Quantifying West Nile virus circulation in the avian host population in Northern Italy.

West Nile virus (WNV) is one of the most threatening mosquito-borne pathogens in Italy where hundreds of human cases were recorded during the last decade. Here, we estimated the WNV incidence in the avian population in the Emilia-Romagna region through a modelling framework which enabled us to eventually assess the fraction of birds that present anti-WNV antibodies at the end of each epidemiological season. We fitted an SIR model to ornithological data, consisting of 18,989 specimens belonging to Corvidae species collected between 2013 and 2022: every year from May to November birds are captured or shot and tested for WNV genome presence.

The 2023 dengue outbreak in Lombardy, Italy: A one-health perspective.

Introduction: Here we reported the virological, entomological and epidemiological characteristics of the large autochthonous outbreak of dengue (DENV) occurred in a small village of the Lombardy region (Northern Italy) during summer 2023.

Methods: After the diagnosis of the first autochthonous case on August 18, 2023, public health measures, including epidemiological investigation and vector control measures, were carried out. A serological screening for DENV antibodies detection was offered to the population.

An Exploratory Study: Can Native T1 Mapping Differentiate Sarcoma from Benign Soft Tissue Tumors at 1.5 T and 3 T?

: T1 relaxation time has been shown to be valuable in detecting and characterizing tumors in various organs. This study aims to determine whether native T1 relaxation time can serve as a useful tool in distinguishing sarcomas from benign tumors. : In this retrospective study, patients with histologically confirmed soft tissue sarcomas and benign tumors were included.

Autochthonous dengue outbreak in Marche Region, Central Italy, August to October 2024.

Between August and 28 October 2024, 199 autochthonous cases of dengue virus serotype 2 were notified in the city of Fano, central Italy. We describe the ongoing epidemiological and microbiological investigation and public health measures implemented to contain the outbreak. The high transmissibility and the extension of the outbreak suggest that dengue should be expected in temperate regions during favourable seasons, highlighting the need for heightened awareness among healthcare providers and the public to ensure timely detection and response.

mFFE CT-like MRI Sequences for the Assessment of Vertebral Fractures.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance, image quality, and inter- and intra-observer agreement of the 3D T1 multi-echo fast field echo (mFFE) sequence in cervico-thoraco-lumbar vertebral fractures compared with conventional computed tomography (CT) as the gold standard.

Methods: We conducted a prospective single-centre study including 29 patients who underwent spinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at the surgeon's request, in addition to CT for vertebral fracture assessment and classification. A 3D T1 mFFE sequence was added to the standard MRI protocol.