The quest for the mechanisms that halt star formation in galaxies is essential to understand their evolution. Here, we use the APEX-CALIFA survey, which includes 560 galaxies (0.005 < z < 0.08), so far the largest sample of galaxies in the nearby universe with both Integral Field Spectroscopic, Calar Alto Legacy Integral Field Area (CALIFA) and single-aperture millimeter observations, as well as the extended CALIFA sample (823 targets). Using these observations we derive (i) the deficit or excess of star formation for a given stellar mass with respect to the star formation main sequence (Delta SFMS), (ii) the gas fraction, and (iii) the star formation efficiency (SFE) for two apertures (central and global apertures using the APEX-CALIFA and CALIFA samples, respectively). We confirm the so-called "inside-out" quenching, that is, for quiescent galaxies the central values of Delta SFMS are usually smaller than those values derived from global measurements. However, for a given Delta SFMS we find that for retired galaxies the central gas fraction is larger in comparison to global measurements. Furthermore, the central SFE is significantly smaller in comparison to global counterparts. In general, in comparison to the global measurements, the deficit of star formation at the center of retired galaxies is primarily caused by the inefficiency to form new stars rather than the lack of molecular gas. We suggest that even though at the center of retired galaxies the gas fraction is larger, morphological structures could prevent that the molecular gas is transformed into new stars. Even more so in the outskirts of some retired galaxies with small gas fractions, star formation activity is still occurring.

Stars form in dense cores within molecular clouds, and newly formed stars influence their natal environments. How stellar feedback impacts core properties and evolution has been the subject of extensive investigation. We performed a hierarchical clustering (dendrogram) analysis of a STARFORGE (STAR FORmation in Gaseous Environments) simulation, modelling a giant molecular cloud to identify gas overdensities (cores) and study changes in their radius, mass, velocity dispersion, and virial parameter with respect to stellar feedback. We binned these cores on the basis of the fraction of gas affected by protostellar outflows, stellar winds, and supernovae and analysed the property distributions for each feedback bin. We find that cores that experience more feedback influence are smaller. Feedback notably enhances the velocity dispersion and virial parameter of the cores, more so than it reduces their radius. This is also evident in the linewidth-size relation, according to which cores in higher-feedback bins exhibit higher velocities than their similarly sized pristine counterparts. We conclude that stellar feedback mechanisms, which impart momentum to the molecular cloud, simultaneously compress and disperse the dense molecular gas.

NGC 6334 is a giant molecular cloud (GMC) complex that exhibits elongated filamentary structure and harbours numerous OB-stars, H II regions, and star-forming clumps. To study the emission morphology and velocity structure of the gas in the extended NGC 6334 region using high-resolution molecular line data, we made observations of the (CO)-C-12 and (CO)-C-13 J = 3 -> 2 lines with the LAsMA instrument at the APEX telescope. The LAsMA data provided a spatial resolution of 20 '' (similar to 0.16 pc) and sensitivity of 0.4 K at a spectral resolution of 0.25 km s(-1). Our observations revealed that gas in the extended NGC 6334 region exhibits connected velocity coherent structure over similar to 80 pc parallel to the Galactic plane. The NGC 6334 complex has its main velocity component at approximately -3.9 km s(-1) with two connected velocity structures at velocities approximately -9.2 km s(-1) (the 'bridge' features) and -20 km s(-1) (the northern filament, NGC 6334-NF). We observed local velocity fluctuations at smaller spatial scales along the filament that are likely tracing local density enhancement and infall, while the broader V-shaped velocity fluctuations observed towards the NGC 6334 central ridge and G352.1 region located in the eastern filament EF1 indicate globally collapsing gas onto the filament. We investigated the (CO)-C-13 emission and velocity structure around 42 WISE H II regions located in the extended NGC 6334 region and found that most H II regions show signs of molecular gas dispersal from the centre (36 of 42) and intensity enhancement at their outer radii (34 of 42). Furthermore most H II regions (26 of 42) are associated with least one ATLASGAL clump within or just outside of their radii, the formation of which may have been triggered by H II bubble expansion. Typically towards larger H II regions we found visually clear signatures of bubble shells emanating from the filamentary structure. Overall the NGC 6334 filamentary complex exhibits sequential star formation from west to east. Located in the west, the GM-24 region exhibits bubbles within bubbles and is at a relatively evolved stage of star formation. The NGC 6334 central ridge is undergoing global gas infall and exhibits two gas bridge features possibly connected to the cloud-cloud collision scenario of the NGC 6334-NF and the NGC 6334 main gas component. The relatively quiescent eastern filament (EF1 - G352.1) is a hub-filament in formation, which shows the kinematic signature of global gas infall onto the filament. Our observations highlight the important role of H II regions in shaping the molecular gas emission and velocity structure as well as the overall evolution of the molecular filaments in the NGC 6334 complex.

ABSTRACT In this study, we explore the impact of the galactic interaction/mergers on the central oxygen abundance. We analyse 234 star-forming galaxies included in the Calar Alto Legacy Integral Field Area survey with integrated molecular gas observations from the Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment millimeter telescope and the CARMA interferometer. This database has the most optical integral field spectroscopy data with CO data for yet, with integrated measurements within $\sim 1~{R_{\rm{eff}}}$. Our sample includes 125 isolated galaxies (control sample) and 109 galaxies in different merging stages. We find that despite whether the merging galaxies show an increase or decrease in their molecular gas fraction, the oxygen abundance does not vary significantly, in comparison to our control sample. Therefore, the enhancement and suppression of oxygen abundance are similar in both isolated galaxies and interacting/merging galaxies. On the contrary, regardless of the merger stage (including isolated sample), galaxies that present an increase in their specific star formation rate present a metallicity dilution. We suggest that both internal and external events affect the chemical composition of merging galaxies.

Stellar feedback plays a crucial role in star formation and the life cycle of molecular clouds. The intense star formation region 30 Doradus, which is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), is a unique target for detailed investigation of stellar feedback owing to the proximity of the hosting galaxy and modern observational capabilities that together allow us to resolve individual molecular clouds - nurseries of star formation. We study the impact of large-scale feedback on the molecular gas using the new observational data in the ^12CO(3-2) line obtained with the APEX telescope. Our data cover an unprecedented area of 13.8 sq. deg. of the LMC disc with a spatial resolution of 5 pc and provide an unbiased view of the molecular clouds in the galaxy. Using this data, we located molecular clouds in the disc of the galaxy, estimated their properties, such as the areal number density, relative velocity and separation, width of the line profile, CO line luminosity, size, and virial mass, and compared these properties of the clouds of 30 Doradus with those in the rest of the LMC disc. We find that, compared with the rest of the observed molecular clouds in the LMC disc, those in 30 Doradus show the highest areal number density; they are spatially more clustered, they move faster with respect to each other, and they feature larger linewidths. In parallel, we do not find statistically significant differences in such properties as the CO line luminosity, size, and virial mass between the clouds of 30 Doradus and the rest of the observed field. We interpret our results as signatures of gas dispersal and fragmentation due to high-energy large-scale feedback.

ABSTRACT We have used data from the Outer Galaxy High-Resolution Survey (OGHReS) to refine the velocities, distances, and physical properties of a large sample of 3584 clumps detected in far-infrared/submillimetre emission in the Hi-GAL survey located in the ℓ = 250°–280° region of the Galactic plane. Using 12CO and 13CO spectra, we have determined reliable velocities to 3412 clumps (95 per cent of the sample). In comparison to the velocities from the Hi-GAL catalogue, we find good agreement for 80 per cent of the sample (within 5 km s−1). Using the higher resolution and sensitivity of OGHReS has allowed us to correct the velocity for 632 clumps and provide velocities for 687 clumps for which no velocity had been previously allocated. The velocities are used with a rotation curve to refine the distances to the clumps and to calculate the clumps’ properties using a distance-dependent gas-to-dust ratio. We have determined reliable physical parameters for 3200 outer Galaxy dense clumps (∼90 per cent of the Hi-GAL sources in the region). We find a trend of decreasing luminosity-to-mass ratio with increasing Galactocentric distance, suggesting the star formation efficiency is lower in the outer Galaxy or that it is resulting in more lower mass stars than in the inner Galaxy. We also find a similar surface density for protostellar clumps located in the inner and outer Galaxy, revealing that the surface density requirements for star formation are the same across the Galactic disc.

In this post-hoc analysis of the AXEPT study, 855 patients were analyzed, 544 (63.6%) females. The mean (± SD) MMSE score in women vs men was 20.8 ± 2.6 vs. 21.2 ± 2.5; p = 0.0087, and women were more likely affected by psychiatric disorders (n = 76, 14.0% women vs. n = 21, 6.8% men; p = 0.0015). Men were mainly assisted by their wives (n = 207, 66.6%), women mainly by their daughters (n = 243, 44.7%) and only in a minority of cases by their husbands (n = 92, 16.9%). Women less frequently cohabited with their caregivers than men (n = 233, 43.1% vs. n = 240, 77.9%, p < 0.0001), and received less daily time of caregiving (mean (± SD): 10.0 ± 7.2 vs. 15.2 ± 8.2; p < 0.0001). No gender differences were highlighted in compliance to treatment and caregiver satisfaction, while gender differences in caregiving were found at disadvantage of women affected by more severe cognitive and psychiatric conditions.

Nitrogen hydrides such as NH 3 and N 2 H + are widely used by Galactic observers to trace the cold dense regions of the interstellar medium. In external galaxies, because of limited sensitivity, HCN has become the most common tracer of dense gas over large parts of galaxies. We provide the first systematic measurements of N 2 H + (1-0) across different environments of an external spiral galaxy, NGC 6946. We find a strong correlation ( r > 0.98, p < 0.01) between the HCN (1-0) and N 2 H + (1-0) intensities across the inner ∼8 kpc of the galaxy, at kiloparsec scales. This correlation is equally strong between the ratios N 2 H + (1-0)/CO (1-0) and HCN (1-0)/CO (1-0), tracers of dense gas fractions ( f dense ). We measure an average intensity ratio of N 2 H + (1-0)/HCN (1-0) = 0.15 ± 0.02 over our set of five IRAM-30m pointings. These trends are further supported by existing measurements for Galactic and extragalactic sources. This narrow distribution in the average ratio suggests that the observed systematic trends found in kiloparsec-scale extragalactic studies of f dense and the efficiency of dense gas (SFE dense ) would not change if we employed N 2 H + (1-0) as a more direct tracer of dense gas. At kiloparsec scales our results indicate that the HCN (1-0) emission can be used to predict the expected N 2 H + (1-0) over those regions. Our results suggest that, even if HCN (1-0) and N 2 H + (1-0) trace different density regimes within molecular clouds, subcloud differences average out at kiloparsec scales, yielding the two tracers proportional to each other.

The role of the skin–gut axis in atopic dermatitis (AD) remains a subject of debate, limiting non-pharmacological interventions such as probiotics and prebiotics. To improve understanding of their potential as a monotherapy for stable mild cases, we conducted a real-life, multicenter, retrospective observational study in Italy. We administered three selected bacteria (Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BS01, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum LP14, and Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus LR05) orally to patients with mild atopic dermatitis without a placebo control group, following up for 12 weeks. Clinical assessments using the Scoring Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD), Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI), and Three-Item Severity (TIS) score were conducted on 144 enrolled patients (average age: 25.1 ± 17.6 years). Notably, both pruritus and AD-related lesions (erythema, edema/papules, excoriation) exhibited significant clinical and statistical improvement (p < 0.001) after 12 weeks of exclusive probiotic and prebiotic use. These preliminary results suggest a potential link between the skin–gut microbiome and support the rationale for using specific probiotics and prebiotics in mild AD, even for maintenance, to reduce flares and dysbiosis.

ABSTRACT The low-J rotational transitions of 12CO are commonly used to trace the distribution of molecular gas in galaxies. Their ratios are sensitive to excitation and physical conditions in the molecular gas. Spatially resolved studies of CO ratios are still sparse and affected by flux calibration uncertainties, especially since most do not have high angular resolution or do not have short-spacing information and hence miss any diffuse emission. We compare the low-J CO ratios across the disc of two massive, star-forming spiral galaxies NGC 2903 and NGC 3627 to investigate whether and how local environments drive excitation variations at GMC scales. We use Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) observations of the three lowest-J CO transitions at a common angular resolution of 4 arcsec (190 pc). We measure median line ratios of $R_{21}=0.67^{+0.13}_{-0.11}$, $R_{32}=0.33^{+0.09}_{-0.08}$, and $R_{31}=0.24^{+0.10}_{-0.09}$ across the full disc of NGC 3627. We see clear CO line ratio variation across the galaxy consistent with changes in temperature and density of the molecular gas. In particular, towards the centre, R21, R32, and R31 increase by 35 per cent, 50 per cent, and 66 per cent, respectively, compared to their average disc values. The overall line ratio trends suggest that CO(3–2) is more sensitive to changes in the excitation conditions than the two lower J transitions. Furthermore, we find a similar radial R32 trend in NGC 2903, albeit a larger disc-wide average of $\langle R_{32}\rangle =0.47^{+0.14}_{-0.08}$. We conclude that the CO low-J line ratios vary across environments in such a way that they can trace changes in the molecular gas conditions, with the main driver being changes in temperature.

Context. Filamentary structures in the interstellar medium are closely related to star formation. It is possible that the dense gas mass fraction (DGMF) or clump formation efficiency in large-scale filaments determine whether or not they end up hosting star formation activity. Aims. We aim to automatically identify large-scale filaments, as well as characterizing them, investigating their association with Galactic structures, and studying their DGMFs. Methods. We used a modified minimum spanning tree (MST) algorithm to chain parsec-scale 13CO clumps previously extracted from the Structure, Excitation, and Dynamics of the Inner Galactic InterStellar Medium (SEDIGISM) survey. The MST connects nodes in a graph such that the sum of edge lengths is at a minimum. A modified MST also ensures the velocity coherence between nodes, so that the identified filaments are coherent in position-position-velocity (PPV) space. Results. We generated a catalog of 88 large-scale (>10 pc) filaments in the inner Galactic plane (with −60° < l < 18° and |b| < 0.5°). These SEDIGISM filaments are larger and less dense than MST filaments previously identified from the Bolocam Galactic Plane Survey (BGPS) and the APEX Telescope Large Area Survey of the Galaxy (ATLASGAL). We find that eight of the filaments run along spiral arms and can be regarded as the “bones” of the Milky Way. We also found three bones associated with the Local spur in PPV space. By compiling 168 large-scale filaments with available DGMF across the Galaxy, namely, an order of magnitude more than previously investigated, we find that DGMFs are not correlated with Galactic location. We also find that bones have higher DGMFs than other filaments.

The evolutionary sequence for high-mass star formation starts with massive starless clumps that go on to form protostellar, young stellar objects and then compact H ii regions. While there are many examples of the three later stages, the very early stages have proved to be elusive. We follow-up a sample of 110 mid-infrared dark clumps selected from the ATLASGAL catalogue with the IRAM telescope in an effort to identify a robust sample of massive starless clumps. We have used the HCO+ and HNC (1-0) transitions to identify clumps associated with infall motion and the SiO (2-1) transition to identity outflow candidates. We have found blue asymmetric line profile in 65 per cent of the sample, and have measured the infall velocities and mass infall rates (0.6-36 x 10(-3) M-circle dot yr(-1)) for 33 of these clumps. We find a trend for the mass infall rate decreasing with an increase of bolometric luminosity to clump mass, i.e. star formation within the clumps evolves. Using the SiO 2-1 line, we have identified good outflow candidates. Combining the infall and outflow tracers reveals that 67 per cent of quiescent clumps are already undergoing gravitational collapse or are associated with star formation; these clumps provide us with our best opportunity to determine the initial conditions and study the earliest stages of massive star formation. Finally, we provide an overview of a systematic high-resolution ALMA study of quiescent clumps selected that allows us to develop a detailed understanding of earliest stages and their subsequent evolution.

ApJ, 929, 47) P. Alvarez-Hurtado , J. K. Barrera-Ballesteros , S. F. Sánchez , D. Colombo , A. R. López-Sánchez , and E. Aquino-Ortíz 1 Instituto de Astronomía, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, A.P. 70-264, 04510 México, CDMX, México; palvarez@astro.unam.mx 2 Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, Auf dem Hügel 69, D-53121 Bonn, Germany 3 Australian Astronomical Optics, Macquarie University, 105 Delhi Rd, North Ryde, NSW 2113, Australia 4 Macquarie University Research Centre for Astronomy, Astrophysics & Astrophotonics, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia 5 Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D), Australia 6 Instituto de Astrofísica, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Av. Vicuña Mackenna 4860, 782-0436 Macul, Santiago, Chile Received 2023 February 28; published 2023 March 20

Background Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic, immune-mediated, spondyloarthropathy characterised by musculoskeletal signs and symptoms with associated joint pain and tenderness. The average worldwide PsA prevalence is 133/100,000, while in the Italian population is 90–420/100,000. Traditionally, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, glucocorticoid, and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs have been used in the treatment of PsA. However, for those patients who are not adequately controlled with conventional therapies, the new biologics compounds represent a valid option. Biologic therapies have been shown to be more effective but also more expensive than conventional systemic treatments. Based on the CHRONOS study, the economic analyses presented in this paper aim to assess the annualised direct costs and the cost-per-responder of biologics in a real-world context assuming the Italian National Health System perspective. Methods The economic assessments were carried out on the overall cohort of patients, and on the tumour necrosis factor alpha inhibitors (TNFi) and the secukinumab subgroup, the most prescribed biologic therapies within the CHRONOS study. Results The annual economic impact of PsA in the overall group was €12,622, €11,725 in the secukinumab subgroup, and €12,791 in the TNFi subgroup. Biologics absorbed the main expenditure costs in the treatment of PsA accounting for about the 93% of total costs. At 6 months, secukinumab performed better in all the considered outcomes: cost-per-responder according to EULAR DAS28 and ACR50 response criteria were €12,661- €28,975, respectively, while they were €13,356 - €33,368 in the overall cohort and €13,138 - €35,166 in the TNFi subgroup. At 12 months secukinumab remained the subgroup with the lowest cost-per-responder ratio in EULAR DAS28 and ACR50 response criteria, while TNFi subgroup was the lowest one considered the ACR20. Conclusion Despite some potential methodological limitations, our cost-per-response analysis provides physicians and payers additional insights which can complement the traditional risk-benefit profile assessment and drive treatment decisions.

Background:In psoriasis, several studies have indicated sex differences in clinical characteristics, type of treatment, and outcomes. A higher impact of psoriasis on quality of life (QoL) and a lower treatment satisfaction have been reported in women by different authors. Objectives:This article reports the results of a post hoc gender analysis of CANOVA study, aimed at assessing 16/24/52-week effectiveness of biologics in patients with moderate-severe plaque psoriasis. Materials and Methods:CANOVA was a real-world, multicenter, noninterventional, retro-prospective study conducted in 17 Italian hospital dermatology clinics. Results:Of the 669 eligible patients, 63.8% were men. Demographic and baseline characteristics and duration of disease were rather homogeneous between sexes. Slightly more women had been treated with biologics (50.4% vs. 46.5%) and had received ≥2 biologic treatment lines (17.2% vs. 12.4%) before study treatment. The most frequently used biologics were secukinumab, ustekinumab, adalimumab, and ixekizumab in both sexes. At 6 months, Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) 75/90/100 responders were 90.8%/72.3%/45.3% of men and 89.2%/76.6%/48.2% of women. Sustained PASI responders were 79.5% of men and 75.9% of women. Treatment satisfaction was significantly lower in women at enrolment for all subscales, and was still lower at 6 months, no longer significantly. Gender distribution in Dermatology Life Quality Index total score classes showed a significantly greater effect of psoriasis on QoL in women, both at enrolment and at the 6-month follow-up. Conclusions:In conclusion, this gender analysis confirms in both genders the efficacy of biologics in psoriasis. However, women reported a greater impact of the disease on QoL and lower treatment satisfaction.

BACKGROUND:Definitions for reliable identification of transition from relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) to secondary progressive (SP)MS in clinical cohorts are not available. OBJECTIVES:To compare diagnostic performances of two different data-driven SPMS definitions. METHODS:Data-driven SPMS definitions based on a version of Lorscheider's algorithm (DDA) and on the EXPAND trial inclusion criteria were compared, using the neurologist's definition (ND) as gold standard, in terms of sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), Akaike information criterion (AIC) and area under the curve (AUC). RESULTS:A cohort of 10,240 MS patients with ⩾5 years of follow-up was extracted from the Italian MS Registry; 880 (8.5%) patients were classified as SPMS according to the neurologist definition, 1806 (17.6%) applying the DDA and 1134 (11.0%) with the EXPAND definition. The DDA showed greater discrimination power (AUC: 0.8 vs 0.6) and a higher sensitivity (77.1% vs 38.0%) than the EXPAND definition, with similar specificity (88.0% vs 91.5%). PPV and NPV were higher using the DDA than considering EXPAND definition (37.5% vs 29.5%; 97.6% vs 94.0%). CONCLUSION:Data-driven definitions demonstrated greater ability to capture SP transition than neurologist's definition and the global accuracy of DDA seems to be higher than the EXPAND definition.

Context. The formation processes of massive stars are still unclear, but a picture is emerging involving accretion disks and molecular outflows in what appears to be a scaled-up version of low-mass star formation. A census of outflow activity toward high-mass starforming clumps in various evolutionary stages has the potential to shed light on high-mass star formation. Aims. We conducted an outflow survey toward ATLASGAL (APEX Telescope Large Area Survey of the Galaxy) clumps using SEDIGISM (structure, Excitation, and Dynamics of the Inner Galactic InterStellar Medium) data and aimed to obtain a large sample of clumps exhibiting outflow activity in different evolutionary stages. Methods. We identify the high-velocity wings of the 13CO lines, which indicate outflow activity, toward ATLASGAL clumps by (1) extracting the simultaneously observed 13CO (2–1) and C18O (2–1) spectra from SEDIGISM, and (2) subtracting Gaussian fits to the scaled C18O (core emission) from the 13CO line after considering opacity broadening. Results. We detected high-velocity gas toward 1192 clumps out of a total sample of 2052, corresponding to an overall detection rate of 58%. Outflow activity has been detected in the earliest (apparently) quiescent clumps (i.e., 70μm weak) to the most evolved H II region stages (i.e., 8μm bright with tracers of massive star formation). The detection rate increases as a function of evolution (quiescent = 51%, protostellar = 47%, YSO = 57%, UC H II regions = 76%). Conclusions. Our sample is the largest outflow sample identified so far. The high detection rate from this large sample is consistent with the results of similar studies reported in the literature and supports the scenario that outflows are a ubiquitous feature of high-mass star formation. The lower detection rate in early evolutionary stages may be due to the fact that outflows in the early stages are weak and difficult to detect. We obtain a statistically significant sample of outflow clumps for every evolutionary stage, especially for outflow clumps in the earliest stage (i.e., 70μm dark). The detections of outflows in the 70μm dark clumps suggest that the absence of 70μm emission is not a robust indicator of starless and/or pre-stellar cores.

Background Biologics have demonstrated efficacy in PsA in randomized clinical trials. More evidence is needed on their effectiveness under real clinical practice conditions. The aim of the present work is to provide real-world evidence of the effectiveness of biologics for PsA in the daily clinical practice. Methods CHRONOS was a multicenter, non-interventional, cohort study conducted in 20 Italian hospital rheumatology clinics. Results 399 patients were eligible (56.9% females, mean (SD) age: 52.4 (11.6) years). The mean (SD) duration of PsA and psoriasis was 7.2 (6.9) and 15.3 (12.2) years, respectively. The mean (SD) duration of the biologic treatment under analysis was 18.6 (6.5) months. The most frequently prescribed biologic was secukinumab (40.4%), followed by adalimumab (17.8%) and etanercept (16.5%). The proportion of overall responders according to EULAR DAS28 criteria was 71.8% (95% CI: 66.7–76.8%) out of 308 patients at 6 months and 68.0% (95% CI: 62.7–73.3%) out of 297 patients at 1 year. Overall, ACR20/50/70 responses at 6 months were 41.2% (80/194), 29.4% (57/194), 17.1% (34/199) and at 1-year were 34.9% (66/189), 26.7% (51/191), 18.4% (36/196), respectively. Secondary outcome measures improved rapidly already at 6 months: mean (SD) PASI, available for 87 patients, decreased from 3.2 (5.1) to 0.6 (1.3), the proportion of patients with dactylitis from 23.6% (35/148) to 3.5% (5/142) and those with enthesitis from 33.3% (49/147) to 9.0% (12/133). Conclusions The CHRONOS study provides real-world evidence of the effectiveness of biologics in PsA in the Italian rheumatological practice, confirming the efficacy reported in RCTs across various outcome measures.

Background: Phenotypic features and outcome differences between sexes have been reported in psoriatic arthritis (PsA). However, little is known about sex differences in effectiveness of biologics in clinical practice. Methods: Post hoc gender analysis of the CHRONOS, a multicenter, noninterventional, retroprospective Italian real-world study assessing 6-month and 1-year effectiveness of biologics for PsA. Results: Eligible patients were 399, 43.1% men. Sociodemographic characteristics, type of arthritis, baseline Disease Activity Score 28 joints (DAS28), and duration of biologic treatment were rather homogeneous. More men were overweight/obese and naive to biologics. The most frequently used biologics were TNF-inhibitors and secukinumab in both sexes. DAS28 responders were 72.7% (women) and 70.5% (men) at 6 months, and 68.0% in both sexes at 1 year. American College of Rheumatology (ACR) response showed a trend for men versus women to achieve more frequently ACR50 (32.6% vs. 26.5% at 6 months; 34.9% vs. 20.0% at 1 year) and ACR70 (22.3% vs. 12.4% at 6 months and 25.0% vs. 13.0% at 1 year). Global satisfaction with treatment at enrollment and after 6 months was slightly higher among men [mean (standard deviation) Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication-9 (TSQM-9) score: 68.6 (18.6) and 69.9 (18.2), respectively] than women [65.3 (18.2), 66.2 (18.5)]. Conclusions: Overall response to biologics for PsA was rather favorable. With similar baseline disease severity, men appear to have a somewhat earlier and better response with higher treatment satisfaction.

ATLASGAL is a 870-mircon dust survey of 420 square degrees of the inner Galactic plane and has been used to identify ~10 000 dense molecular clumps. Dedicated follow-up observations and complementary surveys are used to characterise the physical properties of these clumps, map their Galactic distribution and investigate the evolutionary sequence for high-mass star formation. The analysis of the ATLASGAL data is ongoing: we present an up-to-date version of the catalogue. We have classified 5007 clumps into four evolutionary stages (quiescent, protostellar, young stellar objects and HII regions) and find similar numbers of clumps in each stage, suggesting a similar lifetime. The luminosity-to-mass (L/M) ratio curve shows a smooth distribution with no significant kinks or discontinuities when compared to the mean values for evolutionary stages indicating that the star-formation process is continuous and that the observational stages do not represent fundamentally different stages or changes in the physical mechanisms involved. We compare the evolutionary sample with other star-formation tracers (methanol and water masers, extended green objects and molecular outflows) and find that the association rates with these increases as a function of evolutionary stage, confirming that our classification is reliable. This also reveals a high association rate between quiescent sources and molecular outflows, revealing that outflows are the earliest indication that star formation has begun and that star formation is already ongoing in many of the clumps that are dark even at 70 micron.