Appropriate end points for the characterization of behavioral changes in developmental toxicology.

The present paper is devoted to second- and higher-tier test methods for the characterization of behavioral changes produced in rodents by exposure to noxious agents during development. The paper analyzes a series of end points that are informative about specific processes and underlying regulatory mechanisms but require greater technical sophistication and larger investments than first-tier end points. This applies to ultrasonic emissions in successive postnatal periods; to mother-pup interactions, including appropriate cross-fostering controls; to social (including sexual) interaction tests from the infantile to the young adult stage; and to a variety of conditioning and learning tests using both positive and negative reinforcement

Intake Estimation of Rams under Grazing Condition in a Deferred Pastures of \u3ci\u3ePanicum coloratum\u3c/i\u3e by Two Techniques

The goal of this study was to quantify the organic matter intake (OMI) of Pampinta rams grazing in a Panicum coloratum cv Verde differed pasture. The OMI was compared by two methods: a) the difference between the forage measured in pre and post-grazing condition, and b) the faecal production:digestibility ratio of the diet, estimated by total faecal gathering, and from the quantity of total faecal N in g per 100 g-1 of OMI and the concentration of total faecal N, respectively. The OMI estimated by difference between the forage measured in pre and post-grazing was 9 % higher (P\u3c 0,05) than the one estimated from total faecal gathering and OMD. Interaction was not detected (P\u3e 0,10) between treatments (length of the deferment period) and estimation method. The use of the faecal N can be utilized, considering the time of the year, to estimate the OMD and OMI in grazing condition in P. coloratum deferred pastures

Benchmark Analysis of EBR-II Protected Loss-of-Flow Transient

Coordinated Research Project (CRP) on EBR-II Shutdown Heat Removal Tests (SHRT) was established by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The objective of the project is to support and to improve validation of simulation tools and projects for Sodium-cooled Fast Reactors (SFR). The Experimental Breeder Reactor II (EBR-II) plant was a uranium metal-alloy-fuelled liquid-metal-cooled fast reactor designed and operated by Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) for the U.S. Department of Energy at the Argonne-West site. In the frame of this project, benchmark analysis of one of the EBR-II shutdown heat removal tests, protected loss-of-flow transient (SHRT-17), has been performed at the Gruppo di Ricerca Nucleare San Piero a Grado (GRNSPG) in Pisa, Italy. The aim of this paper is to present modeling of EBR-II reactor design using RELAP-3D, and to present results of the transient analysis of SHRT-17. Complete nodalization of the reactor was made from the beginning. Model is divided in primary side that contains core, pumps, reactor pool and, for this kind of reactor specific, Z pipe, and intermediate side that contains Intermediate Heat Exchanger (IHX). Core was modeled with 82 channels that represent all fuel assemblies, and 14 channels for reflector and blanket assemblies. After achievement of acceptable steady-state results, transient analysis was performed. Starting from full power and flow, both the primary loop and intermediate loop coolant pumps were simultaneously tripped and the reactor was scrammed to simulate a protected loss-of-flow accident. In addition, the primary system auxiliary coolant pump, that normally had an emergency battery power supply, was turned off. Despite early rise of the temperature in the reactor, the natural circulation characteristics managed to keep it at acceptable levels and cooled the reactor down safely at decay heat power levels. Thermal-hydraulics characteristics and plant behavior was focused on prediction of natural convection cooling by evaluating the reactor core flow and temperatures and their comparison with experimental data that were provided by ANL

Recent Applications of RELAP5-3D at GRNSPG

CNA2 : FSAR activities Standard Consolidated Reference Experimental Database MASLWR benchmark OECD benchmarks CHF calculation in low mass flux condition Turbulence effects in Relap5-3

Viability, Sublethal Injury, and Release of Cellular Components From Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris Spores and Cells After the Application of Physical Treatments, Natural Extracts, or Their Components

Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris is a spoiling microorganism regarded as one of the most important causes of spoilage of fruit juices and acidic products. In this paper, four strains of A. acidoterrestris (type strain-DSM 3922; two wild strains isolated from soil-C8 and C24; wild strain isolated from a spoiled pear juice CB1) were treated through natural extracts/active compounds from essential oils (EOs), and physical treatments were used to assess their susceptibility and the presence of sublethal injury. The characterization of damage was also performed. The results suggest that it is possible to control A. acidoterrestris through alternative approaches, although the effect relied upon the age of spores. In addition to the mere antimicrobial effect, some treatments could cause a sublethal injury on spores. Lemon extract was the most effective treatment for both the antimicrobial effect and the sublethal injury, as evidenced by the release of proteins, and calcium dipicolinate [dipicolinic acid (DPA)] by fresh spores and only DPA (with an exception for C8) by old spores. A sublethal injury with protein release was also found for physical treatments [US (ultrasound) or heating]. For the first time, this paper reports on the existence of a sublethal injury for A. acidoterrestris, and this evidence could also be a challenge, because injured microorganisms could restore their metabolism, or an opportunity to design new preserving treatments

Oral health status and need for oral care in an aging population: A systematic review

Background. The world population is aging. This phenomenon is accompanied by an increase in the number of elderly with dementia, whose oral hygiene care is a challenge. Objective. This paper presents a literature review of oral health status and the need for oral care in people with dementia, as compared to people without dementia and also of the relationship between periodontal disease and cognitive impairment. Methods. A systematic review was conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library. Fifty-six articles met the inclusion criteria and were consequently included for quality assessment and data extraction. Results. No significant differences were found between both groups with regard to the number of present teeth, DMFT Index, edentulousness/use of denture, and orofacial pain. Coronal/root caries and retained roots were more common in people with dementia than in those without dementia. Most of the participants with dementia presented gingival bleeding or inflammation and they suffered from the periodontal disease more than people without dementia. Conclusions. Poor oral health is a common condition among the elderly with dementia. The education process of caregivers might improve the oral health status of people with dementia. Finally, periodontal disease might contribute to the onset or progression of dementia

Exploring the role of Fusobacterium nucleatum in preterm birth: A narrative review

In recent years, substantive attention has been drawn to the relationship between oral microbiome homeostatic equilibrium disruption and systemic health, demonstrating the negative impacts of this reciprocal biological interplay. Increasingly, there is a concern over the potential noxious effect of oral microbiome dysbiosis on obstetric poor outcomes, focusing on preterm birth. This epidemiological observation remains unexplained, although biologically plausible mechanism has been proposed. Intrauterine infection has long been associated with adverse pregnancy, when the elicitation of an immune response is determinant. There is evidence that Fusobacterium nucleatum (FN), a Gram-negative anaerobe ubiquitous in the oral cavity, infects the mouse placenta originating in the decidua basalis. Based on the current data in literature, we performed a review to provide resources for the explanation of the potential impact of microbiome dysbiosis on poor obstetric outcomes, focusing on the role of FN

Aging and oral care: An observational study of characteristics and prevalence of oral diseases in an Italian cohort

Background: Poor oral health is a common condition in patients suffering from dementia. Several aspects of this systemic pathology contribute to causing oral problems: cognitive impairment, behavior disorders, communication and, motor skills deterioration, low levels of cooperation and medical-nursing staff incompetency in the dental field. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the prevalence and the characteristics of oral pathology in a demented elderly population, as well as to check the association between the different degree of dementia and the oral health condition of each patient. Materials and Methods: In this observational study (with cross-sectional design) two groups of elderly patients suffering from dementia, living in two different residential care institutions were recruited. The diagnosis of dementia of each included patient was performed using the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale. In order to evaluate the oral health condition of the included subjects, each patient underwent a physical examination of the oral cavity, during which different clinical parameters were analyzed (number of remaining teeth, oral mucosa, periodontal tissues, bone crests). To each parameter, a score was assigned. Spearman’s Rho test was used. Results: Regarding the prevalence of oral pathology in elderly suffering from dementia, it emerged that 20.58% of the included patients had mucosal lesions and/or new mucosal formations (in most cases undiagnosed and therefore untreated). The prevalence of periodontal disease was equal to 82.35% and a marked clinically detectable reabsorption of bone crests was found in almost all patients (88.23%). 24.13% of patients, who underwent the oral examination, had totally edentulous maxillae and/or with retained roots, without prosthetic rehabilitations. The correlation index r showed the presence of a linear correlation (inverse relationship) between the degree of dementia and the state of health of the oral cavity of each patient. Conclusions: Several factors contribute to poor oral health in the elderly suffering from dementia: cognitive functions deterioration, behavioral disorders and inadequate medical-staff nursing training on oral hygiene. This study also demonstrated that the lower the dementia degree is, the lower tends to be the oral health status. In order to guarantee a complete assistance to these patients, residential care institutions should include in their healthcare program specific dental protocols

Dry matter production and nutritive value of forage of Digitaria eriantha cv. Irene in two locations oft be central semi-arid region of Argentina

The aim of this experiment was to compare dry matter (DM) production rates and nutritive value of a warm-season grass, Digitaria erisntha ev. Irene, in two locations of Central Argentina, Santa Rosa (SR) and Villa Mercedes (VM). The plants were established in two identical groups of plots, within a randomized block design DM rates were calculated from serial, out of phase clippings, and in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) and crude protein (CP) content analyzed on subsamples. The study lasted for three consecutive growing seasons. Results showed that DM production rates were generally higher (P<0.05) in SR than in VM, but IVDMD and CP content showed no clear trends between both locations. DM production tended to lower from year 1 to 3, related to processes of N depletion from soils (VM) and diminishing rainfall (SR). It is concluded that D. eriantha is a very promising warm-season grass to Central Argentina. Data of nutritive value obtained in one location can be used in others, but results of DM production rates should be taken under the conditions where they will be used.Resúmenes de Trabajos presentados en otras publicaciones (por docentes de la UNLPam.)  Publicado en Proceedings of the XVIII international grassland congress. Forage and Management, Session 22: 101-102, 1997

VOC 202012/01 Variant Is Effectively Neutralized by Antibodies Produced by Patients Infected before Its Diffusion in Italy

The coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and presents a global health emergency that needs urgent intervention. Viruses constantly change through mutation, and new variants of a virus are expected to occur over time. In the United Kingdom (UK), a new variant called B.1.1.7 has emerged with an unusually large number of mutations. The aim of this study is to evaluate the level of protection of sera from 12 patients infected and later healed in Apulia Region (Italy) with Covid-19 between March and November 2020, when the English variant was not circulating in this territory yet, against the new VOC 202012/01 variant by seroneutralization assay. The sera of patients had already been tested before, using a virus belonging to the lineage B.1 and showed an antibody neutralizing titer ranging between 1:160 and 1:320. All the 12 sera donors confirmed the same titers of neutralizing antibodies obtained with a strain belonging to the lineage B.1.1.7 (VOC 202012/01). These data indicate that antibodies produced in subjects infected with variants of Sars-CoV-2 strain before the appearance of the English one, seem to have a neutralizing power also against this variant