Information on the influence of pre-hospital antibiotic treatment on the causative organisms, clinical features and outcomes of patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains scarce. We ...performed an observational study of a prospective cohort of non-immunosuppressed adults hospitalized with CAP between 2003 and 2012. Patients were divided into two groups: those who had received pre-hospital antibiotic treatment for the same episode of CAP and those who had not. A propensity score was used to match patients. Of 2179 consecutive episodes of CAP, 376 (17.3%) occurred in patients who had received pre-hospital antibiotic treatment. After propensity score matching, Legionella pneumophila was more frequently identified in patients with pre-hospital antibiotic treatment, while Streptococcus pneumoniae was less common (p <0.001 and p <0.001, respectively). Bacteraemia was less frequent in pre-treated patients (p 0.01). The frequency of positive sputum culture and the sensitivity and specificity of the pneumococcal urinary antigen test for diagnosing pneumococcal pneumonia were similar in the two groups. Patients with pre-hospital antibiotic treatment were less likely to present fever (p 0.02) or leucocytosis (p 0.001). Conversely, chest X-ray cavitation was more frequent in these patients (p 0.04). No significant differences were found in the frequency of patients classified into high-risk Pneumonia Severity Index classes, in intensive care unit admission, or in 30-day mortality between the groups. In conclusion, L. pneumophila occurrence was nearly three times higher in patients who received pre-hospital antibiotics. After a propensity-adjusted analysis, no significant differences were found in prognosis between study groups. Pre-hospital antibiotic use should be considered when choosing aetiological diagnostic tests and empirical antibiotic therapy in patients with CAP.
Previous studies have shown that stunting increases the risk of obesity in developing countries, particularly among girls and women, but the underlying reasons are not known. This study aimed to ...investigate the relationship between stunting, weight gain, and resting metabolic rate.
A prospective study was conducted over 36 months with girls from shantytowns in São Paulo, Brazil. A total of 15 stunted girls (S) were compared with 15 nonstunted (N) ones of similar weight for height ratio.
Resting metabolic rate was measured using indirect calorimetry, and the socioeconomic status was determined by interviews in the household. In addition, body composition was measured by skinfold thickness, while the growth rate was calculated dividing the change in weight and the change in height by the follow-up period.
The results of the present study, when combined, revealed that the S group had a lower resting metabolic rate throughout the follow-up period with the differences being significant at 24 and 36 months of follow-up, associated with an increase in the rate of weight gain and a decrease in lean mass, when compared to the N group.
These changes are known to be risk factors for obesity and may help to explain the particularly higher prevalence of obesity in women in urban areas of developing countries.
Nanotechnology has brought significant advancements to agriculture through the development of engineered nanomaterials (ENPs). Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) capped with polysaccharides have been ...applied in agricultural diagnostics, crop pest management, and seed priming. Hyaluronic acid (HA), a natural polysaccharide with bactericidal properties, has been considered a growth regulator for plant tissues and an inducer of systemic resistance against plant diseases. Additionally, HA has been employed as a stabilizing agent for AgNPs. This study investigated the synthesis and effects of hyaluronic acid-stabilized silver nanoparticles (HA-AgNPs) as a seed priming agent on lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) seed germination. HA-AgNPs were characterized using several techniques, exhibiting spherical morphology and good colloidal stability. Germination assays conducted with 0.1, 0.04, and 0.02 g/L of HA-AgNPs showed a concentration-dependent reduction in seed germination. Conversely, lower concentrations of HA-AgNPs significantly increased germination rates, survival, tolerance indices, and seed water absorption compared to silver ions (Ag+). SEM/EDS indicated more significant potential for HA-AgNPs internalization compared to Ag+. Therefore, these findings are innovative and open new avenues for understanding the impact of Ag+ and HA-AgNPs on seed germination.
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•AgNPs stabilized with hyaluronic acid showed good colloidal stability.•HA-AgNPs influence water dynamics in Lettuce Seeds.•HA-AgNPs induced different biochemical alterations in seed tissues.•A dose-dependent accumulation of silver was observed in the lettuce seeds.•HA-AgNPs demonstrated superior silver internalization in lettuce seeds.
ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of anti-Neospora caninum antibodies in Girolando cows, in order to evaluate the association between seropositivity and reproductive ...disorders. Blood samples were collected from 40 dairy cows in their reproductive phase from the cranial superficial epigastric vein. The blood samples were tested using the Indirect Fluorescence Antibody Test (IFAT) to detect anti-N.caninum antibodies. The serological results were used to verify whether there was any association with the manifestation of reproductive disorders based on data from the records of reproductive history from 2017 to 2018 as well as the clinical observations of the herd throughout this study. The Fisher exact test was used to verify the existence of an association between the serology and reproductive disorders, adopting a 95% confidence level. The serological results showed a 27.5% seroprevalence in the herd for N. caninum, however, after statistical analysis, no association between seropositivity and reproductive disorders was found in the evaluated herd. Although the studied population is infected with Neospora caninum, we can infer that anti-Neospora caninum antibodies present in Girolando dairy cows at the UFRRJ Dairy Cattle Facility are not associated with the occurrence of reproductive disorders.
RESUMO O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar a presença de anticorpos anti-Neospora caninum em vacas Girolando, avaliando-se a associação entre a soropositividade e os distúrbios reprodutivos. Foram coletadas amostras de sangue da veia epigástrica superficial cranial de 40 vacas leiteiras em fase reprodutiva, sendo as amostras testadas pela reação de imunofluorescência indireta (RIFI) para detecção de anticorpos anti-N. caninum. A partir dos resultados sorológicos, foi realizada a verificação de associação, ou não, com a manifestação de distúrbios reprodutivos, coletados nos registros de histórico reprodutivo entre 2017 e 2018 e observações do rebanho no transcorrer do estudo. O teste exato de Fisher foi utilizado para verificar a existência de associação entre a sorologia e os distúrbios reprodutivos, adotando-se nível de confiança de 95%. O resultado do estudo demonstrou uma soroprevalência no rebanho de 27,5% para N. caninum, contudo, após análise estatística, não foi confirmada a associação entre soropositividade e distúrbios reprodutivos no rebanho avaliado. Apesar de a população estudada estar infectada com o Neospora caninum, pode-se inferir que anticorpos anti-Neospora caninum presentes em vacas leiteiras Girolando do Setor de Bovinocultura de Leite da UFRRJ não estão associados à ocorrência de distúrbios reprodutivos.
•Non-invasive stratigraphy was successfully realized through SORS.•Layer composition in a fresco was determined.•Diagnosis and conservation tool was tested and validated for cultural heritage.
We ...applied micro-scale Spatially Offset Raman Spectroscopy (micro-SORS) to perform the analysis of the layer composition in a fresco of the San Giuseppe church in Cagliari (XVIII century – under restoration). Standard Raman analysis of the surface evidenced the presence of expected pigments in the final plaster layer, such as hematite and calcium sulphate, beside the contribution of calcite. The second one is observed in its anhydrous form on the substrate layers (main Raman peak at 1024 cm−1) and in its hydrate form (1006 cm−1) from the surface. With micro-SORS analysis we evaluated the stratigraphy of the different layers of the plaster by monitoring the intensity ratio of the calcite and the anhydrous calcium sulphate. Four different layers with separation boundaries at about 80 μm, 600 μm and 2400 μm of defocusing distance were evidenced, corresponding to the painting layer “velo”(down to 80 μm), the plaster “rasatura” (down to 600 μm), the “arriccio” layer (down to 2400 μm) and the “rinzaffo” layer (below 2400 μm). The cross-sectional analysis by SEM imaging of a fragment from the fresco confirmed the micro-SORS findings, promoting the technique as a new non-invasive stratigraphy tool for cultural heritage.
Purpose Patients who were PCR-positive for B-cell leukemialymphoma 2 (bcl-2) gene rearrangement t(14,18) were evaluated for responses to rituximab alone or combined with CHOP. Patients and methods ...Patients had relapsed or refractory low-grade or follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (IWF. A–D) The single-agent trial used 375 mg/m2 weekly × 4, combination therapy included six cycles of CHOP and six 375 mg/m2 infusions of rituximab Bcl-2 analyses of bone marrow (BM) and peripheral blood (PB) samples at base-line and following therapy were performed using a PCR assay Results: In the single-agent trial, of 70 patients whose peripheral blood (PB) was bcl-2 positive at baseline, 36 became bcl-2-negative, 13 remained positive, and 21 varied between positive and negative The overall response rates (ORRs) were 72%, 31%, and 57%, respectively Twelve of twenty-two patients with repeat bone marrow (BM) samples were bcl-2- negative three months post-treatment Of 18 patients in the combination trial, 8 were bcl-2 positive in PB and/or BM All of seven patients positive in PB at baseline and six of seven patients positive in BM were negative at the end of therapy, all patients responded to treatment (100% ORR). Conclusions Rituximab, alone or combined with CHOP, eradicated bcl-2 positive cells from PB and BM in over half of the patients treated and was associated with a high overall clinical response rate The impact on disease-free and overall survival awaits long-term follow up
In this paper, different pressurisation and heat recovering techniques for an existing 100
kW molten carbonate fuel cell developed by Ansaldo fuel cells (formerly Ansaldo Ricerche) such as ...electrically driven compressors for anode (fuel) and cathode side (air), turbocharger, simple cycle gas turbine and regenerated gas turbine are analysed and discussed.
The analysis has been carried out using for the FCS–MCFC stack simulation a model developed by the Thermochemical Power Group of the University of Genoa carefully tested with available experimental design point data. The design point hybrid system configurations have been analysed in detail using the code HS-MCFC based on the cited MCFC stack model and developed using Simulink language Master Thesis, University of Genoa, 2001.
The different hybrid systems design point performance are presented and discussed in great detail, taking into account efficiency, specific power, costs, feasibility, and the need of modification of the existing FC–MCFC systems.
Due to the size of the hybrid systems investigated (100–150
kW) they are very interesting for distributed power generation applications.
Using data collected at the Pierre Auger Observatory during the past 3.7 years, we demonstrated a correlation between the arrival directions of cosmic rays with energy above 6 x 10(19) electron volts ...and the positions of active galactic nuclei (AGN) lying within approximately 75 megaparsecs. We rejected the hypothesis of an isotropic distribution of these cosmic rays with at least a 99% confidence level from a prescribed a priori test. The correlation we observed is compatible with the hypothesis that the highest-energy particles originate from nearby extragalactic sources whose flux has not been substantially reduced by interaction with the cosmic background radiation. AGN or objects having a similar spatial distribution are possible sources.
Intellectual disability (ID) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are genetically heterogeneous, and a significant number of genes have been associated with both conditions. A few mutations in POGZ ...have been reported in recent exome studies; however, these studies do not provide detailed clinical information. We collected the clinical and molecular data of 25 individuals with disruptive mutations in POGZ by diagnostic whole-exome, whole-genome, or targeted sequencing of 5,223 individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders (ID primarily) or by targeted resequencing of this locus in 12,041 individuals with ASD and/or ID. The rarity of disruptive mutations among unaffected individuals (2/49,401) highlights the significance (p = 4.19 × 10−13; odds ratio = 35.8) and penetrance (65.9%) of this genetic subtype with respect to ASD and ID. By studying the entire cohort, we defined common phenotypic features of POGZ individuals, including variable levels of developmental delay (DD) and more severe speech and language delay in comparison to the severity of motor delay and coordination issues. We also identified significant associations with vision problems, microcephaly, hyperactivity, a tendency to obesity, and feeding difficulties. Some features might be explained by the high expression of POGZ, particularly in the cerebellum and pituitary, early in fetal brain development. We conducted parallel studies in Drosophila by inducing conditional knockdown of the POGZ ortholog row, further confirming that dosage of POGZ, specifically in neurons, is essential for normal learning in a habituation paradigm. Combined, the data underscore the pathogenicity of loss-of-function mutations in POGZ and define a POGZ-related phenotype enriched in specific features.
Laparoscopic surgery is associated with shorter hospital stay and less post-operative morbidity. Cost, expertise and availability of equipment, however remain limitations to the range of surgeries ...available in low resource settings.
To determine the indications, the patient characteristics and the surgical outcomes of laparoscopic gynaecological surgeries in a Nigerian private tertiary level hospital.
This retrospective observational study included all gynaecologic laparoscopy procedures done between August 2016 and July 2021, at the Babcock University Teaching Hospital (BUTH). Data were extracted from the hospital records with the use of a proforma designed for this purpose and were analyzed using the SPSS version 21.0.
Laparoscopy accounted for 13.5% of gynaecological surgeries. They were majorly in nulliparous women (67.6%) of reproductive age (mean 33.9±10.2 years and median of 32 years). The commonest indication was secondary infertility (27.3%) and operative procedures were more commonly done (59.0%). The mean duration of surgery was 94.8±52.4 min and conversion to laparotomy rate was 8.6%. Operative procedures lasted longer (113.9±58.1 min) and accounted for most conversions, 10/12 (83.3%). Intraoperative complication rate was 2.2% and they were mostly (66.7%) entry related. The mean duration of hospitalization was 2.2± 1.6 days.
The prevalence and indications for laparoscopic surgeries were similar to findings from other parts of Nigeria. Operative procedures were however more commonly done. In spite of the sustained increase in procedure rates, a steady decline in the duration of surgery, conversion and complication rates occurred. Private hospitals may have potential for uninterrupted progression of laparoscopic gynaecocologic surgeries in Nigeria.
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