Investigations on Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae): larval infestation on the tomato cultivated in open field and evaluation of five essential oils against larvae in laboratory

Abstract The tomato miner Tuta absoluta Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is a Neotropical species, which cause serious damages to tomato in spread areas. It appeared in 2008 in Italy, where it seriously threatened tomato production both in greenhouse and open field cultivations. In this work a study on infestation by this leafminer on leaves was conducted in an organic cultivation of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) "Pizzutello" variety in Sicily (Italy), and the insecticidal activity of 5 essential oils (EOs) on T. absoluta was evaluated in laboratory. EOs of basil, cypress, laurel, peppermint and Spanish oregano were used against 3rd- and 4th-instar larvae to assess contact effects and, only for oregano and laurel, inhalation effects. Results showed that the infestation in field had a variable trend showing peaks in two periods, in the months of July and October. Larvae of T. absoluta developed on leaves for most of the growing season of tomato showing a peak of 1.5 larva per leaf in the first part of July decreasing in the subsequent months. Results on the use of essential oils against the leafminer showed a good larvicidal effects confirming their use as potential alternative for pest control. Basil, cypress and laurel oils showed major contact efficacy. Inhalation effects of the oils of oregano and laurel increased with increasing their doses with a positive correlation. Oregano oil was effective at lower doses than laurel

Indagini su Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) in Sicilia: Andamento delle infestazioni, valutazione della presenza di nemici naturali ed effetti di oli essenziali per il controllo del fitofago

Tuta absoluta è stata segnalata per la prima volta in Italia nel 2008 e in Sicilia nel 2009. Le larve causano mine fogliari e gallerie nei frutti, con conseguenti ingenti danni alle coltivazioni di pomodoro. Il primo capitolo della presente tesi riguarda ricerche condotte per studiarne i livelli di infestazione, l’andamento dei voli dei maschi e rilevarne la presenza di nemici naturali viventi a carico del fitofago in condizioni naturali in un campo nel comprensorio di Naro (AG) C/da Diesi, nel 2013 e 2014. Le varietà di pomodoro utilizzate sono state “Pizzutello” e “Piccadilly”. Inoltre, durante i due anni è stato impiantato e mantenuto un allevamento di piante di pomodoro sane e infestate dal fitofago in una serra del Dipartimento SAF dell’Università di Palermo al fine di avere a disposizione materiale fresco per la sperimentazione. Per le catture degli adulti sono state utilizzate trappole a feromone (Zentinel TUAB-4). I dati ottenuti sono stati correlati con le temperature medie della zona fornite dal SIAS (Servizio Informativo Agrometeorologico Siciliano). I risultati hanno mostrato che l’infestazione in campo non è stata costante essendo stata rilevata soltanto in alcuni periodi con bassa presenza di larve sulle foglie. I livelli di infestazione di T. absoluta nei due anni di osservazione hanno avuto un andamento variabile in dipendenza dei mesi ma non è stata rilevata correlazione significativa tra le percentuali di infestazione e le temperature medie del periodo. Il monitoraggio dei voli dei maschi ha evidenziato due picchi di catture, uno a luglio e l’altro a settembre 2014, mantenendosi con bassi livelli negli altri mesi. Anche in questo caso l’analisi statistica non ha evidenziato una correlazione significativa tra il numero di catture e le temperature medie. Per quanto riguarda la presenza dei nemici naturali sono stati trovati solo 3 individui: 2 predatori Macrolophus sp. (Rinchota Eteroptera Miridae) e un parassitoide Hymenoptera in corso di identificazione. Il secondo capitolo della tesi è in relazione alla valutazione dell’azione insetticida e di repellenza di alcuni oli essenziali verso T. absoluta in condizioni di laboratorio. In natura per la protezione delle piante sono noti gli effetti antibatterici, antivirali, antifungini, insecticidi e anche di repellenza nei confronti di specie fitofaghe. Un primo gruppo di esperimenti di laboratorio ha riguardato l’effetto insetticida provocato dal contatto diretto degli oli di basilico (Ocimum basilicum L.), menta piperita (Mentha piperita L.), cipresso (Cupressus sempervires L.), origano di Spagna ( Corydothymus capitatus L. Reichemb. f.) e alloro, (Laurus nobilis L) su larve di T. absoluta, usando la Torre di Potter. Un secondo gruppo di prove ha riguardato la valutazione dell’effetto insetticida per inalazione di alloro, e origano di Spagna a differenti concentrazioni sulle larve usando dei barattoli in vetro dove veniva inserito un dischetto di carta assorbente con olio e poi immesse le larve del fitofago. Un terzo gruppo di prove ha riguardato la stessa azione dei due oli precedenti però sulle uova usando piantine con foglie contenenti uova del fitofago che venivano spruzzate con gli oli. Infine un quarto gruppo di prove ha valutato l’azione dei due oli precedenti in merito all’effetto deterrente l’ovideposizione delle femmine di T. absoluta sulle foglie di piantine di pomodoro appositamente allevate. I risultati hanno messo in luce che l’efficacia insetticida maggiore sulle larve è stata mostrata dagli oli di basilico, cipresso e alloro con differenze statistiche significative tra gli oli. La mortalità di larve di T. absoluta ottenuta alle diverse dosi per inalazione è risultata crescente al crescere delle quantità di olio essenziale impiegate sia riguardo all’origano sia all’alloro con differenze statistiche significative indicando una correlazione positiva tra dose è mortalità determinata. Al contrario, non è stato rilevata efficacia in merito alle percentuali di schiusa delle uova nelle tesi trattate con i due oli essenziali di origano e alloro che sono risultate elevate. Infine, l’effetto deterrente l’ovideposizione delle femmine sulle foglie, è risultato molto marcato per entrambi gli oli testati.Investigations on Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) in Sicily (Italy): infestation trend, assessment of natural enemies and effects of essential oils for the pest control The tomato borer Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) was reported for the first time in Italy in 2008 and in Sicily in 2009. Larvae produce large foliar mines and galleries on fruits, causing severe damage to the Tomato crops. The first chapter of this study has been characterised trough field observations in order to assess infestation levels, fly trend of males and presence of natural enemies living on this pest on 2013 and 2014. The site of the experimental field was Naro (AG) Diesi area using “Pizzutello” and “Piccadilly” varieties of Tomato. During both years T. absoluta was reared in a greenhous of SAF Department of the Palermo (Italy) University. For the captures of males pheromone monitoring traps (Zentinel TUAB-4) were used. All data were correlated with mean temperature provided by Agrometeorological Service of Sicily (SIAS). Results showed that T. absoluta infestation in field crop was not constant since it was detected only in some periods with low density of larvae on the leaves. The infestation levels in both years were variable in dependence on months but no significant correlation was found between infestation percentage and mean temperature. Male captures showed two peaks, in July and September 2014, keeping with low numbers in the other months. Statistical analysis showed no significant correlation between the number of male captures and mean temperature. In relation to natural enemies of T. absoluta only three individual were detected inhabiting on field of Tomato crops: two Rinchota Eteroptera predators belonging to Miridae family and one Hymenoptera parasitoid (species not yet identified). The second chapter of this study concerns the assessment of the insecticidal activity and repellene effects of essential oils on T. absoluta in laboratory conditions. In nature, essential oils play an important role in the protection of the plants as antibacterial, antivirals, antifungals, insecticides and also against their appetite for such plants. A first laboratory trials carried out to evaluate the toxicity of Ocimum basilicum L., Mentha piperita L., Cupressus sempervires L., (Laurus nobilis L) and Corydothymus capitatus L. Reichemb. f. on T. absoluta larvae sprayed by means the Potter tower. A second group of trials evaluated Laurus nobilis L and C. capitatus oils at different concentrations using glass jars with oils where larvae are introducted. A third group of experimental trials carried out to evaluate the toxicity of L. nobilis and C. capitatus oils on T. absoluta eggs using plants infested by eggs that were sprayed with oils. Finally a fourth group of tests evaluated L. nobilis and C. capitatus oils as deterrent effect on oviposition by females on leaves of Tomato plants. The results have showed that the efficacy insecticide was higher on larvae with oils of O. basilicum, C. sempervires and L. nobilis with significant statistical differences among the oils. The mortality of larvae of T. absoluta obtained at different doses for inhalation was increasing with the increase of the amount of essential oil used with significant statistical differences indicating a positive correlation between dose and determined mortality. Conversely, it was not found effectiveness of insecticidal activity on eggs by two oils. Finally, the deterrent effect oviposition by females on the leaves, was very marked for both oils tested

Evaluation of predictive factors for i-CLARAS (intraoperative complications in laparoscopic renal and adrenal surgery): a multicentre international retrospective cohort study

The laparoscopic approach represents the standard of treatment for renal and adrenal diseases, and its use is increasing even outside referral centres. Although most procedures are routinely performed, intraoperative complications do not occur, and the rate and predictive factors of these complications have not been established. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence and type of intraoperative complications and to identify predictive factors in patients undergoing laparoscopic renal and adrenal surgery. This was a cohort, multicentre, international retrospective study. Patients who underwent laparoscopic renal and adrenal surgeries between April 2017 and March 2022 were included in the study. Bivariate analysis was performed using contingency tables and the χ2 test for independent samples to compare qualitative variables and the T test and Mood test for continuous variables. Multivariate analysis was performed using a logistic regression model to obtain adjusted odds ratios. A total of 2374 patients were included in the study. Intraoperative complications were reported for 8.09% of patients who underwent renal surgery, with the most common complications reported being hollow viscus and vascular complications, and for 6.75% of patients who underwent adrenal surgery, with the most common complication reported being parenchymatous viscous complications. Multivariate analysis revealed that both adrenal and renal surgery radiological preoperative factors, such as invasive features during adrenalectomy and the RENAL score during nephrectomy, are predictive factors of intraoperative complications. In contrast to existing data, surgeon experience was not associated with a reduction in the incidence of perioperative complications

How future surgery will benefit from SARS-COV-2-related measures: a SPIGC survey conveying the perspective of Italian surgeons

COVID-19 negatively affected surgical activity, but the potential benefits resulting from adopted measures remain unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the change in surgical activity and potential benefit from COVID-19 measures in perspective of Italian surgeons on behalf of SPIGC. A nationwide online survey on surgical practice before, during, and after COVID-19 pandemic was conducted in March-April 2022 (NCT:05323851). Effects of COVID-19 hospital-related measures on surgical patients' management and personal professional development across surgical specialties were explored. Data on demographics, pre-operative/peri-operative/post-operative management, and professional development were collected. Outcomes were matched with the corresponding volume. Four hundred and seventy-three respondents were included in final analysis across 14 surgical specialties. Since SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, application of telematic consultations (4.1% vs. 21.6%; p < 0.0001) and diagnostic evaluations (16.4% vs. 42.2%; p < 0.0001) increased. Elective surgical activities significantly reduced and surgeons opted more frequently for conservative management with a possible indication for elective (26.3% vs. 35.7%; p < 0.0001) or urgent (20.4% vs. 38.5%; p < 0.0001) surgery. All new COVID-related measures are perceived to be maintained in the future. Surgeons' personal education online increased from 12.6% (pre-COVID) to 86.6% (post-COVID; p < 0.0001). Online educational activities are considered a beneficial effect from COVID pandemic (56.4%). COVID-19 had a great impact on surgical specialties, with significant reduction of operation volume. However, some forced changes turned out to be benefits. Isolation measures pushed the use of telemedicine and telemetric devices for outpatient practice and favored communication for educational purposes and surgeon-patient/family communication. From the Italian surgeons' perspective, COVID-related measures will continue to influence future surgical clinical practice

Burnout among surgeons before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: an international survey

Background: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had many significant impacts within the surgical realm, and surgeons have been obligated to reconsider almost every aspect of daily clinical practice. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study reported in compliance with the CHERRIES guidelines and conducted through an online platform from June 14th to July 15th, 2020. The primary outcome was the burden of burnout during the pandemic indicated by the validated Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure. Results: Nine hundred fifty-four surgeons completed the survey. The median length of practice was 10 years; 78.2% included were male with a median age of 37 years old, 39.5% were consultants, 68.9% were general surgeons, and 55.7% were affiliated with an academic institution. Overall, there was a significant increase in the mean burnout score during the pandemic; longer years of practice and older age were significantly associated with less burnout. There were significant reductions in the median number of outpatient visits, operated cases, on-call hours, emergency visits, and research work, so, 48.2% of respondents felt that the training resources were insufficient. The majority (81.3%) of respondents reported that their hospitals were included in the management of COVID-19, 66.5% felt their roles had been minimized; 41% were asked to assist in non-surgical medical practices, and 37.6% of respondents were included in COVID-19 management. Conclusions: There was a significant burnout among trainees. Almost all aspects of clinical and research activities were affected with a significant reduction in the volume of research, outpatient clinic visits, surgical procedures, on-call hours, and emergency cases hindering the training. Trial registration: The study was registered on clicaltrials.gov "NCT04433286" on 16/06/2020

Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles (MISEV2023): From basic to advanced approaches

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), through their complex cargo, can reflect the state of their cell of origin and change the functions and phenotypes of other cells. These features indicate strong biomarker and therapeutic potential and have generated broad interest, as evidenced by the steady year-on-year increase in the numbers of scientific publications about EVs. Important advances have been made in EV metrology and in understanding and applying EV biology. However, hurdles remain to realising the potential of EVs in domains ranging from basic biology to clinical applications due to challenges in EV nomenclature, separation from non-vesicular extracellular particles, characterisation and functional studies. To address the challenges and opportunities in this rapidly evolving field, the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) updates its 'Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles', which was first published in 2014 and then in 2018 as MISEV2014 and MISEV2018, respectively. The goal of the current document, MISEV2023, is to provide researchers with an updated snapshot of available approaches and their advantages and limitations for production, separation and characterisation of EVs from multiple sources, including cell culture, body fluids and solid tissues. In addition to presenting the latest state of the art in basic principles of EV research, this document also covers advanced techniques and approaches that are currently expanding the boundaries of the field. MISEV2023 also includes new sections on EV release and uptake and a brief discussion of in vivo approaches to study EVs. Compiling feedback from ISEV expert task forces and more than 1000 researchers, this document conveys the current state of EV research to facilitate robust scientific discoveries and move the field forward even more rapidly

Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles (MISEV2023): From basic to advanced approaches.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), through their complex cargo, can reflect the state of their cell of origin and change the functions and phenotypes of other cells. These features indicate strong biomarker and therapeutic potential and have generated broad interest, as evidenced by the steady year-on-year increase in the numbers of scientific publications about EVs. Important advances have been made in EV metrology and in understanding and applying EV biology. However, hurdles remain to realising the potential of EVs in domains ranging from basic biology to clinical applications due to challenges in EV nomenclature, separation from non-vesicular extracellular particles, characterisation and functional studies. To address the challenges and opportunities in this rapidly evolving field, the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) updates its Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles, which was first published in 2014 and then in 2018 as MISEV2014 and MISEV2018, respectively. The goal of the current document, MISEV2023, is to provide researchers with an updated snapshot of available approaches and their advantages and limitations for production, separation and characterisation of EVs from multiple sources, including cell culture, body fluids and solid tissues. In addition to presenting the latest state of the art in basic principles of EV research, this document also covers advanced techniques and approaches that are currently expanding the boundaries of the field. MISEV2023 also includes new sections on EV release and uptake and a brief discussion of in vivo approaches to study EVs. Compiling feedback from ISEV expert task forces and more than 1000 researchers, this document conveys the current state of EV research to facilitate robust scientific discoveries and move the field forward even more rapidly

Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles (MISEV2023): From basic to advanced approaches

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), through their complex cargo, can reflect the state of their cell of origin and change the functions and phenotypes of other cells. These features indicate strong biomarker and therapeutic potential and have generated broad interest, as evidenced by the steady year-on-year increase in the numbers of scientific publications about EVs. Important advances have been made in EV metrology and in understanding and applying EV biology. However, hurdles remain to realising the potential of EVs in domains ranging from basic biology to clinical applications due to challenges in EV nomenclature, separation from non-vesicular extracellular particles, characterisation and functional studies. To address the challenges and opportunities in this rapidly evolving field, the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) updates its ‘Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles’, which was first published in 2014 and then in 2018 as MISEV2014 and MISEV2018, respectively. The goal of the current document, MISEV2023, is to provide researchers with an updated snapshot of available approaches and their advantages and limitations for production, separation and characterisation of EVs from multiple sources, including cell culture, body fluids and solid tissues. In addition to presenting the latest state of the art in basic principles of EV research, this document also covers advanced techniques and approaches that are currently expanding the boundaries of the field. MISEV2023 also includes new sections on EV release and uptake and a brief discussion of in vivo approaches to study EVs. Compiling feedback from ISEV expert task forces and more than 1000 researchers, this document conveys the current state of EV research to facilitate robust scientific discoveries and move the field forward even more rapidly

Economic consequences of investing in anti-HCV antiviral treatment from the Italian NHS perspective : a real-world-based analysis of PITER data

OBJECTIVE: We estimated the cost consequence of Italian National Health System (NHS) investment in direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy according to hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment access policies in Italy. METHODS: A multistate, 20-year time horizon Markov model of HCV liver disease progression was developed. Fibrosis stage, age and genotype distributions were derived from the Italian Platform for the Study of Viral Hepatitis Therapies (PITER) cohort. The treatment efficacy, disease progression probabilities and direct costs in each health state were obtained from the literature. The break-even point in time (BPT) was defined as the period of time required for the cumulative costs saved to recover the Italian NHS investment in DAA treatment. Three different PITER enrolment periods, which covered the full DAA access evolution in Italy, were considered. RESULTS: The disease stages of 2657 patients who consecutively underwent DAA therapy from January 2015 to December 2017 at 30 PITER clinical centres were standardized for 1000 patients. The investment in DAAs was considered to equal €25 million, €15 million, and €9 million in 2015, 2016, and 2017, respectively. For patients treated in 2015, the BPT was not achieved, because of the disease severity of the treated patients and high DAA prices. For 2016 and 2017, the estimated BPTs were 6.6 and 6.2 years, respectively. The total cost savings after 20 years were €50.13 and €55.50 million for 1000 patients treated in 2016 and 2017, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study may be a useful tool for public decision makers to understand how HCV clinical and epidemiological profiles influence the economic burden of HCV

Dimethyl fumarate in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 (RECOVERY): a randomised, controlled, open-label, platform trial

Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) inhibits inflammasome-mediated inflammation and has been proposed as a treatment for patients hospitalised with COVID-19. This randomised, controlled, open-label platform trial (Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy [RECOVERY]), is assessing multiple treatments in patients hospitalised for COVID-19 (NCT04381936, ISRCTN50189673). In this assessment of DMF performed at 27 UK hospitals, adults were randomly allocated (1:1) to either usual standard of care alone or usual standard of care plus DMF. The primary outcome was clinical status on day 5 measured on a seven-point ordinal scale. Secondary outcomes were time to sustained improvement in clinical status, time to discharge, day 5 peripheral blood oxygenation, day 5 C-reactive protein, and improvement in day 10 clinical status. Between 2 March 2021 and 18 November 2021, 713 patients were enroled in the DMF evaluation, of whom 356 were randomly allocated to receive usual care plus DMF, and 357 to usual care alone. 95% of patients received corticosteroids as part of routine care. There was no evidence of a beneficial effect of DMF on clinical status at day 5 (common odds ratio of unfavourable outcome 1.12; 95% CI 0.86-1.47; p = 0.40). There was no significant effect of DMF on any secondary outcome