Search

Purpose: This study aims to compare single-row suture-anchors (SA) versus transosseous arthroscopic (TO) technique in the treatment of patients with rotator cuff tears in terms of clinical structural outcomes at atleast 24 months of follow-up. Methods: The systematic review was performed according to "PRISMA guidelines" (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses), in order to identify all the studies comparing clinical, both subjective and objective, outcomes with 24 months follow-up minimum in patients undergoing arthroscopic RC repair with the SR and TO technique. OVID-MEDLINE®, Cochrane, SCOPUS and PubMed were searched from January 2010 to October 2022 to identify relevant studies, using the following key words, that were combined together to achieve maximum search strategy sensitivity: "Rotator cuff tear" OR "repair" OR "shoulder" OR "reconstruction" OR "suture" OR "arthroscopic" OR "single-row" OR "transosseous". Results: Six papers were finally analyzed in this meta-analysis. The weighted mean difference on Constant scores and for ASES for studies considering suture-anchors (SA) group showed good outcomes. The weighted mean difference of Constant scores and of ASES for TO (transosseous) group showed good outcomes. The weighted mean difference of CONSTANT for TO versus SA groups showed no differences in the outcomes of SA and TO techniques for the repair of Rotator Cuff Tears at minimum 24 months follow-up. Conclusions: The Arthroscopic transosseous rotator cuff repair technique and SA (suture-anchor) technique both lead to significant short-term improvement and satisfactory subjective outcome scores with low complication/failure rates. No differences were found in the final outcome between the two techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of the technology and techniques of dispersing metal alloys is important both from the point of view of improving the quality of powders, as well as increasing the volume of production and increasing the economic and ecological safety of the technosphere. Metal powder is an indispensable functional component for many modern branches of industry. Against the background of the growing demands for the production of metal powders, we have developed and optimized a new device for hydro-vacuum dispersion of melts, the essence of innovation and advantage of which lies in sucking and dispersing the melt in the direction opposite to the action of the force of gravity, under 150-200g gravity overload conditions, where the main work is performed by hydraulic rarefaction resulting from a sharp (on 162°) refraction of direction and rapid expansion of a high-pressure water annular flow, with the superimposition of spatial shock- pulsating waves generated in the outer shell of the formed cone-shaped vortex. The device is characterized by high production and low energy costs, while powders - by increased specific surface, improved purity and high activity.

The current study presents a highly sensitive and selective surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) based method for detecting Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) in food and water samples. The bioassay includes target bacteria recognition by a specific aptamer complex, fast syringe filtration and the assessment of unbound biorecognition complexes using a silver-coated porous silicon SERS platform. Notably, the developed bioassay showed high sensitivity toward S. aureus detection, achieving an impressive detection limit of 2 CFU mL−1 and a broad linear response of 101–106 CFU mL−1. Furthermore, the selectivity, regeneration and overall shelf-life were thoroughly evaluated while depicting satisfactory performances. Finally, the practicality of the developed SERS bioassay was elucidated in various samples (i.e., fish, milk, groundwater and tahini) spiked with different S. aureus concentrations that revealed recovery values of 93–110%. The successful validation of actual samples' analysis emphasizes the platform's reliability, robustness and suitability for practical use, including on-site operation.

Background: Treatment resistant depression (TRD) is diagnosed when patients experiencing a major depressive episode fail to respond to ≥2 treatments. Along with substantial indirect costs, patients with TRD have higher healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) than other patients with depression. However, research on the economic impact of this HCRU, and differences according to response to treatment, is lacking.Methods: This multicenter, observational study documented HCRU among patients with TRD in European clinical practice initiating new antidepressant treatments. Data regarding access to outpatient consultations and other healthcare resources for the first 6 months, collected using a questionnaire, were analyzed qualitatively according to response and remission status. The economic impact of HCRU, estimated using European costing data, was analyzed quantitatively.Results: Among 411 patients, average HCRU was higher in non-responders, attending five times more general practitioner (GP) consultations and spending longer in hospital (1.7 versus 1.1 days) than responders. Greater differences were observed according to remission status, with non-remitters attending seven times more GP consultations and spending approximately three times longer in hospital (1.7 versus 0.6 days) than remitters. Consequently, the estimated economic impacts of non-responders and non-remitters were significantly greater than those of responders and remitters, respectively.Limitations: Key limitations are small cohort size, absence of control groups and generalizability to different healthcare systems.Conclusion: Patients with TRD, particularly those not achieving remission, have considerable HCRU, with associated economic impact. The costs of unmet TRD treatment needs are thus substantial, and treatment success is fundamental to reduce individual needs and societal costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Georgia, there are 40 species from 21 genera and nine families of rodents, along with one species from a single genus and a family of hares. The dataset, which includes 3146 records, provides information regarding the presence of these species within 1559 locations. Of the total of 3146 records, 285 records from 281 locations belong to hares, while 2864 records from 1394 locations are associated with rodents. The dataset incorporates data sourced from various institutions, including the Collection of the Institute of Zoology of Ilia State University, the Georgian National Museum, the Collection of the Zoological Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences, the Zoological Museum of Moscow State University, as well as data extracted from literature and our own field data. The method for establishing the dataset included data compilation from all the above-mentioned sources. The dataset includes records from 1855 through to 2022.In this publication, out of 3146 records, 14.9% are our new unpublished data. The unpublished data were collected from 2004 through to 2022. In total, 26% of all records are literature data, 50% are museum data and 24% are data collected by us. The dataset includes data obtained from literature sources, museum collections and the field observations. It includes occurrences of species found in the same locality, but within different years, resulting in separate records for each location. The dataset provided has the potential to significantly contribute to our understanding of the distribution of rodents and hares in Georgia.

Of the 108 species that occur in Georgia, ten species are insectivores belonging to the order Eulipotyphla. Forty percent of them are endemic to the Caucasus and sixty percent are endemic to the Middle East, including the Caucasus. Up to now, no comprehensive data on the distribution of insectivores in Georgia have been available.The aggregated standardised data on the occurrence of small mammals can be applied to resource management, biogeography, ecological and systematic studies and to the planning of nature conservation efforts. Hereafter, the attempt to provide accumulated in one paper all known points of insectivores' occurrence in Georgia and make it available to researchers via the open repository GBIF is presented.The dataset is based on both literature data from 30 published sources (251 records), collection vouchers from four main zoological collections containing vouchers from Georgia (415 records) and authors' fieldwork results (217 records). The occurrence points of the specimens stored in collections and museums have been extracted from museum voucher labels and museum journals.All known sampling points of insectivores in Georgia are collected in one dataset for the first time. Our field surveillance data reach about 24.6% of the records. Most of our data collected since 2003 have not been published yet. About 28.4% of the records have been recovered from publications in Russian and Georgian languages and 47% of the dataset records are derived from collections.

In Georgia, currently, 30 species of bats are recorded from four families and eleven genera. Although the oldest record of bats is from 1835 and continues until today, there are no comprehensive data available for bat diversity and distribution in Georgia. Thus, we aimed to fill that gap and make complete, expertly curated literature and our own published data openly available (through GBIF) for researchers and conservationists.In this publication, out of 1987 records, 1243 (62.4%) are new and unpublished data. Generally, out of all records, 34% are literature and museum data and 66% are data collected by us. Additionally, for the first time in the history of the study of bats in Georgia, we initiated surveys in forested areas of the country.

The dynamics, structure and characteristics of Georgias foreign trade in services over the past quarter of a century are examined. The features of the Georgias tourism services export, its quantitative and qualitative indicators, as well as the importance of the tourism industry and the export of tourism services for the countrys economy are analyzed. It is concluded that, in fact, only the export of tourism services smooths out the deficit of foreign trade balance of Georgia, and gives to the country the currency earnings from its foreign trade. In the export of tourism services, Georgia is almost completely dependent on the countries of the post-Soviet area, in particular, on the Russian Federation. The current medium-term tourism strategy of Georgia is considered, and the additional recommendations are proposed. In particular, for the development of the countrys tourism industry and for the increasing the export of tourism services, it is recommended to create the stylistic image and event specialization of the regions, and to develop the infrastructure for cheap automobile tourism.

Abstract The technological factors required to improve the operational properties of granulated metallurgical slags demanded in the building industry have been analyzed. In order to satisfy these factors, a new technology for hydro-vacuum granulation of slag melts (HVG) has been developed. It is shown that the main advantage of the proposed HVG process is the provision of forced high-speed vortex convection of water, with the effect of vertical suction, crushing, and degassing of the three-phase (water–slag granules–water vapor) heterogeneous medium formed during the overcooling and solidification of slag. It is proved that the high-speed volumetric disintegration and overcooling with the degassing effect sharply reduces a degree of aggressive gas/vapor impact on the being cooled particles of slag, which, in turn, leads to the reduction of the perforation degree of the granules. The obtained granules are distinguished by stable fractionation and improved, well-defined dense amorphous glassy structure, the water-holding capacity of which has reduced from 45–50% to 25–13%, the actual moisture content from 24–20% to 6–4%, while the hydraulic activity in terms of CaO-uptake increased from the conventional 320–360 mg/g to 610–650 mg/g. Pilot scale research demonstrated that the designed equipment for the HVG technology allows sustainable control of the quality of granules, and it has the potential for further development and implementation.

A study was performed based on the design of a new wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) to be built in Weesp, The Netherlands (about 46,000 Population Equivalents (PE)). The conventional activated sludge plant was considered among the alternatives, with and without primary sedimentation. This pre-treatment technique is considered a sustainability measure as it improves the energy balance of the WWTP. However, at the same time, the question arose about the cost effectiveness of this measure. The scope of the study was to assess whether other sustainability measures (like solar panels) can realise the same level of sustainability with lower costs. The outcome of the study indeed shows that, for a new WWTP, it is considerably cheaper to avoid primary sedimentation and focus on other measures like solar panels instead. This appeared not only to be the case for the scale of WWTP Weesp, but also for WWTPs with capacities higher than 500,000 PE. For existing WWTPs with primary sedimentation, the choice can be different as customisation is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In hospital water systems legionellae may be resistant to disinfectants in pipework, which is a problem particularly in areas where there is low flow or stagnation of water. We evaluated legionella colonization of a water network of an Italian hospital after time flow taps (TFTs) installation in proximity to dead legs. The water volume flushed was 64 L/day from May 2016, and 192 L/day from December 2016. Before TFTs installation, Legionella pneumophila sg2-14 was detected in all points (4 × 104 ± 3.1 × 104 cfu/L). All sites remained positive (2.9 × 104 ± 1.9 × 104 cfu/L) through November 2016. From December 2016 legionella persisted in one point only (2 × 102 to 6.8 × 103 cfu/L). TFTs with chemical disinfection may reduce legionella colonization associated with dead legs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article researches the development of foreign trade in goods of Georgia in the context of the country's participation in international integration processes from the mid-1990s to the present. The evolution and features of Georgias participation in such integration organizations and projects as the Commonwealth of Independent States, GUAM, the Eastern Partnership of European Union, as well as interaction with the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union are examined. Based on a detailed analysis of the dynamics, commodity and geographical structure of Georgias foreign trade in goods in the long term period, the article substantiates the conclusion that the participation of Georgia in the Free Trade Agreements, as well as trade liberalization carried out in integration blocks, have practically no effect to change the exportimport flows of the country, and do not lead to an increase in foreign trade with the member countries of the integrations. The most significant factors that determine Georgias foreign trade and its trends are the country's geographical location and the level of the transport infrastructure development, the implementation of large-scale transport and logistics projects in the region, external financing provided to the country by international and regional organizations, foreign countries, on a credit and grant basis.

Background: Patients receiving haemodialysis are exposed to a large volume of dialysis fluid. The Italian Society of Nephrology (ISN) has published guidelines and microbial quality standards on dialysis water (DW) and solutions to ensure patient safety.Aim: To identify microbial and chemical hazards, and evaluate the quality of disinfection treatment in DW plants.Methods: In 2015 and 2016, water networks and DW plants (closed loop and online monitors) of nine dialysis wards of Italian hospitals, hosting 162 dialysis beds overall, were sampled on a monthly basis to determine the parameters provided by ISN guidelines. Chlorinated drinking water was desalinated by reverse osmosis and distributed to the closed loop which feeds all online monitors. Disinfection with peracetic acid was performed in all DW plants on a monthly basis.Findings: Over the 24-month study period, seven out of nine DW plants (78%) recorded negative results for all investigated parameters. Closed loop contamination with Burkholderia cepacia was detected in a DW plant from January 2015 to March 2015. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was isolated from March 2016 to May 2016 in the closed loop of another DW plant. These microbial contaminations were eradicated by shock disinfection with sodium hypochlorite and peracetic acid, followed by water flushing.Conclusion: These results highlight the importance of chemical and physical methods of DW disinfection. The maintenance of control measures in water plants hosted in dialysis wards ensures a microbial risk reduction for all dialysis patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Haptoglobin is an acute-phase protein used as predicting diagnostic biomarker both in humans (i.e., diabetes, ovarian cancer, some neurological and cardiovascular disorders) and in animals (e.g., bovine mastitis). The latter is a frequent disease of dairy industry with staggering economical losses upon decreased milk production and increased health care costs. Early stage diagnosis of the associated diseases or inflammation onset is almost impossible by conventional analytical manners. Results The present study demonstrates a simple, rapid, and cost-effective label-free chemiluminescence bioassay based on magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs) for sensitive detection of haptoglobin by employing the specific interaction of hemoglobin-modified MNPs. The resulting haptoglobin-hemoglobin complex inhibits the peroxidase-like activity of luminol/H2O2-hemoglobin-MNPs sensing scheme and reduces the chemiluminescence intensities correspondingly to the innate haptoglobin concentrations. Quantitative detection of bovine haptoglobin was obtained within the range of 1 pg mL−1 to 1 µg mL−1, while presenting 0.89 pg mL−1 limit of detection. Moreover, the influence of causative pathogenic bacteria (i.e., Streptococcus dysgalactiae and Escherichia coli) and somatic cell counts (depicting healthy, sub-clinical and clinical mastitis) on the emitted chemiluminescence radiation were established. The presented bioassay quantitative performances correspond with a standardized assay kit in differentiating dissimilar milk qualities. Conclusions Overall, the main advantage of the presented sensing concept is the ability to detect haptoglobin, at clinically relevant concentrations within real milk samples for early bio-diagnostic detection of mastitis and hence adjusting the precise treatment, potentially initiating a positive influence on animals’ individual health and hence on dairy farms economy.

International migration of workforce is inseparable part of world business life. Work potential, being a significant factor in manufacture both in state as well as internationally, looks for place and means where it’s more effective use will be possible. Workforce migration is one of the most complicated aspects of social life exposing various sides of social–political and economic development of countries and regions. The actuality of migration movements is as well conditioned by its close relation to various sides of social life affecting it significantly and from different perspectives. At the same time, due to social interests, migration processes do not always develop in an optimal way. The purpose of article is studying trends of the international migration of labor from 90s until today. Therefore, to get thorough understanding of its nature it is necessary to get aware of the mechanisms causing migration, its directions, intensity, etc.

Abstract Objective Main aims of our study were to investigate occurrence of Clostridium difficile among hospitalized pediatric patients in Georgia and examine risk factors for the development of C. difficile infection. During our study we tested and piloted the real-time PCR diagnostic systems for rapid and simultaneous identification of C. difficile and number of other pathogens in our facility settings. A cross-sectional study has been performed in children less than 18 years of age in two pediatric hospitals in Georgia, between May 2016 and December 2017. Stool specimens negative by the conventional bacteriology analysis were analyzed for the presence of C. difficile and several viral and protozoa pathogens using enzyme immune assay and polymerase chain reaction. In total samples from 220 hospitalized children with gastroenteritis symptoms were analyzed in this study. Results The average age of the study participants was 4.7 years. Overall 23 children were identified positive for C. difficile (10.5%). Antibiotic exposure within 2 months preceding the onset of diarrhea was associated with an increased risk of C. difficile infections. The risk was greatest with cephalosporins, followed by penicillins, carbapenems and macrolides. Clostridium difficile is an important cause of healthcare-associated diarrhea in pediatric population of Georgia.

Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the resulting containment measures, such as "lockdown" and "social distancing", have had important consequences on people's mental and physical health. Objectives: We aimed to study the effect of social isolation and subsequent re-exposure and eventual changes in general and ED-specific psychopathology in people with Eating Disorders (EDs). Methods: Three-hundred twelve Italian people with EDs (179 Anorexia Nervosa, 83 Bulimia Nervosa, 48 Binge Eating Disorder and 22 Other Specific Feeding Eating Disorder) were asked to fill-in an online survey to explore several dimensions such as: anxiety, depression, panic, insomnia, suicide ideation, stress, post-traumatic stress and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Differences in ED specific and general symptoms among the 3 investigated time periods (before, during and after the end of lockdown) were assessed with a one-way ANOVA with repeated measures. Subsequently, ED diagnosis was introduced as covariate in the analysis in order to investigate the possible contribution on psychopathological changes. Results: ED core symptoms increased during the lockdown but most of them returned to pre-COVID19 levels at re-opening. The severity of general psychopathology also increased during the lockdown and persisted high in the following phase, except for depression and suicide ideation. None of this symptoms was affected by ED diagnosis, participants'age and illness duration. Conclusions: People with EDs showed worsening of both general and specific psychopathology; moreover, changes in general psychopathology persisted in the re-opening period suggesting a higher stress vulnerability in this kind of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this research was to develop a hyperspectral imaging system for estimating copper concentration in soils as an alternative to standard chemical analyses and to evaluate the analytical accuracy of the system using the visible–near-infrared and near-infrared regions. Hyperspectral imaging is a complex technology providing elevated information content. This work was carried out on air-dried <2-mm soil fraction contaminated by adding 20 mL of copper sulfate at concentrations ranging from 0 to 1000 mg of copper per kg of soil. The samples were scanned in random order and with orientation using visible–near-infrared and near-infrared spectrophotometers. A range of partial least squares regression models derived from the spectral arrays were tested on their ability to predict copper concentration. Significant correlations between predicted and known chemical concentrations were achieved with a correlation coefficient of 0.93 for the visible–near-infrared and 0.77 for the near infrared. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Ceramic bearings in total hip arthroplasty (THA) have been introduced in clinical practice to minimize the problem of polyethylene particle-induced osteolysis. The aim of the study is to report the results of 68 consecutive alumina-on-alumina THAs done in 61 patients for avascular necrosis (AVN) of the femoral head.Materials and Methods: In all implants a press-fit cup was used; it was combined with a 32-mm alumina head and with titanium-alloy stems. The mean age at surgery was 50 years. At an average follow-up of 13 years two hips have been revised, one for periprosthetic infection and one for excessive abduction of the cup.Results: No revision for aseptic loosening is recorded; one anatomical cementless femoral stem had radiological evidence of definite aseptic loosening. No dislocations occurred, and no osteolysis was observed.Conclusions: The results support the application of alumina-alumina THA for long-lasting replacements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNT) are the most potent toxins, which are produced by Clostridium bacteria and cause the life-threatening disease of botulism in all vertebrates. Specifically, animal botulism represents a serious environmental and economic concern in animal production due to the high mortality rates observed during outbreaks. Despite the availability of vaccines against BoNT, there are still many outbreaks of botulism worldwide. Alternative assays capable of replacing the conventional in vivo assay in terms of rapid and sensitive quantification, and the applicability for on-site analysis, have long been perused. Herein, we present a simple, highly sensitive and label-free optical biosensor for real-time detection of BoNT serotype C using a porous silicon Fabry–Pérot interferometer. A competitive immunoassay coupled to a biochemical cascade reaction was adapted for optical signal amplification. The resulting insoluble precipitates accumulated within the nanostructure changed the reflectivity spectra by alternating the averaged refractive index. The augmented optical performance allowed for a linear response within the range of 10 to 10,000 pg mL−1 while presenting a detection limit of 4.8 pg mL−1. The practical aspect of the developed assay was verified using field BoNT holotoxins to exemplify the potential use of the developed optical approach for rapid bio-diagnosis of BoNT. The specificity and selectivity of the assay were successfully validated using an adjacent holotoxin relevant for farm animals (BoNT serotype D). Overall, this work sets the foundation for implementing a miniaturized interferometer for routine on-site botulism diagnosis, thus significantly reducing the need for animal experimentation and shortening analysis turnaround for early evidence-based therapy.

Meeting global water quality standards is a real challenge to ensure that food crops and livestock are fit for consumption, as well as for human health in general. A major hurdle affecting the detection of pollutants in water reservoirs is the lapse of time between the sampling moment and the availability of the laboratory-based results. Here, we report the preparation, characterization, and performance assessment of an innovative sensor for the rapid detection of organic residue levels and pH in water samples. The sensor is based on carbonaceous nanomaterials (CNMs) coated with an intrinsically conductive polymer, polyaniline (PANI). Inverse emulsion polymerizations of aniline in the presence of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) or graphene were prepared and confirmed by thermogravimetric analysis and high-resolution scanning electron microscopy. Aminophenol and phenol were used as proxies for organic residue detection. The PANI/CNM nanocomposites were used to fabricate thin-film sensors. Of all the CNMs, the smallest limit of detection (LOD) was achieved for multi-walled CNT (MWCNT) with a LOD of 9.6 ppb for aminophenol and a very high linearity of 0.997, with an average sensitivity of 2.3 kΩ/pH at an acid pH. This high sensor performance can be attributed to the high homogeneity of the PANI coating on the MWCNT surface.

Recurrent mastitis events are the major cause of annual revenue losses in the dairy sector resulting in decreased milk yield, escalading treatment costs and increased health risk of the entire herd. Upon udder inflammation, several biomarkers are proportionally secreted to its severity onto the blood circulation and consequently into milk (upon breached blood-milk barrier). N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase activity is widely used mastitis indicator in milk, offering simple means of differentiation between healthy quarters from those with subclinical or clinical severity. Herein, we demonstrate fluorescence signal amplification concept for sensitive clinical status discrimination. Tetraethyl orthosilicate coated zinc oxide quantum dots were employed within the conventional N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase activity assay. Under the experimental conditions, a profound non-radiative energy transfer occurred between quantum nanomaterials onto enzymatic fluorescent products resulting in intensified emission of the latter, over 11-folds, in comparison to nanoparticle-free assay. Overall, the fluorescence intensities were proportionally related to zinc oxide quantum dots surface coverage and concentration, SCC values and influenced by the causing bacteria (i.e., Streptococcus dysgalactiae and Coagulase-negative Staphylococci). Finally, the presented proof-of-concept offers an efficient, simple, cost-effective fluorescence signal amplification for early stage mastitis identification, offering means to diagnose the severity of the associated diseases and hence deducing on animals' clinical status.

Arthroscopic technique for lateral release is the most widely used procedure for the correction of recurrent dislocations of the patella. In the relevant literature, several complications of lateral release are described, but the spontaneous patellar tendon rupture has never been suggested as a possible complication of this surgical procedure. Patellar tendon rupture is a rather infrequent and often unilateral lesion. Nevertheless, in case of systemic diseases (LES, rheumatoid arthritis, and chronic renal insufficiency) that can weaken collagen structures, bilateral patellar tendon ruptures are described. We report a case of a 24-year-old girl with spontaneous rupture of patellar tendon who, at the age of 16, underwent an arthroscopic lateral release for recurrent dislocation of the patella. This is the first case of described spontaneous patellar tendon rupture that occurred some years after an arthroscopic lateral release. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bovine mastitis (BM) is a prominent inflammatory disease affecting the dairy industry worldwide, originated by pathogenic agent invasion onto the mammary gland. The early detection of new BM cases is of high importance for infection control within the herd. During inflammation, various biomarkers are released into the blood circulation, which are consequently found in milk. Herein, the lysosomal activity of N-acetyl-β-d-glucosaminidase (NAGase), a predominant BM indicator, was utilized for highly sensitive clinical state differentiation. The latter is achieved by the precise addition of tetraethyl orthosilicate-coated zinc oxide nanostructures (quantum dots or nanoparticles, individually) onto a conventional assay. Enhanced fluorescence due to the nanomaterial accumulative near-field effect is achieved within real milk samples, contaminated with Streptococcus dysgalactiae, favoring quantum dots over nanoparticles (>7-fold and 3-fold, respectively), thus revealing significant differentiation between various somatic cell counts. The main advantage of the presented sensing concept, besides its clinically relevant concentrations, is the early bio-diagnostic detection of mastitis (subclinical BM) by using a simple and cost-effective experimental setup. Moreover, the assay can be adapted for BM recovery prognosis evaluation, and thus impact on udder health status, producing an alternative means for conventional diagnosis practices.

Bovine mastitis (BM) is a frequent disease in the dairy industry that causes staggering economical losses due to decreased milk production and increased health care costs. Traditionally, BM detection depends on the efficacy and reliability of analytical techniques that measure somatic cell counts (SCC), detect pathogens, and reveal inflammatory status. Herein, we demonstrate the detection of bovine haptoglobin, a well-documented acute phase protein for evaluating BM clinical status, by utilizing hemoglobin-binding capacity within luminol chemiluminescence (CL) system. The resulting haptoglobin−hemoglobin complex reduces the CL signal proportionally to inherent haptoglobin concentrations. Different sizes of cross-linked gold nanoparticles (GNPs) were examined for enhanced CL (eCL) signal amplification, presenting over 30-fold emitted radiation enhancement for optimized size within real milk samples with respect to nanoparticle-free assay. The eCL values were proportionally related to nanoparticle size and content, influenced by SCC and pathogen type (e.g., Escherichia coli and coagulase-negative staphylococci). The optimized bioassay showed a broad linear response (1 pg mL−1−10 µg mL−1) and minute detection limit of 0.19 pg mL−1, while presenting quantitative performance in agreement with commercial ELISA kit. Finally, the resulting optimized eCL concept offers an efficient label-free detection of haptoglobin biomarker, offering means to diagnose the severity of the associated diseases.

Cortico-diaphragmatic pathway was investigated with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis without clinical signs of respiratory impairment revealing subclinical diaphragmatic impairment. Diffusion Tensor Imaging with fiber tracking (DTI-FT) through fractional anisotropy (FA) measurement was tested for the assessment of spinal sensory tract lesions in cervical syringomyelia (Syr). The aims of this work was to investigate: (1) central motor conduction time (CMCT) in Syr and Chiari Malformation (CM) to point out subclinical alterations of phrenic pathway; (2) relationship between CMCT and structural damage in Syr/CM through FA. 100 patients (75F, 18–76 years, 51 ± 13.08 years) were selected. Latency/amplitude of cortical/spinal motor-evoked potentials (Cx/Sp-MEP) and CMCT along phrenic nerve were measured and compared with healthy subjects. FA measurement was carried out in 13 patients and compared with neurophysiological data. CMCT was significantly altered ( p < 0,05) in: Syr with CM, Syr with CM and surgery. T-student analysis on FA between patients with altered and normal CMCT showed a significant difference ( p < 0,05). The reduced values of Sp-MEP may be related to the fibers loss along the cortical-spinal way and to primitive axonal damage of spinal motoneurons linked to diaphragmatic muscle. CMCT and FA alterations might have a prognostic relevance in the clinical monitoring of these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate phrenic central motor conduction time (CMCT) in patients affected by Syringomyelia (Syr) and Chiari Malformation (CM) to point out subclinical phrenic pathway alterations. Forty-two patients (12 M, 30 F, age 18–71 years, mean 49.43 ± 13.56) without clinical signs of respiratory impairment were included and divided into subgroups according to different clinical phenotypes (cervical Syr, cervical-dorsal Syr, Syr with CM). TMS was bilaterally performed, recording by surface electrodes from hemidiaphragm; latency/amplitude of cortical and spinal motor-evoked potentials (Cx-MEP/Sp-MEP) and CMCT were measured in all patients. No adverse local or systemic reactions were reported. Neurophysiological data were analyzed and compared with 16 healthy subjects (T-test). CMCT was significantly prolonged ( p < 0.05) in patients versus controls and in two subgroups: c-Syr with CM, Syr with CM and surgical indication; in all patients Sp-MEP amplitude was reduced ( p < 0.05). This study seems to confirm that CMCT along the phrenic nerve pathway is a sensitive measure to reveal diaphragmatic impairment and may be an effective and safe neurophysiological test in Syr and CM. In conclusion, this technique could reveal phrenic pathway alterations involved in voluntary respiration pattern, that could be used to eventually engrave surgical option in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]