Evaluation of Bacterial Viability for Fecal Microbiota Transplantation: Impact of Thawing Temperature and Storage Time.

Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) represents a promising therapeutic tool under study for several purposes and is currently applied to the treatment of recurrent infection. However, since the use of fresh stool was affected by several issues linked to donor screening, the development of a frozen stool bank is a reliable option to standardize FMT procedures. Nevertheless, different environmental factors impact microbial viability.

Efficacy of non-invasive brain stimulation and neuronavigation for major depressive disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) are increasingly used for major depressive disorder (MDD). Most tDCS and rTMS studies target the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, either with or without neuronavigation. We examined the effect of rTMS and tDCS, and the added value of neuronavigation in the treatment of MDD.

Online Questionnaire with Fibromyalgia Patients Shows Negative Correlations between Disease Severity and Adherence to Mediterranean Diet.

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a multidimensional disorder in which intense chronic pain is accompanied by a variety of psychophysical symptoms that impose a burden on the patients' quality of life. Despite the efforts and the recent advancement in research, FM pathogenesis and effective treatment remain unknown. Recently, the possible role of dietary patterns and/or components has been gaining attention.

Silent myocardial infarction fatty scars detected by coronary calcium score CT scan in diabetic patients without history of coronary heart disease.

Objectives: To evaluate the prevalence of intra-myocardial fatty scars (IMFS) most likely indicating previous silent myocardial infarction (SMI), as detected on coronary artery calcium (CAC) computed tomography (CT) scans in diabetic patients without history of coronary heart disease (CHD).

Methods: Diabetic patients screened for silent coronary insufficiency in a tertiary-care, university hospital between Jan-2015 and Dec-2016 were categorized according to their CAC score in two groups comprising 242 patients with CACS = 0 and 145 patients with CACS ≥ 300. CAC-CT scans were retrospectively evaluated for subendorcardial and transmural IMFS of the left ventricle.

Generation of all randomizations using circuits.

After a rich history in medicine, randomized control trials (RCTs), both simple and complex, are in increasing use in other areas, such as web-based A/B testing and planning and design of decisions. A main objective of RCTs is to be able to measure parameters, and contrasts in particular, while guarding against biases from hidden confounders. After careful definitions of classical entities such as contrasts, an algebraic method based on circuits is introduced which gives a wide choice of randomization schemes.

Online Questionnaire with Fibromyalgia Patients Reveals Correlations among Type of Pain, Psychological Alterations, and Effectiveness of Non-Pharmacological Therapies.

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic pain syndrome with an unclear etiology. In addition to pain, FM patients suffer from a diverse array of symptoms and comorbidities, encompassing fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, mood disorders, sleep deprivation, and dizziness. Due to the complexity of FM, the diagnosis and treatment of it are highly challenging.

Vestibular Disability/Handicap in Fibromyalgia: A Questionnaire Study.

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a poorly understood, central pain processing disorder characterized by a broad range of symptoms, such as chronic pain, sleep disruption, chronic fatigue, and psychosomatic symptoms. In addition, recent studies have shown that FM patients also experience dizziness. We aimed to establish a prevalence rate of vestibular symptoms in a population of FM patients through a battery of questionnaires investigating socio-demographic, clinical and psychological characteristics, combined with the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) and the Situational Vertigo Questionnaire (SVQ).

Analysis of the Weighted Kappa and Its Maximum with Markov Moves.

In this paper, the notion of Markov move from algebraic statistics is used to analyze the weighted kappa indices in rater agreement problems. In particular, the problem of the maximum kappa and its dependence on the choice of the weighting schemes are discussed. The Markov moves are also used in a simulated annealing algorithm to actually find the configuration of maximum agreement.

Performance of a new combination of blood culture vials in sepsis detection: a 2-year retrospective comparison.

The diagnosis of bloodstream infection requires the optimum combination of media in an automated blood culture system for maximum recovery of pathogens with the earliest time to detection. In a previous work, we showed that for patients admitted to the Emergency Department of our hospital, the combination of BACTEC lytic anaerobic and BACTEC aerobic vials was more efficient than BACTEC anaerobic and BACTEC aerobic vial. In this study, we extended the work including a broader patient population, representative of all hospital.

Plants used in artisanal fisheries on the Western Mediterranean coasts of Italy.

Background: Artisanal fisheries in the Mediterranean, especially in Italy, have been poorly investigated. There is a long history of fishing in this region, and it remains an important economic activity in many localities. Our research entails both a comprehensive review of the relevant literature and 58 field interviews with practitioners on plants used in fishing activities along the Western Mediterranean Italian coastal regions.

Expression analysis of the molluscan p53 protein family mRNA in mussels (Mytilus spp.) exposed to organic contaminants.

In this study, we report the tissue expression analysis of the p53 protein family mRNA in mussels (Mytilus spp.) by means of quantitative RT-PCR. The tissue specific response was evaluated after 24 h exposure to a sublethal benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) concentration (75 nM), showing a 2.