Prevention of self-grooming in rats: Evidence for a rebound effect.

Rodent self-grooming is a stereotyped behavior that can rise due to stressors such as novelty. In the present study, the occurrence of a rebound effect was investigated by means of manipulation of contextual novelty and of the possibility of self-grooming (with an Elizabethan collar which blocked head-body contact). Fourty-six male rats were submitted to an experiment latter replicated with 43 females.

The recommended lifetime immunization schedule from the board of vaccination calendar for life in Italy: A continuing example of impact on public health policies.

The Vaccination Calendar for Life is an alliance of scientific and professional societies of public health physicians, paediatricians and general practitioners in Italy which provides a periodical update on the ideal, scientifically driven vaccination calendar throughout lifetime. Since 2012, the Lifetime Immunization Schedule has represented a benchmark for Regional and National Authorities to set up the updated list of vaccines provided actively and free of charge to infants, children, adolescents, adults and the elderly by inclusion in the Triennial National Vaccination Plan (TNVP), and in the Essential Levels of Care (LEA). The impact of the different editions of the Lifetime Immunization Schedule on the TNVP was deep, representing the inspiring source for the present vaccination policy.

Quality of life and therapeutic management of axial spondyloarthritis patients in Italy: a 12-month prospective observational study.

Objectives: To evaluate the health-related quality of life (HRQoL), disease activity, treatment adherence, and work ability in the real-world setting in patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA).

Methods: QUASAR was a prospective 12-month, observational study involving 23 rheumatology centres across Italy, including adult patients with axSpA according to the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society (ASAS) criteria. Patients were followed at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months for disease activity and health-related QoL (HRQoL), treatment adherence and work ability.

Susac's Syndrome: An Updated Review.

Susac's syndrome is a rare immune-mediated endotheliopathy that mainly affects young women. It is characterised by the presence of encephalopathy, retinal vaso-occlusive disease and hearing loss. Diagnosis is based on the clinical presentation, brain magnetic resonance imaging, retinal fluorescein angiography, and audiometry.

A Review of Neuro-Ophthalmological Manifestations of Human Coronavirus Infection.

Introduction: Human coronavirus (HCoVs) are a group of viruses with recognized neurotropic and neuroinvasive capabilities. The reports on the neurological and ocular findings are increasing day after day and several central and peripheral neurological manifestations are already described. However, none specifically describes the neuro-ophthalmological manifestation of HCoVs.

[New challenges in vaccination policies: the role of General Practitioners].

The phenomenon of “Vaccine Hesintacy” and the consequent decrease in vaccination coverage with the re-ignition of some epidemic outbreaks has led Italian national and regional authorities to set a new vaccination plan (PNPV 2017-19) and even coercive measures such as the the Law n.119/2017. In addition, there have been initiatives by scientific societies also in order to increase involvement of professionals in information and education campaigns.

Rat self-grooming and its relationships with anxiety, dearousal and perseveration: Evidence for a self-grooming trait.

Rodent self-grooming is a behavior that, besides its cleaning function, can be led by arousing experiences. A putative trait-like nature of this behavior was studied. With the aim of providing information about how grooming behavior can reflect different behavioral processes, an individual differences approach was adopted.

Visual Impairment After Haemodialysis.

Hypotension is the most frequent complication of haemodialysis. We report a case of acute visual impairment after one session of haemodialysis in a context of an acute optic neuropathy. The immunological and serological studies were negative.

Tuberous sclerosis complex: a clinical case with multiple ophthalmological manifestations.

The tuberous sclerosis complex is a rare disease, with autosomal dominant transmission, with multisystemic involvement including ophthalmologic. Retinal hamartomas and retinal achromic patch are the most frequent ocular findings. Other ophthalmic signs and symptoms are relatively rare in this disease.

[Tick Infestation of the Eyelid: Case Report and Literature Review].

Tick infestation is rarely seen in ophthalmological practice. We report the case of a 73-year-old woman who presented with edema and erythema of her right upper eyelid. Biomicroscopic examination revealed a tick firmly attached to the eyelid margin.

Influenza vaccination 2014-2015: Results of a survey conducted among general practitioners in Italy.

Introduction: The aim of the present study was to evaluate orientation, organizational procedures implemented and difficulties faced by general practitioners (GPs) during the 2014/15 seasonal influenza vaccination programme, as well as GPs' general attitude towards vaccinations.

Methods: An ad hoc online survey was developed and administered to general practitioners members of the Italian Federation of GPs (Federazione Italiana Medici di Medicina Generale - FIMMG). Overall, 10,000 survey invitations were sent.

The 2016 Lifetime Immunization Schedule, approved by the Italian scientific societies: A new paradigm to promote vaccination at all ages.

Medical scientific societies have the core mission of producing, pooling and disseminating solid and updated scientific information. We report the successful experience of the partnership of four national Medical Scientific Societies active in Italy in producing scientific advice on vaccines and vaccination. In particular, i) the Italian Society of Hygiene, Preventive Medicine and Public Health; SitI, ii) the Italian Society of Paediatrics; SIP, iii) the "Italian Federation of General Practitioners"; FIMP, and iv) the Italian Federation of General Medicine FIMMG) have worked together since 2012 to produce shared evidence-based recommendations on vaccination schedules, namely the "Lifetime Immunization Schedule" which introduced for the first time in Italy a life-course approach to vaccination.

Eyelid Dermatitis Caused by Allergic Contact to Acrylates in Artificial Nails.

Over the past few years, there has been an increase in cases of allergic contact dermatitis caused by acrylates, because of the growing popularity of artificial nails. Pathological reactions to artificial nails typically occur on or around the nail area. Eyelid contact dermatitis due to artificial nails is rarely seen, especially in a nonoccupational setting.

[Pediatric Cataracts: A Retrospective Study of 12 Years (2004 - 2016)].

Introduction: Cataracts are a major cause of preventable childhood blindness. Visual prognosis of these patients depends on a prompt therapeutic approach. Understanding pediatric cataracts epidemiology is of great importance for the implementation of programs of primary prevention and early diagnosis.

When an Easy Thing Goes Wrong: Foreign Body Induced Granuloma-Associated Scleritis Following Pterygium Surgery.

Purpose: To report a case of pterygium surgery with conjunctival autograft followed by focal necrotizing scleritis due to foreign body entrapment in the scleral bed.

Case Report/results: This is a case report of a 76-years-old male patient who underwent nasal pterygium surgery and developed focal necrotizing scleritis secondary to foreign body entrapment under conjunctival autograft. One month following surgery, slit-lamp examination demonstrated a progressive thinning of the surgical area with focal inflammatory signs.

[Prevention of HPV cancer related through HPV-9: state of the art, potential benefits and open issues].

HPV vaccines currently marketed in Italy (bivalent and quadrivalent against HPV 16-18 and HPV and 6,11,16,18 respectively) are an extraordinary tool for the primary prevention of HPV related diseases, particularly of the cervical cancer. Although the implementation of the organized vaccination programs has already translated (for some endpoint) in confirmation of clinical efficacy, remains excluded a significant proportion of the diseases linked to non-vaccine HPV types. The new nonavalent vaccine (HPV9), of impending commercialization, represents an evolution of the quadrivalent, the composition of which are added five high-risk HPV types (HPV 31,33,45,52,58).

Modification-free photocontrol of β-lactam conversion with spatiotemporal resolution.

β-Lactams can be converted into β-amino acids by β-lactamase, a bacterial enzyme, leading to significant change in the biological function of the substrate molecules. Here we describe a method for photocontrol of β-lactam conversion without gene nor enzyme modification. This is achieved by the addition of a cationic photosensitive surfactant, AzoTAB, to a gene expression medium containing DNA coding for β-lactamase, the enzyme capable of the desired conversion.

[The support of the ultrasonography of the shoulder in the diagnosis of polymyalgia rheumatica with normal erythrocyte sedimentation rate].

Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is a chronic inflammatory syndrome that affects the elderly population and whose diagnosis is mainly based on clinical criteria taking little advantage of the latest innovatory methods of diagnostic imaging, for instance ultrasonography. Although it is generally characterised by increasing of inflammation values as well as pain and stiffness on the shoulder and pelvic girdles, there is a significant percentage of patients with PMR whose erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) is normal; in this case to make a diagnosis is difficult. The purpose of our study is to demonstrate how useful ultrasound investigations on the shoulders joints could be in order to make a diagnosis of PMR, especially for those patients with atypical normal ESR.

[Comorbidities in rheumatoid arthritis: analysis of hospital discharge records].

Objective: Arthritis is often associated with comorbidities. For many of them, such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, chronic pulmonary disease, and upper gastrointestinal disease, arthritis and its treatment may also represent a risk factor. This study is concerned with an evaluation of the frequency of comorbidities in a cohort of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Trends in otolaryngology research during the period 1995-2000: a bibliometric approach.

Objectives: To evaluate the distribution and scope of papers published in the world in otolaryngology (ORL) journals and to compare the impact of this research among different countries.

Methods: Papers published in the 29 ORL journals screened by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI, Philadelphia, PA, USA) in the 6-year period 1995-2000 were considered. The journal impact factor (IF), the source country population, and gross domestic product (GDP) were recorded.

[Pure analgesics in a rheumatological outpatient clinic].

OBJECTIVE: Pure analgesics are only rarely used by Italian clinicians and this holds true also for rheumatologists. This work is concerned with an evaluation of the use of analgesics in a rheumatological outpatient clinic during the period 1989-1999. METHODS: The records of 1705 patients consecutively seen at the clinic were downloaded on a specifically built website.

[Methodology of an epidemiologic prevalence study in rheumatology: the Chiavari study].

Objectives: Goals of epidemiological studies are the description of the measures of frequency of diseases, the attempt to clarify possible etiopathogenic mechanisms, and the provision of data to support health policy decisions. To increase the familiarity of rheumatologists toward epidemiology, we describe the methodology used in a prevalence study of musculoskeletal complaints performed in Chiavari, Italy.

Methods: A questionnaire, originally developed by the Epidemiology Unit of the Arthitis Research Council in Manchester, UK, to investigate the prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis, was used after translation and validation.