Cross-sectional serosurvey of Coxiella burnetii in healthy cattle and sheep from extensive grazing system in central Italy.

A cross-sectional survey was carried out to estimate the seroprevalence of Coxiella burnetii in extensively grazed cattle and sheep from central Italy and to identify the related risk factors. Data on notified human Q fever cases in the area were also collected and described. A two-stage cluster sampling was performed. A total of 5083 animals (2210 cattle; 2873 sheep) belonging to 186 farms (92 herds; 94 flocks) were tested for the presence of antibodies against C. burnetii using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. The prevalence at the animal-level resulted three times higher in sheep compared to cattle (37.8% vs. 12.0%; χ2 = 270.10, P < 0.001). The prevalence at the herd-level was also higher in sheep than in cattle (87.2% vs. 68.5%; χ2 = 9.52, P < 0.01). The multivariate analysis showed a higher risk of seropositivity for cattle aged 67-107 months (OR 2.79, 95% CI 1.86-4.18), cattle >107 months of age (OR 2.07, 95% CI 1.36-3.14) and mixed breed cattle (OR 1.74, 95% CI 1.11-2.72). A herd size >92 animals was recognized as herd-level risk factor in cattle (OR 6.88, 95% CI 1.67-28.37). The risk of being seropositive was double in sheep belonging to flocks >600 animals (odds ratio (OR) 2.04, 95% CI 1.63-2.56). Sheep were confirmed to be the most exposed species. Nevertheless, the prevalence observed in cattle also suggests the potential involvement of this species in the circulation of the pathogen in the area. Seven confirmed human Q fever cases were reported. In five out of seven cases there was at least one exposed herd within a 5 km buffer. Even though the source of the infection was not identified, the possibility of C. burnetii circulating in the livestock and human population in the study area cannot be overlooked. The integration between veterinary and human surveillance will be crucial to understand the spread of this zoonosis and to support the adoption of appropriate control measures.

Molecular detection and characterization of spotted fever group rickettsiae in ticks from Central Italy.

The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of rickettsial pathogens in ticks from Central Italy. A total of 113 ticks hailed from Latium and Tuscany regions were identified and tested by PCR to detect gltA, ompA, ompB genes of Rickettsia. Positive amplicons were sequenced and identified at species level. Ticks were analyzed individually or in pools. The percentage of positivity for SFG rickettsiae was 12.4%, expressed as minimum infection rate (MIR) assuming that one tick was positive in each positive pool. Rickettsia aeschlimannii was detected in Hyalomma marginatum, Rickettsia monacensis in Ixodes ricinus and Rickettsia massiliae and Rickettsia conorii in Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato. These findings confirm the circulation of pathogenic rickettsiae in Latium and Tuscany regions. To our knowledge this is the first report of R. massiliae in Latium region.

Suppression of compensating native defect formation during semiconductor processing via excess carriers.

In many semiconductors, compensating defects set doping limits, decrease carrier mobility, and reduce minority carrier lifetime thus limiting their utility in devices. Native defects are often responsible. Suppressing the concentrations of compensating defects during processing close to thermal equilibrium is difficult because formation enthalpies are lowered as the Fermi level moves towards the majority band edge. Excess carriers, introduced for example by photogeneration, modify the formation enthalpy of semiconductor defects and thus can be harnessed during crystal growth or annealing to suppress defect populations. Herein we develop a rigorous and general model for defect formation in the presence of steady-state excess carrier concentrations by combining the standard quasi-chemical formalism with a detailed-balance description that is applicable for any defect state in the bandgap. Considering the quasi-Fermi levels as chemical potentials, we demonstrate that increasing the minority carrier concentration increases the formation enthalpy for typical compensating centers, thus suppressing their formation. This effect is illustrated for the specific example of GaSb. While our treatment is generalized for excess carrier injection or generation in semiconductors by any means, we provide a set of guidelines for applying the concept in photoassisted physical vapor deposition.

Electronic structure of ferromagnetic semiconductor Ga_{1-x}Mn_{x}As probed by subgap magneto-optical spectroscopy.

We employ Faraday and Kerr effect spectroscopy in the infrared range to investigate the electronic structure of Ga_{1-x}Mn_{x}As near the Fermi energy. The band structure of this archetypical dilute-moment ferromagnetic semiconductor has been a matter of controversy, fueled partly by previous measurements of the unpolarized infrared absorption and their phenomenological impurity-band interpretation. Unlike the unpolarized absorption, the infrared magneto-optical effects we study are intimately related to ferromagnetism, and their interpretation is much more microscopically constrained in terms of the orbital character of the relevant band states. We show that the conventional theory of the disordered valence band with an antiferromatnetic exchange term accounts semiquantitatively for the overall characteristics of the measured infrared magneto-optical spectra.

[Etiological hypothesis on five cases of elastofibroma dorsi]. / Ipotesi eziologica su cinque casi di elastofibroma dorsi.

Elastofibroma dorsi is a rare benign lesion of the soft tissue of the thoracic wall, usually located in the subscapular region. It occurs mostly in elderly women patients. This lesion usually arises in right region but it can also be bilateral. Even if the pathogenesis is still unknown, it is considered that "rubbing" of the scapula against the thorax wall could determine growth of the elastofibroma. The differential diagnosis from sarcoma is required but the typical localization and the MRI suggest the diagnosis which should be confirm with the histological exam. The Authors present their experience on five patients, with a median age of 64, affected by elastofibroma dorsi. In two cases, a builder and an obstetrician, the lesion was bilateral; in the other three cases, two teachers and a notary, the lesion are right-sided. A thorax computed tomography (CT) revealed a lesion with heterogeneous density, and the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) , shows intralesional areas of medium and high intensity signals in the tissue with low intensity in both T12 and T2-sequences. The patient underwent surgery and diagnosis was confirmed by the histological exam. Prevalence of the right localization reported in literature, the correlation between the job of the patients and the lesion localization, more evident in the women, confirmed, according to the other Authors, the etiological hypothesis which considers the lesion as a proliferative response of the connective tissue to the repeated mechanical stress which excessive elastic fibrollogenesis probably due to genetic predisposition.

[Subfascial endoscopic perforating vein surgery in patients with advanced trophic lesions (lipodermatosclerosis or ulcers)]. / La legatura endoscopica delle vene perforanti nei pazienti con lesione trofiche avanzate(lipodermatosclerosi o ulcere).

AIM: Subfascial endoscopic perforating vein surgery (SEPS) is proposed in the treatment of chronic venous insufficiency stages C4-C6 of the CEAP classification. METHODS: SEPS was performed in 10 patients (4 men, 6 women), 3 of which were stage C4, 4 stage C5 and 3 stage C6. RESULTS: Full resolution of ulcers was achieved in the 12-month follow-up period; no post-operative sepsis complications were observed. CONCLUSIONS: SEPS is a safe procedure and a valuable therapeutic aid in the treatment of chronic venous insufficiency complicated by trophic skin ulcers. Compared with other techniques, it is less invasive, works directly on the healthy skin and significantly reduces skin wounds.

Ferromagnetism in Ga(1-x)Mn(x)P: evidence for inter-Mn exchange mediated by localized holes within a detached impurity band.

We report an energy gap for hole photoexcitation in ferromagnetic Ga(1-x)Mn(x)P that is tunable by Mn concentration (x < or = 0.06) and by compensation with Te donors. For x approximately 0.06, electrical transport is dominated by excitation across this gap above the Curie temperature (TC) of 60 K and by thermally activated hopping below TC. Magnetization measurements reveal a moment of 3.9 +/- 0.4 muB per substitutional Mn while the large anomalous Hall signal demonstrates that the ferromagnetism is carrier mediated. In aggregate these data indicate that ferromagnetic exchange is mediated by holes localized in a Mn-derived band that is detached from the valence band.

Diluted II-VI oxide semiconductors with multiple band gaps.

We report the realization of a new mult-band-gap semiconductor. Zn(1-y)Mn(y)OxTe1-x alloys have been synthesized using the combination of oxygen ion implantation and pulsed laser melting. Incorporation of small quantities of isovalent oxygen leads to the formation of a narrow, oxygen-derived band of extended states located within the band gap of the Zn(1-y)Mn(y)Te host. When only 1.3% of Te atoms are replaced with oxygen in a Zn0.88Mn0.12Te crystal the resulting band structure consists of two direct band gaps with interband transitions at approximately 1.77 and 2.7 eV. This remarkable modification of the band structure is well described by the band anticrossing model. With multiple band gaps that fall within the solar energy spectrum, Zn(1-y)Mn(y)OxTe1-x is a material perfectly satisfying the conditions for single-junction photovoltaics with the potential for power conversion efficiencies surpassing 50%.

Evaluation of anhydride oligomers within polymer microsphere blends and their impact on bioadhesion and drug delivery in vitro.

The effect of the addition of small molecular weight anhydride oligomers to polymer microspheres was evaluated and increased bioadhesion of the composite was demonstrated. Blends of low molecular weight anhydride oligomers with thermoplastic poly(fumaric-co-sebacic anhydride) [p(FASA)] and polycaprolactone were examined. The effects of anhydride oligomers on polymer microsphere degradation, crystallinity, and surface morphology were also explored. The results demonstrated that fumaric anhydride oligomer remained within polymer microspheres for several hours after exposure to phosphate buffer, formed a homogenous crystalline blend, increased bioadhesion as measured on rat intestine, and enhanced drug delivery in vitro as measured by the everted sac technique.

Mutual passivation of electrically active and isovalent impurities.

The alloy GaN(x) As(1-x) (with x typically less than 0.05) is a novel semiconductor that has many interesting electronic properties because of the nitrogen-induced dramatic modifications of the conduction band structure of the host material (GaAs). Here we demonstrate the existence of an entirely new effect in the GaN(x) As(1-x) alloy system in which the Si donor in the substitututional Ga site (Si(Ga)) and the isovalent atom N in the As sublattice (N(As)) passivate each other's electronic activity. This mutual passivation occurs in Si-doped GaN(x) As(1-x) through the formation of nearest-neighbour Si(Ga) -N(As) pairs and is thermally stable up to 950 degrees C. Consequently, Si doping in GaN(x) As(1-x) under equilibrium conditions results in a highly resistive GaN(x) As(1-x) layer with the fundamental bandgap governed by a net 'active' N, roughly equal to the total N content minus the Si concentration. Such mutual passivation is expected to be a general phenomenon for electrically active dopants and localized state impurities that can form nearest-neighbour pairs.

Biliary tract cancer: our experience with gemcitabine treatment.

Biliary tract cancers are uncommon tumors, with a poor prognosis because most patients present an invasive cancer at diagnosis that makes them inoperable. Chemotherapy is a palliative treatment, but single drugs or combination schedules have demonstrated a response rate of 14-18%, with a duration of response of 8.5 months. We report a single center experience with gemcitabine in the treatment of patients with advanced biliary tract cancers. We report on four cases of chemonaive patients with advanced biliary tract cancers treated with gemcitabine 1 g/m q days 1, 8 and 15. After three cycles of treatment we observed one partial response and three stable disease (according to WHO criteria), with an increase in performance status and a complete relief of pain in all patients. The median time to progression observed was 10.7 months. Although this experience is limited to a small number of patients, it shows that gemcitabine appears to be worthy of clinical research in this neoplastic pathology and makes the drug a particularly interesting agent for investigation in patients with biliary tract malignancies.

[Giant hydatid of the left lung]. / Idatide gigante del polmone sinistro.

A case of giant hydatid cyst of the left lung submitted to conservative surgery is reported. The postoperative period was complicated by the appearance of a bronchopleural fistula and a residual cavity. The complication was treated with targeted double lumen drainage which enabled pleuroclysis with saline solution and betadine. The closure of the fistula, the elision of the cavity and recovery were accomplished after 95 days. These results demonstrate that conservative surgery is possible even in the presence of giant lung hydatid cyst. Major resections constitute an extreme measure.

Poly(fumaric-co-sebacic anhydride). A degradation study as evaluated by FTIR, DSC, GPC and X-ray diffraction.

The degradation of three poly(fumaric-co-sebacic anhydride) [P(FA:SA)] copolymers is examined in a composition of microspheres made by the hot melt encapsulation process. The emergence of low molecular weight oligomers occurs during degradation of the copolymer microspheres, as evidenced by a variety of characterization methods. Characterization was conducted to determine the extent of degradation of the polyanhydride microspheres using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction. It is demonstrated that degradation of P(FA:SA) is greatly accelerated at basic pH, yet there is little difference between degradation in neutral and acidic buffers. A good correlation exists between the results of each characterization method, which allows a better understanding of the degradation process and the resulting formation of low molecular weight oligomers in poly(fumaric-co-sebacic anhydride).

[Hemoptysis in a patient with acquired anomaly of the arterial vascularization of the lung]. / Emoftoe in paziente con anomalia acquisita della vascolarizzazione arteriosa del polmone.

An anomalous systemic pulmonary supply may be acquired and present only one symptom: hemoptysis. The incidence of this pathology is unknown. A case of acquired systemic pulmonary arterialization was observed after surgical intervention of myocardium vascularization with the left mammary artery. The diagnosis was obtained through an arteriography of the left mammary artery. In this case, the therapy consists in ablating the affected parenchyma followed by the interposition of a bovine pericardium patch between the mammary artery and the remaining pulmonary tissue.

[Hemorrhage caused by rupture into the duodenum of aneurysm of a branch of the pancreaticoduodenal artery (posterior superior or retroduodenal pancreaticoduodenal artery)]. / Emorragia da rottura in duodeno di aneurisma di un ramo dell'arteria pancreatico-duodenale (pancreatico-duodenale superoposteriore o retroduodenale).

A case of serious haemorragic shock caused by the rupture into the duodenum of a septic aneurysm of the pancreatic-duodenal artery is reported. The diagnostic difficulties and the need to carry on "blind" laparotomies, in these cases, are underlined.

Normal serum biochemical and hematological parameters in Macaca fascicularis.

The effects of age, sex, pregnancy, were analyzed and data from fasted and fed animals were compared in a population of cynomolgus macaques. No significant sex effects were observed for biochemical values and no changes were found in male hematological parameters in relation to age. Most values of females during pregnancy were within normal ranges. Comparison between fed and fasted animals showed that several biochemical parameters (e.g., ALT, glucose, CPK, LDH) and several hematological parameters (e.g., monocytes, eosinophils, basophils, hemoglobin, MCV, MCHC, and MCH) were affected by food intake.