Technological characterization of vaginal probiotic lactobacilli: resistance to osmotic stress and strains compatibility

Aims: The aim was to evaluate the osmotic stress resistance of vaginal beneficial probiotic strains, their growth kinetics and parameters when growing in salt-added culture media, and their compatibility to go further in the design of a probiotic formula for reconstitution of vaginal microbiome in women. Methods and Results: The resistance to osmotic stress of the lactobacilli was evaluated by determining their growth in MRS (as control) added with NaCl (2–8%). The most resistant strains were Lactobacillus gasseri CRL1509, L. rhamnosus CRL1332 and L. reuteri CRL1327 selected by statistical approaches and growth parameters. Electron microscopy was applied to determine changes. They maintain probiotic properties and viability. Some strains showed incompatibility, then they cannot be included in multistrain formulas. Conclusions: The resistance to different salt concentrations in vaginal lactobacilli is strain-specific, because the behaviour is different in strains identified into the same species. The resistance is not related to the metabolic groups. Significance and Impact of the Study: The resistance and survival to extreme osmotic resistance is one of the specific requirements of beneficial bacteria after the technological processes for their inclusion in probiotic formulas, in a way to express their beneficial characteristics and exert the effect on the host.Fil: Silva, Jessica Alejandra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos; ArgentinaFil: Marchesi, Antonella. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos; ArgentinaFil: Birgitt, Wiese. Hannover Medical School; AlemaniaFil: Nader, Maria Elena Fatima. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos; Argentin

Understanding How Labour Trafficking Networks Exploit Systemic Vulnerabilities in Europe: An Exploration of the Italian Agriculture Sector

La tratta degli esseri umani a scopo di sfruttamento lavorativo (tratta lavorativa, labour trafficking) in Europa è un grave crimine contro le persone, che viola i diritti umani. La ricerca esistente si concentra principalmente sulle vittime, mentre lo studio degli autori di reato e sul modo in cui sfruttano le vulnerabilità del sistema è meno sviluppato. Questo è dovuto in parte alla mancanza di dati robusti, ma anche a un approccio della ricerca criminologica tradizionalmente rigido e settoriale. Al contrario, lo studio della tratta lavorativa richiede concetti flessibili, che riconoscano le radici profonde di questo fenomeno nell’intero sistema socioeconomico, più che il semplice prodotto della volontà degli autori dei reati. Partendo dalle indicazioni della letteratura, questa ricerca si concentra sul settore agricolo italiano, non ancora esaminato da un punto di vista criminologico. L’obiettivo è la comprensione dei meccanismi attraverso i quali la tratta lavorativa nasce e si sviluppa. La scelta del contesto dello studio è dovuta alle caratteristiche peculiari dell’Italia, che rendono la tratta lavorativa in agricoltura centrale per il dibattito nazionale. Inoltre, l'Italia condivide alcune caratteristiche con altri paesi europei, e dunque alcune lezioni apprese da questo caso possono essere discusse alla luce del dibattito internazionale. In primo luogo, un’analisi a livello macro esamina come i fattori strutturali associati nella letteratura internazionale alla tratta lavorativa si concretizzano nel contesto italiano. I risultati mostrano che il sistema stesso sembra creare un terreno fertile per lo sviluppo e il mantenimento della tratta lavorativa: la vulnerabilità dei lavoratori migranti è insita nell'attuale quadro normativo dell’immigrazione; la filiera agroalimentare impone ai produttori la riduzione del costo della forza lavoro; e l'attuale sistema legale basato sulla repressione delle condotte criminose inquadrate come eventi eccezionali è insufficiente. In secondo luogo, un’analisi a livello meso descrive le caratteristiche generali delle reti della tratta lavorativa in Italia. Quattro casi studio selezionati con un metodo razionale e sistematico sono poi approfonditi per identificare le principali caratteristiche, modalità e organizzazione relazionale dei reati, e i metodi con cui viene sviluppata e mantenuta la condizione di sfruttamento delle vittime. I risultati mostrano che nei quattro casi studio le reti si sviluppano e si adattano alle opportunità offerte dal sistema legale. I risultati e gli insegnamenti tratti dal caso italiano sono infine discussi alla luce del dibattito internazionale sulla tratta lavorativa.Labour trafficking in Europe is a serious crime against persons, violating their fundamental human rights. Existing research primarily focuses on the victims, while data on offenders and the manner in which they exploit vulnerabilities is less developed. Recent trends in criminological literature are highlighting how the past lack of research is related to the lack of robust data, but also to traditional rigid approaches with exception to few extreme cases. On the contrary, they call for more flexible concepts recognising that labour trafficking is not only the product of offenders’ will, but has deep roots embedded in the socioeconomic system. Elaborating on these indications, this research focuses on the Italian agriculture sector, which has not yet been examined in literature from a criminological perspective, with the aim to understand the mechanisms through which labour trafficking originates and develops. This choice has been made because the characteristics particular to Italy make labour trafficking in agriculture central to the debate within the country; and because Italy shares some characteristics with other European countries, so some lessons learnt from this case can be discussed in light of the international debate on labour trafficking. First, a macro-analysis examines how the structural factors associated in the international literature with labour trafficking take shape in the Italian context. The results show that the system itself seems to create a fertile ground for labour trafficking to develop and maintain: migrant workers’ vulnerability is inherent in the current migration regulatory framework; the agrifood supply chain makes it necessary for producers to lower the cost of workforce; and the current legal system based on the repression of abusive conducts seen as exceptional events proves ineffective. Second, a meso-analysis at organisation/network level describes the general characteristics of labour trafficking networks in Italy, and then zooms in four case studies selected through a rational systematic method to identify the main features, modalities, and relational organisation of the crime commission, and how the exploitative condition of the victims is developed and maintained. The results show that in the four case studies the trafficking networks develop and adapt to the opportunities offered by the legal system. The results are finally discussed in light of the international debate on labour trafficking, and the lessons learned from the case of Italy

Variables that predict academic achievement in the spanish compulsory secondary educational system: a longitudinal, multi-level analysis

En el artículo se presenta un estudio cuyo objetivo es identificar determinadas variables personales y de centro asociadas con el rendimiento académico de estudiantes de secundaria españoles y analizar su influencia en el progreso de los alumnos a lo largo de la esta etapa. Para ello, Se realizó un estudio multinivel longitudinal en el que se evaluó a un total de 965 estudiantes de 27 centros distintos en Lengua, Matemáticas y Ciencias Sociales, en tres momentos (inicio, mitad y final de la etapa). Los resultados mostraron progreso en el conjunto de los centros en todas las áreas. Los análisis HLM longitudinales confirmaron en el nivel personal la importancia del sexo y el nivel sociocultural y, a diferencia de otros estudios, también la capacidad predictiva de las habilidades metacognitivas y las estrategias de aprendizaje. En el nivel de escuela, el clima escolar y las expectativas del profesorado hacia los estudiantes fueron las variables más relevantes. El tamaño del centro, el porcentaje de repetidores y el liderazgo del equipo directivo explicaron también una proporción de la varianza en algunas áreas.This article presents a study whose objective was to identify certain personal and institutional variables that are associated with academic achievement among Spanish, secondary school students, and to analyze their influence on the progress of those students over the course of that stage of their education. In order to do this, a longitudinal, multi-level study was conducted in which a total of 965 students and 27 different schools were evaluated in Language, Math and Social Science at three different times (beginning, middle and end of the period). The results show progress in all the schools and in all areas. As for the personal, student variables, the longitudinal, HLM analyses confirmed the importance of sex and sociocultural background and, distinguishing it from other studies, also the predictive capacity of meta-cognitive abilities and learning strategies on success in school. On the institutional level, the school climate and teachers’ expectations of their students were the most relevant of the variables studied. The size of the school, the percentage of students who repeat grades, and the leadership of the administration also explained a portion of the variance in some areas

Anti-Candida activity of beneficial vaginal lactobacilli in in vitro assays and in a murine experimental model

Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is one of the most frequent infections affecting women worldwide. Healthy vaginalmicrobiota is dominated by lactobacilli, which form a strong defense line against pathogens. In this work, in vitroantimicrobial properties of thirty vaginal Lactobacillus strains were evaluated against eleven Candida vaginal clinical isolates,employing three different methods. Also, the effect of intravaginal (i.va.) administrations (preventive, therapeutic andpreventive-therapeutic) of L. reuteri CRL1324 or L. rhamnosus CRL1332 strains against the i.va. challenge with Candida albicansC2 (C.a.) was evaluated in a murine experimental model. From the results of agar overlay and liquid medium assays theselected lactobacilli strains have shown to inhibit the growth of at least one Candida strain. The inhibition was mainly dueto the effect of organic acids. Anti-Candida activity was not evidenced in the agar plate diffusion method. In theexperimental murine model, only preventive-therapeutic administration of both lactobacilli was able to significantly reduceviable C.a. numbers recovered in vaginal washes and the leukocyte influx induced by the fungi. In conclusion, lactobacilliexhibited in vitro and in vivo antimicrobial effects on Candida, suggesting that they could be promising candidates forprotection against VVC. Lactobacilli predominant in human vagina and protect from VVC. The manuscript reports different methods to determine lactobacilli inhibitory effect at the laboratory, and protection against Candida in murine vagina.Fil: de Gregorio, Priscilla Romina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos; ArgentinaFil: Silva, Jessica Alejandra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos; ArgentinaFil: Marchesi, Antonella. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos; ArgentinaFil: Nader, Maria Elena Fatima. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos; Argentin

Anhedonia in schizophrenia: The role of subjective experiences

Background High levels of anhedonia have been found in patients with schizophrenia; specifically they report higher levels of social anhedonia rather than physical anhedonia, and further, in the anticipatory rather than consummatory facets of pleasure. Nonetheless, contrasting results emerged regarding the underlying mechanisms of this deficit. Basic Symptoms (BS) disturb subjective experiences present for most of the illness' course; this impacts patients' daily lives leading to a loss of the ability to organize the experience of the self and the world in a fluid and automatic way. Considering the role played by negative emotions in the subjective evaluation of anhedonia, the aim of the study is to clarify the role of BS in the assessment of anhedonia in a sample of patients with schizophrenia (n = 53) compared with healthy controls (n = 46). Methods Participants completed a self-administered trait questionnaire evaluating social anhedonia (Revised-Social Anhedonia Scale), physical anhedonia (Physical Anhedonia Scale), and the consummatory and anticipatory pleasure experiences (Temporal Experience of Pleasure Scale). BS were evaluated with the Frankfurter Beschwerde-Frageboden (FBF) whereas psychopathology was assessed with the Positive and Negative Syndromes Scale. Results Patients scored higher than healthy controls in social, physical and anticipatory anhedonia, but not in consummatory anhedonia and these relationships were mediated by the FBF. Basic Symptoms of Memory, Overstimulation and Lack of Automatism were related to some facets of anhedonia, independently from depressive symptoms. Conclusions We hypothesize that a subjective cognitive deficit and a reduced ability in information processing, could prevent patients from retaining a positive experience from past pleasant activities. Therefore the lack of pleasure would be, at least in part, related to an avoidance of potentially stressful new scenarios

The "Obsessive Paradox": The Complex Relationship Between Cognitive and Obsessive Dimensions in Schizophrenia

The objective of the study was to investigate the relationship between cognitive functions and obsessive-compulsive dimension in schizophrenia and a possible moderating effect of schizophrenia symptom dimensions on this association. Sixty-one schizophrenia patients were administered the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (YBOCS), and the Matrics Consensus Cognitive Battery. A U-shaped curve described a gradual transition from an inverse association to a positive relationship between YBOCS and processing speed scores, along a severity gradient of obsessive dimension. This effect ("the obsessive paradox") was not moderated by other symptom dimensions. The present study suggests that severe obsessive-compulsive symptoms may participate to counterbalance processing speed impairment independently from other symptom dimensions. These results highlight the complexity of the relationship between cognitive and obsessive dimensions in schizophrenia

Recruitment into organised criminal groups: A systematic review

This paper provides a narrative synthesis of the results of a systematic review of the social, psychological and economic factors leading to recruitment into organised crime. This is based on the analysis of evidence emerging from 47 qualitative, quantitative and mixed-method studies published in or before 2017. While the selected studies varied markedly in method and quality, several factors emerged as particularly important in understanding recruitment into organised criminal groups. These included the role of social relations (family, kinship, friendship and work-relations), criminal background and criminal skills

Contraception: Influence on vaginal microbiota and identification of vaginal lactobacilli using MALDI-TOF MS and 16S rDNA sequencing

The vaginal microbiome is influenced by a wide variety of factors, including contraceptive methods. To evaluate the effect of contraceptive methods on vaginal microbiota and to compare MALDI-TOF MS and 16S rDNA sequencing for lactobacilli identification. Patients and Methods: One hundred and one (101) women consulting for birth control were included in a prospective study. Their vaginal content was sampled and analyzed once before they started using the contraceptive method of their choice, and twice after the initiation of contraception, at three months (94/101 women attended) and at six months (89/101 women attended). The relative frequencies of yeasts and trichomonas were analyzed. MALDI-TOF MS and 16S rDNA sequence analysis were applied for the identification of lactobacilli in their vaginal microbiota. The following contraceptive methods were assessed: Combined Oral Contraceptive Pill (COCP), Condom (CON) and The Rhythm Method (RHYT). McNemar's statistical test was applied. A statistically significant association between COCP and normal microbiota was observed after three months (p< 0.01) and after six months (p< 0.0001), when the vaginal microbiota was modified. At six months, inflammatory reaction was detected in 3/7 women in the CON group, while 6/7 patients using RHYT showed the same state. Yeast colonization increased with the COCP. Identification of lactobacilli by MALDI-TOF MS analysis compared to 16S rDNA sequencing yielded 92.9% concordant results. Lactobacillus gasseri and L. crispatus were the predominant species. The pattern of vaginal states was significantly modified. Hormone administration apparently corrected the alterations and retained a normal vaginal state. MALDI-TOF MS has the potential of being an accurate tool for the identification of vaginal lactobacilli species L. murinus was for the first time isolated from the vagina.Fil: Fosch, Sonia E.. Ministerio de Salud; Argentina. Fundación Bioquímica Argentina; ArgentinaFil: Aristimuño Ficoseco, Maria Cecilia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos; ArgentinaFil: Marchesi, Antonella. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos; ArgentinaFil: Cocucci, Silvina Ema. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Hospital de Clínicas General San Martín; ArgentinaFil: Nader, Maria Elena Fatima. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos; Argentina. Universidad del Norte Santo Tomás de Aquino; ArgentinaFil: Perazzi, Beatriz Elizabeth. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Hospital de Clínicas General San Martín; Argentin

Isolated office hypertension : A 3-year follow-up study

The study aimed to evaluate, over a 3-year period, the progression towards sustained hypertension and left ventricular (LV) changes in patients with isolated office (IO) hypertension (office BP140 and/or 90 mmHg, daytime BP130/80 mmHg). After 3 years from the basal evaluation, 38 subjects with basal normal BP and 42 subjects with basal IO hypertension underwent a second 24-h BP monitoring and echocardiography; 19 patients of the basal IO hypertension group were not revaluated because they had already developed ambulatory hypertension and were on antihypertensive treatment. At the second evaluation, the 38 normotensive subjects had unchanged BP and LV parameters; 25 IO hypertensives have developed sustained hypertension. Considering them together with the 19 patients already treated, 72% of 61 IO hypertensives developed ambulatory hypertension over a 3-year period. The patients who subsequently developed hypertension differed from the group who did not only for lower basal values of LV diastolic parameters; all the patients with basal LV hypertrophy and/or preclinical diastolic impairment subsequently developed sustained hypertension. In conclusion, IO hypertensive patients show a high rate of progression towards sustained hypertension. Basal LV hypertrophy and/or preclinical diastolic dysfunction were the only markers of a greater risk of becoming hypertensives

The relevance of molecular genotyping to allocate cases in a suspected outbreak of Legionella pneumonia in patients with prolonged immunosuppressive therapy

Three cases of pneumonia caused by Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 (Lp1) in immunosuppressed patients with repeated hospitalization were suspected as a healthcare-associated cluster. The environmental investigation did not reveal the presence of legionellae in the hospital patient rooms. Water samples collected from the homes of two patients were also negative for Legionella spp. In the absence of environmental strains potentially involved in the infections, we proceeded to genotype environmental Lp1 strains isolated in the hospital during routine water sampling during the decade 2009–2019 and recovered after long-term storage at −20 °C. These 'historical' strains exhibited a high grade of similarity and stability over time, regardless of the disinfection systems. The different molecular profiles shown among the clinical and environmental strains excluded a nosocomial outbreak. The study suggests that the application of molecular typing may be a useful tool to discriminate hospital vs community-acquired cases, mostly for severely immunosuppressed patients in whom the symptomatology could be insidious and the incubation period could be prolonged. Moreover, the genotyping allowed us to exclude any link between the cases. Keywords: Legionnaires' disease, Immunosuppressed patients, Sequence-based typing, Cluster, Environmental strains, Clinical strain