Fate and transport of faecal contamination microbial indicators, pathogenic protozoa and Campylobacter in the artificially recharged fractured aquifer of Salento, Italy.

The study investigates the fate and transport of microorganisms introduced by artificial groundwater recharge at the Nardò fractured aquifer in Salento, Italy. Microbial indicators of faecal contamination, parasitic protozoa (Giardia and Cryptosporidium) and pathogenic bacteria (Campylobacter spp.), were monitored into injected water and groundwater to test the efficiency of the "natural disinfection" into the fractured aquifer. A remarkable decrease of microbial indicators and pathogens was observed suggesting that pathogens removal or inactivation may be possible during water flow in fractured aquifer. The recently described PNA probe CJE195 (Lehtola et al. 2005) was utilised for the rapid and specific detection of Campylobacter spp. by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) after enrichment. FISH results were consistent with those of traditional cultural method (ISO 17995) applied in parallel: time required for Campylobacter identification was reduced of 4 days.

Role of high-resolution ultrasound in guiding treatment of idiopathic plantar fasciitis with minimally invasive techniques.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess the reliability of peri-fascial oedema as a sonographic criterion for selecting the most appropriate treatment (ultrasound-guided corticosteroid injection or ultrasound-guided extracorporeal shock wave therapy) of idiopathic plantar fasciitis (IPF). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-four patients with a clinical diagnosis of unilateral refractory IPF, treated conservatively for at least 8 weeks, were studied with high-resolution ultrasound (HRUS). Pain intensity was evaluated with a visual analogue scale (VAS). HRUS was used to confirm IPF and identify the presence of peri-fascial oedema. Patients with an HRUS diagnosis of IPF were grouped according to the presence (A) or absence (B) of peri-fascial oedema and then randomly allocated to treatment with corticosteroid injection (1) or extracorporeal shock wave therapy (2). Clinical and HRUS follow-up was performed 6 weeks after treatment. RESULTS: HRUS confirmed IPF in 68,97% of patients and identified peri-fascial oedema in 53.33%. Clinical and sonographic improvements were observed in 87.5% and 37.5% of patients in subgroups A1 and A2, respectively, and in 35.71% and 92.85% of those in subgroups B1 and B2, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of peri-fascial oedema may represent an effective criterion for guiding treatment decisions towards HRUS-guided corticosteroid injection.