The use of antimicrobials in Italian heavy pig fattening farms

Data on antimicrobial use (AMU) in heavy pig production (>150 kg) are limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the AMU in this production. Data from 2015 were collected for 143 fattening farms. The AMU was estimated through a treatment index per 100 days (TI100) using the defined daily dose animal for Italy (DDDAit). When possible, a comparison with the European Medicines Agency's defined daily doses for animals (DDDvet) was performed. The median TI100 was 10.7 (range, 0.2-49.5). Group treatments represented 94.6% of overall consumption. The AMU calculated using DDDAit and DDDvet were strongly correlated (rho = 0.976; p < 0.001). The AMU was negatively correlated with injectables use (rho = -0.46, p < 0.001) and positively correlated with oral products (rho = 0.21, p = 0.014), premixes (rho = 0.26, p = 0.002), and mortality (rho = 0.18; p = 0.027). Farm size was negatively correlated with AMU (rho = -0.29, p < 0.001). Smaller farms were more frequently above the median TI100 (odds ratio = 2.3, 95% confidence interval = 1.2-4.7), suggesting that they may have lower biosecurity and management standards. The results of this study should provide useful insights for the development of an Italian monitoring system

At the Foot of Prince George Street: The Burtis House, Hell Point, and Climate Change

This studio project includes a final report and abridged report that was submitted to Preservation Maryland.Annapolis is redeveloping its City Dock area into an elevated green space. The city will create preventative measures that protect the downtown area from rising sea levels. These measures include reconfiguring the stormwater system, elevating sea-level walls, and building storm surge gates. This redevelopment plan is a multi-phase initiative that provides for preserving and adapting for future use of the historic Burtis House, located at 69 Prince George Street. The Captain William Burtis House is ideally located to share the story of the history of Annapolis. As the sole surviving historic waterman’s home situated on City Dock, this property can assist visitors in understanding the Chesapeake way of life’s past, present, and future. With the redevelopment of the City Dock area, the Burtis House and site can become a welcoming and attractive place to learn about the region’s history. Due to its location, Burtis House has endured intermittent flooding, and it is vulnerable to sea level rise, subsidence, and tidal surges. Therefore, the building must be safeguarded against coastal flooding and stabilized until its use is determined. Preservation Maryland is leading the Burtis House initiative in partnership with the City of Annapolis and the National Park Service Chesapeake office. In 2021 Preservation Maryland issued a request for proposal for Phase 1 of this project. This first phase prioritizes the stabilization of the structure and preservation of the existing historic fabric from the effects of climate change for future adaptive reuse. Preventative measures against the impacts of climate change include raising Burtis house by four feet, water infiltration measures, and other defenses. As part of this phase, Preservation Maryland was looking for professional consultant services to conduct historical research on the context of the Burtis House and the neighborhood around it. The study would be utilized in interpretive panels placed around the house as work was being done. The University of Maryland’s Historic Preservation Studio class (HISP 650) responded to Preservation Maryland’s request for proposal for consultant services and was accepted. This report is the result.Nicholas Redding, Preservation Maryland Laura Houston, Preservation Marylan

Loss of GABARAP mediates resistance to immunogenic chemotherapy in multiple myeloma

: Immunogenic cell death (ICD) is a form of cell death by which cancer treatments can induce a clinically relevant anti-tumor immune response in a broad range of cancers. In multiple myeloma (MM), the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib is an ICD inducer and creates durable therapeutic responses in patients. However, eventual relapse and resistance to bortezomib appear inevitable. Here, by integrating patient transcriptomic data with an analysis of calreticulin (CRT) protein interactors, we found that GABARAP is a key player whose loss prevented tumor cell death from being perceived as immunogenic after bortezomib treatment. GABARAP is located on chromosome 17p, which is commonly deleted in high-risk MM patients. GABARAP deletion impaired the exposure of the eat-me signal CRT on the surface of dying MM cells in vitro and in vivo, thus reducing tumor cell phagocytosis by dendritic cells and the subsequent anti-tumor T cell response. Low GABARAP was independently associated with shorter MM patient survival and reduced tumor immune infiltration. Mechanistically, we found that GABARAP deletion blocked ICD signaling by decreasing autophagy and altering Golgi apparatus morphology, with consequent defects in the downstream vesicular transport of CRT. Conversely, upregulating autophagy using rapamycin restored Golgi morphology, CRT exposure and ICD signaling in GABARAPKO cells undergoing bortezomib treatment. Therefore, coupling an ICD inducer, like bortezomib, with an autophagy inducer, like rapamycin, may improve patient outcomes in MM, where low GABARAP in the form of del(17p) is common and leads to worse outcomes

Catholicism and Preservation

The preservation of historic structures is a controversial subject, as though people and organizations generally do not seek to demolish the historic built environment, they may not choose to preserve those structures and sites either. This paper focuses on one organization that owns much many historic structures and sites: the Catholic Church. Through the analysis and comparison of case studies, this paper seeks to investigate and shed light on the reasons, associated factors, and underlying trends behind the choices the Catholic Church in the United States makes when it comes to historic preservation. Within this research is a focus on the Catholic Diocese of Arlington, the Catholic diocese in Northern Virginia that includes Fredericksburg, to examine these reasons and trends at a local level and see how this particular diocese compares to the nation’s dioceses as a whole

Preservation Plan: 261 North Barton Street

This project develops a preservation plan for 261 North Barton Street in Arlington County, Virginia, the home of Indigenous activist Zitkala-Ša and her husband and fellow Indigenous activist Raymond Talefase Bonnin from 1925 to 1942. Although the house and its garage are contributing structures to a National Register of Historic Places historic district for the Lyon Park neighborhood, the National Register is honorific and Arlington’s Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board only protects locally designated historic districts. In addition, the current district nomination focuses on “community planning/development” (Criterion A) and “architecture” (Criterion C), lacking any mention of the significant contribution of these Indigenous activists. The proposed plan begins with an overview of the property’s historical and architectural context before establishing the property’s significance, prepared in accordance with National Register guidance, and a condition assessment and integrity chapter. The plan ends with recommendations, focusing on public outreach options, and conclusions, including next steps and further research

Coulometry for the detection of water content in archaeological findings

In the present work, we performed coulometric measurements to detect the water content in archaeological pottery in order to get information on the manufacture technique. The samples under study were the so-called "Ionian Cups" coming from various archaeological sites in eastern Sicily (South-Italy). In particular, we tentatively achieved the estimation of firing temperatures of the archaeological samples by comparing the coulometric results with those obtained in the case of raw materials fired under controlled conditions. The results were in good agreement with those previously obtained on the same samples by Small Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS). It is worth underlying that for the first time, the detection of water content as revealed by this analytical technique was related to archaeometric issues

Echocardiographic Left Ventricular Mass Assessment: Correlation between 2D-Derived Linear Dimensions and 3-Dimensional Automated, Machine Learning-Based Methods in Unselected Patients

A recently developed algorithm for 3D analysis based on machine learning (ML) principles detects left ventricular (LV) mass without any human interaction. We retrospectively studied the correlation between 2D-derived linear dimensions using the ASE/EACVI-recommended formula and 3D automated, ML-based methods (Philips HeartModel) regarding LV mass quantification in unselected patients undergoing echocardiography. We included 130 patients (mean age 60 +/- 18 years; 45% women). There was only discrete agreement between 2D and 3D measurements of LV mass (r = 0.662, r(2) = 0.348, p &lt; 0.001). The automated algorithm yielded an overestimation of LV mass compared to the linear method (Bland-Altman positive bias of 13.1 g with 95% limits of the agreement at 4.5 to 21.6 g, p = 0.003, ICC 0.78 (95%CI 0.68-8.4). There was a significant proportional bias (Beta -0.22, t = -2.9) p = 0.005, the variance of the difference varied across the range of LV mass. When the published cut-offs for LV mass abnormality were used, the observed proportion of overall agreement was 77% (kappa = 0.32, p &lt; 0.001). In consecutive patients undergoing echocardiography for any indications, LV mass assessment by 3D analysis using a novel ML-based algorithm showed systematic differences and wide limits of agreements compared with quantification by ASE/EACVI- recommended formula when the current cut-offs and partition values were applied

Psychopathology in children and adolescents with Tourette's syndrome : a controlled study

Objective: Few controlled studies have considered, in paediatric subjects, associations between Tourette's syndrome (TS) and psychiatric/behavioural disorders. We conducted a case-control study to verify the reproducibility of the few data published on this topic to date. Method: Clinicians' impression (i.e. structured interviews and usual history taking), standardized psychiatric and behavioural rating scales (CBCL, TAI, CDI, CRS-R:L, Y-GTSS, CY-BOCS) were used to investigate these associations in 17 youngsters with TS and in 17 age- and sex-matched controls. Results: The clinician's diagnoses revealed TS alone in 23.5% of the patients (4/17), TS plus attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in 11.8% (2/17), TS plus obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in 41.2% (7/17), and TS plus ADHD and OCD in 23.5% (4/17). No control subject presented ADHD and/or OCD. These clinical findings were confirmed by Child Behaviour Check List (CBCL) results. The TS group, compared with the controls, recorded significantly higher CBCL scores in scales relating to the main comorbid conditions. No significant differences emerged on the Children's Depression Inventory or Test Anxiety Inventory. Conclusion: TS patients have a high prevalence of psychiatric and behavioural problems compared with controls. The CBCL is a rapid and useful screening-diagnostic instrument for highlighting the main psychiatric and behavioural problems in TS