Ecology of Italian Protura

The ecology of Protura in Italy (including Corsica) is tentatively described according to original and bibliographical data. Protura are quite common but very rarely abundant: their mean density in soil samples collected in Liguria (NW Italy) was estimated to be 372 /m\ub2 (s.d. 657 \u2013 max. 2790 /m\ub2 in a Holm oak forest). Information from the analyses of habitat and/or elevation of 3448 specimens from 269 collections and 4071 specimens from 295 collections identified to species and genus level, respectively, enabled us to outline Protura assemblages for eight different macro-habitats. The unbalanced sex ratio in favour of females observed in 12 of the dominant species of Acerentomata suggests that (based also on the sperm types known in Protura) a single male can fertilize several females through spermatophores. For one species (Proturentomon minimum) only females were collected, which may suggest the possibility of parthenogenesis in some Protura. An analysis of the phenology and population dynamics of the five dominant species, showed annual cycles with one (Acerentomon microrhinus) or more (A. gallicum, A. italicum, A. maius and Eosentomon transitorium) peaks of reproductive activity. Other ecological remarks (e.g. about the relationship between the amplitude of latitudinal/altitudinal distribution and the ecological distribution of Protura in Italy) are discussed

Assay strategies for the discovery and validation of therapeutics targeting <i>Brugia pahangi</i> Hsp90

The chemotherapy of lymphatic filariasis relies upon drugs such as diethylcarbamazine and ivermectin that largely target the microfilarial stages of the parasite, necessitating continued treatment over the long reproductive life span of the adult worm. The identification of compounds that target adult worms has been a long-term goal of WHO. Here we describe a fluorescence polarization assay for the identification of compounds that target Hsp90 in adult filarial worms. The assay was originally developed to identify inhibitors of Hsp90 in tumor cells, and relies upon the ability of small molecules to inhibit the binding of fluorescently labelled geldanamycin to Hsp90. We demonstrate that the assay works well with soluble extracts of Brugia, while extracts of the free-living nematode C. elegans fail to bind the probe, in agreement with data from other experiments. The assay was validated using known inhibitors of Hsp90 that compete with geldanamycin for binding to Hsp90, including members of the synthetic purine-scaffold series of compounds. The efficacy of some of these compounds against adult worms was confirmed in vitro. Moreover, the assay is sufficiently sensitive to differentiate between binding of purine-scaffold compounds to human and Brugia Hsp90. The assay is suitable for high-throughput screening and provides the first example of a format with the potential to identify novel inhibitors of Hsp90 in filarial worms and in other parasitic species where Hsp90 may be a target

The incidence, aetiology and outcome of acute seizures in children admitted to a rural Kenyan district hospital

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Acute seizures are a common cause of paediatric admissions to hospitals in resource poor countries and a risk factor for neurological and cognitive impairment and epilepsy. We determined the incidence, aetiological factors and the immediate outcome of seizures in a rural malaria endemic area in coastal Kenya.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We recruited all children with and without seizures, aged 0–13 years and admitted to Kilifi District hospital over 2 years from 1^stDecember 2004 to 30^thNovember 2006. Only incident admissions from a defined area were included. Patients with epilepsy were excluded. The population denominator, the number of children in the community on 30^thNovember 2005 (study midpoint), was modelled from a census data.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Seizures were reported in 900/4,921(18.3%) incident admissions and at least 98 had status epilepticus. The incidence of acute seizures in children 0–13 years was 425 (95%CI 386, 466) per 100,000/year and was 879 (95%CI 795, 968) per 100,000/year in children <5 years. This incidence data may however be an underestimate of the true incidence in the community. Over 80% of the seizures were associated with infections. Neonatal infections (28/43 [65.1%]) and falciparum malaria (476/821 [58.0%]) were the main diseases associated with seizures in neonates and in children six months or older respectively. Falciparum malaria was also the main illness (56/98 [57.1%]) associated with status epilepticus. Other illnesses associated with seizures included pyogenic meningitis, respiratory tract infections and gastroenteritis. Twenty-eight children (3.1%) with seizures died and 11 surviving children (1.3%) had gross neurological deficits on discharge. Status epilepticus, focal seizures, coma, metabolic acidosis, bacteraemia, and pyogenic meningitis were independently associated with mortality; while status epilepticus, hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy and pyogenic meningitis were independently associated with neurological deficits on discharge.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>There is a high incidence of acute seizures in children living in this malaria endemic area of Kenya. The most important causes are diseases that are preventable with available public health programs.</p

RA-MAP, molecular immunological landscapes in early rheumatoid arthritis and healthy vaccine recipients

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disorder with poorly defined aetiology characterised by synovial inflammation with variable disease severity and drug responsiveness. To investigate the peripheral blood immune cell landscape of early, drug naive RA, we performed comprehensive clinical and molecular profiling of 267 RA patients and 52 healthy vaccine recipients for up to 18 months to establish a high quality sample biobank including plasma, serum, peripheral blood cells, urine, genomic DNA, RNA from whole blood, lymphocyte and monocyte subsets. We have performed extensive multi-omic immune phenotyping, including genomic, metabolomic, proteomic, transcriptomic and autoantibody profiling. We anticipate that these detailed clinical and molecular data will serve as a fundamental resource offering insights into immune-mediated disease pathogenesis, progression and therapeutic response, ultimately contributing to the development and application of targeted therapies for RA.</p

GRASSLANDS MANAGEMENT AND BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION: AN EXAMPLE WITH REFERENCE TO ABOVE GROUND ARTHROPOD COMMUNITIES IN LIGURIA (NW ITALY)

In 2016 the species richness of arthropod communities was investigated in two grasslands overlying limestone substrate in order to obtain management information useful for the conservation of biodiversity of a protected area within the Antola Regional Park in Liguria, North-Western Italy. During the summer season arthropods with different ecological and behavioural traits were collected using sweep nets, butterfly nets and pitfall traps from an extensive pasture in Bavastrelli and an irregularly mown, unfertilised meadow in Garaventa. Individual- and sample-based rarefaction analyses were performed to estimate the expected species richness detectable for each collection method. Concurrently, an expeditious study of the plant assemblages for both sites was also undertaken in order to characterize their central area and margins. Differences between the expected and observed number of arthropod species for the two study areas were influenced by collection methodology and associated statistical analysis; however, the Bavastrelli pasture resulted in higher values of species richness both in terms of the number of estimated and observed taxa and species. Plant species richness was slightly greater in Garaventa (totally 90 species, 63 of which in the core area) than in Bavastrelli (80 species overall, including 54 in the central part of the pasture) with a greater number of Festuco-Brometea species showing an evolutionary tendency towards more xeric formations. The observed herbaceous formations characteristic of the Molinio-Arrhenatheretea were richer in species of the Plantaginetalia majoris complex when animals grazed and trampled for longer periods. Also, there seems to be an inverse relationship between overall plant and arthropod species richness in the two study areas. Overall, these results highlight the importance of a middle-low level of grazing in maintaining high arthropod biodiversity level at a local scale and suggest the opportunity to diversify grassland management in order to increase, and conserve, the biodiversity on a larger scale

Protura

&lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Key to orders&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; 1A All three pairs of abdominal appendages two-segmented, with a terminal vesicle and five setae...... &lt;b&gt;Eosentomata&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; 1B Abdominal appendages I two-segmented with a terminal vesicle and three to four setae; those on abdominal segment II and III two-segmented, with a terminal vesicle and three to four setae, or uni-segmented, without vesicle and with one to three setae......................................................................................................................... &lt;b&gt;2&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; 2A Median setae present on meso- and metanotum................................................................................ &lt;b&gt;Acerentomata&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; 2B Median setae absent on meso- and metanotum.................................................................................... &lt;b&gt;Sinentomata&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;Published as part of &lt;i&gt;Galli, Loris, Capurro, Matteo, Colasanto, Elisa, Molyneux, Tony, Murray, Andy, Torti, Carlo &amp; Zinni, Matteo, 2019, A synopsis of the ecology of Protura (Arthropoda: Hexapoda), pp. 155-164 in Revue suisse de Zoologie 126 (2)&lt;/i&gt; on page 156, DOI: &lt;a href="http://zenodo.org/record/3463443"&gt;10.5281/zenodo.3463443&lt;/a&gt

A synopsis of the ecology of Protura (Arthropoda: Hexapoda)

&lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Key to Eosentomata families&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; 1A Spiracles on meso- and metanotum absent &hellip;&hellip;&hellip;&hellip;&hellip;&hellip;&hellip;&hellip;&hellip;............................................... &lt;b&gt;Antelientomidae&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; 1B Spiracles on meso- and metanotum present....................................................................................... &lt;b&gt;Eosentomidae&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;Published as part of &lt;i&gt;Galli, Loris, Capurro, Matteo, Colasanto, Elisa, Molyneux, Tony, Murray, Andy, Torti, Carlo &amp; Zinni, Matteo, 2019, A synopsis of the ecology of Protura (Arthropoda: Hexapoda), pp. 155-164 in Revue suisse de Zoologie 126 (2)&lt;/i&gt; on page 156, DOI: &lt;a href="http://zenodo.org/record/3463443"&gt;10.5281/zenodo.3463443&lt;/a&gt

Validation of the rapid assessment procedure for loiasis (RAPLOA) in the democratic republic of CongoS

Background: A simple method called RAPLOA, to rapidly assess what proportion of people in a community are infected with L. loa and hence which communities are at high risk of severe adverse reactions following ivermectin treatment, was developed in Cameroon and Nigeria. The method needed further validation in other geographical and cultural contexts before its application in all endemic countries. The present study was designed to validate RAPLOA in two regions in the North East and South West of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Methods: In each study region, villages were selected from different bio-ecological zones in order to cover a wide range of loiasis endemicity. In each selected community, 80 people above the age of 15 years were interviewed for a history of eye worm (migration of adult L. loa under the conjunctiva of the eye) and parasitologically examined for the presence and intensity of L. loa infection. In total, 8100 individuals from 99 villages were enrolled into the study. Results: The results confirmed the findings of the original RAPLOA study: i) the eye worm phenomenon was well-known in all endemic areas, ii) there was a clear relationship between the prevalence of eye worm history and the prevalence and intensity of L. loa microfilaraemia, and iii) using a threshold of 40%, the prevalence of eye worm history was a sensitive and specific indicator of high-risk communities. Conclusion: Following this successful validation, RAPLOA was recommended for the assessment of loiasis endemicity in areas targeted for ivermectin treatment by lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis control programmes

The clinical skills of community psychiatric nurses working with patients who have severe and enduring mental health problems: an empirical analysis

This study describes the use of reliable scales to rate the clinical skills of mental health nurses when working with individuals and families with severe mental health problems. The Cognitive Therapy Scale and the Schizophrenia Family Work Scale were adapted for the study and were shown to have good inter‐rater reliability when assessing audio‐taped interviews carried out by mental health nurses during their usual course of work with patients with severe mental health problems and their families. The sample of mental health nurses studied were shown to have significantly better general therapy skills than specific cognitive therapy technical skills. The implications for training are discussed