Parental Practices and Environmental Differences among Infants Living in Upper-Middle and High-Income Countries: A Cross-Sectional Study

Parental practices and environmental factors can impact a child's development and, consequently, functionality. The objective is to assess the parental practices and environmental differences in healthy and at-risk infants at 3-6 months of age living in upper-middle (Brazil) and high-income (Italy) countries. A total group of 115 infants was identified and classified into four groups: healthy Italian infants (H_IT); Italian infants exposed to biological risk factors (R_IT); healthy Brazilian infants (H_BR); and Brazilian infants exposed to environmental risk factors (L_BR). The dependent variables were parental practices and environmental factors, which were assessed through a semi-structured interview and the "variety of stimulation dimension" from the Affordances in the Home Environment for Motor Development-Infant Scale (AHEMD-IS) questionnaire. Descriptive analyses, a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), and correlation tests were applied. Regarding the environment and parental practices, the mother's age, maternal and paternal education, civil status, and variety of stimulation showed significant differences among the infants living in Brazil or in Italy. There were strong dissimilarities in parental practices and environmental factors among infants living in low/upper-middle and high-income countries. Since the home environment is the main stimulus for infant growth and development, our results are meaningful for providing knowledge about these two different cultures

Maqui and Omega 3: effects on lipid profile, oxidative stress levels and psycho-physical items in human subjects

Aims: to assess short-term efficacy of supplementation with Maqui (Aristotelia Chilensis (Mol.Stuntz)), a polyphenol with antioxidant power, and EPA/DHA concerning metabolism, oxidative stress and mental/physical state. Patients and Methods: a pilot prospective observational clinical/laboratory study was performed on 17 apparently healthy subjects (8 males and 9 females, mean age 47 years). All subjects received for two months: a) Maqui 600 mg per day and b) 360 mg of EPA and 240 mg of DHA (salmon oil) daily. At day 0 and day 60 all subjects underwent nine laboratory tests related to inflammation, metabolism (lipid profile mainly) and oxidative stress parameters. Pre-post treatment weight and BMI was calculated. A few physical and mental parameters were assessed by means of Short-Form 12 questionnaire. Statistical analysis was applied to the resulting data through Wilcoxon test and t-paired test. Results: laboratory results before and after Maqui + EPA/DHA supplementation were respectively (mean and p-value for the comparison): total cholesterol 228.8/199.8 mg/dl, p=0.23; low density lipoproteins 127.4/122.1 mg/dl, p=0.13; high density lipoproteins 59.1/57.6 mg/dl, p=0.25; Reactive C Protein 0.18/0.09 mg/dl, p=0.32; triglycerides 106.1/91.1 mg/dl p=0.09, glycemia 92.9/92.8 mg/dl p= 0.92; total free radicals 338.0/303.6 U.Carr., p=0.002; serum anti-oxidant capacity 2075/2190 umol/l, p= 0.04; oxidized lipoproteins 641.8/553.1 uEq/l, p=0.10. SF12 physical and mental items (mean values and SD) were 51.2 (+/- 6.2) and 41.2 (+/- 3,3) at day 0 and 54.6 (+/- 11.6) and 47.2 (+/- 9.7) at day 60 respectively. One case of transient constipation was recorded. Conclusions: daily supplementation with Maqui 600 mg + Omega 3 fatty acids (EPA 360 mg + DHA 240 mg) in apparently healthy middle-aged subjects resulted in a statistically significant improvement of oxidative stress parameters. An overall (non statistically significant) improvement of dysmetabolism biomarkers was achieved. Mental and physical parameters have mildly improved

Paleoenvironmental evolution in a high-stressed cold-seep system (Vicchio Marls, Miocene, northern Apennines, Italy)

Excellent exposures of Miocene seep-carbonates enclosed in marine marly sediments (Vicchio outcrops in the northern Apennines, Italy) offer the opportunity to highlight the evolution of a fossil seep ecosystem and the response of benthic communities to high-stressed environmental conditions. For this purpose, seep-related facies and molluscs within carbonate bodies have been studied, coupled with benthic foraminiferal assemblages and carbon and oxygen isotopes in the enclosing marls. The integrated planktonic foraminiferal and calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy has allowed us to constrain the seepage within well-calibrated bioevents and to stress the relationships with paleoclimatic and paleoceanographic variations during the middle Miocene in the Mediterranean area. Our biostratigraphic data indicate that the onset of the seepage approximates the Mi3b cooling event (13.82 Ma) and the seepage system lasts for 400 kyr. The evolution of the Vicchio cold-seep system passes through four phases: (1) The onset of the seepage, characterized by a pervasive flow of methane-rich fluids, is inferred by δ13C depletion of marly sediments and by prevailing benthic foraminifera indicative of suboxic conditions at the sea-floor. (2) The methane flow becomes focused causing the precipitation of wide pinnacle-like carbonate bodies which contain giants lucinids. Enclosing marls indicate well-oxygenated conditions, possibly enhanced by paleoceanographic variations connected to the Mi3b cooling event. (3) The appearance of the vesicomyid Christineconcha cf. C. regab and the absence of lucinids in seep-carbonates suggest stable methane-rich fluid emissions; higher flow rates locally favoured the flourishment of bacterial mats. Benthic foraminifera show abundance peaks of organic matter depending taxa. (4) The reduced intensity of methane-rich fluid flows favours the precipitation of stratiform carbonate bodies along strike; the macrofauna is characterized by the presence of both Vesicomyidae and giant lucinids. Foraminiferal assemblages in the enclosing marls indicate the restoration of well-oxygenated conditions

A novel radioguided surgery technique exploiting beta- decay

Radio-guided surgery (RGS) is a technique that helps the surgeon to perform a complete lesion resection. Currently, RGS uses γ emitting tracers, to mark the cancerous tissue from the healthy organs, and a γ radiation detection probe. To overcome the limitations due to the high penetration of γ radiation, a novel approach based on β-radiation has been developed (Sci Rep. 2014;4:4401), allowing to include cases with high uptake of nearby healthy organs, and to benefit of a low medical team exposure

Time evolution of DOTATOC uptake in neuroendocrine tumors in view of a possible application of radioguided surgery with b2 decay

A novel radioguided surgery (RGS) technique exploiting β- radiation has been proposed. To develop such a technique, a suitable radiotracer able to deliver a β- emitter to the tumor has to be identified. A first candidate is represented by 90Y-labeled DOTATOC, a compound commonly used today for peptide radioreceptor therapy. The application of this β- RGS to neuroendocrine tumors (NET) requires study of the uptake of DOTATOC and its time evolution both in tumors and in healthy organs and evaluation of the corresponding performance of the technique. METHODS: Uptake by lesions and healthy organs (kidneys, spleen, liver and healthy muscle) was estimated on 177Lu-DOTATOC SPECT/CT scans of 15 patients affected by NET with different localizations, treated at IRCCS-Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova, Reggio Emilia, Italy. For each patient, SPECT/CT images, acquired at 0.5, 4, 20, 40, and 70 h after injection, were studied. For each lesion, the tumor-to-nontumor ratio (TNR) with respect to all healthy organs and its time evolution were studied. A subset of patients showing hepatic lesions was selected, and the TNR with respect to the nearby healthy tissue was calculated. By means of a Monte Carlo simulation of the probe for β- RGS, the activity that is to be administered for a successful detection was estimated lesion-by-lesion. RESULTS: Uptake of DOTATOC on NETs maximized at about 24 h after injection. The cases of hepatic lesions showed a TNR with respect to the tumor margins compatible with the application of β- RGS. In particular, 0.1-mL residuals are expected to be detectable within 1 s with 5% false-negative and 1% false-positive by administering the patient as little as 1 MBq/kg. CONCLUSION: The balance between tumor uptake and metabolic washout in healthy tissue causes the TNR to increase with time, reaching its maximum after 24 h, and this characteristic can be exploited when a radiotracer with a long half-life, such as 90Y, is used. In particular, if 90Y-DOTATOC is used with liver NET metastases, the proposed RGS technique is believed to be feasible by injecting an activity that is one third of that commonly used for PET imaging

New implications in the use of imposex as a suitable tool for Tributyltin contamination: experimental induction in Hexaplex trunculus (Gastropoda, Muricidae) with different stressors

Imposex, i.e. the development of additional male sex organs (penis and/or vas deferens), in females of gonochorist marine and freshwater gastropods, is known to be caused by tributyltin (TBT), and it has been widely used as a biomonitoring tool in environmental surveys for TBT pollution assessment. In this study, we experimentally tested the potential to induce imposex by another endocrine disruptor (polychlorinated biphenyls [PCBs] mixture—Aroclor 1260). Adults of Hexaplex trunculus with low imposex level, coming from an Italian Marine Protected Area, were injected separately with different doses of tributyltin chloride (TBTCl) and Aroclor 1260. The compounds were dissolved in ethanol and the organisms were narcotised by immersion in MgCl2 solution before injection. Before and after the experiment, butyltin compounds (BuTs) and PCB tissue concentrations were determined. A significant increase in imposex with respect to non-treated organisms was observed in all treatments, including artefact controls. No clear correlation was observed between BuTs and PCB tissue concentrations and indices of imposex incidence. Based on these results, no assumption can be formulated about PCB effect on imposex development. Nevertheless, they suggest that the imposex level increase, at least in H. trunculus, in laboratory conditions might not be caused by TBT only, but it would rather be a non-specific response to different stress stimuli