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Aims: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) accelerates the decline in glomerular function; however, some individuals do not develop chronic kidney disease despite advanced age and long-lasting T2D. We aimed to phenotype patients with T2D aged 80 years or older who presented with a fully preserved kidney function.Methods: From an Italian population of 281,217 T2D outpatients, we collected data on demographics, anthropometrics, diabetes duration, HbA1c, fasting plasma glucose, lipids, liver enzymes, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), albumin excretion rate (AER), chronic complications, and medication use. We primarily compared patients with a fully preserved kidney function (eGFR > 90 ml/min/1.73 m2 and AER < 30 mg/24 h, or G1A1) with those with mild kidney impairment (eGFR 60-90 ml/min/1.73 m2 and AER < 30 mg/24 h, or G2A1).Results: N = 113,860 had available data for eGFR and AER, 21,648 of whom were aged ≥ 80. G1A1 (n = 278) and G2A1 (n = 6647) patients represented 1.3 and 30.7% of aged T2D patients, respectively, with an average diabetes duration of 16 years. Differences between the G1A1 and G2A1 groups were entered in a multiple logistic regression analysis with and without imputation of missing data. After adjustment and in both imputed and non-imputed datasets, younger age, lower BMI and lower triglycerides were associated with fully preserved versus mildly impaired kidney function. The comparison between G1A1 and G1A2/3 yielded different results.Conclusions: In a rare population of patients with a fully preserved kidney function despite old age and long-lasting diabetes, lower BMI and triglycerides suggest that protection from lipotoxicity may preserve kidney function over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: CC chemokine ligands (CCLs) are elevated during acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and correlate with secondary events. Their involvement in plaque inflammation led us to investigate whether CCL3-5-18 are linked to the extent of coronary artery disease (CAD) and prognostic for primary events during follow-up. Methods: We measured CCL3-5-18 serum concentrations in 712 patients with chest discomfort referred for cardiac CT angiography. Obstructive CAD was defined as ≥50 % stenosis. The extent of CAD was measured by calcium score and segment involvement score (number of coronary segments with any CAD, range 0-16). Patients were followed up for all-cause mortality, ACS and revascularisation, for a mean 26 ± 7 months. Results: Patients with obstructive CAD had significantly higher CCL5 ( p = 0.02), and borderline significantly elevated CCL18 plasma levels as compared with patients with <50 % stenosis ( p = 0.06). CCL18 levels were associated with coronary calcification ( p = 0.002) and segment involvement score ( p = 0.007). Corrected for traditional risk factors, only CCL5 provided independent predictive value for obstructive CAD: odds ratio (OR) 1.27 (1.02-1.59), p = 0.04. CCL5 provided independent predictive value for primary events during follow-up: OR 1.62 (1.03-2.57), p = 0.04. Conclusions: While CCL18 serum levels correlated with extent of CAD, CCL5 demonstrated an independent association with the presence of obstructive CAD, and occurrence of primary cardiac events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incidence of hip fractures continues to rise. This study is the first evaluation of a new intramedullary implant, the Veronail, that provides double axis fixation into the femoral head and allows the surgeon to choose whether to use sliding or fixed locked proximal screw fixation for trochanteric femoral fractures. The fractures were classified according to the AO classification, and function was assessed with the Modified Harris Hip Score. 111 patients with trochanteric fractures were evaluated in eight Italian hospitals. The stable 31.A1 fractures were treated with sliding proximal screws, the subtrochanteric 31.A3 fractures with converging proximal screws, and the unstable 31.A2 fractures were treated with both types of proximal fixation. The unstable fractures treated with locked converging screws had the same function at one year as those treated with sliding screws. This study suggests a possible new method of treating unstable trochanteric femoral fractures. This may be the solution to prevent excessive collapse of the fracture with the resultant poor function and persisting pain noted in the literature. Two converging locked proximal screws seem to provide stable fixation in 31.A2 femoral fractures and produce as good a result as the use of traditional sliding screws. The role of converging locked proximal screws in unstable trochanteric fractures requires further evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroup-specific polymorphisms were previously related to several neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the precise role of mtDNA haplogroups in the neurodegenerative cascade leading to AD is still unclear. In this work we have genotyped predefined European mtDNA haplogroups in 209 patients with AD and 191 matched controls. In order to minimise the risk of "genetic contamination", which could lead to false associations between gene markers and disease, we were careful to enrol in the study only patients and controls of clear Tuscan origin (with at least three generations of Tuscanborn relatives). The frequency of the haplogroups did not differ between the two groups, and no correlation with gender, ApoE genotype, age of onset or disease status was observed. Further studies will be required to define the contribution of mtDNA haplogroups, if any, to the pathogenesis of AD. A correct population selection, in order to minimise the risk of genetic contamination, is essential in these studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Species composition and interactions, biomass dominance, geographic distribution and driving variables were investigated for two key elements of the pelagic food web of Alpine lakes, the phytoplankton and the zooplankton, based on a single sampling campaign during summer 2000. Altogether, 70 lakes were surveyed, 49 of which located in three different lake districts of the west and eastern Italian Alps and 21 in the central Austrian Alps (within the uppermost Danube catchment). In addition to the analysis of environmental variables affecting distribution and species structure of the two planktonic compartments, a brief review of the main research lines and hypotheses adopted in the past for the study of phytoplankton and zooplankton in high Alpine lakes is given. The lakes, investigated partly within the European project EMERGE (EVK1-CT-1999-00032) and partly within a regional project in the eastern Alps, comprise a wide range of morphological, chemical and trophic conditions. The phytoplankton communities were found to be diverse and mostly dominated by flagellates (chrysophytes, cryptophytes and dinoflagellates), and only to a lesser extent by non-motile green algae, desmids and centric diatoms. The zooplankton communities were mainly dominated by Alpine cladocerans and copepod species, while rotifers were abundant within one group of Italian lakes (sampled in early summer). The multivariate statistical analyses (CCA) showed that catchment features (i.e. percentage of vegetation cover and geochemical composition) and nitrate concentration are essential drivers for the phytoplankton, whereas for zooplankton also trophic status of the lakes and phytoplankton structure are important. The combined variance analysis of the lake clusters outlined by the multivariate analyses on phytoplankton and zooplankton data, respectively, allowed the identification of four principal lake types (three located on siliceous and one on carbonaceous bedrock), each one characterised by a certain combination of habitat features, which in their turn influence trophic state, and phytoplankton and zooplankton species composition and functionality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we review research on eutrophication, acidification and climate change based on studies of lake sediments in the Alps. Studies on fossil diatoms, chrysophytes, plant pigments, Cladocera and carbonaceous particles in a number of high altitude lakes in Italy and Switzerland have been used to track environmental changes. We present an original study on fossil Cladocera in sediment cores from 29 lakes that have shown changes in biodiversity from the pre-industrial period (ca. pre AD 1850) to the present. These data show that altitude, ca. 60 years of acidification impacts and fish stocking are the most important factors that affect their distribution and abundance. We review further case studies from two morphometrically and chemically different lakes (Tovel and Paione Superiore). Their lake sediment records span 400 and 150 years, respectively; multi-core, multi-proxy analyses show their pH, trophic and climatic evolution over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several investigations have documented an increased incidence of right-to-left shunt (RLS) in migraine with aura (MA) and have emphasised its role in the physiopathology of aura; so far, however, no data are available concerning a possible correlation between the extent of the RLS and the clinical picture of MA patients. To investigate the possible relationship between the extent of the RLS, revealed by the number of microbubbles (MB) detected during transcranial Doppler with IV injection of ultrasound contrast (TCDc), and the clinical characteristics of MA (age at first onset of migraine, mean annual frequency of attacks and mean duration of the aura phase), 30 consecutive patients with typical aura and migraine headache positive on TCDc evaluation for RLS were enrolled. Permanent RLS was found in 12 patients and latent RLS was found in 18 patients; of these, 6 had a high-grade RLS, 5 medium-grade RLS and 7 low-grade RLS. No correlation has been documented between the number of MBs and the clinical parameters of both patients with latent shunts and those with permanent ones, nor between the clinical parameters of the two groups of patients. These data show that RLS does not seem to affect the clinical manifestation of MA and that the extent of RLS fails to correlate with the severity of the clinical picture of the disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

: Several cross-sectional studies have reported a positive correlation between muscle strength and local bone mineral density. However, very few studies have evaluated the possible role of confounding variables, which may be substantial as both bone mineral density and muscle strength are multifactorial variables. We studied 140 postmenopausal women who underwent their first osteodensitometry in our hospital. Of these, 102 women affected neither by bone diseases apart from primary osteoporosis nor treated with drugs affecting bone mass were selected. Distal radius bone mineral density of the non-dominant arm was assessed by dual photon absorptiometry. Handgrip strength was measured by a handheld dynamometer. The following factors influencing bone mass were also considered: age, years since menopause, years of cyclic ovarian activity, body weight, body height, body mass index, and both calcium and alcohol dietary intake. Statistical evaluation was performed by stepwise multiple regression analysis. This showed that only two variables were independently related to bone mineral density: handgrip strength (which was the best bone density predictor among the studied independent variables) and years since menopause. R2 value was 0.43 (F=38.04, p<0.001). All the other variables studied were not significantly related to bone density when the effects of both strength and years since menopause were considered. In conclusion, the data showed that handgrip strength was a strong independent predictor of distal radius bone mineral density in postmenopausal women. Clinical assessment of osteoporosis risk factors, including muscle strength, is recommended: although it is not an adequate substitute for bone densitometry, it can help clinicians to identify the risk groups at which to direct bone density measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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A novel thermophilic Gram-positive bacillus, ' Bacillus thermoantarcticus', isolated from geothermal soil near the crater of Mount Melbourne, is described. The organism grows at an optimal temperature of 63°C at pH 6.0, is oxidase-positive, catalase-negative and produces an exopolysaccharide, an exocellular xylanase, an intracellular alcohol dehydrogenase and exo- and endocellular α-glucosidase(s). The sequence of 16S rDNA is very similar to that of ' Bacillus thermoglucosidasius'; however, the guanine-plus-cytosine (G + C) content is 8 mol% higher. The type strain is ' Bacillus thermoantarcticus' (DSM 9572). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human mitochondrial transcription factor A (hmtTFA or Tfam), a 25-kDa protein encoded by a nuclear gene located on chromosome 10q21, is involved in the control of replication and transcription of mtDNA. To better understand the complex relationship between h-mtTFA and mitochondrial function, we assessed by western blot the levels of h-mtTFA in skeletal muscle from 7 patients affected by mitochondrial diseases (MD) caused by different mtDNA mutations. We related these results to exercise lactate production as well as to the pathologic features of the underlying myopathy. h-mtTFA levels were significantly inversely related to blood lactate and the percent of RRF, borderline to cox negative fibers. Our results indicate that hmtTFA may be involved in the cascade of events which determine functional impairment of MD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excitons, Coulomb bound electron-hole pairs, are composite bosons and their interactions in traditional semiconductors lead to condensation and light amplification. The much stronger Coulomb interaction in transition metal dichalcogenides such as WSe2 monolayers combined with the presence of the valley degree of freedom is expected to provide new opportunities for controlling excitonic effects. But so far the bosonic character of exciton scattering processes remains largely unexplored in these two-dimensional materials. Here we show that scattering between B-excitons and A-excitons preferably happens within the same valley in momentum space. This leads to power dependent, negative polarization of the hot B-exciton emission. We use a selective upconversion technique for efficient generation of B-excitons in the presence of resonantly excited A-excitons at lower energy; we also observe the excited A-excitons state 2s. Detuning of the continuous wave, low-power laser excitation outside the A-exciton resonance (with a full width at half maximum of 4 meV) results in vanishing upconversion signal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Being located in remote areas, alpine lakes are good indicators of regional and global pollution, and are particularly sensitive to atmospheric depositions. When situated in areas where acidic rocks dominate, they are sensitive to acidification. In the framework of an international project partially funded by the EU, a two-year study on zooplankton was carried out on two lakes, Lake Paione Inferiore (LPI) and Lake Paione Superiore (LPS), selected because of their susceptibilityto acidification. In particular, LPS is permanently acidified, with pH ranging between 5.3 and 6.2, and LPI is acidified during the ice melt, when pH drops to 6.1 units. In addition, LPI is subjected to further anthropogenic interference, since fish (Onchorynchus mykiss) have been repeatedly introduced into the lake during the last thirty years. Literature information is available on the species composition and the seasonal dynamics of the zooplankton communities of the two lakes before these anthropogenic disturbances took place. Previously, the two lakes had a similar species composition and abundant zooplankton. An analysis of the present-day situation reveals significant changes compared to the past. Both acidification and the introduction of fish are responsible for the marked alterations observed. By reconstructing of the past cladocera assemblages and by analysing the literature on lakes with different impacts of the two factors (pH and fish), we can estimate the relative importance of the two different anthropogenic disturbances on species composition and abundance of the zooplankton communities of the two lakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report finding the Anostraca, Branchinecta orientalis Sars, 1901,in a temporary lake in the Nepalese Himalayas. The lake, referred toas a non-permanent water collection by Lvffler, was sampled in the framework of a research project on lakes in remote areas (Ev-K2-CNR Project), aimed at studying the transport of pollutants on a global scale. The species identified, never reported before for this region, was found only in one water body out of a total of 34 sampled, identified as Lake 70 in the Ev-K2-CNR Cadastre. Resting eggs were present inthe sediments. A list of species making up the zooplankton, togetherwith some information on the hydrochemistry and climate of the region, is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the results of biological analyses (pigments, diatoms, chrysophyte cysts, cladocerans, chironomids and ostracods) of aca. 14 m-long sediment core recovered from Lake Albano (Central Italy) in the course of the EU-funded project PALICLAS (PALaeoenvironmental analysis of Italian Crater Lake and Adriatic Sediments).A reconstruction of the environmental evolution and ecosystem response of Lake Albano during the last ca. 30 kyr was possible. Additional information on lake level oscillation is obtained from benthic and planktonic palaeocommunities. Several oscillations in the productivity and the level of the lake were detected in the oldest sediment layers (from ca.30 kyr BP to ca. 17 kyr BP), followed by a long (ca. 5 kyr BP) period of low productivity in which cold, holomictic conditions prevailed.A period of high biological activity and, probably, meromictic conditions during the early-mid Holocene was detected. A clear impact of human activities in the catchment was found at ca. 4 kyr BP in the form of increased erosion, associated with a decline in the abundance ofbiological remains. Further signs of human impact on the lake ecosystem are recorded during the Roman period. Although large-scale environmental changes (e.g. regional climate changes) caused many of the observed biological changes, human activities were important during themid-late Holocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]