A multi-element psychosocial intervention for early psychosis (GET UP PIANO TRIAL) conducted in a catchment area of 10 million inhabitants: study protocol for a pragmatic cluster randomized controlled trial

Multi-element interventions for first-episode psychosis (FEP) are promising, but have mostly been conducted in non-epidemiologically representative samples, thereby raising the risk of underestimating the complexities involved in treating FEP in 'real-world' services

Confronto tra diagnosi ecografica prenatale e follow-up neonatale nelle uropatie fetali : stato attuale della diagnosi

Monduzzi Ed.,Bologna (ITALY),199

Confronto tra diagnosi ecografica prenatale e follow-up neonatale nelle uropatie fetali : stato attuale della diagnosi

Monduzzi Ed.,Bologna (ITALY),199

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli and atypical enteropathogenic Escherichia coli strains isolated from healthy sheep of different populations in São Paulo, Brazil

Aims: Sheep are important carriers of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in several countries. However, there are a few reports about ovine STEC in American continent.Methods and Results: About 86 E. coli strains previously isolated from 172 healthy sheep from different farms were studied. PCR was used for detection of stx(1), stx(2), eae, ehxA and saa genes and for the identification of intimin subtypes. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP)-PCR was performed to investigate the variants of stx(1) and stx(2), and the flagellar antigen (fliC) genes in nonmotile isolates. Five isolates were eae(+) and stx(-), and belonged to serotypes O128:H2/beta-intimin (2), O145:H2/gamma, O153:H7/beta and O178:H7/epsilon. Eighty-one STEC isolates were recovered, and the stx genotypes identified were stx(1c)stx(2d-O118) (46.9%), stx(1c) (27.2%), stx(2d-O118) (23.4%), and stx(1c)stx(2dOX3a) (2.5%). Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) revealed 27 profiles among 53 STEC and atypical enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) isolates.Conclusions: This study demonstrated that healthy sheep in São Paulo, Brazil, can be carriers of potential human pathogenic STEC and atypical EPEC.Significance and Impact of the Study: As some of the STEC serotypes presently found have been involved with haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) in other countries, the important role of sheep as sources of STEC infection in our settings should not be disregarded.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Univ São Paulo, Inst Ciencias Biomed 2, Dept Microbiol, BR-05508900 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Microbiol Imunol & Parasitol, São Paulo, BrazilInst Adolfo Lutz Registro, Dept Microbiol, Setor Enterobacterias, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Microbiol Imunol & Parasitol, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Plasma PGFM and progesterone concentrations, luteolysis moment and estrous cycle length in Nelore cows submitted to uterine biopsies

ABSTRACTIn this study, endometrial samples were collected in 14 Nelore cows on days zero (ovulation), five, nine, thirteen and nineteen of the estrous cycle (biopsy group), and in 15 females these collections weren't performed (control group). Biopsies were done on the uterine horn endometrium contralateral to the ovary with corpus luteum. Blood samples were taken at -24, -16, -8, 0 +8, +16 and +24 hours in relation to progesterone drop (<1ng/mL, zero moment) and evaluated for 13, 14-dihydro-15-keto prostaglandin F2-alpha (PGFM) by radioimmunoassay (RIA). Plasma progesterone concentration was determined by RIA every 24 hours. Data were analyzed by ANOVA using the PROC GLM and MIXED of the SAS. The mean value for PGFM during the entire period evaluated was greater in the biopsy group. The mean concentration of PGFM at moment zero was not different between the groups; the mean concentration of PGFM was higher in the biopsy group before and after the drop in progesterone level. The maximum mean concentration observed was not different between the groups; however, the mean minimum concentration was different with high values in the biopsy group. Although the PGFM concentrations were higher in the biopsy group, the biopsy and control groups had similar length of estrous cycle showing that repeated endometrial biopsy on the side contralateral to the ovary with corpus luteum does not affect luteolysis and the length of the estrous cycle

Development of implantation substrates for the collection of radionuclides of medical interest produced via ISOL technique at INFN-LNL

13noAccelerator-based techniques with electromagnetic mass separation are considered among the most innovative and promising strategies to produce non-conventional radionuclides for nuclear medicine. Such approach was successfully used at CERN, where the dedicated MEDICIS facility was built, and at TRIUMF, where the ISAC radioactive beam facility was used to produce unconventional α-emitters. In such framework, the Legnaro National Laboratories of the Italian Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN-LNL) proposed the ISOLPHARM project (ISOL technique for radioPHARMaceuticals), which will exploit radionuclides producible with the SPES (Selective Production of Exotic Species) ISOL (Isotope Separation On-Line) facility to develop novel radiopharmaceuticals. The ISOL technique utilizes the irradiation with a primary beam of particles/nuclei of a production target where radionuclides are produced. A radioactive ion beam is subsequently extracted from the production target unit, and transported up to an analyzing magnet, where non-isobaric contaminants are filtered out. The so-obtained purified radioactive beam is dumped onto an implantation substrate, referred as collection target. Then, the desired nuclides can be chemically harvested from the collected isobars, and the isotopically pure atom collection can be employed to radiolabel high specific activity radiopharmaceuticals. Metallic deposition targets in the form of coated metal foils were mostly used at TRIUMF and CERN. At ISOLPHARM, a different approach is under investigation which foresees the use of soluble cold-pressed collection targets, possibly facilitating the chemical purification process of the collected radionuclides. In this study, the production and characterization of some of the ISOLPHARM collection targets is presented, in particular, soluble salts (NaCl and NaNO3) and organic materials widely used for pharmaceutical tablets production are considered. All such materials proved to be potentially suitable as collection targets, since solid samples were easily produced and resulted compatible with the vacuum conditions required for the ion implantation process. Furthermore, some of the selected substrates were used for proof-of-concept deposition tests with stable silver, to prove their suitability as ISOLPHARM deposition substrates for silver-111, a promising candidate for radiotherapy. Such tests highlighted possible scenarios useful for the development of new alternative materials, as the use of insoluble organic targets.nonenoneBallan M.; Vettorato E.; Morselli L.; Tosato M.; Nardella S.; Borgna F.; Corradetti S.; Monetti A.; Lunardon M.; Zenoni A.; Di Marco V.; Realdon N.; Andrighetto A.Ballan, M.; Vettorato, E.; Morselli, L.; Tosato, M.; Nardella, S.; Borgna, F.; Corradetti, S.; Monetti, A.; Lunardon, M.; Zenoni, A.; Di Marco, V.; Realdon, N.; Andrighetto, A

A NEW PRODUCTION METHOD OF HIGH SPECIFIC ACTIVITY RADIONUCLIDES TOWARDS INNOVATIVE RADIOPHARMACEUTICALS: THE ISOLPHARM PROJECT

Radionuclides of interest in nuclear medicine are generally produced in cyclotrons or nuclear reactors, with associated issues such as highly enriched target costs and undesired contaminants. The ISOLPHARM project (ISOL technique for radioPHARMaceuticals) explores the feasibility of producing extremely high specific activity β-emitting radionuclides as radiopharmaceutical precursors. This technique is expected to produce radiopharmaceuticals very hardly obtained in standard production facilities. Radioactive isotopes will be obtained from nuclear reactions induced by accelerating 40 MeV protons in a cyclotron to collide on a UCx target. By means of: high working temperatures and high vacuum conditions, the migration of the radioactive elements towards an ion source, a potential difference up to 40 kV, and a mass separation device, an isobaric beam of desired radionuclides will be produced and implanted on a deposition target. The availability of innovative isotopes can potentially open a new generation of radiopharmaceuticals, based on nuclides never studied so far. Among these, a very promising isotope could be Ag-111, a β- emitter with a half-life (7.45 d), an average β- energy of 360 keV, a tissue penetration of around 1 mm, and a low percentage of γ-emission. The proof of principle studies on Ag-111 production and radiolabeling are currently under investigation in the ISOLPHARM_EIRA project, where both its production and possible application as a radiopharmaceutical precursor will be evaluated in its computational/physics, radiochemistry, and radiobiology tasks. Currently, innovative macromolecules meeting the specific requirements for the chelation and targeted delivery of Ag-111 are being developed, which will be further tested in vitro on 2D and 3D models, as well as in vivo for their pharmacokinetics and therapeutic potential onto xenograft models

The isolpharm project at LNL: a new production method of high specific activity radionuclides towards innovative radiopharmaceuticals

Radionuclides of interest in nuclear medicine are generally produced in cyclotrons or nuclear reactors, with associated issues such as highly enriched target costs and undesired contaminants. The ISOLPHARM project (ISOL technique for radioPHARMaceuticals) explores the feasibility of producing extremely high specific activity β-emitting radionuclides as radiopharmaceutical precursors. This technique is expected to produce radiopharmaceuticals very hardly obtained in standard production facilities. Radioactive isotopes will be obtained from nuclear reactions induced by accelerating 40 MeV protons in a cyclotron to collide on a UCx target. By means of: high working temperatures and high vacuum conditions; the migration of the radioactive elements towards an ion source; a potential difference up to 40 kV and a mass separation device, an isobaric beam of desired radionuclides will be produced and implanted on a deposition target. The availability of innovative isotopes can potentially open a new generation of radiopharmaceuticals, based on nuclides never studied so far. Among these, a very promising isotope could be 111Ag, a β- emitter with a medium half-life (7.45 d), an average β- energy of 360 keV, a tissue penetration of around 1 mm, and a low percentage of γ-emission. The proof of principle studies on 111Ag production and radiolabeling are currently under investigation in the ISOLPHARM_EIRA project, where both its production and possible application as a radiopharmaceutical precursor will be evaluated in its computational/physics, radiochemistry, and radiobiology tasks. Currently, innovative macromolecules meeting the specific requirements for the chelation and targeted delivery of 111Ag are being developed, which will be further tested in vitro on 2D and 3D models, as well as in vivo for their pharmacokinetics and therapeutic potential onto xenograft models