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Giovanni Canestrini (1835–1900) was the pioneer of arachnology in Italy, who published the first catalogue of Italian spiders and a total of 87 papers in the field. His interests covered almost all the Italian arachnid orders, although in the last part of his life he focused on acarology, in which he became a leading world expert. The remains of Canestrini's arachnological collection deposited in the Zoology Museum of Padova University are represented by spiders (about 850 tubes), mites (438 microscope slides, 115 tubes), harvestmen (120), pseudoscorpions (63), scorpions (19) and solifuges (1). The collection is now part of a large revision project aiming at better understanding and clarifying the scientific heritage of Canestrini, including an inventory of the type material from Canestrini and other European arachnologists who contributed to his collection (e.g., T. Thorell). The first results of the collection revision outlining different arachnid orders and highlighting the occurrence of type material are presented here. Brief historical information on Canestrini and his pupils is also provided.

The species of the genus Pseudoblothrus Beier, 1931 from Italy are revised. Two species are present in this area: P. peyerimhoffi (Simon, 1905) (Piedmont) and P. regalini Inzaghi, 1983 (Lombardy). The following synonymy is proposed: Pseudoblothrus ellingseni (Beier, 1929) is a junior subjective synonym of P. peyerimhoffi (Simon, 1905) (syn. nov.). A key to all species of the genus Pseudoblothrus is provided.

Three new species of the genus Roncus L. Koch, 1873 are described and figured: Roncus gasparoi n.sp. from Corfu (Spilaio Anthropograva), Roncus pieperi n.sp. from Kefalonia (caves Fitidi and Drogarati) and Roncus giachinoi n.sp. from continental Greece, Arkanania (Megalo Spilio).

An illustrated description of Withius hispanus (L. Koch, 1873) is provided based on its morphological and morphometric characters. This finding of W. hispanus is the first record of the family Withiidae in Slovakia. The present re-description of this species allows an assessment of the variability of its morphological and morphometric characters.

We report a large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma arising in the ampulla of Vater. The patient, a 74-year-old woman, presented with a 3-cm ulcerated mass located in the ampullary region. She died of disease 8 months after surgery. Microscopically, the tumor was extensively necrotic. It was composed of islands and trabeculae irregularly infiltrating the muscular wall of the duodenum. Neoplastic cells were large and had a high mitotic index. Immunohistochemically, they expressed cytokeratin, chromogranin, synaptophysin, and neuron-specific enolase. Large cell neuroen-docrine carcinoma is very rare in the ampulla of Vater, and it shares with its more common pulmonary counterpart same morphology and probably the same poor prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zelkova abelicea is an endemic tree growing only on eight mountain stands on the Greek island of Crete. The aim of this study was to determine the structure of the assemblages and analyze the diversity of the arachnid assemblages living on Zelkova abelicea , an endemic tree species in Crete. Material for the analyses was collected from tree trunks, oftentimes covered by bryophytes or lichens. In the examined material, 85 taxa were recorded. The most numerous groups represented in the analyzed material were Acari, including representatives of the orders Mesostigmata (78 ind. of 18 spp.) and Oribatida (1056 ind. of 51 spp.). In the order Mesostigmata the species represented by the highest numbers of specimens were Onchodellus karawaiewi (15 individuals) and Hypoaspisella sp. (13), which is probably a species new to science. In turn, representatives of the order Oribatida were much more numerous, with Zygoribatula exilis (284) and Eremaeus tuberosus (210) being identified in the largest numbers. Among the eight sampled localities, Gerakari (646 ind. and 50 spp.) and Omalos (409 ind. and 43 spp., respectively) had by far the richest assemblages. Statistical analyses confirmed the highly diverse character of the arachnid assemblages at the individual sites, which is a consequence not only of the varied numbers of arachnids found, but also of the presence of very rare species, such as Androlaelaps shealsi , Cosmolaelaps lutegiensis or Hoploseius oblongus . These results highlight the high species diversity of the arachnids found on Z. abelicea but also suggest the lack of connectivity between the isolated and fragmented forest stands on Crete.

Persistent infections caused by Strongyloides stercoralis are probably underestimated in the elderly Italian population. This nematode is unique among helminths: it can last asymptomatically in the host for decades and may present with a broad range of clinical pictures upon reactivation. Misdiagnosis often occurs even when the clinical picture is suggestive. If undetected, this parasitosis can lead to serious consequences when hyperinfection occurs. Herein, we report two peculiar clinical cases of complicated strongyloidiasis with multiple skin lesions. The aim of our report is to lead clinicians to familiarize themselves with skin patterns and clinical features that can suggest a possible underlying strongyloidiasis.

Purpose: Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most common chronic diseases in the world. It is frequently accompanied by high levels of persistent pain, as well as substantial impairments in function and functional capacity. This review aims to systematically analyze the changes in proprioception and related mechanoreceptors in OA patients., Methods: Studies from September 2013 to September 2023 were identified by conducting searches on the PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus electronic databases following the PRISMA statement. One reviewer independently assessed and screened the literature, extracted the data, and graded the studies. The body of evidence underwent an evaluation and grading process using the ROBINS-I tool, which was specifically designed to assess the risk of bias in non-randomized studies of interventions. Results were summarized using descriptive methods., Results: A search through 37 studies yielded 14 clinical studies that were ultimately included. The primary focus of the studies was on the knee joint, particularly the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL). The studies found that PCL in OA patients had impaired proprioceptive accuracy, possibly due to changes in mechanoreceptors (Ruffini, Pacini, and Golgi Mazzoni corpuscles). This suggests that dysfunctional articular mechanoreceptors, especially in severe cases of OA, may contribute to reduced proprioception. Dynamic stabilometry also identified significant proprioceptive deficits in patients with knee articular cartilage lesions, underscoring the impact of such lesions on knee proprioception., Conclusions: Literature data have shown that proprioceptive accuracy may play an important role in OA, particularly in the knee PCL and cartilage. However, the role of proprioception and related mechanoreceptors needs to be further clarified. Future studies focusing on the relationship between proprioception, OA disease, and symptoms, considering age and gender differences, and exploring OA joints other than the knee should be conducted to improve clinical and surgical outcomes in cases where proprioception and mechanoreceptors are impaired in OA patients.

Introduction: Calcaneal fractures (CF) are the most common tarsal fractures, representing up to 75% of foot fractures and 2% of all fractures. The aim of this retrospective study is to analyze fixation with Kirschner wires through a mini-invasive approach and dedicated plate and screws through an extended approach at long-term follow-up., Materials and Methods: Patients were radiographically and clinically evaluated at final follow-up, by using the validated American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) Ankle-Hindfoot score for the clinical-functional assessment, the Short-Form 12 (SF-12) for the physical and psychological domain assessment, and the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain., Results: In total, 38 patients (42 CF) met the inclusion criteria and were retrospectively evaluated and divided into two groups (Kirschner group and plate group) consisting of 19 patients each. The overall mean follow-up was 59.4 ± 11.8 months. The average values of the post-operative clinical outcomes of the two groups KG and PG were, respectively, 70.7 ± 11.9 and 70.1 ± 10.9 (AOFAS), 45.7 ± 6.8 and 46.5 ± 10.8 (SF-12 PCS), 54.7 ± 9.9 and 50.9 ± 11.8 (SF-12 MCS) at the final follow-up., Conclusions: The present study showed that in the cases analyzed, the two surgical approaches used for the treatment of CF achieved comparable clinical outcomes. The only substantial difference found between the two groups of patients was the re-intervention rate that afflicted them.

Sarcoptic mange is considered the main driver of demographic declines occurred in the last decades in Iberian ibex ( Capra pyrenaica ) populations. Mass treatment campaigns by administration of in-feed acaricides are used as a measure to mitigate the impact of mange in the affected populations. However, there are no data on ivermectin (IVM) pharmacokinetics in this wild caprine, and the treatment through medicated feed is not endorsed by evidence on its effectiveness. The aim of this study is to determine the pharmacokinetic profile of IVM in plasma samples of ibexes after the experimental oral administration of IVM, using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with automated solid phase extraction and fluorescence detection. A dose of 500 μg of IVM per body weight was orally administered in a feed bolus to nine healthy adult ibexes (seven males and two females). Blood samples were collected by jugular venipuncture into heparin-coated tubes at day 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 10, 15, and 45 post-administration (dpa). The highest plasma concentration of IVM (Cmax = 3.4 ng/ml) was detected 24 h after the oral administration (T1), followed by a rapid decrease during the first week post-administration. Our results reveal that plasma IVM concentration drops drastically within 5 days of ingestion, questioning the effectiveness of a single in-feed dose of this drug to control sarcoptic mange. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study on plasma availability of oral IVM in ibexes and in any wild ungulate species., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Moroni, Granados Torres, López-Olvera, Espinosa Cerrato, Ráez Bravo, Mentaberre, Fandos, Pazzi, Romagnoli, Gardini, Rossi, Valldeperes, Serrano, Ramos and Odore.)

In cattle, phenobarbital (PB) upregulates target drug-metabolizing enzyme (DME) mRNA levels. However, few data about PB's post-transcriptional effects are actually available. This work provides the first, and an almost complete, characterization of PB-dependent changes in DME catalytic activities in bovine liver using common probe substrates and confirmatory immunoblotting investigations. As expected, PB increased the total cytochrome P450 (CYP) content and the extent of metyrapone binding; moreover, an augmentation of protein amounts and related enzyme activities was observed for known PB targets such as CYP2B, 2C, and 3A, but also CYP2E1. However, contradictory results were obtained for CYP1A, while a decreased catalytic activity was observed for flavin-containing monooxygenases 1 and 3. The barbiturate had no effect on the chosen hydrolytic and conjugative DMEs. For the first time, we also measured the 26S proteasome activity, and the increase observed in PB-treated cattle would suggest this post-translational event might contribute to cattle DME regulation. Overall, this study increased the knowledge of cattle hepatic drug metabolism, and further confirmed the presence of species differences in DME expression and activity between cattle, humans, and rodents. This reinforced the need for an extensive characterization and understanding of comparative molecular mechanisms involved in expression, regulation, and function of DMEs.