Immune Response to Tick-Borne Hemoparasites: Host Adaptive Immune Response Mechanisms as Potential Targets for Therapies and Vaccines.

Tick-transmitted pathogens cause infectious diseases in both humans and animals. Different types of adaptive immune mechanisms could be induced in hosts by these microorganisms, triggered either directly by pathogen antigens or indirectly through soluble factors, such as cytokines and/or chemokines, secreted by host cells as response. Adaptive immunity effectors, such as antibody secretion and cytotoxic and/or T helper cell responses, are mainly involved in the late and long-lasting protective immune response.

New Real-Time PCRs to Differentiate spp. and .

species are an important cause of emerging infectious diseases in people and animals, and rickettsiosis is one of the oldest known vector-borne diseases. Laboratory diagnosis of is complex and time-consuming. This study was aimed at developing two quantitative real-time PCRs targeting and genes for the detection, respectively, of spp.

Seroprevalence of Coxiella burnetii in dairy cattle from Sicily.

Q fever is a widespread zoonotic disease caused by Coxiella burnetii, an obligate intracellular bacterium with a wide range of hosts. The aim of this study was to estimate the seroprevalence of C. burnetii infection in cattle in Sicilian farms.

Analysis of interferon-gamma producing cells during infections by Yersinia enterocolitica O:9 and Brucella abortus in cattle.

One of the major constraints in the diagnosis of animal brucellosis is the cross-reactivity that occurs between Brucella and Yersinia surface antigens. With the aim to find a method to distinguish Brucella from Yersinia infection, the expansion of interferon gamma producing (IFN-γ+) T cell subsets obtained from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) isolated from cattle either infected by Brucella abortus or experimentally immunized with Yersinia enterocolitica O:9 were compared. The lymphocytes were analyzed by flow cytometry after PBMC were in vitro re-exposed to Yersinia or Brucella antigens.

Occurrence and risk factors of Coxiella burnetii in domestic ruminants in Lebanon.

Coxiella burnetii causes diseases in humans (Q fever) and animals, domestic ruminants playing a major role in the epidemiology of the infection. Information on C. burnetii infection in Lebanon is scanty.

Cross-reactivity in serological tests for brucellosis: a comparison of immune response of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Yersinia enterocolitica O:9 vs Brucella spp.

According to European Union (EU) regulations, the serological tests for the eradication of bovine and ovine brucellosis are the Rose Bengal Test, Complement Fixation Test, and i-ELISA. These methods, also recommended by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) for international trades, have limitations related to the use of suspensions of smooth Brucellae or LPS extracts. Limitations include false-positive serological reactions to brucellosis, which in turn impedes accurate diagnosis in some herds.

A Geographical Information System Based Approach for Integrated Strategies of Tick Surveillance and Control in the Peri-Urban Natural Reserve of Monte Pellegrino (Palermo, Southern Italy).

Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) are bloodsucking arthropods involved in pathogen transmission in animals and humans. Tick activity depends on various ecological factors such as vegetation, hosts, and temperature. The aim of this study was to analyse the spatial/temporal distribution of ticks in six sites within a peri-urban area of Palermo (Natural Reserve of Monte Pellegrino) and correlate it with field data using Geographical Information System (GIS) data.

The First Serological Study of Q Fever in Humans in Lebanon.

Objective: The aim of this study was to estimate, for the first time, the human seroprevalence of Q fever in Lebanon, by assessing the presence of antibodies against the causative agent, Coxiella burnetii. A total number of 421 serum samples (226 females and 196 males) were collected in February 2015 from hospitals and laboratories dispersed in five Lebanese provinces: Akkar, Bekaa, Mount Lebanon, Nabatieh, and South Lebanon.

Methods: Serial testing approach was used.

Initial clinical experience with a polytetrafluoroethylene vascular dialysis graft reinforced with nitinol at the venous end.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the outcomes of a vascular hybrid polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) graft, provided with a nitinol-reinforced section (NRS) on one end, in hemodialysis vascular access placement.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted including all the consecutive patients who underwent Gore Hybrid Vascular Graft (GHVG; W. L.

Analysis of seroprevalence against Coxiella burnetii in a sample of farm workers in Western Sicily.

Introduction And Objective: Little is known about the development of chronic Q fever caused by Coxiella burnetii in occupational risk groups and in the general population in Italy, as well as in many countries in the world. The aim of this study was to highlight the presence of the infection in a sample of workers operating outdoors (but not directly in contact with animals), in three provinces of western Sicily, in order to detect the human seroprevalence and compare the obtained data with those found in animals raised in the same territory.

Materials And Methods: The study included 126 generic seasonal agricultural workers (labourers), 84 male and 42 female; none of whom were aware of any previous contact with Coxiella burnetii.

Hybrid management of Paget-Schroetter syndrome due to thoracic outlet syndrome.

Paget-Schroetter syndrome due to thoracic outlet syndrome is a rare but potentially disabling condition that generally affects young patients otherwise healthy. The prompt diagnosis and treatment of Paget-Schroetter syndrome is necessary to avoid major morbidity and long-term disability. The more modern treatment paradigm reported in the current literature consists of hybrid procedures with surgical decompression of the thoracic outlet and endovascular techniques to potentially improve long-term vein patency.

Extreme distal bypass to improve wound healing in Buerger's disease.

Thromboangiitis obliterans or Buerger's disease is a rare non-atherosclerotic segmental inflammatory vasculitis that most commonly involves small and medium-sized arteries, veins and nerves of the extremities, and generally affects young tobacco smokers. A 53-year-old man was found to have critical ischaemia of his left lower limb with foot gangrene. He underwent extremely distal surgical revascularisation using a great saphenous vein bypass graft.

Response of LaBr3(Ce) scintillators to 2.5 MeV fusion neutrons.

Measurements of the response of LaBr3(Ce) to 2.5 MeV neutrons have been carried out at the Frascati Neutron Generator and at tokamak facilities with deuterium plasmas. The observed spectrum has been interpreted by means of a Monte Carlo model.

Timing of activation of CD4+ memory cells as a possible marker to establish the efficacy of vaccines against contagious agalactia in sheep.

Mycoplasma agalactiae is a major pathogen of sheep and goats in many areas of the world and particularly in Mediterranean countries. It causes contagious agalactia, an infectious disease primarily affecting mammary glands. Many vaccines against the pathogen are currently under development.

An evaluation of the capability of existing and novel serodiagnostic methods for porcine brucellosis to reduce false positive serological reactions.

Porcine brucellosis is a zoonotic disease of truly global significance because even in countries without the disease the occurrence of false positive serological reactions (FPSRs) creates significant problems. Statutory diagnostic testing is required in many disease free countries or regions and is often a prerequisite for the movement of live animals. Currently this testing is dependent almost entirely on serological assays and these may result in a significant number of FPSRs.

Antigen-specific T cells and cytokines detection as useful tool for understanding immunity against zoonotic infections.

Zoonoses include a broad range of diseases, that are becoming of great interest, due to the climate changing, that cause the adaptation of vectors to new niches and environments. Host immune responses play a crucial role in determining the outcome of infections, as documented by expansion of antigen-specific T cells during several zoonotic infections. Thus, understanding of the contribution of antigen-specific T-cell subsets in the host immune response is a powerful tool to evaluate the different immunological mechanisms involved in zoonotic infections and for the development of effective vaccines.

Pneumothorax in the Emergency Room: personal caseload.

The aim of this study was to collect information on the incidence, pathophysiology, treatment and mortality of pneumothorax in the Emergency Room. Pneumothorax is classified as spontaneous (primary, secondary or catamenial) or traumatic (iatrogenic or secondary to a blunt or penetrating chest injury). Between January 2007 and December 2009, 102 patients with pneumothorax were seen in our Emergency Room.

Expansion of intracellular IFN-γ positive lymphocytes during Mycoplasma agalactiae infection in sheep.

A method to assess the expansion of antigen-specific intracellular IFN-γ positive T cell subsets during the infection will be helpful for a better understanding of mycoplasmal infections physiopathology in the sheep. We analysed the percentage of antigen-specific lymphocytes positive for intracellular IFN-γ during the infection of sheep with Mycoplasma agalactiae by culturing peripheral blood mononuclear cells of infected or uninfected animals with irradiated M. agalactiae.

What do we know about risk factors for infection in humans with Toxoplasma gondii and how can we prevent infections?

Fourteen case-control studies evaluating the importance of different risk factors for infection of humans with Toxoplasma gondii were identified. Surprisingly, up to two-thirds of infections could not be explained by risk factors such as consuming raw or undercooked meat or poor kitchen hygiene. Few studies reported population attributable risk, and when reported, it was low.

Risk factors for toxoplasmosis in pigs bred in Sicily, Southern Italy.

The aim of the study was to determine the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in pigs raised and slaughtered in Sicily, Southern Italy, and to evaluate the risk factors associated with the infection. Samples were collected in seven slaughterhouses and on-site on 274 raising farms across Sicily, in the period from January 2006 until March 2007. For each sampled pig born and raised in Sicily, information was obtained on gender, age, origin, final destination of meat and farm management.

[Major emergency management in ship collusion].

Aim Of The Study: To prove that a correct management of a major emergency allowed a quick triage, trauma team, appropriate treatment, discharge and treatment of many patients injured patients when, in January 2007, a crush between a merchant ship and an hydrofoil happened in the Messina strait, that separate Sicily and Calabria.

Materials And Method: Four deaths and 105 injuries were observed. Our experience in the emergency care refers to 25 patients of them.

Revelation of an asymptomatic ventricular septal defect in elderly patient before a surgical intervention.

Certain congenital cardiac defects may go undetected for several years due to lack of symptoms and signs. The natural history of ventricular septal defects depends on the size of the defect and on the pulmonary resistance. In adults congenital heart disease, ventricular septal defects represent about 10% of the cases.

Revelation of Brugada electrocardiographic pattern during a febrile state.

The prevalence of the Brugada-type ECG and its natural history are still unclear. The Brugada syndrome is usually identified by a characteristic Brugada-type ECG that consists of ST elevation of a coved type in the precordial leads V1 to V3 and ventricular fibrillation that can lead to sudden cardiac death, although affected individuals may have a normal ECG. Mutations in the cardiac sodium channel gene SCN5A, which encodes the alpha-subunit of the human cardiac voltage-dependent Na+ channel (Na(v)1.

Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, pre-bundle branches and right bundle branch conduction disturbances without acute myocardial infarction in a patient admitted for an intestinal subocclusion.

Dissimilar electrocardiographic patterns associated with right bundle branch block have been described. The morphological diversity in right bundle branch block patterns is likely to be related to multiple factors-site of block, nature of defect (functional, necrosis, fibrosis), degree of conduction delay, and associated pathologies with their own ECG patterns. The prognosis of right bundle branch block in the absence of underlying cardiac disease is good but it may be poor in other cases, particularly coronary artery disease.