Epidemiology of hydatidosis in the province of Sassari, Italy

Cystic echinococcosis is endemic in certain parts of the world, including Sardinia, Italy. It was performed a study in the province of Sassari in order to evaluate the incidence of the infection in man and the effects of control programs since 1964 to 2002. Data obtained by surgical records, hospital discharge forms, radiological and pathological files were collected using a case report form. During the years 1964- 2002, 2702 new cases were identified (average annual incidence: 17 per 100,000) and 1981 (73.3%) were submitted to surgical treatment. In 57.3% municipalities no cases were observed during the years 1998- 2002. Males are more affected (56.2%), mostly farmers-shepherdess (68.6 per 100,000) and pensioners (59.6 per 100,000). Control measures led to a significant decline in the incidence rate of hydatidosis during the period 1964-2002, dropping by 27.6 per 100,000. The mean age of surgical patients increased during the years of surveillance, such as the surgical liver/lung ratio as a consequence of a cohort effect. The durability of control programs is the corner stone for obtaining a significant decrease of this infection

“Malezas comestibles” especies con potencial alimenticio en el sudeste bonaerense

Desde el origen de la agricultura se ha favorecido, por diferentes motivos, el cultivo de ciertas especies en detrimento de otras que pueden crecer naturalmente en una zona determinada, lo que conocemos como flora espontánea. Esta selección ha otorgado un valor a las especies vegetales, las cuales pueden ser consideradas útiles o benéficas -forrajeras, cerealeras, oleaginosas, forestales, ornamentales, etc.- y, en contraposición, surge el concepto de especies consideradas “malezas”.EEA BalcarceFil: De Nucci, Giuliana. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; Argentina.Fil: López Méndez, Alicia. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; Argentina.Fil: López Méndez, Alicia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina.Fil: Dajil, Anahí. Actividad Privada; Argentina.Fil: Palmieri, Ramona. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce; Argentina.Fil: Viglianchino, Liliana Ester. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce; Argentina.Fil: Miri, Federico. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce; Argentina.Fil: Diez de Ulzurrun, Patricia. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; Argentina

Non-neural phenotype of spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy: Results from a large cohort of Italian patients

Objective: To carry out a deep characterisation of the main androgen-responsive tissues involved in spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA). Methods: 73 consecutive Italian patients underwent a full clinical protocol including biochemical and hormonal analyses, genitourinary examination, bone metabolism and densitometry, cardiological evaluation and muscle pathology. Results: Creatine kinase levels were slightly to markedly elevated in almost all cases (68 of the 73; 94%). 30 (41%) patients had fasting glucose above the reference limit, and many patients had total cholesterol (40; 54.7%), low-density lipoproteins cholesterol (29; 39.7%) and triglyceride (35; 48%) levels above the recommended values. Although testosterone, luteinising hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone values were generally normal, in one-third of cases we calculated an increased Androgen Sensitivity Index reflecting the presence of androgen resistance in these patients. According to the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), 7/70 (10%) patients reported severe lower urinal tract symptoms (IPSS score >19), and 21/73 (30%) patients were moderately symptomatic (IPSS score from 8 to 19). In addition, 3 patients were carriers of an indwelling bladder catheter. Videourodynamic evaluation indicated that 4 of the 7 patients reporting severe urinary symptoms had an overt prostate-unrelated bladder outlet obstruction. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan data were consistent with low bone mass in 25/61 (41%) patients. Low bone mass was more frequent at the femoral than at the lumbar level. Skeletal muscle biopsy was carried out in 20 patients and myogenic changes in addition to the neurogenic atrophy were mostly observed. Conclusions: Our study provides evidence of a wide non-neural clinical phenotype in SBMA, suggesting the need for comprehensive multidisciplinary protocols for these patients. \ua9 2016 Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited

Associations between depressive symptoms and disease progression in older patients with chronic kidney disease: results of the EQUAL study

Background Depressive symptoms are associated with adverse clinical outcomes in patients with end-stage kidney disease; however, few small studies have examined this association in patients with earlier phases of chronic kidney disease (CKD). We studied associations between baseline depressive symptoms and clinical outcomes in older patients with advanced CKD and examined whether these associations differed depending on sex. Methods CKD patients (>= 65 years; estimated glomerular filtration rate <= 20 mL/min/1.73 m(2)) were included from a European multicentre prospective cohort between 2012 and 2019. Depressive symptoms were measured by the five-item Mental Health Inventory (cut-off <= 70; 0-100 scale). Cox proportional hazard analysis was used to study associations between depressive symptoms and time to dialysis initiation, all-cause mortality and these outcomes combined. A joint model was used to study the association between depressive symptoms and kidney function over time. Analyses were adjusted for potential baseline confounders. Results Overall kidney function decline in 1326 patients was -0.12 mL/min/1.73 m(2)/month. A total of 515 patients showed depressive symptoms. No significant association was found between depressive symptoms and kidney function over time (P = 0.08). Unlike women, men with depressive symptoms had an increased mortality rate compared with those without symptoms [adjusted hazard ratio 1.41 (95% confidence interval 1.03-1.93)]. Depressive symptoms were not significantly associated with a higher hazard of dialysis initiation, or with the combined outcome (i.e. dialysis initiation and all-cause mortality). Conclusions There was no significant association between depressive symptoms at baseline and decline in kidney function over time in older patients with advanced CKD. Depressive symptoms at baseline were associated with a higher mortality rate in men

A multiplicity result for a generalized p-Laplacian type problem with asymptotically p-linear terms

Taking any $p > 1$, we consider the asymptotically $p$--linear problem \left\{\begin{array}{lr} - \divg (a(x,u,\nabla u)) + A_t(x,u,\nabla u)\ = \ \lambda^\infty |u|^{p-2}u + g^\infty(x,u) &\hbox{in $\Omega$,}\\ u\ = \ 0 & \hbox{on $\partial\Omega$,} \end{array}\right. where $\Omega$ is a bounded domain in $\R^N$, $N\ge 2$, $A(x,t,\xi)$ is a real function on $\Omega \times \R \times \R^N$ which grows with power $p$ with respect to $\xi$ and has partial derivatives $A_t(x,t,\xi) = \frac{\partial A}{\partial t}(x,t,\xi)$, $a(x,t,\xi) = \nabla_\xi A(x,t,\xi)$. If $A(x,t,\xi) \to A^\infty(x,t)$ and $\frac{g^\infty(x,t)}{|t|^{p-1}} \to 0$ as $|t| \to +\infty$, suitable assumptions, variational methods and either the cohomological index theory or its related pseudo--index one, allow us to prove the existence of multiple nontrivial bounded solutions in the {\sl non--resonant case}, i.e. if $\lambda^\infty$ is not an eigenvalue of the operator associated to $\nabla_\xi A^\infty(x,\xi)$. In particular, while in \cite{CPP2013} it is studied the model problem A(x,t,\xi) = \A(x,t) |\xi|^p with $p > N$, here our goal is twofold: extending such results not only to a more general family of functions $A(x,t,\xi)$ but also to the more difficult case $1 < p \le N$