Antimicrobial resistance profile of Escherichia coli isolated from poultry litter.

Antimicrobial resistance is a threat to animal and human health. As a commensal and zoonotic bacterium, Escherichia coli has the potential to be a pathogenic source of antimicrobial resistance. The purpose of this study aimed to investigate the antimicrobial resistance profile of E. coli isolated from litter collected from pens in a broiler chicken experiment. E. coli was isolated from litter samples (n = 68 isolates) of 16 pens housing broilers to d 53 of age. Resistance to 10 antimicrobials was observed by disc diffusion. The presence of 23 antimicrobial and heavy metal resistance genes, O serogroups, and avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC-like) minimal predictor genes were identified through PCR. E. coli isolates presented the greatest resistance to cephalothin (54.4%), tetracycline (27.9%), streptomycin (29.4%), ampicillin (20.6%), colistin (13.2%), sulphonamides (8.8%), and imipenem (1.5%). Multidrug resistance to at least 3 antimicrobials was observed in 22.1% of isolates. The identified O-types of the E. coli isolates were O15, O75, O78, and O91. There was a greater likelihood that the genes groEL, aph(3)IA, silP, sull, aadA, qacEdelta1, iroN, ompTp, and hlyF were present in isolates that exhibited ampicillin resistance (P ≤ 0.05). There was a greater likelihood that the groEL gene was present in isolates resistant to ampicillin, colistin, tetracycline, sulphonamides, or cephalothin (P ≤ 0.05). Further characterizing E. coli antimicrobial resistance is essential and aids in developing effective solutions, thereby furthering the One Health objective.

Lactobacillus rhamnosus CRL1505 nasal administration improves recovery of T-cell mediated immunity against pneumococcal infection in malnourished mice.

Immunobiotic lactic acid bacteria have become an interesting alternative for the prevention of respiratory infections. Previously, we demonstrated that the nasal administration of Lactobacillus rhamnosus CRL1505, during repletion of malnourished mice, resulted in diminished susceptibility to the challenge with the respiratory pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae. Considering the known alterations induced by malnutrition on T lymphocytes and the importance of this cell population on the protection against respiratory pathogens, we aimed to study the effect of L. rhamnosus CRL1505 nasal administration on the recovery of T cell-mediated defences against pneumococcal infection in malnourished mice under nutritional recovery. Malnourished mice received a balanced conventional diet (BCD) for seven days or BCD for seven days with nasal L. rhamnosus CRL1505 supplementation during last two days of the treatment. After the treatments mice were infected with S. pneumoniae. Flow cytometry studies were carried out in bone marrow, thymus, spleen and lung to study T cells, and Th1/Th2 cytokine profiles were determined in broncho-alveolar lavages and serum. The administration of CRL1505 strain to malnourished mice under recovery reduced quantitative and qualitative alterations of CD4+ T cells in the bone marrow, thymus, spleen and lung induced by malnutrition. In addition, CRL1505 treatment augmented Th2-cytokines (interleukin 10 and 4) in respiratory and systemic compartments after pneumococcal infection. These results show that modulation of CD4+ T lymphocytes induced by L. rhamnosus CRL1505 has an important role in the beneficial effect induced by this strain on the recovery of malnourished mice. These data also indicate that nasally administered L. rhamnosus CRL1505 may represent a non-invasive alternative to modulate and improve the T cell-mediated immunity against respiratory pathogens in immunocompromised malnourished hosts.

Psychoanalytic contributions to the study of gender issues.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the issue of gender development and its applications and implications with respect to dynamic psychiatry. METHOD: Gender study is approached in this paper as a continually evolving process of thinking about male and female attributes, similarities, and differences. The paper reviews a specific thematic area of the extensive literature on the subject. RESULTS: Gendered psychosexual development and identity construction are intertwined and determined by multibiopsychosocial factors. Freud's theory on femininity is briefly reviewed from the perspective of new theoretical developments. CONCLUSIONS: The paper highlights the fact that gender is becoming a useful conceptual tool in clinical practice, teaching, and neurosciences.

[Suicide: an update]. / Le suicide: mise à jour.

The authors relate etiological and epidemiological data on suicide. They also discuss cognitive and psychodynamic as well as biological factors involved. In the second part, they described different ways of predicting and dealing with suicide. They propose the use of a scale as a useful way for the assessment of suicide risk.

[Statistical study on the medical management of patients with epilepsy in a district of Reggio Calabria]. / Indagine statistica sulla gestione medica di pazienti con epilessia in un Comprensorio della regione Calabria.

The epilepsy service provided by 143 doctors in the district of Vibo Valentia (Calabria) which has a population of 180,000 was studied by a team of specially trained medical students. The answers to a questionnaire given in personal interviews were statistically processed and revealed: a) a 3-4% incidence of epilepsy corresponding closely to the national average (Almost all doctors questioned had epileptic patients). b) that only 3% of the doctors tested drug concentration in the blood, while 33% relied on regular EEG checks. c) that Depakin (valproic acid) was the drug most often used, followed by Metinal-Idontoine (phenytoin + barbiturate), Dintoine (phenytoin) and Gardenal (phenobarbital). Almost all doctors were in favour of refresher courses to improve the service to epileptic patients.

X-ray microanalysis of leaf tumors from maize plants experimentally infected with maize rough dwarf virus: scanning and transmission electron microscopic study.

X-Ray microanalysis, performed by both scanning and transmission electron microscopes equipped with energy-dispersive spectrometers (EDS), was used to analyze the element distribution in phloem tumors induced by maize rough dwarf virus (MRDV) in Zea mays L. The content of both Si and Ca was lower in tumors than in the nontumoral surrounding tissues. The Si content increased in old tumors where this element was mainly concentrated in the trichomes growing at their surface. The peaks of other detectable elements, P, K, and S, were higher in tumor than in nontumor tissues. The distribution of inorganic cations in the cells was also studied by the potassium pyroantimonate (KPA) precipitation technique. The KPA precipitates have proved to be primarily of calcium salts and they occurred quite frequently in the cells at the tumor periphery.