Antimicrobial susceptibility and epidemiological types of Legionella pneumophila human isolates from Italy (1987-2020).

Background: Although antimicrobial resistance has not yet emerged as an overarching problem for Legionella pneumophila (Lp) infection, the description of clinical and environmental strains resistant to fluoroquinolones and macrolides is a cause of concern. This study aimed to investigate the antimicrobial susceptibility of Lp human isolates in Italy.

Methods: A total of 204 Lp clinical isolates were tested for sensitivity to nine antibiotics using the broth microdilution assay (BMD).

Outcomes after medical treatment for primary aldosteronism: an international consensus and analysis of treatment response in an international cohort.

Background: Primary aldosteronism can be treated medically but there is no standardised method to evaluate treatment outcomes. We aimed to develop criteria for assessing the outcomes of targeted medical treatment of primary aldosteronism, analyse outcomes across an international cohort, and identify factors associated with a complete treatment response.

Methods: An international panel of 31 primary aldosteronism experts used the Delphi method to reach consensus on the definition of complete, partial, or absent biochemical and clinical outcomes of medical treatment of primary aldosteronism.

A constitutive interferon-high immunophenotype defines response to immunotherapy in colorectal cancer.

Fewer than 50% of metastatic deficient mismatch repair (dMMR) colorectal cancer (CRC) patients respond to immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI). Identifying and expanding this patient population remains a pressing clinical need. Here, we report that an interferon-high immunophenotype locally enriched in cytotoxic lymphocytes and antigen-presenting macrophages is required for response.

Microplastics levels in cultured or harvested mollusks non-depurated and commercially depurated at different times.

Microplastics (MPs) are emerging pollutants found worldwide, not only in environmental matrices but also in the food web. The present study aimed to establish better removal rates of MPs in cultivated or harvested edible bivalves currently on the market. Samples of three species (mussels, oysters and wedge clams) were collected from a producer at three different depuration times.

Spatial variability and context-dependence of fouling communities in recreational marinas: A study in the Western Mediterranean with a focus on non-indigenous species (NIS).

Fouling communities were studied in twenty-six recreational marinas located along the continental and island coasts of Tuscany as well as Corsica (Western Mediterranean), focusing on the occurrence of non-indigenous species (NIS), in order to assess the variability of these assemblages at different spatial scales. Among the 560 taxa identified, 32 were alien or cryptogenic, with six new records for the study area. Results of this survey showed remarkable spatial variability of fouling community structure and NIS assemblage i) between marinas located on the mainland with respect to those on the islands (sectors), ii) among marinas within the same sector, and iii) among areas within the most of marinas.

Time and climate roles in driving soil carbon distribution and stability in particulate and mineral-associated organic matter pools.

Understanding the accumulation and stability of soil organic matter (SOM) pools as a function of time (i.e., soil age) and climate (i.

Optimization of environmental and energy performance of egg production using data envelopment analysis (DEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA).

Intensive farming systems can present different environmental concerns. Among the many animal products, eggs are consumed globally as a cheap, valuable source of protein. Iran is among the top 10 egg producing countries in the world.

Transition toward circular economy in the agrifood seedling phase: A Life Cycle Assessment on tomato trays.

National and international guidelines call for greater environmental sustainability in agriculture through the introduction of the circular economy. Recent studies investigate the introduction of new technologies and methodologies in the field, however, few focus on initial stages at the plant nursery or the management of the involved materials, and none scientifically calculate their environmental impact. To fill this gap, this paper focuses on an Italian case study that quantifies the environmental impact of the traditional seed trays used worldwide for growing, transporting and transplanting tomato seedlings, proposing and evaluating two alternatives from a circular economy perspective.

Radiocarbon and bomb pulse dating in the forensic context: A systematic review.

Radiocarbon analysis in bones, particularly through Bomb Pulse dating, is an essential tool in forensic investigations for estimating the postmortem interval of human remains. However, there are some limitations related to the interpretation of laboratory data, since this can differ from the Post Mortem Interval by many years, depending on the anatomical district and the bone part sampled, as well as the age of the individual and other parameters, since these elements influence bone turnover. In recent years, many studies have been conducted, but with non-standardized data and on limited samples.

The effect of the foreign body response on drug elution from subdermal delivery systems.

Contrasting findings are presented in the literature regarding the influence of foreign body response (FBR) on drug release from implantable drug delivery systems. To this end, here we sought direct evidence of the effect of the fibrotic tissue on subcutaneous drug release from long-acting drug delivery implants. Specifically, we investigated the pharmacokinetic impact of fibrotic encapsulation on a small molecule drug, islatravir (293 Da), and a large protein, IgG (150 kDa), administered via biocompatible implants.

Fish migration modeling and habitat assessment in a complex fluvial system.

Fish migration patterns are driven by hydrodynamic factors, which are essential in aquatic ecology. This study investigated the hydrodynamic drivers of Gymnocypris przewalskii fish migration in two distinct river reaches-a straight reach (SR) and a confluence reach (CR)- in the area of Qinghai Lake, China, using a 3D numerical model, fish density field data, and four predictive models. Thirteen hydrodynamic factors, with a focus on water depth and velocity, were analyzed to identify their influence on fish migration.

Multi-institutional Knowledge-Based (KB) plan prediction benchmark models for whole breast irradiation.

Purpose: To train and validate KB prediction models by merging a large multi-institutional cohort of whole breast irradiation (WBI) plans using tangential fields.

Methods: Ten institutions (INST1-INST10, 1481 patients) developed their KB-institutional models for left/right WBI (ten models for right and eight models for left). The transferability of models among centers was assessed based on the overlap of the geometric Principal Component (PC1) of each model when applied to other institutions and/or on the presence of significantly different optimization policies.

Hikikomori (prolonged social withdrawal) and co-occurring psychiatric disorders and symptoms in adolescents and young adults: A scoping review.

Background: Hikikomori, or prolonged social withdrawal, is a clinical condition usually emerging during adolescence or young adulthood, characterized by severe self-isolation in one's home, and often associated with other psychiatric disorders and symptoms.

Objective: The study summarized evidence of hikikomori diagnostic criteria, clinical manifestations, and comorbidity with psychiatric disorders and symptoms in adolescents and young adults.

Methods: A scoping review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines, with four electronic databases searched for original works in English, French, and Italian published since 2010.

Predictors of cultural competence among healthcare professional in maternity department: A systematic review.

Background: In recent years, the number of foreign women seeking perinatal care from health services has increased. These women come from diverse cultural and social backgrounds, highlighting the importance of properly training healthcare professionals to respond effectively to their needs. Cultural Competence refers to the set of skills, knowledge, and awareness that providers must possess to deliver care to patients from different cultures.

Quantum transport under oscillatory drive with disordered amplitude.

We investigate the dynamics of non-interacting particles in a one-dimensional tight-binding chain in the presence of an electric field with random amplitude drawn from a Gaussian distribution, and explicitly focus on the nature of quantum transport. We derive an exact expression for the probability propagator and the mean-squared displacement in the clean limit and generalize it for the disordered case using the Liouville operator method. Our analysis reveals that in the presence a random static field, the system follows diffusive transport; however, an increase in the field strength causes a suppression in the transport and thus asymptotically leads towards localization.

Phosphodiesterase 4D inhibition improves the functional and molecular outcome in a mouse and human model of Charcot Marie Tooth disease 1 A.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A (CMT1A) is an inherited peripheral neuropathy caused by a duplication of the peripheral myelin protein 22 (PMP22) gene. It is primarily marked by Schwann cell dedifferentiation and demyelination, leading to motor and sensory deficits. Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) is crucial for Schwann cell differentiation and maturation.

Occurrence and molecular identification of haemotropic Mycoplasma species in grey wolves (Canis lupus) from southern Europe.

Although wild and domestic carnivores share some haemotropic Mycoplasma species, information about the circulation of this pathogen in grey wolves (Canis lupus) populations is still very limited. Thus, a geographically broad-based investigation was performed for determining the occurrence and diversity of Mycoplasma spp. in three different wolf populations from southern Europe.

Improvement of measured and perceived disability in overweight patients with Multiple Sclerosis trough different patterns of Mediterranean hypocaloric diet.

Objectives: overweight and other cardiovascular risk factors are known contributors to disability accrual in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). We aimed to explore the impact of three hypocaloric dietetic patterns, based on the Mediterranean diet, on cardiovascular risk and clinical status in overweight persons with MS (pwMS).

Material And Methods: overweight pwMS (body mass index-BMI ≥25 kg/m) were prospectively enrolled, randomly allocated to three hypocaloric dietetic plans differing in macronutrients composition (carbohydrates/proteins/lipids: diet A 65 %/15 %/20 %; diet B 35 %/25 %/40 %; diet C 50 %/20 %/30 %) and followed-up for 1 year (6 months of dietetic intervention + 6 months of observation).

Intraoperative ultrasound-guided breast-conserving surgery: A performance analysis on the basis of novel cancer lesion classification and patients' cosmetic satisfaction.

Background: Intraoperative ultrasound-guided breast-conserving surgery guarantees real-time direct visualization of tumor and resection margins. We compared surgical, oncologic, and cosmetic outcomes between intraoperative ultrasound-guided breast-conserving surgery and traditional (palpation- or wire-guided) surgery across all breast cancer lesion types.

Methods: This prospective observational cohort study was conducted at the Veneto Institute of Oncology between January 2021 and October 2022.

Prognostic value of manual versus automatic methods for assessing extents of resection and residual tumor volume in glioblastoma.

Objective: The extent of resection (EOR) and postoperative residual tumor (RT) volume are prognostic factors in glioblastoma. Calculations of EOR and RT rely on accurate tumor segmentations. Raidionics is an open-access software that enables automatic segmentation of preoperative and early postoperative glioblastoma using pretrained deep learning models.

Conformational Antibodies to Proteolipid Protein-1 and Its Peripheral Isoform DM20 in Patients With CNS Autoimmune Demyelinating Disorders.

Background And Objectives: Antibodies to proteolipid protein-1 (PLP1-IgG), a major central myelin protein also expressed in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) as the isoform DM20, have been previously identified mostly in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), with unclear clinical implications. However, most studies relied on nonconformational immunoassays and included few patients with non-MS CNS autoimmune demyelinating disorders (ADDs). We aimed to investigate conformational PLP1-IgG in the whole ADD spectrum.