0000000000203407
AUTHOR
M Sciandra
Reference growth charts for assessing growth performance of Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile
Posidonia oceanica is considered a key species due to its different roles as primary producer, substrate for many species, shoreline erosion protector and long-term carbon store (1).The importance of P. oceanicahas stimulated several studies aimed at quantifying its status. In particular growth performance of rhizomes has become among the most used descriptors for monitoring changes of P. oceanicameadows induced by human or naturalexogenous factors (2). However, ability to detect any change of growth in space or in time is often confounded by natural age-induced variations, which involves serious interpretation problems (3). A general approach adopted to overcome this problem is to build gr…
Pre-ART HIV-1 DNA in CD4+ T cells correlates with baseline viro-immunological status and outcome in patients under first-line ART
Objectives We evaluated the association between pre-ART HIV DNA and HIV-infected participant characteristics at baseline as well as with their response to first-line ART. Methods Four hundred and thirty-three patients from the ICONA cohort, starting first-line ART after the year 2000, were analysed. Pre-ART HIV DNA was quantified with the modified COBAS TaqMan HIV-1 Test and normalized by CD4+ T cells. Linear correlation between pre-ART HIV DNA and other continuous markers (HIV RNA, CD4 count, markers of inflammation and coagulation) at baseline was evaluated by means of Pearson correlation coefficient and a linear regression model. Survival analyses and Cox regression models were used to s…
Efficacy and tolerability of switching to a dual therapy with darunavir/ritonavir plus raltegravir in HIV-infected patients with HIV-1 RNA â¤50 cp/mL
Background: Nucleos(t)ide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI) toxicity may represent a threat for long-term success of combined antiretroviral therapy. Some studies have suggested a possible improvement of NRTI-related toxicity after switching to NRTI-sparing regimens. Objectives: We aimed to explore the efficacy and tolerability of switching to darunavir/ritonavir (DRV/r) plus raltegravir (RAL) while having a viral load (VL) â¤50 copies/mL in the clinical setting. Study design: Treatment-experienced HIV 1-infected patients enrolled in the ICONA Foundation Study cohort were included if they switched their current regimen to DRV/r + RAL with a HIV-RNA â¤50 copies/mL. Different defin…
Incidence and risk factors for liver enzyme elevation among naive HIV-1-infected patients receiving ART in the ICONA cohort
AbstractObjectivesTo evaluate the incidence and risk factors for liver enzyme elevations (LEE) in patients initiating first-line ART in the ICONA prospective observational cohort, between June 2009 and December 2017.Patients and methodsIn total, 6575 ART-naive patients were selected, initiating two NRTIs with the third drug being a boosted PI (n=2436; 37.0%), an NNRTI (n=2384; 36.3%) or an integrase strand transfer inhibitor (INSTI) (n=1755; 26.7%). HBV surface antigen and HCV RNA were detected in 3.9% and 5.8% of the study population. Inverse probability weighted Cox regression analysis was used to calculate the HRs, according to first-line regimen, for LEE, defined as ALT or AST increases…
References growth charts: a new practical tool for comparing Posidonia oceanic growth patterns accounting for age and depth
Over the past three decades an increasing amount of dating records dealing with Posidonia oceanica growth performance was incorporated into a variety of studies, from which a dualistic nature of the factors influencing seagrass growth arose. A large amount of literature focused on the role of exogenous factors in explaining rhizome growth variations, while only few studies invoked the importance of endogenous factors in driving growth. A particular attention was paid on the confounding role of shoot age, as endogenous factor, when the effect of exogenous variables on growth performance is analyzed. Shoot age confounding implies serious interpretation problems, since it is difficult to disti…