Oxidative Stress Response Mechanisms Sustain the Antibacterial and Antioxidant Activity of Quercus ilex

The development of new natural antibiotics is considered as the heart of several investigations in the nutraceutical field. In this work, leaves of Quercus ilex L. treated by tropospheric ozone (O3) and nitrogen (N) deposition, exhibited a clear antimicrobial efficacy against five multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacterial strains (two gram-positive and three gram-negative). Under controlled conditions, it was studied how simulated N deposition influences the response to O3 and the antibacterial and antioxidant activity, and antioxidant performance. The extraction was performed by ultra-pure acetone using two different steps. A higher antioxidant activity was measured in the presence of interaction between O3 and N treatments on Quercus leaves. At the same time, all organic extracts tested have shown bacteriostatic activity against all the tested strains with a MIC comprised between 9 and 4 micrograms/mL, and a higher antioxidant efficacy shown by spectrophotometric assay. Stronger antimicrobial activity was found in the samples treated with O3, whereas N-treated plants exhibited an intermediate antibacterial performance. This performance is related to the stimulation of the non-enzymatic antioxidant system induced by the oxidative stress, which results in an increase in the production of antimicrobial bioactive compounds.

Germination, root elongation, and photosynthetic performance of plants exposed to sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES): an emerging contaminant

The anionic surfactant SLES (sodium lauryl ether sulfate) is an emerging contaminant, being the main component of foaming agents that are increasingly used by the tunnel construction industry. To fill the gap of knowledge about the potential SLES toxicity on plants, acute and chronic effects were assessed under controlled conditions. The acute ecotoxicological test was performed on Lepidum sativum L. (cress) and Zea mays L. (maize). Germination of both species was not affected by SLES in soil, even at concentrations (1200 mg kg-1) more than twice higher than the maximum realistic values found in contaminated debris, thus confirming the low acute SLES toxicity on terrestrial plants. The root elongation of the more sensitive species (cress) was instead reduced at the highest SLES concentration. In the chronic phytotoxicity experiment, photosynthesis of maize was downregulated, and the photosynthetic performance (PITOT) significantly reduced already under realistic exposures (360 mg kg-1), owing to the SLES ability to interfere with water and/or nutrients uptake by roots. However, such reduction was transient, likely due to the rapid biodegradation of the surfactant by the soil microbial community. Indeed, SLES amount decreased in soil more than 90% of the initial concentration in only 11 days. A significant reduction of the maximum photosynthetic capacity (Pnmax) was still evident at the end of the experiment, suggesting the persistence of negative SLES effects on plant growth and productivity. Overall results, although confirming the low phytotoxicity and high biodegradability of SLES in natural soils, highlight the importance of considering both acute and nonlethal stress effects to evaluate the environmental compatibility of soil containing SLES residues.

Sooner than you think: A very early affective reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine in Argentina

The unique circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic pose serious challenges to mood stability and emotional regulation at all ages. Although many people tend to react resiliently to stress, others appear to display emotional anxiety and depression-related symptoms. In this study, we carried out a survey (N = 10,053) during the first week of the general lockdown (quarantine) in Argentina to measure early affective reactions in Argentine adults. Respondents showed substantial anxious and depressive symptoms, with 33% and 23% of participants reporting possible depressive and anxious syndromes, respectively, with the youngest group (18 to 25 y.o.) showing the highest prevalence of symptoms. Even if prior mental health problems predisposed or aggravated the reaction, participants without prior complaints showed signs of psychological impact. Using linear regression, the most important independent variables related to depressive symptoms were the feeling of loneliness followed by daily stress. In the case of anxious states, the strongest variables were negative repetitive thinking and feeling of loneliness. Other psychological, economic, and social factors are discussed. This study is in line with previous literature that highlight the importance of the psychological impact of pandemics, but additionally demonstrates that these reactions are present at a large scale immediately after the start of quarantine with very low infectious rates as an early anticipatory adaptive reaction leading to potential negative outcomes from adjustment disorders to major disorders. In addition, the present results provide potentially relevant information about sudden environmental impacts on affective states and specific pathways for anxiety and depression to be expressed. We end by discussing implications for public policy based on considering the most vulnerable groups.

Selection of tree species for forests under climate change: is PSI functioning a better predictor for net photosynthesis and growth than PSII?

A chlorophyll fluorescence (ChlF) assessment was carried out on oak seedlings (Quercus ilex L., Quercus pubescens Willd., Quercus frainetto Ten.) of Italian and Greek provenance, during the years 2017 and 2018, in a common garden in central Italy planted in 2017. This trial aimed to test the relative performances of the oak species in the perspective of assisted migration as part of the actions for the adaptation of forests to climate change. The assessment of the photosynthetic performance of the tree species included the analysis of the prompt chlorophyll fluorescence (PF) transient and the modulated reflection (MR) at 820 nm, leaf chlorophyll content, leaf gas exchange (net photosynthesis, stomatal conductance), plant growth (i.e., height) and mortality rate after 2 years from the beginning of the experiment. The assessment of the performance of the three oak species was carried out 'in vivo'. Plants were generated from seeds and exposed to several environmental factors, including changing seasonal temperature, water availability, and soil biological and physical functionality. The results of PF indicate a stable functionality of the photosynthetic system PSII (expressed as FV/FM) across species and provenances and a decline in photochemistry functionality at the I-P phase (ΔVIP) in Q. frainetto, thus indicating a decline of the content of PSI in this species. This result was confirmed by the findings of MR analysis, with the speed of reduction and subsequent oxidation of PSI (VRED and VOX) strongly correlated to the amplitude of ΔVIP. The photosynthetic rates (net photosynthesis, PN) and growth were correlated with the parameters associated with PSI content and function, rather than those related to PSII. The low performance of Q. frainetto in the common garden seems to be related to early foliar senescence with the depletion of nitrogen, due to suboptimal climatic and edaphic conditions. Chlorophyll fluorescence allowed discrimination of populations of oak species and individuation of the less (or/and best) suitable species for future forest ecology and management purposes.

Impacts of air pollution on human and ecosystem health, and implications for the National Emission Ceilings Directive: Insights from Italy

Across the 28 EU member states there were nearly half a million premature deaths in 2015 as a result of exposure to PM_2.5, O₃ and NO₂. To set the target for air quality levels and avoid negative impacts for human and ecosystems health, the National Emission Ceilings Directive (NECD, 2016/2284/EU) sets objectives for emission reduction for SO₂, NOx, NMVOCs, NH₃ and PM_2.5 for each Member State as percentages of reduction to be reached in 2020 and 2030 compared to the emission levels into 2005. One of the innovations of NECD is Article 9, that mentions the issue of "monitoring air pollution impacts" on ecosystems. We provide a clear picture of what is available in term of monitoring network for air pollution impacts on Italian ecosystems, summarizing what has been done to control air pollution and its effects on different ecosystems in Italy. We provide an overview of the impacts of air pollution on health of the Italian population and evaluate opportunities and implementation of Article 9 in the Italian context, as a case study beneficial for all Member States. The results showed that SO₄^2- deposition strongly decreased in all monitoring sites in Italy over the period 1999-2017, while NO₃^- and NH₄⁺ decreased more slightly. As a consequence, most of the acid-sensitive sites which underwent acidification in the 1980s partially recovered. The O₃ concentration at forest sites showed a decreasing trend. Consequently, AOT40 (the metric identified to protect vegetation from ozone pollution) showed a decrease, even if values were still above the limit for forest protection (5000 ppb h^-1), while PODy (flux-based metric under discussion as new European legislative standard for forest protection) showed an increase. National scale studies pointed out that PM10 and NO2 induced about 58,000 premature deaths (year 2005), due to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. The network identified for Italy contains a good number of monitoring sites (6 for terrestrial ecosystem monitoring, 4 for water bodies monitoring and 11 for ozone impact monitoring) distributed over the territory and will produce a high number of monitored parameters for the implementation of the NECD.

Exposure to Residential Greenness as a Predictor of Cause-Specific Mortality and Stroke Incidence in the Rome Longitudinal Study

BACKGROUND

Living in areas with higher levels of surrounding greenness and access to urban green areas have been associated with beneficial health outcomes. Some studies suggested a beneficial influence on mortality, but the evidence is still controversial.

OBJECTIVES

We used longitudinal data from a large cohort to estimate associations of two measures of residential greenness exposure with cause-specific mortality and stroke incidence.

METHODS

We studied a population-based cohort of 1,263,721 residents in Rome aged [Formula: see text], followed from 2001 to 2013. As greenness exposure, we utilized the leaf area index (LAI), which expresses the tree canopy as the leaf area per unit ground surface area, and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) within 300- and [Formula: see text] buffers around home addresses. We estimated the association between the two measures of residential greenness and the outcomes using Cox models, after controlling for relevant individual covariates and contextual characteristics, and explored potential mediation by air pollution [fine particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]] and road traffic noise.

RESULTS

We observed 198,704 deaths from nonaccidental causes, 81,269 from cardiovascular diseases [CVDs; 29,654 from ischemic heart disease (IHD)], 18,090 from cerebrovascular diseases, and 29,033 incident cases of stroke. Residential greenness, expressed as interquartile range (IQR) increase in LAI within [Formula: see text], was inversely associated with stroke incidence {hazard ratio (HR) 0.977 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.961, 0.994]} and mortality for nonaccidental [HR 0.988 (95% CI: 0.981, 0.994)], cardiovascular [HR 0.984 (95% CI: 0.974, 0.994)] and cerebrovascular diseases [HR 0.964 (95% CI: 0.943, 0.985)]. Similar results were obtained using NDVI with 300- or [Formula: see text] buffers.

CONCLUSIONS

Living in greener areas was associated with better health outcomes in our study, which could be partly due to reduced exposure to environmental hazards. Further research is required to understand the underlying mechanisms. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP2854.

Modeling ozone uptake by urban and peri-urban forest: a case study in the Metropolitan City of Rome

Urban and peri-urban forests are green infrastructures (GI) that play a substantial role in delivering ecosystem services such as the amelioration of air quality by the removal of air pollutants, among which is ozone (O₃), which is the most harmful pollutant in Mediterranean metropolitan areas. Models may provide a reliable estimate of gas exchanges between vegetation and atmosphere and are thus a powerful tool to quantify and compare O₃ removal in different contexts. The present study modeled the O₃ stomatal uptake at canopy level of an urban and a peri-urban forest in the Metropolitan City of Rome in two different years. Results show different rates of O₃ fluxes between the two forests, due to different exposure to the pollutant, management practice effects on forest structure and functionality, and environmental conditions, namely, different stressors affecting the gas exchange rates of the two GIs. The periodic components of the time series calculated by means of the spectral analysis show that seasonal variation of modeled canopy transpiration is driven by precipitation in peri-urban forests, whereas in the urban forest seasonal variations are driven by vapor pressure deficit of ambient air. Moreover, in the urban forest high water availability during summer months, owing to irrigation practice, leads to an increase in O₃ uptake, thus suggesting that irrigation may enhance air phytoremediation in urban areas.

Functional indicators of response mechanisms to nitrogen deposition, ozone, and their interaction in two Mediterranean tree species

The effects of nitrogen (N) deposition, tropospheric ozone (O3) and their interaction were investigated in two Mediterranean tree species, Fraxinus ornus L. (deciduous) and Quercus ilex L. (evergreen), having different leaf habits and resource use strategies. An experiment was conducted under controlled condition to analyse how nitrogen deposition affects the ecophysiological and biochemical traits, and to explore how the nitrogen-induced changes influence the response to O3. For both factors we selected realistic exposures (20 kg N ha-1 yr-1 and 80 ppb h for nitrogen and O3, respectively), in order to elucidate the mechanisms implemented by the plants. Nitrogen addition resulted in higher nitrogen concentration at the leaf level in F. ornus, whereas a slight increase was detected in Q. ilex. Nitrogen enhanced the maximum rate of assimilation and ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate regeneration in both species, whereas it influenced the light harvesting complex only in the deciduous F. ornus that was also affected by O3 (reduced assimilation rate and accelerated senescence-related processes). Conversely, Q. ilex developed an avoidance mechanism to cope with O3, confirming a substantial O3 tolerance of this species. Nitrogen seemed to ameliorate the harmful effects of O3 in F. ornus: the hypothesized mechanism of action involved the production of nitrogen oxide as the first antioxidant barrier, followed by enzymatic antioxidant response. In Q. ilex, the interaction was not detected on gas exchange and photosystem functionality; however, in this species, nitrogen might stimulate an alternative antioxidant response such as the emission of volatile organic compounds. Antioxidant enzyme activity was lower in plants treated with both O3 and nitrogen even though reactive oxygen species production did not differ between the treatments.

The inner world of overactive monitoring: neural markers of interoception in obsessive-compulsive disorder

BACKGROUND

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients typically overmonitor their own behavior, as shown by symptoms of excessive doubt and checking. Although this is well established for the patients' relationship with external stimuli in the environment, no study has explored their monitoring of internal body signals, a process known to be affected in anxiety-related syndromes. Here, we explored this issue through a cardiac interoception task that measures sensing of heartbeats. Our aim was to explore key behavioral and electrophysiological aspects of internal-cue monitoring in OCD, while examining their potential distinctiveness in this condition.

METHOD

We administered a heartbeat detection (HBD) task (with related interoceptive confidence and awareness measures) to three matched groups (OCD patients, panic disorder patients, healthy controls) and recorded ongoing modulations of two task-relevant electrophysiological markers: the heart evoked potential (HEP) and the motor potential (MP).

RESULTS

Behaviorally, OCD patients outperformed controls and panic patients in the HBD task. Moreover, they exhibited greater amplitude modulation of both the HEP and the MP during cardiac interoception. However, they evinced poorer confidence and awareness of their interoceptive skills.

CONCLUSIONS

Convergent behavioral and electrophysiological data showed that overactive monitoring in OCD extends to the sensing of internal bodily signals. Moreover, this pattern discriminated OCD from panic patients, suggesting a condition-distinctive alteration. Our results highlight the potential of exploring interoceptive processes in the OCD spectrum to better characterize the population's cognitive profile. Finally, these findings may lay new bridges between somatic theories of emotion and cognitive models of OCD.

Phytoremediation applications in natural condition and in mesocosm: The uptake of cadmium by Lemna minuta Kunth, a non-native species in Italian watercourses

Metal pollution in water and soil is an environmental and public health issue. Cadmium (Cd) is included in the list of priority hazardous substances in the European Water Framework Directive. Phytoremediation system is a cost-effective, plant-based approach that takes advantage of the ability of plants to concentrate elements and compounds from the environment and to metabolize various molecules in their tissues. We studied the presence and the importance of an invasive species, such as Lemna minuta, in the environment and the effects of Cd pollution on this species. Growth, removal, and tolerance were evaluated for different Cd concentrations and different times of plant exposure. Overall, the results show that L. minuta has a good capacity of growth, metal bioconcentration, and tolerance up to 3 days of exposure at 0.5 and 1.5 mg L^-1 of Cd. In particular, L. minuta was able to accumulate Cd up to 3771 mg kg^-1 on dry mass basis. We can conclude that L. minuta possesses a great capability of Cd absorption and accumulation, thus supporting a potential use of this species in designing a metal bioremediation system in phytoremediation field.

Particle deposition in a peri-urban Mediterranean forest

Urban and peri-urban forests provide a multitude of Ecosystem Services to the citizens. While the capacity of removing carbon dioxide and gaseous compounds from the atmosphere has been tested, their capacity to sequestrate particles (PM) has been poorly investigated. Mediterranean forest ecosystems are often located nearby or inside large urban areas. This is the case of the city of Rome, Italy, which hosts several urban parks and is surrounded by forested areas. In particular, the Presidential Estate of Castelporziano is a 6000 ha forested area located between the Tyrrhenian coast and the city (25 km downtown of Rome). Under the hypothesis that forests can ameliorate air quality thanks to particle deposition, we measured fluxes of PM1, 2.5 and 10 with fast optical sensors and eddy covariance technique. We found that PM1 is mainly deposited during the central hours of the day, while negligible fluxes were observed for PM 2.5 and 10. A Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory model (HYSPLIT v4) simulated PM emission from traffic areas in the city of Rome and showed that a significant portion of PM is removed by vegetation in the days when the plume trajectory meets the urban forest.

Effects of high Zn and Pb concentrations on Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. Ex. Steudel: Photosynthetic performance and metal accumulation capacity under controlled conditions

The response of Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. Ex. Steudel to zinc (Zn) and lead (Pb) was studied separately in two hydroponic tests, during a three weeks experiment. The effects on ecophysiology and biomass partitioning were evaluated during the metal treatments and at the recovery, and total metal content and accumulation capacity in different plant organs were assessed. Zn and Pb had different effects on the overall measured parameters, highlighting different mechanism of action. In particular, Zn concentration was higher in roots and, being a micronutrient, it was translocated into leaves, producing a reduction of assimilation rate, stomatal conductance (-71.9 and -81.3% respect to the control plant respectively), and a strong down regulation of photosystems functionality both at PSII and PSI level. Otherwise, Pb was accumulated mainly in the more lignified tissue such as rhizomes, with slightly effect on gas exchange. Chlorophyll a fluorescence highlighted that Pb inhibits the electron transfer process at the PSI donor side, without recovery after the removal of the metal stress. Despite these physiological limitations, P. australis showed a high capacity to accumulate both metals, and only slight reduction of biomass, being therefore a suitable species for phytoremediation interventions.

Effects of acute O3 stress on PSII and PSI photochemistry of sensitive and resistant snap bean genotypes (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), probed by prompt chlorophyll "a" fluorescence and 820 nm modulated reflectance

The response of PSII and PSI photochemistry to acute ozone (O3) stress was tested in a "model plant system", namely the O3 sensitive (S156) and O3 resistant (R123) genotype pairs of Phaseolus vulgaris L., during a phenological phase of higher O3 sensitivity (pod formation). The modulation of the photosynthetic activity during O3 stress was analysed by measuring gas exchanges, Prompt Fluorescence (PF, JIP-test) and 820 nm Modulated Reflectance (MR), a novel techniques which specifically detects the changes in the redox state of P700 and plastocyanin. The results showed that, coherently with genotypic-specific O3 sensitivity, the response of the two snap bean genotypes differed for the intensity and time of onset of the considered physiological changes. In fact, despite leaf injury and gas exchanges reduction appeared concurrently in both genotypes, S156 showed a PSII down regulation already after the first day of fumigation (DOF), and an enhancement of Cyclic Electron Flow of PSI after the second DOF, whereas R123 showed only slight adjustments until the third DOF, when the activity of both photosystems was down-regulated. Despite these differences, it is possible to distinguish in both genotypes an early O3 response of the photochemical apparatus, involving PSII only, and a following response, in which PSI activity and content are also modulated. The measurement of the MR signal, performed simultaneously with the PF measurements and the JIP-test analysis, has allowed a better understanding of the role that PSI plays in the O3 stress response of the S156/R123 model plant system.

[Health risks associated with urban environmental pollution in Europe: results of the HEREPLUS multicentre study in Rome (Italy)]

Urban air pollution is known to cause numerous health problems. The HEREPLUS project aims to evaluate the association between environmental air pollution and health and to provide guidelines for the management and organization of the urban environment. Risk maps were developed by georeferentiation, using hospitalization data and concentration levels of ozone and pollution matter. Data for four European cities involved in the project (Rome, Madrid, Dresden, and Athens) were analysed for the period 2003-2004. In this article, we report results for Rome only. Study findings demonstrated that the green area in a city reduces pollution in a city reduces pollution levels in the atmosphere, thus reducing health risks.

Photosynthetic performance and biochemical adjustments in two co-occurring Mediterranean evergreens, Quercus ilex and Arbutus unedo, differing in salt-exclusion ability

The responses to mild root zone salinity stress were investigated in two co-occurring Mediterranean woody evergreens, Quercus ilex L. and Arbutus unedo L., which differ in morpho-anatomical traits and strategies to cope with water deficit. The aim was to explore their strategies to allocate potentially toxic ions at organism level, and the consequential physiological and biochemical adjustments. Water and ionic relations, gas exchange and PSII performance, the concentration of photosynthetic pigments, and the activity of antioxidant defences, were measured. Q. ilex displayed a greater capacity to exclude Na+ and Cl- from the leaf than A. unedo, in part as a consequence of greater reductions in transpiration rates. Salt-induced reductions in CO2 assimilation resulted in Q. ilex suffering from excess of light to a greater extent than A. unedo. Consistently, in Q. ilex effective mechanisms of nonphotochemical quenching, also sustained by the lutein epoxide-lutein cycle, operated in response to salinity stress. Q. ilex also displayed a superior capacity to detoxify reactive oxygen species (ROS) than A. unedo. Our data suggest that the ability to exclude salt from actively growing shoot organs depends on the metabolic cost of sustaining leaf construction, i.e. species-specific leaf life-span, and the relative strategies to cope with salt-induced water stress. We discuss how contrasting abilities to restrict the entry and transport of salt in sensitive organs relates with species-specific salt tolerance.

Role of Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds (BVOC) emitted by urban trees on ozone concentration in cities: a review

Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds (BVOC) play a critical role in biosphere-atmosphere interactions and are key factors of the physical and chemical properties of the atmosphere and climate. However, few studies have been carried out at urban level to investigate the interactions between BVOC emissions and ozone (O3) concentration. The contribution of urban vegetation to the load of BVOCs in the air and the interactions between biogenic emissions and urban pollution, including the likely formation of O3, needs to be investigated, but also the effects of O3 on the biochemical reactions and physiological conditions leading to BVOC emissions are largely unknown. The effect of BVOC emission on the O3 uptake by the trees is further complicating the interactions BVOC-O3, thus making challenging the estimation of the calculation of BVOC effect on O3 concentration at urban level.

The relationship between executive functions and fluid intelligence in Parkinson's disease

BACKGROUND

We recently demonstrated that decline in fluid intelligence is a substantial contributor to frontal deficits. For some classical 'executive' tasks, such as the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and Verbal Fluency, frontal deficits were entirely explained by fluid intelligence. However, on a second set of frontal tasks, deficits remained even after statistically controlling for this factor. These tasks included tests of theory of mind and multitasking. As frontal dysfunction is the most frequent cognitive deficit observed in early Parkinson's disease (PD), the present study aimed to determine the role of fluid intelligence in such deficits.

METHOD

We assessed patients with PD (n=32) and control subjects (n=22) with the aforementioned frontal tests and with a test of fluid intelligence. Group performance was compared and fluid intelligence was introduced as a covariate to determine its role in frontal deficits shown by PD patients.

RESULTS

In line with our previous results, scores on the WCST and Verbal Fluency were closely linked to fluid intelligence. Significant patient-control differences were eliminated or at least substantially reduced once fluid intelligence was introduced as a covariate. However, for tasks of theory of mind and multitasking, deficits remained even after fluid intelligence was statistically controlled.

CONCLUSIONS

The present results suggest that clinical assessment of neuropsychological deficits in PD should include tests of fluid intelligence, together with one or more specific tasks that allow for the assessment of residual frontal deficits associated with theory of mind and multitasking.

Urban ecosystem services: tree diversity and stability of tropospheric ozone removal

Urban forests provide important ecosystem services, such as urban air quality improvement by removing pollutants. While robust evidence exists that plant physiology, abundance, and distribution within cities are basic parameters affecting the magnitude and efficiency of air pollution removal, little is known about effects of plant diversity on the stability of this ecosystem service. Here, by means of a spatial analysis integrating system dynamic modeling and geostatistics, we assessed the effects of tree diversity on the removal of tropospheric ozone (O3) in Rome, Italy, in two years (2003 and 2004) that were very different for climatic conditions and ozone levels. Different tree functional groups showed complementary uptake patterns, related to tree physiology and phenology, maintaining a stable community function across different climatic conditions. Our results, although depending on the city-specific conditions of the studied area, suggest a higher function stability at increasing diversity levels in urban ecosystems. In Rome, such ecosystem services, based on published unitary costs of externalities and of mortality associated with O3, can be prudently valued to roughly US$2 and $3 million/year, respectively.

Decision making in euthymic bipolar I and bipolar II disorders

BACKGROUND

The main aim of this study was to compare a large population of patients with bipolar disorder (BD) types I and II strictly defined as euthymic with healthy controls on measures of decision making. An additional aim was to compare performance on a decision-making task between patients with and without a history of suicide attempt.

METHOD

Eighty-five euthymic patients with BD-I or BD-II and 34 healthy controls were included. All subjects completed tests to assess verbal memory, attention and executive functions, and a decision-making paradigm (the Iowa Gambling Task, IGT).

RESULTS

Both groups of patients had worse performance than healthy controls on measures of verbal memory, attention and executive function. No significant differences were found between BD-I, BD-II and healthy controls on measures of decision making. By contrast, patients with a history of suicide attempt had lower performance in the IGT than patients without a history of suicide attempt.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with euthymic BD-I and BD-II had intact decision-making abilities, suggesting that this does not represent a reliable trait marker of the disorder. In addition, our results provide further evidence of an association between impairments in decision making and vulnerability to suicidal behavior.

Classification of primary progressive aphasia and its variants

This article provides a classification of primary progressive aphasia (PPA) and its 3 main variants to improve the uniformity of case reporting and the reliability of research results. Criteria for the 3 variants of PPA--nonfluent/agrammatic, semantic, and logopenic--were developed by an international group of PPA investigators who convened on 3 occasions to operationalize earlier published clinical descriptions for PPA subtypes. Patients are first diagnosed with PPA and are then divided into clinical variants based on specific speech and language features characteristic of each subtype. Classification can then be further specified as "imaging-supported" if the expected pattern of atrophy is found and "with definite pathology" if pathologic or genetic data are available. The working recommendations are presented in lists of features, and suggested assessment tasks are also provided. These recommendations have been widely agreed upon by a large group of experts and should be used to ensure consistency of PPA classification in future studies. Future collaborations will collect prospective data to identify relationships between each of these syndromes and specific biomarkers for a more detailed understanding of clinicopathologic correlations.

Comparison of seasonal variations of ozone exposure and fluxes in a Mediterranean Holm oak forest between the exceptionally dry 2003 and the following year

Ozone and energy fluxes have been measured using the eddy covariance technique, from June to December 2004 in Castelporziano near Rome (Italy), and compared to similar measurements made in the previous year. The studied ecosystem consisted in a typical Mediterranean Holm oak forest. Stomatal fluxes have been calculated using the resistance analogy and by inverting the Penmann-Monteith equation. Results showed that the average stomatal contribution accounts for 42.6% of the total fluxes. Non-stomatal deposition proved to be enhanced by increasing leaf wetness and air humidity during the autumnal months. From a comparison of the two years, it can be inferred that water supply is the most important limiting factor for ozone uptake and that prolonged droughts alter significantly the stomatal conductance, even 2 months after the soil water content is replenished. Ozone exposure, expressed as AOT40, behaves similarly to the cumulated stomatal flux in dry conditions whereas a different behaviour for the two indices appears in wet autumnal conditions. A difference also occurs between the two years.

[Differentiating early dementia from major depression with the Spanish version of the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination]

INTRODUCTION

In clinical practice it is often difficult to establish whether cognitive impairment is secondary to an affective disorder or a dementing process.

AIM

To describe the cognitive performance on the Spanish version of the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination (ACE) of patients with early dementia and depression.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

77 patients with early dementia (53 Alzheimer disease; 24 frontotemporal dementia), 17 patients with major depression and 54 healthy volunteers were tested with the Spanish version of the ACE.

RESULTS

Alzheimer disease and frontotemporal dementia groups were significantly lower than the control group and the major depression group. When the major depression group was compared with the control group no significant differences were found.

CONCLUSIONS

The cognitive performance in the ACE is different in patients with early dementia and patient with depression.

Cognitive deficits in multiple sclerosis correlate with changes in fronto-subcortical tracts

Cognitive function and diffusion tensor imaging were assessed in a group of 12 patients with early relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (disease duration <or=3 years), and mild clinical disability (expanded disability status scale <or=2), as well as in 12 control subjects. Patients showed impairment in immediate logical memory and delayed recall with the Rey auditory verbal learning test. No significant differences in classical executive tests were observed. In contrast, differences were found for specific executive tests including IOWA Gambling Task, multiple errands test hospital version (MET) and Hotel Task, as well as in Paced-Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT). Significant correlation was found between PASAT performance and FA measures (r = 0.64, P = 0.03), the apparent diffusion coefficients and the MET (r = 0.72, P = 0.01), as well as in one subtask of Hotel (r = -0.68, P = 0.02). Thus, executive deficits can best be appreciated at early stages of MS when a more specific battery of tests is used for patient evaluation. In this series, test failures observed correlated with changes in fronto-subcortical fiber tracts.

Measuring, modelling and testing ozone exposure, flux and effects on vegetation in southern European conditions--what does not work? A review from Italy

Ozone (O3) exposure at Italian background sites exceeds UN/ECE concentration-based critical levels (CLe(c)), if expressed in terms of AOT40. Yet the occurrence of adverse effects of O3 on forests and crops is controversial. Possible reasons include (i) ability of response indicators to provide an unbiased estimate of O3 effects, (ii) setting of current CLe(c) in terms of cut-off value and accumulation level, (iii) response functions adopted to infer a critical level, (iv) environmental limitation to O3 uptake and (v) inherent characteristics of Mediterranean vegetation. In particular, the two latter points suggest that critical levels based on accumulated stomatal flux (CLe(f)) can be a better predictor of O3 risk than CLe(c). While this concept is largely acknowledged, a number of factors may limit its applicability for routine monitoring. This paper reviews levels, uptake and vegetation response to O3 in Italy over recent years to discuss value, uncertainty and feasibility of different approaches to risk assessment.

Validation of the Spanish version of the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination in a rural community in Spain

BACKGROUND

The Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination (ACE) is a brief cognitive test battery designed to detect and differentiate Alzheimer's disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Translations of this instrument into French and Malayalam have been recently published

OBJECTIVE

To adapt and validate the ACE into Spanish in a rural population of low-educational level.

SUBJECTS

A clinical group, composed of 70 patients affected by dementia and 25 patients with memory complaints without dementia, was compared with 72 controls matched for gender, age and educational level

METHOD

The clinical group was studied with standard neuropsychological instruments, all patients underwent neuroimaging [Computerized Tomography (CT) or Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), and Single Photon Emission Tomography (SPECT) in all cases of suspected FTD], as well as routine neurological examination. Both groups were studied with the ACE and Clinical Dementia Rating scale (CDR). Sensitivity, specificity, area under curve, reliability and Verbal-Language/ Orientation-Memory (VLOM) ratio were calculated. Subsequently, the sample was stratified regarding educational level in two groups. Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curves were calculated for these conditions. Different cut-off points were calculated addressing educational level.

RESULTS

ROC curves demonstrated the superiority of the ACE in the sub sample of patients that finished school at over 14 years old. VLOM ratio confirmed its usefulness for differential diagnosis between AD and FTD CONCLUSIONS: The Spanish version of the ACE is a useful instrument for dementia diagnosis. In our sample VLOM ratio results were useful for differential diagnosis between AD and FTD. Different cut-off points must be used for different educational levels.