Bone grafts and bone graft substitutes in prosthetic hip surgery replacement.

The need for bone grafting procedures to replace skeletal defects has become more considerable because of increased opportunities to save major bone loss. We report our experience and a critical analysis about the role of bone grafts and bone graft substitutes in prosthetic hip surgery replacement.

Short communication: Breed differences affecting dairy cattle welfare in traditional alpine tie-stall husbandry systems.

The aim of this investigation was to compare the prevalence of indicators of poor welfare among 5 Italian cattle breeds (Italian Holstein-Friesian, Italian Bruna, Pezzata Rossa Italiana, Grigia Alpina, and Pezzata Rossa d'Oropa) kept in tie-stalls in the Italian Alps under similar housing and management conditions. We recorded the presence of integument alterations (hairless patch areas, lesion/swollen areas, or overgrown claws) and lameness in 612 cows. Additionally, we checked 834 cows for the presence of physical malformations ("open" shoulders). In general, the prevalence of welfare problems showed a decreasing trend from the more productive to the less productive breeds. Local breeds (Grigia Alpina and Pezzata Rossa d'Oropa) showed a significantly lower prevalence of welfare problems compared with the other 3 breeds, whereas Italian Holstein-Friesian usually had the highest percentage of individuals with problems. No differences were found between Pezzata Rossa Italiana and Italian Bruna, both of which showed fewer problems than Italian Holstein-Friesian. The effect of the breed significantly affected the welfare of dairy cows in tie-stalls in alpine traditional husbandry systems. The prevalence of the negative welfare indicators studied was lower in local breeds, which are better adapted to local breeding conditions. Our results indicate an urgent need to promote changes in the criteria used for genetic selection in the dairy industry and underline the importance of maintaining the diversity of local breeds, which should be carefully chosen for each specific environmental condition.

Identification of a novel HLA-DRB1*11 variant allele, DRB1*1189.

Here, we describe the identification of a novel human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DRB1 allele, DRB1*1189, that was found in an Italian Caucasian individual. This sequence differs from HLA-DRB1*1134 by three nucleotide exchange at positions 286 (C-->T), 296 (A-->G), and 308 (C-->A) in exon 2.

Effectiveness of nanofiltration in removing small non-enveloped viruses from three different plasma-derived products.

The objective of this study was to assess the ability of nanofiltration of albumin solution, prothrombin complex (PTC) and factor IX (FIX) to remove two small, non-enveloped DNA viruses, parvovirus B19 (B19V) and torque teno virus (TTV). Virus removal was investigated with down-scale experiments performed with sequential steps of 35-nm and 15-nm nanofiltrations of products spiked with virus DNA-positive sera. Viral loads were determined by real-time PCRs. The 15-nm nanofiltration removed more than 4.0 B19V log from all the products, TTV was reduced of more than 3.0 log from albumin solution and FIX by 35-nm and 15-nm nanofiltrations, respectively, being viral DNA undetectable after these treatments. Traces of TTV were still found in PTC after the 15-nm nanofiltration. In conclusion, nanofiltration can be efficacious in removing small naked viruses but, since viruses with similar features can differently respond to the treatment, a careful monitoring of large-scale nanofiltration should be performed.

[Self-inflicted dermatitis: a case in pediatric age]. / Dermatiti da autoaggressione: un caso in età pediatrica.

The skin is an organ that has a primary function in the tactile receptivity and also reacts significantly to emotional stimuli. The high visibility of the dermatological diseases makes the skin a privileged target for feelings and actions that reflect behavioural problems. The tendency to self-harm can be expressed with remarkable frequency through dermatological lesions; among them neurotic excoriations are a clinical frame in which patients, unlike for other ''similar'' pathologies, succeed however in recognizing their own role in the development of the cutaneous lesions. This pathology is not frequent in paediatric age; the highest statistical frequency, however, is to be found in the adolescence period of development. The authors describe a multidisciplinary, dermatological and psychological intervention on a child who intensifies a pre-existing dermatological symptom for psychological reasons.

Epidemiological surveillance of human enteric viruses by monitoring of different environmental matrices.

In the aim of studying possible relations between viruses detected in clinical specimens and the ones found in different environmental matrices, in the period May 2004 to April 2005, the collection of faecal samples from gastroenteritis cases and the monthly monitoring of raw and treated wastewater, river water, seawater and mussels were carried out. The viruses considered for environmental monitoring were adenovirus, rotavirus, enterovirus, norovirus, hepatitis A virus (HAV) and Torque teno virus (TTV): they were searched for with PCR and RT-PCR and confirmed by gene sequencing. Faecal coliforms and somatic coliphages' counts were also determined. The surveillance of case detected 45 positive faecal samples out of 255 (17.6%) while 35 of 56 environmental samples (62.5%) resulted positive for at least one of the considered viruses. The detection of the same viral strain in the faeces of gastroenteritis cases and in water was possible for adenovirus and rotavirus, which were also predominant in environmental matrices; thus they could be considered as a reference for risk assessment.

Relationships between TT virus infection and hepatitis C virus response to interferon therapy in doubly infected patients.

A group of 24 well-characterized patients doubly infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and TT virus (TTV) were studied to evaluate whether the loads and number or identity of the genogroups of TTV they carried could affect the response of HCV infection to interferon-alpha (IFN) treatment. The features of HCV infection in the study patients provided a fair representation of the variables that are usually found in considering patients for IFN treatment. The same was true for the features of TTV infection. In particular, plasma loads of TTV varied over a wide range in individual patients, and infection with multiple TTV genogroups was extremely frequent. TTV genogroups 1 and 3 were the most prevalent, followed by genogroups 4 and 5. The HCV response to IFN was evaluated by measuring plasma viraemia at 24 hours and 30 days after initiation of treatment. The results showed that the TTV parameters investigated had little or no impact on the response of HCV to therapy. Due to study design, these results do not exclude that the presence of a concomitant TTV infection can affect how HCV infection responds to treatment. However, they indicate that, should such effects exist, they would be independent on load and genetic features of the infecting TTV.

Dynamics of persistent TT virus infection, as determined in patients treated with alpha interferon for concomitant hepatitis C virus infection.

TT virus (TTV) is a recently identified widespread DNA virus of humans that produces persistent viremia in the absence of overt clinical manifestations. In an attempt to shed light on the dynamics of chronic infection, we measured the levels of TTV in the plasma of 25 persistently infected patients during the first 3 months of alpha interferon (IFN-alpha) treatment for concomitant hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The first significant decline of TTV loads was observed at day 3 versus day 1 for HCV. Subsequently, the loads of TTV became progressively lower in most patients, but some initial responders relapsed before the end of the follow-up, suggesting that at least in some subjects the effects of IFN on TTV can be very short-lived. No correlation between the responses of TTV and HCV to therapy was found. Fitting the viremia data obtained during the first week of treatment into previously developed mathematical models showed that TTV sustains very active chronic infections, with over 90% of the virions in plasma cleared and replenished daily and a minimum of approximately 3.8 x 10(10) virions generated per day. Low levels of TTV were occasionally detected in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients who had cleared plasma viremia, thus corroborating previous results showing that these cells may support TTV replication and/or persistence.

Central and baroreflex control of heart rate during the wake-sleep cycle in rat.

UNLABELLED: Spontaneous fluctuations in Heart Period (HP) and Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP) make it possible to evaluate baroreceptor-heart rate reflex sensitivity (BRS). 30-s sequences of HP and MAP beat-to-beat values were considered in the different wake-sleep states (Wake, W; Quiet Sleep, QS; Active Sleep, AS) in rats to assess whether 1) BRS changes between states and 2) the different indexes supply consistent BRS measures. BRS indexes were calculated according to validated literature procedures as regression coefficients of HP vs. MAP 1) within all ramps of increasing or decreasing MAP of four beats or more, with HP and MAP changing in the same direction (baroreflex-mediated fluctuations, BRSp), 2) within all such ramps irrespective of the relative direction of HP and MAP changes (baroreflex + non-baroreflex, i.e. non-homeostatic centrally driven, fluctuations, BRSA). HP vs. MAP regression coefficient along the entire 30-s sequence (bHPMAP) was also calculated. RESULTS: BRSp did not change among states, BRSA decreased from QS to W to AS, bHPMAP decreased from QS to W and became negative in AS. CONCLUSIONS: 1) as indicated by BRSp, baroreflex sensitivity is state independent, 2) BRSp to BRS(A) to bHPMAP are increasingly affected by non-baroreflex fluctuations, BRSp being most apt to measure BRS, 3) non-homeostatic MAP and HP fluctuations increase from QS to W and prevail in AS. These potentially harmful fluctuations are normally buffered by baroreflexes: in the case of baroreflex impairment, circulatory risk may arise in conditions like AS, when they prevail.

Protective effects of vitamins and selenium compounds in yeast.

Antimutagens and anticarcinogens are known to play an important role in decreasing damages induced by oxidants. In this study, we investigated the genotoxic and antimutagenic potential of two selenium compounds (sodium selenite: Na(2)SeO(3); seleno-DL-methionine: C(5)H(11)NO(2)Se) and Vitamins A and E in yeast cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. An oxidative mutagen (hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)), HP) was chosen as positive control. We determined the enzymatic activities involved in the protection against oxidative damages (catalase: CAT; superoxide dismutase: SOD; glutathione peroxidase: GPx) in the cytosolic extract of yeast cells. The results demonstrated that selenium compounds exerted both mutagenic and antimutagenic effect at different concentrations. Antimutagenesis was evident both in stationary and in logarithmic phase cells. Catalase, SOD, and GPx were significantly increased in the presence of all the compounds assayed. Vitamins A (retinol) and E (alpha-tocopherol) did not have toxic or mutagenic action.

Density of perfused brain capillaries in the aged rat during the wake-sleep cycle.

Structural and functional age-related changes in brain vasculature might affect the cerebral microcirculation. The present study evaluated the density of perfused brain capillaries and the perfusion fraction (perfused/existing capillaries) in aged rats (24 months) during the states of the wake-sleep cycle (quiet wakefulness, quiet sleep, active sleep) characterized by different levels of brain activation. The number of perfused capillaries was determined by intravascular injection of the fluorescent marker Evans Blue; histochemical staining of the capillary endothelium identified the alkaline-phosphatase (AP) reactive quota of the anatomical population. No sleep-related changes in perfused capillary density were found, and the perfusion fraction in the AP-stained sub-population was high and stable (95%) across the sleep-wake cycle: changing levels of brain activation during sleep do not affect functional capillary density in aged rats.

Aging in the Amish community.

The experience of aging in The Old Order Amish Community, of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, is explored from the viewpoint of the elderly. Through personal interviews with elderly Amish and others knowledgeable about the community, the influence of religious beliefs and practices as the core of their lifestyle becomes evident. The entire community, not just family members, cares for the elders with respect and loving care, generally without recourse to any external resources from the non-Amish.

Brain capillary perfusion during sleep.

Brain capillary perfusion was evaluated in the different states of the wake-sleep cycle-quiet wakefulness (QW), quiet sleep (QS), and active sleep (AS)-in rats. The extent of the perfused capillary network was determined by intravascular distribution of a fluorescent marker. Evans blue (EB); it remained unchanged across the three behavioral conditions, QW, QS, and AS. The anatomical network was assessed by alkaline phosphatase (AP) endothelial staining, which is known to underestimate the number of existing capillaries. The resulting number of AP profiles were, therefore, significantly lower than the number of EB profiles, but the percentage of AP-stained capillaries that were perfused (96%) was also unchanged across the behavioral conditions. The results indicate that no capillary recruitment accompanies the wake-sleep cycle. Capillary surface area is a relevant factor in determining exchanges across the blood-brain barrier. In the absence of capillary recruitment (relative constancy of the surface area), the CBF changes during sleep should preferentially affect flow-limited with respect to diffusion-limited transport.

Characteristics and possible significance of the answers to Rorschach from patients suffering from psoriasis.

The authors have tried to ascertain the statistical significance of the differences between the answers to H. Rorschach Psychodiagnostic tests given to 80 male and female adult patients, suffering from psoriasis and by 'normal' patients. The absolute frequencies and the averages of the results concerning 55 items obtained through the administration of Rorschach to patients with psoriasis were compared with the results of the test made to the general population. The analysis of the data and of the correlations has confirmed the hypothesis that the pathology of psoriasis, is (seriously) damaging, especially as regards the inhibitions, the cerebral potential, the emotional balance and the social relationships of the patient and furthermore, it can be related, ecologically, to problems concerning the identification-individualization process of the patient. This hypothesis has taken into account the high emotional value, in particular as regards the image of oneself, self-acceptance and self evaluation as well as social acknowledgement, and the communicative value given to the skin.

Psoriasis, stress and psychiatry: psychodynamic characteristics of stressors.

The aim of this investigation was to learn how a stressful event, often very mild, can determine a relapse of psoriasis. The research was carried out with clinical interviews and with the administration of Rorschach Psychoreactive, MMPI and H-T-P tests to 80 in-patients. Our data revealed a high prevalence of psychic disorders: 71.2% of patients showed symptoms which allowed a precise psychiatric diagnosis based on DSM-III-R criteria. 35% had personality disorders, 17.5% were moody, 12.5% were anxious and 6.25% had a schizophrenic trait. The analysis of the stressful events enabled us to determine the presence of a specific event in 88.7% of cases. For the majority of patients, the stressful event was felt as very mild: 67.6% of patients reported the existence of a low-impact stressful event according to the DSM-III-R classification. The average evaluation of the stressful event for all patients, based on a five-stage rating (ranging from 2 'light' to 6 'catastrophic') was 2.56. In conclusion, the analysis of the psychic conditions of in-patients showed that the importance in inducing an acute episode of psoriasis is the meaning of a stressful event as experienced by the patient, i.e. the questioning of his own identity, rather than the intensity of the aforementioned stressful event. In this case, the disease appears to be an attempt to express a defensive somatic response to a possible identity crisis.

A histofluorescent procedure for identifying marijuana cannabinoids.

A rapid and reliable fluorescence procedure is described as a test for the microscopical identification of the glandular hairs of Cannabis sativa. The proposed method, designated as the IFIM test (induced fluorescence identification for marijuana test), is based on the induction of a red fluorescence in cannabinoids by a hot clearing solution. The results, compared to those obtained by the classical RIM test, offer the possibility of more satisfactory identification of cannabis, hashish or marijuana in suspected samples.