Search Results (19)

Introduction: Hemangioblastomas (HBs) are benign, highly vascular tumors that can be found intracranially or in the spinal region, representing around 2–15% of primary intramedullary tumors. They can occur sporadically or in association with Von Hipple–Lindau (VHL) disease. Despite recent of advancement of nonsurgical treatments, complete surgical resection remains the gold standard of care for the spinal HBs. Materials and Methods: We conducted an international multicenter retrospective analysis of adult patients surgically treated for spinal HBs in four European referral centers between January 2000 and September 2024, with a minimum post-operative follow-up duration of 6 months. Patients’ sex and age at surgical intervention, clinical presentation, and duration symptoms prior to clinical diagnosis were identified. The pre- and post-operative neurological status at 1 and 6 months and at the last visit was assessed using the modified McCormick score (MCS). The extent of surgical resection was divided into gross total resection (GTR) and subtotal resection (STR). Finally, post-operative complications were inspected as well, namely cerebrospinal fluid leaks, infections, hemorrhages and post-operative spinal stability. Results: A total of 35 patients were included in the cohort, with an age median of 52 years (34.5–60) and a slight male predominance (21/35, i.e., 60%). The median follow-up period was 37.5 months (12–75). More than half were located in the cervical region, making it the most common (54.3%). Syrinxes were observed in 23 cases (72%), and HBs were more commonly intramedullary (80%). GTR was achievable in around 88% of cases. Post-operative complications were observed in nine patients (25.7%). Nearly half of patients were discharged into rehabilitations centers (48.5%). Tumor recurrence was seen in 10.3% only. At the last follow-up, an excellent overall post-operative neurological status (positive ∆ McCormick) was observed in most of patients (88%) and was found to be associated with a relatively younger age group. Tumor location and presence of syrinxes did not show any statistical significance regarding clinical outcome. In patients having benefited from intra-operative monitoring, only D-wave changes showed statistical significance regarding post-operative outcome (p < 0.05). Conclusions: A large majority of patients operated for a spinal HB demonstrated favorable outcome after surgery, with unchanged or improved neurological status. Advanced age could have an impact on the post-operative neurological outcome. Other factors such as tumor size, location, and the presence of syrinx did not seem to significantly impact the neurological outcome. Finally, the surgery of these vascular lesions with no possibility of debulking or piece-meal removal and requiring “en bloc” resection is technically demanding and should be performed by experienced teams in spine and spinal cord surgery only. Full article

Background: Neonatal cerebral stroke includes a range of focal and multifocal ischemic and hemorrhagic brain lesions, occurring in about one of 3000 live births. More than 50% of children with neonatal stroke develop adverse outcomes, mainly unilateral cerebral palsy. Asymmetries in segmental movements at three months have been proven to be an early sign of CP in infants with unilateral brain damage. Recognition of additional early signs could enhance prognostic assessment and enable an early and targeted intervention. Aim: The aim of the study was to assess early signs of CP in infants with arterial cerebral stroke through the General Movements Assessment and the Motor Optimality Score—Revised (MOS-R). Method: Twenty-four infants born at term (12 females and 12 males) diagnosed with ACS, and 24 healthy infants (16 females and 8 males) were assessed. The GMs (fidgety movements) and MOS-R were assessed from videos recorded at 11–14 weeks of post-term age. Cognitive and motor outcomes were assessed at 24 months using the Griffiths III developmental quotient and Amiel-Tison neurological examination. The gross motor function classification system expanded and revised (GMFCS-E&R) was adopted to categorize CP. Results: Among infants with ACS, 21 (87.5%) developed unilateral CP. Most of them showed non-disabling CP (14 had GMFCS-E&R grade 1 [66.6%], 6 grade 2 [28.6%], and 1 grade 5 [4.8%]). Fidgety movements (FMs) were absent in 17 (70.8%), sporadic in 4 (16.7%) infants, and normal in 3 (12.5%). Segmental movement asymmetry was found in 22/24 (91.7%). According to the MOS-R, motor items (kicking, mouth movements), postural patterns (midline centered head, finger posture variability), and movement character (monotonous and stiff) were statistically different among infants with ACS and healthy infants. The MOS-R median global score was lower in the group with ACS compared to the control group (6 vs 26; p < 0.01). FMs, segmental movement asymmetry, and MOS-R global score were significantly correlated with abnormal outcome. MOS-R global scores less than or equal to 13 had 100% specificity and sensitivity in predicting GMFCS-E&R grade ≥ 2 CP in infants with ACS. Conclusions: The rate of CP was high among infants with ACS, but in most cases it showed low GMFCS-E&R grades. The study highlighted a significant correlation between MOS-R, together with absent FMs and unilateral CP in infants with ACS. Moreover, the MOS-R showed high sensitivity and specificity in the prediction of CP. Combined assessment of FMs and MOS-R could help to better identify infants at high risk of developing UCP in a population of infants with ACS. Early identification of precocious signs of unilateral CP is fundamental to providing an early individualized intervention. Full article

The FormoSat-7/Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate II (FS7/COSMIC2) program has acquired over three hundred thousand equatorial plasma bubble (EPB) observations from 2019 to 2023 in the equatorial and near low-latitude regions. The huge FS7/COSMIC2 database offers an opportunity to perform statistical inspections of the proposed hypothesis on seasonal versus longitudinal variability of EPB occurrence rates relevant to the Rayleigh–Taylor (R-T) instability. The detected EPBs are distributed along the magnetic equator with a half width of ~20° in geomagnetic latitude. The obtained EPB occurrence rates in local time (LT) rose rapidly after sunsets, and could be deconstructed into two overlapped Gaussian distributions resembling a major peak around 23:00 LT and a minor peak around 20:20 LT. The two groups of Gaussian-distributed EPBs in LT were classified as first- and second-type EPBs, which could be caused by different mechanisms such as sporadic E (Es) instabilities and pre-reversal enhancement (PRE) fields. The obtained seasonal–longitudinal distributions of both types of EPBs presented two diffused traces of high occurrence rates, which happened near the days and longitudes when and where the angle between the two lines of magnetic declination and solar terminator at the magnetic equator was equal to zero. Finally, we analyzed the climatological and seasonal–longitudinal variability of EPB occurrences and compared the results with the physical R-T instability model controlled by Es instabilities and/or PRE fields. Full article

The war-related contamination of water and sediment of the Tigris River within the urban area of Mosul leads to seasonally independent exceedances of the WHO limit values for Cd, Pb, Cr, and Ni in water and sediments. Furthermore, exceedances consistently occur for conductivity, ${\mathrm{P}\mathrm{O}}_4^{3-}$, and ${\mathrm{S}\mathrm{O}}_4^{2-}$, as well as sporadically for salinity and COD in water samples, and consistently for salinity in sediment samples, highlighting the direct impact of war (ammunition, ignition of sulfur fields), as well as indirect effects (destroyed wastewater infrastructure). Conflict-related emissions from the former conflict zone (S5–S7) are highlighted by the sudden increases in load from S4 to S5, although partially masked by the discharge of highly polluted water from the Khosr River (between S3 and S4). Due to the sorption of sediments and the presumed wind-borne discharge of highly polluted particles into the Tigris River, sediments at S10 on the southern edge of Mosul showed the highest pollutant loads. Significant statistical differences were observed through T-test analyses for E.C., TDS, salinity, COD, ${\mathrm{P}\mathrm{O}}_4^{3-}$, ${\mathrm{N}\mathrm{O}}_3^{-}$, ${\mathrm{S}\mathrm{O}}_4^{2-}$, Cd, Pb, Zn, Cr, and Ni for water samples, as well as salinity, Cd, Pb, Zn, and Cr for the sediment samples for seasonal comparison. Since the percentage difference of water samples at S4–S7 is smaller than upstream and downstream, contaminant input is not limited to rainwater but also occurs via the year-round infiltration of highly polluted wastewater from the surrounding valleys or suburban areas, as well as presumably polluted groundwater or windblown particulate input. Full article

Bird and mammal nests and nest boxes constitute microenvironments in which various groups of invertebrates can live, including mites from the suborder Uropodina (Acari: Mesostigmata). The main aim of the current study was to ascertain the characteristics of mite communities from the suborder Uropodina, which inhabit the nests of dormice (Gliridae) built in nest boxes. The second aim of the study was to compare the habitat preferences of Leiodinychus orbicularis (C. L. Koch) and Apionoseius infirmus (Berlese), i.e., two typically nest-dwelling species of Uropodina. The material for the study was collected from nest boxes in six forest complexes in southwestern Poland. The conducted research revealed the presence of five species of Uropodina, with a total number of 559 specimens, in the examined boxes. Leiodinychus orbicularis was found in almost half of all of the examined boxes and was a superdominant species in the communities. The analysis of the habitat preferences of the two nest species of Uropodina showed that A. infirmus preferred old natural nests, in which the communities were formed from a larger number of species, without a significant statistical prevalence of one species. On the other hand, L. orbicularis occurred sporadically in open bird nests, but was very numerous and frequent in nest boxes. The significant dominance of L. orbicularis in nest boxes can probably be explained by the specific conditions prevailing in this type of microhabitat, including the very low humidity and food resources that this mite species prefers compared to other species of Uropodina. Full article

Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) is a rare neuroendocrine neoplasm, and calcitonin is its main biomarker. An elevated neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and systemic immune–inflammation index (SII) have been considered as negative prognostic factors in several neoplasms. The aim of this study is to evaluate the potential role of NLR, PLR and SII as biomarkers in MTC. Clinical data and tumor histological characteristics of patients with sporadic MTC, referred to the NET Unit of Federico II University of Naples (ENETS CoE) from 2012 to 2022, were retrospectively evaluated by analyzing preoperative and postoperative calcitonin, NLR, PLR and SII. We included 35 MTC patients undergoing total thyroidectomy. The mean preoperative NLR was 2.70 (±1.41, 0.93–7.98), the PLR was 121.05 (±41.9, 40.98–227.23) and SII was 597.92 (±345.58, 186.59–1628). We identified a statistically significant difference between pre- and post-thyroidectomy NLR (p = 0.02), SII (p = 0.02) and calcitonin (p = 0.0) values. No association with prognosis or tumor characteristics emerged. Elevated preoperative NLR and SII suggest a possible disease-associated inflammatory response, and their reduction after surgery may be related to debulking effects. Further studies are needed to define the role of NLR, PLR and SII as prognostic markers in MTC. Full article

Sporadic cone (or seed) production challenges longleaf pine forest restoration. Characterizing annual cone production change from long-term monitored data provides functional information on the foundational species of this imperiled ecosystem. In this study, permutation entropy (PE) and phase change were used to analyze longleaf pine annual cone production based on cone counts from four sites (Escambia Experimental Forest, Blackwater River State Forest, The Jones Center at Ichauway, and Sandhills State Forest). PE is an analytical tool to measure the complexity of a dynamic system while phase change characterizes the stage of self-organization. Results indicate that PE at each site was close to 1.0 (largely random changes in annual cone production) and generally increased with time. The positive association between the permutation entropy of cone production and average air temperature at different times was significant at two sites (Blackwater River State Forest and The Jones Center at Ichauway). The frequency distribution of phases (e.g., Poor (P), Fair (F), Good (G), Bumper (B)) in cone production followed negative power laws. Phase P could transition to any stage, but more than 50% remained in P across sites. For phase G, it would revert to P more than 50% of the time. Phase B would shift to P, except at Sandhills State Forest. The average lasting time of phase P was approximately 3.7 years. The overall relationship between the interval time of phase B and cone production was not statistically significant. Similarly, the overall relationship between cone production in phase B and the phase change times between consecutive B phases was not statistically significant. These results provide information on the ecological complexity of cone (or seed) production. Our methods can be helpful for estimating the occurrence of bumper cone (or seed) production, the lasting period between phase changes, and providing a tool for predicting natural regeneration potential over time for longleaf pine and other tree species (e.g., masting species). Full article

This study aims to evaluate the role of endometriosis family history on the clinical manifestation and fertility performance of primary and recurrent endometriosis. In total, 312 primary and 323 recurrent endometrioma patients with a histological diagnosis were included in this study. Family history was significantly correlated with recurrent endometriosis (adjusted OR: 3.52, 95% CI: 1.09–9.46, p = 0.008). Patients with a family history showed a significantly higher proportion of recurrent endometriosis (75.76% vs. 49.50%), higher rASRM scores, higher incidence of severe dysmenorrhea, and severe pelvic pain than the sporadic cases. Recurrent endometrioma showed statistical increase in rASRM scores, percentage of rASRM Stage IV, dysmenorrhea, dyschezia, those undergoing semi-radical surgery or unilateral oophorosalpingectomy, postoperative medical treatment, e with a positive family history, while a decrease in the incidence of asymptomatic phenomena and those undergoing ovarian cystectomy compared to those with primary endometriosis. The naturally conceived pregnancy rate was higher in primary endometriosis compared to recurrent endometriosis. Compared to recurrent endometriosis with a negative family history, recurrent endometriosis with a positive family history had a higher incidence of severe dysmenorrhea, chronic pelvic pain, a higher spontaneous abortion rate, and a lower natural pregnancy rate. Primary endometriosis with a family history presented a higher incidence of severe dysmenorrhea than those without a family history. In conclusion, endometriosis patients with a positive family history presented a higher pain severity and lower conception probability compared to the sporadic cases. Recurrent endometriosis showed further-exacerbated clinical manifestations, more pronounced familial tendency, and lower pregnancy rates than primary endometriosis. Full article

Features of the manifestations of various sources of disturbances in the atmospheric electric field at the Tien-Shan high-mountain station have been studied, and the statistical relationship between solar and thunderstorm activity has been established. Air currents arising over the ocean, having overcome the mountain gorges of the Himalayas, carry moisture to the Northern Tien-Shan and determine the weather features and thunderstorm activity at the Tien-Shan high-mountain station. It was established that the maximum and minimum thunderstorm activity at the Tien-Shan high-mountain station corresponds to the distribution curve of daily thunderstorm activity for the Asia–Australia region. The investigation showed that coronal mass ejections (CMEs) affect the atmospheric electric field by increasing or decreasing its level or causing its fluctuations, depending on the features of manifestations in the near-Earth space and in the Earth’s magnetosphere. In at least 70% of cases, thunderstorm activity was observed with a 1–2-day delay after impact on the Earth’s magnetosphere by CMEs and HSSs. A number of cases were studied when thunderstorm activity was observed in a quiet geomagnetic field. In these cases, an increase in the values of fmin (the minimum frequency of reflection from the ionosphere) and foEs (the critical frequency of the sporadic E layer) was observed, which indicated an increase in the level of radio wave absorption in the ionospheric D-region and the level of electron density at altitudes of 100–120 km. Full article

Statistical GNSS-RO measurements of phase and amplitude scintillation are analyzed at the mid-latitudes in the local summer for a 100 km altitude. These conditions are known to contain frequent sporadic-E, and the S${}_4$-${\sigma }_{\varphi }$ trends provide insight into the statistical distributions of the sporadic-E parameters. Joint two-dimensional S${}_4$-${\sigma }_{\varphi }$ histograms are presented, showing roughly linear trends until the S${}_4$ saturates near 0.8. To interpret the measurements and understand the sporadic-E contributions, 10,000 simulations of RO signals perturbed by sporadic-E layers are performed using length, intensity, and vertical thickness distributions from previous studies, with the assumption that the sporadic-E layer acts as a Gaussian lens. Many of the key trends observed in the measurement histograms are present in the simulations, providing a key for understanding the complex mapping between layer characteristics and impacts on the GNSS-RO signals. Additionally, the inclusion of Kolmogorov turbulence and a diffusion-limited threshold on the lens strength/(vertical thickness)${}^2$ ratio helps to make the layers more physically realistic and improves agreement with the observations. Full article

Knowledge concerning the relative importance of biotic and abiotic factors associated with the long-term settlement of large carnivores in human-dominated landscapes is important for effective species conservation. However, identifying the major drivers of large carnivore occurrences at a continental scale is challenging as several factors can act in concert to affect large carnivore distributions. Thus, we investigated the relationship between the permanent and sporadic occurrences of large carnivores (brown bear, Eurasian lynx, grey wolf and wolverine) and three groups of predictor variables (i.e., landscape attributes, human disturbance and prey availability) on the continental scale in Europe. Specifically, we used generalized linear models (GLMs) and variation partitioning to estimate the independent and cumulative effects of the three predictor groups on large carnivore occurrences. The explained variance for permanent vs. sporadic occurrence was highest for the wolverine (42.8% and 29.7%), followed by the brown bear (20.5% and 16.4%), Eurasian lynx (15.2% and 11.6%) and grey wolf (15.8% and 6.1%). Landscape attributes, such as forest cover, shrub-land cover, altitude and slope, were positively related to the occurrence of grey wolf, brown bear and Eurasian lynx, whereas human disturbance (human population density, distance to roads and to human settlements) was negatively related to wolverine occurrence. For all species, shared effects between landscape attributes and human disturbance accounted for a considerable portion of the explained variation in both permanent and sporadic occurrence, and landscape attributes were generally more important for explaining permanent than sporadic occurrence, except for the wolverine. Prey availability was marginally associated with the permanent occurrence of the grey wolf but we found no statistical effect of prey availability on the occurrence of the other large carnivores. In conclusion, the sporadic occurrence of large carnivores in Europe is more stochastic and less predictable than their permanent occurrence. Landscape attributes and their joint effects with human disturbance are the most important factors related to the recolonization dynamics of large carnivores, although wolverine distributions appear strongly limited by human disturbance itself. Domestic prey availability seems to play a subordinate role in driving the recent distribution dynamics of large carnivores at the continental scale. Thus, our results are relevant also in light of the ongoing recolonization of large carnivores which, in many rural areas, caused concerns among the locals, especially in relation to conflicts with human activities. For these reasons, we stress the need to continue and improve large carnivore monitoring across Europe. Full article

A global climatology of sporadic-E occurrence rates (ORs) based on ionosonde measurements is presented for the peak blanketing frequency, fbEs, and the ordinary mode peak frequency of the layer, foEs. ORs are calculated for a variety of sporadic-E frequency thresholds: no lower limit, 3, 5, and 7 MHz. Seasonal rates are calculated from 64 Digisonde sites during the period 2006–2020 using ionograms either manually or automatically scaled with ARTIST-5. Both foEs and fbEs ORs peak in the Northern Hemisphere during the boreal summer, with a decrease by roughly a factor of 2–3 in fbEs rates relative to foEs rates without a lower threshold on the sporadic-E intensity. This ratio of foEs to fbEs OR increases with increasing sporadic-E intensity, up to a factor of 5 for the 7 MHz threshold. An asymmetry is observed with the Southern Hemisphere peaks during the austral summer, with slightly lower rates compared with the Northern Hemisphere during the boreal summer. A drastic decrease in ORs is observed for the higher intensity thresholds, such that the fbEs occurrence rates for 7 MHz are nearly zero during most locations and seasons. These updated occurrence rates can be used for future statistical comparisons with GPS radio occultation-based sporadic-E occurrence rates. Full article

Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) are one of Australia’s most charismatic native small marsupial species. Unfortunately, populations of koalas are rapidly declining throughout Australia as they continue to face increasing pressure from a changing ecosystem. All wildlife species to some degree will use their hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis in response to stress. Depending on the duration of activation, the stress response can lead to either acute or chronic side effects and is modulated through the neuroendocrine stress system with the release of catecholamines and glucocorticoids (e.g., cortisol). It is well known that rehabilitation sanctuaries are inherently stressful for all animals, in particular for rescued wild koalas, as it is an unfamiliar environment where the animals cannot predict or control what will happen to them. In this pilot study, we set out to quantify faecal and fur cortisol metabolites in wild rescued koalas undergoing wildlife rehabilitation. Absolute levels of acute and chronic stress were indexed non-invasively, with faecal samples taken to evaluate acute stress, and fur samples taken to evaluate chronic stress. Sampling occurred sporadically over four months (the start of September 2018 to the end of December 2018), and was performed on three rescued koalas (Maree, Tai, and Solstice) being held at the rehabilitation centre. Results of this study show that between the three koalas, the highest recorded faecal cortisol result was 241 ng/g, and the lowest recorded faecal cortisol result was 4 ng/g, whereas the highest recorded fur cortisol result was 1.75 ng/g, and the lowest recorded fur cortisol result was 0.10 ng/g. Statistically, there was a significant difference between all three koalas and their faecal cortisol responses, as well as their fur cortisol responses. Statistically for Maree and Solstice, there was a significant difference in their faecal cortisol response between days when a stressor was recorded, and days when a stressor was not recorded. However, statistically for Tai, this was not the case, as there was no significant difference in his faecal cortisol response between days when a stressor was recorded, and days when a stressor was not recorded. In summary, the hypothesis that faecal glucocorticoids and fur glucocorticoids between koalas will differ based on individual responses to stressors was true as a whole, but individually, this hypothesis was true for Maree and Solstice, but untrue for Tai. The use of biological samples such as faeces and fur to obtain readings of glucocorticoids is a method of measuring absolute levels of physiological stress that is still evolving for koalas, and there is no current glucocorticoid baseline with which to compare the results of this study; although, measuring faecal and fur glucocorticoids is the first step in understanding how koalas undergoing wildlife rehabilitation respond to stressors. Full article

The technique of active ionospheric sounding by ionosondes requires sophisticated methods for the recovery of experimental data on ionograms. In this work, we applied an advanced algorithm of deep learning for the identification and classification of signals from different ionospheric layers. We collected a dataset of 6131 manually labeled ionograms acquired from low-latitude ionosondes in Taiwan. In the ionograms, we distinguished 11 different classes of the signals according to their ionospheric layers. We developed an artificial neural network, FC-DenseNet24, based on the FC-DenseNet convolutional neural network. We also developed a double-filtering algorithm to reduce incorrectly classified signals. That made it possible to successfully recover the sporadic E layer and the F2 layer from highly noise-contaminated ionograms whose mean signal-to-noise ratio was low, SNR = 1.43. The Intersection over Union (IoU) of the recovery of these two signal classes was greater than 0.6, which was higher than the previous models reported. We also identified three factors that can lower the recovery accuracy: (1) smaller statistics of samples; (2) mixing and overlapping of different signals; (3) the compact shape of signals. Full article

A diet rich in nutrients should be implemented in order to boost the immune system and prevent infections. To investigate which nutrients are commonly consumed, an anonymous survey was given to 120 individuals and their responses were collected. The respondents answered questions relating to their health status, and their consumption of nutrients and supplements that produce immunomodulating effects. The participants were also asked about any prior viral, bacterial or fungal infections experienced, and in particular, infection frequency, course, and duration. The data collected were subjected to a statistical analyses to assess the relationship between the reported frequency of infections and nutrients consumed including vitamins D3, A, C, E, selenium, zinc, iron, β-carotene, omega-3 fatty acids as well as live active probiotic bacteria. The findings show that vitamin and mineral supplementation did not positively affect the duration, frequency, or course of infections in the surveyed sample. An exception was vitamin D3 supplementation that was correlated to sporadic incidence of viral infections. Conversely, immunity was positively affected by consumption of natural nutrients contained in whole food (vitamin C, iron, selenium, omega-3 fatty acids), evidenced by lower incidences and milder courses of infection. Full article