Seasonal undernutrition in rural Ethiopia:

Marked seasonal variability of both production- and consumption is characteristic of virtually all farming systems in the developing world. This study examines the magnitude and significance of seasonal undernutrition in south central Ethiopia, southern Shewa and Zigwa Boto, a peasant association in the Gurage Zone. The study seeks to answer five questions: (1)Does seasonal energy stress affect individuals of various age groups and sexes differently? (2)Do members of the same household show divergent responses to seasonal energy stress? (3)What are the functional consequences of different levels of adult undernutrition? (4)Are the current anthropometric cut-off points for adults appropriate for rural Ethiopia? (5)What household characteristics are associated with vulnerability to seasonal undernutrition? A number of important findings emerge from this research.....The study clarifies some points of contention in the field of adult undernutrition and shows how seasonal undernutrition operates as an intermittent warning signal, reminding us not to miss opportunities to promote good nutrition throughout the life cycle.Nutrition, Ethiopia, Malnutrition., Food crops., Climate.,

Rapid maxillary expansion and upper airway morphology: a systematic review on the role of cone beam computed tomography

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the quality of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) studies evaluating the effects of rapid maxillary expansion on upper airway morphology. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A database search was conducted using PubMed, Ovid, and Cochrane Library up to December 2016. Studies in which CBCT was adopted to visualize the upper airway before and after rapid maxillary expansion were included. The population target was growing patients. Methodological quality assessment was performed. RESULTS: The screening process resulted in the exclusion of 1079 references, resulting in only 9 remaining papers that fulfilled the inclusion criteria. No randomized clinical trials were found. The quality scores ranged from 36% to 68% of the maximum achievable, and the mean quality score of the studies was 50%. No good quality studies were detected in our sample. CONCLUSIONS: Inconsistencies in the CBCT protocols utilized were detected between studies. Head posture, tongue position, and segmentation protocols were not consistent. These discrepancies were reflected in the different results obtained in the studies. A valid and consistent protocol with regard to head and tongue positioning, as well as nasal cavity volume segmentation, is required

Surgical treatment of retrosternal extraosseous Ewing Sarcoma in a 6-years old female: a clamshell approach with hemysternectomy and application of a non-crosslinked extracellular matrix

Background Ewing Sarcoma (ES) and Neuroblastoma (NB) belong to a family of tumours of primitive neuroectodermal origin (PNET) that occurs in both bone and soft tissue. Notwithstanding ES and NB are two distinct malignant tumours, sometimes there could be a link between them. Case report We describe a case of an extraosseous ES localized in the retrosternal region and the upper lobe of the right lung, which had been previously treated for NB in a 6 years old female. We treated this case with a clamshell approach which allows, in a one-step surgery, a complete excision of the mass reconstructing the hemysternectomy with a non-crosslinked matrix. Conclusion the clamshell approach is therefore useful to achieve the retrosternal space and the lung with a single surgical access. According to our experience, we consider appropriate to use a non-crosslinked matrix for sternal reconstruction

Notch activation is required for downregulation of HoxA3-dependent endothelial cell phenotype during blood formation.

Hemogenic endothelium (HE) undergoes endothelial-to-hematopoietic transition (EHT) to generate blood, a process that requires progressive down-regulation of endothelial genes and induction of hematopoietic ones. Previously, we have shown that the transcription factor HoxA3 prevents blood formation by inhibiting Runx1 expression, maintaining endothelial gene expression and thus blocking EHT. In the present study, we show that HoxA3 also prevents blood formation by inhibiting Notch pathway. HoxA3 induced upregulation of Jag1 ligand in endothelial cells, which led to cis-inhibition of the Notch pathway, rendering the HE nonresponsive to Notch signals. While Notch activation alone was insufficient to promote blood formation in the presence of HoxA3, activation of Notch or downregulation of Jag1 resulted in a loss of the endothelial phenotype which is a prerequisite for EHT. Taken together, these results demonstrate that Notch pathway activation is necessary to downregulate endothelial markers during EHT

Malocclusion and rhinitis in children: an easy-going relationship or a yet to be resolved paradox? A systematic literature revision

Objective: The relation between nasal flow and malocclusion represents a practical concern to pediatricians, otorhinolaryngologists, orthodontists, allergists and speech therapists. If naso-respiratory function may influence craniofacial growth is still debated. Chronic mouth-breathing is reported to be associated also with a characteristic pattern of dental occlusion. On the other hand, also malocclusion may reduce nasal air flows promoting nasal obstruction. Hereby, the aim of this review was to describe the relationship between rhinitis and malocclusion in children. Methods: An electronic search was conducted using online database including Pubmed, Web of Science, Google Scholar and Embase. All studies published through to January 30, 2017 investigating the prevalence of malocclusion in children and adolescents (aged 0-20 years) affected by rhinitis and the prevalence of rhinitis in children with malocclusion were included. The protocol was registered at PROSPERO - International prospective register of systematic reviews under CRD42016053619. Results: Ten studies with 2733 patients were included in the analysis. The prevalence of malocclusion in children with rhinitis was specified in four of the studies ranging from as high as 78.2% to as low as 3%. Two out of the studies reported the prevalence of rhinitis in children with malocclusion with a rate ranging from 59.2 to 76.4%. Conclusion: The results of this review underline the importance of the diagnosis and treatment of the nasal obstruction at an early age to prevent an altered facial growth, but the data currently available on this topic do not allow to establish a possible causal relationship between rhinitis and malocclusion

Factors Affecting Indoor Radon Levels in Buildings Located in a Karst Area: A Statistical Analysis

In this paper, the averages annual radon concentrations in buildings placed in a karst area are analyzed in order to understand which factors may affect the occurrence of high levels of radon indoor. Statistical analysis on the radon dataset is performed using analytical factors described by two or three levels according to the characteristic of the measured buildings. The factors that determine higher radon levels in terms of arithmetic mean (AM) at ground floor (GF) are mainly the presence of sedimentary calcareous rock (SCR) in walls and the direct attack or crawl space as type of foundation. At first floors (FF), the presence of walls of only SCR showed radon levels higher (in terms of AM) than the one found for walls of mixed typology. These outcomes suggest that in karstic area buildings with SCR as the main construction material and direct attack or crawl space as the type of foundation, can be considered as radon-prone buildings. Moreover, this study confirms the need to measure radon levels not only at below ground floor and at GF, but also at FF and above for buildings in karst areas with construction materials including SCR blocks

New 3D cone beam CT imaging parameters to assist the dentist in treating patients with Osteogenesis Imperfecta

(1) Background: The aim of the work is to identify some imaging parameters in osteogenesis imperfecta to assist the dentist in the diagnosis, planning, and orthodontic treatment of Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) using 3D cone beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) and the Double Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) technique. (2) Methods: 14 patients (9 males and 5 females; aged mean ± SD 15 ± 1.5) with a clinical-radiological diagnosis of OI were analyzed and divided into mild and moderate to severe forms. The patients’ samples were compared with a control group of 14 patients (8 males and 6 females; aged mean ± SD 15 ± 1.7), free from osteoporotic pathologies. (3) Results: The statistical analysis allowed us to collect four datasets: in the first dataset (C1 sick population vs. C1 healthy population), the t-test showed a p-value < 0.0001; in the second dataset (C2 sick population vs. C2 healthy population), the t-test showed a p-value < 0.0001; in the third dataset (parameter X of the sick population vs. parameter X of the healthy population), the t-test showed a p-value < 0.0001; in the fourth dataset the bone mineralometry (BMD) value detected by the DEXA technique compared to the C2 value of the OI affected population only) the Welch–Satterthwaite test showed a p-value < 0.0001. (4) Conclusions: The research has produced specific imaging parameters that assist the dentist in making diagnostic decisions in OI patients. This study shows that patients with OI have a characteristic chin-bearing symphysis, thinned, and narrowed towards the center, configuring it with a constant “hourglass” appearance, not reported so far in the literature by any author

Geographic variation and environmental conditions as cofactors in Chlamydia psittaci association with ocular adnexal lymphomas: a comparison between Italian and African samples

A particular extra-nodal lymphoma type arises from B cells of the marginal zone (MZ) of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT). The aetiology ofMZ lymphomas suggests that they are associated with chronic antigenic stimulation by microbial pathogens, among which Helicobacter pylori-associated gastricMALT lymphoma is the best studied. Recently, MALT lymphomas have been described in the context of chronic conjunctivitis, which can be associated with Chlamydia spp. infection. Studies from Italy showed the presence of Chlamydia psittaci in 87% of ocular adnexal lymphomas (OAL), and C. psittaci has been described in a large part of samples from Austria and Korea as well. However, this finding was not always confirmed by other studies, suggesting that the association with C. psittaci may depend on geographic heterogeneity. Interestingly, none of the studies up to now has been carried out in the African population, where a strong association between infectious agents and the occurrence of human neoplasms has been reported. This study was designed to investigate the possible association of Chlamydia psittaci in cases retrieved from Kenya, compared to cases from Italy. Our results showed that there was a marked variation between the two geographical areas in terms of association with C. psittaci, as 17% (5/30) of the samples from Italy were positive for C. psittaci, whereas no association with this pathogen was observed in any of the African samples (0/9), suggesting that other cofactors may determine the OAL occurrence in those areas. OAL cases are often characterized by down-regulation of p16/INK4a expression and promoter hypermethylation of the p16/ INK4a gene. Our results showed a partial methylation of p16/INK4a promoter in C. psittacinegative cases, whereas no hypermethylation of this gene was found in C. psittaci-positive cases, suggesting that mechanisms other than promoter hypermethylation lead to p16/ INK4a silencing in C. psittaci-positive cases. We may conclude that the role of epidemiologic, environmental and genetic factors, must be considered in the aetiology of this disease

A multistate epidemic outbreak of Salmonella Goldcoast infection in humans, June 2009 to March 2010: the investigation in Italy.

After an urgent inquiry into a suspected international outbreak of Salmonella Goldcoast infection was launched by Hungary in October 2009 a nation-wide multidisciplinary investigation was carried out in Italy. The aims were to verify whether the higher than expected number of cases of S. Goldcoast infection that had occurred in Italy in the previous months were linked to the outbreak in Hungary and to determine their origin. Between June 2009 and March 2010, 79 confirmed cases of S. Goldcoast infection were identified. Of these, 17 were part of three different point-source outbreaks probably associated with the consumption of salami. Eating salami was also reported by 20 of the 39 sporadic cases that could be interviewed. Fifteen strains of S. Goldcoast isolated from the cases were typed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. They shared more than 90% homology with the Hungarian epidemic strain and were also highly similar to S. Goldcoast strains that had been isolated in Italy from pigs and pork-containing food items in 2009 and 2010. Although the origin of the outbreak and the common source linking the Hungarian and the Italian cases could not be definitively identified, our results suggest a possible zoonotic connection of the outbreak cases with the pork production chain