Endoparasite infections of the european hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) in central Italy

The European hedgehog is a synanthropic mammal, widely distributed in Europe. This species usually inhabits the edges of deciduous or mixed woods, but it is also very common in private gardens and public parks. Despite its popularity and frequency of contacts both with humans and with wild and domestic animals, few studies have examined the endoparasitic fauna of the hedgehog in Italy. In the present study, endoparasites of naturally deceased hedgehogs (n = 40) from central Italy (Latium and Tuscany regions) were investigated, along with concurrent gross and histopathological lesions. The most prevalent identified endoparasites were Crenosoma striatum (45%), Capillaria erinacei (42.5%) and Brachylaemus erinacei (22.5%), in accordance with previous reports from hedgehogs in southern Italy. In few subjects, Physaloptera clausa, Acanthocephalans and Cystoisospora rastegaeivae coccidia were also identified. The infection by the lungworm C. striatum was found to be significantly associated (p < 0.01) with bronchial hyperplasia and peribronchiolitis upon histopathological examination. Awareness of the most common parasitic infections in the hedgehog and of their effects on the health of these animals is extremely important, especially in wildlife rescue centers, where European hedgehog represents the most frequently hospitalized mammal species

International longitudinal registry of patients with atrial fibrillation and treated with rivaroxaban: RIVaroxaban Evaluation in Real life setting (RIVER)

Background Real-world data on non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (NOACs) are essential in determining whether evidence from randomised controlled clinical trials translate into meaningful clinical benefits for patients in everyday practice. RIVER (RIVaroxaban Evaluation in Real life setting) is an ongoing international, prospective registry of patients with newly diagnosed non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) and at least one investigator-determined risk factor for stroke who received rivaroxaban as an initial treatment for the prevention of thromboembolic stroke. The aim of this paper is to describe the design of the RIVER registry and baseline characteristics of patients with newly diagnosed NVAF who received rivaroxaban as an initial treatment. Methods and results Between January 2014 and June 2017, RIVER investigators recruited 5072 patients at 309 centres in 17 countries. The aim was to enroll consecutive patients at sites where rivaroxaban was already routinely prescribed for stroke prevention. Each patient is being followed up prospectively for a minimum of 2-years. The registry will capture data on the rate and nature of all thromboembolic events (stroke / systemic embolism), bleeding complications, all-cause mortality and other major cardiovascular events as they occur. Data quality is assured through a combination of remote electronic monitoring and onsite monitoring (including source data verification in 10% of cases). Patients were mostly enrolled by cardiologists (n = 3776, 74.6%), by internal medicine specialists 14.2% (n = 718) and by primary care/general practice physicians 8.2% (n = 417). The mean (SD) age of the population was 69.5 (11.0) years, 44.3% were women. Mean (SD) CHADS2 score was 1.9 (1.2) and CHA2DS2-VASc scores was 3.2 (1.6). Almost all patients (98.5%) were prescribed with once daily dose of rivaroxaban, most commonly 20 mg (76.5%) and 15 mg (20.0%) as their initial treatment; 17.9% of patients received concomitant antiplatelet therapy. Most patients enrolled in RIVER met the recommended threshold for AC therapy (86.6% for 2012 ESC Guidelines, and 79.8% of patients according to 2016 ESC Guidelines). Conclusions The RIVER prospective registry will expand our knowledge of how rivaroxaban is prescribed in everyday practice and whether evidence from clinical trials can be translated to the broader cross-section of patients in the real world

Predation efficiency of the carnivorous aquatic plant Utricularia australis against Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus larvae: Implications for biological control

The Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, one of the world's worst invasive animal species and competent vector of many arboviruses, poses a serious threat to human health. An effective and environmentally friendly control strategy is required to mitigate the negative impacts of this pest. The aquatic carnivorous plants of the Utricularia genus, known as bladderworts, feed on invertebrates using their modified leaves as traps (bladders) and could be considered for biological control. The southern bladderwort, U. australis, was used in a no-choice experiment to test its predation ability against Ae. albopictus larvae. Larvae were divided in two size groups: 1st-2nd and 3rd-4th larval instars. Twenty Ae. albopictus larvae were placed inside 1 l plastic cups with a 30 cm long segment of the plant and left for a 7-day period. Twelve segments of U. australis were used, six for each larval size group, counting the number of bladders of each segment at the beginning of the experiment. The 7-day process was repeated five times for each segment/cup over a two-month period. The number of captured larvae and emerged adults was recorded daily. A total of 84 captured larvae were chosen to measure larval length, percentage of larval body trapped within the bladder, bladder perimeter and bladder area, in order to evaluate the ability of the bladders in capturing larvae, by complete or partial suction of the body, depending on the relative sizes of larvae and bladders. Results indicated that U. australis is an effective predator of Ae. albopictus larvae, with a higher efficiency against the 1st-2nd instar group (72%) compared to the 3rd-4th group (39%). The number of captured larvae depended on the number of bladders on each segment and instar group. The percentage of trapped larval body depended on the relationship between bladder size and larval length. Although the bladders effectively captured small larvae by complete suction of the body, they also killed 3rd-4th instar larvae by trapping a small portion of the body within the lumen. The plant segments continuously captured mosquito larvae, with an efficiency that did not decrease during the 2-month period. The use of U. australis as a biocontrol agent against Ae. albopictus larvae could be favoured by its ecological plasticity, broad distribution, its ability to thrive in small containers and the good overlap of the two species regarding phenology and habitat preferences