Co-infection of SARS-CoV-2 with Chlamydia or Mycoplasma pneumoniae: a case series and review of the literature

Introduction: The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has spread all over the world causing a global pandemic and representing a great medical challenge. Nowadays, there is limited knowledge on the rate of co-infections with other respiratory pathogens, with viral co-infection being the most representative agents. Co-infection with Mycoplasma pneumoniae has been described both in adults and pediatrics whereas only two cases of Chlamydia pneumoniae have been reported in a large US study so far. Methods: In the present report, we describe a series of seven patients where co-infection with C. pneumoniae (n = 5) or M. pneumoniae (n = 2) and SARS-CoV-2 was detected in a large teaching hospital in Rome. Results and conclusion: An extensive review of the updated literature regarding the co-infection between SARS-CoV-2 and these atypical pathogens is also performed

Dysfunctional dopaminergic neurotransmission in asocial BTBR mice

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are neurodevelopmental conditions characterized by pronounced social and communication deficits and stereotyped behaviours. Recent psychosocial and neuroimaging studies have highlighted reward-processing deficits and reduced dopamine (DA) mesolimbic circuit reactivity in ASD patients. However, the neurobiological and molecular determinants of these deficits remain undetermined. Mouse models recapitulating ASD-like phenotypes could help generate hypotheses about the origin and neurophysiological underpinnings of clinically relevant traits. Here we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), behavioural and molecular readouts to probe dopamine neurotransmission responsivity in BTBR T+ Itpr3tf/J mice (BTBR), an inbred mouse line widely used to model ASD-like symptoms owing to its robust social and communication deficits, and high level of repetitive stereotyped behaviours. C57BL/6J (B6) mice were used as normosocial reference comparators. DA reuptake inhibition with GBR 12909 produced significant striatal DA release in both strains, but failed to elicit fMRI activation in widespread forebrain areas of BTBR mice, including mesolimbic reward and striatal terminals. In addition, BTBR mice exhibited no appreciable motor responses to GBR 12909. DA D1 receptor-dependent behavioural and signalling responses were found to be unaltered in BTBR mice, whereas dramatic reductions in pre- and postsynaptic DA D2 and adenosine A2A receptor function was observed in these animals. Overall these results document profoundly compromised DA D2-mediated neurotransmission in BTBR mice, a finding that is likely to have a role in the distinctive social and behavioural deficits exhibited by these mice. Our results call for a deeper investigation of the role of dopaminergic dysfunction in mouse lines exhibiting ASD-like phenotypes, and possibly in ASD patient populations

Melatonin Induces Follicle Maturation in Danio rerio

Most organisms modulate their reproductive activity responding to day length by the nocturnal release of melatonin by the pineal gland. This hormone is also responsible for synchronizing reproduction with specific external environment stimuli in order to optimize reproductive success

Cadmium-Induced Oxidative Stress and Apoptotic Changes in the Testis of Freshwater Crab, Sinopotamon henanense

Cadmium (Cd), one of the most toxic environmental and industrial pollutants, is known to exert gonadotoxic and spermiotoxic effects. In the present study, we examined the toxic effect of Cd on the testis of freshwater crab, Sinopotamon henanense. Crabs were exposed to different Cd concentrations (from 0 to 116.00 mg·L−1) for 7 d. Oxidative stress and apoptotic changes in the testes were detected. The activities of SOD, GPx and CAT initially increased and subsequently decreased with increasing Cd concentrations, which was accompanied with the increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) and H2O2 content in a concentration-dependent manner. Typical morphological characteristic and physiological changes of apoptosis were observed using a variety of methods (HE staining, AO/EB double fluorescent staining, Transmission Electron Microscope observation and DNA fragmentation analysis), and the activities of caspase-3 and caspase-9 were increased in a concentration-dependent manner after Cd exposure. These results led to the conclusion that Cd could induced oxidative damage as well as apoptosis in the testis, and the apoptotic processes may be mediated via mitochondria-dependent apoptosis pathway by regulating the activities of caspase-3 and caspase-9

Maternal high-fat diet prevents developmental programming by early-life stress

Anxiety disorders and depression are well-documented in subjects exposed to adverse childhood events. Recently, maternal obesity and/or maternal consumption of high-fat diets (HFD) have been also proposed as risk factors for offspring mental health. Here using an animal model in rats, we explored the combinatorial effects of a maternal HFD (40% of energy from fat without impact on maternal weight; during gestation and lactation) and maternal separation (MS) in offspring. In the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of pups, MS led to changes in the expression of several genes such as Bdnf (brain derived neurotrophic factor), 5HT-r1a (serotonin receptor 1a) and Rest4 (neuron-restrictive silencer element, repressor element 1, silencing transcription factor (Rest), splicing variant 4). Surprisingly, perinatal HFD strongly attenuated the developmental alterations induced by MS. Furthermore, maternal HFD totally prevented the endophenotypes (anxiety, spatial memory, social behavior, hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis response to stress, hippocampal neurogenesis and visceral pain) associated with MS at adulthood. Finally, we also demonstrated that HFD intake reduced anxiety and enhanced maternal care in stressed dams. Overall, our data suggest that a HFD restricted to gestation and lactation, which did not lead to overweight in dams, had limited effects in unstressed offspring, highlighting the role of maternal obesity, rather than fat exposure per se, on brain vulnerability during development.Environnement psychosocial précoce, empreintes biologiques et épigénétiques et état de santé à l'âge adult

Keeping TRACK(s) of inclusive interactions in ECEC services: the affordances of video-analysis for professional development

Recent research shows the growing need of using video-analysis in qualitative educational research. Video-analysis offers possibilities for representing Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) professionals’ practices, and for becoming a mediational and epistemological tool of their on-going knowledge construction about inclusion and equity. This paper presents initial findings from a case study conducted in Bologna, Italy, using video-analysis as a tool for ECEC practitioners’ active learning and professional development. Results from the study show how video (recording and analysis) help practitioners (re)thinking their interactions with children and stimulate reflections on their conceptualization of inclusive practices. Drawing on a European trans-national project funded by the Erasmus Plus Program, this paper argues the relevance of video-elicited discussions and focus groups to help providing significant feedback to educators, as well as creating a digital repository of inclusive practices

Discrimination, bullying or harassment in undergraduate education in the osteopathic, chiropractic and physiotherapy professions: a systematic review with critical interpretive synthesis

The objective of this review was to chart, appraise and synthesise the available evidence regarding the experience of discrimination, bullying or harassment in undergraduate manual therapy (MT) education. We systematically searched 9 databases in accordance with our prospectively registered protocol (PROSPERO CRD42021249305). English language primary research papers relevant to concepts of discrimination, bullying or harassment in undergraduate MT education, published between 2010 and 2021, were sought. Two independent reviewers screened all titles and abstracts against inclusion criteria, full texts were then retrieved and independently screened and assessed for risk of bias and data extraction. Disagreements were resolved by discussion and the use of a third reviewer. Data were synthesised using a critical interpretive synthesis method. We identified 407 records in our search, 17 full text articles were included in our final synthesis. We highlighted that bullying is prevalent within undergraduate MT education. This is reported to have a large impact upon learners' wellbeing and attainment. Attainment gaps and higher attrition rates for students from ethnic minority groups and students with disabilities in UK physiotherapy were noted in our review, this may not be applicable to other contexts. Our review was limited to English language and a lack of available primary data may be a limitation of our review. This is the first systematic review on this topic and followed best available methodological guidance

LNG regasification and electricity production for port energy communities: Economic profitability and thermodynamic performance

The integration of electricity and gas systems is a key priority for the energy transition. Alongside electricity, low-carbon energy vectors, such as Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) or hydrogen, are required in future energy systems. Hence, regasification systems, often located nearby port areas, will be strategic assets promoting environmental, social, and economic benefits. This study investigates and compares three integrated configurations exploiting LNG cold exergy for the efficient production of electricity in a port area. In all three configurations, electricity is produced by a gas turbine fuelled with regasified natural gas and different combinations of two bottoming cycles, consisting of a transcritical CO2 Rankine cycle and a natural gas direct expansion cycle. These configurations are compared with a traditional regasification and combined cycle power plant. The study aims at identifying the design of the system that maximizes the second law efficiency and the Net Present Value (NPV) for various relative sizes between gas turbine and regasification capacity, including analyses on Internal Rate of Return (IRR). A sensitivity analysis on the installation of turbine inlet air-cooling taking advantage of LNG cold exergy is also performed. The optimization is performed through Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm and Aspen Hysys. Results show that the mutual size between the gas turbine and regasification unit is an important variable that requires careful analysis, as the second law efficiency can vary between 49% and 42% depending on the case. Electric efficiency of the proposed configurations can approach 65%, thus resulting greater than the traditional combined cycle in most of the test conditions. Economic optimizations confirm that the NPV of two configurations is often 10–15 M€ greater than the corresponding value of the base case system; however, only a single configuration can increase the IRR by 1–2% in comparison to the case with separate units. These results can guide designers and developers in the definition of the most cost-effective solution of any integrated energy systems including regasification, similar to a port system, which are expected to be key facilities in the future energy scenario