First record and otolith morphometric description of an adult lightfish, Ichthyococcus ovatus (Actinopterygii: Stomiiformes: Phosichthyidae), caught in the Strait of Sicily (central Mediterranean Sea)

On July 2018, one specimen ofIchthyococcus ovatus (Cocco, 1838) was caught in the Strait of Sicily during the International Bottom Trawl Survey in the Mediterranean (MEDITS). The adult I. ovatus measured 49 mm in total length and weighed 1.44 g. In this context, the presently reported study constitutes the first and deepest record of an adult of I. ovatus as well as the morphometric description of its sagittal otoliths. In addition, we provide an age estimation as well as an update of the geographical distribution of this bathypelagic species around the Mediterranean Sea. Based on the growth increments of sagittal otoliths, the estimated age was five years. Specifically, the otolith from the presently reported specimen of I. ovatus tended to be elliptic in shape related to aspect ratio and high rectangularity while circularity showed high complexity of otolith contour complexity. The absence of economic val-ue of rarely reported species may underestimate their abundance. Therefore, more studies and research surveys would be necessary to fill the information gap on the biology of these deep-water species

An innovative technique to improve safety of volatile anesthetics suction from the cardiopulmonary bypass circuit

Context: Myocardial injury during cardiac surgery on cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is a major determinant of morbidity and mortality. Preclinical and clinical evidence of dose- and time-related cardioprotective effects of volatile anesthetic drugs exist and their use during the whole surgery duration could improve perioperative cardiac protection. Even if administering volatile agents during CPB are relatively easy, technical problems, such as waste gas scavenging, may prevent safe and manageable administration of halogenated vapors during CPB. Aims: The aim of this study is to improve the safe administration of volatile anesthesia during CPB. Settings and Design: Tertiary teaching hospital. Subjects and Methods: We describe an original device that collects and disposes of any volatile anesthetic vapors present in the exit stream of the oxygenator, hence preventing its dispersal into the operating theatre environment and adaptively regulates pressure of oxygenator chamber in the CPB circuit. Results: We have so far applied a prototype of this device in more than 1300 adult cardiac surgery patients who received volatile anesthetics during the CPB phase. Conclusions: Widespread implementation of scavenging system like the one we designed may facilitate the perfusionist and the anesthesiologist in delivering these cardioprotective drugs with beneficial impact on patients' outcome without compromising on safety

Nurses’ behavior regarding pain treatment in an emergency department: A single-center observational study

Purpose: The aim of this prospective study was to assess the behavior of emergency department (ED) nurses with regard to pain and their role in pain management in a real-life clinical setting. Methods: A total of 509 consecutive patients were enrolled during a 6-week period. A case-report form was used to collect data on nurses’ approaches to pain, time to analgesia provision, and patient-perceived quality of analgesia. Results: Triage nurses actively inquired about pain in almost every case, but they did not estimate pain intensity in a third of patients. In the majority of cases, triage nurses did not report pain-related findings to the physician, who was the only professional that could prescribe analgesia to patients. The assignment of the color-coding of triage by nurses appears to be related to the perceived severity of the clinical case and a more comprehensive evaluation of pain. More than half of patients were at least fairly satisfied with analgesia. Conclusion: Pain is increasingly screened during triage, but its comprehensive assessment and management still lack systematic application. We believe that further education and implementation of analgesia protocols may empower nurses to manage ED patients’ pain more effectively and in a more timely manner

Aberrant transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of SPAG5, a YAP-TAZ-TEAD downstream effector, fuels breast cancer cell proliferation

Sperm-associated antigen 5 (SPAG5) is an important driver of the cell mitotic spindle required for chromosome segregation and progression into anaphase. SPAG5 has been identified as an important proliferation marker and chemotherapy-sensitivity predictor, especially in estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer subtypes. Here, we report that SPAG5 is a direct target of miR-10b-3p, and its aberrantly high expression associates with poor disease-free survival in two large cohorts of breast cancer patients. SPAG5 depletion strongly impaired cancer cell cycle progression, proliferation, and migration. Interestingly, high expression of SPAG5 pairs with a YAP/TAZ-activated signature in breast cancer patients. Reassuringly, the depletion of YAP, TAZ, and TEAD strongly reduced SPAG5 expression and diminished its oncogenic effects. YAP, TAZ coactivators, and TEAD transcription factors are key components of the Hippo signaling pathway involved in tumor initiation, progression, and metastasis. Furthermore, we report that SPAG5 is a direct transcriptional target of TEAD/YAP/TAZ, and pharmacological targeting of YAP and TAZ severely reduces SPAG5 expression. Collectively, our data uncover an oncogenic feedback loop, comprising miR-10b-3p, SPAG5, and YAP/TAZ/TEAD, which fuels the aberrant proliferation of breast cancer

Prevalence and predictors of atypical histology in endometrial polyps removed by hysteroscopy: a secondary analysis from the SICMIG hysteroscopy trial

The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of atypical hyperplasia (AH) and endometrial cancer (EC) within endometrial polyps (EPs) removed by hysteroscopy

Investigación de prevalencia y sensibilidad antibiótica de Ureaplasma urealyticum en infecciones genitales femeninas

Ureaplama urealyticum pertenece a la Clase de los Mollicutes(de cutis mollis: piel blanda). Se diferencian de otras bacterias entre otras cosas por la ausencia de pared celular, que les confiere una resistencia natural a los betas lactámicos, así también como la presencia de una membrana con esteroles provenientes de las membaranas de las células eucariotas sobre las que se fijan. No se multiplican en medios acelulares, por lo cual requiere medios especiales para su desarrollo como agar PPLO suplementado con suero equino, extracto de levadura y urea. Desde hace varios años se ha vinculado la asociación de U. urealyticum con una serie de patologías femeninas tales como salpingitis, infecciones intrauterinas, fiebre post parto y post aborto, problemas de infertilidad y bajo peso de los neonatos, así como también pielonefritis, cálculos urinarios entre otras. El objetivo del trabajo es establecer la prevalencia y sensibilidad antibiótica de U. urealyticum genitales en las muestras provenientes de pacientes mujeres que concurren a la consulta ginecológica ambulatoria.Facultad de Ciencias Veterinaria

Chlamydia trachomatis: prevalencia en muestras cervicovaginalis

El objetivo del trabajo es establecer la prevalencia de C. trachomatis en muestras de endocervix de mujeres sexualmente activas que concurren a la consulta ginecológica ambulatoria ,por patología de enfermedades de transmisión sexual y por causas de infertilidad.Facultad de Ciencias Veterinaria

Investigación de prevalencia y sensibilidad antibiótica de Ureaplasma urealyticum en infecciones genitales femeninas

Ureaplama urealyticum pertenece a la Clase de los Mollicutes(de cutis mollis: piel blanda). Se diferencian de otras bacterias entre otras cosas por la ausencia de pared celular, que les confiere una resistencia natural a los betas lactámicos, así también como la presencia de una membrana con esteroles provenientes de las membaranas de las células eucariotas sobre las que se fijan. No se multiplican en medios acelulares, por lo cual requiere medios especiales para su desarrollo como agar PPLO suplementado con suero equino, extracto de levadura y urea. Desde hace varios años se ha vinculado la asociación de U. urealyticum con una serie de patologías femeninas tales como salpingitis, infecciones intrauterinas, fiebre post parto y post aborto, problemas de infertilidad y bajo peso de los neonatos, así como también pielonefritis, cálculos urinarios entre otras. El objetivo del trabajo es establecer la prevalencia y sensibilidad antibiótica de U. urealyticum genitales en las muestras provenientes de pacientes mujeres que concurren a la consulta ginecológica ambulatoria.Facultad de Ciencias Veterinaria

Treatment challenges in and outside a specialist network setting: Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours

Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Neoplasms comprise a group of rare tumours with special biology, an often indolent behaviour and particular diagnostic and therapeutic requirements. The specialized biochemical tests and radiological investigations, the complexity of surgical options and the variety of medical treatments that require individual tailoring, mandate a multidisciplinary approach that can be optimally achieved through an organized network. The present study describes currents concepts in the management of these tumours as well as an insight into the challenges of delivering the pathway in and outside a Network