Due to the development of anthelmintic resistance, there have been calls for more sustainable nematode control practices. Two important concepts were introduced to study and promote the sustainable ...use of anthelmintics: targeted treatments (TT), where the whole flock/herd is treated based on knowledge of the risk, or parameters that quantify the severity of infection; and targeted selective treatments (TST), where only individual animals within the grazing group are treated. The aim of the TT and TST approaches is to effectively control nematode-induced production impacts while preserving anthelmintic efficacy by maintaining a pool of untreated parasites in refugia. Here, we provide an overview of recent studies that assess the use of TT/TST against gastrointestinal nematodes in ruminants and investigate the economic consequences, feasibility and knowledge gaps associated with TST. We conclude that TT/TST approaches are ready to be used and provide practical benefits today. However, a major shift in mentality will be required to make these approaches common practice in parasite control.
Although cognitive dysfunction affects a relevant portion of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), its pathologic substrate has not been clarified and it does not seem entirely explained by white ...matter changes.
A total of 100 consecutive patients with relapsing remitting MS (RRMS) and 42 normal controls (NC) were enrolled in the study. Cognitive performance was assessed by Rao's Brief Repeatable Battery of Neuropsychological Tests (BRB). Regional cortical thickness (CTh) was evaluated by Freesurfer.
Thirty-one patients with RRMS failed 1 or 2 tests of BRB and were considered to have a mild cognitive impairment (mCI-RRMS), while 8 patients failed at least 3 tests and were classified as markedly impaired (sCI-RRMS). The mean CTh of mCI-RRMS and sCI-RRMS group was significantly lower than in NC (p < 0.001) and cognitively normal patients with RRMS (CN-RRMS) (p < 0.001). The regional analysis revealed significant cortical thinning in frontal and temporal regions (frontotemporal thinning) of CN-RRMS compared to NC, while a widespread pattern of cortical thinning was observed in mCI-RRMS and in sCI-RRMS compared to both CN-RRMS and NC. A correlation was observed between cognitive score (CS) and the mean CTh (r = -0.69, p < 0.001) and between CS and CTh of almost all the cortical areas analyzed (r value between -0.20 and -0.65, p < 0.01). A correlation was found between T2-WM-LV and mean CTh (r = -0.31, p = 0.004) or CS (r = 0.21, p = 0.031). The multivariate analysis confirmed a widespread cortical thinning as the best predictor of cognitive impairment.
A widespread pattern of cortical thinning characterizes patients with cognitive dysfunction, suggesting such dysfunction as expression of a more aggressive and widespread cortical pathology.
Introduction
On March 13th 2020, in execution of the Law Decree 14/2020 regarding the reorganization of National Health Care related to COVID-19 emergency, all non-urgent outpatient healthcare ...services were suspended in Italy. The present work describes remote support and online group psychotherapy set in motion during COVID-19 emergency for outpatients with Binge Eating Disorder.
Objectives
Aim of the present work is to describe and evaluate online support and group psychotherapy for outpatients with Binge Eating Disorder during lockdown due to COVID-19 emergency. Outcomes were evaluated by remote administration of questionnaires.
Methods
20 outpatients with Binge Eating Disorder, treated by psychotherapists of Hospital Psychology Unit in Psychiatry Day Hospital of an Italian General Hospital, received remote support by phone calls and online group psychotherapy from march to may 2020. During the first two weeks, patients were supported via phone calls. From the third week on, they took part to online group psychotherapy sessions, held every week at the same day and time. Pre-post remote administration of Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation-Outcome Measure (CORE-OM) and the Questionnaire of Eating Behaviours (Scheda dei Comportamenti Alimentari, SCA) was used to evaluate outcomes. Data were analyzed by Student’s t-test.
Results
No significant difference was found, thus indicating stability of symptomatology.
Conclusions
Lockdown was a highly stressful period, in which many people lost control on eating behaviours and those with Binge Eating Disorder were expected to have an exacerbation of symptoms. Remote support and online group psychotherapy proved effective in protecting patients from a possible aggravation of their condition.
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•A method for electrodeposition of a thin layer of nickel onto gold is optimized.•Only Ni(OH)2/NiOOH onto gold electrode catalyzes the glucose electrooxidation.•A single-frequency ...impedance method is proposed for non-enzymatic glucose sensors.•R2 of 0.984 between |Z| and glucose concentration at 0.1Hz was obtained.•Glucose impedimetric determination in blood samples was achieved using EAuNi(OH)2.
A non-enzymatic glucose sensor based on a thin layer of nickel immobilized on a gold electrode (EAuNi(OH)2) was used to perform impedimetric determination of glucose. The electrodeposition solution, composed of 0.010M Ni(NO3)2·6H2O and 1M of chloride, allows only one active catalyst (NiOOH) to be present on the gold electrode surface after activation with 0.1M KOH.
Electrochemical oxidation of glucose on EAuNi(OH)2 electrode was evaluated by Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) in the concentration range of 0–14.8mM of analyte. Ip/v1/2 vs scan rate graph shows a typical catalytic behavior by EAuNi(OH)2 toward glucose oxidation. Measurements in the presence of possible interfering species (ascorbic acid, uric acid, dopamine) did not affect the response of the analyte of interest.
EIS offers good sensibility and selectivity for the glucose detection by non-enzymatic glucose sensor as an alternative to conventional methods. A single-frequency impedance method is proposed as transduction principle. For that, the parameters of complex impedance (module, phase, real and imaginary impedance) at each frequency were evaluated in function of glucose concentration and in terms of correlation coefficient. These analyses show a better linear response for the module of impedance (|Z|) in the range of 0–2mM of glucose at 0.1Hz (R2=0.984) with a slope of 484.7ΩmM−1 of glucose. Finally, EAuNi(OH)2 was successfully applied to the assay of glucose in blood samples.
•Antibody response to D. repens in dogs develops before the onset of patency.•Wolbachia and D. repens antibodies had peaks of OD values on Days 220, 245, 281.•The specificity of IgG ELISA against D. ...repens and Wolbachia must be evaluated.•If microfilarial counts are too low, PCR can be considered a sensitive alternative.
Dogs are the primary host for Dirofilaria repens, therefore it is mandatory to accurately diagnose the canine infection and to expand our current knowledge on parasite biology and the immune response of the infected host for a better prevention.Thus, the aim of the present study was to provide new insights from experimental infections of dogs with D. repens, focusing on the evaluation of: 1) the pre-patent period and 2) the antibody response against D. repens somatic antigens and against the Wolbachia endosymbiont. Briefly, on Day 0, twenty purpose-bred Beagle dogs were experimentally infected with 50 infective larvae (L3) of D. repens. Starting from Day 58 until the last day of the study (Day 281), blood samples were collected on a monthly basis for detection of antibodies against D. repens (Dr) and recombinant Wolbachia surface protein (rWSP) by non-commercial IgG-ELISAs. Additional samples were collected on Days 220, 245 and 281 for the detection of microfilariae (mff) using the modified Knott’s test and biomolecular analysis, following two PCR protocols: Gioia et al. (2010; protocol A) and Rishniw et al. (2006- protocol B). The results were analysed by univariate statistical analyses using 2×2 contingency tables and K Cohen was calculated to assess the agreement among all the diagnostic techniques. Overall, the outcome of the study revealed that out of the 20 dogs experimentally infected with D. repens, 16 (80 %) were microfilaraemic, 17 (85 %) were positive at DNA detection in the blood, 18 (90 %) had D. repens antibodies and 16 (80 %) had Wolbachia antibodies on the last day of the study. The overall k agreement between Knott’s and PCR protocol B was 0.442 (P=0.0001) and increased throughout the study, reaching 0.828 (P=0.0001) on Day 281. To the authors knowledge, this is only the second study reporting antibody response to D. repens somatic antigen in experimentally infected dogs. ELISA results showed that an antibody response develops before the onset of patency, and steadily increases with time. Results would suggest that the development of an immunological response to infection could lead to application in epidemiological studies, risk assessment and as an aid in the diagnostic approach in dogs, in particular for early infections without mff.
Ready-to-eat (RTE) salads and berries are increasingly consumed in industrialized countries. These products can be contaminated by pathogenic parasites that have been responsible for foodborne ...outbreaks worldwide. In Italy, there are few data on contamination of RTE salads and berries with parasite transmission stages and this requires more-in-depth investigations. To estimate the prevalence of contamination with Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis in these fresh products, a total of 324 packages of local RTE mixed salads - belonging to three different industrial brands – and 324 packages of berries - blueberries from Peru, blackberries from Mexico, raspberries from Italy - were bought from supermarkets located in the Provinces of Bari and Foggia, Apulia, Italy. A pool size of nine packages was chosen and a total of 72 pools were processed in the whole year. After washing, the pellets were examined by microscopy (FLOTAC) and tested using conventional simplex PCR, targeting Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia duodenalis, and Entamoeba spp., and sequencing. Several Cryptosporidium species and Giardia duodenalis assemblages, some of which are of potential zoonotic relevance, as well as Entamoeba spp., were identified in both matrices. By microscopy, Giardia-like cysts in local raspberries and Entamoeba-like cysts in imported blueberries were detected. Giardia duodenalis (Assemblages A, B and E) and Entamoeba histolytica were molecularly confirmed with overall prevalences of 4.6% (95% C.I. 3.0–6.8) and 1% (95% C.I. 0.3–2.1), respectively. Molecular methods identified Cryptosporidium ryanae, Cryptosporidium bovis, Cryptosporidium xiaoi, and Cryptosporidium ubiquitum in both matrices, with a prevalence of 5.1% (95% C.I. 3.3–7.3). A distinct seasonality in prevalence was observed for G. duodenalis, with most positives occurring in spring, whereas Cryptosporidium showed no significant seasonal variations. These results highlight that inadequate management of fresh produce, both locally produced and imported, along the food chain may have the potential for consequences on human health.
•We analyzed Italian and imported fresh produce for contamination with parasites.•Both microscopy (FLOTAC) and molecular methods were employed.•Giardia Assemblages A, B, and E, and four species of Cryptosporidium were detected.•Entamoeba histolytica microscopically and molecularly detected in imported blueberries.•Fresh produce on the Italian market could be a transmission source for some parasites.
Liver transplant (LT) patients need regular follow-up both by ultrasonography and elastography. Shear wave elastography is now available in high-end ultrasound systems that, however, may yield ...different values for any given liver, reflecting technological differences. The aim of this study was to establish whether the point shear wave elastography QElaXto® (QEpSWE), available on Esaote (Genoa, Italy) systems, is comparable to the standard Fibroscan® (vibration-controlled transient elastography, VCTE) in the real-life setting of liver transplant (LT) patients.
We prospectively examined with QEpSWE 196 consecutive LT patients referred for VCTE and ultrasound examination. The agreement between QEpSWE and VCTE was assessed with Lin concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) and Bland-Altman analysis. The performance of QEpSWE was assessed with the ROC curves using the VCTE cut-offs of 7 and 12 kPa for F2-F3 and F4, respectively.
The two methods showed 100% of successful and reliable liver stiffness measurements (LSM), similar median LSM in the whole group and in the two subgroups F2-F3 and F4 of fibrosis, with a disagreement in categorization of liver fibrosis in only 2% of cases, and never more than 1 stage of fibrosis. Further, they presented the same degree of higher LSMs in clinically unstable LT patients and an excellent overall agreement (CCC=0.91, accuracy=0.95, precision=0.96), even if agreement was less satisfactory in the range of severe fibrosis. The optimal cutoffs of QEpSWE were 6.7 and 11.6 kPa for F2-F3 and F4, respectively.
The values of VCTE and QEpSWE showed a very high correlation in the staging of liver fibrosis. QEpSWE seems a promising method for staging liver fibrosis in LT patients.
Summary
Gastrointestinal (GI) nematode control has an important role to play in increasing livestock production from a limited natural resource base and to improve animal health and welfare. In this ...synthetic review, we identify key research priorities for GI nematode control in farmed ruminants and pigs, to support the development of roadmaps and strategic research agendas by governments, industry and policymakers. These priorities were derived from the DISCONTOOLS gap analysis for nematodes and follow‐up discussions within the recently formed Livestock Helminth Research Alliance (LiHRA). In the face of ongoing spread of anthelmintic resistance (AR), we are increasingly faced with a failure of existing control methods against GI nematodes. Effective vaccines against GI nematodes are generally not available, and anthelmintic treatment will therefore remain a cornerstone for their effective control. At the same time, consumers and producers are increasingly concerned with environmental issues associated with chemical parasite control. To address current challenges in GI nematode control, it is crucial to deepen our insights into diverse aspects of epidemiology, AR, host immune mechanisms and the socio‐psychological aspects of nematode control. This will enhance the development, and subsequent uptake, of the new diagnostics, vaccines, pharma‐/nutraceuticals, control methods and decision support tools required to respond to the spread of AR and the shifting epidemiology of GI nematodes in response to climatic, land‐use and farm husbandry changes. More emphasis needs to be placed on the upfront evaluation of the economic value of these innovations as well as the socio‐psychological aspects to prioritize research and facilitate uptake of innovations in practice. Finally, targeted regulatory guidance is needed to create an innovation‐supportive environment for industries and to accelerate the access to market of new control tools.
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