Intra-annual density fluctuations in tree rings are proxies of air temperature across Europe.

Intra-Annual Density Fluctuations (IADFs) are an important wood functional trait that determine trees' ability to adapt to climatic changes. Here, we use a large tree-ring database of 11 species from 89 sites across eight European countries, covering a climatic gradient from the Mediterranean to northern Europe, to analyze how climate variations drive IADF formation. We found that IADF occurrence increases nonlinearly with ring width in both gymnosperms and angiosperms and decreases with altitude and age. Recently recorded higher mean annual temperatures facilitate the formation of IADFs in almost all the studied species. Precipitation plays a significant role in inducing IADFs in species that exhibit drought tolerance capability, and a growth pattern known as bimodal growth. Our findings suggest that species with bimodal growth patterns growing in western and southern Europe will form IADFs more frequently, as an adaptation to increasing temperatures and droughts.

[Animal bites in children]. / I morsi da animale nel bambino.

Our experiences at the "Centro di Profilassi Antirabbica" of the "Dipartimento di Pediatria" suggest to us some thoughts: though the seriousness of the lesions is important also for the patient's aestethics, mostly for girls, the physician must always take into consideration the infectious consequences of the bite itself. Among these bacterial infections mostly frequent enough are those overlapping the deepest wounds as the bites of cates are. Therefore adequate early preventive attendances (within the 24 hours) are necessary. The importance of prevention against rabies, luckily very rare in our country, but to be always afraid of and to be always taken into consideration because of its emotional impact, is to be highlighted.

[Xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis in childhood: considerations on 2 new cases]. / La pielonefrite xantogranulomatosa in età pediatrica: considerazioni a proposito di 2 nuovi casi.

The Authors report their experience about two cases of xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis in childhood. The clinical history, diagnostic procedures and surgical treatment are described. The xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis is a rare form of chronic inflammatory disease of the kidney, in which pre-operative differential diagnosis with renal cancer or with extra renal neoplastic and inflammatory diseases is very difficult. The signs and symptoms are not characteristic, such as renal tumour, recurrent UTI, abdominal pain, fever. Also non characteristic are the findings, performed with diagnostic ultra sound and computed tomography. The surgical treatment is always effective in the xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis. About 500 cases are described in adults and about 80 cases in children, from the first description in 1963. The first of our cases, occurring in a boy 6 years old, was treated with nephrectomy, because of the pre-operatory aspect was like tumour. In the second of the cases described, occurring in a girl 11 years old, the nephrectomy was performed because the chronic purulent inflammatory process had involved all the kidney. In the post-operative, in the first case was performed a relaparotomy for intestinal occlusion in 12th day, in the second case the post-operative was uneventful. The Authors emphasize the importance of the xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis in the differential diagnosis in children with recurrent UTI, renal masses, fever, in the clinical history.

[Acute scrotum in childhood: considerations on 457 cases]. / Lo scroto acuto in età pediatrica: considerazioni a proposito di 457 osservazioni.

The Authors present their experience about 457 consecutive cases of acute scrotum, occurring from 1980 to 1990, at their Pediatric Surgery Unit. The condition is caused by torsion of the appendage of the testis (78.1%), torsion of the funicle (9.6%), acute idiopathic oedema of the scrotum (2.87%), and also tumours (1.17%). Also in their experience, the surgical approach is the correct treatment for the acute scrotum in order to prevent the irreversible damage of the testis. The surgical treatment present no problem and all the post-operatives were uneventful. In children under 2 years, the interventions were performed by inguinal incision, above 2 years by scrotal incision. The contralateral orchiopexy, in case of torsion of the funicle, was performed in the same session, or performed later, because of the anesthetic consideration.