0000000000671268
AUTHOR
M. G. Lo Re
Causes and place of death in Italian patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Objectives - To determine the causes and place of death in a cohort of Italian patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). A better understanding of the likely causes of death in ALS might improve the palliative care at the end-of-life, whereas knowing the place of death will help to verify the need for highly specialized care services, e.g. hospice and nursing home. Patients and methods - Between 2000 and 2008, 182 ALS patients (onset: spinal, 127; bulbar, 55; M/F: 1.6) were followed in a single ALS Tertiary Centre in Palermo, Sicily, Italy until death. Medical data for each individual patient were recorded in a large database throughout the disease course. Information concerning ca…
Studies on the Sicilian populations ofAnacolia webbii(Mont.) Schimp. (Bartramiaceae, Bryophyta), rare moss in Europe
New data on the distribution, biology, intra- and inter-population variability and conservation state of Sicilian populations of Anacolia webbii are provided. Two new localities are reported, so that total five fragmented populations occur in the island, all of them in a rather small area in the western part of the province of Palermo. They live on wet limestone or sandstone cliffs with base at 900–1200 m a.s.l. and N, N-NE aspect, within communities of Aceri campestris-Querco-ilicis sigmetum. The plants are particularly vigorous, but some data suggest a condition of vulnerability of the populations. In fact, in addition to specificity to a rare habitat on the island, a morphometric and all…