The epidemic of antimicrobial resistance is a widespread health challenge that deserves a One Health approach. Bacteria resistant to antimicrobials and their resistance genes can be transferred from ...food-producing animals and pets to humans and vice versa. Many studies have shown that resistant bacteria are emerging in companion animals and that a number of resistance genes are being shared between pets and humans. Even stray cats, which have contact with humans and share the urban environment with them, can therefore act as reservoirs of antimicrobial resistance for humans and their pets. Therefore, to investigate the implication of these animals as disseminators of antibiotic resistance, we phenotypically and genotypically assessed the resistance of commensal E. coli isolated from stray cat feces. The E. coli analyzed were resistant to ampicillin, tetracyclines and sulfisoxazole and carried genes that encode these resistances. Even though there is still a need for further studies, the occurrence of resistant E. coli provides support for the assumption that stray cats may be fecal sources of resistance, so it is necessary to monitor these animals in antimicrobial resistance surveillance programs. Antimicrobial resistance is a widespread global health problem. The presence of resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes has been demonstrated not only in humans but also in animals, including pets. Stray cats share the urban environment with people and pets. This may facilitate transmission of resistant bacteria and resistance genes between stray animals, people and domestic animals. Several studies have investigated the role of stray cats as a fecal carrier of ESBL-producing bacteria. However, there are many genes and resistance mechanisms that can be detected in commensal E. coli, which, because of its genetic plasticity, is considered an indicator for monitoring antibiotic resistance. In this study, rectal swabs were collected from stray cats from colonies and shelters in the city of Monza (Monza Brianza, Italy) to isolate commensal E. coli. Phenotypic tests, such as the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the double disc test (DDST), and molecular analyses to detect antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) were used to study the resistance of these isolates. The results obtained confirm that stray cats can carry ESBL-producing E. coli (6.7%) and genes conferring resistance to other important antibiotic classes such as tetracyclines and sulfonamides.
Introduction. The induction of pneumoperitoneum is the first and most critical phase of laparoscopy, due to the significant risk of serious vascular and visceral complications. The closed technique ...for the creation of pneumoperitoneum could lead to several surgical complications. The present study aimed to overcome the complications associated with the insertion of Veress needle, improving its use, and facilitating the rapid creation of pneumoperitoneum. Methods. Thirty large white female pigs were enrolled in our study. A common plunger was modified in order to allow the passage of a 15-cm long Veress needle. This method was applied to 26 laparoscopic procedures (26 pigs) of several specialist branches. Results. OneShot-M close laparoscopy pneumoperitoneum creation device allowed us to obtain pneumoperitoneum quickly in all attempts, without any intraoperative and postoperative complications related to the use of the Veress needle. Conclusion. The use of the proposed device showed an induction time as quick as the standard laparoscopic closed abdominal entry. The patented device is cheap and allows a safe abdominal entry. In addition, abdominal entry is much faster than the classic open technique.
Summary
Aim
The discovery of new natural compounds with pharmacological properties is a field of interest widely growing. Recent literature shows that Brassica vegetables (Cruciferae) possess ...therapeutic effects particularly ascribed due to their content in glucosinolates, which upon myrosinase hydrolysis release the corresponding isothiocyanates. This study examines the potential neuroprotective and immunomodulatory effects of (RS)‐glucoraphanin from Tuscan black kale (Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala sabellica) bioactivated with myrosinase (bioactive RS‐GRA) (10 mg/kg/day intraperitoneally), in an experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a model of multiple sclerosis.
Methods
EAE was induced by immunization with myelin oligodendroglial glycoprotein peptide (MOG35–55) in mice. After immunization, mice were observed daily for signs of EAE and weight loss. Clinical score was evaluated using a standardized scoring system.
Results
By Western blot analysis of spinal cord tissues, we have demonstrated that treatment with bioactive RS‐GRA significantly decreased nuclear factor (NF)‐kB translocation, pro‐inflammatory cytokine production such as interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β), and apoptosis (Bax and caspase 3 expression).
Conclusion
Our results clearly demonstrate that bioactive RS‐GRA treatment may represent a useful therapeutic perspective in the treatment of this disease.
The purpose of this work is to evaluate the effects of (RS)-glucoraphanin, a glucosinolate present in Brassicaceae, notably in Tuscan black kale, and bioactivated with myrosinase enzyme (bioactive ...RS-GRA) (10mg/kg intraperitoneally), and to assess its capacity to prevent the dysfunction of the blood–brain barrier (BBB), a fundamental structure for brain homeostasis, in a mouse model of restraint stress.
CD1 mice were subjected to restraint stress by blocking the body with a tape on a table for 150min at the four extremities. After the sacrifice of the animals, stomachs and brains were collected to perform histological evaluation, Evan's blue dye, immunohistochemistry and western blotting analysis, to evaluate whether immobilization stress leads to alterations of tight junction (TJ) components, such as claudin-1, claudin-3 and ZO-1.
Immobilization causes considerable damage to BBB as shown by detection of Evan's blue dye, indicating a high level of extravasation due to stress. BBB alterations were accompanied by an enhancement of GFAP expression, IkB-alpha degradation followed by increased NF-kBp65 nuclear translocation, as well as caspase 3 overexpression. Conversely, our results revealed that bioactive RS-GRA treatment significantly counteracts the changes in all these parameters and preserves TJ integrity reducing the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-α and IL-1β, and increasing the production of IL-10, an anti-inflammatory cytokine.
Additionally, bioactive RS-GRA shows antioxidant properties modulating iNOS and nitrotyrosine expression.
Our results clearly show that bioactive RS-GRA could represent a possible treatment during pharmacological therapy of stress.
Background: The aim of this study was to assess the effect of seeding the distal nerve suture with nerve fragments in rats.
Methods: On 20 rats, a 15 mm sciatic nerve defect was reconstructed with a ...nerve autograft. In the Study Group (10 rats), a minced 1 mm nerve segment was seeded around the nerve suture. In the Control Group (10 rats), a nerve graft alone was used. At 4 and 12 weeks, a walking track analysis with open field test (WTA), hystomorphometry (number of myelinated fibers (n), fiber density (FD) and fiber area (FA) and soleus and gastrocnemius muscle weight ratios (MWR) were evaluated. The Student t-test was used for statistical analysis.
Results: At 4 and 12 weeks the Study Group had a significantly higher n and FD (p = .043 and .033). The SMWR was significantly higher in the Study Group at 12 weeks (p = .0207).
Conclusions: Seeding the distal nerve suture with nerve fragments increases the number of myelinated fibers, the FD and the SMWR. The technique seems promising and deserves further investigation to clarify the mechanisms involved and its functional effects.
Even after more than 100 years of inguinal hernia repair, the rate of complications and recurrence remains unacceptably high. In the last decades, few effective advances in surgical technique and ...materials have been made. The authors see them as minor adjustments in the shape and materials of the prosthetic implants. Still, the underlying genesis of inguinal hernia remains undefined. Based upon this, it seems the surgical repair of inguinal protrusions cannot be based upon the pathogenesis because the etiology to date has not been addressed. Most hernia repairs are performed with some degree of point fixation (sutures/tacks) to stop the mesh from migrating and creating high recurrence rates. This should be a priority for our considerations, as fixating mesh puts it in stark contrast to the physiology and dynamics of the myotendineal structures of the groin. Following years of surgical practice, implant fixation, mesh shrinkage, and poor quality of tissue ingrowth still represent an unresolved issue in modern hernia repair. Conventional prosthetics used for inguinal hernia repair are static and passive. They do not move in harmony with the dynamic elements of the groin structure and, as a result, induce the ingrowth of thin scar plates or shrinking regressive tissue that colonizes the implants. The authors strongly believe that these characteristics may be a contributing factor for recurrences and patient discomfort. Other complications are reported in the literature to be a direct result of fixation of the implants, such as bleeding, nerve entrapment, hematoma, pain, discomfort, and testicular complications. To improve results by respecting the physiology and kinetics of the inguinal region, we felt that a new type of prosthesis should be designed that induces a more structured tissue ingrowth similar to the natural biologic components of the abdominal wall. This prosthetic device was specifically designed to be placed with no point fixation. This was achieved by using inherent radial recoil, vertical buffering, friction, and delivering the device in a constrained state. A secondary benefit of this “dynamic” design is that the implant moves in a three‐dimensional way in unison with the movements of the myotendineal structures of the groin. The results appear to show that the three‐dimensional structure not only acts as a suitable scaffold for a full thickness ingrowth of a tissue barrier but also seems to induce an ordered, supple, elastic tissue, which allows for neorevascularization and neoneural growth. The outcomes indicate a reduced impact of fibrotic shrinkage on the implant/scar tissue when compared with shrinkage of polypropylene meshes reported in the literature. This pilot study shows the features of such an implant in a porcine experimental model.
Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, are pathologies characterized by a chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Their etiopathogenesis is not ...yet fully understood. Immune system and heat shock proteins (Hsps) dysfunctions are considered to be among the most likely causes of these diseases. Butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid mainly produced by intestinal microflora. It has a trophic, beneficial and protective role in the colonic mucosa, and it also induces changes in Hsp levels and localization. It may therefore be a valuable complementary therapeutic agent when used alongside traditional drugs (mesalazine and corticosteroids) to treat such conditions. The administration of specific probiotic formulations in order to increase the production of butyrate in the endoluminal environment may promote clinical remission in IBD patients. Due to these characteristics, there has been keen interest in the use of butyrate as a novel therapeutic supplement in the recent years. The current findings need to be validated through further clinical trials to better define the biomolecular dynamics of butyrate in the colonocytes of IBD patients.
The aim of the present work is to evaluate the effectiveness of the use of ultrasound scalpel during laparoscopic ovariectomy in the bitch.
Two groups of 10 subjects each, of different races and ...ages, were compared. In the first group, ovariectomy was performed laparoscopically, using harmonic scalpel to remove ovary. In the second group surgery was performed by means of classical laparotomy.
Pre-operative time was similar in both groups. Total operative time, from incision to skin suture, showed significant difference between the two groups, being laparoscopy faster than laparotomy. Partial operative time for bilateral oophorectomy resulted lower using open technique, but, considering each ovary, there was no significant difference in both groups.
The use of harmonic scalpel to perform ovariectomy during laparoscopy is an effective time-sparing surgical approach compared to the already great practicality of laparotomy.
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