Use of phytotherapics in dogs and cats.

Phytotherapy is one of the most utilized non conventional medicines (NCM) both in human and veterinary medicine. It can be used to mitigate and prevent slight diseases and to support conventional medicine using allopathic drugs. In this paper the Authors report the phytoterapeutics most utilized in both dogs and cats, in which the use of phytotherapics is increasing, despite the prejudices of the academic world and of the veterinary practitioners. Laws regarding the use of non conventional medicines in veterinary practises are lacking in Italy, despite many other countries in Europe; yet National Federation of Italian Veterinaries (F.N.O.V.I.) asserted that the use of NCM has to be considered a veterinary practise at all. At the end of this paper, the Authors provided many examples of phytotheapic prescriptions to control different illness in both dogs and cats

Update on acute bone and joint infections in paediatrics: A narrative review on the most recent evidence-based recommendations and appropriate antinfective therapy

Acute bone and joint infections (BJIs) in children may clinically occur as osteomyelitis (OM) or septic arthritis (SA). In clinical practice, one-third of cases present a combination of both conditions. BJIs are usually caused by the haematogenous dissemination of septic emboli carried to the terminal blood vessels of bone and joints from distant infectious processes during transient bacteraemia. Early diagnosis is the cornerstone for the successful management of BJI, but it is still a challenge for paediatricians, particularly due to its nonspecific clinical presentation and to the poor specificity of the laboratory and imaging first-line tests that are available in emergency departments. Moreover, microbiological diagnosis is often difficult to achieve with common blood cultures, and further investigations require invasive procedures. The aim of this narrative review is to provide the most recent evidence-based recommendations on appropriate antinfective therapy in BJI in children. We conducted a review of recent literature by examining the MEDLINE (Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online) database using the search engines PubMed and Google Scholar. The keywords used were “osteomyelitis”, OR “bone infection”, OR “septic arthritis”, AND “p(a)ediatric” OR “children”. When BJI diagnosis is clinically suspected or radiologically confirmed, empiric antibiotic therapy should be started as soon as possible. The choice of empiric antimicrobial therapy is based on the most likely causative pathogens according to patient age, immunisation status, underlying disease, and other clinical and epidemiological considerations, including the local prevalence of virulent pathogens, antibiotic bioavailability and bone penetration. Empiric antibiotic treatment consists of a short intravenous cycle based on anti-staphylococcal penicillin or a cephalosporin in children aged over 3 months with the addition of gentamicin in infants aged under 3 months. An oral regimen may be an option depending on the bioavailability of antibiotic chosen and clinical and laboratory data. Strict clinical and laboratory follow-up should be scheduled for the following 3–5 weeks. Further studies on the optimal therapeutic approach are needed in order to understand the best first-line regimen, the utility of biomarkers for the definition of therapy duration and treatment of complications

NIVALENOLENOL AND DEOXYNIVALENOL INDUCE APOPTOSIS AND DYSREGULATE WOUND REPAIR IN RAT INTESTINAL EPITHELIAL CELLS

The gastrointestinal tract represents the first barrier against ingested chemicals, food contaminants and toxins thus its integrity represents a barrier between the internal and external environments. Fusarium mycotoxins, nivalenol (NIV) and deoxynivalenol (DON) are frequently on cereals and processed grains. Following their ingestion, intestinal epithelial cells are exposed to high concentrations of NIV and DON capable to induce mycotoxicosis (Yang et al., 2010). To investigate the effects of NIV and DON we used the intestinal epithelial cell line (IEC-6). The addition of NIV in the culture medium significantly reduced the rate of migration of IEC-6 cells into the denuded area of a model wound. Instead DON slightly reduced the rate of migration of IEC-6 cells into the denuded area compared to IEC-6 cells cultured alone. Interestingly a synergic activity on reducing the rate of migration was observed adding to IEC-6 cells NIV and DON mycotoxins together. Both NIV and DON, tested at higher concentrations (5-80µM) significantly affected IEC-6 cells viability. Moreover propidium iodide analysis revealed that the reduced cell viability was related to an apoptotic process. All together our results reported the effect of NIV and DON on intestinal epithelium highlighting the effect of the few studied NIV and the synergistic activity of both mycotoxins in reducing the IEC-6cell response to epithelial injury

Update on viral infections involving the central nervous system in pediatric patients

Infections of the central nervous system (CNS) are mainly caused by viruses, and these infections can be life-threatening in pediatric patients. Although the prognosis of CNS infections is often favorable, mortality and long-term sequelae can occur. The aims of this narrative review were to describe the specific microbiological and clinical features of the most frequent pathogens and to provide an update on the diagnostic approaches and treatment strategies for viral CNS infections in children. A literature analysis showed that the most common pathogens worldwide are enteroviruses, arboviruses, parechoviruses, and herpesviruses, with variable prevalence rates in different countries. Lumbar puncture (LP) should be performed as soon as possible when CNS infection is suspected, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples should always be sent for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis. Due to the lack of specific therapies, the management of viral CNS infections is mainly based on supportive care, and empiric treatment against herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection should be started as soon as possible. Some researchers have questioned the role of acyclovir as an empiric antiviral in older children due to the low incidence of HSV infection in this population and observed that HSV encephalitis may be clinically recognizable beyond neonatal age. However, the real benefit-risk ratio of selective approaches is unclear, and further studies are needed to define appropriate indications for empiric acyclovir. Research is needed to find specific therapies for emerging pathogens. Moreover, the appropriate timing of monitoring neurological development, performing neuroimaging evaluations and investigating the effectiveness of rehabilitation during follow-up should be evaluated with long-term studies

EFFECTS OF NDL-PCB AND TCDD ON INTESTINAL EPITHELIAL CELLS HOMEOSTASIS

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD) are persistent organic pollutants (POPs) recognized as causing adverse effects on humans, animals and environment. Exposure occurs mainly through the consumption of contaminated food, in particular those of animal origin. the aim of the current study was to evaluate the effects of three ndl-PCB congeners, PCB 138, PCB 153 and PCB 180, and tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxins (TCDD), alone and differently combined, on non tumorigenic rat intestinal epithelial cell line (IEC-6). The results of the current study showed that ndl-PCBs and TCDD reduced significantly cell viability only at the highest concentrations (50-100 µM and 0.1-1 µM, respectively); such effect was not linked to apoptosis induction or cell cycle arrest. The contemporary presence of more than one contaminant (differently combined) did not induce any enhancement of effects on IEC-6 cell line. Intestinal restitution was not affected by low non cytotoxic concentrations of ndl-PCBs and TCDD. The results of the current study highlight the need to continue the evaluation of toxic properties of ndl-PCBs, which represent a less studied PBCs; such studies could provide useful information in particular in term of risk assessment

Allergy in total knee replacement surgery: Is it a real problem?

Total knee arthroplasty is a common procedure, with extremely good clinical results. Despite this success, it produces 20% unsatisfactory results. Among the causes of these failures is metal hypersensitivity. Metal sensitization is higher in patients with a knee arthroplasty than in the general population and is even higher in patients undergoing revision surgery. However, a clear correlation between metal sensitization and symptomatic knee after surgery has not been ascertained. Surely, patients with a clear history of metal allergy must be carefully examined through dermatological and laboratory testing before surgery. There is no globally accepted diagnostic algorithm or laboratory test to diagnose metal hypersensitivity or metal reactions. The patch test is the most common test to determine metal hypersensitivity, though presenting some limitations. Several laboratory assays have been developed, with a higher sensitivity compared to patch testing, yet their clinical availability is not widespread, due to high costs and technical complexity. Symptoms of a reaction to metal implants present across a wide spectrum, ranging from pain and cutaneous dermatitis to aseptic loosening of the arthroplasty. However, although cutaneous and systemic hypersensitivity reactions to metals have arisen, thereby increasing concern after joint arthroplasties, allergies against implant materials remain quite rare and not a well-known problem. The aim of the following paper is to provide an overview on diagnosis and management of metal hypersensitivity in patients who undergo a total knee arthroplasty in order clarify its real importance

Short-term household income mobility before and after the Great Recession: A four-country study

This paper analyses short-term intra-generational income mobility in France, Italy, Spain and the UK by exploiting the longitudinal component of EU-SILC for the periods 2005-2008 and 2012-2015. We investigate whether and to what extent the ability of households to move along the income distribution changed after the 2008 crisis and whether heterogeneities among countries exist. For this purpose, we employ mobility indexes and transition matrices as well as estimation of a 2SLS regression and of a dynamic ordered probit with random effects. Overall, indexes and transition matrices point to a decrease of mobility in the aftermath of the crisis. The econometric analyses suggest both the existence of a convergence process of incomes and state dependence of current and lagged income in both periods. We also observe sluggish income convergence and lower upward mobility in the second period. Among the microeconomic drivers, education and employment status are positive determinants of mobility. Finally, our results confirm crosscountry heterogeneity

Maternally inherited cardiomyopathy: clinical and molecula characterization of a large kindred harboring the A4300G point mutation in mtDNA

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to describe the clinical and molecular features of a large family with maternally inherited cardiomyopathy (MICM). BACKGROUND: Recently, several mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid (mtDNA) point mutations have been associated with MICM. However, the distinctive clinical and morphologic features of MICM are not fully appreciated. This is partially due to the small size of the reported pedigrees, often lacking detailed clinical and laboratory information. METHODS: Clinical and genetic analysis of the family was carried out. RESULTS: Echocardiography showed mostly symmetrical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in 10 family members. The illness had an unfavorable course. Progressive heart failure occurred in three subjects, who eventually died; one individual underwent heart transplantation. Electrocardiographic or echocardiographic signs of cardiac hypertrophy in the absence of significant clinical complaints were observed in five subjects. Neurologic examination was normal. The mutation was detected in blood from all available subjects. Abundance of mutated molecules ranged between 13% and 100% of total mtDNA genomes. The severity of the disease could not be foreseen by the proportion of mutation in blood. CONCLUSIONS: This report contributes a better description of the clinical aspects of MICM and provides important clues to distinguish it from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. We suggest that mtDNA mutations, particularly in the transfer ribonucleic acid for isoleucin, should be systematically searched in patients with MICM. The identification of an underlying maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA defect in familial cases of cardiomyopathy may considerably influence the management and genetic counseling of affected patients