ANALISI DELL’INDICE DI INTERAZIONE BAMBINO-PETS IN FATTORIA ZOOANTROPOLOGICA: STUDIO PILOTA

INTRODUZIONE - La didattica applicata alla zooantropologia prevede un’attuazione in campo educativo e pedagogico dei principi zooantropologici; essa si prefigge un duplice obiettivo: di ridurre il gap relazionale tra animali e giovani generazioni e di recuperare i contenuti e le valenze della relazione, al fine dell’utilizzo pedagogico ed educativo. Nasce un nuovo modello educativo che pone al centro delle strutture pedagogiche l’animale, non più come oggetto da sfruttare, ma come soggetto che aiuti il bambino nella sua crescita educativa (1,2). In quest’ottica generale, la Fattoria Zooantropologica sembra essere un buon sistema in grado di permettere la “fruizione” da parte di bambini e\o soggetti con disabilità di questo modello relazionale e di consentire, altresì, attività e terapie assistite con gli animali (3,4). La Fattoria Zooantropologica offre l’opportunità di attivare la relazione reciproca in un ambiente nuovo, attraente e confortevole tra il fruitore e l’animale che giova di un habitat naturale e familiare. L’esperienza diretta permette ai bambini di usare tutti i loro sensi per imparare: più i bambini vedono, toccano, odorano, sentono, gustano, più imparano (5,6). Partendo da questi presupposti, lo studio si è posto l’obiettivo di effettuare una valutazione del gradimento delle differenti specie animali, attraverso l’analisi degli indici di interazione dei bambini rispetto agli animali presenti in fattoria, al fine di fornire delle linee guida nella scelta del pet in relazione ad una amplificazione delle risposte cognitive ed emozionali del bambino

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with neurological disorders: an urgent need to enhance the health care system's preparedness

The major ethical issue posed by the COVID 19 pandemic are discussed with special reference to the impact on acute and chronic neurological disorder

Risk factors associated with adverse fetal outcomes in pregnancies affected by Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): a secondary analysis of the WAPM study on COVID-19.

Objectives To evaluate the strength of association between maternal and pregnancy characteristics and the risk of adverse perinatal outcomes in pregnancies with laboratory confirmed COVID-19. Methods Secondary analysis of a multinational, cohort study on all consecutive pregnant women with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 from February 1, 2020 to April 30, 2020 from 73 centers from 22 different countries. A confirmed case of COVID-19 was defined as a positive result on real-time reverse-transcriptase-polymerase-chain-reaction (RT-PCR) assay of nasal and pharyngeal swab specimens. The primary outcome was a composite adverse fetal outcome, defined as the presence of either abortion (pregnancy loss before 22 weeks of gestations), stillbirth (intrauterine fetal death after 22 weeks of gestation), neonatal death (death of a live-born infant within the first 28 days of life), and perinatal death (either stillbirth or neonatal death). Logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate parameters independently associated with the primary outcome. Logistic regression was reported as odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Results Mean gestational age at diagnosis was 30.6+/-9.5 weeks, with 8.0% of women being diagnosed in the first, 22.2% in the second and 69.8% in the third trimester of pregnancy. There were six miscarriage (2.3%), six intrauterine device (IUD) (2.3) and 5 (2.0%) neonatal deaths, with an overall rate of perinatal death of 4.2% (11/265), thus resulting into 17 cases experiencing and 226 not experiencing composite adverse fetal outcome. Neither stillbirths nor neonatal deaths had congenital anomalies found at antenatal or postnatal evaluation. Furthermore, none of the cases experiencing IUD had signs of impending demise at arterial or venous Doppler. Neonatal deaths were all considered as prematurity-related adverse events. Of the 250 live-born neonates, one (0.4%) was found positive at RT-PCR pharyngeal swabs performed after delivery. The mother was tested positive during the third trimester of pregnancy. The newborn was asymptomatic and had negative RT-PCR test after 14 days of life. At logistic regression analysis, gestational age at diagnosis (OR: 0.85, 95% CI 0.8-0.9 per week increase; pPeer reviewe

CMS physics technical design report : Addendum on high density QCD with heavy ions

Peer reviewe

Role of prenatal magnetic resonance imaging in fetuses with isolated mild or moderate ventriculomegaly in the era of neurosonography: international multicenter study

Objectives To assess the role of fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in detecting associated anomalies in fetuses presenting with mild or moderate isolated ventriculomegaly (VM) undergoing multiplanar ultrasound evaluation of the fetal brain. Methods This was a multicenter, retrospective, cohort study involving 15 referral fetal medicine centers in Italy, the UK and Spain. Inclusion criteria were fetuses affected by isolated mild (ventricular atrial diameter, 10.0–11.9 mm) or moderate (ventricular atrial diameter, 12.0–14.9 mm) VM on ultrasound, defined as VM with normal karyotype and no other additional central nervous system (CNS) or extra‐CNS anomalies on ultrasound, undergoing detailed assessment of the fetal brain using a multiplanar approach as suggested by the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology guidelines for the fetal neurosonogram, followed by fetal MRI. The primary outcome of the study was to report the incidence of additional CNS anomalies detected exclusively on prenatal MRI and missed on ultrasound, while the secondary aim was to estimate the incidence of additional anomalies detected exclusively after birth and missed on prenatal imaging (ultrasound and MRI). Subgroup analysis according to gestational age at MRI (< 24 vs ≥ 24 weeks), laterality of VM (unilateral vs bilateral) and severity of dilatation (mild vs moderate VM) were also performed. Results Five hundred and fifty‐six fetuses with a prenatal diagnosis of isolated mild or moderate VM on ultrasound were included in the analysis. Additional structural anomalies were detected on prenatal MRI and missed on ultrasound in 5.4% (95% CI, 3.8–7.6%) of cases. When considering the type of anomaly, supratentorial intracranial hemorrhage was detected on MRI in 26.7% of fetuses, while polymicrogyria and lissencephaly were detected in 20.0% and 13.3% of cases, respectively. Hypoplasia of the corpus callosum was detected on MRI in 6.7% of cases, while dysgenesis was detected in 3.3%. Fetuses with an associated anomaly detected only on MRI were more likely to have moderate than mild VM (60.0% vs 17.7%; P < 0.001), while there was no significant difference in the proportion of cases with bilateral VM between the two groups (P = 0.2). Logistic regression analysis showed that lower maternal body mass index (adjusted odds ratio (aOR), 0.85 (95% CI, 0.7–0.99); P = 0.030), the presence of moderate VM (aOR, 5.8 (95% CI, 2.6–13.4); P < 0.001) and gestational age at MRI ≥ 24 weeks (aOR, 4.1 (95% CI, 1.1–15.3); P = 0.038) were associated independently with the probability of detecting an associated anomaly on MRI. Associated anomalies were detected exclusively at birth and missed on prenatal imaging in 3.8% of cases. Conclusions The incidence of an associated fetal anomaly missed on ultrasound and detected only on fetal MRI in fetuses with isolated mild or moderate VM undergoing neurosonography is lower than that reported previously. The large majority of these anomalies are difficult to detect on ultrasound. The findings from this study support the practice of MRI assessment in every fetus with a prenatal diagnosis of VM, although parents can be reassured of the low risk of an associated anomaly when VM is isolated on neurosonography

Surgical resection of synchronous and metachronous metastases from pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Two case reports in the light of recent evidences

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the western countries for both men and women. Until in 2015, it remains one of the most challenging malignancies with a dismal prognosis and limited therapeutic options. The 5-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer is around 5%, which is the lowest among all different cancer sites. The poor prognosis of PDAC is largely attributed to delayed diagnosis due to nonspecific symptoms in the early stages of the disease, biological aggressiveness leading to rapid metastases, lack of effective screening methods, and resistance to radiation and chemotherapies. In the event of metastases, patients were traditionally referred to palliative treatments. Thanks to continuous progresses in the surgical expertise, synchronous and metachronous metastases resections seem technically feasible nowadays. These reports describe 2 several clinical cases in which patients with Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma, and synchronous and metachronous liver metastases respectively, were treated with a surgical approach. Patients showed a better survival rate compared current data in the literature. Our results, often in conflict with the guidelines and recent evidences, confirm the need for a new vision of the metastases "problem" in patients with Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

Chemical colitis due to peracetic acid: A case report and review of literature

Reprocessing of both endoscopic instruments and reusable disposals is mandatory to prevent infection transmission. However, toxic colitis due to endoscope contamination by different disinfectants following an imperfect washing has been reported. We present a case of peracetic acid-induced colitis and reviewed the literature. Overall, five cases of peracetic acid toxic colitis have been reported. All cases presented with "snow white sign" immediately appearing during endoscopy, two patients complaint of mild abdominal pain (one of whom had also fever and rectal bleeding), whilst the others remained totally asymptomatic. Only one patient received a 1-week metronidazole treatment. No immediate complications were observed, and no sequels occurred at clinical-endoscopic follow-up. The identified cause of disinfectant contamination was a defective either manual or automated rinsing of the colonoscope following the reprocessing procedure

Good Practices on Endoscope Reprocessing in Italy: Findings of a Nationwide Survey

Background: Correct reprocessing and microbiological surveillance on endoscopes are fundamental for preventing the transmission of multi-drug resistant strains and device-related infections. Methods: A questionnaire with three domains was created: (1) centre characteristics; (2) endoscope reprocessing procedures; and (3) application of microbiological surveillance. Nurses working in endoscopic units across Italy were invited to anonymously fill out the questionnaire on the SurveyMonkey platform between November 2021 and February 2022. Results: A total of 82 out of 132 endoscopic centres participated in the survey, with at least one centre from each Italian region. Data found different concerns regarding the current practice of both reprocessing and microbiological surveillance. According to respondents, the training on reprocessing was performed through theoretical training and only in 10% of centres; the microbiological surveillance was regularly performed in 59% of centres; and sampled endoscopes were not excluded for use in 31% of centres performing the surveillance until the outcome was pending, and when positive, 72% maintained them in quarantine until a successive negative result. Conclusions: Reprocessing and microbiological surveillance currently present several criticisms along the endoscopic centres in Italy. Our survey highlights the need for the correct application of the national recommendations in each endoscopic centre to prevent the potential transmission of endoscope-related infections