Adenomyosis and pelvic endometriosis: are related to obstetrics risks?

Da recenti studi si evince che vi e’ un’a associazione tra endometriosi e rischi ostetrici. In particolare sembra che alcuni di questi rischi siano correlati all’alterazione della zona giunzionale (JZ) uterina che rappresenta l’interfaccia endometrio-miometrio. L’obiettivo del nostro studio e’ stato quello di evidenziare se la presenza a livello preconcezionale di alterazioni delle zona giunzionale correla con l’insorgenza di specifici rischi ostetrici durante la gravidanza. Sono state arruolate le pazienti con adenomiosi e/o endometriosi pelvica severa e sono state sottoposte a ecografia transvaginale 2D,3D e con power doppler. Delle 88 pazienti studiate, 20 hanno ottenuto una gravidanza spontanea.Tre pazienti hanno presentato sanguinamento uterino nel primo trimestre. Tredici pazienti hanno portato a termine la gravidanza, 2 hanno avuto un parto pretermine per complicanze della gravidanza (preeclampsia e DIPNI). Delle 13 pazienti che hanno portato a termine la gravidanza, 10 hanno avuto parti spontanei e 3 sono state sottoposte a taglio cesareo. Durante la gravidanza una paziente ha presentato pre eclampsia a partire dalla 30 settimana di gestazione.Recent studies showed that there is an association between endometriosis and obstetric risks. In particular it seems that some of these risks are related to the alteration of the junctional zone (JZ) representing the uterine endometrium-myometrium interface. The goal of our study 'was to highlight whether the presence of a pre-conception alterations of the junctional zone correlates with the occurrence of specific risks obstetricians during pregnancy. Patients with adenomyosis and / or severe pelvic endometriosis were enrolled and underwent transvaginal ultrasound 2D, 3D and power Doppler. Of the 88 patients studied, 20 patients achieved a spontaneous pregnancy . Three patients presented bleeding in the first trimester. Thirteen patients completed pregnancy, 2 had a preterm birth for complications of pregnancy (preeclampsia and DIPNI). Of the 13 patients who completed the pregnancy, 10 had spontaneous parts and 3 were subjected to cesarean section. During pregnancy a patient had pre-eclampsia from 30 weeks of gestation

Eine große Erzählung von Mexiko-Stadt

Mit ihrer Dissertation legt Monika Streule eine Studie über Mexiko-Stadt vor, die künftige als wichtige Referenz für stadtgeographische und -ethnologische Arbeiten über die Stadt dienen dürfte. Die Autorin hätte das zentrale Thema der Urbanisierungsprozesse im Rahmen einer Qualifikationsarbeit kaum umfassender aufarbeiten können. Sie entwickelt zunächst eine historische Darstellung der Stadtentwicklung, bevor sie sich auf empirischer Grundlage von Gesprächen in Bewegung und Wahrnehmungsspaziergängen mit aktuellen Transformationsprozessen in Mexiko-Stadt beschäftigt. Die neun identifizierten Prozesse prägen demnach bestimmte Bereiche der Stadtregion, wie Streule in ihrer Thesenkarte veranschaulicht – das zentrale Ergebnis ihrer Arbeit. Mit der Untersuchung schafft die Autorin ein kritisches Narrativ der Urbanisierung in Mexiko-Stadt, das sie umfassend und detailreich skizziert. Methodologisch wirft die Arbeit wiederum einige Fragen auf, die ich in der vorliegenden Rezension fokussiere

Großeltern erzählen geographisch von ihrer Familie - Zur Bedeutung von Raumsemantiken für die Konstitution kommunikativ vermittelter Sinnwelten

Diese Arbeit widmet sich der Frage, wie Menschen über ihren Familienalltag reden, und sie sich dabei Begriffen und allgemein einer Sprache bedienen, die ein Wissen darüber offenbart, in welchem Zusammenhang Raum und die Gesellschaft stehen. Auf Grundlage narrativer Gespräche mit Großeltern, die mit Hilfe der dokumentarischen Methode ausgewertet wurden, werden unterschiedliche Arten des Sprechens über Familie rekonstruiert und deren Zusammenhang zu Raumsemantiken nachgegangen

Robot-Assisted Radical Hysterectomy for Cervical Cancer: Review of Surgical and Oncological Outcomes

Robot-assisted procedures are being increasingly incorporated in gynaecologic oncology. Several studies have confirmed the feasibility and safety of robotic radical hysterectomy for selected patients with early-stage cervical cancer. It has been demonstrated that robotic radical hysterectomy offers an advantage over other surgical approaches with regard to operative time, blood loss, and hospital stay. Also initial evidences concerning oncological outcomes seem to confirm the equivalence to traditional open technique. Despite the fact that costs of robotic system are still high, they could be partially offset by several health-related and social benefits: less pain, faster dismissal, and return to full activity than other surgical approaches. The development of robotic technology may facilitate the spread of minimally invasive surgery in gynaecological oncology, overcoming some drawbacks of laparoscopic technique for challenging intervention such as radical hysterectomy. Further studies are needed to evaluate overall and disease-free survival of this technique and associated morbidity after adjuvant therapies

MicroRNA Milk Exosomes: From Cellular Regulator to Genomic Marker

Recent advances in ruminants\u2019 milk\u2010derived exosomes (EXO) have indicated a role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in cell\u2010to\u2010cell communication in dairy ruminants. The miRNAs EXO retain peculiar mechanisms of uptake from recipient cells, which enables the selective delivery of cargos, with a specific regulation of target genes. Although many studies have been published on the miRNAs contained in milk, less information is available on the role of miRNAs EXO, which are considered stable over time and resistant to digestion and milk processing. Several miRNAs EXO have been implicated in the cellular signaling pathway, as in the regulation of immune response. Moreover, they exert epigenetic control, as extenuating the expression of DNA methyltransferase 1. However, the study of miRNAs EXO is still challenging due to the difficulty of isolating EXO. In fact, there are not agreed protocols, and different methods, often time\u2010consuming, are used, making it difficult to routinely process a large number of samples. The regulation of cell functions in mammary glands by miRNAs EXO, and their applications as genomic markers in livestock, is presented

Improving the Shelf-Life of Fish Burgers Made with a Mix of Sea Bass and Sea Bream Meat by Bioprotective Cultures

Seafood products are one of the most perishable foods, and their shelf life is limited by enzymatic and microbial spoilage. Developing methods to extend the shelf life of fresh fish could reduce food waste in the fishery industry, retail stores, and private households. In recent decades, the application of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) as bioprotective cultures has become a promising tool. In this study, we evaluated the use of four starter cultures, previously selected for their properties as bioprotective agents, for sea bass and sea bream burgers biopreservation. Starter cultures impacted the microbial populations, biochemical parameters (pH, TVB-N), and sensory properties of fish burgers, during 10 days of storage at 4 degrees C and then 20 days at 8 degrees C in modified atmosphere packaging (MAP). Also, storage time influenced the microbial and physicochemical characteristics of all the tested samples, except for TVB-N values, which were significantly higher in the uninoculated burgers. The volatilome changed in the different treatments, and in particular, the samples supplemented with starter presented a profile that described their rapid growth and colonization, with the production of typical molecules derived from their metabolism. The addition of bioprotective cultures avoided bloating spoilage and improved the sensory parameters of the burgers. The shelf life of the fish burgers supplemented with starter cultures could be extended up to 12 days

Effects of Starter Cultures and Type of Casings on the Microbial Features and Volatile Profile of Fermented Sausages

In the literature, the effect of the type of casing on fermented sausages is quite unexplored, while several studies are focused on the impact of starter cultures. Therefore, this paper studied the effect of three commercial starter cultures and two casings (natural or collagen) on Italian fermented sausages. Physico-chemical parameters (aw, pH, weight loss), microbiota, aroma profile and sensory analysis were evaluated. Results showed that collagen casings promoted a higher reduction of pH and weight loss. Concerning the microbiota, samples with natural casing had higher counts of lactic acid bacteria, while yeast proliferation was promoted in those with collagen. Regardless of the starters and casings applied, levels of enterococci and Enterobacteriaceae were low (≤2 log CFU/g). The aroma profile was significantly affected by casing: despite the starter applied, the presence of collagen casing favoured acid accumulation (mainly acetate and butanoate) and reduction of ketones. Sensory analysis highlighted significant differences only for odour, colour intensity and sourness. The differences observed suggest that collagen casings may provide a greater availability of oxygen. Overall, casings rather than starter cultures impact the microbial and sensorial features of fermented sausages

Listeria monocytogenes sensitivity to antimicrobial treatments depends on cell origin

In this study we investigated how cell origin could affect the efficacy of an antimicrobial treatment (mild heating combined with terpenoids) in Listeria monocytogenes Scott A, considering cells from: 1. single colony, 2. glycerol stock, 3. cold adapted culture, and 4. fresh culture in stationary phase. After treatment, culturability on BHI medium and viability assessed by flow cytometry were evaluated. Our results showed that the cell origin significantly impacted viability and culturability of L. monocytogenes towards antimicrobial treatment. The mild heat treatment combined or not with terpenoids mainly affected culturability rather than viability, although the culturability of cells from single colony was less impacted. Therefore, to mimic the worst scenario, these latter were selected to contaminate Gorgonzola rind and roast beef slices and we evaluated the ability of L. monocytogenes cells to recover their culturability (on ALOA agar medium) and to growth on the food matrix stored at 4 °C for 7 days. Our results suggest that only Gorgonzola rind allowed a partial recovery of the culturability of cells previously heated in presence or not of terpens. In conclusion, we found a connection between the cell history and sensitivity toward an antimicrobial treatment, underlying the importance to standardize the experimental procedures (starting from the cells to be used in the assay) in the assessment of cell sensitivity to a specific treatment. Finally, our study clearly indicated that VBNC cells can resuscitate under favorable conditions on a food matrix, becoming a threat for consumer’s health

Internal Carotid Dissection as the Cause of Stroke in Childhood

Internal carotid artery (ICA) dissection is a cause of stroke, but it is often underdiagnosed in children. ICAs’ risk factors and pathogenic mechanisms are poorly understood, and the treatment is still empirical. We report the case of a previously healthy 9-year-old girl who presented with involuntary hypertonic closure of the right hand associated with transient difficulty for both fine movements of the right arm and speech. She had a history of minor cervical trauma occurring 20 days prior to our observation without other associated risk factors. Magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance angiography showed ischemic lesions due to the left ICA dissection. Treatment with both acetylsalicylic acid and levetiracetam allowed recanalization of the ICA associated with the resolution of clinical signs. Our clinical case suggests that the ICA dissection must be suspected early whenever a child manifests mild neurologic deficits after a cervical trauma, especially if they are associated with headache and/or cervical pain. Moreover, the management of ICA dissection must be improved

Insights into the Metabolomic Diversity of Latilactobacillus sakei

: Latilactobacillus sakei (L. sakei), widely used as a starter culture in fermented sausages, is a species adapted to meat environments. Its ability to survive for a long time in such products is due to the exploitation of different metabolic pathways to gain energy (hexose and pentose sugar fermentation, amino acids catabolism, etc.). Since L. sakei demonstrates high phenotypic and metabolic strain biodiversity, in this work, a metabolomic approach was used to compare five strains of different origins. They were cultivated in a defined medium with glucose or ribose at two concentrations, and analyzed through nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) spectroscopy to monitor amino acid consumptions and accumulation of organic acids and aroma compounds. The results showed that all the strains were able to use arginine, especially when cultivated with ribose, while serine was consumed mainly in the presence of glucose. Aroma compounds (i.e., diacetyl and acetoin) were mainly accumulated in samples with ribose. These aspects are relevant for starter cultures selection, to confer specific features to fermented sausages, and to optimize the fermentations. Moreover, the use of 1H-NMR allowed the fast identification of different classes of compounds (without derivatization or extraction procedures), providing a powerful tool to increase the knowledge of the metabolic diversity of L. sakei