Biogenic selenium nanoparticles: characterization, antimicrobial activity and effects on human dendritic cells and fibroblasts

Tailored nanoparticles offer a novel approach to fight antibiotic-resistant microorganisms. We analysed biogenic selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) of bacterial origin to determine their antimicrobial activity against selected pathogens in their planktonic and biofilm states. SeNPs synthesized by Gram-negative Stenotrophomonas maltophilia [Sm-SeNPs()] and Gram-positive Bacillus mycoides [Bm-SeNPs(+)] were active at low minimum inhibitory concentrations against a number of clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa but did not inhibit clinical isolates of the yeast species Candida albicans and C. parapsilosis. However, the SeNPs were able to inhibit biofilm formation and also to disaggregate the mature glycocalyx in both P. aeruginosa and Candida spp. The Sm-SeNPs() and Bm-SeNPs(+) both achieved much stronger antimicrobial effects than synthetic selenium nanoparticles (Ch-SeNPs). Dendritic cells and fibroblasts exposed to Sm-SeNPs(), Bm-SeNPs(+) and Ch-SeNPs did not show any loss of cell viability, any increase in the release of reactive oxygen species or any significant increase in the secretion of pro-inflammatory and immunostimulatory cytokines. Biogenic SeNPs therefore appear to be reliable candidates for safe medical applications, alone or in association with traditional antibiotics, to inhibit the growth of clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa or to facilitate the penetration of P. aeruginosa and Candida spp. biofilms by antimicrobial agents

"Delirium Day": A nationwide point prevalence study of delirium in older hospitalized patients using an easy standardized diagnostic tool

Background: To date, delirium prevalence in adult acute hospital populations has been estimated generally from pooled findings of single-center studies and/or among specific patient populations. Furthermore, the number of participants in these studies has not exceeded a few hundred. To overcome these limitations, we have determined, in a multicenter study, the prevalence of delirium over a single day among a large population of patients admitted to acute and rehabilitation hospital wards in Italy. Methods: This is a point prevalence study (called "Delirium Day") including 1867 older patients (aged 65 years or more) across 108 acute and 12 rehabilitation wards in Italian hospitals. Delirium was assessed on the same day in all patients using the 4AT, a validated and briefly administered tool which does not require training. We also collected data regarding motoric subtypes of delirium, functional and nutritional status, dementia, comorbidity, medications, feeding tubes, peripheral venous and urinary catheters, and physical restraints. Results: The mean sample age was 82.0 ± 7.5 years (58 % female). Overall, 429 patients (22.9 %) had delirium. Hypoactive was the commonest subtype (132/344 patients, 38.5 %), followed by mixed, hyperactive, and nonmotoric delirium. The prevalence was highest in Neurology (28.5 %) and Geriatrics (24.7 %), lowest in Rehabilitation (14.0 %), and intermediate in Orthopedic (20.6 %) and Internal Medicine wards (21.4 %). In a multivariable logistic regression, age (odds ratio [OR] 1.03, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.01-1.05), Activities of Daily Living dependence (OR 1.19, 95 % CI 1.12-1.27), dementia (OR 3.25, 95 % CI 2.41-4.38), malnutrition (OR 2.01, 95 % CI 1.29-3.14), and use of antipsychotics (OR 2.03, 95 % CI 1.45-2.82), feeding tubes (OR 2.51, 95 % CI 1.11-5.66), peripheral venous catheters (OR 1.41, 95 % CI 1.06-1.87), urinary catheters (OR 1.73, 95 % CI 1.30-2.29), and physical restraints (OR 1.84, 95 % CI 1.40-2.40) were associated with delirium. Admission to Neurology wards was also associated with delirium (OR 2.00, 95 % CI 1.29-3.14), while admission to other settings was not. Conclusions: Delirium occurred in more than one out of five patients in acute and rehabilitation hospital wards. Prevalence was highest in Neurology and lowest in Rehabilitation divisions. The "Delirium Day" project might become a useful method to assess delirium across hospital settings and a benchmarking platform for future surveys

Adolescents at Risk of Delinquency. The Role of Parental Control, Trust, and Disclosure

This study investigates the role of parental control, trust, and disclosure as protective factors on individual and peer-group delinquency in a sample of 1420 Italian high school students aged from 14 to18 (Mage = 15.59, SDage = 1.17), representative of the adolescent student population in Rimini (57.3% males and 42.7% females). A cluster analysis identified different patterns of parental monitoring, associated with different levels of involvement in individual and group delinquency during adolescence. The results showed parental trust, control, and adolescent disclosure to be inversely associated with violent behaviors. Our results challenge the assumption that greater parental control can reduce preadolescents\u2019 antisocial behavior

Lecturer Competence from the Perspective of Undergraduate Psychology Students: A Qualitative Pilot Study

none4noUnderstanding what students mean by lecturer competence can be crucial in order to recognise indicators with which to assess these competences, improve the quality of university teaching and support lecturers in undertaking their role appropriately. This qualitative pilot study aimed to explore the meaning of competence in a convenience sample of Italian undergraduate psychology students (N = 122). We collected free-associations about what “lecturer competence” actually means for the students. The data corpus underwent a lexical Correspondence Analysis (CA) using the ASPAR procedure of SPAD-T. Two factors were extracted: “socio-emotional dimension” and “task specialist.” Students associated the competent lecturer with those who was involved with the achievement of the task goals, on the one hand or those who was engaged in the group’s maintenance, on the other. Furthermore, Cluster Analysis identified four clusters: (1) the captivating lecturer; (2) the lecturer oriented to both task and socio-emotional aspects; (3) the rigorous lecturer; and (4) the benevolent lecturer. The preliminary results of this pilot study showed an articulated and multi-dimensional representation of the meanings of lecturer competence from the students’ point of view and lay the foundations for a broader quantitative study on the conceptions concerning lecturer competence.openDi Battista, Silvia; Pivetti, Monica; Melotti, Giannino; Berti, ChiaraDi Battista, Silvia; Pivetti, Monica; Melotti, Giannino; Berti, Chiar

Evaluation of reactivation of HSV1, HHV6, CMV and EBV in a population of patients undergoing allogeneic bone marrow transplantation

Herpes viruses are recognized as important pathogens as a result of viral reactivation in immunocompromised hosts, especially in patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation. Objectives of this study were the assessment of the reactivation of herpes virus HSV1, HHV6, CMV and EBV and the correlation between viral reactivation and progression of transplantation in a population of patients undergoing allogeneic bone marrow transplantation at Fondazione IRCCS Ospedale Maggiore Ca’ Granda Policlinico, Milan. Viral DNA was detected and quantified by Real Time PCR in a population of 35 patients undergoing allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. The viral reactivation was observed in 7 patients for HSV1 (20%), 6 patients for HHV6 (17.1%), 11 patients for CMV (31.4%) and 4 patients for EBV (11.4%). Difference in the incidence of aGVDH between patients with viral reactivation versus those for which there was no reactivation was statistically significant. These data confirm the importance of monitoring viral load for the management of antiviral therapy in order to prevent CMV disease and complications related to herpes viruses reactivation

Pain control in the continuity of care

As cancer is earlier diagnosed and its treatments improve, palliative care is increasingly playinga vital role in the oncology population. The concept and the timing of application of palliativecare have evolved in the last decades. The WHO pain ladder and the greater understanding ofappropriate multimodal pain control treatments have dramatically improved the managementof cancer pain. Integration of palliative care, which appears crucial for a proper management ofpatients, can be defined as the provision of palliative care both during curative cancer treatmentand after curative treatment has ceased. Clinical assistance should be delivered by specialisedphysicians in different fields, psychologists and nurses, and should include all aspects of advancedcancercare, from diagnosis to the treatment of symptoms. A further aspect of integration ofpalliative care concerns the role of the continuity of care in acute or emergency contexts bothfor out- and inpatients. Further improvements in the management of cancer pain are needed.First, the WHO ladder should be modified with further steps, like those of interventional paincontrol procedures and techniques, with the aim of being effective also for the small proportion ofnonresponsive patients. Second, more research is needed to find out which interventions aimingto improve continuity of care of cancer patients are beneficial to improve patient, providerand process of care outcomes and to identify which outcomes are the most sensitive to change.Of crucial importance would be the development of a standardised instrument to measure thecontinuity of care in cancer patients.This article is a brief overview on the management of cancer pain, from the pharmacologicaltreatments reported by WHO ladder, to the need for integration and continuity of care

Autologous Platelet-Rich Plasma Enhances the Healing of Large Cutaneous Wounds in Dogs

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is known to play a crucial role in skin wound healing, in both Human and Veterinary Medicine. Remarkably, until now, no studies have reported PRP treatment in subacute full-thickness skin wounds of the dog. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of two consecutive applications of autologous PRP, with the second application after 15 days, in 6 dogs showing large subacute skin wounds. The percentage of contraction, re-epithelialization and healing in all treated patients indicated that no complications or side effects, associated with consecutive PRP treatments, occurred in any patient and all wounds achieved complete closure and re-epithelialization. Our results suggest a positive effect of repeated autologous topical PRP treatments in large cutaneous subacute wounds of different etiology. Therefore, this PRP treatment could represent a simple, cost-effective, and valid alternative to promote healing processes in subacute large wounds cases in dogs