Monitoring an Emergent Pathogen at Low Incidence in Wastewater Using qPCR: Mpox in Switzerland.

Wastewater-based epidemiology offers a complementary approach to clinical case-based surveillance of emergent diseases and can help identify regions with infected people to prioritize clinical surveillance strategies. However, tracking emergent diseases in wastewater requires reliance on novel testing assays with uncertain sensitivity and specificity. Limited pathogen shedding may cause detection to be below the limit of quantification or bordering the limit of detection.

Monitoring ESBL- in Swiss wastewater between November 2021 and November 2022: insights into population carriage.

Unlabelled: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a global health threat, causing millions of deaths annually, with expectations of increased impact in the future. Wastewater surveillance offers a cost-effective, non-invasive tool to understand AMR carriage trends within a population. We monitored extended-spectrum β-lactamase producing (ESBL-) weekly in influent wastewater from six wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Switzerland (November 2021 to November 2022) to investigate spatio-temporal variations, explore correlations with environmental variables, develop a predictive model for ESBL- carriage in the community, and detect the most prevalent ESBL-genes.

An untargeted metabolomics approach to study changes of the medium during human cornea culture.

Introduction: Two main approaches (organ culture and hypothermia) for the preservation and storage of human donor corneas are globally adopted for corneal preservation before the transplant. Hypothermia is a hypothermic storage which slows down cellular metabolism while organ culture, a corneal culture performed at 28-37 °C, maintains an active corneal metabolism. Researchers, till now, have just studied the impact of organ culture on human cornea after manipulating and disrupting tissues.

The metrics of reading speed: understanding developmental dyslexia.

We compared reading words and pseudo-words presented in single displays (as typical of psycholinguistic research) with stimuli presented in multiple displays (as typical of real-life conditions and clinical testing) under controlled conditions. Italian sixth-grade children with and without a reading deficit showed an advantage in reading times for multiple over single displays. This finding was partly ascribed to the capacity to overlap the non-decisional component of the response, an effect present in control readers as well as children with dyslexia.

Pet Protection Orders for Domestic Violence Survivors: Are They Being Used?

This study examines if and how pet protection orders have been used by domestic violence survivors in the 36 states and the District of Columbia in which they have been enacted. A review of court websites determined if there was a specific item to include a pet in the temporary and/or final protection order. In addition, individual court administrators were contacted in various states to determine if statistics were available on the number of pet protection orders issued.

Management of COVID-19-related post-intubation tracheal stenosis.

Introduction: The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has affected Italy since the beginning of 2020. Endotracheal intubation, prolonged mechanical ventilation, and tracheostomy are frequently required in patients with severe COVID-19. Tracheal stenosis is a potentially severe condition that can occur as a complication after intubation.

First-line treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: the real-world Italian cohort of the Prostate Cancer Registry.

Background: With the availability of multiple treatment options for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), new real-world data on disease management and drugs' performance are needed.

Methods: We described characteristics, management and clinical outcomes of patients receiving first-line mCRPC treatment within the Italian cohort of the real-world, prospective, international Prostate Cancer Registry. Patients were enrolled consecutively (2013-2016) in 32 Italian sites and followed for 3 years.

Diagnostic accuracy of endobronchial ultrasound-transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) for mediastinal lymph node staging of lung cancer.

Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality around the world. A prompt diagnosis and accurate staging are of the essence in order to establish the appropriate treatment plan. Mediastinal lymph nodes involvement is the most important parameter to define the therapeutic path, and particularly to decide whether a patient can be offered a potentially curative surgery.

Perceived value interviews and socio-economic survey data for communities in rural Uganda.

This article describes a dataset of perceived values and socioeconomic indicators collected in rural Ugandan communities. The data were collected in interviews which employed: (1) the User-Perceived Value game, which solicits verbal data using graphical prompts and 'why'-probing; and (2) socio-economic surveys, which collected demographic data. The dataset constitutes 119 interviews conducted between 2014 and 2015 in seven rural Ugandan villages.

Tracheostomy in Mechanically Ventilated Patients With SARS-CoV-2-ARDS: Focus on Tracheomalacia.

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic increased the number of patients needing invasive mechanical ventilation, either through an endotracheal tube or through a tracheostomy. Tracheomalacia is a rare but potentially severe complication of mechanical ventilation, which can significantly complicate the weaning process. The aim of this study was to describe the strategies of airway management in mechanically ventilated patients with respiratory failure due to SARS-CoV-2, the incidence of severe tracheomalacia, and investigate the factors associated with its occurrence.

Pulmonary Resection for Metastasis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Recurring After Liver Transplant: An Italian Multicenter Experience.

Liver transplantation (LT) is a validated treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HCC recurrence occurred between 8 and 20% of patients and lung is the most frequent site. Pulmonary metastases resection (PMR) prolongs survival, however in LT-setting the impact on survival is unclear.

CPAP after endoscopic procedures as add-on therapy for the treatment of tracheal stenosis: a case series.

Tracheal stenosis represents a possible complication in intubated or tracheotomised patients. Tracheal resection is currently the gold standard for the treatment of complex stenosis while granulomas and simple stenosis (e.g.

Complications related to endoscopic lung volume reduction for emphysema with endobronchial valves: results of a multicenter study.

Background: Despite bronchoscopic lung volume reduction (BLVR) with valves is a minimally invasive treatment for emphysema, it can associate with some complications. We aimed at evaluating the rate and type of complications related to valve treatment and their impact on clinical outcomes.

Methods: It is a retrospective multicenter study including all consecutive patients with severe heterogeneous emphysema undergoing BLVR with endobronchial valve treatment and developed any complications related to this procedure.

Comparative effects of the parasiticide ivermectin on survival and reproduction of adult sepsid flies.

Ivermectin is a veterinary pharmaceutical widely applied against parasites of livestock. Being effective against pests, it is also known to have lethal and sublethal effects on non-target organisms. While considerable research demonstrates the impact of ivermectin residues in livestock dung on the development and survival of dung feeding insect larvae, surprisingly little is known about its fitness effects on adults.

A Smooth Esophageal Stricture Causing Dysphagia.

Dysphagia in patients with lung cancer is usually due to direct invasion from bronchogenic carcinomas or nodal localizations, while metastases from distant lung neoplasms are considered rare. We report a case of a smooth esophageal narrowing secondary to intramural metastasis from pulmonary adenocarcinoma in a patient with no previous history of neoplasia. Since standard linear echoendoscope could not overpass the malignant stricture, we obtained a histological diagnosis by fine-needle aspiration biopsy using an echobronchoscope (EBUS), due to its lower diameter.

Self-expanding y stent for the treatment of malignant tracheobronchial stenosis. Retrospective study.

Palliation of malignant tracheobronchial stenosis is challenging. Published experience with self-expanding Y-shaped stents is limited and it seems necessary to evaluate whether they improve clinical results with respect to alternative prostheses. We present a retrospective case series of 20 consecutive patients with malignant tracheobronchial stenosis that underwent placement of a single-unit, Y-shaped covered metallic stent.

[Value-based cancer care. From traditional evidence-based decision making to balanced decision making within frameworks of shared values].

Clinical decision making in oncology is based so far on the evidence of efficacy from high-quality clinical research. Data collection and analysis from experimental studies provide valuable insight into response rates and progression-free or overall survival. Data processing generates valuable information for medical professionals involved in cancer patient care, enabling them to make objective and unbiased choices.

Topical Application of a Galenical Formulation for the Management of Everolimus-Induced Mucositis in Patients with Metastatic Cancer: a Retrospective Study.

Introduction: Stomatitis is a common and potentially dose-limiting adverse event of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor therapy. To minimize dose reductions or treatment delays that may affect therapeutic outcomes, management includes patient education, pain management strategies, and drug treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a topically-applied galenical preparation to minimize the impact of everolimus-associated oral mucositis in patients with advanced cancer.

Identification of polymorphic variants associated with erlotinib-related skin toxicity in advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients by DMET microarray analysis.

Purpose: Erlotinib is a targeted agent commonly used in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (aNSCLC). However, drug-related skin toxicity often may affect the quality of life of cancer patients and lead to treatment discontinuation. Genetic polymorphisms in drug transporters and metabolizing enzymes play a major role in the interindividual variability in terms of efficacy and toxicity of erlotinib treatment.

Treating verbal working memory in a boy with intellectual disability.

The present case study investigates the effects of a cognitive training of verbal working memory that was proposed for Davide, a 14-year-old boy diagnosed with mild intellectual disability. The program stimulated attention, inhibition, switching, and the ability to engage either in verbal dual tasks or in producing inferences after the content of a short passage had been encoded in episodic memory. Key elements in our program included (1) core training of target cognitive mechanisms; (2) guided practice emphasizing concrete strategies to engage in exercises; and (3) a variable amount of adult support.

Targeted therapy in renal carcinoma: a case of long-term effect with complete control of toxicity.

Although advances in imaging techniques have allowed earlier diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in recent decades, one-third of patients who have undergone radical resection of organ-confined disease will eventually develop metastases. The treatment of metastatic RCC was revolutionized by the advent of targeted therapy with tyrosine kinase inhibitors. We have followed seven patients with metastatic RCC who were treated with first-line pazopanib at our center.

Improvement of quality of life in third-line chemotherapy with lapatinib in a case of metastatic breast cancer.

We describe a case of a 72-year-old patient suffering from metastatic breast cancer. The disease had progressed slowly and was almost asymptomatic for a significant time. Toxicity, following third-line treatment with lapatinib, was not significant, and side effects were well controlled.

Combined hysteroscopic findings and 3-dimensional reconstructed coronal view of the uterus to avoid laparoscopic assessment for inpatient hysteroscopic metroplasty: pilot study.

Study Objective: To assess the use of 3-dimensional (3D) reconstructed coronal view of the uterus and intraoperative hysteroscopic findings to avoid diagnostic laparoscopy during inpatient hysteroscopic metroplasty.

Design: Pilot study (Canadian Task Force classification II).

Setting: University hospital infertility clinic.

Successful treatment of persistent postoperative air leaks following the placement of an endobronchial one-way valve.

Treatment of persistent air leaks due to pulmonary resection in pathological conditions of the lung involve a very large spectrum of available methods, from chest drainage and placement of Heimlich valves to surgical repair or pleural decortication. However, in some of these patients surgery may be contraindicated. This report describes an endobronchial approach to the control of marked and prolonged air leaks in four patients using a newly designed one-way airway valve (Pulmonx Corporation; Redwood City, Ca.