Long-term urological outcome of cloaca patients with multidisciplinary management.

PURPOSE: Urological management of Cloacal Malformation (CM) focuses on preserving renal function and continence. Study aim was to analyze urinary and intestinal outcomes in CM patients, considering the length of common channel (CC) and presence of occult spinal dysraphism (OSD). METHODS: Retrospective review of CM treated at our institution by a multidisciplinary team from 1999 to 2020. Patients with follow-up < 2.5 years were excluded. Length of CC, renal function, urinary and bowel outcomes, presence of associated anomalies (especially OSD) were evaluated. RESULTS: Twenty patients were included, median age at follow-up: 8 years (4-15). A long CC > 3 cm was described in 11 (55%). Chronic kidney disease was found in 3 patients. Urinary continence was achieved in 8/20 patients, dryness (with intermittent catheterization) in 9/20. Fecal continence was obtained in 3/20, cleanliness in 14 (under bowel regimen). OSD was present in 10 patients (higher prevalence in long-CC, 73%). Among OSD, 1 patient reached fecal continence, 7 were clean; 2 achieved urinary continence, while 6 were dry. CONCLUSIONS: Length of CC and OSD may affect urinary and fecal continence. An early counseling can improve outcome at long-term follow-up. Multidisciplinary management with patient centralization in high grade institutions is recommended to achieve better results.

Serological survey on Leptospira infection in slaughtered swine in North-Central Italy.

Swine can act as asymptomatic carriers of some Leptospira serovars. In this study, 1194 sera from 61 farms located in five different Regions of North-West Italy were collected from slaughtered healthy pigs. Presence of antibody against four Leptospira serovars was evaluated. Overall, 52.5% of analysed farms presented at least one positive animal and 34.4% presented at least one positive swine with titre ⩾1:400. A percentage of 16.6% sera was positive and 5.9% samples presented a positive titre ⩾1:400. Tuscany and Lombardy showed the highest percentage of positive farms (64.3% and 54.6%, respectively) and sera (28.5% and 13.3%, respectively), probably due to environmental conditions and potential risk factors, which promote maintenance and spreading of Leptospira in these areas. The main represented serogroups were Australis (21.3% positive farms, 8.2% positive sera) and Pomona (18.0% positive farms, 8.1% positive sera). In swine, these serogroups are the most detected worldwide; however, our results seem to highlight a reemerging of serogroup Pomona in pigs in investigated areas. A low percentage of sera (0.6%) scored positive to Canicola, leaving an open question on the role of pigs in the epidemiology of this serovar. Higher antibody titres were detected for serogroups Australis and Pomona. Swine leptospirosis is probably underestimated in Italy and could represent a potential risk for animal and human health.

Evaluation of clinical pathology parameters in fecal PCR-positive or PCR-negative goats for Johne's disease.

Johne's disease (JD) is an economically important infectious disease of ruminants caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP). This study evaluated the differences in various hematological and biochemical parameters between healthy goats and goats with JD. Forty goats were chosen randomly from a herd endemic for JD. A complete physical examination was performed. Blood and fresh fecal samples were collected from each goat. A complete blood cell (CBC) count and a protein electrophoresis were performed. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on fecal samples was performed in order to divide goats into two groups: group A "positive PCR on feces"; and group B "control (negative)." A Student's t test was performed for each parameter to verify differences between groups A vs B. Twenty goats were included in each group. Clinical signs likely related to JD were found in the history of 4/40 (10%) goats, while 36/40 (90%) goats were reported to be asymptomatic. CBC and electrophoresis values were within reference intervals in both groups. No differences were found for CBC parameters between the two groups. Values for alpha 1, beta, gamma globulins, and total protein (TP) were statistically higher in group A vs those in group B, while those for albumin and albumin/globulin (A/G) ratio were lower. An increase in TP, hypoalbuminemia, and hypergammaglobulinemia has been reported in group A, while no abnormalities were found concerning CBC. JD-positive goats seem to show earlier clinical pathological alternations than clinical signs. Protein electrophoresis may help the diagnosis of JD in asymptomatic goat herds, acting as an economical screening method.

Short communication: phenotypic and genetic diversity of wild Lactococcus lactis isolated from traditional Pecorino cheeses of Tuscany.

Wild Lactococcus lactis isolates from traditional Pecorino cheeses in 4 regions of Tuscany were isolated and characterized to evaluate the diversity of autochthonous lactococci. Sixty strains of Lactococcus were clustered by the results of carbohydrate utilization and diagnostic enzyme activity. Twenty-one unique strains were then chosen for characterization of salt and temperature tolerance, as well as acidification and proteolytic activity in milk. Genetic analysis of these strains was performed via 16S ribosomal DNA sequencing and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) to elucidate diversity relative to their location of origin. Phylogenetic analysis showed distinct clustering by region within organism subspecies, and phenotypic properties demonstrated concomitant trends. Multilocus sequence typing thus allowed for the regional distinction of isolates separate from those of previous works, supporting the concept that distinctive regional qualities of cheeses are strongly influenced by microbial ecology.

The time costs of children.

PIP: In this study of household time allocations, Turchi argues that children play a crucial part in the trade-off that members of a household must make between time at home and the pursuit of economic gains in the marketplace. Turchi examined data collected by Baumann, Udry, and Turchi in 1977 for a study of marriage and fertility to study how families handle the time that children add to their schedules. Using the data and the theory of utility maximization from economics, the researchers were able to look at the amounts of time a group of parents reported spending in various child-related activities and the impact this had on their economic status. The average number of hours a wife devotes to various activities varies considerably with having children. For example, wives spend 21 hours/week on general housework before having children, 16 hours/week when the children are preschool age, and 13 hours/week when the children are school-age. The child-related housework increased from 0 to 26 hours with preschool children, and then decreased to 21 hours with school-age children. Child care increased to 26 hours/week with preschoolers, and decreased to 20 with school-age children. Outside employment dropped from 29 hours/week to 11 with preschoolers, and increased to 18 with school-age children. Turchi has developed a method for measuring the value of time for nonworking women; it allows more precise understanding of the factors that determine the time allocation of wives, and, in particular, their fertility decision. This method allows the estimation of the monetary value of time spent in housework and child care, which is of great interest to lawyers who specialize in personal injury and divorce cases. While findings may support the argument that individuals who grow up without siblings are more successful, more intelligent, and better educated because of more quality time from parents, Turchi offers a different interpretation. He suggests that sharing a parent's time with siblings also results in quality time spent with a child. 2 children do not necessarily double the time costs of 1. He further argues than the psychological costs per child may even drop as family size increases.^ieng

Family size and economic welfare.

PIP: Using data from the 1972-1973 Consumer Expenditure Survey, this article examines the effect of variations in family size on such measures of family economic well-being as levels and patterns of spending, earnings and employment, public assistance and the quantity and quality of housing. In general, although overall income rises somewhat with family size, an increase in the number of children appears to reduce the family's standard of living, especially in young families with small children. Current consumption increases as the number of children increases: families with 4 or more children in which the household head is under the age of 35 and has had more than 12 years of education tend to spend 40% more than childless couples of similar age and educational level. Despite the increased spending, per capita consumption falls for all age and education categories. Larger families devote more of their income to necessities and less to luxuries. Among young couples in which the household head has had 9 to 12 years of education, the proportion of income used to buy food rises from 15% if there are no children present to 25% if there are 4 or more. The proportion of food expenditures devoted to meals eaten out also falls steadily as the number of children rises. Although husband's earnings rise with increase in family size, there is a pronounced decline in wife's earnings, particularly in young families that have children under the age of 4. Overall, as the number of children grows, families spend a larger share of their income on current consumption, and per capita income declines. The % of families receiving welfare or food stamps tends to go up as the number of children increases, particularly among younger couples with less education. When the quantity and quality of housing are examined, the average number of rooms in the family dwelling is found to increase with family size.^ieng