Emerging diseases in poultry: The role of Apolonia tigipioensis Torres and Braga, 1938 (Trombidiformes: Leeuwenhoekiidae) in avian parasitism, including the first record of parasitism in the greater rhea, Rhea americana (L., 1758) (Struthioniformes: Rheidae).

The larval chigger mite Apolonia tigipioensis Torres and Braga is an obligatory hypodermic parasite found in South America. Its parasitism can significantly affect the host's health, leading to nodular lesions that consequently result in the host's death. This species has been identified in Venezuela and northeastern Brazil (Pernambuco State), primarily infesting birds, but it can affect mammals, including humans.

"To Be or Not to Be" a Conscientious Objector to Voluntary Abortion: An Italian Web-Survey of Healthcare Workers.

: Conscientious objection to voluntary abortion remains a hot debate topic. This could affect the accessibility to pregnancy termination. Our aim is to evaluate the possible aspects related to an operators' choice about objection for voluntary abortion, such as the following: the abolition of the time limit, the instruction of a multi-collegiate commission, the introduction of pharmacological rather than surgical procedures, the fetal/maternal illness and the case of sexual violence.

The "Ideal Birth": The Occurrence of Severe Perineal Lacerations, Related Factors and the Possibility of Identifying Patients at Higher Risk.

Background: Obstetric lesions of the anal sphincter (OASIS) are tears intersecting the structure of the anus after vaginal delivery. Our aim is to provide data on the incidence of OASIS and investigate potentially connected risk factors.

Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of 464 parturient patients admitted to the AOU Maggiore della Carità, Novara (Italy), in the last ten years (2013-2023), comparing 116 cases (with OASIS) versus 348 controls (with no OASIS).

Cost-utility analysis of empagliflozin for heart failure in the Philippines.

Aims: Empagliflozin confers cardioprotective benefits among patients with heart failure, across the range of ejection fraction (EF), regardless of type 2 diabetes status. The long-term cost-effectiveness of empagliflozin for the treatment of heart failure (HF) in the Philippines remains unclear. This study aims to determine the economic benefit of adding empagliflozin to the standard of care (SoC) vs the SoC alone for HF in the Philippines.

Innate-immune cell distribution in pediatric HIV patients and uninfected controls.

Innate immune cells are important players during an infection. The frequency of monocytes, myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), natural killer (NK), and NKT cells were assessed in blood samples of children and adolescents living with HIV (CALHIV) and HIV-uninfected (HU) children. Blood samples from 10 CALHIV (treated or not) and six HU individuals were collected for approximately one year.

Delivery systems for astaxanthin: A review on approaches for in situ dosage in the treatment of inflammation associated diseases.

Astaxanthin is a red-orange keto-carotenoid exhibiting antioxidant activity. AST is mainly used in the cosmetic, food, and healthcare industries. Nevertheless, because of its anti-inflammatory effects and immune modulation activity, AST use in pharmacology has been proposed as an alternative for treating neurodegenerative disorders, inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis, atherosclerosis, or diabetic foot ulcers, among others.

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) during pregnancy.

Objectives: Approximately one-third of the global population uses complementary medicine, as yoga and meditation, not endorsed by evidence-based conventional medicine and, with more difficulties in case of pregnancy.

Methods: Our study investigates the prevalence of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) usage in Novara (Italy) and its province through a survey to pregnant women at 36 gestational weeks.

Results: The sample consisted of 70 women, average age of 33 years, most Caucasian, highly educated, mostly employed, under private gynecological care, with a prevalence of CAM use of 24.

Tropicoporus tropicalis: A Newly Recognised Pathogen in Eumycetoma and Refractory Mycoses in Humans.

Tropicoporus tropicalis (formerly Phellinus tropicalis) is a saprophytic basidiomycete that has been implicated in refractory mycoses in humans, particularly in patients with chronic granulomatous disease. Despite its clinical significance, T. tropicalis is an under-recognised cause of eumycetoma, with no prior reports available.

Standardizing Chemotherapy Education to Improve Patient Satisfaction at an Ambulatory Oncology Center.

This quality improvement project implemented a standardized chemotherapy class for newly diagnosed patients receiving oncology care at an urban ambulatory oncology center. Results showed high scores on patient satisfaction qu.

Repositioning Guidelines to Decrease Pressure Injury in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: A Quality Improvement Project.

Purpose: The purpose of this quality improvement (QI) project was to develop and implement repositioning guidelines that reduce pressure injury (PI) in hemodynamically unstable pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) patients.

Participants And Setting: All PICU patient ages 0 to 36 months who required sedation for invasive mechanical ventilation and had a Braden Q score ≤ 18 were eligible for inclusion. The project was implemented in 116 patients preimplementation and 100 postimplementation.

Two Congenital Gastrointestinal Malformations: A Case of Omphalocele and Meckel's Diverticulum in a Neonate.

Omphalocele is a malformation of the abdominal wall varying in size and located at the base of the umbilical cord. Meckel's diverticulum is the most common congenital malformation of the gastrointestinal tract with an increased prevalence in newborns with congenital malformations of the umbilicus and gastrointestinal tract. The association between Meckel's diverticulum and omphalocele has been described in rare cases.

An examination of referrals declined for chronic pain care: There is increasing mental health complexity within care-seeking patients with chronic pain over time.

Background: Chronic pain is a complex disease that requires interprofessional care for effective management. Despite the need for multidisciplinary care, disease and health care inequities can prevent individuals from attaining adequate treatment. Factors such as mental health, cost, and distance to a health care center can contribute to health care accessibility inequality.

Is Assisted Reproductive Technology Linked to Fetal Asphyxia? A Retrospective Italian Case-Control Study.

Several risk factors are associated with fetal asphyxia. The main aim of this retrospective, analytical, case-control study was to determine whether assisted reproductive technologies (ART) could be considered one of these factors. In total, 162 cases of fetal asphyxia were compared to 361 controls where this event did not occur.

Menopausal Hormone Therapy, an Ever-Present Topic: A Pilot Survey about Women's Experience and Medical Doctors' Approach.

: Menopause can be associated with many clinical manifestations: vasomotor symptoms, urogenital problems, and additional psychological disturbances, such as anxiety, mood changes, and sleep alterations. The prolonged lack of hormones also increases the risk of long-term consequences. Hormone Replacement Treatment (HRT) in menopause consists of the administration of estrogen, alone or associated to progesterone, to relieve these uncomfortable disturbances and to prevent the onset of other pathologic conditions.

Plasma Redox Balance in Advanced-Maternal-Age Pregnant Women and Effects of Plasma on Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells.

Pregnancy at advanced maternal age (AMA) is a condition of potential risk for the development of maternal-fetal complications with possible repercussions even in the long term. Here, we analyzed the changes in plasma redox balance and the effects of plasma on human umbilical cord mesenchymal cells (hUMSCs) in AMA pregnant women (patients) at various timings of pregnancy. One hundred patients and twenty pregnant women younger than 40 years (controls) were recruited and evaluated at various timings during pregnancy until after delivery.

Fundamentals of deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease in clinical practice: part 2.

The field of neuromodulation has evolved significantly over the past decade. Developments include novel indications and innovations of hardware, software, and stimulation techniques leading to an expansion in scope and role of these techniques as powerful therapeutic interventions. In this review, which is the second part of an effort to document and integrate the basic fundamentals and recent successful developments in the field, we will focus on classic paradigms for electrode placement as well as new exploratory targets, mechanisms of neuromodulation using this technique and new developments, including focused ultrasound driven ablative procedures.

Fundamentals of deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease in clinical practice: part 1.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is recognized as an established therapy for Parkinson's disease (PD) and other movement disorders in the light of the developments seen over the past three decades. Long-term efficacy is established for PD with documented improvement in the cardinal motor symptoms of PD and levodopa-induced complications, such as motor fluctuations and dyskinesias. Timing of patient selection is crucial to obtain optimal benefits from DBS therapy, before PD complications become irreversible.

Gender Violence During the Three Ages of Life and the Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Review.

Children, women, and older people suffer different types of violence, which appears to have been exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic and the relative lockdown. The aim of this study is to analyze the literature about gender violence and abuse in the different ages of life and during the COVID-19 lockdown. Data were obtained from an electronic literature search using various online sources such as PubMed, Google Scholar, Science Direct and Web of Science.

SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein triggers gut impairment since mucosal barrier to innermost layers: From basic science to clinical relevance.

Studies have reported the occurrence of gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, primarily diarrhea, in COVID-19. However, the pathobiology regarding COVID-19 in the GI tract remains limited. This work aimed to evaluate SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein interaction with gut lumen in different experimental approaches.

A New Murine Undernutrition Model Based on Complementary Feeding of Undernourished Children Causes Damage to the Morphofunctional Intestinal Epithelium Barrier.

Background: Complementary feeding is critical in establishing undernutrition. However, experimental undernourished diets do not represent the amount of nutrients in the complementary diets of undernourished children.

Objectives: To develop, validate, and evaluate the impact of a new murine model of undernutrition on the intestinal epithelium, based on the complementary diet of undernourished children from 7 countries with low-socioeconomic power belonging to the Malnutrition-Enteric Diseases (MAL-ED) cohort study.

Deletion Modulates Cytokine and Extracellular Matrix Expression in Chronic Spinal Cord Injury, Leading to Improved Secondary Damage and Functional Recovery.

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play an important role in the innate immune response after CNS injury. Although TLR4 is one of the best characterized, its role in chronic stages after spinal cord injury (SCI) is not well understood. We examined the role of TLR4 signaling in injury-induced responses at 1 d, 7 d, and 8 weeks after spinal cord contusion injury in adult female TLR4 null and wild-type mice.