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Background Laparoscopic totally extraperitoneal (TEP) surgery with a single large mesh is currently the technique of choice for repair of bilateral inguinal hernias in our institution. Most surgeons use two meshes for the TEP repair. We present our experience with a single mesh repair. Material & Methods Records of all patients who had bilateral inguinal hernia and underwent bilateral laparoscopic TEP repair at our institution, 2010–2016, were retrospectively reviewed. We excluded patients who had a conversion to transabdominal intraperitoneal or open approach. Results A total of 470 patients were identified. The median age of patients was 56 (IQR 1–3; 41–66) years and median BMI was 25.9 (IQR 1–3; 23.1–28.1). 18.7% of the cohort (88 patients) had previous abdominal surgery and 39 patients (8.41%) had a recurrent inguinal hernia. Median length of operation was 63 (IQR1–3; 48–89) minutes. Operative complication were bleeding (0.4%) and bladder injury (0.2%). Post operative complications occurred in 32 patients; among the complications were seroma (2.6%), hematoma (2.1%), surgical site infection (0.4%) urinary retention (1.5%) and intestinal obstruction (0.2%). Median length of hospitalization was 1 day (IQR1–3; 1–2). After a median follow up of 102 months, 36 patients had a recurrence. 20 patients (4.3%) had a re-operation for recurrent inguinal hernia. Post-operative groin pain was present in 48 patients. Conclusion The use of a large single mesh is an effective and safe technique for TEP repair of bilateral inguinal hernias. The recurrence rate and prevalence of post-operative pain is consistent with the results reported by others.

Digital, Disease mapping seeks to represent the risk of a disease. This paper focuses on the spatial analysis of risk for pandemic COVID-19 in Europe and the Mediterranean. Morbidity and mortality data for 54 countries in ratio format were used. Two hypotheses were considered, the first one is that the data are homogeneous and the second one is that the ratios are defined in a heterogeneous manner requiring the stratification on the basis of covariables and the methodology of Jenks’ intervals. Spatial risk models were applied as well as methods for the representation of clusters. The results show that the best representation is obtained with the Poisson-Gamma Model under stratification. The variations in the ratios are due to the individual policies of each country for the management of the pandemic. The cluster analysis shows that there is a high mortality process in Eastern Europe. The behavior of the pandemic should be evaluated in the space-time process as well as in other heterogeneous and highly unequal regions., El mapeo de enfermedades busca representar el riesgo de una enfermedad. El objetivo de este trabajo es hacer un análisis del riesgo para la pandemia de COVID-19 en Europa y el Mediterráneo. Se utilizaron los datos de morbilidad y mortalidad en formato de tasas de 54 países. Se aplicaron dos hipótesis, la primera es que los datos son homogéneos y la segunda es que las tasas son definidas de forma heterogénea por lo que se estratificó en base a covariables y la metodología de los intervalos de Jenks. Se aplicaron modelos espaciales de riesgos así como métodos de representación de clústers. Los resultados muestran que el modelo Poisson-Gamma bajo estratificación es el que mejor representa el proceso. Las variaciones de las tasas se deben a la heterogeneidad en las políticas individuales de cada país para el manejo de la pandemia. Los análisis clusters muestran que existe un fuerte proceso de mortalidad ubicado en Europa del Este. Debe evaluarse el comportamiento del proceso de la pandemia en el espacio-tiempo así como en otras regiones heterogéneas y altamente desiguales., Ingeniería Ambiental, Investigación Aplicada

The identification of milk microbial communities in ruminants is relevant for understanding the association between milk microbiota and health status. The most common approach for studying the microbiota is amplifying and sequencing specific hypervariable regions of the 16S rRNA gene using massive sequencing techniques. However, the taxonomic resolution is limited to family and, in some cases, genus level. We aimed to improve taxonomic classification of the water buffalo milk microbiota by amplifying and sequencing the full-length 16S rRNA gene (1,500 bp) using Nanopore sequencing (single-molecule sequencing). When comparing with short-read results, we improved the taxonomic classification, reaching species level. We identified the main microbial agents of subclinical mastitis at the species level that were in accordance with the microbiological culture results. These results confirm the potential of single-molecule sequencing for in-depth analysis of microbial populations in dairy animals.

Background. Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an autosomal recessive disease caused by mutations in the gene encoding the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), responsible for chloride and sodium ion exchange across epithelial membranes. Dysfunctional CFTR induces the production of thick/viscous mucoid secretions in multiple organs, in particular the airways, where an augmented mucus viscosity is determined by the pathological increase in proteins, mucin and biological polymers. This process impairs muco-ciliary clearance, promoting chronic inflammation and bacterial infection leading to airway remodeling; these, in turn, can progress to respiratory failure, the most common cause of death for CF patients. Therefore, as sputum composition depends on lung condition, the determination of its properties represents a relevant parameter to indirectly monitoring lung disease. We previously (Abrami et al Magn Res Med, p.427, 2020; Abrami et al Magn Res Med, p. 2323, 2018;) employed Low Field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (LF-NMR) to measure the spin-spin relaxation time (T2m) of the water hydrogens present in the CF sputum. These data showed that T2m measured in CF sputum indirectly correlated with circulating/local inflammation markers and a directly correlated with FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in the first second, i.e. the amount of air that is exhaled in the first second purposefully trying to breath out as much air as possible). Thus, the assessment of sputum by T2m, provides a useful tool for the indirect monitoring of lung disease in CF patients. Here, we explore the possibility of T2m to detect lung function improvements following treatment by the novel drug Kaftrio. This is a triple modulator (Tezacaftor/Ivacaftor/Elaxacaftor) able to improve CFTR protein function. Approved by E.M.A in 2020, Kaftrio has been shown to have beneficial effects not only in CF patients with mild-to-moderate disease but also in those with more severe pulmonary status. Methods. Sputum samples from 17 CF subjects, provided by Burlo Garofolo Hospital -Centro Regionale Fibrosi Cistic-, following a procedure approved by the Ethics Committee (prot n. 0005431/2020, CEUR-2019-Em-408), were collected (by voluntary expectoration) before and after Kaftrio administration (total samples 34). Sputum samples were studied by LF-NMR to determine T2m. The data obtained were related to lung function evaluated by FEV1. Results. In 58% of cases, Kaftrio administration improved both FEV1 and T2m, thus indicating a positive effect of the drug on lung function. In 25% of cases Kaftrio determined a reduction of both FEV1 and T2m, indicating no significant benefic effect on lung function. Finally, in only 17% of cases, Kaftrio treatment resulted in discordant variation of FEV1 and T2m, i.e. FEV1 increase and T2m decrease. This odd observation may be attributed to the fact that Kaftrio caused the dehydration of the mucus reducing its quantity (FEV1 increase) but worsening its nano-structure thus resulting in T2m decrease. Conclusions. Here we demonstrate that T2m can be effectively used to evaluate CF lung function following Kaftrio administration. Thus, besides being able to monitor lung disease exacerbation (our previous results) in CF patients, here we show that T2m can monitor lung function following drug therapy. Considering that T2m determination is very inexpensive does not require specialized personnel and it is not of any discomfort for the patient, it can become a valuable monitoring tool of lung function in CF diseases.

Adequate training in tobacco, nicotine dependence and treatment is lacking in Medical School education. With the rise in popularity of electronic alternatives to cigarettes, future physicians should also be provided with the more recent scientific evidence on these products during their undergraduate studies. We introduced an e-learning course for Medical School students and assessed its effec-tiveness of increasing knowledge on these topics.We developed 16 didactic modules divided in 3 courses: tobacco dependence (TDI), treating tobacco dependence (TDII) and electronic products and tobacco control (TDIII). The course was offered to 4th, 5th, and 6th year Medical School students in Italy. To assess learning outcomes, we examined the pre- to post- changes in knowledge scores associated with each course. Paired and independent samples t-tests were performed overall, and among smokers and non-smokers separately.A total of 1318 students completed at least one of the courses; 21% were self-reported smokers. A significant increase in knowledge was observed at the end of TDI (pre-course: 52.1±15.9, post-course: 79.9±13.5, p0.001), TDII (pre-course: 52.5±13.0, post-course: 66.5±12.0, p0.001) and TDIII (pre-course: 52.2±15.3, post-course: 76.1±17.7, p0.001). Smokers showed significantly lower improvements compared to non-smokers.The e-learning course was effective in increasing knowledge about tobacco dependence, treatments, and electronic ni-cotine products in advanced medical students. Given the fundamental role for healthcare practitioners in encouraging and assisting people in quitting smoking, e-learning may be a useful tool in providing up-to-date and standardized training in the area during Medical School.

Recent studies have explored the seropositivity of Bovine alphaherpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1) in water buffaloes, suggesting the urgency for developing strategies to eradicate the virus involving both cattle and water buffaloes. However, in Europe, the glycoprotein E (gE) deleted marker vaccines against BoHV-1 are commercially available only for the cattle industry. This study, for the first time, evaluated the safety and efficacy of a commercial inactivated gE-deleted marker vaccine in water buffalo. Five animals devoid of BoHV-1-neutralizing antibodies were vaccinated via intramuscular route. Five additional animals served as an unvaccinated control group. Sixty days after the first immunization, all animals were experimentally infected with a virulent BoHV-1via intranasal route. A detectable BoHV-1-humoral immune response was observed in the vaccinated group on post-vaccination day 30, whereas the antibodies appeared on post-challenge day 10 in the control group. Moreover, the vaccinated animals neither show viral shedding nor clinical signs compared to the control upon challenge. However, post-challenge, the BoHV-1-specific humoral and cell-mediated immune responses were significantly more increased in vaccinated animals than the control animals. Overall, the present study provides evidence of both the safety and efficacy of an inactivated gE-deleted marker vaccine against BoHV-1 in water buffaloes.

We report on the application of the biospeckle laser method (BLM) to test drug effects on Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi) parasites. The method, enabled to assess the activity of parasites under different drug concentrations, thus demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed methodology. The spatial-temporal correlation and speckle grain size were measured in order to assess the immediate action of the drug on parasites. The achieved results allowed the validation of the methodology as a fast and non-invasive for testing the effectiveness of Epirubicin on T. cruzi parasites. The proposed methodology was also validated by other well-known digital processing approaches.

The identification of cross-reactive monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that recognize orthologous leukocyte differentiation molecules (LDM) in buffaloes has overcome a major impediment limiting research on the immune response to pathogens and development of vaccines. As reported, two pilot trials were conducted to accomplish two objectives: (1) demonstrate that multiparameter flow cytometry can be conducted equally well in buffalo with mAbs directly and indirectly labeled with fluorochromes in research and (2) flow cytometry can be used to compare and extend studies on diseases of economic importance to buffalo using bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) as a model pathogen. Pregnant buffalo cows were infected with BVDV-1 at 81 (trial 1) and 203 (trial 2) days post artificial insemination and flow cytometric evaluations were performed at 0, 3, 4, and 14 days after infection (dpi). Fluorochrome conjugated mAbs were used in trial 1, and fluorochrome conjugated goat isotype specific anti-mouse antibodies were used to label mAbs in trial 2. Flow cytometric analysis revealed a transient lymphopenia occurs during the 1st days following infection similar to lymphopenia reported in cattle. In particular, significant differences were observed between pre- and post-infection absolute values of T lymphocytes (−56%, P < 0.01). CD21+ B lymphocytes (−65%, P = 0.04), and Natural Killer cells (−72%, P < 0.001). No significant differences were observed in monocytes and neutrophil absolute values, or the CD4:CD8 ratio. Animal health status was followed until 15 days after calving. No clinical signs of infection were observed during the evaluation period, however, animals in trial 1 developed complications later the infection. One cow aborted at 57 days post-infection, the second cow developed a prolapse a day after calving and died. These two animals also showed a more pronounced lymphopenia in comparison with animals infected at 203 days of pregnancy (e.g., −77 vs. −22% T lymphocytes at 3 dpi, respectively). The pilot studies have demonstrated that it is possible to use multicolour multiparameter flow cytometry to study the immune response to pathogens affecting the health of buffalo.

Healthcare professionals have the potential to influence patients' smoking status; however, their smoking habits and their opinions about tobacco use can hamper an effective counselling about smoking to patients.A cross-sectional survey was carried out among healthcare students from the Sapienza University of Rome using a previously validated Italian version of Global Health Professions Student Survey (GHPSS) online questionnaire.Overall, 349 students filled out the online survey: 158 (45%) were current smokers and 191 (55%) were nonsmokers. Nurses students had the highest percentage of smokers (55%). Healthcare students declared they had learned about the health consequences about tobacco use during their academic course (90%), however, only 24% received specific training on smoking cessation.It is necessary to implement a smoking cessation course in the undergraduate curriculum in order to train healthcare professionals to provide patients an effective counselling against smoking.

We propose a comprehensive approach for the analysis of real economy and government sector risk transmission to the banking system and apply it in ten Euro-Area countries from 2005 to 2017. A flexible methodology is developed to model banks’ assets according to the risk-adjusted balance sheet of the counterparts. The use of distance to distress as a popular risk metric shows that Contingent Claims Analysis underestimates banks risk in stable periods and overstates it during crisis. Furthermore, the approach succeeds in detecting spillovers from households, non-financial corporations and sovereign sectors: for the countries examined the main source of instability comes from the Non-Financial Corporation sector and its increased assets volatility. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Aims: The relationship between serum uric acid (SUA) and microvascular remodeling in humans remains largely unexplored. We assessed whether SUA provides additional information on the severity of microvascular remodeling than that obtained from the European Heart Score (HS), the patterns of microvascular remodeling associated with changes in SUA levels and the mediation by endothelial function and nitric oxide (NO) availability on this relationship. Methods: A total of 162 patients included in the microvascular dataset of the Italian Society of Hypertension with available information on SUA, media-to-lumen (M/L) ratio, media cross-sectional area (MCSA), endothelial function, NO availability and HS were included in the analysis. The top tertile of M/L ratio and MCSA were used to define severe microvascular remodeling. Results: A U-shaped association was observed between SUA and both M/L ratio and MCSA. Adjustment for HS did not affect these associations. SUA was able to reclassify a significant number of subjects without, and with, severe M/L ratio and MCSA remodeling over the HS alone. The microvascular remodeling associated with SUA levels presented a predominant hypertrophic pattern. SUA was inversely associated with endothelial function and NO availability. Structural equation modeling analysis controlling for the HS suggested that the association of SUA with M/L ratio and MCSA was mediated through changes in endothelial function and NO availability. Conclusions: The addition of SUA to the HS improves the identification of subjects with greater microvascular remodeling. The relationship between SUA and microvascular remodeling is mediated by endothelial function and NO availability. © 2020 by the authors.

Dietary data are used to categorize species diets, but these categorizations do not take into account the mutability of food resources in time or space, the level of interspecific competition in various communities as these resources change, nor the dietary flexibility of species. In this study, we assess the diets of three sympatric species, Eulemur rufifrons, Propithecus edwardsi, and Varecia variegata, in the Vatoharanana site in Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar. We determine dietary diversity, overlap, and interannual variation with data collected from 2001 to 2003. We then compare results on food preference and time feeding with data collected on each species in the late 1980s and early 1990s to determine whether these findings are consistent over the long term. We found little interannual variation in the proportion of time spent eating particular plant parts for each of the lemur species during the three study years (2001–2003), and between the earlier and current study. Food items were not always consumed based solely on availability. Dietary diversity was lower in the two frugivorous species (V. variegata and E. rufifrons) compared with the folivorous species (P. edwardsi), and V. variegata and E. rufifrons were more likely to focus their feeding time on one particular genus and plant part in each year. The study species used different strategies to deal with food, particularly fruit, shortages such as a plastic social structure (V. variegata), habitat shifting (E. rufifrons), and dietary switching (P. edwardsi). Although there was low dietary overlap between the study species, they depended on a small number of shared fruits in each of the study years (Chrysophyllum, Syzygium, Ocotea, Plagioscyphus), which may indicate some potential for interspecific competition. Because these lemur species, like all primates, lead relatively long lives (avg. >30 years) and have slow rates of aging, longitudinal studies are needed to test hypotheses reliant on basic dietary information.

Background: Mixed autoimmune hemolytic anemia (mAIHA) is a rare autoimmune disorder that results in hemolysis with thrombotic complications like ischemic stroke. This is the first case report of cerebral microbleeds secondary to mAIHA. Methods: A literature review of mAIHA and cerebral microbleeds was conducted using the PubMed and Ovid MEDLINE databases from 1980 to 2021. Results: A 76 year old male with congenital deafness and rheumatoid arthritis presented with diffuse livedo reticularis and abdominal pain. He had fulminant hemolysis with new neurologic deficits and altered mental status. CT/CTA of the head and neck were unremarkable. MR brain revealed extensive cerebral microbleeds and multi-territory ischemic strokes. He was diagnosed with mAIHA, started on pulse methylprednisolone, and had no further microbleeds on follow-up MRI. From his clinical picture, common causes of cerebral microbleeds were ruled out such as cerebral amyloid angiopathy and hypertension. The pathogenesis of his microbleeds may be from concomitant severe hypoxia or a prothrombotic state, both previously reported in the literature. Conclusions: This is the first case report of extensive cerebral microbleeds secondary to mAIHA. When a patient develops acute neurologic deficits in the context of mAIHA, extensive cerebral microbleeds may be present possibly due to concomitant severe hypoxia versus a prothrombotic state.

The nicotine market has rapidly evolved with the emergence of newer forms of smoking device that have been expanded worldwide, such as electronic cigarettes (eCig) which heat a solution (e-liquid) to create vapour and heat-not-burn (HNB) tobacco products, which heats tobacco at a temperature below the point of combustion. Their use is increasing at an alarming rate; it is believed it will surpass the use of traditional cigarettes in next 5 years, mostly among never-smokers and young people.There are not many studies investigating knowledge and behaviour about heat tobacco products (HTP) among teenagers, so the aim of this study is to validate the SECRHET questionnaire (Smoking E-CigaRette and HEat-noT-burn products) on knowledge and behaviour on cigarette and HTP among youth.The study was conducted in February and March 2019 inside Sapienza University of Rome and high school Giulio Cesare of Rome. A self-administered anonymous questionnaire was performed to investigate smoking habits and measures knowledge about HTP among Italian teenagers.A sample of 60 students took part in the validation of the questionnaire. The overall Cronbach's alpha was 0,635, corresponding to a sufficient reliability.There is little or no data on consumption or perceptions of HTP products among youth and evidence suggests the usefulness of a standardized and validated questionnaire available to monitoring of awareness, interest in trying and prevalence of use of these novel products among young people.

Antibiotic susceptibility testing is a necessary step prior to the treatment of clinical infections. A major concern is the time required to obtain a fast and reliable result. The aim of this work is to use Biospeckle laser in a 15min assay for an antimicrobial susceptibility test of Ciprofloxacin in serial two-fold dilutions onEscherichia coliK-12 using Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) plates. Analysis of images by video edition is performed on a quantitatively selected region of interest, and processed with ImageJ-ImageDP; and by the construction of time series and analysis with either statistical diagnostics tests or Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) models. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests are also performed for the purpose of quantitative comparison, showing a profile that is comparable to the result obtained with ImageJ-ImageDP processing after 15min of antibiotic action. Only the time series of the least affected bacteria (low Ciprofloxacin concentration) behaves in an expected manner, being non-independent and mainly non-linear, non-normal, and heteroscedastic. The most affected bacteria (higher Ciprofloxacin concentration) are non-independent and tend to be linear, normal and heteroscedastic. Adjustment to a linear regression identifies both, the culture medium without bacteria and the most affected bacteria, normality identifies the most affected bacteria and heteroscedasticity-homoscedasticity distinguishes the presence-absence of bacteria, respectively. ARIMA models (1,1,1)(1,0,1)11and (4,1,1)(1,1,1)11fit the time series of the most affected bacteria while the latter also fits the culture medium without bacteria. The time series of the least affected bacteria are identified by a (7,1,2)(1,0,1)11model. The non-linear, non-normal and heteroscedastic behavior of this group is probably responsible for its adjustment to a model with a relatively high parameter. The four methods: diagnostic statistical tests, fitting of ARIMA models, ImageJ-ImageDP and antimicrobial susceptibility tests, show similar results, being able to distinguish among the groups of assays with bacteria and Ciprofloxacin below and above the Minimal Inhibitory Concentration.Author SummaryBiospeckle laser patterns occur when a dynamic surface is illuminated. This research describes its application to the activity ofEscherichia colibacteria and the effect of 18 different concentrations of an antibiotic (Ciprofloxacin) in a 15min assay, using VDRL plates where the sample has a relatively small volume and is flat shaped. The assay is performed on an anti-vibration table in a dark room with a laser that sequentially illuminates each of the wells of the plate. A camera takes short 30sec videos with approximately 750 frames and sends them to a computer where image processing takes place. In order to select a segment of 80 successive frames to analyze, the region with the higher variation was identified, punched out and edited as a “flip-book animation” with a program named ImageJ and processed with another program named ImageDP that takes the difference between successive frames and is able to describe the speed with which the Biospeckle dots move, expecting to show that the antibiotic affects the bacteria by changing the speed with which they move. Also in each video, within the region of higher differential activity, a pixel was selected to construct a time series which is the successive value of that pixel in 253 frames, representing a recording of 8sec. This was analyzed with two statistical methods: diagnostic statistics tests and ARIMA models, both of which try to demonstrate how the results are organized. All the results, the speed of the dots in the “flip-book animation” and the structure of the data of the time series, were comparable to those obtained with traditional antimicrobial susceptibility tests with the same bacteria and antibiotic.

Whether isolated systolic hypertension in the young (ISHY) implies a worse outcome and needs antihypertensive treatment is still a matter for dispute. ISHY is thought to have different mechanisms than systolic hypertension in the elderly. However, findings from previous studies have provided inconsistent results. From the analysis of the literature, two main lines of research and conceptualization have emerged. Simultaneous assessment of peripheral and central blood pressure led to the identification of a condition called pseudo or spurious hypertension, which was considered an innocent condition. However, an increase in pulse wave velocity has been found by some authors in about 20% of the individuals with ISHY. In addition, obesity and metabolic disturbances have often been documented to be associated with ISHY both in children and young adults. The first aspect to consider whenever evaluating a person with ISHY is the possible presence of white-coat hypertension, which has been frequently found in this condition. In addition, assessment of central blood pressure is useful for identifying ISHY patients whose central blood pressure is normal. ISHY is infrequently mentioned in the guidelines on diagnosis and treatment of hypertension. According to the 2013 European Guidelines on the management of hypertension, people with ISHY should be followed carefully, modifying risk factors by lifestyle changes and avoiding antihypertensive drugs. Only future clinical trials will elucidate if a benefit can be achieved with pharmacological treatment in some subgroups of ISHY patients with associated risk factors and/or high central blood pressure. Copyright © 2018 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

To examine the extent to which a effect does exist between Positivity (POS), smoking and socio-demographic factors in determining quitting smoking in subjects participating in a Group Counselling Program (GCP) for smoking cessation.481 subjects were contacted through a telephone call. A logistic regression analysis was carried out. Possible interaction between sociodemographic variables and POS level was tested using the Synergism Index (SI).For individuals with a POS level over or equal to 3.4 the odds of being smoker was significantly higher among females (OR = 1.55), who smoked at home (OR = 2.16) and lower if there had children at home (OR = 0.53). For individuals with a POS level under 3.4, the only significant variable associated with smoking was beinga female (OR = 2.58). As far concerns the synergistic effect between the variables considered does exist between POS levels and having children at home (SI=1.13) and female gender (SI = 2.8).The synergistic effect between POS and sociodemographic factors adds evidence on the use of POS as possible determinants of individual happiness.

Antibiotic susceptibility testing is a necessary step prior to the treatment of clinical infections. A major concern is the time required to obtain a fast and reliable result. The aim of this work is to use Biospeckle laser in a 15min assay for an antimicrobial susceptibility test of Ciprofloxacin in serial two-fold dilutions on Escherichia coli K-12 using Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) plates. Analysis of images by video edition is performed on a quantitatively selected region of interest, and processed with ImageJ-ImageDP; and by the construction of time series and analysis with either statistical diagnostics tests or Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) models. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests are also performed for the purpose of quantitative comparison, showing a profile that is comparable to the result obtained with ImageJ-ImageDP processing after 15min of antibiotic action. Only the time series of the least affected bacteria (low Ciprofloxacin concentration) behaves in an expected manner, being non-independent and mainly non-linear, non-normal, and heteroscedastic. The most affected bacteria (higher Ciprofloxacin concentration) are non-independent and tend to be linear, normal and heteroscedastic. Adjustment to a linear regression identifies both, the culture medium without bacteria and the most affected bacteria, normality identifies the most affected bacteria and heteroscedasticity-homoscedasticity distinguishes the presence-absence of bacteria, respectively. ARIMA models (1,1,1)(1,0,1)11 and (4,1,1)(1,1,1)11 fit the time series of the most affected bacteria while the latter also fits the culture medium without bacteria. The time series of the least affected bacteria are identified by a (7,1,2)(1,0,1)11 model. The non-linear, non-normal and heteroscedastic behavior of this group is probably responsible for its adjustment to a model with a relatively high parameter. The four methods: diagnostic statistical tests, fitting of ARIMA models, ImageJ-ImageDP and antimicrobial susceptibility tests, show similar results, being able to distinguish among the groups of assays with bacteria and Ciprofloxacin below and above the Minimal Inhibitory Concentration.

This paper reports on the biospeckle processing of biological activity using a visualization scheme based upon the digital imaging information technology. Activity relative to bacterial growth in agar plates and to parasites affected by a drug is monitored via the speckle patterns generated by a coherent source incident on the microorganisms. We present experimental results to demonstrate the potential application of this methodology for following the activity in time. The digital imaging information technology is an alternative visualization enabling the study of speckle dynamics, which is correlated to the activity of bacteria and parasites. In this method, the changes in Red-Green-Blue (RGB) color component density are considered as markers of the growth of bacteria and parasites motility in presence of a drug. The RGB data was used to generate a two-dimensional surface plot allowing an analysis of color distribution on the speckle images. The proposed visualization is compared to the outcomes of the generalized differences and the temporal difference. A quantification of the activity is performed using a parameterization of the temporal difference method. The adopted digital image processing technique has been found suitable to monitor motility and morphological changes in the bacterial population over time and to detect and distinguish a short term drug action on parasites.

This paper reports on the application of the motion history image (MHI) method on dynamic laser speckle processing as a result of a specific drug action on Trypanosoma cruzi parasites. The MHI procedure is based on human action recognition, and unlike other methods which use a sequence consisting of several frames for recognition, this method uses only an MHI per action sequence for recognition. MHI method avoids the complexity as well as the large computation in sequence matching-based methods and detects a change in the speckle pattern. Experimental results of MHI on real-time monitoring of activity (motility) under the influence of the drug demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The MHI showed an online result without loss of resolution and definition if we compare with routine LASCA method. The obtained results highlight the advantage of the MHI analysis over traditional qualitative image intensity-based methods and demonstrate the potential of measuring the activity of parasites via dynamic laser speckle analysis. The data was further numerically analyzed in the time domain, and the results presented the ability of the technique to monitor the action of the drug, particularly Epirubicin (100 μg/ml).

Following the “gas revolution” occurring in the USA, where shale gas is contributing to abundant and low-priced domestic gas production, many companies and countries all around the world are considering investing in this type of gas source. Key elements of shale gas production include the extensive drilling campaign, the need for hydraulic fracturing (with its implication on the whole water supply/handling cycle) and the realisation of a continuously growing network of geographically scattered production facilities and flowlines, which accompany gas from wellheads to the final customers. Exporting shale gas experience from the USA to new promising basins will not simply mean customising subsurface technologies (such as drilling & completion or hydraulic fracturing) to a geologically different area; it will especially imply adopting an unconventional mindset for surface facilities. First of all, there may not be a context as fertile as in the USA in terms of existing infrastructures (pipelines, treatment plants) or abundance of local contractors/providers, therefore an efficient engineering and fast-response procurement and construction chain will be more crucial for life-cycle-cost minimization than it is for conventional gas production. Moreover, standardized and repeatable production facilities will likely be the most economically viable way to handle gas flow from hundreds or thousands of wells, designed in parallel with step-by-step territorial studies to locate those facilities considering geographical, infrastructural and legislative constraints and opportunities. Finally, the passage from exploration to extensive commercial production will likely require a proper appraisal campaign through a pilot development, especially in new areas, with the objective to “long-test” shale gas wells performances and optimize full-development approaches in an environmentally friendly way.

A study was carried out at an organic buffalo dairy farm in order to investigate the effect of feeding protein peas (Pisum sativum L.) as an alternative protein source for buffalo cow diets. Two concentrates were formulated to contain (as fed basis) either 350 g/kg of soybean cake (SC) or 450 g/kg of peas (PC) as the main protein sources. The two concentrates were formulated to be almost isonitrogenous (on average crude protein 240 g/kg DM). Two groups of 10 buffalo cows were used in a 100-day lactation study (from 10 days in milk onwards). Cows were blocked into two groups according to lactation number and previous milk yield and were assigned to one of two dietary treatments: control group was offered in the milking parlour 3 kg of SC, while treatment group was offered the same quantity of PC. All cows were fed a total mixed ration containing 3 kg of SC. Daily milk yield was not affected by treatment, as well as, milk fat and protein percentages, somatic cell count, urea content and fatty acid composition.

Leaves of the evergreen ornamental shrub species Pittosporum tobira were used as a passive monitor to describe the distribution of selected elements in three coastal cities of central Italy (namely Livorno, Rosignano Marittimo and Piombino) differing for number of inhabitants and economical activities. Unwashed healthy mature leaves collected in June 2004 from 88 sampling sites covering the whole municipalities according to a systematic stratified unallineated sampling design were analysed by ICP-MS for Al, Ba, Be, Bi, Br, Ca, Cd, Cl, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, Pb, Si, Ti, V and Zn. Values were normalised by subtracting baseline concentrations of biologically essential elements. Enrichment factors were calculated taking Al as crustal reference element. Factor analysis allowed to identify three main source groups of elements, namely crustal components, sea-salt spray and anthropogenic sources (vehicular traffic, industrial activities). SEM–EDX analyses were performed on 556 PM10 samples collected from the 88 sampling sites. High contributions of geological elements and marine aerosols were detected. Pb is no longer of environmental concern in the area. Results are discussed with emphasis on the potential role of vegetation for the removal of particulate pollution.

The LOFT mission concept is one of four candidates selected by ESA for the M3 launch opportunity as Medium Size missions of the Cosmic Vision programme. The launch window is currently planned for between 2022 and 2024. LOFT is designed to exploit the diagnostics of rapid X-ray flux and spectral variability that directly probe the motion of matter down to distances very close to black holes and neutron stars, as well as the physical state of ultra-dense matter. These primary science goals will be addressed by a payload composed of a Large Area Detector (LAD) and a Wide Field Monitor (WFM). The LAD is a collimated (, Proceedings of SPIE, Vol. 8443, Paper No. 8443-85, 2012

This study reviewed the results of surgery for distal rectal cancer (where the tumour was within 6 cm of the anal verge) following the introduction of total mesorectal excision for rectal cancer in one institution. One hundred and fifty-three patients who had undergone elective curative surgical resection of rectal cancer within 6 cm of the anal verge were included. The demographic, operative and follow-up data were collected retrospectively. Comparisons were made between patients who had different surgical procedures. The overall operative mortality rate was nil, and the morbidity 41%. With a mean follow-up of 37 months (range 5–100 months), local recurrence occurred in 18 of the patients. The 5-year actuarial local recurrence rates for double-stapled anastomosis, low-strength anastomosis and abdominoperineal resection (APR) were 39, 17 and 11% respectively. The local recurrence rate was significantly higher for double-stapled low anterior resection than for the other types of operation (P=0.007). On multivariate analysis type of surgery (P=0.025) and tumour stage (P=0.043), were associated with local recurrence, but only stage was a significant prognosticator of overall survival (P=0.0006). With the practice of total mesorectal excision, APR was still necessary in 40% of patients with rectal cancer within 6 cm of the anal verge. The local recurrence rate was lower in patients treated with APR than in those with double-stapled low anterior resection; however, survival rates were similar in these two groups.