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Objective: To describe the clinical and ultrasonography (US) findings of soft tissue hemangiomas, and to compare with the results of histologic diagnosis after US-guided biopsy. Method and materials: We retrospectively studied the files of 97 patients (48 female, 49 male; mean age, 34 years; range 4–84 years) with soft tissue hemangiomas diagnosed from 2004 to 2011. Mean follow-up was 9 years (range 7–13 years). Clinical presentation included intermittent mild pain associated with a soft tissue swelling/palpable mass in all patients, chronic pain and increased local heat in 29 patients, local swelling and decreased range of motion of the adjacent joint in 45 patients, and all the above symptoms in 23 patients. B-mode and color Doppler US evaluation included the site, location, size, shape, margins, presence of calcifications, echo structure and echogenicity. All patients had US-guided biopsy for histologic analysis. Results: US-guided biopsy and histology confirmed the diagnosis of soft tissue hemangioma in 92 of the 97 lesions (94.8%). Histologic examination of the remaining five lesions showed nodular fasciitis (two lesions), endometriosis (one lesion), hemangioendothelioma (two lesions); US of these lesions showed variable size, irregular margins, and deep-seated location. Histologically documented soft tissue hemangiomas were most commonly superficial (74 lesions) and arteriovenous (45 lesions). Shape was most commonly oval (fusiform), margins were most commonly not well defined (irregular, hazing but circumscribed), phleboliths were more common in deep-seated lesions, echo structure was heterogeneous, and echogenicity was most commonly hyperechogen and involuting. Conclusion: Clinical presentation and typical B-mode and color Doppler US findings are adequate for the diagnosis of soft tissue hemangiomas without the need for biopsy and histologic analysis. If any clinical or US doubt, an US-guided biopsy should be performed. © 2018, Italian Society of Medical Radiology.

Alternative strategies for satisfy N requirements of crops are crucial for organic farming. This aim could be successfully reached by green manure tough it presents several uncertainties due to the need of coincidence of the biomass N mineralization and crop N uptake (Korsaeth, 2002). Besides, this microbially driven process is influenced by chemical composition of manure and pedoclimatic factors (Breland, 1994) that shows high variability among sites and years, thus increasing the uncertainties about N balance (Korsaeth, 2002). Changing times of green manure burying may regulate their chemical composition (Kankanen et al., 1998) and mineralization rate too (Yadvinder-Singh et al., 1992). Legume biomasses are quickly mineralized in Mediterranean area if buried at early stages, while burying at late stages or burying mixed crops (legume crops+cereals) may reduce mineralization rates, because of higher C/N ratio and lignin content. In this trial, different techniques of green manuring were compared with the aim to evaluate the effects on yield and N balance of an extensive horticultural cropping system. Green manure with legume crops buried at early stages is able to gain yields not different from mineral fertilization. Late burying of manures leads to an increase in N supplies but reduces its availability for the following crop. This results in higher content of soil mineral N in post-harvest periods. In the environments with rainy autumn, not only mineral fertilization but also green manure can cause nitrate pollution, because large amounts of N from buried biomasses may be mineralized in the post-harvest period of the following crop, thus increasing the risk of nitrate leaching.

It is well known that high input cropping systems may cause the decay of soil fertility, thus limiting crop yield and soil resilience. Furthermore the typical environmental conditions of Mediterranean area (high temperature coupled with high moisture in autumn and spring periods) usually enhance this trend because of an increased SOM degradation. In this context, Green Manures, especially with legume crops, may represent a useful tool for improving soil fertility also reducing external energy inputs because they allow to increase soil N and P availability for the following crop and at the same time, contribute to the conservation of SOM and soil biological, physical and chemical properties (Mc Vay et al., 1989). On the other side, winter non leguminous crops, thanks to their high C up N ratio could improve C storage in soil, thus resulting also effective in capturing post-harvest soil N, so reducing autumn N leaching (Upendra, 2007). A mixture of legume and non legume cover crops could be more suitable to both increase organic matter and reduce the potential N leaching. Nevertheless, adequate quantities of C and N are not easy to predict, because biotical (weeds) and a-biotical factors (rainfall and temperature) could limit growth and N-fixing of the crops used for green manuring. This paper shows the results of a two year trial on the effects of different green manure treatments (leguminous, non leguminous and mixtures) on C and N balance and yield of maize. This two year experiment showed that legume crop green manure can give a maize yield not different from mineral fertilization. The application of high quality organic input such as Vetch (with low lignin/N and C/N ratio) could provide a more efficient use of nutrients by releasing N quickly for food crops. Green manuring made with mixed crops and pure oat cause a significant reduction in yield of the following crops, because of lack in available N due to high C/N ratio of biomass. Nevertheless application of lower quality plant residues (high in lignin and low in N), such as oat, may maintain or increase SOC, and build-up soil organic N in the slowly turning pool (Sanchez, 1989), but only additional N fertilization can make this tool sustainable for farm economics. High N surplus at harvest was assessed for all treatments including C, showing that nitrate leaching and ground water pollution could involve organic farming too. Growing winter N catch crops between the summer crops may be one way to reduce this problem. Those crops can uptake the residual inorganic N present in soils at the end of the summer growing season as well as that, which will be mineralized during the following winter period, till the beginning of the next summer season (Rodrigues, 2001). Furthermore extreme variability in biomass and N supplies with green manure suggest to integrate this tool with other techniques of soil fertility management.

Different fertilizers, ammonia sulfate and urea (MIN), Fertil 12.5 (ORG) and Azoslow (ORG-MIN) were compared in a silage corn crop. Total biomass yield was above 55.0 t ha-1 for all fertilizers. Azoslow showed the highest dry matter content (40.8%). No differences among the fertilizers were found in protein content (4.9% on average) at waxy ripening, with the control showing the lowest value (3.9%). There were also no differences in silage quality among the fertilizers. The N budget was estimated in order to quantify the residual nitrogen amounts at harvest and the efficiency of fertilizers.