AsiFood and its output and prospects: An Erasmus+ project on capacity building in food safety and quality for South-East Asia

The Asifood project is a capacity building project in the field of higher education involving collaboration among thirteen partners from Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Austria, Belgium, Italy and France. This project aimed to support the universities in Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia in building their capacities and their link with professionals in food safety and food quality, in the context of ASEAN integration. Further, training for trainers around a key theme, ‘food safety and quality’ for partner countries was set up involving students and teachers, professional stakeholders, political decision-makers and association leaders. During the first year of the project, study and diagnostic phase were carried out to properly assess the training as per each university needs. In the second year, the training paths around three axes: courses, quality and laboratory analysis were conducted. Finally, a test phase was carried out with the partners by inserting the modules created in the bachelor's and master's degree courses offered by the universities as well as short term trainings on innovations in food safety and quali

Concurrent cisplatin, continuous infusion fluorouracil and radiotherapy followed by tailored consolidation treatment in non metastatic anal squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND: To evaluate efficacy and feasibility of chemo-radiotherapy in patients with non-metastatic anal squamous-cell-cancer. METHODS: TNM staged anal squamous-cell cancer patients were treated with pelvic radiotherapy concomitant to continuous infusion fluorouracil plus cisplatin for at least 2 cycles. In T3-T4 or any T - N+ tumours or in "slow-responder" cases, 1-2 chemotherapy courses were subsequently administered. Tumour assessment was performed at baseline and 6-8 weeks after radiotherapy to evaluate response. RESULTS: 29 patients were enrolled: 4 males, 25 females; median age 57 years; baseline T1/T2/T3/T4 2/12/7/8; N involvement 17. Median dose pelvic radiotherapy was 59.4 Gy (range: 54-74). In 5 patients 2 chemotherapy courses, in 12 patients three and in 12 patients four courses were performed. At first evaluation, 27 CR (93.1%; 95% CI: 78% - 98%) and 2 SD were observed. Main grade (G) 3 toxic events were neutropenia (8%), diarrhoea (8%) and dermatitis (62%). Most frequent late events G3-G4 occurred in 14 patients: proctitis (5), dermatitis (4), bladder dysfunctions (2), sexual dysfunctions (9), lower extremity venous thromboses (2), dysuria (1), stenosis (1) and tenesmus (1). Five patients reported G1 leucopoenia. The rate of colostomy was 14%. After a median follow up of 42 months (range: 4-81), 20 patients are still alive without relapse and 3 died due to PD. The estimated 7-year DFS was 83.4% (C.I.: 68.3%-98.5%) and the estimated 7-year OS was 85.7% (C.I.: 70% - 100%). The 1-year and the estimated 7-year colostomy-free survivals were 85.9% (C.I.: 73.1% - 98.7%). CONCLUSIONS: Concurrent cisplatin plus fluorouracil and radiotherapy is associated with favourable local control rates and acute toxicity. Future investigations will be directed towards research into molecular biomarkers related to disease progression and resistance to chemo-radiotherapy and to the evaluation of new cytotoxic agents or targeted drugs, such as anti-epidermal growth factor receptor, concomitant to RT and to determining the role of intensity-modulated radiotherap

Apoptosis of CD4+CD25high T Cells in Type 1 Diabetes May Be Partially Mediated by IL-2 Deprivation

from T1D subjects. in T1D may be caught up in a relatively deficient cytokine milieu. function in subjects predisposed to T1D

Maternal preeclampsia and jitteriness in preterm infants

Aim: To clarify the role of maternal preeclampsia in jitteriness in preterm infants

Serum cortisol and prolactin levels in childhood paroxysmal disorders

Postictal serum prolactin and cortisol levels were measured in 37 children having either epilepsy, febrile seizure or syncopal attack and in 37 normal controls. Blood samples were obtained within 1.5 h following the seizure episode. All serum levels were compared between each group and the control groups, Significantly higher (P < 0.005) prolactin levels (56.64 +/- 34.78 ng/mL) were found it the epileptic group, compared to the levels in children with febrile seizures (21.72 +/- 12.92 ng/mL), syncope attacks (13.88 +/- 5.27 ng/mL) and the control group (14.32 +/- 5.05 ng/mL). it contrast, serum cortisol levels were non-specifically elevated in children with epilepsy, febrile seizures and syncopal attacks. Cortisol secretion appears to be non-specifically elevated in all stressful events. Elevated prolactin levels may be helpful in differentiating epilepsy from febrile seizures and syncope

A case of Takayasu disease with findings of incomplete Alagille syndrome

A 16-year-old girl being followed up for Takayasu arteritis for the last 3 years was also found to have Alagille syndrome upon findings of atypical facies, posterior embryotoxon, high-pitched voice, osteopenia and hypogonadism. This case might imply a possible relationship between Takayasu arteritis and Alagille syndrome