Jean-Christophe Paoli - Printzipàles e pastori sardi. Origine e trasformazione di un allevamento ovino mediterraneo

En lisant les pages d’un chercheur français qui décrit l’évolution des systèmes agro-pastoraux de la Sardaigne, un agronome italien ne peut pas s’empêcher de se souvenir de l’ouvrage extraordinaire de Maurice Le Lannou, le grand géographe du XXe siècle, qui dans les années 1930 dévoua son énergie de jeune doctorant à des longs séjours d’étude sur cette île merveilleuse : un continent antique, discret et primitif au milieu de la mer Méditerranée, dont il nous a raconté avec lucidité scientifiq..

Nitric oxide synthase acutely regulates progesterone production by in vitro cultured rabbit corpora lutea

We examined the presence and the regulation of nitric oxide (NO) synthase (NOS) using in vitro cultured corpora lutea (CL) obtained from rabbits at days 4 and 9 of pseudopregnancy. The role of NO and NOS on steroidogenesis was also investigated using the same CL preparations after short-term incubations (30 min and 2 h) with the NO donor, sodium nitroprusside (NP), the NOS inhibitor, Nomega-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME) and prostaglandin (PG) F-2alpha. The basal NOS activity was greater in CL at day 4 than at day 9, and was also differently modulated by PGF-2alpha, depending on the age of the CL. The addition of PGF-2alpha to day 4 CL had no effect, but PGF-2alpha on day 9 caused a threefold increase in NOS activity. NP caused a two- to fivefold decrease in release of progesterone from CL of both ages, and this inhibitory effect on steroidogenesis was reversed by l-NAME. All treatments failed to modify basal androgens and 17beta-oestradiol was not detectable in either control or treated CL. These results suggest that NO is effectively involved in the regulation process of steroidogenesis, independently of 17beta-oestradiol. PGF-2alpha had no effect on day 4, but induced luteolysis on day 9, by reducing progesterone (P</=0. 01) to about 18% of control. The luteolytic action of PGF-2alpha was completely reversed by co-incubation with l-NAME, thus supporting the hypothesis that luteolysis is mediated by NO. The addition of NP or l-NAME did not modify the in vitro release of PGF-2alpha. We hypothesised that PGF-2alpha upregulates NOS activity and, consequently, the production of NO, which acutely inhibits progesterone release from day 9 CL of pseudopregnant rabbits

Pragmatic Use of Planetary Health and Nature-Based Solutions for Future Pandemics Using COVID-19 Case Scenario

https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpubh.2021.62012

Brucellosis Control in Malta and Serbia: A One Health Evaluation

Brucellosis, also known as \u201cundulant fever\u201d or \u201cMalta fever\u201d, is a zoonotic infection caused by microorganisms belonging to Brucella, a genus of gram-negative coccobacilli that behave as facultative intracellular pathogens of ruminants, swine and other animals. Brucellosis is a threat to public health, hence identifying the optimal way of preventing disease spread is important. Under certain circumstances, integrated, multidisciplinary \u201cOne Health\u201d (OH) initiatives provide added value compared to unidisciplinary or conventional health initiatives. Conceptualizing and conducting evaluations of OH approaches may help facilitate decisions on resource allocation. This article historically describes and compares Malta's 1995\u20131997 with Serbia's 2004\u20132006 brucellosis control programmes and quantitatively assesses the extent to which they were compliant with a OH approach. For both case studies, we describe the OH initiative and the system within which it operates. Characteristic OH operations (i.e., thinking, planning, working) and supporting infrastructures (to allow sharing, learning and systemic organization) were evaluated. We scored the different aspects of these programmes, with values ranging from zero to one (1 = strong integration of OH). Malta demonstrated a higher OH index (0.54) and ratio (1.37) than Serbia (0.49 and 1.14 respectively). We conclude that context and timing are key to determining how, when and why a One Health approach should be applied. The adoption of a true OH approach that involved systemic organization, leadership clarity and transdisciplinary communication, collaboration, and co-ordination was essential to Malta's successful eradication of brucellosis after several failed attempts. In contrast, contextual factors in Serbia permitted the successful adoption of a primarily sectorial approach for short term control of brucellosis. However, while a fully-fledged transdisciplinary OH approach was not initially required, it is likely to be key to maintenance of brucellosis control in the medium and long term. Through these two case studies, we demonstrate that One Health initiatives should be applied at the right place, at the right time, with the right people and using the appropriate conditions/infrastructure. Lastly, OH evaluations should include economic assessments to identify optimal of resources in these situations, thereby justifying funding and political support required

Evaluating the contribution of antimicrobial use in farmed animals to global antimicrobial resistance in humans

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is currently regarded by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the most significant risks to global public health. The most critical causes of AMR infections in humans are the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in humans and farmed animals. The rising global demand for food of animal origin encourages the increase of animal production worldwide, especially in developing countries. Simultaneously, current farming practices often extensively use antimicrobials on animals, influencing bacterial AMR incidence. This study aims to evaluate the correlation between antimicrobial use (AMU) in farmed animals and the detection of AMR infections in humans, the effects of enforcing laws in animal farming in a country on AMR situation in the neighbors, and the potential of AMR to spread from one country to another. Using data from 30 largest animal-producing countries in different regions of the world, between 2010 and 2020, and a Spatial Durbin Model (SDM), we found that AMU in farmed animals increases AMR in humans and there is a spatial dependence between countries regarding AMR spreading. Such findings indicate that a globally coordinated strategy regulating AMU on farmed animals may reduce AMR emergence and worldwide spreading

Epidemiologic-economic models and the One Health paradigm: echinococcosis and leishmaniasis, case studies in Veneto region, Northeastern Italy

Epidemiology and health economics have systemic interdependencies. The identification of the economic outcomes of any disease is operated by overlapping its epidemiology with the economic functions of the impacted entities. This communication presents two epidemiologic-economic models designed to evaluate the economic burden of cystic echinococcosis and leishmaniasis in Veneto (Northeastern Italy). Following a One Health approach, the research integrates expertise from different disciplines and institutions and fulfilled its first stage by defining the relevant cost categories and the data collection strategy for the two diseases in the study area. The two models identify the relevant epidemiological factors and the economic outcomes of infections in both animals and humans. The results, visualized in flow charts indicating the types of costs associated with these zoonoses, will guide data collection and the epidemiologic and economic assessment in the next research stages. This experience shows that One Health methods, although still innovative or unusual in many scientific and professional contexts, can be applied by using relatively limited resources and already available professional skills

Pattern of antibiotic consumption in two Italian production chains differing by the endemic status for Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome

The aim of this case study was to quantify antibiotic (AB) use in Italian weaning (W) and fattening (F) units differentiated for porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) occurrence. Farms were classified as either PRRS negative (–) or PRRS positive (+) based on the circulation of the virus among the animals. In all the farms, the modified live PRRS virus (PRRSV) vaccine was provided to all the animals. In the PRRS– farms, the level of circulating antibodies was low, and the disease, in its clinical form, did not occur. In the PRRS+ farms, the level of circulating antibodies against the virus was high, and the disease was recurrent. Data regarding AB consumption were collected from 2017 to 2020, and the active compounds (ACs) were expressed as milligrams of AC/total kilogram of body weight (BW) produced. Each AC was classified into one of four categories according to the EuropeanMedicines Agency classification of ABs for prudent and responsible use in animals: Avoid, Restrict, Caution, and Prudence. Data regarding the ACs in each category were analyzed using a linear model that included production phase, PRRS status, and their interaction as factors. Performance parameters, average age of the pigs at the end of each phase, daily live weight gain, feed-to-gain ratio, total losses, cost index, and medication costs were significantly influenced by the PRRS chain. The use of class B ABs was not affected by production phase or PRRS status. Conversely, for class C ABs, interaction between the two factors (p = 0.02) was observed; W/PRRS+ and F/PRRS+ showed the greatest AB use for this class (p = 0.003). For class D ABs, the interaction was significant (p = 0.01); class C and D ABs were used more in the weaning (p = 0.07) than in the fattening phase (p = 0.003). For the weaning phase, the use of class C and D ABs was greater in the PRRS+ than in the PRRS– chain (p &lt; 0.01). In conclusion, PRRS status affected the growth of pigs and economic performance. Moreover, PRRS status significantly influenced the use of ABs during all the growing periods with the greatest impact being on the weaning phase

Food waste drivers in Europe, from identification to possible interventions

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Comparison between balloon angioplasty and additional coronary stent implantation for the treatment of drug-eluting stent restenosis: 18-month clinical outcomes

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the long-term outcomes after different modalities of treatment of drug-eluting stent (DES) in-stent restenosis (ISR) in a 'real world' setting. METHODS: Actually, few and conflicting data are available about the management of in-stent restenosis (ISR) after DES implantation. In our 'real world' registry 1082 consecutive patients who received a DES implantation were included. At 9-month angiographic follow-up, 93 patients presented a DES ISR that was treated with 'homo-DES' (HMD) (N = 27), 'hetero-DES' (HTD) (N = 19) and conventional balloon angioplasty (POBA) (N = 47). We evaluated the clinical outcomes in terms of major adverse cardiac event (MACE) (death, myocardial infarction and target vessel revascularization) at 18 months. RESULTS: There was no difference for clinical and angiographic characteristics between the three groups, except for the presence of silent ischaemia as clinical presentation (7.7 HMD vs. 2.2% POBA; P = 0.0001). No late stent thrombosis was found. At 18-month clinical follow-up patients treated with HMD, HTD and POBA presented a rate of MACE of 10.2, 0 and 8.7%, respectively (P = NS). Kaplan-Meier survival probability showed that HTD and POBA treatment tended to have more favourable outcomes at 18 months than the HMD treatment. CONCLUSION: In our registry, POBA seems to be as effective as other DES implantations in cases of DES ISR, especially in cases of focal type (Mehran classification IA, IC), in terms of long-term outcomes