A candidate planetary-mass object with a photoevaporating disk in Orion

In this work, we report the discovery of a candidate planetary-mass object with a photoevaporating protoplanetary disk, Proplyd 133-353, which is near the massive star $\theta^{1}$ Ori C at the center of the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC). The object was known to have extended emission pointing away from $\theta^{1}$ Ori C, indicating ongoing external photoevaporation. Our near-infrared spectroscopic data suggests that the central source of Proplyd 133-353 is substellar ($\sim$M9.5), might have a mass probably less than 13 Jupiter mass and an age younger than 0.5 Myr. Proplyd 133-353 shows a similar ratio of X-ray luminosity to stellar luminosity to other young stars in the ONC with a similar stellar luminosity, and has a similar proper motion to the mean one of confirmed ONC members. We propose that Proplyd 133-353 was formed in a very low-mass dusty cloud near $\theta^{1}$ Ori C as a second-generation of star formation, which can explain both its young age and the presence of its disk.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ

Assistenza infermieristica interculturale: analisi delle variazioni nella percezione delle problematiche relazionali con i pazienti stranieri

RIASSUNTOLa nostra societí  è fortemente soggetta al fenomeno immigrazione, ed è sempre più probabile anche in ambito sanitario intraprendere relazioni con persone con un background culturale differente. Scopo di questa indagine è analizzare la percezione che gli infermieri italiani hanno rispetto alle dinamiche relazionali con i pazienti stranieri, valutandone l'evoluzione nel tempo ed identificando le variabili che possono influire sulla qualití  della relazione. E' stato condotto studio quanti-qualitativo con finalití  descrittiva tramite questionario volto a rilevare: grado di preparazione teorico-pratico degli infermieri verso l'assistenza agli stranieri, impatto emotivo ed esperienziale della relazione, difficoltí  emerse e strategie di risoluzione. Campione costituito da 101 infermieri italiani operanti presso l'Ospedale San Raffaele di Milano in 6 specifiche Unití  Operative: 91 questionari compilati nel periodo maggio-giugno 2011. Analisi dei dati ottenuti attraverso strumenti statistici e confronto degli stessi con quelli rilevati in un'analoga indagine svolta nel 2004. L'esperienza relativa all'assistenza interculturale è giudicata complessivamente interessante e gratificante e la reazione emotiva registrata dagli infermieri intervistati è prevalentemente positiva. Vi sono difficoltí  legate soprattutto a problemi di comunicazione e/o lingua e, secondariamente, al maggior carico assistenziale derivato dalla presenza degli immigrati. Alle difficoltí  gli infermieri rispondono più con risorse attitudinali proprie dei singoli che con competenze specifiche e tendono a delegare il problema al servizio di Mediazione Culturale. L'impatto che i pazienti stranieri hanno sugli infermieri è molto intenso. Nel tempo le difficoltí  emerse non sono diminuite: poco o nulla è stato fatto in questi anni, a parte un miglioramento della formazione accademica; tuttavia è emerso che la buona preparazione teorica non sembra fornire soluzioni realmente fruibili all'atto pratico. Questo studio, pur avendo un valore statistico relativo ed un grado di approfondimento limitato, vuole attirare sull'argomento l'attenzione degli infermieri e, in special modo, di coloro che ricoprono ruoli dirigenziali, nella speranza di trovare soluzioni ai problemi messi in luce.Parole chiave: infermieristica interculturale, assistenza infermieristica, alterití  culturale, fenomeno migratorio.ABSTRACTToday's society is highly impacted by immigration, as well as healthcare system. It is becoming increasingly common and frequent to establish relationships with patients with different cultural backgrounds. The aim of this study is analyzing Italian nurses' perception of the relational dynamics with foreign patients, to determine its evolution, and to identify the variables which can affect the quality of care. The study is both qualitative and quantitative with descriptive aim, using a questionnaire that assesses the theoretical–practical level of preparation, both perceptive and effective, of nurses when assisting foreign patients. To evaluate the emotional and experiential impact of the relationship with foreign patients, the difficulties encountered while establishing such relationship, and the resolution strategies – both effective and potential. The sample, composed of 101 Italian nurses employed at SanRaffaele Hospital in 6 specific Operational Units, resulted in a total of 91 returned questionnaires during the period May-June 2011. The data was analyzed through statistical instruments and compared to the results of a similar study done in 2004. The experience of intercultural nursing is seen by the sample as interesting and rewarding. The vast majority of nurses have positive responses. The more frequent issues are those connected with communication with foreign patients, and those connected with the increase workload due the presence of foreign patients. Nurses responded to difficulties more with human skills than with specific abilities, and tend to delegate the problem to the Cultural Mediation service. This new issue has a very high impact on nurses. The emerged difficulties have not decreased over time, this due to the lack of a proper policy within health care facilities in recent years, with the exception of a little improvement on the academic education. However the current academic education does not provide solutions useful in the everyday routing. This study, despite the small sample and a rather narrow degree of analysis, likes to draw attention on the topic both of nurses and on health care facilities managerial team in order to develop a effective startegie to deal with the emerged issues.Keywords: intercultural nursing, nursing care, cultural otherness, migratio

[Intercultural nursing: analysis of changes in the perception of relational problems with foreign patients].

Today's society is highly impacted by immigration, as well as healthcare system. It is becoming increasingly common and frequent to establish relationships with patients with different cultural backgrounds. The aim of this study is analyzing Italian nurses' perception of the relational dynamics with foreign patients, to determine its evolution, and to identify the variables which can affect the quality of care. The study is both qualitative and quantitative with descriptive aim, using a questionnaire that assesses the theoretical-practical level of preparation, both perceptive and effective, of nurses when assisting foreign patients. To evaluate the emotional and experiential impact of the relationship with foreign patients, the difficulties encountered while establishing such relationship, and the resolution strategies - both effective and potential. The sample, composed of 101 Italian nurses employed at SanRaffaele Hospital in 6 specific Operational Units, resulted in a total of 91 returned questionnaires during the period May-June 2011. The data was analyzed through statistical instruments and compared to the results of a similar study done in 2004. The experience of intercultural nursing is seen by the sample as interesting and rewarding. The vast majority of nurses have positive responses. The more frequent issues are those connected with communication with foreign patients, and those connected with the increase workload due the presence of foreign patients. Nurses responded to difficulties more with human skills than with specific abilities, and tend to delegate the problem to the Cultural Mediation service. This new issue has a very high impact on nurses. The emerged difficulties have not decreased over time, this due to the lack of a proper policy within health care facilities in recent years, with the exception of a little improvement on the academic education. However the current academic education does not provide solutions useful in the everyday routing. This study, despite the small sample and a rather narrow degree of analysis, likes to draw attention on the topic both of nurses and on health care facilities managerial team in order to develop a effective startegie to deal with the emerged issues

Precise phylogenetic analysis of microbial isolates and genomes from metagenomes using PhyloPhlAn 3.0.

Microbial genomes are available at an ever-increasing pace, as cultivation and sequencing become cheaper and obtaining metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) becomes more effective. Phylogenetic placement methods to contextualize hundreds of thousands of genomes must thus be efficiently scalable and sensitive from closely related strains to divergent phyla. We present PhyloPhlAn 3.0, an accurate, rapid, and easy-to-use method for large-scale microbial genome characterization and phylogenetic analysis at multiple levels of resolution. PhyloPhlAn 3.0 can assign genomes from isolate sequencing or MAGs to species-level genome bins built from >230,000 publically available sequences. For individual clades of interest, it reconstructs strain-level phylogenies from among the closest species using clade-specific maximally informative markers. At the other extreme of resolution, it scales to large phylogenies comprising >17,000 microbial species. Examples including Staphylococcus aureus isolates, gut metagenomes, and meta-analyses demonstrate the ability of PhyloPhlAn 3.0 to support genomic and metagenomic analyses

Genomic diversity and ecology of human-associated Akkermansia species in the gut microbiome revealed by extensive metagenomic assembly

Background Akkermansia muciniphila is a human gut microbe with a key role in the physiology of the intestinal mucus layer and reported associations with decreased body mass and increased gut barrier function and health. Despite its biomedical relevance, the genomic diversity of A. muciniphila remains understudied and that of closely related species, except for A. glycaniphila, unexplored. Results We present a large-scale population genomics analysis of the Akkermansia genus using 188 isolate genomes and 2226 genomes assembled from 18,600 metagenomes from humans and other animals. While we do not detect A. glycaniphila, the Akkermansia strains in the human gut can be grouped into five distinct candidate species, including A. muciniphila, that show remarkable whole-genome divergence despite surprisingly similar 16S rRNA gene sequences. These candidate species are likely human-specific, as they are detected in mice and non-human primates almost exclusively when kept in captivity. In humans, Akkermansia candidate species display ecological co-exclusion, diversified functional capabilities, and distinct patterns of associations with host body mass. Analysis of CRISPR-Cas loci reveals new variants and spacers targeting newly discovered putative bacteriophages. Remarkably, we observe an increased relative abundance of Akkermansia when cognate predicted bacteriophages are present, suggesting ecological interactions. A. muciniphila further exhibits subspecies-level genetic stratification with associated functional differences such as a putative exo/lipopolysaccharide operon. Conclusions We uncover a large phylogenetic and functional diversity of the Akkermansia genus in humans. This variability should be considered in the ongoing experimental and metagenomic efforts to characterize the health-associated properties of A. muciniphila and related bacteria.Peer reviewe

Maternal and food microbial sources shape the infant microbiome of a rural Ethiopian population

The human microbiome seeding starts at birth, when pioneer microbes are acquired mainly from the mother. Mode of delivery, antibiotic prophylaxis, and feeding method have been studied as modulators of mother-to-infant microbiome transmission, but other key influencing factors like modern westernized lifestyles with high hygienization, high-calorie diets, and urban settings, compared with non-westernized lifestyles have not been investigated yet. In this study, we explored the mother-infant sharing of characterized and uncharacterized microbiome members via strain-resolved metagenomics in a cohort of Ethiopian mothers and infants, and we compared them with four other cohorts with different lifestyles. The westernized and non-westernized newborns’ microbiomes composition overlapped during the first months of life more than later in life, likely reflecting similar initial breast-milk-based diets. Ethiopian and other non-westernized infants shared a smaller fraction of the microbiome with their mothers than did most westernized populations, despite showing a higher microbiome diversity, and uncharacterized species represented a substantial fraction of those shared in the Ethiopian cohort. Moreover, we identified uncharacterized species belonging to the Selenomonadaceae and Prevotellaceae families specifically present and shared only in the Ethiopian cohort, and we showed that a locally produced fermented food, injera, can contribute to the higher diversity observed in the Ethiopian infants’ gut with bacteria that are not part of the human microbiome but are acquired through fermented food consumption. Taken together, these findings highlight the fact that lifestyle can impact the gut microbiome composition not only through differences in diet, drug consumption, and environmental factors but also through its effect on mother-infant strain-sharing patterns

Using illusions to understand hallucinations: differences in perceptual performances on illusory figures may underscore specific visuoperceptual impairments in Parkinson’s disease

Visual hallucinations are prevalent, potentially disabling symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease. Multiple impairments in bottom-up sensory processing and top-down perceptual modulation are implicated in the pathophysiology of these phenomena. In healthy individuals, visual illusions are elicited by illusory figures through parametric manipulations of geometrical configurations, contrast, color, or spatial relationships between stimuli. These illusory percepts provide insight on the physiologic processes subserving conscious and unconscious perception. In this exploratory, cross-sectional, controlled study, perceptual performance on illusory figures was assessed on 11 PD patients with hallucinations, 10 non-hallucinating PD patients, and 10 age-matched healthy individuals. In order to characterize potential neural substrates of perceptual performances, patients’ brain metabolic patterns on FDG PET were also analyzed. Illusions relying on attentional modulation and global perception were attenuated in PD patients without hallucinations. This pattern was no longer recognizable in hallucinating patients. Conversely, illusory effects normally counteracted by figure to background segregation and overlapping figures recognition were enhanced in PD patients with hallucinations. FDG PET findings further suggest that perceptual differences between PD patients might be linked to abnormal top-down perceptual modulation

Gestione delle pazienti con tumore fillode della mammella: esperienza triestina nel periodo 2006-2014

La diagnosi e la gestione dei tumori fillodi della mammella \ue8 complessa a causa del basso tasso di incidenza e dell\u2019imprevedibilit\ue0 del comportamento di questo tipo di neoplasie (meno dell\u20191% tra tutti i tumori della mammella [1]). L\u2019obiettivo di questo studio \ue8 analizzare i casi di tumori filloidi diagnosticati a Trieste nel periodo 2006-2014 al fine di contestualizzare il comportamento particolarmente aggressivo di un tumore fillode maligno insorto in una paziente con pregressi fillodi benigni

The rapid spread of SARS-COV-2 Omicron variant in Italy reflected early through wastewater surveillance

The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant emerged in South Africa in November 2021, and has later been identified worldwide, raising serious concerns. A real-time RT-PCR assay was designed for the rapid screening of the Omicron variant, targeting characteristic mutations of the spike gene. The assay was used to test 737 sewage samples collected throughout Italy (19/21 Regions) between 11 November and 25 December 2021, with the aim of assessing the spread of the Omicron variant in the country. Positive samples were also tested with a real-time RT-PCR developed by the European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), and through nested RT-PCR followed by Sanger sequencing. Overall, 115 samples tested positive for Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant. The first occurrence was detected on 7 December, in Veneto, North Italy. Later on, the variant spread extremely fast in three weeks, with prevalence of positive wastewater samples rising from 1.0% (1/104 samples) in the week 5–11 December, to 17.5% (25/143 samples) in the week 12–18, to 65.9% (89/135 samples) in the week 19–25, in line with the increase in cases of infection with the Omicron variant observed during December in Italy. Similarly, the number of Regions/Autonomous Provinces in which the variant was detected increased fromone in the first week, to 11 in the second, and to 17 in the last one. The presence of the Omicron variant was confirmed by the JRC real-time RT-PCR in 79.1% (91/115) of the positive samples, and by Sanger sequencing in 66% (64/97) of PCR amplicons

The rapid spread of SARS-COV-2 Omicron variant in Italy reflected early through wastewater surveillance

The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant emerged in South Africa in November 2021, and has later been identified worldwide, raising serious concerns. A real-time RT-PCR assay was designed for the rapid screening of the Omicron variant, targeting characteristic mutations of the spike gene. The assay was used to test 737 sewage samples collected throughout Italy (19/21 Regions) between 11 November and 25 December 2021, with the aim of assessing the spread of the Omicron variant in the country. Positive samples were also tested with a real-time RT-PCR developed by the European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), and through nested RT-PCR followed by Sanger sequencing. Overall, 115 samples tested positive for Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant. The first occurrence was detected on 7 December, in Veneto, North Italy. Later on, the variant spread extremely fast in three weeks, with prevalence of positive wastewater samples rising from 1.0% (1/104 samples) in the week 5-11 December, to 17.5% (25/143 samples) in the week 12-18, to 65.9% (89/135 samples) in the week 19-25, in line with the increase in cases of infection with the Omicron variant observed during December in Italy. Similarly, the number of Regions/Autonomous Provinces in which the variant was detected increased from one in the first week, to 11 in the second, and to 17 in the last one. The presence of the Omicron variant was confirmed by the JRC real-time RT-PCR in 79.1% (91/115) of the positive samples, and by Sanger sequencing in 66% (64/97) of PCR amplicons. In conclusion, we designed an RT-qPCR assay capable to detect the Omicron variant, which can be successfully used for the purpose of wastewater-based epidemiology. We also described the history of the introduction and diffusion of the Omicron variant in the Italian population and territory, confirming the effectiveness of sewage monitoring as a powerful surveillance tool