Stratigraphic context and paleoenvironmental significance of minor taxa (Pisces, Reptilia, Aves, Rodentia) from the late Early Pleistocene paleoanthropological site of Buia (Eritrea).

The Buia Homo site, also known as Wadi Aalad, is an East African paleoanthropological site near the village of Buia that, due to its very rich yield from the late Early Pleistocene, has been intensively investigated since 1994. In this paper, which reports on the finds of the 2010-2011 excavations, we include new fossil evidence on previously identified taxa (i.e., reptiles), as well as the very first description of the small mammal, fish and bird remains discovered. In particular, this study documents the discovery of the first African fossil of the genus Burhinus (Aves, Charadriiformes) and of the first rodent from the site. This latter is identified as a thryonomyid rodent (cane rat), a relatively common taxon in African paleoanthropological faunal assemblages. On the whole, the new occurrences documented within the Buia vertebrate assemblage confirm the occurrence of taxa characterized by strong water dependence. The paleoenvironmental characteristics of the fauna are confirmed as fully compatible with the evidence obtained through sedimentology and facies analysis, documenting the sedimentary evolution of fluvio-deltaic and lacustrine systems.

Effects of the cannabinoid antagonist SR 141716 on sexual and motor behaviour in receptive female rats.

1. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of the cannabinoid antagonist/inverse agonist SR 141716 (SR) on the receptive behaviour and sexual motivation of female rats. 2. Partner preference, receptivity and proceptivity were evaluated in ovariectomized female rats primed with oestrogen and progesterone and administered SR (1 or 2.5 mg/kg, i.p.) 20 min prior to testing. 3. In the partner preference test, a reduced interest in both stimulus animals (a sexually active male and an ovariectomized hormone-primed female) was detected in rats treated with SR at both doses, but no effect on preference score was observed. In the receptivity test, pronounced reductions in lordosis quotient, lordosis rating and in the percentage of receptive females were found in SR-treated rats compared with control rats. Proceptive behaviours were not significantly affected by either dose of SR. 4. In addition, we explored the behavioural effects induced by SR in female rats using the open field test. Only at the higher dose (i.e. 2.5 mg/kg) did SR markedly increased grooming and scratching behaviour. 5. The results demonstrate the ability of SR to reduce female sexual receptivity, but not sexual motivation. The reduction does not seem strictly related to the motor alterations induced by the cannabinoid antagonist.

Rotation of antimicrobial therapy in the intensive care unit: impact on incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia caused by antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria.

The development of antibiotic resistance is associated with high morbidity and mortality, particularly in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting. We evaluated the effect of an antibiotic rotation programme on the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) caused by antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. We conducted a 2-year before-and-after study at two medical-surgical ICUs at two different tertiary referral hospitals. We included all mechanically ventilated patients admitted for > or =48 h who developed VAP. From 1 January through 31 December 2007, a quarterly rotation of antibiotics (piperacillin/tazobactam, fluoroquinolones, carbapenems and cefepime/ceftazidime) for the empirical treatment of VAP was implemented. We analysed the incidence of VAP and the antibiotic resistance patterns of the responsible pathogens in 2006, before (P1) and, in 2007, after (P2) the introduction of the scheduled rotation programme. Overall, there were 79 VAP episodes in P1 and 44 in P2; the mean incidence of VAP was 20.96 cases per 1,000 days of mechanical ventilation (MV) during P1 and 14.97 in P2, with no significant difference between periods on segmented regression analysis. We observed a non-significant reduction of the number of both the poly-microbial (14 [17.7%] in P1 and 5 [10.6%] in P2 [p = 0.32]) and of the antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria-related VAP (42 [45.2%] in P1 and 16 [34%] in P2 [p = 0.21]). Conversely, the number of VAP caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa passed from 8.35 per 1,000 days of MV in P1 to 2.33 per 1,000 days of MV in P2 (p = 0.02). No difference in ICU mortality and crude in-hospital mortality between P1 and P2 was noted. Moreover, no significant change of microbial flora isolated through clinical cultures was observed. We were able to conclude that, despite global microbial flora not being affected by such a programme, antibiotic therapy rotation may reduce the incidence of VAP caused by antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria in the ICU, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The application of this programme may also improve antibiotic susceptibility. However, further studies are needed to confirm our results.

Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus control in an intensive care unit: a 10 year analysis.

Data regarding the efficacy of programmes to control meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in intensive care units (ICUs) are limited. We performed an observational 'before-and-after' study to evaluate the search-and-destroy (S&D) strategy as compared with S&D and isolation (SDI), to control MRSA in a general ICU. S&D included active surveillance, contact precautions and treatment of carriers; in SDI, isolation or cohorting were added. Three phases were identified: period 1 (p1), 1996-1997, before the introduction of programme; period 2 (p2), 1998-2002, with S&D programme; period 3 (p3), 2003-2005, with SDI in a new ICU. During the 10 years of the study we observed 3978 patients; 667, 1995 and 1316 patients in p1, p2 and p3 respectively. The numbers of MRSA-infected patients were 19 in p1, 23 in p2, and 6 in p3. The infection rate was 3.5, 1.7 and 0.7 cases per 1000 patient-days in p1, p2 and p3, respectively; a significant reduction was observed between p1 vs p2 (P=0.024) and p2 vs p3 (P=0.048), although the latter was not confirmed by a segmented regression analysis. The proportion of ICU-acquired MRSA cases was 80%, 77% and 52% during p1, p2 and p3, respectively (P=0.0001 for trend). The proportion of S. aureus isolates resistant to meticillin was 51%, 32% and 23% during p1, p2 and p3, respectively (P<0.0001 for trend). S&D strategy was effective in significantly reducing MRSA infection, transmission rates and proportion of meticillin resistance in an ICU with endemic MRSA. SDI may further enhance S&D efficacy.

Assessment of atherosclerosis using carotid ultrasonography in a cohort of HIV-positive patients treated with protease inhibitors.

OBJECTIVE: Lipid disorders associated with the use of protease inhibitors (PI) may be a risk factor for premature atherosclerosis development. The aim of this study is to evaluate the extent of carotid intima media thickness (IMT) among HIV-positive patients treated with PI containing regimens compared to PI-naïve and HIV-negative subjects. METHODS: We analysed plasma lipid levels and carotid IMT in 28 HIV-positive patients treated with protease inhibitors (PIs) for a mean of 28.7 months (range 18-43) and in two control groups constituted, respectively, by 15 HIV-positive naïve patients and 16 HIV-negative subjects, that were matched for age, risk factors for HIV infection, cigarette smoke use and CD4+ cell count. RESULTS: PI-treated patients had higher triglyceride, HDL and apo B levels than controls. Carotid IMT was significantly increased in PI-treated patients compared to naïve or HIV-negative subjects. A correlation between cholesterol HDL, triglyceride and ApoB levels and IMT was observed among the entire cohort. CONCLUSIONS: Plasma lipid alterations were associated with an increased IMT and intima media thickening was more pronounced in PI-treated patients than in the two control groups. Periodical evaluation of blood lipid profile and, if required, the use of lipid-lowering agents is advisable. Moreover, physicians should address concurrent risk factor for atherosclerosis that can be modified, including smoking, hypertension, obesity and sedentary life-style.

Primary HIV-1 resistance in recently and chronically infected individuals of the Italian Cohort Naive for Antiretrovirals.

The risk of acquiring HIV-1 drug resistance at time of infection has become a public health problem following the widespread use of antiretroviral drugs in developed countries. Although a number of studies have reported data regarding the prevalence of HIV-1 primary resistance in developed countries over the past years, limited knowledge is available regarding the proportion of mutations related to drug resistance in antiretroviral naive subjects with chronic HIV-1 disease. In this study, we evaluated the prevalence of mutations in the reverse-transcriptase (RT) and protease region both in a representative group of recently HIV-1 infected subjects (n=68) and a cohort of chronically-infected HIV-positive patients (n=347) enrolled in the Italian Cohort of Antiretroviral Naive patients (I.CO.NA.). In recently infected individuals, the overall prevalence of mutations for nucleoside RTI (NRTIs) was 10/68 (14.7%). The distribution of mutations by calendar year were 0, 1 in 1996, 9, 3 in 1997 and 1, 0 in 1998 for NRTIs and protease inhibitors (PIs) respectively. Thymidine associated mutations were identified in six subjects (8.8%), five of whom had one mutation [41L, 70K (n=2), 215Y] and one had two mutations (67N+219Q). Four subjects (5.9%) showed the changes associated with resistance to lamivudine (184V or 118I). No non nucleoside-RTI (NNRTI) mutations were present in the study period. Primary PIs mutations (two 46L and two 82I) were present in four subjects (5.9%). Of note, mutations related to resistance to more than one class of antiretrovirals were present in one (1.5%). Among patients with chronic infection a large proportion (88.5%) carried no mutations in RT region, 11.5% individuals carried one or more mutations associated with resistance to NRTI (7.8%), or NNRTI (4.9%), with 4 patients carrying mutations to both classes. Among mutations associated with high-level resistance to RTI, T215Y was found in only 2 patients, M184V in 2 cases, T69D in another case, and K103N in only 1 patient, for a total of 6 patients (one carrying both T215Y and M184V) (1.7%). Primary mutations associated with substantial resistance to PIs were found in only 5/347 patients (1.4%); all the other patients carried only secondary mutations. Prevalence of mutations associated with high-level resistance to antiretroviral drugs is stable in recently infected individuals and low in patients with established HIV infection. The potential impact of transmitted mutations on the response to first regimen in individuals carrying transmitted mutations needs to be assessed by prospective studies.

Surgical crown lengthening: a 12-month clinical wound healing study.

BACKGROUND: Surgical crown lengthening has been proposed as a means of facilitating restorative procedures and preventing periodontal injuries in teeth with structurally inadequate clinical crowns or exposing tooth structure in the presence of deep, subgingival pathologies which may hamper the access for proper restorative measures. The few clinical studies in the current literature on postsurgical soft tissue modifications after crown lengthening procedures report conflicting results. The present study was designed to assess the alterations of the marginal periodontal tissues as an immediate outcome of surgical crown lengthening and over a 12-month healing period. METHODS: The patient sample included 30 patients (84 teeth) who presented with various conditions hampering proper restorative measures in one or more teeth and, therefore, requiring surgical exposure of tooth substance. After initial supportive therapy, the patients were recalled for a baseline examination, and the following parameters were evaluated at interproximal and buccal/lingual sites of each experimental tooth: plaque index, gingival index, position of the gingival margin, probing depth, and attachment level. After baseline examination, the patients underwent apically positioned flap surgery with osseous and connective tissue attachment resection. During surgery, the amount of resection and the achieved lengthening of the clinical crown were evaluated. The patients were enrolled in a maintenance program including professional tooth cleaning every 2 to 4 weeks. The patients were reexamined 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months postoperatively. RESULTS: 1) Immediately after surgery, a significantly (P < 0.001) increased clinical crown length of 3.7 +/- 0.8 mm (mean) at interproximal and 4.1 +/- 0.9 mm (mean) at buccal/lingual sites was achieved; 2) healing resulted in a statistically significant coronal displacement of the gingival margin of 3.2 +/- 0.8 mm at interproximal (P < 0.001) and 2.9 +/- 0.6 mm at buccal/lingual (P < 0.002) sites; and 3) as a consequence of this postsurgical soft tissue regrowth, the amount of the available tooth structure immediately after surgery decreased to 0.5 +/- 0.6 mm at interproximal sites (P < 0.0015) and to 1.2 +/- 0.7 mm at buccal/lingual sites (P < 0.001) at the 12-month examination. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present clinical investigation demonstrated that during a 1-year period of healing following surgical crown lengthening, the marginal periodontal tissue showed a tendency to grow in a coronal direction from the level defined at surgery. This pattern of coronal displacement of the gingival margin was more pronounced (P < 0.001) in patients with "thick" tissue biotype and also appeared to be influenced by individual variations in the healing response (P < 0.001) not related to age or gender.

Chondrocyte volume fraction distribution in porcine septal cartilage: an initial stereoscopic evaluation.

This study uses stereology to determine the volume fraction distribution of chondrocytes throughout septal cartilage. En bloc submucous resection of septal cartilage from four different age groups was performed. Each age group contained three pigs. The weight, volume, and dimensions of the septi were determined. The septi were fixed, embedded in plastic, sectioned vertically at regular intervals along their anterior-posterior axis, and stained with toluidine blue. Each section was further stratified horizontally to allow chondrocyte volume fraction changes to be observed as a function of the two-dimensional location within the septum. The volume fraction of the chondrocytes within the septal cartilage was obtained through light microscopy and stereologic technique. Nested analysis of variance for age groups, individuals within age groups, and locations on the septum was performed. Additionally, unequal number-comparison tests for age groups were calculated. Gross septal parameter changes regarding weight, volume, and length all increased with advancing age. Overall, chondrocyte volume fraction decreased with advancing age. Chondrocyte volume fraction was not found to vary along the anterior-posterior axis or along the vertical axis. Stereologic methodology is an unbiased, simple, and efficient technique to understand the distribution of cells within a tissue.

[A case of herpetic meningoencephalitis. Serological and imaging diagnosis]. / Su di un caso di meningoencefalite herpetica. Diagnostica sierologica e per immagini.

The paper reports a case of HSVE observed in a 46-year-old patient with a negative anamnesis for previous HSV infection and with no objective signs of herpetic muco-cutaneous infection at time of hospitalisation. Due to the impossibility of carrying out bioptic and cultural tests, the diagnosis was based on the increased levels of specific anti-HSV1 antibodies in the liquor; these findings were compared to those found in serum, taking into account the increased antibody titres and in particular the ratio between the level of liquor and serum albumin and that of specific antibodies in both liquor and serum. The diagnostic importance of cerebral CT was confirmed by the early revelation of morphostructural alterations during the acute phase. RMN also allowed a more detailed imaging diagnosis to be made. From a therapeutic point of view, the paper confirms the value of acyclovir treatment.

From sixty-two interviews on 'the worst and the best episode of your life'. Relationships between internal working models and a grammatical scale of subject-object affective connections.

The authors address the issue of inferring unconscious internal working models of interaction through language. After reviewing Main's seminal work of linguistic assessment through the 'adult attachment interview', they stress the idea of adults' internal working models (IWMs) as information-processing devices, which give moment-to-moment sensory orientation in the face of any past or present, animate or inanimate object. They propose that a selective perception of the objects could match expected with actual influence of objects on the subject's self, through very simple 'parallel-processed' categories of internal objects. They further hypothesise that the isomorphism between internal working models of interaction and grammatical connections between subjects and objects within a clause could be a key to tracking positive and negative images of self and other during discourse. An experiment is reported applying the authors' 'scale of subject/object affective connection' to the narratives of sixty-two subjects asked to write about the 'worst' and 'best' episodes of their lives. Participants had previously been classified using Hazan & Shaver's self-reported 'attachment types' (avoidant, anxious and secure) categorising individuals' general expectations in relation to others. The findings were that the subject/object distribution of positive and negative experience, through verbs defined for this purpose as either performative or state verbs, did significantly differ between groups. In addition, different groups tended, during the best episodes, significantly to invert the trend of positive/negative subject/object distribution shown during the worst episode. Results are discussed in terms of a psychoanalytic theory of improvement through co-operative elaboration of negative relational issues.

[Evaluation of the efficacy of a program to control nosocomial spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus]. / Valutazione dell'efficacia di un sistema di controllo della diffusione intraospedaliera di Staphylococcus aureus meticillino-resistente.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of a program to control nosocomial spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). METHODS: Analysis of the incidence of infection and contamination due to MRSA in patients admitted to the hospital of Cremona 6 months before and 3 years after the introduction of the guidelines (July 1997). RESULTS: During the 42 months of the study period, on 80705 admissions, 511 cases of MRSA contamination/infection were identified, the incidence being 0.57 cases per 100 admissions. The infection rate dropped from 0.34 (IC95%: 0.25-0.45) in the first 6 months of the study, before the introduction of guidelines, to 0.17 (IC95%: 0.14-0.20) in the following 3 years (p=0.01). Severe infection decreased from 0.18 to 0.1 per 100 admissions, with a 44% decrease (p=0.058), while mild infections diminished from 0.16 to 0.07 per 100 admissions (p=0.045). Methicillin resistance among nosocomial isolates of Staphylococcus aureus was reduced from 53 % to 35 % (p<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The introduction of a program to control the nosocomial spread of MRSA proved effective in reducing both the incidence of infection and the methicillin-resistance of Staphylococcus aureus isolates. The cost effectiveness of the program seems very favourable.

Ferutinin promotes proliferation and osteoblastic differentiation in human amniotic fluid and dental pulp stem cells.

AIMS: The phytoestrogen Ferutinin plays an important role in prevention of osteoporosis caused by ovariectomy-induced estrogen deficiency in rats, but there is no evidence of its effect on osteoblastic differentiation in vitro. In this study we investigated the effect of Ferutinin on proliferation and osteoblastic differentiation of two different human stem cells populations, one derived from the amniotic fluid (AFSCs) and the other from the dental pulp (DPSCs). MAIN METHODS: AFSCs and DPSCs were cultured in a differentiation medium for 14 or 21days with or without the addition of Ferutinin at a concentration ranging from 10(-11) to 10(-4)M. 17ß-Estradiol was used as a positive drug at 10(-8)M. Cell proliferation and expression of specific osteoblast phenotype markers were analyzed. KEY FINDINGS: MTT assay revealed that Ferutinin, at concentrations of 10(-8) and 10(-9)M, enhanced proliferation of both AFSCs and DPSCs after 72h of exposure. Moreover, in both stem cell populations, Ferutinin treatment induced greater expression of the osteoblast phenotype markers osteocalcin (OCN), osteopontin (OPN), collagen I, RUNX-2 and osterix (OSX), increased calcium deposition and osteocalcin secretion in the culture medium compared to controls. These effects were more pronounced after 14days of culture in both populations. SIGNIFICANCE: The enhancing capabilities on proliferation and osteoblastic differentiation displayed by the phytoestrogen Ferutinin make this compound an interesting candidate to promote bone formation in vivo.

Anxiolytic-like effect of Griffonia simplicifolia Baill. seed extract in rats.

The seeds of Griffonia simplicifolia Baill., a tropical shrub native to West Africa, are rich in 5-hydroxy-l-tryptophan (5-HTP), a direct precursor in the synthesis of serotonin (5-HT). In spite of the modern therapeutic application of Griffonia simplicifolia seed extract in mood disorders, no scientific evidence has been provided till now. For this reason the aim of our study was to investigate the effect of Griffonia simplicifolia seed extract on anxiety behavior. Griffonia simplicifolia seed extract, dosed at 1, 5, 10 and 25 mg/kg, was orally administered in rats which were submitted to the dark-light test and open field test, 60 min after the treatment. In the dark-light test, the administration of the extract at the doses of 10 and 25 mg/kg was able to significantly increase the time spent in the light compartment (P<0.05). In the open field test, the extract dosed at 5, 10 and 25 mg/kg induced an anti-tigmotactic effect, as indicated by a significant increase of time spent in the central area of the open field (P<0.01). In conclusion these findings indicate that Griffonia simplicifolia seed extract exerts anxiolytic-like effect in rats and suggest its potential usefulness for the treatment of anxiety in humans.

Influence of Griffonia simplicifolia on male sexual behavior in rats: behavioral and neurochemical study.

The seeds of Griffonia simplicifolia Baill. are rich in 5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan), a direct precursor of the neurotransmitter serotonin. In the present study we investigated the influence of the plant extract on male sexual behavior. The seed extract was orally administered to Sprague-Dawley male rats at three dose levels (25, 50 and 100 mg/kg) both acutely and subchronically (daily for 9 days). Mating test with receptive female rats was performed 60 min after the acute treatment or the last dose when repetitively administered. Mount, intromission and ejaculation latencies and post-ejaculatory interval were recorded. Food intake and body weight were measured over the 9-day period of treatment. Microdialysis technique was used to detect the extracellular levels of serotonin (5-HT) and its metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) in rat brain following the acute administration of the extract dosed at 100mg/kg. The acute treatment significantly increased mount latency (at any dosage), intromission and ejaculation latencies (at 100 mg/kg) and post-ejaculatory interval (at 50 and 100 mg/kg). On the contrary the subchronic treatment failed to exert a significant influence on copulatory behavior. The daily administration of the extract dosed at 50 and 100 mg/kg for 9 days significantly reduced food intake and body weight. Finally in the microdialysis experiments we found a dramatic increase in 5-HT and its metabolite 5-HIAA.

Griffonia simplicifolia negatively affects sexual behavior in female rats.

At present Griffonia simplicifolia is used in food supplement aimed to treat mood disorders as well as to reduce food intake and body weight. The plant has gained increasing interest for its high content in 5-hydroxy-L-tryptophan (5-HTP) particularly in the seed. The present study was designed to evaluate the influence of a seed extract of the plant, dosed at 25, 50 and 100 mg/kg, on the sexual behavior of ovariectomized hormone-primed rats after acute and subchronic treatment. The single administration of G. simplicifolia significantly reduced lordosis response and increased rejection behavior in female rats treated with the highest dose while it did not influence proceptive behaviors. On the other hand the subchronic administration of the extract significantly reduced proceptivity but not receptivity, and increased rejection behavior. All the tested dosages were able to markedly decrease food intake and body weight after a 9-day treatment. Taken together the present results, possibly ascribed to increased levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) in the brain, suggest a cautious administration of the plant extract owing to its negative influence on female sexual behavior.