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Abstract Compact nonlocal Abelian gauge theory in (2 + 1) dimensions, also known as loop model, is a massless theory with a critical line that is explicitly covariant under duality transformations. It corresponds to the large N F limit of self-dual electrodynamics in mixed three-four dimensions. It also provides a bosonic description for surface excitations of three-dimensional topological insulators. Upon mapping the model to a local gauge theory in (3 + 1) dimensions, we compute the spectrum of electric and magnetic solitonic excitations and the partition function on the three torus T 3 $$ {\mathbbm{T}}_3 $$ . Analogous results for the S 2 × S 1 geometry show that the theory is conformal invariant and determine the manifestly self-dual spectrum of conformal fields, corresponding to order-disorder excitations with fractional statistics.

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a genetic neurodegenerative disorder that affects not only the motor but also the cognitive domain. In particular, cognitive symptoms such as impaired executive skills and deficits in recognizing other individuals’ mental state may emerge many years before the motor symptoms. This study was aimed at testing two cognitive hypotheses suggested by previous research with a new Stroop task created for the purpose: 1) the impairment of emotion recognition in HD is moderated by the emotions’ valence, and 2) inhibitory control is impaired in HD. Forty manifest and 20 pre-manifest HD patients and their age- and gender-matched controls completed both the traditional “Stroop Color and Word Test” (SCWT) and the newly created “Stroop Emotion Recognition under Word Interference Task” (SERWIT), which consist in 120 photographs of sad, calm, or happy faces with either congruent or incongruent word interference. On the SERWIT, impaired emotion recognition in manifest HD was moderated by emotion type, with deficits being larger in recognizing sadness and calmness than in recognizing happiness, but it was not moderated by stimulus congruency. On the SCWT, six different interference scores yielded as many different patterns of group effects. Overall our results corroborate the hypothesis that impaired emotion recognition in HD is moderated by the emotions’ valence, but do not provide evidence for the hypothesis that inhibitory control is impaired in HD. Further research is needed to learn more about the psychological mechanisms underlying the moderating effect of emotional valence on impaired emotion recognition in HD, and to corroborate the hypothesis that the inhibitory processes involved in Stroop tasks are not impaired in HD. Looking beyond this study, the SERWIT promises to make important contributions to disentangling the cognitive and the psychomotor aspects of neurological disorders. The research was approved by the Ethics Committee of the “Istituto Leonarda Vaccari”, Rome on January 24, 2018.

Competitions involving sled dogs are rapidly growing and body temperature assessment could represent a prompt and non-invasive method of screening for potential pathological conditions during or after activity. The aim of this clinical study was to evaluate if thermography is able to monitor the pre- and post-competition ocular and superficial body temperature variations during a sled dog competition. It subsequently compared the data relating to the ocular temperatures in different race types: mid-distance (30 km) and sprint (≤16 km). Results showed a statistically significant increase in post-competition ocular temperature of both eyes, regardless of the length of the race. The relative increase in the temperatures of the other body surfaces was lower than the expected values, probably due to the influence of environmental and subjective factors such as the type of coat of the Siberian Husky or subcutaneous fat. Infrared thermography has therefore proved to be useful method in sled dog competition conditions for screening superficial temperature variations, as the investigation is normally conducted in an external environment and often in demanding work conditions.

This article presents the design and the experimental tests of a bioinspired robot mimicking the cownose ray. These fish swim by moving their large and flat pectoral fins, creating a wave that pushes backward the surrounding water so that the fish is propelled forward due to momentum conservation. The robot inspired by these animals has a rigid central body, housing motors, batteries, and electronics, and flexible pectoral fins made of silicone rubber. Each of them is actuated by a servomotor driving a link inside the leading edge, and the traveling wave is reproduced thanks to the flexibility of the fin itself. In addition to the pectoral fins, two small rigid caudal fins are present to improve the robot’s maneuverability. The robot has been designed, built, and tested underwater, and the experiments have shown that the locomotion principle is valid and that the robot is able to swim forward, perform left and right turns, and do floating or diving maneuvers.

In this article, we explore the effects that Tunisia’s post-revolutionary democratization process has had on the right to abortion, drawing on ethnographic material, interviews, and medical files that we collected between 2013 and 2017, as well as the professional experience of one of us. We show that despite the existence of a relatively liberal abortion law for more than 40 years, women in Tunisia have trouble getting abortion care for economic and organizational but also ideological and political reasons. The existence of the abortion law constitutes but one factor among many others that determine women’s ability to access abortion services; medical practices and women’s abortion itineraries are caught up within complex arrangements that entail multiple socioeconomic and cultural factors, political transformations, the variability of rules in medical and administrative institutions, and contradictory interpretations of the legal apparatus. Examining the abortion itineraries of seven women we met in a large hospital in Tunis, we argue that these abortion itineraries shed light on the ordinary constraints experienced by poor Tunisian women who cannot afford to turn to the private sector. We maintain that attitudes toward the right to abortion in post-revolutionary Tunisia are problematic and that the democratization of local society has brought about unexpected consequences that do not extend but rather reduce women’s rights in the domain of sexual and reproductive health.

É possível pensar o corpo e a imagem, pela Análise de Discurso, como materialidades significantes. Assim, corpo e imagem são tomados igualmente a partir do tripé teórico que constitui a visada materialista discursiva: a linguística, a psicanálise e o materialismo histórico. Uma vez objeto discursivo, pensamos – corpo e imagem - não mais na transparência, mas na opacidade e na equivocidade que lhes são constitutivas. Neste trabalho, o conceito de imagem-corpo encontra o conceito de arquivo em um movimento pendular, entre o poético e o político. Corpo-imagem e arquivo são pensados aqui, como processos em com-posição. É, pois, considerando o processo criativo/discursivo do/no laço social, que propomos uma reflexão a respeito do funcionamento do Discurso Artístico, a partir de uma produção artística contemporânea tecida em meio à “ferida” de nosso tempo. A arte como presença/ausência no cenário sócio-histórico. A arte como “alavanca” de um luto negado. Nossa proposta é um gesto de leitura da performance “Marcha à Ré” produzida pela Cia. Teatro da Vertigem, Nuno Ramos e Eryk Rocha, na cidade de São Paulo em agosto de 2020.

Abstract Introduction Behavioral and cognitive changes can be observed across all Huntington disease (HD) stages. Our multicenter and retrospective study investigated the association between cognitive and behavioral scale scores in manifest HD, at three different yearly timepoints. Methods We analyzed cognitive and behavioral domains by the Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS) and by the Problem Behaviors Assessment Short Form (PBA‐s), at three different yearly times of life (t0 or baseline, t1 after one year, t2 after two years), in 97 patients with manifest HD (mean age 48.62 ± 13.1), from three ENROLL‐HD Centers. In order to test the disease progression, we also examined patients’ motor and functional changes by the UHDRS, overtime. Results The severity of apathy and of perseveration/obsession was associated with the severity of the cognitive decline (p

Patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are at high risk of hepatic fibrosis. To prospectively evaluate changes in fibrosis in diabetic patients with NAFLD, predisposing factors and sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) influence. 237 T2DM outpatients (mean age 67 ± 9 years, 54% male) were enrolled and re-evaluated after 52 ± 10 months. At baseline and follow-up NAFLD and liver fibrosis (LSM) were detected by ultrasonography and Fibroscan®. During follow-up an increase in LSM (6.0 ± 2.8 vs 5.8 ± 2.7 kPa, p = 0.02) and in the prescription of SGLT2i (20% vs 6%, p <0.001) was registered, despite stability of diabetic control. LSM worsened in 133(56%) subjects, 92 (39%) with worsening >10% from baseline. Patients with worsening versus non worsening of LSM had higher prevalence of increase in BMI during follow-up (45% vs 32%, p = 0.06) and lower SGLT2i prescription (15% vs 27%, p = 0.034). In multivariate analysis use of SGLT2-inhibitors at follow-up reduced the risk of LSM worsening (HR 0.34, 95% CI 0.13–0.88), even when considered>10% from baseline. A high prevalence of fibrosis progression was observed in diabetic subjects with NAFLD over a nearly 5-years follow up and SGLT2-inhibitors seem to reduce the risk of worsening of liver stiffness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the problem of the scientific nature of psychology in its relation to subjectivity. At the same time that all knowledge is based on the purification of the subjectivity, the psychology has this one as one of their objects. The author explores this paradox, from the point of view of psychoanalysis and cognitivism, taking stock of their respective histories and foundations.

Entre 1621 y 1660 las provincias italianas de la Monarquía contribuyeron de manera masiva al esfuerzo bélico de la corona. Nápoles, Sicilia y Milán gastaron enormes sumas de dinero para abastecer, alistar y pagar las fuerzas armadas de Felipe IV. Este trabajo quiere analizar cuál fue la contribución de estas regiones en los momentos más críticos de la guerra de los Treinta años hasta la paz de los Pirineos y sus consecuencias.

O presente artigo apresenta uma pesquisa de abordagem qualitativa a respeito das percepções de docentes sobre a contextualização na aprendizagem de Ciências e Matemática. A questão central dessa pesquisa é: quais as percepções de professores da Educação Básica sobre a contextualização na aprendizagem de Ciências e Matemática? Para respondê-la, 17 docentes escreveram depoimentos sobre o tema, os quais foram analisados por meio da Análise Textual Discursiva (ATD). Para tanto, os depoimentos dos docentes foram desconstruídos em unidades de sentido, as quais foram agrupadas em categorias emergentes iniciais. Essas, ao serem reagrupadas por semelhança originaram as duas categorias finais de análise: contextualização como modo de aprender com significado em Ciências e Matemática e contextualização como modo de motivar para aprender. Como principal conclusão, os participantes da pesquisa percebem que a contextualização possibilita a construção de significações e relações entre os saberes – aqueles que os estudantes já possuem com os conhecimentos científicos. Além disso, destacam-se a importância de práticas interdisciplinares e da motivação como geradora de interesse e participação ativa do estudante. Pelas respostas dos docentes, depreende-se, ainda, que a contextualização nos processos de ensino e de aprendizagem é possibilidade de problematizar a sua realidade, o que contribui para a formação de sujeitos críticos e autônomos. Palavras-chave: Contextualização em ciências e matemática. Aprendizagem com significado. Motivação para aprender. ABSTRACT The present article shows a qualitative research on the teachers’ perceptions about the contextualization in Science and Mathematics learning. The research main question is: Which are the teachers’ perceptions about contextualization during Science and Mathematics learning in basic education? In order to answer that, 17 teachers wrote testimonies on the subject, which were analyzed through Discursive Textual Analysis (DTA). For this, teachers’ statements were deconstructed in units of meaning, which were grouped into initial emergent categories. These, when regrouped by similarity, gave rise to the two final categories of analysis: contextualization as a way of learning with meaning in Science and Mathematics and contextualization as a way of motivating to learn. As a main conclusion, the participants of the research realize that contextualization allows the construction of meanings and relations between the knowledge - those that the students already possess with the scientific knowledge. In addition, the importance of interdisciplinary practices and motivation as a generator of interest and active student participation are highlighted by this research. From the teachers’ responses, it can also be seen that the contextualization in the teaching and learning processes is a possibility to problematize their reality, which contributes to the formation of critical and autonomous thinkers. Keywords: Contextualization in science and mathematics. Meaningful learning. Motivation to learn.

Abstract The single-correlator conformal bootstrap is solved numerically for several values of dimension 4 > d > 2 using the available SDPB and Extremal Functional methods. Critical exponents and other conformal data of low-lying states are obtained over the entire range of dimensions with up to four-decimal precision and then compared with several existing results. The conformal dimensions of leading-twist fields are also determined up to high spin, and their d-dependence shows how the conformal states rearrange themselves around d = 2.2 for matching the Virasoro conformal blocks in the d = 2 limit. The decoupling of states at the Ising point is studied for 3 > d > 2 and the vanishing of one structure constant at d = 3 is found to persist till d = 2 where it corresponds to a Virasoro null-vector condition.

The article has the purpose to analyze the role of disability and its inclusion in the history of the tourism in Italy in the twentieth-century. Departing from the Italian law regarding the disabled people and their inclusion in the contemporary Italian society, and continue considering the typologies of tourism, that in last century, allowed the people with disability to have safe and confortable travel condition. The focus of the article is a case study: the summer camps for children and young guests of the Istituto dei Ciechi in Milan, with particular attention to the period of great changes from the mid-fifties to the mid-seventies. Through unpublished documents, we analyze the organization and the leasure time activities of young people at the sea and mountain.

OBJECTIVE: To describe trends of primary efficacy and safety outcomes of islet transplantation in type 1 diabetes recipients with severe hypoglycemia from the Collaborative Islet Transplant Registry (CITR) from 1999 to 2010. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A total of 677 islet transplant-alone or islet-after-kidney recipients with type 1 diabetes in the CITR were analyzed for five primary efficacy outcomes and overall safety to identify any differences by early (1999-2002), mid (2003-2006), or recent (2007-2010) transplant era based on annual follow-up to 5 years. RESULTS: Insulin independence at 3 years after transplant improved from 27% in the early era (1999-2002, n = 214) to 37% in the mid (2003-2006, n = 255) and to 44% in the most recent era (2007-2010, n = 208; P = 0.006 for years-by-era; P = 0.01 for era alone). C-peptide ≥0.3 ng/mL, indicative of islet graft function, was retained longer in the most recent era (P < 0.001). Reduction of HbA(1c) and resolution of severe hypoglycemia exhibited enduring long-term effects. Fasting blood glucose stabilization also showed improvements in the most recent era. There were also modest reductions in the occurrence of adverse events. The islet reinfusion rate was lower: 48% by 1 year in 2007-2010 vs. 60-65% in 1999-2006 (P < 0.01). Recipients that ever achieved insulin-independence experienced longer duration of islet graft function (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The CITR shows improvement in primary efficacy and safety outcomes of islet transplantation in recipients who received transplants in 2007-2010 compared with those in 1999-2006, with fewer islet infusions and adverse events per recipient.

The psychopathological profile of patients with medication overuse headache (MOH) appears to be particularly complex. To better define it, we evaluated their performance on a targeted psychological profile assessment. We designed a case-control study comparing MOH patients and matched healthy controls (HC). Headache frequency, drug consumption, HIT-6, and MIDAS scores were recorded. All participants filled in the following questionnaires: Beck Depression Inventory-II Edition (BDI-2), trait subtest of State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11), Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). The primary endpoint was to establish if MOH patients have an altered psychopathological profile. The secondary endpoint was to establish whether the worst profile correlates with the worsening of headache and disability measures. We enrolled 48 consecutive MOH patients and 48 HC. MOH patients showed greater difficulty in recognition/regulation of emotions (DERS, TAS-20), depression (BDI-2), anxiety (STAI-Y), and impulsiveness (BIS-11). We found a positive correlation among DERS, BDI-2, STAI-Y, and BIS scores and MIDAS and HIT-6 scores and among DERS and headache frequency and drug consumption. MOH patients showed a high rate of emotion regulation difficulties, depression, and anxiety, which may negatively affect their headaches. The ability to regulate/recognize emotions may play a central role in sustaining medication overuse.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown dramatically changed people’s lifestyles. Diet, physical activity, and the PNPLA3 gene are known risk factors for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Aim: To evaluate changes in metabolic and hepatic disease in NAFLD patients after the COVID-19 lockdown. Three hundred and fifty seven NAFLD patients were enrolled, all previously instructed to follow a Mediterranean diet (MD). Anthropometric, metabolic, and laboratory data were collected before the COVID-19 lockdown in Italy and 6 months apart, along with ultrasound (US) steatosis grading and information about adherence to MD and physical activity (PA). In 188 patients, PNPLA3 genotyping was performed. After the lockdown, 48% of patients gained weight, while 16% had a worsened steatosis grade. Weight gain was associated with poor adherence to MD (p = 0.005), reduced PA (p = 0.03), and increased prevalence of PNPLA3 GG (p = 0.04). At multivariate analysis (corrected for age, sex, MD, PA, and PNPLA3 GG), only PNPLA3 remained independently associated with weight gain (p = 0.04), which was also associated with worsened glycemia (p = 0.002) and transaminases (p = 0.02). During lockdown, due to a dramatic change in lifestyles, half of our cohort of NAFLD patients gained weight, with a worsening of metabolic and hepatologic features. Interestingly, the PNPLA3 GG genotype nullified the effect of lifestyle and emerged as an independent risk factor for weight gain, opening new perspectives in NAFLD patient care.

Drawing on two ethnographic researches conducted in Tunisia before and after the revolution of 2011, we intend to investigate how political, economic and social factors affected and still affect practices and discourses in the domain of sexual and reproductive health of state institutions, of the National Office of Family and Population, of health practitioners, feminist associations and ordinary women. We examine whether a new moral economy was created by different moral entrepreneurs or the alleged transformations brought about by the revolution elicited the public appearance of discourses and behaviours once silenced. We consider that local, national and transnational logics intertwine in the definition of a moral economy of “sexual freedom” imbued with religious discourses, social and family norms, the rhetoric of women’s and human rights and of biomedical rationality.

Introduction: Myoepithelioma (ME) is a rare salivary gland tumor. Constructed aroung a clinical case, this article aims to gather up up-to-date epidemiological, clinical and histological data about myoeptihelioma with emphasis on the diagnostic approach and differential diagnoses, paraclinical exams and the main histological features reported for its characterization. Observation: A 41-year-old female, presenting a 1-year slowly enlarging palatine nodule was referred to the Oral Pathology Consultation. Clinical data and paraclinic examination were non-specific. A thorough histological examination, comparing clinical data with cyto-architectural and immunostaining profile of the tumor allowed a positive diagnosis of ME. Discussion: The clinical aspect of ME is close from other more frequent tumors within the same areas. Accordingly, its discovery is often incidental and its diagnosis histological. ME display variable architecture and composition, requiring full tumor examination for proper diagnosis. When benign, ME act as mixed tumor regarding local extension, prognosis and recurrence. Malignant ME behaves as a low-grade malignant tumor with metastatic potential. Conclusion: Despite its rarity, ME should be hypothesized in front of a palatine nodule. Clinician and pathologist should be particularly cautious regarding nature, malignancy and follow-up of this tumor, since few data are up-to-now available.

This work addresses the problem of new forms of individuation and the novel types of addictions that these entail. When the work of thinking becomes dangerous in adolescence, some current technologies can influence it by manipulating the adolescent's attention in order to reduce anxiety.

Background: Solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients may be at increased risk for severe disease and mortality from COVID-19 because of immunosuppression and prolonged end-stage organ disease. As a transplant center serving a diverse patient population, we report the cumulative incidence and outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection in our cohort of SOT recipients. Methods: We prospectively included in this observational study SOT recipients with a functioning kidney (n = 201), pancreas ± kidney (n = 66) or islet transplant (n = 24), attending outpatient regular follow-up at the San Raffaele Hospital from February 2020 to April 2021. Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 were tested in all patients by a luciferase immunoprecipitation system assay. Results: Of the 291 SOT recipients, 30 (10.3%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 during the study period and prevalence was not different among different transplants. The SARS-CoV-2 antibody frequency was around 2.6-fold higher than the incidence of cases who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR. As for the WHO COVID-19 severity classification, 19 (63.3%) SOT recipients were mild, nine (30%) were moderate, and two were critical and died yielding a crude mortality rate in our patient population of 6.7%. Kidney transplant (OR 12.9 (1.1–150) p = 0.041) was associated with an increased risk for moderate/critical disease, while statin therapy (OR 0.116 (0.015–0.926) p = 0.042) and pancreas/islet transplant (OR 0.077 (0.007–0.906) p = 0.041) were protective. Conclusions: The incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in SOT recipients may be higher than previously described. Due to the relative high crude mortality, symptomatic SOT recipients must be considered at high risk in case of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

NAFLD prevalence is increasing worldwide. Aim: to assess whether severity of hepatic, metabolic and cardiovascular (CV) disease changed over time. 422 NAFLD patients (388 biopsy proven and 34 clinical cirrhosis) diagnosed between 1990 and 2021 and subdivided according to decade of presentation. Metabolic parameters, early atherosclerosis (carotid plaques at Doppler ultrasound), severity of liver damage (NAS score, NASH, significant fibrosis (≥2) and cirrhosis) and PNPLA3 genotyping were assessed. No difference in age, sex and prevalence of dyslipidemia and hypertension was found across decades (p for trend), whereas a higher prevalence of diabetes (p = 0.02), obesity (p <0.001), histological severe steatosis (p <0.001), NASH (p <0.001), fibrosis ≥2 (p <0.001), cirrhosis (p <0.001) and carotid plaques (p = 0.05) was observed in the last decade compared to the others. A higher prevalence of PNPLA3 GG polymorphism was found over time (p = 0.02). In the whole cohort, age, metabolic alterations and PNPLA3 G homozygosity were independent risk factors for hepatic fibrosis and carotid plaques, independently of the decade considered. Over the past 10 years compared to previous decades, NAFLD patients presented to observation with more severe liver disease and subclinical atherosclerosis, paralleling the spread of diabetes and obesity. PNPLA3 unfavorable genotype became more prevalent over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has not only put our national health systems to the test, but it also notably hit the economy, the society and the psychology of the people. Our pets have been subjected to the pandemic related stress too. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether the stress induced on domestic dogs resulted in an increase of dog bites in the paediatric population. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on all patients admitted to our paediatric emergency department for dog bite from January 2014 and December 2020. We compared the total mean dog bites of the years 2014–2019 and the mean number per single month with the respective 2020 data. The bites were divided between bites from family dogs and bites from stranger dogs. Continuous data were analysed using single sample t test while categorical values with chi-squared test, considering statistically significant a p value < 0.05. Results: From January 2014 to December 2019, we recorded a mean of 41 ± 5.9 dog bites (range: 30–46) of which a mean 13 ± 2.6 (range: 10–17) were due to family dogs (32%) and a mean of 28 ± 2.4 (range: 25–31) were due to stranger dogs (68%); the male-to-female ratio was 3:2 and 43% of the injuries concerned the head and face, 26% the lower limbs, 25% the upper limbs, 3% the genitalia and 3% the torso. From January 2020 to December 2020, 30 children were admitted for dog bites: 22 were from family dogs (73%) and 8 from stranger dogs (27%); the male-to-female ratio was 14:11 and 72% of the injuries concerned the head and face, 16% the upper limbs, 8% the lower limbs and 4% the torso. The 2020 data’s higher number of family dog bites compared with the mean of those in the 2014–2019 period was statistically significant (p < 0.01) such as the 2020 data’s lower number of stranger dog bites when compared with the mean number of stranger dog bites in the 2014–2019 period (p < 0.01). Between 2014 and 2019, a mean of 9 ± 2 (range: 6–12) of the wounds needed to be sutured (22%), while 32 ± 3 (range: 28–35) wounds were discharged after application of Steri Strips (78%). On the other hand, in 2020, 21 wounds needed to be sutured (70%), and 9 received just Steri Strips application (41%). The frequency distribution of the treatments required (stitches vs. Steri Strips) between the 2014 to 2019 period and the 2020 period was statistically significant (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: The number of family dog bites in children increased in 2020, especially during the lockdown period. Paediatricians should pay a lot of attention now more than ever to educate parents on the importance of always supervising children who are playing with dogs.

In this article, written in the form of an interview, Malika Affes, midwife in charge of one of the family planning units of La Rabta Hospital in Tunis, and Irene Maffi, anthropologist, discuss sexual and reproductive health in Tunisia. Their conversation - which is the result of a 10-month collaboration - tackles different topics related to the institutions in charge of sexual and reproductive health, the laws regulating the access to these services, the therapeutic itineraries of women and the attitudes of health care providers. The authors particularly explore the local representations of the female body, the socioeconomic profiles of women using government sexual and reproductive health clinics, the knowledge of the law among patients and health practitioners, the application of sexual and reproductive rights in Tunisia, the impact of the revolution of 2011 and of the economic crisis on the public health services, men’s involvement in sexual and reproductive practices.

Abstract Background Maternal exposure to environmental stressors poses a risk to fetal development. Oxidative stress (OS), microglia activation, and inflammation are three tightly linked mechanisms that emerge as a causal factor of neurodevelopmental anomalies associated with prenatal ethanol exposure. Antioxidants such as glutathione (GSH) and CuZnSOD are perturbed, and their manipulation provides evidence for neuroprotection. However, the cellular and molecular effects of GSH alteration in utero on fetal microglia activation and inflammation remain elusive. Methods Ethanol (EtOH) (2.5 g/kg) was administered to pregnant mice at gestational days 16–17. One hour prior to ethanol treatment, N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and L-buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) were administered to modulate glutathione (GSH) content in fetal and maternal brain. Twenty-four hours following ethanol exposure, GSH content and OS in brain tissues were analyzed. Cytokines and chemokines were selected based on their association with distinctive microglia phenotype M1-like (IL-1β, IFN γ, IL-6, CCL3, CCL4, CCL-7, CCL9,) or M2-like (TGF-β, IL-4, IL-10, CCL2, CCL22, CXCL10, Arg1, Chi1, CCR2 and CXCR2) and measured in the brain by qRT-PCR and ELISA. In addition, Western blot and confocal microscopy techniques in conjunction with EOC13.31 cells exposed to similar ethanol-induced oxidative stress and redox conditions were used to determine the underlying mechanism of microglia activation associated with the observed phenotypic changes. Results We show that a single episode of mild to moderate OS in the last trimester of gestation causes GSH depletion, increased protein and lipid peroxidation and inflammatory responses inclined towards a M1-like microglial phenotype (IL-1β, IFN-γ) in fetal brain tissue observed at 6–24 h post exposure. Maternal brain is resistant to many of these marked changes. Using EOC 13.31 cells, we show that GSH homeostasis in microglia is crucial to restore its anti-inflammatory state and modulate inflammation. Microglia under oxidative stress maintain a predominantly M1 activation state. Additionally, GSH depletion prevents the appearance of the M2-like phenotype, while enhancing morphological changes associated with a M1-like phenotype. This observation is also validated by an increased expression of inflammatory signatures (IL-1β, IFN-γ, IL-6, CCL9, CXCR2). In contrast, conserving intracellular GSH concentrations eliminates OS which precludes the nuclear translocation and more importantly the phosphorylation of the NFkB p105 subunit. These cells show significantly more pronounced elongations, ramifications, and the enhanced expression of M2-like microglial phenotype markers (IL-10, IL-4, TGF-β, CXCL10, CCL22, Chi, Arg, and CCR2). Conclusions Taken together, our data show that maintaining GSH homeostasis is not only important for quenching OS in the developing fetal brain, but equally critical to enhance M2 like microglia phenotype, thus suppressing inflammatory responses elicited by environmental stressors.

Introduction: Keratocyst is a cystic lesion that has distinctive histological features composed of an epithelial lining with surface keratinization that is corrugated and predominantly parakeratotic. Although rare, they present in human pathology mainly as odontogenic keratocysts and have occasional association with Gorlin-Goltz syndrome. Case report: We present a neonate with an antenatal suspicion of congenital pulmonary airway malformation. While stable and imaging confirmation studies were accomplished, thoracoscopic exploration and excision of a bronchogenic-like lung cyst attached to an extralobar pulmonary sequestration supero-medial to the left upper lobe were performed successfully at day 44 of life. Histopathological study has revealed keratocystic features of the lung cyst attached to a pulmonary sequestration tissue. Discussion and conclusion: Up to our knowledge and review of the literature, this is the first case and occurrence of Lung Keratocyst. Long-term follow up is needed to assess the outcome of the thoracoscopic management of such lesion, and its hypothetic relation with odontogenic keratocysts or any associated syndromes.

This study evaluated the relationship of pre-partum BCS variations on the acute phase response around parturition and milk production of dairy cows. The animals were divided into two groups: cows that gained BCS from the third to the first week pre-partum (GBC = n 11) and those that lost BCS (LBC = n 9) in the same period. Blood samples were collected pre and post-partum to determine serum concentrations of glucose (GLU), non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), insulin (INS), albumin (ALB), paraoxonase (PON), haptoglobin (HP) and blood cell counts. The GBC group showed higher PON concentration in the postpartum (p

ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to evaluate the economic viability of the use of a lactation induction protocol in Holstein heifers. Were collected data of nutritional, reproductive and sanitary management pre and post-lactation period from 30 induction heifers (IG) and 30 pregnant heifers (CG). All animals were inseminated around 14 months of age and started lactation at 23±4 months. The animals of IG were heifers do not pregnant after two inseminations and natural service e were induced to lactation according to protocol: from the 1st to the 8th day, 30 mg of estradiol benzoate were administered daily, together with 300 mg of progesterone. From the 9th until the 14th, animals only received daily doses of 20 mg estradiol benzoate. On 16th day, 0.56 mg of sodium cloprostenol was administered and injections of 40 mg of dexamethasone sodium phosphate were administered daily from the 19th to the 21st day. On the 1st, 8th, 15th and 22nd day, the animals received a dose of sometribove zinc. The animals of CG were managed according to the farm routine. The costs of the CG during pre and post lactation (nutrition, sanitary, reproduction management) e were higher than the IG, however, when evaluating the economic viability due to lower milk production, the induced group did not leave profit in the first year of use. When comparing the lactation induction with the sale of animals that did not conceive and purchase of animals for replacement, this last scenario showed itself as a better alternative.

O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o efeito da aplicação estratégica de insulina sobre o crescimento folicular, produção de progesterona e taxa de prenhez em bovinos de corte. Foram realizados 2 experimentos, no experimento 1, 215 vacas cruzas (Bos indicus x Bos taurus) (Grupo Controle = 109; Grupo Insulina = 106) foram submetidas a um protocolo que consistiu na aplicação de 2 mg de benzoato de estradiol e inserção de um dispositivo intravaginal de liberação lenta de progesterona (P4) sendo este o dia zero do protocolo. No dia 9, foi realizada a remoção do dispositivo de P4, a aplicação de 0,5 mg de cipionato de estradiol, e 12,5 mg de dinoprost. Os animais do grupo insulina receberam ainda a aplicação de 0,25 UI kg-1 de insulina. No dia 11 foi realizada a inseminação artificial de todos os animais. Nos dias 9 e 11 de acordo com o protocolo, foi avaliado crescimento folicular e manifestação de estro, e 30 dias após IA foi avaliado a taxa de prenhez. O experimento 2 foi realizado com 85 vacas da raça Aberdeen Angus, Hereford e cruzas (Grupo Controle = 49; Grupo Insulina = 36) submetidas a um protocolo de Transferência de Embrião em Tempo Fixo (TETF). No dia 0 fez-se aplicação de 2 mg de benzoato de estradiol e a inserção de um dispositivo intravaginal de liberação lenta de progesterona. No 5º dia do protocolo foi aplicado 0,150 mg de d- Cloprostenol. No dia 8 fez-se a remoção do dispositivo de P4 e aplicação de 20 mg de foltropina de pituitária suína e de 0,25 UI kg-1 de insulina nos animais tratados e no dia 9 foi aplicado 1 mg de benzoato de estradiol. No dia 17 procedeu-se com a transferência dos embriões e coleta de sangue para avaliação dos níveis de progesterona nos animais submetidos a TETF. No experimento 1 a taxa de crescimento folicular e a taxa de prenhez foram semelhantes entre os grupos (P > 0,05) e no experimento 2 a produção de P4 não foi diferente entre os animais que receberam a aplicação de insulina e o grupo controle. A utilização de uma única dose de insulina em vacas de corte não altera o diâmetro do folículo ovulatório, níveis de progesterona e taxa de prenhez.

Our aim was to develop an APpendictis-PEdiatric score (APPE score) in quantifying risk of acute appendicitis based on combination of clinical and laboratory markers. 1025 patients were classified in: acute appendicitis (AA) and non-appendicitis. Demographic/clinical features, and laboratory were collected. They were compared for quantitative-variables and categorical-variables. Significant predictors (P=

There is no univocal consensus about timing of intervention and best surgical approach for infants with asymptomatic uretero-pelvic junction obstruction (UPJO). We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients undergoing one-trocar-assisted pyeloplasty (OTAP) in a 13 year range period by creating two homogenous groups (indications for surgery were the same for all patients): patients operated on in the first 90 days of life (34 patients; Group 1) and patients operated on between 3 and 12 months of life (34 patients; Group 2). We observed no statistically significant differences between groups in regard to mean operative time, conversion rate to open surgery, mean hospital stay, early complications (urinary leakage) rate and mean antero-posterior diameter (APD) reduction rate. Moreover, no statistical improvement was seen between groups in regard to separate renal function (SRF) at 1-year-follow-up renogram. Thanks to the HSS calculated before and 1 year after surgery, we registered an important improvement in Group I patients (p = 0.023). In our study, there was no significant evidence, in terms of intraoperative data and early postoperative outcomes, between patients who underwent an early pyeloplasty and those who underwent a delayed correction. Nevertheless, we registered a significant improvement in those patients with an impaired SRF that underwent an early surgical correction, especially in terms of urinary flow. Even though this study cannot definitely establish the superiority of early timing of correction, it is evident that further research is needed to clarify this aspect.

Introduction: Central congenital diaphragmatic hernia that involves a central tendon defect is a very rare form of diaphragmatic hernias. Experience in the thoracoscopic repair of congenital diaphragmatic hernia has expanded in recent years, but this expansion was mainly for the most common type; the posterolateral. We report a case of central congenital diaphragmatic hernia, which is supposed to be the case number seventeen of those reported in literature. And we report the first use of thoracoscopic repair in such rare entity. Case presentation: We present a case report of a Bengali neonate who had a prenatal diagnosis of left congenital diaphragmatic hernia, which was supposed to be the usual posterolateral type. As we usually approach such cases by thoracoscopy, the patient had an intraoperative diagnosis of central congenital diaphragmatic hernia. The defect was amenable to a successful thoracoscopic repair. Conclusion: The rare neonatal central congenital diaphragmatic hernia could present as a left sided herniation that clinically resembles the usual posterolateral congenital diaphragmatic hernia. Thoracoscopic approach offers a tremendous tool for diagnosis as well as the management of this kind of presentation of a central congenital diaphragmatic hernia.

Duplications of the urinary collecting system and pyelo-ureteral junction obstruction (PUJO) are common, but the simultaneous presence of both anomalies is rarely encountered. In incomplete duplicated systems, PUJO usually affects the lower moiety. We present the case of a 5-year old boy with left bifid renal pelvis and hydronephosis of the lower moiety treated by robot-assisted pyeloureterostomy.

A common use case for blockchain smart contracts (SC) is that of governing interaction amongst mutually untrusted parties, by automatically enforcing rules for interaction. However, while many contributions in the literature assess SC computational expressiveness, an evaluation of their power in terms of coordination (i.e., governing interaction) is still missing. This is why in this paper we test mainstream SC implementations by evaluating their expressive power in coordinating both inter-users and inter-SC activities. To do so, we exploit the archetypal Linda coordination model as a benchmark—a common practice in the field of coordination models and languages—by discussing to what extent mainstream blockchain technologies support its implementation. As they reveal some notable limitations (affecting, in particular, coordination between SC) we then show how Tenderfone, a custom blockchain implementation providing for a more expressive notion of SC, addresses the aforementioned limitations.

Persistent Müllerian duct syndrome is a disorder of sexual development, which features a failure of involution of Müllerian structures. An enlarged prostatic utricle is a kind of Müllerian duct remnant (MDR) with a tubular shaped structure communicating with the prostatic urethra. Treatment is aimed at relieving symptoms when present, preserve fertility and prevent neoplastic degeneration. We describe 3 cases of successful robot assisted-removal of symptomatic MDRs. The first case came to our attention for pseudo-incontinence; the other two for recurrent urinary tract infections. The patients have not presented such symptoms anymore on follow-up. We then reviewed existent literature on authors who have recently investigated the main issues concerning MDRs and have attempted a roboticassisted approach on them. Robot-assisted laparoscopy can be considered a valid, safe and effective minimally-invasive technique for the primary treatment of prostatic utricle.