Dysbiosis index and fecal concentrations of sterols, long-chain fatty acids and unconjugated bile acids in dogs with inflammatory protein-losing enteropathy.

Introduction: Canine protein-losing enteropathy (PLE) is a syndrome characterized by gastrointestinal loss of proteins. While fecal microbiome and metabolome perturbations have been reported in dogs with chronic enteropathy, they have not been widely studied in dogs with PLE. Therefore, the study aims were to investigate gut microbiome and targeted fecal metabolites in dogs with inflammatory PLE (iPLE) and evaluate whether treatment affects these changes at short-term follow-up.

The fecal bacterial microbiota is not useful for discriminating between lymphoplasmacytic enteritis and low-grade intestinal T-cell lymphoma in cats nor for predicting therapeutic response.

Objective: To evaluate the fecal bacterial microbiota at the time of diagnosis (T0) and after 1 month of therapy (T1) in cats diagnosed with lymphoplasmacytic enteritis (LPE) or cats with low-grade intestinal T-cell lymphoma (LGITL) and to compare these findings with those of healthy cats.

Animals: 5 healthy cats, 13 cats with LPE, and 7 cats with LGITL were prospectively enrolled between June 2020 and June 2021.

Methods: Fecal samples were collected at T0 and T1, and DNA was extracted for 16S ribosomal amplicon sequencing.

A case series of urinary bladder rhabdomyosarcoma in seven dogs.

Background: Juvenile urinary bladder rhabdomyosarcoma (ubRMS) is a known entity; however, literature regarding its clinical behavior and endoscopic features is scarce. The aim of this study was to describe clinical and endoscopic features, and outcomes of ubRMS in dogs.

Case Description: Dogs undergoing transurethral endoscopy and with a histological diagnosis of ubRMS were retrospectively collected.

Effects of the implementation of the dynamic silver code in the emergency department.

Background: Older persons accessing the Emergency Department (ED) spend more time and are at increased risk of poor outcomes. The Dynamic Silver Code (DSC), based on administrative data, predicts mortality of 75+ subjects visiting the ED.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of the implementation of the DSC in the ED.

Improved Performance of Organic Light-Emitting Transistors Enabled by Polyurethane Gate Dielectric.

Organic light-emitting transistors (OLETs) are multifunctional optoelectronic devices that combine in a single structure the advantages of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) and organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). However, low charge mobility and high threshold voltage are critical hurdles to practical OLET implementation. This work reports on the improvements obtained by using polyurethane films as a dielectric layer material in place of the standard poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) in OLET devices.

Mechanics of tensegrity cell units incorporating asymmetry and insights into .

The mechanical response of a contractile cell anchored to the substrate through focal adhesions is studied by means of an asymmetric pre-strained tensegrity structure obeying a neo-Hookean stress-strain law. The aim is to assess the influence of overall asymmetric contraction on the cell durotaxis and on the growth of the focal adhesion plaque. The asymmetric kinematics of the system is obtained in two ways, that is by assuming a gradient of the substrate stiffness and through asymmetric buckling.

Impact of SARS-CoV2 infection on mortality and hospitalization in nursing home residents during the "Omicron era".

Background: Widespread vaccination and emergence of less aggressive SARS-CoV2 variants may have blunted the unfavourable outcomes of COVID-19 in nursing home (NH) residents. We analysed the course of COVID-19 epidemic in NHs of Florence, Italy, during the "Omicron era" and investigated the independent effect of SARS-CoV2 infection on death and hospitalization risk.

Methods: Weekly SARS-CoV2 infection rates between November 2021 and March 2022 were calculated.

A Fully Integrated Miniaturized Optical Biosensor for Fast and Multiplexing Plasmonic Detection of High- and Low-Molecular-Weight Analytes.

Optical biosensors based on plasmonic sensing schemes combine high sensitivity and selectivity with label-free detection. However, the use of bulky optical components is still hampering the possibility of obtaining miniaturized systems required for analysis in real settings. Here, a fully miniaturized optical biosensor prototype based on plasmonic detection is demonstrated, which enables fast and multiplex sensing of analytes with high- and low molecular weight (80 000 and 582 Da) as quality and safety parameters for milk: a protein (lactoferrin) and an antibiotic (streptomycin).

Comparative Evaluation of Peripheral Blood Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio, Serum Albumin to Globulin Ratio and Serum C-Reactive Protein to Albumin Ratio in Dogs with Inflammatory Protein-Losing Enteropathy and Healthy Dogs.

Few routinely available biomarkers are clinically useful in assessing dogs with inflammatory protein-losing enteropathy caused by immunosuppressive-responsive enteropathy (IRE-PLE). Only the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been studied, while no information exists on the use of the albumin to globulin ratio (AGR) and C-reactive protein to albumin ratio (CRP/ALB). We aimed to evaluate the clinical significance of the NLR, AGR and CRP/ALB in a population of dogs with IRE-PLE.

Relationship between Serum Protein Electrophoresis, Endoscopic and Histopathological Scores in 99 Cats with Chronic Enteropathy.

Few studies have investigated total protein (TP) and serum protein electrophoresis (SPE) in cats with chronic enteropathy (CE). Cats diagnosed with CE were evaluated to investigate the relationships between TP, SPE and endoscopy, histopathology, and extraintestinal involvement. Medical records were searched for cats with a history of chronic gastrointestinal signs and a final diagnosis of CE.

Pre-strains and buckling in mechanosensitivity of contractile cells and focal adhesions: A tensegrity model.

We demonstrate that several key aspects of the contractile activity of a cell interacting with the substrate can be captured by means of a non linear elastic tensegrity mechanical system made of a tensile element in parallel with a buckling-prone component, and exchanging forces with the surroundings through an extracellular matrix-focal adhesion complex. Mechanosensitivity of the focal adhesion plaque is triggered by pre-strain-driven buckling of the system induced either by pre-contraction or pre-polymerization of the constituents. The impact of pre-polymerization on the mechanical force and the implications of using linear and nonlinear elasticity for the focal adhesion plaque are assessed.

Usefulness of squash preparation cytology in the diagnosis of canine urinary bladder carcinomas.

Background: Epithelial cells show varying degrees of cytologic atypia in dogs with nonmalignant lesions (NML) and carcinomas (ubC) of the bladder, making histopathologic examination necessary for a definitive diagnosis.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic performance of squash preparation cytology and identify several cytomorphologic features of ubC to assist in diagnoses.

Methods: Squash preparations were made and reviewed in dogs that underwent transurethral cystoscopy.

Gastroduodenal ulceration detected endoscopically in cats: retrospective study of 61 patients.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to describe the endoscopic appearance of gastroduodenal ulcers (GDUs), and to assess the clinical, ultrasonographic and histological data, as well as long-term follow-up, in cats.

Methods: The medical record databases of five veterinary endoscopists were evaluated between January 2016 and 2020, in a retrospective study. Cats with at least one gastric or duodenal ulcer detected by endoscopic examination were included.

Clinical evaluation and microbiota analysis in 9 dogs with antibiotic-responsive enteropathy: A prospective comparison study.

Background: Antibiotic-responsive enteropathy (ARE) is diagnosed by excluding other causes of diarrhea and when there is a short-term response to administration of antibiotics.

Objectives: To characterize the gut microbiota and clinical trend of dogs with suspected ARE and to evaluate the variation in microbiota before (T0), after 30 days (T30) of tylosin treatment, and 30 days after discontinuation of treatment (T60). A further objective was to evaluate whether changes in gut microbiota are related to relapses of diarrhea when the therapy is tapered.

Actomyosin contractility and buckling of microtubules in nucleation, growth and disassembling of focal adhesions.

Building up and maintenance of cytoskeletal structure in living cells are force-dependent processes involving a dynamic chain of polymerization and depolymerization events, which are also at the basis of cells' remodelling and locomotion. All these phenomena develop by establishing cell-matrix interfaces made of protein complexes, known as focal adhesions, which govern mechanosensing and mechanotransduction mechanisms mediated by stress transmission between cell interior and external environment. Within this framework, by starting from a work by Cao et al.

Long-term effects of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in the nursing home setting.

Background: SARS-CoV-2 vaccination has significantly reduced infection, hospitalization, and lethality rates among nursing home (NH) residents, but durability of vaccine effects remains unknown. This study investigated the long-term impact of BNT162b2 SARS-CoV-2 vaccine on breakthrough infection rates in the NHs of Florence, Italy.

Methods: Participants included residents living in Florence NHs as of April 1st, 2021, who had completed the primary SARS-CoV2 vaccination course by February 15th, 2021.

Presence of bronchial nodules, younger age, and heavier body weight are associated with a diagnosis of eosinophilic lung disease in dogs with cough.

Objective: To describe the association between a diagnosis of eosinophilic lung disease (ELD) in dogs with signalment and bronchoscopic features and evaluate the accuracy of visualization of nodules for the diagnosis of ELD.

Animals: 781 dogs with cough that underwent bronchoscopy between 2014 and 2016.

Procedures: Data were extracted from the medical records of each included dog.

Course and Lethality of SARS-CoV-2 Epidemic in Nursing Homes after Vaccination in Florence, Italy.

Evidence on the effectiveness of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in nursing home (NHs) residents is limited. We examined the impact of the BNT162b2 mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine on the course of the epidemic in NHs in the Florence Health District, Italy, before and after vaccination. Moreover, we assessed survival and hospitalization by vaccination status in SARS-CoV-2-positive cases occurring during the post-vaccination period.

Immunosuppressant-Responsive Enteropathy and Non-Responsive Enteropathy in Dogs: Prognostic Factors, Short- and Long-Term Follow Up.

A multicentre prospective study was performed to assess whether clinical, hematobiochemical, endoscopic and histopathological parameters were associated with mortality, clinical response and relapse of disease in short- and long-term follow-up of a total of 165 dogs with chronic inflammatory enteropathy, of which 150 had immunosuppressant responsive enteropathy (IRE), and 15 had non-responsive enteropathy (NRE) dogs. Clinical severity (CCECAI) was evaluated from presentation (T0) to 18 months (T18) from diagnosis. T0 body condition score (BCS), selected haematological parameters and endoscopic and histopathological scores were evaluated.

Detection of Anti-Erythrocyte Antibodies in Dogs with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).

Several extra-intestinal manifestations, including immune-mediated cytopenias, are reported in human inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), whereas they are poorly documented in dogs. Hypothesizing that immune-mediated subclinical anemia can occur in canine IBD, the study aim was to evaluate the erythrogram and the presence of anti-RBC antibodies in dogs with IBD. IBD was diagnosed according to the following criteria: chronic gastrointestinal signs, ruling out of extra-intestinal diseases, no improvement with diet trial, histological evidence of inflammatory infiltration, and improvement after immunosuppressant therapy.

Assessment of humoral and cellular immunity induced by the BNT162b2 SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in healthcare workers, elderly people, and immunosuppressed patients with autoimmune disease.

The development of vaccines to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection has mainly relied on the induction of neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) to the Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, but there is growing evidence that T cell immune response can contribute to protection as well. In this study, an anti-receptor binding domain (RBD) antibody assay and an INFγ-release assay (IGRA) were used to detect humoral and cellular responses to the Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 vaccine in three separate cohorts of COVID-19-naïve patients: 108 healthcare workers (HCWs), 15 elderly people, and 5 autoimmune patients treated with immunosuppressive agents. After the second dose of vaccine, the mean values of anti-RBD antibodies (Abs) and INFγ were 123.

Caring for nursing home residents with COVID-19: a "hospital-at-nursing home" intermediate care intervention.

Background: Nursing home (NH) residents have been dramatically affected by COVID-19, with extremely high rates of hospitalization and mortality.

Aims: To describe the features and impact of an assistance model involving an intermediate care mobile medical specialist team (GIROT, Gruppo Intervento Rapido Ospedale Territorio) aimed at delivering "hospital-at-nursing home" care to NH residents with COVID-19 in Florence, Italy.

Methods: The GIROT activity was set-up during the first wave of the pandemic (W1, March-April 2020) and became a structured healthcare model during the second (W2, October 2020-January 2021).

Estimating Prognosis and Frailty in Persons Aged ≥75 Years in the Emergency Department: Further Validation of Dynamic Silver Code.

Objectives: To assess concurrent validity of the Dynamic Silver Code (DSC), a tool based on administrative data that predicts prognosis in older adults accessing the emergency department (ED), in terms of association with markers of poor functional and cognitive status.

Design: Cross-sectional.

Setting And Participants: Data were obtained in the AIDEA study, which enrolled a cohort of ≥75-year-old patients, accessing the ED of 2 hospitals in Florence, Italy.

Evaluation of duodenal endoscopic and histologic findings, including counts of forkhead box P3-positive regulatory T cells, in dogs with immunosuppressant-responsive enteropathy.

Objective: To prospectively evaluate the clinical and prognostic importance of duodenal endoscopic and histologic findings, including duodenal mucosal counts of forkhead box P3-positive regulatory T cells (Foxp3+ Tregs), in dogs with immunosuppressant-responsive enteropathy (IRE).

Animals: 57 client-owned dogs with IRE.

Procedures: The canine chronic enteropathy clinical activity index (CCECAI) was used to assess each dog when IRE was diagnosed (T0) and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months later.