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Suicidality poses a significant public health threat and stands as a leading cause of death and disability. Aside from committed suicides, a substantial portion of suicidal behaviors comprises suicide attempts and suicidal ideation. These events may be characterized by a non-fatal outcome, shedding light on the possibility of recurrence. The objectives of the present study were to assess hospitalization rate trends related to any suicidal event and to elucidate the risk factors associated with recurrent suicidal behaviors. In this population-based study, an observational descriptive analysis was conducted on all hospital discharge forms (HDRs, Italian SDO) registered for the residents of the Veneto Region from 2012 to 2021. Cases of attempted suicide (AS) and suicidal ideation (SI) were defined according to ICD coding. Age-standardized hospitalization rates were computed with the direct method. Join Point Regression was used to assess the significance of variations in trends. Factor risks for the reiteration of suicidal behaviors were assessed by multivariate logistic regression. Higher prevalence of SI occurred among individuals under 40 years of age and those affected by psychiatric disorders. Conversely, among individuals aged 60 and above, AS was more common. SI turned out to be associated with a higher likelihood of reiteration compared to AS. Individuals suffering from personality disorders and those with a history of AS as index case exhibited increased risk for the reiteration of AS. Females, younger individuals, and individuals experiencing SI as first episode were instead identified as more likely to repeat this form of suicidal behavior. Contemporary economic and environmental crises, a recent pandemic, and numerous conflicts represent significant additional menaces to mental well-being. Our analysis highlights a concerning positive trend in suicide attempts and ideations, underscoring the imperative for Public Health Systems to implement targeted preventive strategies and mental health promotion campaigns. In the absence of structured suicide registries, we demonstrated that HDRs can serve as an invaluable foundation for preventionists to address the phenomenon and strategically plan interventions.

Throughout the COVID-19 period, families were forced to stay indoors, adapting to online schooling, remote work, and virtual social engagements, inevitably altering the dynamics within households. There was a notable increase in mental health challenges in terms of anxiety and depression in children and adolescents. This study intended to explore the psychosocial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Italian families by adopting self- and proxy-report questionnaires on anxiety, anger, and health-related quality of life. The results showed that approximately 20% obtained a clinical anxiety score and only 10% obtained a clinical anger score. There was a difference in the perception of the quality of life reported by the child and that perceived by the parent. A stepwise regression model showed that total anxiety scores were predicted by sex, quality of life scores from the parents’ self-report version, and the total anger score. Another stepwise regression model identified physiological and social anxiety as the best predictors that impact quality of life. Parental well-being actively influences the well-being of children, so it is fundamental to implement preventive programs and promote child well-being by providing parents the most adequate support possible.

Abstract Generalist species, which exploit a wide range of food resources, are expected to be able to combine available resources as to attain their specific macronutrient ratio (percentage of caloric intake of protein, lipids and carbohydrates). Among mammalian predators, the red fox Vulpes vulpes is a widespread, opportunistic forager: its diet has been largely studied, outlining wide variation according to geographic and climatic factors. We aimed to check if, throughout the species’ European range, diets vary widely in macronutrient composition or foxes can combine complementary foods to gain the same nutrient intake. First, we assessed fox’s intake target in the framework of nutritional geometry. Secondly, we aimed to highlight the effects of unbalanced diets on fox density, which was assumed as a proxy for Darwinian fitness, as assessed in five areas of the western Italian Alps. Unexpectedly, the target macronutrient ratio of the fox (52.4% protein-, 38.7% lipid- and 8.9% carbohydrate energy) was consistent with that of hypercarnivores, such as wolves and felids, except for carbohydrate intakes in urban and rural habitats. The inverse relation between density and the deviation of observed macronutrient ratios from the intake target suggests that fox capability of surviving in a wide range of habitats may not be exempt from fitness costs and that nutrient availability should be regarded among the biotic factors affecting animal abundance and distribution.

CASE SERIES SUMMARY: Nasal planum tumors are rare in cats, with squamous cell carcinoma over-represented. Other skin tumors have been reported in this location and though hemangiosarcoma frequently occurs on the skin of the head, these tumors localized to the nasal planum have not been specifically reported. The objectives of this study were to report the clinical findings and outcomes in cats diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma of the nasal planum. Medical records from four different institutions were reviewed to identify cats with a definitive diagnosis of hemangiosarcoma of the nasal planum. Five cats met the inclusion criteria. One cat was treated with palliative radiation therapy (RT) alone, two cats had lesions removed via an excisional biopsy by the primary care veterinarian and two cats had excisional biopsies performed at a referral institution. All four cats that received surgical treatment were treated with adjuvant strontium-90 therapy. The cat receiving palliative RT alone was lost to follow-up 311 days after treatment. At the time of writing, the survival time for 2/3 cats receiving surgery and strontium-90 was 365 days and 1381 days, respectively. One cat receiving this combination of therapy was lost to follow-up immediately after treatment. One cat developed tumor recurrence and a revision surgery via nasal planectomy and upper lip resection was performed 376 days following the initial surgery. Following revision, palliative RT was pursued. The cat was still alive at the time of writing 618 days after the initial procedure, with no evidence of recurrence. RELEVANCE AND NOVEL INFORMATION: In this case series, surgery was the primary treatment used, but due to the location, only narrow or incomplete surgical margins were possible. RT (strontium-90 and/or palliative) was utilized to decrease the risk of recurrence.

BackgroundInformation on dogs that undergo radiation therapy (RT) with non-stereotactic protocols in addition to surgical stabilization with implant placement for treatment of bone tumors is limited.ObjectiveOur primary objectives were to describe the clinical characteristics as well as short- and long-term outcomes, including complications, function, and disease progression, in dogs that underwent both surgical stabilization with implant placement and non-stereotactic RT for local treatment of a bone tumor.MethodsA bi-institutional retrospective case series was performed.AnimalsEight client-owned dogs that underwent both surgical stabilization with implant placement and non-stereotactic RT for local treatment of a bone tumor were included.ResultsTumor types included osteosarcoma or suspected osteosarcoma (5), plasma cell tumor (2), and grade 3 fibrosarcoma (1). Radiation protocols were hypofractionated (palliative intent) in 5 dogs and fractionated (definitive intent) in 3 dogs. Five dogs experienced complications following both RT and surgery, including grade 1 complications in two dogs, a grade 2 complication in one dog, both grade 1 and 2 complications in one dog, and both grade 2 and 3 complications in one dog. Clinical signs subjectively improved in all dogs that had outcomes relative to function documented post-surgery/RT (7). Of these 7 dogs, 4 maintained long-term improvement in function and clinical signs, whereas 3 experienced subsequent recurrence/progression of clinical signs at a median of 133 days (range 91-186) postoperatively in association with biomechanical complications (screw loosening), surgical site infection, and local disease progression in 1 dog each; subsequent treatment resulted in improved clinical signs for each of these 3 dogs, such that overall good long-term functional outcomes were experienced. No dogs required amputation or additional vertebral surgery as salvage for local disease control or palliation. The median progression free interval was 206 days (range 25-1078), and the median survival time was 253 days (range 122-1078) with 1 additional dog lost to follow-up at 575 days. Two dogs experienced local disease progression, and 6 dogs experienced systemic disease progression; both dogs that developed local disease progression received palliative intent RT protocols.Clinical relevanceIn this cohort, dogs with primary bone tumors that underwent surgical stabilization with implant placement and hypofractionated or fractionated non-stereotactic RT for local treatment had a low incidence of major complications, good limb function and ambulation post-treatment, and relatively prolonged survival times despite disease progression.

ObjectiveAdolescents and young adults (AYA) with oncohematological diseases could have important psychosocial difficulties that could be worsened by the effects of the COVID19 pandemic. At this developmental stage, it is also important to assess the use of social networks (SNs). This study aims to investigate the type of social network use and the consequences of the COVID19 period. These patients are compared with matched healthy peers.MethodsAfter the informant consent signature, the adolescents completed a series of self-report questionnaires on the use of SNs, on communication preferences, on social anxiety and on Covid19 impact through the online platform of LimeSurvey. Most of the adolescents belonged to the 18–20 age group (42.5%), were female (62%) and mainly off therapy (72%).ResultsAdolescents spent more than 2 h/day on Instagram and 1 h and half on Whatsapp, while Tik Tok use was on average 1 h/day, especially used by younger patients (r = −0.33, p = 0.023). Males used Twitch (t45 = −2.06, p = 0.05) and Youtube (t45 = −2.18, p = 0.03) for longer than females. AYA in therapy used more Tik Tok (U = 137.50; p = 0.03), Ask/Tellonym (U = 172.50; p = 0.05) and Twitch (U = 144; p = 0.017) than those off therapy. Healthy AYA showed lower levels of exposure (Z = −4.17; p = 0.00001) and impact (Z = −5.12; p = 0.00001) to Covid19, while the level of social anxiety is comparable and is in the normal range in both groups.DiscussionSome clinical considerations and suggestions could be given based on these empirical results to health professionals in the care of AYA cancer patients.

Extraskeletal osteosarcoma (EOSA) in dogs is a rare malignant mesenchymal tumor of somatic soft tissues or more commonly visceral organs with a poor prognosis. In dogs, EOSAs have been described as arising from multiple locations, but differently from humans, never from a main vessel. In this report, we describe the first case of an EOSA arising from the post-hepatic caudal vena cava in a 7-year-old male neutered mix breed dog. This report focuses on the description of the diagnostic challenges to obtain a preoperative diagnosis, highlights the importance of histopathology for a correct diagnosis, and introduces a new differential diagnosis for an animal presenting with a suspected thrombus of the vena cava.

The middle Eocene Cibrone Formation of Brianza (central-western Lombardy) represents an important stratigraphic record to understand a key step of the tectonic evolution of the Alpine range poorly recorded elsewhere. Quantitative petrographic analysis of turbidite arenites, well-constrained in age by the biostratigraphy of interlayered marlstones based on calcareous foraminifera and nannoplankton, allowed us to identify a possible vertical compositional trend within the Cibrone Fm. and to document the NP17 nannofossil Zone (Bartonian) in central Lombardy exposures, east of the Ternate Formation outcrop area. Variable arenite compositions are interpreted to reflect contributions from different source areas, i.e., recycled orogen, island arc, and starved continental shelf. In a paleogeographic scenario still open to different interpretations, the proposed reconstruction supports a classical plate tectonics model for arc-trench systems. The stratigraphic gap, recorded everywhere in Lombardy, between the Eocene succession and the base of the Gonfolite Lombarda Group (upper NP24 nannofossil Zone, early Chattian), corresponds to the earliest stage of continental collision, uplift and erosion that climaxed in the Neo-Alpine Phase.