Pet Therapy in geriatrics: a social and medical relationship

Pet therapy is an innovative science that finds valid intervention strategies not only for treating psycho-physical diseases but also for improving the quality of life. The areas of intervention concern various fields: pedagogical, psychological, social and health care. Improving the welfare state of certain categories of people, including the elderly. The contact with the animal demonstrates not only positive influence on social and individual parameters, such as interaction and communication, but is also effective on behavioral parameters, reducing agitation, stimulating creativity, curiosity and observation capacity, And affectivity with improved depression and anxiety. In complementary therapies, pet therapy, either animal assisted activity (AAA) or animal assisted therapy (AAT), is able to modify the state of the present by providing some well-being in the elderly in treatment. A therapy that goes beyond From the severity of the patient's status but could also benefit in those cases of particular gravity as Alzhaimer's. The use of this therapy in elderly people who can record a physiological aging of their functions, such as dementia and Alzheimer's, also has a strong emotional, cognitive and relational stimulation, a recovery of autobiographical memory, an increase in sense of Self-esteem and self-efficacy, a push towards eagerness and social interaction. A therapeutic geriatric, which works mainly on emotions, modifies quantitatively the behavioral and cognitive changes of patients and, by integrating with traditional drugs, improves the state of well-being and quality of life

Skvamocelularni karcinom oka u goveda: prikaz slučajeva u okolici grada Caltagirone u Italiji.

Twelve cases of ocular squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) are reported in the bovine red-pied breed (Simmental), kept in a farm in south Sicily. Lesions showed different clinical aspects (caulifl ower-shape masses and/or papilloma-like growths), protruding through the palpebral fissure, and placed at the level of the nictitating membrane or the sclera-conjunctival junction, or by a cutaneous swelling with a central crateriform area and ulcerations on the periorbital region, involving also the eyelids. Histopathological examination revealed a dermic neoplastic growth characterized by the proliferation of invasive squamous cells arranged with a pseudocord appearance. The possible relationships were analysed between the high prevalence of the condition and the poorly pigmented skin of this breed, the farming system employed and the exposure of the animals to ultraviolet radiation. Finally, issues related to animal welfare are also considered.Prikazano je 12 slučajeva skvamocelularnog karcinoma u goveda simentalske pasmine držanih na jednoj farmi na jugu Sicilije. Oštećenja su se klinički očitovala u obliku cvjetače i/ili rasta nalik na papilom, izbočujući se kroz naprslinu na vjeđi sa smještajem u području treće vjeđe ili na spoju bjeloočnice i spojnice, ili oteklinom kože sa središnjim uvrnućem i ulceracijama u periorbitalnom području zahvaćajući i vjeđe. Patohistološkom pretragom ustanovljena je kožna novotvorina koja se očitovala proliferacijom invazivnih skvamoznih užolikih stanica. Analizirani su mogući odnosi između visoke prevalencije karcinoma te slabe pigmentiranosti kože simentalske pasmine, načina držanja i izloženosti goveda ultraljubičastom zračenju. Razmatrani su i neki čimbenici dobrobiti životinja

Simple and complex images: Operationalization and first calibration

The aim of this study is to operationalize the construction of the complexity related to images. In particular, we want to calibrate the judgments of complexity related to colourful images and black and white images who belong to different categories (animals, fruit, transports, technological tools and faces) and examine the parameters related to the different levels of their categorical complexity.The first part of this composition put forward a definition of the construction, a comparison between the various theories of the complexity of the images and an analysis of the various fields of application.In the second part, the purpose is to operationalize the construction, together with the method, the procedures used, and the sample that are described in detail.The article ends with a debate about the results and some thoughts about the importance to operationalize the construct of the complexity.The added value of this study is to provide, for the first time, a contribution to the operationalization of the construct of complexity. The complex and simple images can be used by the scientific community as a catalog that could be used in different fields of application (for example clinical/experimental, marketing/advertising, etc.)

Buying a Dog with Pulmonary Stenosis: some medico-legal considerations

Pulmonic stenosis (PS) is a malformation of pulmonary valve, involving the right ventricular outflow tract or the pulmonary artery. German shepherd, Bulldog, Labrador retriever, Collie and Boxer are breeds predisposed. Clinical signs are aspecific and include stunting, exercise intolerance, dyspnoea, syncope and ascites. Often PS may determine audible cardiac murmur and when audible is a high frequency, crescendo-decrescendo murmur during systole, loudest over the left side of the thorax, near the sternal cardiac border. The veterinarian should be able to assess PS such as heart defects because they may be object of legal disputes. In this study, the Authors report some cases of PS in dogs to clarify whether or not it may be considered a redhibitory defect

Clinical significance of roms, oxy, shp and hmgb‐1 in canine leishmaniosis

This study aimed to investigate the role of oxidative stress parameters (ROMs, OXY, SHp), the Oxidative Stress index (OSi), and High Mobility Group Box-1 protein (HMGB-1) in canine leishmaniosis (CanL). For this study, thirty dogs, naturally infected with Leishmania spp. (Leishmania Group, LEISH) and ten healthy adult dogs (control group, CTR) were included. The diagnosis of CanL was performed by a cytological examination of lymph nodes, real time polymerase chain reaction on biological tissues (lymph nodes and whole blood), and an immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT) for the detection of anti-Leishmania antibodies associated with clinical signs such as dermatitis, lymphadenopathy, onychogryphosis, weight loss, cachexia, lameness, conjunctivitis, epistaxis, and hepatosplenomegaly. The HMGB-1 and oxidative stress parameters of the LEISH Group were compared with the values recorded in the CTR group (Mann Whitney Test, p < 0.05). Spearman rank correlation was applied to evaluate the correlation between the HMGB-1, oxidative stress biomarkers, hematological and biochemical parameters in the LEISH Group. Results showed statistically significant higher values of SHp in the LEISH Group. Specific correlation between the ROMs and the number of red blood cells, and between HGMB-1 and SHp were recorded. These preliminary data may suggest the potential role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of CanL. Further studies are undoubtedly required to evaluate the direct correlation between inflammation parameters with the different stages of CanL. Similarly, further research should investigate the role of ROMs in the onset of anemia

Promjene intraokularnog tlaka i sistemskog krvnog tlaka u pasa za vrijeme vježbe umjerenog intenziteta na pokretnoj traci - kratki prikaz

Physical exercise in humans induces changes in intraocular pressure, relating to the type and intensity of the workload. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the variations in intraocular pressure and arterial blood pressure in dogs that underwent physical exercise on a treadmill. Thirty dogs were submitted to physical exercise consisting of walking (15 minutes), trotting (20 minutes), and walking (10 minutes). The intraocular pressure, blood pressure and pulse rate were recorded for each dog before starting the treadmill exercise, immediately after it ended, and after 20 minutes of passive recovery. Two-way repeated analysis of variance measurement showed the significant effect of treadmill exercise (P≤0.01) on intraocular pressure, pulse rate and diastolic blood pressure. No significant changes were observed to systolic blood pressure. Intraocular pressure and diastolic blood pressure decreased significantly during the passive recovery, and were strongly related. The pulse rate was significantly lower during the passive recovery. Although the mechanism determining the reduction in intraocular pressure during exercise remains not fully understood, our results suggest that it is strongly related to variations in arterial blood pressure.physical exercise; eye; ocular variable; arterial blood pressure; dogTjelesna vježba u ljudi uzrokuje promjene u intraokularnom tlaku, ovisno o vrsti i intenzitetu opterećenja. cilj ovog istraživanja bio je procijeniti varijacije intraokularnog tlaka i arterijski krvni tlak u pasa podvrgnutih tjelesnoj aktivnosti na pokretnoj traci. Trideset pasa izloženo je tjelesnoj aktivnosti koja se sastojala od hodanja (15 minuta), trčanja u formi kasa (20 minuta) i hodanja (10 minuta). Za svakog su psa zabilježeni intraokularni tlak, krvni tlak i srčani puls prije početka aktivnosti, odmah nakon završetka aktivnosti i 20 minuta nakon oporavka. Dvosmjerna analiza varijance za ponovljena mjerenja pokazala je znakovit učinak vježbe na pokretnoj traci (P ≤ 0,01) na intraokularni tlak, srčani puls i dijastolički krvni tlak. Nije bilo znakovitih promjena u sistoličkom krvnom tlaku. Intraokularni tlak i dijastolički krvni tlak znakovito su se smanjili za vrijeme oporavka i bili u znatnoj korelaciji. Srčani puls bio je znakovito niži za vrijeme oporavka. Iako mehanizam koji utječe na smanjenje intraokularnog tlaka nije sasvim jasan, rezultati pokazuju da je on u čvrstoj vezi s promjenama arterijskog krvnog tlaka

Retrograde Positive Contrast Urethrocystography of the Fish Urogenital System

The radiological differences between the urinary tract of  Dicentrarchus labrax, Sparus aurata, Tinca tinca, and Cyprinus carpio are shown. In fresh water teleosts the urinary bladder is sigmoid and a short urethra leads to the urinary pore. Genital and anal pores are present. In Sparus aurata the urinary bladder has a globoid shape. In Dicentrarchus labrax the urinary bladder is smaller and elongate. In both marine teleosts a single urogenital pore is visible. Positive contrast was used to survey the urogenital system and evaluate shape and size of the bladder, urethra, ureter, and gonadal ducts. Results demonstrate the morphological variability of the urinary bladder and the craniodorsal entry of the ureters into the bladder. It is envisaged that this work will provide baseline information for further imaging studies for investigating the urogenital morphology and can be applied to identify disorders in fishes. Furthermore, the main interest of this study is that it demonstrates the morphological variability of the lower urinary system that exists between different species of fishes

Toward the development of direct emission yellow fiber lasers for biomedical applications

The paper presents the design and preliminary experimental validation of a fiber laser with direct emission in the yellow. The active material is a Dy-doped custom-made phosphate fiber, which is pumped by high-power blue diode lasers emitting at 450 nm. A suitable model has been developed to optimize the laser behavior and validated with a low-power version of the laser cavity with femtosecond written Bragg grating mirrors

Cardio-Metabolic Indices and Metabolic Syndrome as Predictors of Clinical Severity of Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors

BackgroundObesity, mainly visceral obesity, and metabolic syndrome (MetS) are major risk factors for the development of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. Data analyzing the association of obesity and MetS with gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (GEP-NEN) are lacking. Fatty liver index (FLI) is a non-invasive tool for identifying individuals with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Visceral adiposity index (VAI) has been suggested as a gender-specific indicator of adipose dysfunction. Both indexes have been proposed as early predictors of MetS. This study aimed to investigate the association of FLI VAI as early predictors of MetS with gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs).MethodsA cross-sectional, case-control, observational study was carried out at the ENETS Centers of Excellence Multidisciplinary Group for Neuroendocrine Tumors, University "Federico II". VAI and FLI were calculated.ResultsWe enrolled 109 patients with histologically confirmed G1/G2 GEP-NET (53 M; 57.06 +/- 15.96 years), as well as 109 healthy subjects, age, sex- and body mass index-matched. Forty-four GEP-NET patients were G2, of which 21 were with progressive disease, and 27 patients had metastases. GEP-NET patients had a higher value of VAI (p &lt; 0.001) and FLI (p = 0.049) and higher MetS presence (p &lt; 0.001) compared with controls. VAI and FLI values and MetS presence were higher in G2 than in G1 patients (p &lt; 0.001), in patients with progressive disease, and in metastatic vs non-metastatic patients (p &lt; 0.001). In addition, higher values of VAI and FLI and higher MetS presence were significantly correlated with the worst clinical severity of NENs. The cut-off values for the FLI and MetS to predict high grading of GEP-NETs and the presence of metastasis were also provided.ConclusionsThis is the first study investigating an association between VAI and FLI as early predictors of MetS and GEP-NET. Our findings report that the worsening of clinicopathological characteristics in GEP-NET is associated with higher presence of MetS, NAFLD, evaluated by FLI, and visceral adiposity dysfunction, evaluated by VAI. Addressing the clinical evaluation of MetS presence, NAFLD, and visceral adiposity dysfunction might be of crucial relevance to establish targeted preventive and treatment interventions of NEN-related metabolic comorbidities

Chronotype. what role in the context of gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors?

Background Chronotype is defined as a trait determining the subject circadian preference in behavioral and biological rhythms relative to external light-dark cycle. Although individual differences in chronotype have been associated with an increased risk of developing some types of cancer, no studies have been carried out in gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NET). Materials We investigate the differences in chronotype between 109 GEP-NET and 109 healthy subjects, gender-, age-, and BMI-matched; and its correlation with tumor aggressiveness. Results GEP-NET patients have a lower chronotype score (p = 0.035) and a higher percentage of evening chronotype (p = 0.003) than controls. GEP-NET patients with morning chronotype had lower BMI, waist circumference, and higher percentage of MetS (p &lt; 0.001) than evening type. Interestingly, considering the clinical pathological characteristics, patients with the presence of metastasis, grading G2, and in progressive disease presented the lower chronotype score (p = 0.004, p &lt; 0.001, and p = 0.002; respectively) compared to other categories. Chronotype score was negatively associated with anthropometric measurements, metabolic profile, percentage of MetS, and Ki67 index (p &lt; 0.001 for all). Conclusions GEP-NET patients have an unhealthy metabolic profile and present more commonly an evening chronotype. These results support the importance of including the assessment of chronotype in an adjunctive tool for the prevention of metabolic alterations and tumor aggressiveness of GEP-NET