RETURN TO WORK IN ITALIAN CANCER SURVIVORS: THE INNOVATIVE SOCIAL-HEALTH CARE NETWORK

The Local Health Authority of Reggio Emilia, supported by the Manodori Foundation, decided to implement this innovative social-health care pathway that was created together with other 14 organizations in the Province of Reggio Emilia: they are Associations, labor union, training institutions, social cooperatives, and so on… Together, we created a network to address the need to go back to work of cancer patients. What happens to the working age patients with cancer in Reggio Emilia? First of all first of all the HCPs who meet the patients for diagnostic or curative reasons ask for information about the work situation. On the basis of this very first information collected, if the patient is judged at risk to lose the job he is referred to the network hub of UNA MANO: the Informa-salute service. Here, a Nurse, together with other trained personnel, make the first true assessment of the risk to lose the job. If the patients is judged at low risk, he still receive information regarding… If the patient is judged at risk to lose the job, he is sent to the OT that make a deep, second level of assessment. After this, if the risk is confirmed as moderate, the patients will received a personalized intervention targeted to… If the risk is judged very high, or the patient as already lost the job, the social part of the network is activated to implement a personalized intervention targeted to

Detection of tet(M) gene from raw milk by rapid DNA extraction followed by a two-step PCR with nested primers.

The likelihood that milk and milk products may act as a vehicle for antibiotic-resistant bacterial genes has become a concern to the food industry and a public health issue, and the demand for rapid tests has increased. The purity of DNA extracted from food samples is a key issue in the sensitivity and usefulness of biological analyses, such as PCR for pathogens and nonpathogens. A rapid, phenol-chloroform free method based on a modification of a sodium iodide DNA extraction, followed by a two-step PCR was developed for direct detection of the tet(M) gene in milk samples within a single working day. This study compares the proposed method with a traditional phenol solvent extraction method and with a commercial kit (QIAamp DNA blood mini kit, Qiagen). The three DNA extraction methods were used to ensure access to the tet(M) gene from 1 ml of raw milk, inoculated with a strain of Enterococcus faecalis, which carries the tet(M) gene. The proposed method, followed by a two-step PCR with nested primers specific for the tet(M) gene, was able to reach a detection limit below 10 CFU/ml in less than 4 h, including the two amplification cycles, thus outperforming in sensitivity and rapidity both the traditional and the commercial method

Efecto de la modificación del cociente foto-termal en el periodo crítico a causa de la época de siembra sobre el rendimiento de trigo en la región semiárida pampeana

En este trabajo se evaluó el efecto del cociente foto-termal (CFT) sobre el rendimiento del cultivo y el número de granos por m2 a través de la modificación de las fechas de siembra, en quince genotipos de trigo (Titicum aestivum L.). Se establecieron tres fechas de siembra con intervalos de treinta días, desde el 24 de mayo al 31 de julio del 2007. Se analizó la variación del cociente foto-termal en el cambio de la época de siembra y la humedad del suelo y se verificó la capacidad de predicción del mismo sobre el rendimiento en grano. Para los cálculos del cociente foto-termal se utilizó la metodología propuesta por Fischer (1985). El cociente foto-termalmostró escaso valor predictivo en la región semiárida pampeana tanto para el rendimiento en grano como para el número de granos por metro cuadrado. Los coeficientes de regresión entre el CFT y el rendimiento de grano fueron mayores para el riego (R2=0,321) que para secano (R2=0,095). Lo mismo ocurrió en el número de granos por m2, donde para riego el coeficiente de regresión fue de R2=0,404 y para secano R2=0,007, siendo estas demasiado bajas

Beyond lockdown: The potential side effects of the sars-cov-2 pandemic on public health

Lockdowns to contain the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 have disrupted routines and behaviors, which could lead to a worsening of lifestyle and an increase in the burden of non-communicable diseases. This study aimed to describe the changes in physical activity, diet, alcohol drinking, and cigarette smoking during lockdown. A self-administered online survey addressing adults living in a province in northern Italy was advertised through websites and social media. Citizens could access the survey in anonymity from 4 May until 15 June 2020. A total of 1826 adults completed the survey, with a worsening of physical activity (35.1%), diet (17.6%), alcohol drinking (12.5%), and cigarette smoking (7.7%) reported. In contrast, 33.5% reported an improvement in diet, 12.6% in alcohol drinking, 5.3% in physical activity and 4.1% in cigarette smoking. Female sex, young adult age, suspension of work activity, and symptoms of psychological distress were the factors associated with a greater likelihood of change, which was frequently for the worse. Lockdown had an impact on lifestyle, with some net beneficial effects on diet and mostly negative effects on physical activity. Public health measures should be implemented to avoid long-term negative effects of the lockdown, supporting individuals more prone to change for the worse

Impact of lesion delineation and intensity quantisation on the stability of texture features from lung nodules on ct: A reproducible study

Computer-assisted analysis of three-dimensional imaging data (radiomics) has received a lot of research attention as a possible means to improve the management of patients with lung cancer. Building robust predictive models for clinical decision making requires the imaging features to be stable enough to changes in the acquisition and extraction settings. Experimenting on 517 lung lesions from a cohort of 207 patients, we assessed the stability of 88 texture features from the following classes: first-order (13 features), Grey-level Co-Occurrence Matrix (24), Grey-level Difference Matrix (14), Grey-level Run-length Matrix (16), Grey-level Size Zone Matrix (16) and Neighbouring Grey-tone Difference Matrix (five). The analysis was based on a public dataset of lung nodules and open-access routines for feature extraction, which makes the study fully reproducible. Our results identified 30 features that had good or excellent stability relative to lesion delineation, 28 to intensity quantisation and 18 to both. We conclude that selecting the right set of imaging features is critical for building clinical predictive models, particularly when changes in lesion delineation and/or intensity quantisation are involved

Clasificación y descripción de sistemas categoriales sobre interacción sociocognitiva entre pares

Una psicología socioconstructivista sostiene el carácter interactivo del desarrollo y del conocimiento, por lo cual el estudio de la interacción sociocognitiva ha constituido un eje central en esta tradición. El análisis sistemático y confiable de la interacción plantea un gran desafío, por la complejidad, dinamicidad y multiplicidad que supone. La literatura registra gran variedad de propuestas metodológicas para el análisis de la interacción sociocognitiva, que van desde aproximaciones más holísticas hacia otras más sistemáticas basadas en la construcción de categorías. Las segundas constituyen el foco de interés del presente trabajo. El objetivo es proponer una clasificación y descripción de la variedad de sistemas categoriales utilizados recientemente para el análisis de la interacción sociocognitiva entre pares. A partir de una revisión sistemática de bases de datos internacionales, se analizaron 24 sistemas categoriales. La clasificación propuesta se basó en dos elementos fundamentales en la definición de un sistema de categorías: (a) la unidad de codificación o de análisis (molecular y molar); (b) el tipo de indicador empírico considerado (predominantemente lingüístico, predominantemente comportamental y mixto). Los resultados sugieren una clara predominancia de los sistemas moleculares predominantemente lingüísticos (50%), en comparación con los sistemas molares y/o predominantemente comportamentales o mixtos. Los resultados se discuten a la luz del concepto de intersubjetividad y del momento evolutivo-educativo de los participantes de los estudios analizados (nivel primario). Al mismo tiempo, se concluye en la necesidad de incorporar nuevos sistemas molares que reflejen más fielmente el carácter emergente e irreductible de la interacción sociocognitiva

Genetic Diversity of PCR-Positive, Culture-Negative and Culture-Positive Mycobacterium ulcerans Isolated from Buruli Ulcer Patients in Ghana.

Culture of Mycobacterium ulcerans from Buruli ulcer patients has very low sensitivity. Thus confirmation of M. ulcerans infection is primarily based on PCR directed against IS2404. In this study we compare the genotypes obtained by variable number of tandem repeat analysis of DNA from IS2404-PCR positive cultures with that obtained from IS2404 positive, culture-negative tissue. A significantly greater genetic heterogeneity was found among culture-negative samples compared with that found in cultured strains but a single genotype is over-represented in both sample sets. This study provides evidence that both the focal location of bacteria in a lesion as well as differences in the ability to culture a particular genotype may underlie the low sensitivity of culture. Though preliminary, data from this work also suggests that mycobacteria previously associated with fish disease (M. pseudoshottsii) may be pathogenic for humans

Product-service systems evolution in the era of Industry 4.0

Funder: Università degli studi di BergamoAbstract: Recent economic transformations have forced companies to redefine their value propositions, increasing traditional product offerings with supplementary services—the so-called Product-Service System (PSS). Among them, the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies is very common. However, the directions that companies are undertaking to offer new value to their customers in the Industry 4.0 have not yet been investigated in detail. Based on a focus group, this paper contributes to this understanding by identifying the main trajectories that would shape a future scenario in which PSS and Industry 4.0 would merge. In addition, future research directions addressing (a) the transformation of the PSS value chain into a PSS ecosystem, (b) the transformation inside a single company towards becoming a PSS provider, and (c) the digital transformation of the traditional PSS business model are identified

Cellular Immunity Confers Transient Protection in Experimental Buruli Ulcer following BCG or Mycolactone-Negative Mycobacterium ulcerans Vaccination

BACKGROUND: Buruli ulcer (BU) is an emerging infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans that can result in extensive necrotizing cutaneous lesions due to the cytotoxic exotoxin mycolactone. There is no specific vaccine against BU but reports show some degree of cross-reactive protection conferred by M. bovis BCG immunization. Alternatively, an M. ulcerans-specific immunization could be a better preventive strategy. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In this study, we used the mouse model to characterize the histological and cytokine profiles triggered by vaccination with either BCG or mycolactone-negative M. ulcerans, followed by footpad infection with virulent M. ulcerans. We observed that BCG vaccination significantly delayed the onset of M. ulcerans growth and footpad swelling through the induction of an earlier and sustained IFN-gamma T cell response in the draining lymph node (DLN). BCG vaccination also resulted in cell-mediated immunity (CMI) in M. ulcerans-infected footpads, given the predominance of a chronic mononuclear infiltrate positive for iNOS, as well as increased and sustained levels of IFN-gamma and TNF. No significant IL-4, IL-17 or IL-10 responses were detected in the footpad or the DLN, in either infected or vaccinated mice. Despite this protective Th1 response, BCG vaccination did not avoid the later progression of M. ulcerans infection, regardless of challenge dose. Immunization with mycolactone-deficient M. ulcerans also significantly delayed the progression of footpad infection, swelling and ulceration, but ultimately M. ulcerans pathogenic mechanisms prevailed. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The delay in the emergence of pathology observed in vaccinated mice emphasizes the relevance of protective Th1 recall responses against M. ulcerans. In future studies it will be important to determine how the transient CMI induced by vaccination is compromised

Histopathological Changes and Clinical Responses of Buruli Ulcer Plaque Lesions during Chemotherapy: A Role for Surgical Removal of Necrotic Tissue?

The tropical necrotizing skin disease Buruli ulcer (BU) caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans is associated with extensive tissue destruction and local immunosuppression caused by the macrolide exotoxin mycolactone. Chemotherapy with a combination of rifampicin and streptomycin for 8 weeks is the currently recommended treatment for all types of BU lesions, including both ulcerative and non-ulcerative stages (plaques, nodules and edema). Our histopathological analysis of twelve BU plaque lesions revealed extensive destruction of sub-cutaneous tissue. This frequently led to ulceration during antibiotic treatment. This should not be mistaken as a failure of the antimycobacterial chemotherapy, since we found no evidence for the persistence of active infection foci. Large necrotic areas were found to persist even after completion of antibiotic treatment. These may disturb wound healing and the role of wound debridement should therefore be formally tested in a clinical trial setting