Training in Honey Bee Veterinary Medicine in Italy: An Observational Study and Practical Proposals to Face Professional Challenges

Honey bees, like other livestock, may be affected by infectious, parasitic, and abiotic diseases that need proper sanitary monitoring and control. Currently, there are limited opportunities for undergraduate students to receive education in Honey Bee Veterinary Medicine (HBVM) as part of their regular degree program, despite the professional requirements for veterinarians to carry out the increasing tasks related to honey bee health and production. Additionally, postgraduate training and specialization in HBVM is also underdeveloped. This study was an observational survey that evaluated the educational opportunities available in HBVM for current and future veterinarians in Italy. The survey analyzed both undergraduate and postgraduate programs, including Undergraduate Degree Programs in Veterinary Medicine (UDPVM), “Scuole di Specializzazione”, Masters, and other postgraduate courses. The results indicate that the current training available for veterinarians in the field of apiculture, both before and after graduation, is also insufficient in Italy, as already reported in other EU- and extra-EU countries. Finally, a roadmap for veterinary training in HBVM is developed here describing objectives and teachings aimed at fulfilling the needs of the profession in the field of beekeeping, considering the existing rules and regulations governing public health and possible evolution of this legal framework in the futur

Pós-modernidade e gestão estratégica: implicações para as políticas públicas

Este artigo propõe uma análise dialógica transdisciplinar perante a recorrência explicativa de algumas razões de fracasso quanto às políticas públicas estudadas. Assim, navega conscientemente desde o referencial tradicional, desde manuais e visões consolidadas, até produções pós-estruturalistas e pós-modernas; trilhando a fragmentação dos discursos de poder, desnudando-os em elementos conceito-contextuais mais gerais às Ciências Sociais. Clarifica os limites das análises unidirecionais da gestão, empunhadas nos casos em que algo do plano não dera certo, redirecionando a responsabilidade para atores sociais que sequer participaram dos processos decisórios específicos. Então, após apresentação rápida de alguns olhares que configuram padrões de entendimento emergentes, apresentamos os fundamentos da Etnografia Customizada, desenvolvimento transdisciplinar em Gestão Social. Portanto, para entender tais fracassos, as explicações precisariam avançar para além das análises normativo-funcionalistas, em direção à incorporação de elementos simbólico-explicativos que estiverem protagonizando os contextos de ação pesquisados; igualmente, recolocamos a ideia de que os modelos funcionalistas, eficientes no gerenciamento de rotinas, teriam desempenho inferior quando em contextos de mudança

Sensitivity of Entomopathogenic Fungi and Bacteria to Plants Secondary Metabolites, for an Alternative Control of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus in Cattle

Boophilus (Rhipicephalus) microplus is a one host hard tick widespread in warm climates worldwide, responsible for great economic losses. To avoid resistance in ticks population, induced by the repeated administration of conventional acaricides and/or the presence of residues in the environment in meat and in milk, an alternative approach can be achieved using entomopathogenic microorganisms such as fungi and bacteria, or essential oils (EOs). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the in vitro sensitivity of Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae, Scopulariopsis sp, Bacillus thuringiensis and Proteus mirabilis to Eucalyptus globulus, Lavandula hybrida, Pelargonium graveolens EOs and to their main constituents such as lynalool, linalyl-acetate, geraniol, citronellol and 1,8 cineole. EOs has been chemically characterized by GC-MS. Fungal isolates were tested by a microdilution assay to achieve minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of both EOs and main components. The sensitivity of bacteria was evaluated by an agar disk diffusion. The results obtained show the feasibility of an integrate approach for an eco-friendly control of R. microplus by use of both entomopathogenic fungi and P. graveolens EO. L. hybrida could be an interesting alternative when B. bassiana is not employed. Conversely, a combined use of B. thuringiensis and EOs would not be advisable in the integrate control of ticks

Recreational marathon running does not cause exercise-induced left ventricular hypertrabeculation.

BACKGROUND: Marathon running in novices represents a natural experiment of short-term cardiovascular remodeling in response to running training. We examine whether this stimulus can produce exercise-induced left ventricular (LV) trabeculation. METHODS: Sixty-eight novice marathon runners aged 29.5 ± 3.2 years had indices of LV trabeculation measured by echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging 6 months before and 2 weeks after the 2016 London Marathon race, in a prospective longitudinal study. RESULTS: After 17 weeks unsupervised marathon training, indices of LV trabeculation were essentially unchanged. Despite satisfactory inter-observer agreement in most methods of trabeculation measurement, criteria defining abnormally hypertrabeculated cases were discordant with each other. LV hypertrabeculation was a frequent finding in young, healthy individuals with no subject demonstrating clear evidence of a cardiomyopathy. CONCLUSION: Training for a first marathon does not induce LV trabeculation. It remains unclear whether prolonged, high-dose exercise can create de novo trabeculation or expose concealed trabeculation. Applying cut off values from published LV noncompaction cardiomyopathy criteria to young, healthy individuals risks over-diagnosis

Speckle Tracking Echocardiography for the Assessment of the Athlete's Heart: Is It Ready for Daily Practice?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To describe the use of speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) in the biventricular assessment of athletes' heart (AH). Can STE aid differential diagnosis during pre-participation cardiac screening (PCS) of athletes? RECENT FINDINGS: Data from recent patient, population and athlete studies suggest potential discriminatory value of STE, alongside standard echocardiographic measurements, in the early detection of clinically relevant systolic dysfunction. STE can also contribute to subsequent prognosis and risk stratification. Despite some heterogeneity in STE data in athletes, left ventricular global longitudinal strain (GLS) and right ventricular longitudinal strain (RV ɛ) indices can add to differential diagnostic protocols in PCS. STE should be used in addition to standard echocardiographic tools and be conducted by an experienced operator with significant knowledge of the AH. Other indices, including left ventricular circumferential strain and twist, may provide insight, but further research in clinical and athletic populations is warranted. This review also raises the potential role for STE measures performed during exercise as well as in serial follow-up as a method to improve diagnostic yield

The Female Athlete's Heart: Facts and Fallacies.

Purpose of the review For many years, competitive sport has been dominated by men. Recent times have witnessed a significant increase in women participating in elite sports. As most studies investigated male athletes, with few reports on female counterparts, it is crucial to have a better understanding on physiological cardiac adaptation to exercise in female athletes, to distinguish normal phenotypes from potentially fatal cardiac diseases. This review reports on cardiac adaptation to exercise in females. Recent findings Recent studies show that electrical, structural, and functional cardiac changes due to physiological adaptation to exercise differ in male and female athletes. Women tend to exhibit eccentric hypertrophy, and while concentric hypertrophy or concentric remodeling may be a normal finding in male athletes, it should be evaluated carefully in female athletes as it may be a sign of pathology. Although few studies on veteran female athletes are available, women seem to be affected by atrial fibrillation, coronary atherosclerosis, and myocardial fibrosis less than male counterparts. Summary Males and females exhibit many biological, anatomical, and hormonal differences, and cardiac adaptation to exercise is no exception. The increasing participation of women in sports should stimulate the scientific community to develop large, longitudinal studies aimed at a better understanding of cardiac adaptation to exercise in female athletes

Abnormal ECG Findings in Athletes: Clinical Evaluation and Considerations.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Pre-participation cardiovascular evaluation with electrocardiography is normal practice for most sporting bodies. Awareness about sudden cardiac death in athletes and recognizing how screening can help identify vulnerable athletes have empowered different sporting disciplines to invest in the wellbeing of their athletes. RECENT FINDINGS: Discerning physiological electrical alterations due to athletic training from those representing cardiac pathology may be challenging. The mode of investigation of affected athletes is dependent on the electrical anomaly and the disease(s) in question. This review will highlight specific pathological ECG patterns that warrant assessment and surveillance, together with an in-depth review of the recommended algorithm for evaluation

Aerobic training protects cardiac function during advancing age: a meta-analysis of four decades of controlled studies

In contrast to younger athletes, there is comparatively less literature examining cardiac structure and function in older athletes. However, a progressive accumulation of studies during the past four decades offers a body of literature worthy of systematic scrutiny. We conducted a systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of controlled echocardiography studies comparing left ventricular (LV) structure and function in aerobically trained older athletes (> 45 years) with age-matched untrained controls, in addition to investigating the influence of chronological age. statistic. , 95% CI 0.05-1.86, p = 0.04). Meta-regression for chronological age identified that athlete-control differences, in the main, are maintained during advancing age. Athletic older men have larger cardiac dimensions and enjoy more favourable cardiac function than healthy, non-athletic counterparts. Notably, the athlete groups maintain these effects during chronological ageing