107 research outputs found
Traditional knowledge on ethno-veterinary and fodder plants in South Angola: an ethnobotanic field survey in Mopane woodlands in Bibala, Namibe province
Livestock is a critical resource to improve income and household livelihoods in many rural areas. To date, very few studies have investigated farmersâ local knowledge on plants used in managing animal health and welfare in Angolan Mopane woodland. This is a very dry ecosystem where animal husbandry (mostly cattle and goats breeding) is highly widespread and is often the main form of subsidence, greatly contributing to local communities food security, especially in periods of resources shortage. An ethnobotanical research project was carried out in Bibala (Namibe province â Angola) in 2010 â 2012, in order to collect information on different traditional uses of plants, involving an interviewed sample of 66 informants. Fifty-eight of them (87.9%) listed a total of 39 species used as ethno-veterinary and/or fodder plants. Ten ethno-veterinary species (28 citations) were reported by 20 informants as used to treat diseases commonly affecting animals in the studied area, namely respiratory tract problems (Laphangium luteoalbum, Gyrocarpus americanus, Craibia brevicaudata subsp. baptistarum, Lepisanthes senegalensis, Ptaeroxylon obliquum, Ximenia americana) and skin diseases and wounds (Aloe littoralis, Blepharis sp., Ficus thonningii), or acting as a general tonic (Faidherbia albida). Thirty-four plants (235 citations) were cited by 58 informants as fodder. In this category of use, the most cited species were Terminalia prunioides (30 citations), Faidherbia albida (28 citations) and Spirostachys africana (21 citations). Our study shows that communities living in South Angola Mopane woodlands still retain a valuable traditional knowledge about plants used to maintain animal health and welfare. This body of knowledge and related skills can play a crucial role in the resilience of livestock systems facing present environmental and socioeconomic changes
Laparoscopic repair for perforated peptic ulcer: our experience, a comparison with the open approach and a review of the literature.
Backgrounds:
The incidence of perforated peptic ulcers has decreased during the last decades but the optimal treatment for these patients remains controversial. At the same time, a laparoscopic approach to this condition has been adopted by an increased number of surgeons.
Therefore, this study wants to evaluate the postoperative results of the laparoscopic treatment of perforated peptic ulcer performed in one Italian center with extensive experience in laparoscopic surgery.
Methods:
This retrospective study includes 94 patients who were operated for perforated peptic ulcer peritonitis at âSt. Orsola Hospital - Emergency Surgery Unit - University of Bolognaâ from May 2014 to December 2019. The patientsâ charts were reviewed for demographics, surgical procedure, complications, and short-term outcomes.
Results:
The diagnosis was made clinically and confirmed by the presence of gas under diaphragm on abdominal X-ray. All patients underwent primary suture repair with or without omentopexy. Boey score 0 or 1 was found in 66 (70%) patients, Boey 2 or 3 in 28 (30%) patients. The operative time was between 35 and 255 minutes, with a mean of 93 minutes. The overall median hospital stay was 9.5 (1-60) days. Post-operative complications occurred in 19 (20%) patients and 18 (19%) patients died.
Conclusions:
Perforated peptic ulcer is a severe condition that requires early hospital admission and immediate surgery. Laparoscopy in experienced centers and for selected patients is safe, associated with optimal outcomes and should be the preferred approach
Laparoscopic repair for perforated peptic ulcer: Our experience, a comparison with the open approach and a review of the literature.
Background:
The incidence of perforated peptic ulcers has decreased during the last decades but
the optimal treatment for these patients remains controversial. At the same time, a
laparoscopic approach to this condition has been adopted by an increased number of
surgeons.
Therefore, this study wants to evaluate the postoperative results of the laparoscopic
treatment of perforated peptic ulcer performed in one Italian center with extensive
experience in laparoscopic surgery.
Methods:
This retrospective study includes 94 patients who were operated for perforated peptic
ulcer peritonitis at âSt. Orsola Hospital - Emergency Surgery Unit - University of
Bolognaâ from May 2014 to December 2019. The patientsâ charts were reviewed for
demographics, surgical procedure, complications, and short-term outcomes.
Results:
The diagnosis was made clinically and confi rmed by the presence of gas under
diaphragm on abdominal X-ray. All patients underwent primary suture repair with or
without omentopexy. Boey score 0 or 1 was found in 66 (70%) patients, Boey 2 or 3 in
28 (30%) patients. The operative time was between 35 and 255 minutes, with a mean
of 93 minutes. The overall median hospital stay was 9.5 (1-60) days. Post-operative
complications occurred in 19 (20%) patients and 18 (19%) patients died.
Conclusions:
Perforated peptic ulcer is a severe condition that requires early hospital admission and
immediate surgery. Laparoscopy in experienced centers and for selected patients is safe,
associated with optimal outcomes and should be the preferred approach
The diagnostic role of Next Generation Sequencing in uncovering isolated splenomegaly: A case report
Many diseases can induce splenomegaly, however, about 5% of splenomegalies are idiopathic. When there is no underlying treatable cause, and the splenomegaly significantly affects the quality of life, splenectomy is the best therapeutic choice. A 67-year-old woman had idiopathic and asymptomatic splenomegaly. The increase in splenomegaly resulted in hypersplenism with cytopenia and symptoms related to abdominal discomfort. The patient underwent splenectomy which led to clinical improvement. A histological examination showed the presence of hematopoietic tissue. Peripheral blood Next Generation Sequencing with the myeloid panel SOPHiA Genetics showed the following mutations: ASXL1, SRSF2, KRAS and TET2. Three out of these four mutations were also found in the splenic tissue. Next Generation Sequencing could be useful in the diagnosis of splenomegalies associated with myeloproliferative neoplasms otherwise defined as idiopathic, in order to address a therapeutic strategy
Observatorio del ĂĄrea metropolitana Santa Fe-ParanĂĄ (AMSF-P)
El proyecto Observatorio UrbanĂstico del Ărea Metropolitana Santa Fe-ParanĂĄ (PICTANPCyT) se inscribe en una lĂnea de trabajo iniciada hace algunos años, cuyo objetivo general consiste en producir un conocimiento operativo del territorio, es decir, un conocimiento puesto al servicio de una polĂtica territorial. En el caso particular que nos ocupa, el âobjetoâ de dicha polĂtica territorial serĂa el fenĂłmeno metropolitano que se ha venido a constituir a partir de la intensificaciĂłn de las interacciones entre las ciudades de Santa Fe y ParanĂĄ, mĂĄs una pluralidad de centros urbanos menores que gravitan alrededor de ambas capitales provinciales y del hecho urbano complejo que ellas conforman
Observatorio del ĂĄrea metropolitana Santa Fe-ParanĂĄ (AMSF-P)
El proyecto Observatorio UrbanĂstico del Ărea Metropolitana Santa Fe-ParanĂĄ (PICTANPCyT) se inscribe en una lĂnea de trabajo iniciada hace algunos años, cuyo objetivo general consiste en producir un conocimiento operativo del territorio, es decir, un conocimiento puesto al servicio de una polĂtica territorial. En el caso particular que nos ocupa, el âobjetoâ de dicha polĂtica territorial serĂa el fenĂłmeno metropolitano que se ha venido a constituir a partir de la intensificaciĂłn de las interacciones entre las ciudades de Santa Fe y ParanĂĄ, mĂĄs una pluralidad de centros urbanos menores que gravitan alrededor de ambas capitales provinciales y del hecho urbano complejo que ellas conforman
Non-minimally coupled dark matter: effective pressure and structure formation
We propose a phenomenological model in which a non-minimal coupling between
gravity and dark matter is present in order to address some of the apparent
small scales issues of \lcdm model. When described in a frame in which gravity
dynamics is given by the standard Einstein-Hilbert action, the non-minimal
coupling translates into an effective pressure for the dark matter component.
We consider some phenomenological examples and describe both background and
linear perturbations. We show that the presence of an effective pressure may
lead these scenarios to differ from \lcdm at the scales where the non-minimal
coupling (and therefore the pressure) is active. In particular two effects are
present: a pressure term for the dark matter component that is able to reduce
the growth of structures at galactic scales, possibly reconciling simulations
and observations; an effective interaction term between dark matter and baryons
that could explain observed correlations between the two components of the
cosmic fluid within Tully-Fisher analysis.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures, references added. Published in JCA
Adjuvant capecitabine in triple negative breast cancer patients with residual disease after neoadjuvant treatment: real-world evidence from CaRe, a multicentric, observational study
Background: In triple negative breast cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy, residual disease at surgery is the most relevant unfavorable prognostic factor. Current guidelines consider the use of adjuvant capecitabine, based on the results of the randomized CREATE-X study, carried out in Asian patients and including a small subset of triple negative tumors. Thus far, evidence on Caucasian patients is limited, and no real-world data are available. Methods: We carried out a multicenter, observational study, involving 44 oncologic centres. Triple negative breast cancer patients with residual disease, treated with adjuvant capecitabine from January 2017 through June 2021, were recruited. We primarily focused on treatment tolerability, with toxicity being reported as potential cause of treatment discontinuation. Secondarily, we assessed effectiveness in the overall study population and in a subset having a minimum follow-up of 2 years. Results: Overall, 270 patients were retrospectively identified. The 50.4% of the patients had residual node positive disease, 7.8% and 81.9% had large or G3 residual tumor, respectively, and 80.4% a Ki-67 >20%. Toxicity-related treatment discontinuation was observed only in 10.4% of the patients. In the whole population, at a median follow-up of 15 months, 2-year disease-free survival was 62%, 2 and 3-year overall survival 84.0% and 76.2%, respectively. In 129 patients with a median follow-up of 25 months, 2-year disease-free survival was 43.4%, 2 and 3-year overall survival 78.0% and 70.8%, respectively. Six or more cycles of capecitabine were associated with more favourable outcomes compared with less than six cycles. Conclusion: The CaRe study shows an unexpectedly good tolerance of adjuvant capecitabine in a real-world setting, although effectiveness appears to be lower than that observed in the CREATE-X study. Methodological differences between the two studies impose significant limits to comparability concerning effectiveness, and strongly invite further research
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