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Background: The impact of body composition and sarcopenia in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) is still unclear, even several studies have been published on this issue. Our study aims to analyze the impact of sarcopenia on neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) tolerance and survival outcomes. Methods: This is a retrospective, monocentric study where LARC patients treated between 2010 and 2020 were enrolled. A single slice, from the pre-therapy simulation computed tomography (CT) scan, was used to perform the body composition analysis with dedicated software. The primary endpoint was the impact of body composition on radiotherapy (RT) interruption secondarily on overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and local control (LC). Results: The study included 628 LARC patients (40.9 % female, mean age 63.4 years): 24 % had low skeletal muscle index (SMI), 30 % had low muscle density (MD) and 17 (10.3 % of obese) were sarcopenic obese. Higher BMI (OR 2.38, 95 % CI 1.36–4.01) and lower SMI (0.73, 95 % CI 0.55–0.94) resulted as independent predictors of RT interruption. Sarcopenic obesity (HR 2.83, 95 % CI 1.24–6.45) was related to worse OS, while MD (0.96, 95 % CI 0.93–0.98), and higher SMI (0.97, 95 % CI 0.95–0.99) were related to better OS; a lower MD remained also associated even in adjusted multivariable analysis (0.96, 95 % CI0.93–0.98). Moreover, higher visceral adipose tissue (VAT) resulted associated with worse DFS (1.02, 95 % CI 1.01–1.03), while higher SMI was related to better Local Control (0.96, 95 % CI 0.93–0.99). Conclusions: Body composition analysis, particularly of muscle and fat masses, may be a useful tool for better management of LARC patients undergoing RT. Increased collaboration between radiation oncologists and clinical nutritionists is advisable, to enable early nutritional support of LARC.

Societal Impact Statement Plants and bacteria interact in complex ways that are crucial to the health and productivity of native vegetation and croplands. While the range of characterised plant‐beneficial bacterial traits continues to grow, key questions remain regarding the distribution and mobility of genes associated with these traits. This work explores the diversity of mobile genetic elements carried by bacteria associated with plant root surfaces, assessing their capacity to help shape plant–bacterial interactions. The significance of this work lies in the potential to contribute to new strategies for enhancing plant health, promoting sustainable agriculture and managing plant diseases in an era when we must respond to environmental change. Summary Integrons are gene capture and expression systems that contribute to bacterial adaptation. Integron research has mainly focused on the role that these elements play in spreading antimicrobial resistance. However, their contribution to niche adaptation is potentially much broader because integrons can sample the vast repertoire of diverse functions encoded by integron gene cassettes. Integrons and gene cassettes have been identified in many bacterial lineages residing in soil and water across varied ecosystems, but there has been little investigation of integrons in plant‐associated bacteria. Bacteria and plants have complex, dynamic relationships that influence plant health and productivity. To investigate whether integrons contribute to adaptative processes in plant microbiomes, we examined gene cassette and microbial taxonomic profiles in rhizoplanes of four important crop species grown under controlled glasshouse conditions. We identified 38,546 unique gene cassettes, including elements carrying genes associated with antibiotic resistance, type II toxin–antitoxin systems and genes with putative functions associated with plant growth promotion, along with a larger set encoding genes of unknown functions. Rhizoplane microbiomes of different plant species showed more similarity in their community composition profiles than in their gene cassette profiles, with complex and distinct suites of gene cassettes associated with each plant species, suggesting that gene cassettes might have a role in specific plant–bacterial interactions. We show that rhizoplane microbiomes carry diverse integron gene cassettes that could play a role in establishing and maintaining rhizoplane communities.

Background: Lumbar articular fusion with the facet wedge (FW) technique is gaining increasing interest among surgeons for the treatment of vertebral instability due to its limited invasiveness and ease of use. Studies on cadavers have reported biomechanical properties similar to pedicle screws. Yet, the evidence supporting their use is still limited and moreover focused only on spinal degenerative disease. Methods: 96 cases of lumbar articular fusion with the FW techniques performed at 3 different centers between 2014 and 2022 were retrospectively analyzed based on the specific surgical indications: 1) degenerative spondylolisthesis/unstable lumbar stenosis; 2) synovial cysts; 3) adjacent segment disease (ASD). Medical records were reviewed to identify rates of complications and measures of functional outcome (ODI, low back pain VAS and modified Macnab scale) were collected both at baseline and at the follow-up visits. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was adopted to test for significant functional improvements. Results: Significative clinical improvements were observed from baseline to follow-up regarding ODI and VAS scores. Overall rate of moderate and severe complications (according to Landriel–Ibañez scale) was 7.9%. Only 3.4% of patients with degenerative disease developed ASD requiring reoperations. Only one case of radicular deficit and one of device mobilization were reported. 2/4 cases of synovial cysts treated with unilateral fusions developed contralateral complications. 9 out of 16 (56.25%) patients who underwent long-term postoperative CT scans presented adequate degree of articular fusion. Conclusion: FW technique is easy, safe, and effective. Its low rate of complications justifies its use for cases of mild lumbar instability.

Abstract Anthropogenic activities are causing unprecedented rates of soil and ecosystem degradation, and the current restoration practices take decades and are prone to high rates of failure. Here we propose, the development and application of emerging microbiome tools that can potentially improve the contents and diversity of soil organic matters, enhancing the efficacy and consistency of restoration outcomes.

SecuriDN v. 0.1 is a tool for the representation of the assets composing the IT and the OT subsystems of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) control networks and the possible cyberattacks that can threaten them. It is part of a platform that allows the evaluation of the security risks of DER control systems. SecuriDN is a multi-formalism tool, meaning that it manages several types of models: architecture graph, attack graphs and Dynamic Bayesian Networks (DBNs). In particular, each asset in the architecture is characterized by an attack graph showing the combinations of attack techniques that may affect the asset. By merging the attack graphs according to the asset associations in the architecture, a DBN is generated. Then, the evidence-based and time-driven probabilistic analysis of the DBN permits the quantification of the system security level. Indeed, the DBN probabilistic graphical model can be analyzed through inference algorithms, suitable for forward and backward assessment of the system’s belief state. In this paper, the features and the main goals of SecuriDN are described and illustrated through a simplified but realistic case study.

Abstract Introduction Biostimulants are proposed to have a role in sustainable food production and are being increasingly used strategies to limit the negative effects of drought stress on crop yield and soil health. However, how different biostimulants used alone, or in combination with conventional management approaches affect soil health and crop yield under drought in different soils is not well understood. Here we conducted a glasshouse experiment to investigate this. Materials and Methods Two soil types from fields maintained under intensive (IM) and extensive (EM) management practices were used with two commercial biostimulants [Universal Natural Plant food (UNP) and Converte Seed Primer (CSP)] on soil microbial populations and crop yield (lettuce) under well‐watered and drought stressed conditions. We examined the activity and biomass of soil microorganisms as well as seed germination and root and shoot biomass to examine the effect of application of biostimulants on parameters of soil health and crop yield. Results Biostimulants generally increased crop yield, basal soil respiration and microbial biomass, with effects stronger in EM soils than in IM soils, but effects on soil enzyme activities were variable. The combined use of biostimulant and inorganic fertiliser negated the benefits of the biostimulant on soil biological properties in some cases. Nevertheless, effects of biostimulants had a positive impact on crop yield with the combined use of soil‐applied and seed applied biostimulants have the greatest impact on plant biomass and also conferring some resistance in both soil microbial communities and plant growth to drought. Conclusions While biomass and activity of the microbial community and plant growth responses to biostimulant additions are both soil and biostimulant dependent, their combined use has potential to aid both plants and maintain promote microbial activity under of drought, compared to conventional fertiliser treatments in extensively managed soils.

Abstract Drylands cover almost half of the planet and support >25% the global population. In this era of global warming, they are expected to continue expanding by the end of the century as a consequence of predicted increases in aridity, which will affect multiple global locations that are already characterised by extreme temperatures, low and variable rainfall, and low soil fertility. In these fragile ecosystems, where microorganisms are integral to maintain functioning and primary productivity, endoliths (i.e., rock‐inhabiting microorganisms) play a key role in soil formation and dynamics and are and critical drivers of ecological succession. Here, we posit that endolithic microbes could also function as early alarm warning indicators for environmental changes in the most arid ecosystems. Nevertheless, studies on endoliths are still rather fragmentary and mainly focused in a few specific dry areas such as the Antarctic or Atacama deserts. A global appraisal of the structure and function of the endolithic microbiome is needed for the assessment of the current state of dryland biodiversity worldwide, and to identify the regions that are more vulnerable to global changes. Such an effort will provide new knowledge and will implement official and international initiatives to track and conserve biodiversity on global drylands.

It is long observed that females tend to live longer than males in nearly every country. However, the underlying mechanism remains elusive. In this study, we discovered that genetic associations with longevity are on average stronger in females than in males through bio-demographic analyses of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) dataset of 2178 centenarians and 2299 middle-age controls of Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Study (CLHLS). This discovery is replicated across North and South regions of China, and is further confirmed by North-South discovery/replication analyses of different and independent datasets of Chinese healthy aging candidate genes with CLHLS participants who are not in CLHLS GWAS, including 2972 centenarians and 1992 middle-age controls. Our polygenic risk score analyses of eight exclusive groups of sex-specific genes, analyses of sex-specific and not-sex-specific individual genes, and Genome-wide Complex Trait Analysis using all SNPs all reconfirm that genetic associations with longevity are on average stronger in females than in males. Our discovery/replication analyses are based on genetic datasets of in total 5150 centenarians and compatible middle-age controls, which comprises the worldwide largest sample of centenarians. The present study's findings may partially explain the well-known male-female health-survival paradox and suggest that genetic variants may be associated with different reactions between males and females to the same vaccine, drug treatment and/or nutritional intervention. Thus, our findings provide evidence to steer away from traditional view that “one-size-fits-all” for clinical interventions, and to consider sex differences for improving healthcare efficiency. We suggest future investigations focusing on effects of interactions between sex-specific genetic variants and environment on longevity as well as biological function.

Rock-dwelling fungi play critical ecological roles in drylands, including soil formation and nutrient cycling; however, we know very little about the identity, function and environmental preferences of these important organisms, and the mere existence of a consistent rock mycobiome across diverse arid regions of the planet remains undetermined. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a meta-analysis of rock fungi and spatially associated soil communities, surveyed across 28 unique sites spanning four major biogeographic regions (North America, Arctic, Maritime and Continental Antarctica) including contrasting climates, from cold and hot deserts to semiarid drylands. We show that rocks support a consistent and unique mycobiome that was different from that found in surrounding soils. Lichenized fungi from class Lecanoromycetes were consistently indicative of rocks across contrasting regions, together with ascomycetous representatives of black fungi in Arthoniomycetes, Dothideomycetes and Eurotiomycetes. In addition, compared with soil, rocks had a lower proportion of saprobes and plant symbiotic fungi. The main drivers structuring rock fungi distribution were spatial distance and, to a larger extent, climatic factors regulating moisture and temperature (i.e. mean annual temperature and mean annual precipitation), suggesting that these paramount and unique communities might be particularly sensitive to increases in temperature and desertification.

Abstract Introduction Despite their potential benefits, it is not well understood how the application of biostimulants influences soil biological properties and their microbial communities in field conditions. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the impacts of biostimulants on soil biological and physicochemical properties relevant to soil health. Materials and Methods To achieve this, we conducted a field study to investigate the effects of two types of commercially available biostimulants, Universal Natural Plant food (UNP) and Converte Seed Primer (CSP), on microbial activity, bacterial and fungal abundance, community structure and diversity, and soil chemical and physical properties across two depths (0–10 and 10–20 cm) from five sites under either wheat or pasture cultivation. Results Our findings suggest that application of UNP stimulated microbial activity by 40.1% in surface (0–10 cm) and 36.4% in deeper (10–20 cm) soil, but was dependant on site. Effects were generally greater in grasslands compared with arable soils. At sites where UNP stimulated microbial respiration, substrate‐induced respiration was also stimulated in surface soils and was associated with increased soil moisture content and higher total carbon and nitrogen. At the one site where UNP was combined with CSP, soil enzymes associated with carbon and nitrogen cycling were stimulated in UNP and UNP + CSP treatments. Total bacterial and fungal abundance and their alpha diversity did not respond to biostimulant treatment. However, microbial indicator communities were identified that responded positively to UNP and CSP addition across the two depths. Bacterial indicator species included Elsterales, Propionibacteriales, Solibacterales, Candatus, Reyranellales and Sphingomonadales, but differed between depths. For the fungal indicator species Filobasidiales (Basidiomycota) and Pleosporales (Ascomycota) were strong responders and common across both depths. Conclusion Overall, our results suggest some positive effects of biostimulants on soil biological and physicochemical properties. Further long‐term studies should be conducted to evaluate the effects of biostimulants on crop yield and farm resilience.