resection and anastomosis. Since age is a crucial factor when surgery is being considered, we evaluated the outcome of surgical treatment for diverticulitis in patients treated in our unit over a six-month period, in view of the number of elderly patients generally admitted. Between January 2001 and June 2012, 77 patients underwent surgery for diverticular disease in the Geriatric Surgery Unit of the Department of Surgical and Gastroenterological Sciences, University of Padova Hospital. Gastrointestinal resection and anastomosis were performed in 75 patients (97%), resulting in an overall complication rate of 37% and a mortality rate of 1%. This surgical strategy was chosen because, when it is performed by experienced surgeons, it offers the same results in terms of mortality and morbidity as Hartmann resection, while presenting significant advantages as regards the patient's quality of life. Various factors such as the timing of surgery, severity of the disease defined according to the Hinchey classification, patient's clinical condition, and surgeon's experience and expertise can all influence the surgical choice. Several studies in the literature confirm that combined resection and anastomosis is safe and efficacious, but more research is needed to confirm these data.