Ansotana sheep breed I. Morphostructural characters

La raza ovina Ansotana es originaria del Noroeste de la provincia de Huesca y Norte de la de Zaragoza. En la actualidad cuenta con un censo de unos 3.400 animales inscritos en el Libro Genealógico. Se han obtenido 17 medidas zoométricas en 77 hembras y 10 machos adultos procedentes de 6 rebaños que permiten deducir que es una raza de proporciones brevilíneas, con una clara tendencia de la me- socefalia a la dolicocefalía, más acusada en las hembras, y con predominio de extremidades muy cortas en relación a la altura del animal. En general, tanto los machos como las hembras presentan una mediana homogeneidad morfoestructural en casi todas las variables. En cuanto al grado de armonía, en las hembras puede catalogarse como medio y en los machos se observa baja armonía, lo que indica que sería importante aunar los criterios de selección.The Ansotana breed is original from N.W province of Huesca and N. of Zaragoza. The current popula- tion is 3.400 animals, which are entered in the genealogical register. Seventeen zoometrical measure- ments were obtained from 77 ewes and 10 rams from 6 different flocks. The results show that this breed has brevilineous proportions and tends to dolicocefalous, especially females, with predomi- nance of short limbs respect to the height. Overall, females and males show a medium level of homo- geneity in the majority of morphometric variables. The degree of harmony is medium in ewes and low in the rams, suggesting that all selection criteria should be combined in the same morphostructural model

Raza ovina Ansotana II. Caracteres cualitativos externos

La raza ovina Ansotana es originaria del Noroeste de la provincia de Huesca y del Norte de la de Zaragoza. Es una raza considerada en peligro de extinción con un censo de 3400 animales. Se han obtenido un total de 31 variables cualitativas correspondientes a las regiones de la cabeza, tronco, mamas y extremidades, así como caracteres de índole faneróptica relativos al color de la capa y piel. Los ani- males controlados han sido 87 reproductores, 77 hembras y 10 machos, localizados en un total de 6 explotaciones. La instauración de un plan de conservación y fomento pasa, previamente, por una ca- racterización que analice el grado de diversidad inicial. La raza Asotana se encuentra en un estado de conservación complicado debido a su reducido censo, necesitando seguir aplicando los criterios de se- lección actual para que no se produzcan grandes variaciones con respecto al Estándar racial actual.The Ansotana breed is original from N.W province of Huesca and N. of Zaragoza.The current popula- tion of this endangered breed is 3400 animals. Thirty one qualitative characters were obtained from the head, body, mammals and limbs regions, as well as to faneroptic characters relatives to the coat colour and skin. Eighty-seven animals were controlled, 77 adult females and 10 adult males on 6 dif- ferent flocks. The establishment of a conservation planning passes previously by a characterisation that analyses the departure diversity degree

Laryngeal tuberculosis: an often forgotten diagnosis

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Italian validation of the Neck Dissection Impairment Index questionnaire

Objective: The Neck Dissection Impairment Index (NDII) questionnaire is a useful and validated Quality of Life (QoL) evaluation instrument in patients undergoing major head-neck surgery. Its English version has been used in several studies in the last years. The aim of this work is to validate the NDII in Italian for both patient assessment and future studies. Materials and methods: Cross-cultural adaptation of the NDII was performed using standard techniques. Items of the original NDII were translated into Italian by a professional translator and two bilingual investigators. A final consensus version was obtained and given to two professional translators to produce a literal translation into English. The two translators and an expert committee synthesised the results of the translations in an English back-translated version that was compared with the original to check that they had the same semantic value. Results: Finally, a total of 42 patients completed both copies of the translated questionnaires. Internal consistency proved to be excellent, with Cronbach's alpha = 0.95. Conclusions: The NDII was successfully translated into Italian and its use was easy for patients. The translation of the NDII can represent a useful tool for individual patient assessment and future research

Patient-specific detection of cerebral blood flow alterations as assessed by arterial spin labeling in drug-resistant epileptic patients

Electrophysiological and hemodynamic data can be integrated to accurately and precisely identify the generators of abnormal electrical activity in drug-resistant focal epilepsy. Arterial Spin Labeling (ASL), a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique for quantitative noninvasive measurement of cerebral blood flow (CBF), can provide a direct measure of variations in cerebral perfusion associated with the epileptic focus. In this study, we aimed to confirm the ASL diagnostic value in the identification of the epileptogenic zone, as compared to electrical source imaging (ESI) results, and to apply a template-based approach to depict statistically significant CBF alterations. Standard video-electroencephalography (EEG), high-density EEG, and ASL were performed to identify clinical seizure semiology and noninvasively localize the epileptic focus in 12 drug-resistant focal epilepsy patients. The same ASL protocol was applied to a control group of 17 healthy volunteers from which a normal perfusion template was constructed using a mixed-effect approach. CBF maps of each patient were then statistically compared to the reference template to identify perfusion alterations. Significant hypo- and hyperperfused areas were identified in all cases, showing good agreement between ASL and ESI results. Interictal hypoperfusion was observed at the site of the seizure in 10/12 patients and early postictal hyperperfusion in 2/12. The epileptic focus was correctly identified within the surgical resection margins in the 5 patients who underwent lobectomy, all of which had good postsurgical outcomes. The combined use of ESI and ASL can aid in the noninvasive evaluation of drug-resistant epileptic patients

The prognostic-nutritional index in HPV-negative head and neck squamous cell carcinoma treated with upfront surgery: a multi-institutional series

Objectives: To evaluate the prognostic value of pre-treatment prognostic-nutritional index (PNI) in patients with HPV-negative head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Methods: A multi-institutional retrospective series of HPV-negative, Stages II-IVB, HNSCCs treated with upfront surgery was evaluated. Correlation of pre-operative blood markers and PNI with 5-year overall (OS) and relapse-free (RFS) survival was tested using linear and restricted cubic spline models, as appropriate. The independent prognostic effect of patient-related features was assessed with multivariable models. Results: The analysis was conducted on 542 patients. PNI ≥ 49.6 (HR = 0.52; 95% CI, 0.37-0.74) and Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) > 4.2 (HR = 1.58; 95% CI, 1.06-2.35) confirmed to be independent prognosticators of OS, whereas only PNI ≥ 49.6 (HR = 0.44; 95% CI, 0.29-0.66) was independently associated with RFS. Among pre-operative blood parameters, only higher values of albuninaemia and lymphocyte count (> 1.08 x 103/microL), and undetectable basophile count (= 0 103/microL) were independently associated with better OS and RFS. Conclusions: PNI represents a reliable prognostic tool providing an independent measure of pre-operative immuno-metabolic performance. Its validity is supported by the independent prognostic role of albuminaemia and lymphocyte count, from which it is derived

Highly Sensitive Electrochemiluminescent Nanobiosensor for the Detection of Palytoxin

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COVID-19 in the tonsillectomised population

Objective: Interactions between SARS-CoV-2 and pharyngeal associated lymphoid tissue are thought to influence the manifestations of COVID-19. We aimed to determine whether a previous history of tonsillectomy, as a surrogate indicator of a dysfunctional pharyngeal associated lymphoid tissue, could predict the presentation and course of COVID-19. Methods: Multicentric cross-sectional observational study involving seven hospitals in Northern and Central Italy. Data on the clinical course and signs and symptoms of the infection were collected from 779 adults who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, and analysed in relation to previous tonsillectomy, together with demographic and anamnestic data. Results: Patients with previous tonsillectomy showed a greater risk of fever, temperature higher than 39°C, chills and malaise. No significant differences in hospital admissions were found. Conclusions: A previous history of tonsillectomy, as a surrogate indicator of immunological dysfunction of the pharyngeal associated lymphoid tissue, could predict a more intense systemic manifestation of COVID-19. These results could provide a simple clinical marker to discriminate suspected carriers and to delineate more precise prognostic models

Prognostic value of H-index in patients surgically treated for squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx.

OBJECTIVE: Recently, a novel host-related index, the Host-index (H-index), including both inflammatory and nutritional markers, has been described and observed to stratify prognosis in patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the oral cavity more accurately than other host-related indexes This study aimed to investigate the prognostic performance of the H-index using pretreatment blood tests in patients receiving up-front surgery for SCC of the larynx. METHODS: This retrospective observational study included a multicenter series of consecutive patients with SCC of the larynx diagnosed between 1 January 2009 and 31 July 2018, whose pretreatment blood tests were available and included the parameters necessary for the calculation of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and the H-index. Their association with disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) was measured. RESULTS: A total of 231 patients were eligible for the present analysis (median [range] age, 68 [37-96] years; 191 [82.7%] men). The median follow-up was 73 months. In multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models, increasing age (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.07 per year; 95% CI, 1.04-1.09), advanced pT stage (aHR = 1.71 95% CI: 1.07-2.71), and having close or positive surgical margins (aHR = 2.01; 95% CI: 1.21-3.33) were significantly associated with poor OS. Among blood parameters, a higher neutrophil count was a strong predictor of both worse DFS (aHR for recurrence/death = 2.34; 95% CI: 1.24-4.40) and OS (aHR for death = 2.67; 95% CI: 1.51-4.71). Among inflammatory blood indexes, while NLR was not significantly associated with DFS or OS, patients with H-index ≥8.37 showed a higher aHR for both recurrence/death (2.82; 95% CI: 1.65-4.79) and death (2.22; 95% CI: 1.26-3.89). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the present study confirms the prognostic value of pretreatment H-index, an easily measurable inflammatory and nutritional index, in patients with SCC of the larynx. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III