Studio del comportamento materno nel cane

L’interesse di questa ricerca è stato quello di studiare, analizzare e quantificare le cure materne che 10 femmine di diverse razze canine forniscono ai loro cuccioli, nonché il comportamento dei cuccioli nei confronti della propria madre, durante i primi 21 giorni di vita. A tale scopo, le dieci cucciolate prese in esame sono state videoriprese nel periodo neonatale e di transizione, e per l'analisi dei comportamenti è stato utilizzano l’etogramma di Rheingold H.L. (1963). I risultati sono stati analizzati attraverso l'uso di una statistica di tipo parametrica e non parametrica, prendendo in considerazione tre giorni in particolare (giorno 1- giorno 10- giorno 19) allo scopo di ottenere un andamento dei comportamenti materni durante le prime tre settimane di vita dei cuccioli. I risultati ottenuti indicano che in generale, la maggior parte delle differenze nei comportamenti materni tra cucciolate riguardano la terza settimana post-partum, facendo riscontrare una relazione temporale. Nel confronto tra cucciolate emergono delle differenze in alcuni comportamenti della madre che sembrerebbero indicare cure materne più intense nelle cucciolate meno numerose e nelle madri primipare e interessanti differenze di razza. Le cure materne hanno un effetto significativo sullo sviluppo comportamentale dei cuccioli e tale studio mette in luce l'importanza dell' approfondimento di questo tema all'interno della specie canina. STUDY OF MATERNAL BEHAVIOR IN DOGS The interest of this research was to study, analyze and quantify the maternal care that 10 dams of different dog breeds provided to their offspring, as well as the behavior of the pups towards their mother, during the first 21 days of life. For this purpose, the ten litters examined were videotaped in the neonatal and transitional period, and for the analysis of behavior it has been used the ethogram of Rheingold H.L. (1963). The results were analyzed using parametric and non-parametric statistics, applying the following test to three specific days (day 1, day 10 and day 19) to obtain a trend of maternal behaviors during the first three weeks of life of the pups. The results showed that, generally, most of the differences in maternal behavior between litters concerned the third postpartum week, showing “time” as a key factor. While comparing the litters differences emerged in some dams’ behaviors which would seem to indicate that maternal care is more intense in small litters and in primiparous dams, with interesting differences among breeds Maternal care has a significant effect on the behavioral development of the offspring and this study reveals the relevance of the investigation of this issue within the canine species

Health services performance for TB treatment in Brazil: a cross-sectional study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Researches to evaluate Primary Health Care performance in TB control in Brazil show that different cities aggregate local specificities in the dynamics of coping with the disease. This study aims to evaluate health services' performance in TB treatment in cities across different Brazilian regions.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This cross-sectional study was conducted in five cities that are considered priorities for TB control in Brazil: Itaboraí (ITA), Ribeirão Preto (RP) and São José do Rio Preto (SJRP) in the Southeast; Campina Grande (CG) and Feira de Santana (FS) in the Northeast. Data were collected through interviews with 514 TB patients under treatment in 2007, using the <it>Primary Care Assessment Tool </it>adapted for TB care in Brazil. Indicators were constructed based on the mean response scores (Likert scale) and compared among the study sites.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>"Access to treatment" was evaluated as satisfactory in the Southeast and regular in the Northeast, which displayed poor results on 'home visits' and 'distance between treatment site and patient's house'. "Bond" was assessed as satisfactory in all cities, with a slightly better performance in RP and SJRP. "Range of services" was rated as regular, with better performance of southeastern cities. 'Health education', 'DOT' and 'food vouchers' were less offered in the Northeast. "Coordination" was evaluated as satisfactory in all cities. "Family focus" was evaluated as satisfactory in RP and SJRP, and regular in the others. 'Professional asking patient's family about other health problems' was evaluated as unsatisfactory, except in RP.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Two types of obstacles are faced for health service performance in TB treatment in the cities under analysis, mainly in the Northeast. The first is structural and derives from difficulties to access health services and actions. The second is organizational and derives from the way health technologies and services are distributed and integrated. Incentives to improve care organization and management practices, aimed at the integration of primary, secondary and tertiary services, can contribute towards a better performance of health services in TB treatment.</p

The role of immune suppression in COVID-19 hospitalization: clinical and epidemiological trends over three years of SARS-CoV-2 epidemic

Specific immune suppression types have been associated with a greater risk of severe COVID-19 disease and death. We analyzed data from patients &gt;17 years that were hospitalized for COVID-19 at the “Fondazione IRCCS Ca′ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico” in Milan (Lombardy, Northern Italy). The study included 1727 SARS-CoV-2-positive patients (1,131 males, median age of 65 years) hospitalized between February 2020 and November 2022. Of these, 321 (18.6%, CI: 16.8–20.4%) had at least one condition defining immune suppression. Immune suppressed subjects were more likely to have other co-morbidities (80.4% vs. 69.8%, p &lt; 0.001) and be vaccinated (37% vs. 12.7%, p &lt; 0.001). We evaluated the contribution of immune suppression to hospitalization during the various stages of the epidemic and investigated whether immune suppression contributed to severe outcomes and death, also considering the vaccination status of the patients. The proportion of immune suppressed patients among all hospitalizations (initially stable at &lt;20%) started to increase around December 2021, and remained high (30–50%). This change coincided with an increase in the proportions of older patients and patients with co-morbidities and with a decrease in the proportion of patients with severe outcomes. Vaccinated patients showed a lower proportion of severe outcomes; among non-vaccinated patients, severe outcomes were more common in immune suppressed individuals. Immune suppression was a significant predictor of severe outcomes, after adjusting for age, sex, co-morbidities, period of hospitalization, and vaccination status (OR: 1.64; 95% CI: 1.23–2.19), while vaccination was a protective factor (OR: 0.31; 95% IC: 0.20–0.47). However, after November 2021, differences in disease outcomes between vaccinated and non-vaccinated groups (for both immune suppressed and immune competent subjects) disappeared. Since December 2021, the spread of the less virulent Omicron variant and an overall higher level of induced and/or natural immunity likely contributed to the observed shift in hospitalized patient characteristics. Nonetheless, vaccination against SARS-CoV-2, likely in combination with naturally acquired immunity, effectively reduced severe outcomes in both immune competent (73.9% vs. 48.2%, p &lt; 0.001) and immune suppressed (66.4% vs. 35.2%, p &lt; 0.001) patients, confirming previous observations about the value of the vaccine in preventing serious disease

Maternal behaviour in domestic dogs: a comparison between primiparous and multiparous dogs

Maternal care was assessed in 10 litters from different breeds of domestic dog living in a home environment. Subjects were divided into two groups; a primiparous group (5 mothers, 32.4±22.3 months old; 5.0±1.6 puppies per litter) and a multiparous group (5 mothers, 74.4±10.0 months old, 6.6 ±1.7 puppies per litter). Mothers and puppies were videoed for 15 minutes each day, in the morning, from day 1 to 21 after the birth. Videos were analysed on a second-by-second basis, observing each mother-puppy couple and using an ethogram of mother-puppy interaction behaviours adapted from Rheingold (1963). The median total amount each interaction behaviour (during the 21 day period) was compared between primiparous and multiparous groups (Mann Whitney test). Levels of each interaction behaviour were also compared between the groups at three timepoints (day 1, 10 & 19) to investigate changes in maternal behaviour during the three weeks of observation (Mann Whitney test ). Within-group changes in interaction behaviours were evaluated for the same time points (Wilcoxon signed-rank test). Total contact between mother and pup was significantly higher during the 21 day period in multiparous mothers, and remained consistent between timepoints. In primiparous mothers there was a statistically significant increase in contact over time that, at day 19, led to a statistically higher value compared to multiparous mothers (p=0.042; U=283.000). Primiparous mothers showed a significant increase in nursing behaviour during the analysed period, and when compared with multiparous mothers, were found to spend significantly more time nursing their puppies at day 19 (p=0.002;U=212.000). The amount of licking of the anogenital area was found to be significantly higher in primiparous mothers over the 21-day period, and increased significantly from day 1 to day 19. When compared with multiparous mothers, primiparous mothers were found to spend significantly more time licking the anogenital area of their puppies at day 19 (p=0.001; U=199.500). In summary, in primiparous mothers there was a marked increase in licking the anogenital area, nursing and staying in contact with the puppies from day 1 to 21, which led at the end of the third week to a higher quantity of maternal care compared to multiparous mothers; whilst in multiparous mothers there was a tendency towards constant maternal care. These preliminary results suggest interesting differences in maternal behaviour between primiparous and multiparous bitches

Additional file 1 of Serological investigation of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with suspect measles, 2017–2022

Supplementary Material

CD85/LIR-1/ILT2 and CD152 (Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte Antigen 4) Inhibitory Molecules Down-Regulate the Cytolytic Activity of Human CD4(+) T-Cell Clones Specific for Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Antigen-specific cytolytic CD4(+) T lymphocytes control Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection by secreting cytokines and by killing macrophages that have phagocytosed the pathogen. However, lysis of the latter cells promotes microbial dissemination, and other macrophages engulf the released bacteria. Subsequently, CD4(+) T-cell-mediated killing of macrophages goes on, and this persistent process may hamper control of infection, unless regulatory mechanisms maintain a subtle balance between lysis of macrophages by cytolytic CD4(+) cells and activation of cytolytic CD4(+) cells by infected macrophages. We asked whether inhibitory molecules expressed by CD4(+) cytolytic T lymphocytes could play a role in such a balance. To this end, human CD4(+) T-cell clones specific for M. tuberculosis were produced that displayed an autologous major histocompatibility complex class II-restricted lytic ability against purified protein derivative (PPD)-pulsed antigen-presenting cells. All T-cell clones expressed CD152 (cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 [CTLA-4]) and CD85/leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptor 1 (LIR-1)/immunoglobulin-like transcript 2 (ILT2) inhibitory receptors, but not CD94 and the killer inhibitory receptor (or killer immunoglobulin-like receptor [KIR]) p58.2. CD3-mediated activation of the clones was inhibited in a redirected killing assay in which CD152 and CD85/LIR-1/ILT2 were cross-linked. Specific antigen-mediated proliferation of the clones was also sharply reduced when CD152 and CD85/LIR-1/ILT2 were cross-linked by specific monoclonal antibody (MAb) followed by goat anti-mouse antiserum. In contrast, blockade of the receptors by specific MAb only increased their proliferation. Production of interleukin 2 (IL-2) and gamma interferon (IFN-γ) by the T-cell clones was also strongly reduced when CD152 and CD85/LIR-1/ILT2 were cross-linked. The lytic activity of the T-cell clones against PPD-pulsed autologous monocytes or Epstein-Barr virus-activated B cells was increased by blockade and decreased by cross-linking of the receptors. These results indicate that CD152 and CD85/LIR-1/ILT2 play a role in the regulation of the antigen-specific activity of CD4(+) cytolytic T lymphocytes against PPD-presenting cells

Cyclic vomiting syndrome in children. a nationwide survey of current practice on behalf of the Italian Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (SIGENP) and Italian Society of Pediatric Neurology (SINP)

Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome (CVS) is a rare functional gastrointestinal disorder, which has a considerable burden on quality of life of both children and their family. Aim of the study was to evaluate the diagnostic modalities and therapeutic approach to CVS among Italian tertiary care centers and the differences according to subspecialties, as well as to explore whether potential predictive factors associated with either a poor outcome or a response to a specific treatment

Electroclinical features of MEF2C haploinsufficiency-related epilepsy: A multicenter European study

Purpose: Epilepsy is a main manifestation in the autosomal dominant mental retardation syndrome caused by heterozygous variants in MEF2C. We aimed to delineate the electro-clinical features and refine the genotype phenotype correlations in patients with MEF2C haploinsufficiency. Methods: We thoroughly investigated 25 patients with genetically confirmed MEF2C-syndrome across 12 different European Genetics and Epilepsy Centers, focusing on the epileptic phenotype. Clinical features (seizure types, onset, evolution, and response to therapy), EEG recordings during waking/sleep, and neuroimaging findings were analyzed. We also performed a detailed literature review using the terms "MEF2C", "seizures", and "epilepsy". Results: Epilepsy was diagnosed in 19 out of 25 (-80%) subjects, with age at onset &lt;30 months. Ten individuals (40%) presented with febrile seizures and myoclonic seizures occurred in-50% of patients. Epileptiform abnormalities were observed in 20/25 patients (80%) and hypoplasia/partial agenesis of the corpus callosum was detected in 12/25 patients (-50%). Nine patients harbored a 5q14.3 deletion encompassing MEF2C and at least one other gene. In 7 out of 10 patients with myoclonic seizures, MIR9-2 and LINC00461 were also deleted, whereas ADGRV1 was involved in 3/4 patients with spasms. Conclusion: The epileptic phenotype of MEF2C-syndrome is variable. Febrile and myoclonic seizures are the most frequent, usually associated with a slowing of the background activity and irregular diffuse discharges of frontally dominant, symmetric or asymmetric, slow theta waves with interposed spike-and-waves complexes. The haploinsufficiency of ADGRV1, MIR9-2, and LINC00461 likely contributes to myoclonic seizures and spasms in patients with MEF2C syndrome

Additional file 3 of Cyclic vomiting syndrome in children: a nationwide survey of current practice on behalf of the Italian Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (SIGENP) and Italian Society of Pediatric Neurology (SINP)

Additional file 3: Supplementary Table 3. Comorbidities recorded among patients with cyclic vomiting syndrome according to specific outpatient clinic