Biomarkers of Chronic Inflammatory State in Uremia and Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the general population; traditional risk factors seem inadequate to explain completely the remarkable prevalence of cardiovascular mortality and morbidity observed in the uremic population. A role for chronic inflammation has been well established in the development of atherosclerotic disease, and, on the basis of these observations, atherosclerosis might be considered an inflammatory disease. Inflammation has been implicated in the etiology of coronary artery disease in the general population, and traditional inflammatory biomarkers such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) have been shown to predict cardiovascular events in both symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals as well as those in the uremic population. Later on, new nontraditional markers were related to the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in general and in uremic population. As a consequence of the expanding research base and availability of assays, the number of inflammatory marker tests ordered by clinicians for cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk prediction has grown rapidly and several commercial assays have become available. So, up to now we can consider that several new nontraditional markers as CD40-CD40 ligand system and pentraxin-3 seem to be significant features of cardiovascular disease in general and in ESRD population

Spatial variation of the aggressive response towards conspecifics in the ant Crematogaster scutellaris (Hymenoptera Formicidae)

In this study we investigated the relationship between spatial distance and intraspecific aggression in the Mediterranean tree-nesting ant Crematogaster scutellaris. Aggression tests were carried out in the field confronting group of workers (20 from each nest) collected from pairs of nests located at increasing distances one from the other (5, 10, 20, 40 and 80 meters). For each distance, 6 replicate tests, using different pairs of nests, were carried out. The probability of aggression and the time of the first aggressive event were recorded and modelled as a function of the distance between two nests using generalised linear models. Results showed that both the probability of aggression and the time of first attack were correlated to spatial distance in a complex way, having their maximum at intermediate distances between nests. The observed relationship cannot be simply interpreted according to the “dear enemy” or the “nasty neighbour” effects and contains elements in favour of both

Use of a Custom-Made Patellar Groove Replacement in an American Staffordshire Terrier Puppy with a Severe Bone Defect in the Femoral Trochlea Caused by Hematogenous Osteomyelitis

Simple Summary Osteomyelitis is a bone infection disease causing progressive inflammation. Bone lysis, periosteal reactions and ischemic regions of infected necrotic and devitalized tissue are likely secondary abnormalities. A prolonged antibiotic therapy, an abundant lavage of the affected region and several revision surgeries to debride infected and necrotic bone are paramount treatments for osteomyelitis. The treatment of extensive bone defects and functional damage may require the use of prosthetic surgery, allowing the anatomical and functional recovery of the affected area, and in some cases, it is necessary to use a customized prosthesis for a better anatomical and functional adaptation. In veterinary medicine, the implementation of 3D-printing technologies and the application of custom-made surgical implants and prosthetics have enabled the management of intricate orthopedic conditions that were previously only addressed through salvage procedures, such as arthrodesis or amputations. The purpose of this report is to describe the surgical technique and outcome of a custom-made patellar groove replacement in a puppy with a severe bone defect in the femoral trochlea caused by hematogenous osteomyelitis. This surgery showed excellent short-, medium- and long-term outcomes, and it is the first report on a custom-made patellar groove replacement available in the literature.Abstract An 8-month-old male American Staffordshire terrier was referred for a no-weightbearing lameness of the right pelvic limb, hyperthermia, lethargy and inappetence. Two months before, endocarditis was diagnosed and treated in another veterinary hospital. Orthopedic, radiographic and tomographic examinations revealed a bone sequestrum of 4 x 1.4 cm and active periosteal reaction of the caudo-lateral cortical in the metaphysis and the distal third of the right femoral diaphysis, medullary osteolysis and interruption of the cranio-medial cortical profile, with involvement of the femoral trochlea leading to a secondary medial patella luxation. Hematogenous osteomyelitis was the suspected diagnosis. Once skeletally mature, after 4 months from surgical debridement and aggressive antibiotic therapy against Klebsiella oxytoca revealed by a bacteriological exam, the patient underwent prosthetic surgery for the application of a custom-made patellar groove replacement (PGR) to fill the bone defect and restore the femoral trochlea surface. Despite the serious injury that afflicted the right pelvic limb, the surgery had satisfactory outcomes until the last 18-month postoperative follow up

NAVIGATOR: an Italian regional imaging biobank to promote precision medicine for oncologic patients.

NAVIGATOR is an Italian regional project boosting precision medicine in oncology with the aim of making it more predictive, preventive, and personalised by advancing translational research based on quantitative imaging and integrative omics analyses. The project's goal is to develop an open imaging biobank for the collection and preservation of a large amount of standardised imaging multimodal datasets, including computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and positron emission tomography data, together with the corresponding patient-related and omics-related relevant information extracted from regional healthcare services using an adapted privacy-preserving model. The project is based on an open-source imaging biobank and an open-science oriented virtual research environment (VRE). Available integrative omics and multi-imaging data of three use cases (prostate cancer, rectal cancer, and gastric cancer) will be collected. All data confined in NAVIGATOR (i.e., standard and novel imaging biomarkers, non-imaging data, health agency data) will be used to create a digital patient model, to support the reliable prediction of the disease phenotype and risk stratification. The VRE that relies on a well-established infrastructure, called D4Science.org, will further provide a multiset infrastructure for processing the integrative omics data, extracting specific radiomic signatures, and for identification and testing of novel imaging biomarkers through big data analytics and artificial intelligence