Comparasion between European elite senior and junior female table tennis players

The aim of the study was to compare elite junior and senior women table tennis players, using three parameters of the table tennis: rally length, serve and receive analysis. Twentyfive junior and twenty-five elite senior matches were analysed (total: 263 sets and 4958 points) between players ranked in Top 25 in ETTU rankings in the last two years. All the athletes used an offensive style of play. The results of non-parametric Mann-Whitney U Test, showed a significantly higher rally length in senior compared to junior category (4.46 vs. 3.93). Moreover, the results of Pearson’s Chi-square tests show an association between the age categories and selected parameters (laterality, technique and placement) for both serve and receive. Different behavior between the two categories was noted. The senior players used more the flip technique (22.2 % vs 14.7 %) and short push to return the services of the opponents (32.5 % vs 26.0 %). These results provide useful information to analyze junior players’ behavior compared to the senior players in order to plan specific training sessions. It can be also useful to identify some parameters as predictors of the future success for junior players

Fine mapping of loci on BTA8 associated to antibody response to Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis in cattle

Paratuberculosis (ParaTB) or Johne's disease, caused by Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis commonly known as MAP in cattle, is a chronic gastroenteritis characterized by diarrhoea, decreased milk production and ultimately death. MAP is responsible for huge economic losses, particularly in dairy cattle herds. Susceptibility to MAP infection has been found to be heritable with heritability estimates ranging from 0.06 to 0.102. The definition of an infected animal can be based either on the presence of anti-MAP antibodies in the serum, or by direct demonstration of MAP in tissue or faeces by culture or PCR. Several studies have addressed the identification of genetic loci associated with MAP susceptibility. The objective of this study was to refine a locus associated with antibody response to Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosi (MAP). Using a genome- wide association analysis, a single nucleotide polymorphism on Bos taurus autosome BTA8 namely the SNP rs43161947 at posi- tion 35398490 with a p-value of 7.02 e-05, has previously been identified by the authors as associated with MAP infection. Fine mapping of the region was conducted with 100 single nucleotide polymorphisms spanning a region between BTA8: 34422912 and BTA8: 364553881 covering 2 Mega bases (Mb) designed in to cover 1 Mb ahead and after the SNP identified on BTA8. The 2 Mb region on BTA8 was evaluated within a group of 966 Holstein cows collected from routine ParaTB screening in the province of Lodi in Italy, in an area with a high prevalence of ParaTB. Animals were defined as ParaTB positive based on the detection of serum antibodies produced in response to MAP infection using the ID-screen\uae ELISA test (ID VET Montpellier, France). Of the 966 samples, 483 were MAP antibody positive (cases) and 483 MAP antibody negative (MAP negative controls). All animals were female, and cases and MAP negative controls were from the same farm tested on the same day.Using a single marker associ- ation analysis, conducted within the R statistical environment, we identified 3 different QTLs within the 2 Mega base region, under the main QTL on BTA8 associated with antibody response to MAP, in position 34.700.000, 35.800.000 and 36.400.000 bp. This reveals the complexity of the genetic architecture of thetrait and confirms the need to further explore the genome with fine mapping approaches, or by the use of whole genome sequencing to investigate complex traits, such as disease resistance

Short communication: Characterization of Staphylococcus aureus from bulk tank milk of dairy cattle in Lombardy (northern Italy).

ABSTRACT Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most important pathogens causing mastitis in cattle, and it is responsible for economic losses in dairy herds worldwide. The PCR amplification of the 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer (ribosomal spacer PCR, RS-PCR) allows a rapid classification of the strains in genotypes and genotypic clusters (CL), which are characterized by different epidemiological and clinical properties. Both RS-PCR and multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) were performed on strains isolated from bovine bulk tank milk (BTM) collected from dairy herds located in the Lombardy region (northern Italy), to outline the distribution of Staph. aureus genotypes in this geographical area. Out of 844 examined samples, 398 were positive for Staph. aureus, with a variable count (cfu/mL) Up to 8 colonies from each sample were genotyped. A total of 1,101 Staph. aureus strains were analyzed with RS-PCR, and only a selection of them (n = 86), in relation to their frequency and geographical origin, underwent MLST. This study revealed 8 major genotypic clusters (CLB, CLC, CLR, CLS, CLI, CLF, CLAO, and CLZ), of which Staph. aureus CLB (29.3%) was the most common. Samples of BTM positive for CLB had a Staph. aureus cfu/mL count significantly higher than the non-CLB positive ones. Our MLST analysis showed genotypes already known as bovine-associated in literature, such as clonal complexes CC8, CC97, and CC151. The same selection of 86 strains was also analyzed for the presence of the adlb gene, which was recently proposed as a possible marker of contagiousness. Most Staph. aureus belonging to CLB or CC8 carried the adlb gene (85%), whereas this gene was detected in only 9% of non-CLB strains (CLAA, CLBI, CLBJ, CLS). In conclusion, the present study confirms that Staph. aureus CLB, which is recognized as a contagious genotype, is a particularly relevant agent of intramammary infection in dairy cows in Lombardy, and indirectly supports the idea that adlb can be a possible marker of contagiousness of isolates

PTSD symptoms as a consequence of breast cancer diagnosis : clinical implications

It is a well-established multidisciplinary practice at the European Institute of Oncology, that nurses and physicians often report their difficulties to clinical psychologists regarding adherence to hospital scheduling and procedures, when faced with women who, having been diagnosed with cancer, may be too overwhelmed to understand medical advice. We thus undertook an observational-prospective-cohort study, to investigate the prevalence and variation of PTSD symptomatology in women awaiting a mastectomy at a mean of 30 days after diagnosis and up to 2 years after discharge from hospital. The presence of any correlations between PTSD symptoms and medical and psycho-social variables was also investigated. Between March 2011 and June 2012, 150 women entered the study and were evaluated at four points in time: pre-hospital admission, admission for surgery, hospital discharge and two years later. The prevalence of distress at pre-hospital admission was 20% for intrusion symptoms, 19.1% for avoidance symptoms and 70.7% for state anxiety. Intrusion was negatively correlated with time from diagnosis independently of tumor dimensions, i.e. independently of the perceived seriousness of the illness. Even though at two-year follow up the prevalence of intrusion and avoidance is similar to that in the general population, patients with high levels of intrusion and avoidance at pre-hospital admission will maintain these levels, showing difficulties in adjusting to illness even two years later. As for psycho-social factors, the presence of a positive cancer family and relational history is associated with high levels of distress, in particular with intrusive thinking. Proper interventions aimed at the management of these issues and at their implications in clinical practice is clearly warranted

Genomic characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus strains associated with high within-herd prevalence of intramammary infections in dairy cows

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most important causes of mastitis in dairy cattle. Based on previous research, Staph. aureus genotypes with different pathogenic and contagious properties can cause intramammary infection (IMI) and coexist in the same herd. Our study aimed to compare Staph. aureus strains from herds that differed in IMI prevalence using different molecular approaches such as ribosomal spacer (RS)-PCR, multilocus sequence typing (MLST), spa typing, ribotyping, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and multiplex PCR. For this purpose, 31 dairy herds with Staph. aureus IMI were selected, and 16 of these were chosen for a comparison study: the 8 high-prevalence (HP) herds had Staph. aureus IMI prevalence >28% and the 8 low-prevalence (LP) herds had an IMI prevalence <4%. A total of 650 isolates of Staph. aureus from mammary quarters of all positive cows were genotyped with RS-PCR, a technique based on amplification of a portion of the intergenic spacer 16S-23S rRNA, and a subset of 54 strains was also analyzed by multiplex PCR, ribotyping, PFGE, MLST, and spa typing. The RS-PCR analysis revealed 12 different profiles. Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from 5 out of 8 HP herds showed a profile identical to the genotype B (GTB), described in previous studies as being strongly associated with high within-herd prevalence of Staph. aureus mastitis and the presence of the genes coding for enterotoxins sea, sed, and sej, a long x-region of spa gene, and 3 lukE fragments. Moreover, all strains isolated in the HP herds possessed genes coding for staphylococcal enterotoxins. In LP herds, a limited number of strains of 6 genotypes, different from those isolated in HP herds, were identified and GTB was not found. Within these genotypes, 4 strains were positive for the mecA gene. Preliminary results and comparison with other genotyping methods confirmed that genotyping by RS-PCR is an accurate, rapid, and inexpensive tool for future field studies on Staph. aureus mastitis strains and generates clinically relevant results

Virulence genes of S. aureus from dairy cow mastitis and contagiousness risk

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a major agent of dairy cow intramammary infections: the different prevalences of mastitis reported might be related to a combination of S. aureus virulence factors beyond host factors. The present study considered 169 isolates from different Italian dairy herds that were classified into four groups based on the prevalence of S. aureus infection at the first testing: low prevalence (LP), medium\u2013low (MLP), medium\u2013high (MHP) and high (HP). We aimed to correlate the presence of virulence genes with the prevalence of intramammary infections in order to develop new strategies for the control of S. aureus mastitis. Microarray data were statistically evaluated using binary logistic regression and correspondence analysis to screen the risk factors and the relationship between prevalence group and gene. The analysis showed: (1) 24 genes at significant risk of being detected in all the herds with infection prevalence >5%, including genes belonging to microbial surface components recognizing adhesive matrix molecules (MSCRAMMs), immune evasion and serine proteases; and (2) a significant correlation coefficient between the genes interacting with the host immune response and HP isolates against LP ones. These results support the hypothesis that virulence factors, in addition to cow management, could be related to strain contagiousness, offering new insights into vaccine development

IART® (Intra-Operative Avidination for Radionuclide Therapy) for accelerated radiotherapy in breast cancer patients. Technical aspects and preliminary results of a phase II study with 90Y-labelled biotin

Background: Breast conserving surgery (BCS) plus external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) is considered the standard treatment for early breast cancer. We have investigated the possibility of irradiating the residual gland, using an innovative nuclear medicine approach named IART® (Intra-operative Avidination for Radionuclide Therapy). Aim: The objective of this study was to determine the optimal dose of avidin with a fixed activity (3.7 GBq) of 90Y-biotin, in order to provide a boost of 20 Gy, followed by EBRT to the whole breast (WB) at the reduced dose of 40 Gy. Local and systemic toxicity, patient's quality of life, including the cosmetic results after the combined treatment with IART® and EBRT, were assessed. Methods: After tumour excision, the surgeon injected native avidin diluted in 30 ml of saline solution into and around the tumour bed (see video). Patients received one of three avidin dose levels: 50 mg (10 pts), 100 mg (15 pts) and 150 mg (10 pts). Between 12 to 24 h after surgery, 3.7 GBq 90Y-biotin spiked with 185 MBq 111In-biotin was administered intravenously (i.v.). Whole body scans and SPECT images were performed up to 30 h post-injection for dosimetric purposes. WB-EBRT was administered four weeks after the IART® boost. Local toxicity and quality of life were evaluated. Results: Thirty-five patients were evaluated. No side effects were observed after avidin administration and 90Y-biotin infusion. An avidin dose level of 100 mg resulted the most appropriate in order to deliver the required radiation dose (19.5 + 4.0 Gy) to the surgical bed. At the end of IART®, no local toxicity occurred and the overall cosmetic result was good. The tolerance to the reduced EBRT was also good. The highest grade of transient local toxicity was G3, which occurred in 3/32 pts following the completion of WB-EBRT. The combination of IART® +EBRT was well accepted by the patients, without any changes to their quality of life. Conclusions: These preliminary results support the hypothesis that IART® may represent a valid approach to accelerated WB irradiation after BCS. We hope that this nuclear medicine technique will contribute to a better management of breast cancer patients. © the authors; licensee ecancermedicalscience

Perioperative serum VEGF and extracellular domains of EGFR and HER2 in early breast cancer

Background: The prognostic role of serum levels of molecular biomarkers during the perioperative period in patients with early breast cancer is not clear. Patients and Methods: Serum VEGF and extracellular domains (ECD) of EGFR and HER2 were prospectively determined in 119 consecutive patients with early breast cancer on the day before and after surgery. Results: After a median follow-up of 93 months, the preoperative value and the absolute change from pre- to postoperative serum levels of VEGF and HER2 ECD did not predict disease-free survival (DFS). A decrease after surgery of EGFR ECD correlated with a statistically significant lower DFS; each 1 ng/ml decrease in EGFR ECD serum level was associated with an increase of event risk of 15% on multivariable analysis (hazard ratio 1.15 95% confidence interval 1.04.-1.28, p=0.006). Conclusion: The perioperative absolute change of EGFR ECD significantly correlated with disease outcome of patients with early breast cancer. No correlation was found between preoperative and perioperative absolute change of serum VEGF and HER2 ECD