In Situ Thermal Generation of Silver Nanoparticles in 3D Printed Polymeric Structures

Polymer nanocomposites have always attracted the interest of researchers and industry because of their potential combination of properties from both the nanofillers and the hosting matrix. Gathering nanomaterials and 3D printing could offer clear advantages and numerous new opportunities in several application fields. Embedding nanofillers in a polymeric matrix could improve the final material properties but usually the printing process gets more difficult. Considering this drawback, in this paper we propose a method to obtain polymer nanocomposites by in situ generation of nanoparticles after the printing process. 3D structures were fabricated through a Digital Light Processing (DLP) system by disolving metal salts in the starting liquid formulation. The 3D fabrication is followed by a thermal treatment in order to induce in situ generation of metal nanoparticles (NPs) in the polymer matrix. Comprehensive studies were systematically performed on the thermo-mechanical characteristics, morphology and electrical properties of the 3D printed nanocomposites

Incidence of Tetracycline and Erythromycin Resistance in Meat-Associated Bacteria: Impact of Different Livestock Management Strategies

The extensive use of antibiotics as growth promoters, or their continued abusive misuse to cure or prevent the onset of bacterial infections as occurs in the intensive farming, may have played a pivotal role in the spread of reservoirs of antibiotic resistance (AR) among food-associated bacteria including pathogens representing risks to human health. The present study compares the incidence of tetracycline and erythromycin resistances in lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and coagulase negative staphylococci (CNS) from fermented products manufacturing using meat from intensive animal husbandry (industrialized manufacturing Italian salami) and from extensive farms (artisanal sausages facilities pork and llama Argentinean sausages). A higher incidence of tetracycline resistance (TET-R) compared to erythromycin resistance (ERY-R) was observed among the 205 isolates. Unlike CNS strains, the LAB showed a significant correlation between the TET-R and the ERY-R phenotypes. Genotypic assessment shows a high correlation with tetK and tetM for the TET-R strains and with ermB and ermC for the ERY-R strains. Multiple correspondence analyses have highlighted the association between AR phenotypes and CNS species isolated from Italian salami, while the susceptible phenotypes were associated with the LAB species from Argentinean sausages. Since antibiotic resistance in meat-associated bacteria is a very complex phenomenon, the assessment of bacterial resistance in different environmental contexts with diverse farming practices and food production technologies will help in monitoring the factors influencing AR emergence and spread in animal production.EEA FamailláFil: Fontana, Cecilia Alejandra. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Famaillá; ArgentinaFil: Fontana, Cecilia Alejandra. Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. Centro Ricerche Biotecnologiche; ItaliaFil: Patrone, Vania. Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. DISTAS; ItaliaFil: López, Constanza María. Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. Centro Ricerche Biotecnologiche; ItaliaFil: Morelli, Lorenzo. Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. Centro Ricerche Biotecnologiche; ItaliaFil: Morelli, Lorenzo. Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. DISTAS; ItaliaFil: Rebecchi, Annalisa. Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. Centro Ricerche Biotecnologiche; ItaliaFil: Rebecchi, Annalisa. Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. DISTAS; Itali

Metronomic Capecitabine Effectively Blocks Leptomeningeal Carcinomatosis From Breast Cancer: A Case Report and Literature Review.

BACKGROUND Meningeal carcinomatosis is a rare complication in breast cancer patients. At present, there are no defined guidelines for its management. The efficacy of systemic treatment seems to depend on its ability to cross the blood-brain-barrier and its interaction with tumor vasculature. Metronomic chemotherapy is a known modality of drug administration able to inhibit tumor angiogenesis. CASE REPORT We present a case of symptomatic leptomeningeal carcinomatosis from breast cancer successfully treated with capecitabine. Based on the hypothesis that angiogenesis contributes to neoplastic meningitis, the patient was treated with a metronomic schedule that provided long-term clinical benefit with a very low toxicity profile. CONCLUSIONS To assess the real impact of metronomic chemotherapy in patients with meninges involvement, a phase II study will be starting soon in our institution. A review of the literature concerning the management of meningeal carcinomatosis is also presented

Traceability of Pediatric Antibiotic Purchasing Pathways in Italy: A Nationwide Real-World Drug Utilization Analysis

Purpose The aim of the present study was to describe the purchasing patterns of a set of antibiotics used exclusively in an out-patient pediatric setting in Italy using the Farma360 wholesale drug database (IQVIA Solutions Italy), identifying the proportion of medications which are not captured by Italian National Health Service (NHS) pharmacy claims databases and examining the implications of such findings from a public health and pharmaceutical policy perspective. Methods Using a systematic approach, sixty-six antibiotic pediatric formulations were selected for the 5 most commonly used antibiotics in Italy in children and adolescents: amoxicillin in combination with clavulanic acid, amoxicillin, azithromycin, clarithromycin and cefixime. The Farma360 wholesale drug purchasing database was used to identify the yearly proportion of antibiotics not purchased based on NHS reimbursement in primary care from 2015-2017 at the national level. The relationship between product cost and purchase outside the NHS was assessed by a scatterplot. All analyses were stratified by geographic area: Northwest, Northeast, Central and Southern Italy. Results The proportion of antibiotics not reimbursed by the NHS increased nationally from 24% in 2015 to 29% in 2017. The antibiotic with the highest proportion of purchases outside the NHS was amoxicillin, with almost two-thirds of all amoxicillin purchases in Southern Italy being made in this way in 2017. The relationship between antibiotic price and antibiotic purchase outside the NHS was almost linear for many geographic areas. Conclusions This study showed that a large proportion of antibiotics with a pediatric formulation is purchased outside the NHS drug purchasing pathway, especially in Southern Italy, indicating that it is not possible to fully monitor drug utilization, including appropriateness, for these antibiotics. A better strategy is needed to improve drug utilization monitoring, such as better data collection or data linkage

Pazopanib-Induced Heart Failure In A Metastastic Sarcoma Patient: Between Reversible Side Effect and Efficacy

Introduction: Pazopanib, a multi-target tyrosine-kinase inhibitor (TKI), is a relatively novel anticancer agent registered for advanced renal cell carcinoma recently emerged in the setting of advanced soft-tissue sarcoma (STS). In the early clinical trials pazopanib has been very marginally linked to left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) dysfunction as, on contrary, reported for other anti-angiogenesis TKIs, such as Sunitinib and Sorafenib. Presentation of Case: We here present a case of severe, but reversible, congestive cardiac failure in a 37-year old Caucasian man affected by soft-tissue sarcoma during an efficacious treatment with pazopanib. Conclusion: Cardiac damage from novel TKI treatments is still an underestimated phenomenon. In our patient, pazopanib was the only treatment ensuring stability of disease and its discontinuation meant disease progression. Post-approval monitoring of novel TKIs should be taken into account by clinicians including a careful monitoring of LVEF and all symptoms suggestive of cardiac dysfunction, in particular for drugs potentially capable to change the natural history of still uncurable cancer

Pazopanib-Induced Heart Failure in a Metastatic Sarcoma Patient: between Reversible Side Effect and Efficacy

 Introduction: Pazopanib, a multi-target tyrosine-kinase inhibitor (TKI), is a relatively novel anticancer agent registered for advanced renal cell carcinoma recently emerged in the setting of advanced soft-tissue sarcoma (STS). In the early clinical trials pazopanib has been very marginally linked to left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) dysfunction as, on contrary, reported for other anti-angiogenesis TKIs, such as Sunitinib and Sorafenib. Presentation of Case: We here present a case of severe, but reversible, congestive cardiac failure in a 37-year old Caucasian man affected by soft-tissue sarcoma during an efficacious treatment with pazopanib. Conclusion: Cardiac damage from novel TKI treatments is still an underestimated phenomenon. In our patient, pazopanib was the only treatment ensuring stability of disease and its discontinuation meant disease progression. Post-approval monitoring of novel TKIs should be taken into account by clinicians including a careful monitoring of LVEF and all symptoms suggestive of cardiac dysfunction, in particular for drugs potentially capable to change the natural history of still uncurable cancer.

Eleven Years of Health Monitoring in Wild Boars (Sus scrofa) in the Emilia-Romagna Region (Italy)

In recent years, the growth of wild ungulates has increased the focus on their health monitoring. In particular, the health status of wild boars is relevant for the economic impact on the pig industry. The Emilia-Romagna region activated a wildlife monitoring plan to better evaluate the health status of the wild boar population. Between 2011 and 2021, samples of found dead and hunted wild boar have been examined for trichinellosis, tuberculosis, brucellosis, african swine fever, classical swine fever, Aujeszky’s disease, swine vesicular disease, and swine influenza A. Trichinella britovi was identified in 0.001% of the examined wild boars; neither M. bovis nor M. tuberculosis were found in M. tuberculosis complex positive samples; 2.3% were positive for Brucella suis; 29.4% of the sera were positive for Aujeszky’s disease virus; and 0.9% of the samples were positive for swine influenza A virus. With an uncertain population estimate, the number of animals tested, the number of positives, and the sampling method do not allow us to make many inferences but suggest the need to implement and strengthen the existing surveillance activity, as it seems to be the only viable alternative for safeguarding animal and human health

Exploring Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci Diversity from Artisanal Llama Sausages: Assessment of Technological and Safety Traits

Llama sausage is still produced following artisanal procedures, with the autochthonous microbiota being mainly responsible for the fermentation process. In this work, the taxonomical identification and technological-safety criteria of coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) isolated from two dierent productions of llama sausages (P: pilot and A: artisanal) were investigated. Staphylococcus (S) equorum and S. saprophyticus were the species most frequently found in P production, followed by S. succinis and S. warneri; a wider species variability was observed in A factory being S. equorum, S. capitis, S. xylosus, S. pasteuri, S. epidermidis and S. saprophyticus as the main identified species. The technological characterization of 28 CNS strains showed their ability to hydrolyze gelatin and tributyrin together with a relevant nitrate reductase activity. Phenotypic and genotypic approaches were conducted to investigate the main safety traits. Llama\u2019s CNS strains exhibited weak decarboxylase and hemolytic activity and low biofilm production; additionally, no enterotoxin genes were detected. Correlation analysis between phenotypic and genotypic data showed low values for the biofilm parameters, while high correlation was observed for oxacillin, ampicillin, tetracycline and aminoglycosides resistance and their genetic determinants. Data obtained may contribute to broaden knowledge about the autochthonous strains of this poorly studied fermented product, thus helping to select an appropriate combination of potential starter cultures to improve llama sausage safety and quality

Impressive response to dose-dense chemotherapy in a patient with NUT midline carcinoma

Objective: Rare disease Background: NUT midline carcinoma (NMC) is a rare, highly lethal malignancy that results from a chromosome translocation and mostly arises in the midline organs. To date, no treatment has been established. Most patients receive combinations of chemotherapy regimens and radiation, and occasionally subsequent resection; nevertheless, patients have an average survival hardly exceeding 7 months. Case Report: A 21-year-old patient was admitted to our division with a large mediastinal mass with lung nodules, multiple vertebral metastases, and massive nodal involvement. In a few days, the patient developed a superior vena cava syndrome and an acute respiratory failure. Due to the rapid course of the disease, based on preliminary histology of poorly differentiated carcinoma, a dose-dense biweekly chemotherapy with paclitaxel, ifosfamide, and cisplatin was started. In the meantime, the diagnosis of NMC was confirmed. A surprising clinical benefit was obtained after the first cycle of chemotherapy, and after 6 cycles a PET-CT scan showed a very good response. At this point, radiotherapy was started but the disease progressed outside of the radiation field. The patient entered into a compassionate use protocol with Romidepsin, but a PET/CT scan after the first course showed disease progression with peritoneal and retroperitoneal carcinosis. A treatment with Pemetrexed was then started but the patient eventually died with rapid progressive disease. Conclusions: Our case history adds some interesting findings to available knowledge: NMC can be chemosensitive and radiosensitive. This opens the possibility to study more aggressive treatments, including high-dose consolidation chemotherapy and to evaluate the role of biological agents as maintenance treatments

De Novo Donor-Specific HLA Antibodies Developing Early or Late after Transplant Are Associated with the Same Risk of Graft Damage and Loss in Nonsensitized Kidney Recipients

De novo posttransplant donor-specific HLA-antibody (dnDSA) detection is now recognized as a tool to identify patients at risk for antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) and graft loss. It is still unclear whether the time interval from transplant to DSA occurrence influences graft damage. Utilizing sera collected longitudinally, we evaluated 114 consecutive primary pediatric kidney recipients grafted between 2002 and 2013 for dnDSA occurrence by Luminex platform. dnDSAs occurred in 39 patients at a median time of 24.6 months. In 15 patients, dnDSAs developed within 1 year (early-onset group), while the other 24 seroconverted after the first posttransplant year (late-onset group). The two groups were comparable when considering patient- and transplant-related factors, as well as DSA biological properties, including C1q and C3d complement-binding ability. Only recipient age at transplant significantly differed in the two cohorts, with younger patients showing earlier dnDSA development. Late AMR was diagnosed in 47% of the early group and in 58% of the late group. Graft loss occurred in 3/15 (20%) and 4/24 (17%) patients in early- and late-onset groups, respectively (p = ns). In our pediatric kidney recipients, dnDSAs predict AMR and graft loss irrespective of the time elapsed between transplantation and antibody occurrence