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This research analyzed the wintering population of rooks (Corvus frugilegus) in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region (Italy) from 2010 to 2020. The goal was to determine the population size, trend, and distribution over the decade by assessing census data and evaluating the study area's environmental suitability. It was important to identify the relationship between the region's environmental characteristics and the presence of the species by developing territory suitability models, processed using the maximum entropy algorithms and MaxEnt (maximum entropy) software. It was possible to determine the combinations of the factors potentially influencing habitat attendance, to develop environmental suitability maps, and to identify the area with the greater probability of the presence of the species, as well as those areas with potential suitability. Data for the presence of wintering rooks were derived from annual censuses, carried out by direct observation along pre-established transects in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region. Based on the census data, that total number of rooks in Friuli Venezia Giulia across the 10-year period had a maximum peak recorded in 2015 (1543) and a minimum in 2019 (853). The distribution of the species was concentrated in the central-southern areas of the region, with greater turnout in the areas characterized by agricultural land use, while the mountainous areas, located in the southern part of the region, were excluded. The environmental suitability models developed with MaxEnt on a regional scale demonstrated excellent predictive capacity, validating the species' ecological needs. Although the rook is not an endangered species, its range has been drastically reduced in Italy, at least in the last century, and MaxEnt could be used in the future as a management tool in order to outline conservation actions for the species, especially for its habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The hidden nature of the use of opioids, amphetamines, cocaine, and cannabis (the most commonly used and studied illicit drugs) precludes the accurate estimation of how many people use them and further important aspects of the use. Among the many aspects of drug use, the permanence times in specific drug using states related to the lifestyles of the various sub populations of users are of interest, per se, as essential components of estimates relating prevalence and incidence of drug use and for evaluating policies., Methods: Several administrative databases and surveys collected in Italy and in different EU countries concerning different sub-populations of drug users were analysed to estimate the permanence time in a specific drug using state and the stages of a typical drug-using career., Results: Cannabis is mostly the first illegal substance used. The age at onset corresponds to the very beginning of adolescence and various sources indicate that this onset happens earlier for men than for women. For problematic drug users, the switch from cannabis to heavy drugs happens within a rather narrow period of time, within 5-6 years from the first use of cannabis, along with the first episode of drug dealing. The latency period distribution estimated from different data sources is quite stable, with men presenting longer latency periods than women., Conclusions: The comparative analysis of several data sources allowed a more complete overview of the different subpopulations on the drug scene and provides interesting data to understand and to estimate parameters for dynamic models of drug use.

Background & Aims: The combined role of immunomodulators (IMM) and clinical characteristics of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) in determining the cancer risk is undefined. The aim was to assess whether clinical characteristics of IBD are independent risk factors for cancer, when considering thiopurines and anti-TNFs use., Methods: In a single-center cohort study, clinical characteristics of IBD patients with IBD duration ≥1 year and ≥2 visits from 2000 to 2009 were considered. Tests for crude rates and survival analysis methods were used to assess differences of incidence of cancer between groups. The methods were adjusted for the time interval between diagnosis and immunomodulatory treatments., Results: IBD population included 1222 patients :615 Crohn's disease (CD), 607 ulcerative colitis (UC). Cancer was diagnosed in 51 patients (34 CD,17 UC), with an incidence rate of 4.3/1000 pt/year. The incidence rate of cancer was comparable between CD and UC (4.6/1000 pt/year vs 2.9/1000 pt/year ;p=n.s.). Cancer most frequently involved the breast, the GI tract, the skin. Lymphoma was diagnosed in CD (1HL, 1NHL,0 HSTCL). Risk factors for cancer included older age at diagnosis of IBD (CD: HR 1.25;95%CI 1.08-1.45; UC:HR 1.33;95%CI 1.15-1.55 for an increase by 5 years; p=0.0023; p=0.0002), fistulizing pattern in CD (HR 2.55; 95%CI 1.11-5.86,p=0.0275), pancolitis in UC (HR 2.79;95%CI 1.05-7.40 p=0.0396 vs distal). IMM and anti-TNFs did not increase the cancer risk in CD, neither IMM in UC (anti-TNFs risk in UC not feasible as no cases observed)., Conclusions: Fistulizing pattern in CD, pancolitis in UC and older age at diagnosis of IBD are independent risk factors for cancer., (Copyright © 2011 European Crohn's and Colitis Organisation. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Recent advances in genetic characterization of acute myeloid leukemia indicate that combined cytogenetic and molecular analyses provide better definition of prognostic groups. The aim of this study was to verify this prospectively in a large group of patients., Design and Methods: Genetic characterization was prospectively carried out in 397 patients with acute myeloid leukemia (median age, 46 years) receiving uniform treatment according to the LAM99P protocol of the Italian GIMEMA group. The impact of genetic markers on response to therapy and outcome was assessed by univariate and multivariate analyses., Results: For induction response, conventional karyotyping identified three groups with complete remission rates of 92%, 67% and 39% (p<0.0001). Complete remission rates in NPM1 mutated (NPM1+) and wild-type (NPM1-) groups were 76% and 60%, respectively, for the whole population and 81% and 61% in the group with normal karyotype (p<0.001 and p=0.026, respectively). Multivariate analysis indicated that low risk karyotype and NPM1+ were independent factors favorably affecting complete remission. Multivariate analysis of overall and disease-free survival among 269 patients who achieved complete remission showed a significant impact of karyotype on both estimates and of FLT3 status on disease free-survival (FLT3-ITD vs. FLT3 wild-type, p=0.0001). NPM1 status did not significantly influence disease free-survival in either the whole population or in the patients with a normal karyotype in this series, probably due to the low number of cases analyzed., Conclusions: These results reiterate the prognostic relevance of combining cytogenetic and mutational analysis in the diagnostic work up of patients with acute myeloid leukemia.