Background: Borrelia burgdorferi (sensu lato) is a complex containing pathogenic bacteria of which some species, such as Borrelia lusitaniae, use birds, small mammals and reptiles as reservoirs. In Italy, the bacteria have been detected in reptilian and avian reservoirs in the northern and central regions.
Results: Here, 211 reptiles from three orders [Squamata (Sauria with seven species in five families and Ophidia with 11 species in three families), Crocodylia (one family and two species), and Testudines (two families and two species)] were examined for ectoparasites and molecular detection of B. burgdorferi (s.l.) in three different sites of southern Italy, an area for which no information was previously available on the occurrence of borreliosis in animals and humans. Borrelia lusitaniae was molecularly detected in larvae and nymphs (11.6%) of Ixodes ricinus infesting lizards (i.e. Podarcis muralis, Podarcis siculus and Lacerta bilineata) and in 12.3% blood samples of P. siculus. Finally, B. lusitaniae and Borrelia garinii were detected in 5.1% (32/630) of questing I. ricinus.
Conclusions: These results show the circulation of B. lusitaniae in southern Italy and suggest that P. siculus could play a role as a reservoir, representing a potential medical threat to humans living in or visiting these localities.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13071-019-3286-1 | DOI Listing |
ACS Energy Lett
January 2025
Liquid Sunlight Alliance, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, California 94720, United States.
Light-driven reduction of CO into chemicals using a photoelectrochemical (PEC) approach is considered as a promising way to meet the carbon neutral target. The very top surface of the photoelectrode and semiconductor/electrolyte interface plays a pivotal role in defining the performance for PEC CO reduction. However, such impact remains poorly understood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeuroradiology
January 2025
Neuroendovascular Program, Massachusetts General Hospital & Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Introduction: Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) efficacy in medium vessel occlusion (MeVO) stroke, particularly in patients with low Alberta Stroke Program Early Computed Tomography Score (ASPECTS), remains less explored.
Methods: This retrospective study analyzed data from 443 AIS patients treated with MT for MeVO and low ASPECTS (4-7) at 37 centers across North America, Asia, and Europe, from September 2017 to July 2021. Patients were categorized into ASPECTS of 4-5 and 6-7.
Epilepsia
January 2025
Department of Epilepsy Genetics and Personalized Medicine, Danish Epilepsy Center, Dianalund, Denmark.
Objectives: Developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs) caused by pathogenic variants in SCN8A are associated with difficult-to-treat and early-onset seizures, developmental delay/intellectual disability, impaired quality of life, and increased risk of early mortality. High doses of sodium channel blockers are typically used to treat SCN8A-DEE caused by gain-of-function (GoF) variants. However, seizures are often drug resistant, and only a few patients achieve seizure freedom.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFData Brief
February 2025
Department of Earth and Geoenvironmental Sciences, University of Bari, 70125 Bari, Italy.
An open-source geodatabase and its associate WebGIS platform (CONNECTOSED) were developed to collect and utilize data for the Sediment Flow Connectivity Index (SfCI) for the Apulia region of southern Italy. Maps depicting sediment mobility and connectivity across the hydrographic basins of the Apulia region were generated and stored in the geodatabase. This geodatabase is organized into folders containing data in TIFF, shapefile, Jpeg and Pdf formats, including input variables (digital elevation model, land cover map, rainfall map, and soil units dataset for each hydrographic basin), classification graphs (ranking of variable values), dimensionless index maps (slope, ruggedness, rainfall, land cover, and soil stability) and key products (maps of sediment mobility, SfCI, and applied SfCI).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Prev Alzheimers Dis
January 2025
National Center for Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Italian National Institute of Health Rome, Italy.
Background: Dementia is a major global public health challenge, with over 50 million cases in 2020, projected to reach 152 million by 2050. Effective prevention strategies are needed to reduce the impact of modifiable risk factors associated with dementia, particularly in countries with ageing populations like Italy. The Population Attributable Fraction (PAF) and Potential Impact Fraction (PIF) are key metrics for understanding and reducing dementia cases through targeted interventions.
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