Alternatives to traditional anthelmintics to control gastrointestinal nematodes in grazing meat goats

Studies were conducted to determine the efficacy of a commercial herbal dewormer (HDC, Studies 1 and 2) and a tanniferous perennial legume (Study 3) to reduce fecal egg counts (FEC) in grazing goats (Capra hircus). Goats grazed Festuca arundinacea (Study 1), Lolium multiflorum L. (Study 2), and Lespedeza cuneata or Tripsacum dactyloides (Study 3). In study 1, the eggs per gram (EPG) of feces from goats orally-drenched weekly with HDC decreased from 1,006 to 758 by Day 33, then stabilized at a mean of 740 EPG until the end of the trial (Day 103). Conversely, FEC of goats drenched with ivomectin (IVO) decreased from 935 EPG to 163 EPG by Day 26, then steadily increased to 646 by Day 103. The EPG differed between IVO and HDC on Day 12, 19, 26, 33, 40 (P <0.0001), 47 (P <0.007), 54 (P <0.07), 61 (P<0.002), 68 (P <0.04) and 89 (P<0.09). In Study 2, neither oral fenbendazole nor one or two weekly doses of HDC had an effect on FEC, an indication of resistance to fenbendazole by gastrointestinal nematodes. In Study 3, FEC of goats grazing L. cuneata and T. dactyloides for 5 wk had decreased from 860 to 500 EPG for the former and increased from 1630 to 2310 EPG for the latter (P <0.06). Thereafter, FEC of goats switched from T. dactyloides to L. cuneata decreased to 1595, 1120 and 410 during the following 3 wk, whereas FEC of goats switched from L. cuneata to T. dactyloides still decreased to 220, 195, and 70 EPG (P <0.007, P <0.02, and P <.09, respectively). Within the confines of studies 1 and 2, HDC showed some or no effectiveness in reducing FEC in goats grazing infected pastures, whereas there was a significant reduction in FEC of goats grazing L. cuneata

OPENMODS 2.0 “Instrument Jamming Meeting” report

Major achievements The feedback provided by potential users on their needs was very much appreciated. They underlined the importance of having: ● an easy to deploy instrument (i.e.: from small fishing boats); ● multi-parameter sensors in ONE device; ● less maintenance effort and prioritized the variables to measure. Although, there are technical limitations and different solutions and there is no one tool that can do everything, which is low cost, has high resolution and low maintenance, the outcomes of the platforms/sensors/communications working group meet the main requirements that emerged. Priority was given to: ● a platform that will operate in drifter mode which is extremely easy to deploy and perfect for studies associated with search and rescue operations (another need that has emerged). It also constantly guarantees the knowledge of the instrument position. The platform can be easily converted into the moored mode. ● temperature and pressure sensors. The sensors will be low -cost with the idea to replace them rather than calibrate them; ● LoRaWAN communications preferably with Bluetooth integration for the in-situ download of the data

On natural metalinguistic abilities in aphasia: a preliminary study

Natural metalinguistic abilities, which are put into play without explicit instructions, constitute the cognitive basis for a 'reflexive' use of language, a particular manifestation of the executive function when applied to language and verbal behaviour. This reflexive use entails a specific attentional activity by speakers and hearers with regard to linguistic outputs, and an intentional experience-based control over the language use. Putting into play natural metalinguistic abilities can be considered a significant factor for explaining different kinds of adaptive processes. Our results permit us to conclude that an impairment of metalinguistic abilities is involved in aphasia to different degrees. Moreover, the examination of preserved metalinguistic abilities provides an alternative way for assessing the degree of severity of impaired communicative behaviour by people with aphasia. Our procedure, presumably, will also be useful for suggesting new factors when designing therapeutic programmes

Epidemiology and drug susceptibility of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) in Italy in 2016-2020

Introduction. Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are environmental mycobacteria which may cause pulmonary and extrapulmonary diseases. These organisms are difficult to treat due to their intrinsic drug-resistance. In Italy, no major nationwide study on NTM epidemiology and drug susceptibility was performed. Methods. Data on the epidemiology of 7,469 NTM clinical isolates identified in Italy in 2016-2020 and on the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 1,506 of these strains were analysed. Results. Overall, 63 species were identified in 42 hospital laboratories located in 16 out of 20 regions, with Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) being the most frequently iso-lated, followed by M. gordonae, M. xenopi, M. abscessus. The MICs of 12 drugs for MAC, M. xenopi, M. kansasii, M. abscessus, M. fortuitum and M. chelonae were interpreted for clinical significance (susceptible, intermediate, resistant) based on the guidelines pub-lished by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute in November 2018. Conclusions. Our data are in line with other nationwide studies and may be of value for further update of microbiological and clinical guidelines

I confini del "self"

I confini del "self

Hearing loss in children with congenital cytomegalovirus infection: An 11-year retrospective study based on laboratory database of a tertiary paediatric hospital

Congenital cytomegalovirus infection is considered the main cause of infantile non-genetic neurosensory hearing loss. Although this correlation was described more than 50 years ago, the natural history of internal ear involvement has not yet been fully defined. Hearing loss is the most frequent sequela and is seen in a variable percentage up to 30%; the hearing threshold is characterised by fluctuations or progressive deterioration. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of hearing loss in cases of congenital CMV infection from Modena county, starting from the database of the microbiology and virology reference laboratory. All children undergoing urine testing for suspected CMV infection or viral DNA testing on Guthrie Card in the period between January 2004 and December 2014 were enrolled in the study. Family paediatricians were contacted and asked about clinical information on the possible presence at birth or subsequent occurrence of hearing loss, excluding cases where this was not possible. The results showed an annual prevalence of congenital cytomegalovirus infection among suspected cases that was stable over time despite the progressive increase in subjects tested. The prevalence of hearing loss was in line with the literature, whereas in long-term follow-up cases of moderate, medium-to-severe hearing loss with late onset were not detected. The introduction of newborn hearing screening in the county has allowed early diagnosis of hearing loss at birth as non-TEOAE-born births underwent a urine virus test. Moreover, despite all the limitations of the study, we can conclude that European epidemiological studies are needed to better define the relationship between congenital CMV infection and internal ear disease as the impact of environmental and genetic factors is still not entirely clarified

Non-specific febrile illness by Coxsackievirus A16 in a 6-day-old newborn.

A case of non-specific febrile illness by Coxsackievirus A 16 (CA 16) in a 6-day-old newborn whose mother had developed hand, foot and mouth disease manifestations 2 days after delivery is reported. Notwithstanding the concurrence of negative circumstances like the presence of the enterovirus genome in the cerebrospinal fluid, absence of type specific neutralizing antibody and a few days of life, the newborn recovered 3 days after the onset of fever. This case, also characterized by the absence of mucosal and cutaneous erythematous manifestations typical of CA16 infection, draws attention to the possibility that non-specific febrile illness in newborns usually suspected of bacterial origin may have an enteroviral cause

Anatomical and physical characterization of the rabbit muscles

El propósito de este estudio fue obtener una descripción anatómica de los músculos del conejo (Oryctolagus cuniculus) así como determinar la textura o terneza de la carne, cruda y cocida, representada por las regiones musculares de importancia comercial entre machos y hembras, para lo cual fueron utilizados 20 conejos mestizos California y Nueva Zelanda, 10 machos y 10 hembras. Para el estudio descriptivo anatómico de los músculos se efectúo una disección simple de los mismos. La caracterización física de los músculos del conejo se realizó mediante la evaluación de la textura de los siguientes músculos crudos y cocidos en machos y en hembras: Gastrocnemius, Biceps femoris, Quadriceps femoris, Flexor digitorum longus, Latissimus y Triceps brachii. Muestras de estos músculos se colocaron en el exturómetro INSTRON 3342, modelo IX/S y los valores de las lecturas se expresaron en kilogramos- fuerza (kg-F). La mitad de los cortes se procesó en crudo y el resto fue sometido a cocción hasta alcanzar una temperatura de 65°C. El Latissimus dorsi presentó en crudo, tanto en machos como en hembras, la menor textura, mientras que al cocinarse, el Quadriceps femoris mostró la menor textura (1,22 Kg-F). Los músculos Flexor digitorum superficiales y Gastrocnemius crudos y en ambos sexos presentaron la más alta textura, mientras que el Biceps femoris, Gastrocnemius y Latissimus dorsi cocidos, no mostraron diferencia significativa entre ellos, ni entre machos y hembras, y el Flexor digitorum superficialis si presentó diferencia significativa (P <0,01) entre sexos, correspondiendo la mayor textura en las [email protected] purpose of this study was to obtain an anatomical description of the muscles of the rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculu) as well as determining the texture and tenderness of the meat raw and cooked represented by the regions muscle of commercial significance between males and females, for which were used 20 rabbits mixed breed California and New Zealand, 10 males and 10 females. For the descriptive study of the muscles anatomy was made simply dissection. The physical characterization of rabbit muscle was conducted by evaluating the texture of the following muscles, raw and cooked for males and females: Gastrocnemius, Biceps femoris, Quadriceps femoris y Flexor digitorum longus, Latissimus y Triceps brachii. Samples of these muscles were placed in the texturometer INSTRON 3342 model IX/S and the values of the readings were expressed in force-kilograms (kg-F). Half of the cuts will process raw and the remnant underwent cooking until it reaches a temperature of 65°C. The Latissimus dorsi presented, in raw and in male as females, the lowest texture while cooking to the Quadriceps femoris showed the slightest texture (1.22 kg-F). The muscles Flexor digitorum superficiales y Gastrocnemius raw and in both sexes had the highest texture, while the Biceps femoris, Gastrocnemius y Latissimus dorsi cooked showed no significant difference between them or between males and females, and the Flexor digitorum superficialis presenting significant difference (P<0.01) between sexes with the largest texture to the females

An outbreak of infantile aseptic meningitis caused by Echo 30

This paper describes an outbreak of infantile aseptic meningitis which occurred in an Apennine village during the summer 1993. It was possible to assess the etiology of the syndrome by means of virological (virus isolation, identification by hemagglutination test and typing by Lim BenyeshMelnick antiserum) and serological (complement fixation, immune-electromicroscopy, neutralisation test) methods. Three viral isolates (one from the pharyngeal and one from the faecal swab of a patient and one from the cerebrospinal fluid sample of a another patient) were obtained which were identified as Echovirus 30. All 9 patients showed an antibody response against ECHO 30