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Thyroid carcinomas comprise a broad spectrum of tumors with different clinical behaviors. On the one side, there are occult papillary carcinomas (PTC), slow growing and clinically silent, and on the other side, rapidly growing anaplastic carcinomas (ATC), which are among the most lethal human neoplasms. We have analysed the microRNA (miR) profile of ATC in comparison to the normal thyroid using a microarray (miRNACHIP microarray). By this approach, we found an aberrant miR expression profile that clearly differentiates ATC from normal thyroid tissues and from PTC analysed in previous studies. In particular, a significant decrease in miR-30d, miR-125b, miR-26a and miR-30a-5p was detected in ATC in comparison to normal thyroid tissue. These results were further confirmed by northern blots, quantitative reverse transcription–PCR analyses and in situ hybridization. The overexpression of these four miRs in two human ATC-derived cell lines suggests a critical role of miR-125b and miR-26a downregulation in thyroid carcinogenesis, since a cell growth inhibition was achieved. Conversely, no effect on cell growth was observed after the overexpression of miR-30d and miR-30a-5p in the same cells. In conclusion, these data indicate a miR signature associated with ATC and suggest the miR deregulation as an important event in thyroid cell transformation.

Fuel treatments aimed at reducing both horizontal and vertical continuity in fuels are of paramount importance as a prevention measure against fire propagation. Possible techniques include pruning, thinning (mainly low thinning), mastication, prescribed burning, and prescribed (or targeted) grazing. Their main target is crown fire avoidance by treating surface fuels and promoting low density and vertically discontinuous stands, thus eliminating fuel ladders. Grazing is an effective, nearly carbon-neutral weed control technique which is cost-effective, nontoxic, and nonpolluting. Goat grazing is a very interesting solution: if confined by a metallic or electrified fence within a restricted pen, with a rather high density, goats browse the available foliage and twigs from all woody plants as well as all herbaceous vegetation. They can feed on a variety of shrubs, some of which are useless for other domestic species, and are therefore the best adapted for the consumption of all the Mediterranean shrubs which represent the fuel ladder. The appropriate choice of season of grazing, type of plant species and type and amount of biomass to be eliminated, livestock density, social structure of the herd, grazing time per day, type of fencing, and size of pens define the prescribed grazing system.

A Man with Fever, Nausea, and Respiratory FailureA 52-year-old man was evaluated in a hospital in Argentina for fever and hypoxemic respiratory failure. Imaging showed pulmonary opacities, and the hematocrit was 56.9%. A diagnosis was made.

Objectives:To determine if joint hypermobility is associated with musculoskeletal pain in a population of Italian schoolchildren.Design:Cross-sectional, school-based study, using a pretested questionnaire administered to schoolchildren to enquire about musculoskeletal pain and Beighton criteria, with score of ⩾5 as a cut-off, to test for hypermobility.Setting:Eight primary schools in the town of Cesena, Italy.Participants:1230 Italian schoolchildren aged 7 to 15 years representing an opportunistic sample of 10% of the schoolchildren in CesenaMain outcome measures:(1) The strength of association between hypermobiliy and musculoskeletal pain; (2) the impact of hypermobility on daily activities, using a subjective “disability score” and a “physical activity score.”Analysis:Sample size calculation for evaluating if hypermobility was associated with musculoskeletal pain was performed prior starting the study. Children experiencing pain at least once a week were used as cases, children experiencing pain seldom or never served as controls.Results:A total of 1046 consenting Italian schoolchildren (mean age 10.8 years) were included. The prevalence of musculoskeletal pain reported by schoolchildren was 18%. 22% of children with musculoskeletal pain versus 23% of controls had hypermobility (OR 1.057, 95% CI 0.7 to 1.4). Functional limitations measured by a “disability score” correlated in a weak negative way with Beighton score (p = 0.03). The “physical activity score” correlated in a weak positive way with Beighton score (p = 0.012).Conclusions:No association was found between hypermobility and musculoskeletal pain. Hypermobile children did not experience functional limitations in daily activities, and they were slightly more active than non-hypermobile children.

This research aims to study wildfire perception by residents living in Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) in Kabylia (Algeria). We conducted an exploratory qualitative survey contacting 254 randomly selected individuals in eight hamlets of the Mizrana forest. Face-to-face questionnaires were administered to understand the fire risk problem. Respondents think that their homes are not exposed to fire risk and perceive their hamlets are protected against wildfires; on the contrary, they perceive their property (fields, livestock, olive trees, etc.) as exposed to fire risk. The vast majority of respondents declare to know how to defend themselves in the case of a fire event, using water and hand tools. Residents mainly use fire for stubble burning and disposal of domestic waste. Their skill in using fire as a land management tool respectively comes from their fathers, grandfathers and mothers. Results show the necessity of making resident more aware of the risks that wildfires pose to them. A culture of risk needs to be developed within the territory to limit vulnerability and the likelihood of destructive fires.

Forest fires in Italy are mainly caused by humans, and directly depend on social behavior, whether voluntary (arson) or involuntary (negligence). Despite the progress in knowledge made with studying the physical facets of the phenomenon, causes and motives of human-related fire remain mostly unknown. This paper proposes the implementation of the Delphi method (an interactive expert-questionnaire process) in order to assess why fires are ignited. In four study cases, within a high fire incidence area (southern Italy), the Delphi technique identified as major cause of negligence the use of fire in agriculture and, as major causes of voluntary fires, motives related to seasonal labor. The main results in terms of frequency are: (i) for involuntary events (negligence), experts unanimously identified the relevant importance of negligent use of agricultural fires, particularly stubble burning (13.99% of responses). For (ii) voluntary fires (arson), results highlight the relative importance of fires ignited by seasonal workers as an instrument to force or maintain employment (8.41% of responses).

Snow depth is the easiest snowpack property to measure in the field and is used to estimate the distribution of snow for quantifying snow storage. Often the mean of three snow depth measurements is used to represent snow depth at a location. This location is used as a proxy for an area, typically a digital elevation model (DEM) or remotely sensed pixel. Here, 11, 17, or 21 snow depth measurements were used to represent the mean snow depth of a 30-m DEM pixel. Using the center snow depth measurement for each sampling set was not adequate to represent the pixel mean, and while the use of three snow depth measurements improved the estimate of mean, there is still large error for some pixels. These measurements were then used to determine the variability of snow depth across a pixel. Estimating variability from few points rather than all in a measurement was not sufficient. The sampling size was increased from one to the total per pixel (11, 17, or 21) to determine how many point samples were necessary to approximate the mean snow depth per pixel within five percent. Binary regression trees were constructed to determine which terrain and canopy variables dictated the spatial distribution of the snow depth, the standard deviation of snow depth, and the sample size to within 5% of the mean per pixel. One location was measured in two years just prior to peak accumulation, and it is shown that there was little to no inter-annual consistency in the mean or standard deviation.

Forest fires in Algeria are mostly human-caused and result from local social behavior, whether voluntary (arson) or involuntary (negligence). Understanding the reasons why fires start is, therefore, a crucial factor in preventing or reducing their incidence, developing significant prevention efforts and designing specific fire prevention campaigns. The Delphi method is a promising tool for improving knowledge about how fire starts and why, and above all helps reduce the number of fires started by unknown causes, the majority type in Algeria. The Delphi method uses a set of procedures for eliciting and refining the opinions of a panel of experts on a particular subject of interest. This method was used in three case studies, in coastal or inner wilayas (provinces) selected from a highly fire-prone area in north-central Algeria. Results showed the traditional use of fire in agriculture and forestry, in situations related to land use changes and in interpersonal conflicts are the major causes of voluntary fires. For involuntary events (negligence), experts unanimously identified the importance of the restart of fire, caused by fire crews who do not ensure the mopping up of controlled fires (91.49%) and the negligent use of agricultural fires, particularly stubble burning (80.14%). For voluntary fires (arson), results highlight the importance of fires set for land use changes (77.30%), pyromania (67.38%) and honey gathering (62.41%). Illegal dumping and burning of garbage was also mentioned by responders in all study-areas.