Raising Awareness on the Clinical and Social Relevance of Adequate Chronic Pain Care

Appropriate pain care should be regarded as a right and effectively guaranteed to people with chronic pain (CP). Law 38, enacted in Italy in 2010, establishes the citizen’s right not to suffer. Twelve years later, such right appears still disregarded in Italy and the current access to adequate pain care reveals significant shortcomings. In addition, a mismatch between CP-associated burden and the available healthcare resources in the framework of our national health system has been observed. This article gathers the perspectives of a Board of Italian anesthesiologists on the state of the art of CP management in Italy and aims at strengthening the scientific rationale and clinical relevance of pursuing the enforceability of the right not to suffer and at promoting widespread multidisciplinary care of patients with CP

Life in the Atacama — Year 2: Geologic reconnaissance through long-range roving and implications on the search for life

The Life in the Atacama-2004 project, which included geological, morphological, and mineralogical mapping through combined satellite, field-based, and microscopic perspectives and long-range roving, led to the localization of potential habitats

Spectroscopic results from the Life in the Atacama (LITA) project 2004 field season

Analysis of spectroscopy datasets from rover field tests in the Atacama Desert (Chile), focusing on the composition of the surface and identification of potential habitats for life

Searching for life with rovers: exploration methods and science results from the 2004 field campaign of the “Life in the Atacama” project and applications to future Mars Missions

LITA develops and field tests a long-range automated rover and a science payload to search for microbial life in the Atacama. The Atacama's evolution provides a unique training ground for designing and testing exploration strategies and life detection methods for the search for life on Mars

Special topic: The association between pulse ingredients and canine dilated cardiomyopathy: addressing the knowledge gaps before establishing causation.

In July 2018, the Food and Drug Administration warned about a possible relationship between dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs and the consumption of dog food formulated with potatoes and pulse ingredients. This issue may impede utilization of pulse ingredients in dog food or consideration of alternative proteins. Pulse ingredients have been used in the pet food industry for over 2 decades and represent a valuable source of protein to compliment animal-based ingredients. Moreover, individual ingredients used in commercial foods do not represent the final nutrient concentration of the complete diet. Thus, nutritionists formulating dog food must balance complementary ingredients to fulfill the animal's nutrient needs in the final diet. There are multiple factors that should be considered, including differences in nutrient digestibility and overall bioavailability, the fermentability and quantity of fiber, and interactions among food constituents that can increase the risk of DCM development. Taurine is a dispensable amino acid that has been linked to DCM in dogs. As such, adequate supply of taurine and/or precursors for taurine synthesis plays an important role in preventing DCM. However, requirements of amino acids in dogs are not well investigated and are presented in total dietary content basis which does not account for bioavailability or digestibility. Similarly, any nutrient (e.g., soluble and fermentable fiber) or physiological condition (e.g., size of the dog, sex, and age) that increases the requirement for taurine will also augment the possibility for DCM development. Dog food formulators should have a deep knowledge of processing methodologies and nutrient interactions beyond meeting the Association of American Feed Control Officials nutrient profiles and should not carelessly follow unsubstantiated market trends. Vegetable ingredients, including pulses, are nutritious and can be used in combination with complementary ingredients to meet the nutritional needs of the dog

Opioid Misuse: A Review of the Main Issues, Challenges, and Strategies

In the United States, from 1999 to 2019, opioid overdose, either regularly prescribed or illegally acquired, was the cause of death for nearly 500,000 people. In addition to this pronounced mortality burden that has increased gradually over time, opioid overdose has significant morbidity with severe risks and side effects. As a result, opioid misuse is a cause for concern and is considered an epidemic. This article examines the trends and consequences of the opioid epidemic presented in recent international literature, reflecting on the causes of this phenomenon and the possible strategies to address it. The detailed analysis of 33 international articles highlights numerous impacts in the social, public health, economic, and political spheres. The prescription opioid epidemic is an almost exclusively North American problem. This phenomenon should be carefully evaluated from a healthcare systems perspective, for consequential risks and harms of aggressive opioid prescription practices for pain management. Appropriate policies are required to manage opioid use and prevent abuse efficiently. Examples of proper policies vary, such as the use of validated questionnaires for the early identification of patients at risk of addiction, the effective use of regional and national prescription monitoring programs, and the proper dissemination and translation of knowledge to highlight the risks of prescription opioid abuse

Opioid Misuse: A Review of the Main Issues, Challenges, and Strategies

In the United States, from 1999 to 2019, opioid overdose, either regularly prescribed or illegally acquired, was the cause of death for nearly 500,000 people. In addition to this pronounced mortality burden that has increased gradually over time, opioid overdose has significant morbidity with se-vere risks and side effects. As a result, opioid misuse is a cause for concern and is considered an epidemic. This article examines the trends and consequences of the opioid epidemic presented in recent international literature, reflecting on the causes of this phenomenon and the possible strat-egies to address it. The detailed analysis of 33 international articles highlights numerous impacts in the social, public health, economic, and political spheres. The prescription opioid epidemic is an almost exclusively North American problem. This phenomenon should be carefully evaluated from a healthcare systems perspective, for consequential risks and harms of aggressive opioid prescrip-tion practices for pain management. Appropriate policies are required to manage opioid use and prevent abuse efficiently. Examples of proper policies vary, such as the use of validated question-naires for the early identification of patients at risk of addiction, the effective use of regional and national prescription monitoring programs, and the proper dissemination and translation of knowledge to highlight the risks of prescription opioid abuse

Effects of initiation system and mulch on the production of melon in the south of Buenos Aires province, Argentine

Con el fin de evaluar el rendimiento semanal y total en cultivos de melón (Cucumis melo L.) iniciados por siembra directa y trasplante, en suelo desnudo o con acolchado plástico (negro o cristal), se realizaron ensayos en la zona sur de la provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina, durante las campañas agrícolas 1994/95 y 1995/96.Se utilizó el híbrido "Magnum 45" del tipo reticulado, cultivado en camellones a una densidad teórica de 6.897 pl.ha-1 y riego por surco. Los sistemas de iniciación ensayados fueron dos: siembra directa y trasplante. Los tratamientos de acolchado de suelo fueron tres: suelo desnudo, acolchado con polietileno cristal de 100µ y con polietileno negro de 50µ. Los mayores valores de producción total se obtuvieron en los tratamientos de suelo con acolchado (tanto negro como cristal) e iniciados por trasplante. La mayor precocidad se observó en el cultivo realizado con acolchado plástico cristal e iniciado por trasplante, con un pico de producción muy marcado en la segunda semana de cosecha.The aim of this comunication was to evaluate the weekly and total yield in melon cropping (Cucumis melo L.) initiated by direct sowing and transplanting in bare soil or covered with polyethylene mulch (black or transparent). Assays were carried out during the field seasons 1994/95 and 1995/96, in the south area of the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The hybrid Magnum 45 of the netted type was cultivated in ridges to a theoretical density of 6.897 pl.ha-1 and watered by furrows. The assayed initiation systems were: direct sowing and transplanting while the treatments of soil coverage were: bare soil, mulched with 100µ transparent polyethylene or with 50µ black polyethylene. The greatest values of total production were obtained in the polyethylene-mulched treatments (both black and transparent) and initiated by transplanting. The greatest precocity was observed under the treatment with transparent polyethylene mulch and initiated by transplanting, with a peak in the second week of cropping.Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestale

Effects of initiation system and mulch on the production of melon in the south of Buenos Aires province, Argentine

Con el fin de evaluar el rendimiento semanal y total en cultivos de melón (Cucumis melo L.) iniciados por siembra directa y trasplante, en suelo desnudo o con acolchado plástico (negro o cristal), se realizaron ensayos en la zona sur de la provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina, durante las campañas agrícolas 1994/95 y 1995/96.Se utilizó el híbrido "Magnum 45" del tipo reticulado, cultivado en camellones a una densidad teórica de 6.897 pl.ha-1 y riego por surco. Los sistemas de iniciación ensayados fueron dos: siembra directa y trasplante. Los tratamientos de acolchado de suelo fueron tres: suelo desnudo, acolchado con polietileno cristal de 100µ y con polietileno negro de 50µ. Los mayores valores de producción total se obtuvieron en los tratamientos de suelo con acolchado (tanto negro como cristal) e iniciados por trasplante. La mayor precocidad se observó en el cultivo realizado con acolchado plástico cristal e iniciado por trasplante, con un pico de producción muy marcado en la segunda semana de cosecha.The aim of this comunication was to evaluate the weekly and total yield in melon cropping (Cucumis melo L.) initiated by direct sowing and transplanting in bare soil or covered with polyethylene mulch (black or transparent). Assays were carried out during the field seasons 1994/95 and 1995/96, in the south area of the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The hybrid Magnum 45 of the netted type was cultivated in ridges to a theoretical density of 6.897 pl.ha-1 and watered by furrows. The assayed initiation systems were: direct sowing and transplanting while the treatments of soil coverage were: bare soil, mulched with 100µ transparent polyethylene or with 50µ black polyethylene. The greatest values of total production were obtained in the polyethylene-mulched treatments (both black and transparent) and initiated by transplanting. The greatest precocity was observed under the treatment with transparent polyethylene mulch and initiated by transplanting, with a peak in the second week of cropping.Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestale