53 research outputs found
Detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in dairy cow farms
No full textMethicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of the most common pathogens causing nosocomial infections worldwide. Animal-associated MRSA hazard has been recently identified, but less information is currently available regarding MRSA in cattle. The aim of this study was to estimate the presence of MRSA in samples of bulk milk, environmental dust, conjunctival and nasal swabs of workers obtained from thirty dairy cow farms. A total of 200 S. aureus strains were identified using phenotypic and molecular approaches. Three other species (Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus xylosus and Staphylococcus saprophyticus) were found. In five S. aureus strains isolated from environmental dust and one S. epidermidis strain derived from human samples, mecA gene was detected showing a specific fragment at 527 bp. Moreover, 66 S. aureus strains were distinguished by susceptibility to 15 antimicrobial agents. The highest resistance profile was ascribed to ampicillin, amoxicillin and penicillin G, both in workers and bulk milk samples. Generally, a multiple resistance to 4 up to 10 antibiotics was detected. S. aureus mecA+ strains and S. epidermidis mecA+ strain showed multiple resistance to 13 and 11 antibiotics, respectively. The obtained results suggested that the low number of MRSA strains, probably of human origin, was due to the appropriate hygienic practices adopted by the dairy cow farm
Molecular typing of Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Typhimurium isolated in Abruzzo region (Italy) from 2008 to 2010
No full textIn this study, 47 antibiotic-resistant strains of Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Typhimurium (ST) were characterised, including 15 monophasic variants 1, 4, [5], 12:i:-, (STm) isolated from different matrices. They were all selected from 389 Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica strains isolated during 2008-2010 in Abruzzo region (Italy). Thirty-seven strains showed to be resistant to more than 1 antibiotic. Among 47 isolates, phage type U311 and DT104 were identified. The ASSuT resistance pattern was predominant in mST strains and ACSSuT in ST DT104 and U302. A multiplex Polimerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method was used to investigate 4 genes: fluorfenicol (floSt), virulence (spvC), invasine (invA) and integrase (int). All ST the strain were positive for invA gene and 28,32% of strains were positive for spvC gene. PFGE analysis revealed a large number of small clonal populations, however not ascrivable to outbreaks
Rapid and safe one-step extraction method for the identification of Brucella strains at genus and species level by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry
No full textBrucellosis is essentially a disease of domesticated livestock; however, humans can also be infected via the consumption of contaminated meat or dairy products, underlying the need for rapid and accurate identification methods. Procedures for microbiological identification and typing of Brucella spp. are expensive, time-consuming, and must be conducted in biohazard containment facilities to minimize operator risk. The development of a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS)-based assay has reduced the processing time while maintaining performance standards. In this study, to improve the identification accuracy and suitability of the MALDI-TOF-based assay for routine diagnosis, we developed a new protein extraction protocol and generated a custom reference database containing Brucella strains representative of the most widespread species. The reference library was then challenged with blind-coded field samples isolated from infected animals. The results indicated that the database could be used to correctly identify 99.5% and 97% of Brucella strains at the genus and species level, respectively, indicating that the performance of the assay was not affected by the different culture conditions used for microbial isolation. Moreover, the inactivated samples were stored and shipped to reference laboratories with no ill effect on protein stability, thus confirming the reliability of our method for routine diagnosis. Finally, we evaluated the epidemiological value of the protocol by comparing the clustering analysis results of Brucella melitensis strains obtained via multiple locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis or MALDI-TOF MS. The results showed that the MALDI-TOF assay could not decipher the true phylogenetic tree, suggesting that the protein profile did not correspond with the genetic evolution of Brucella
Distribution of <i>Brucella</i> field strains isolated from livestock, wildlife populations, and humans in Italy from 2007 to 2015
No full textBrucellosis is a major public health problem still prevalent as a neglected endemic zoonosis requiring proactive attention in many communities worldwide. The present study involved analysis of Brucella field strains submitted for typing to the Italian National Reference Laboratory for Brucellosis from 2007 to 2015. Strains were identified at the species and biovar levels by classic and molecular techniques according to the World Organisation for Animal Health Manual. In total, 5,784 strains were typed: 3,089 Brucella abortus (53.4%), 2,497 B. melitensis (43.2%), 10 B. ovis (0.2%), 181 B. suis (3.1%), and 7 B. ceti (0.1%). The 2,981 strains from cattle were typed as B. abortus biovars 1, 3, and 6 (90.1%) and B. melitensis biovar 3 (9.9%). The 318 strains from water buffalo were typed as B. abortus biovars 1, 3 (95.9%) and B. melitensis biovar 3 (4.1%). The 2,279 strains from sheep and goats were typed as B. abortus biovars 1 and 3 (4.3%); B. melitensis biovars 1, 3, (95.3%); and B. ovis (0.4%). The 173 strains from wild boar were typed as B. suis biovar 2 (98.3%) and B. melitensis biovar 3 (1.7%). The 11 strains from pigs were typed as B. suis biovar 2. The 13 strains from humans were typed as B. melitensis biovar 3. The two strains from horses were typed as B. abortus biovar 1, while the seven strains from dolphins were typed as B. ceti. This additional knowledge on the epidemiology of brucellosis in Italy may be useful to formulate policies and strategies for the control and eradication of the disease in animal populations. The animal species affected, biovars typed, geographical origins, and spatial distributions of isolates are herein analyzed and discussed.</div
Edició dels poemes sobre Cèsar Borja
No full textCatalà: Continuació d’una sèrie d’articles iniciada per l’autora en aquesta mateixa publicació (vegeu Revista Borja. Revista de l’IIEB, 1 i 2), dedicats a l’edició i l’estudi dels poemes en italià sobre Cèsar Borja, centrats en l’empresa de la Romanya, la caiguda i la mort del Valentino. Aquí s’editen els següents textos, impresos durant la primera meitat del segle XVI, la majoria anònims, excepte els atribuïts a un poeta al servei de Cèsar, Francesco Sacchini de Mudiana: Francisci Sachini Fragmentum super illustrem & excelsum dominum d. Caesarem Borgiam; Questa è la historia de la morte del Duca Valentino; Libro overo Crónica di tutte le guerre de Italia; Questa è la destructione del Duca Valentino; Lamento della morte dello illustre et excelso signor Duca Valentino, novamente composto per Francesco de Sachino da Mudiana.
Paraules clau: Cèsar Borja; literatura italiana; poesia narrativa; impremta.
Italiano: Questo lavoro è il proseguimento di una serie di articoli, iniziata dall’autrice in questa stessa pubblicazione (vedi Revista Borja. Revista de l’IIEB, 1 e 2), dedicati all’edizione e allo studio di alcuni poemi in italiano su Cesare Borgia, in particolare sull’impresa della Romagna, la caduta e la morte del Valentino. In esso si editano i seguenti testi, stampati nella prima metà del secolo XVI e per la maggior parte anonimi eccetto che quelli attribuiti a un poeta al servizio dello stesso Cesare, Francesco Sacchini da Mudiana: Francisci Sachini Fragmentum super illustrem & excelsum dominum d. Caesarem Borgiam; Questa è la historia de la morte del Duca Valentino; Libro overo Crónica di tutte le guerre de Italia; Questa è la destructione del Duca Valentino; Lamento della morte dello illustre et excelso signor Duca Valentino, novamente composto per Francesco de Sachino da Mudiana.
Parole chiave: Cesare Borgia; letteratura italiana; poesia narrativa; stampa.
English: This paper continues a series of articles initiated by the author in this journal (see Revista Borja. Revista de l’IIEB, 1 and 2), devoted to the publication and study of poems, written in Italian about Cesare Borgia. The poems focus on the Romagna’s entreprise, and the fall and death of Valentino. In this issue, the following texts, printed in the first half of the sixteenth century, are published. Most of them are anonymous, except for those attributed to a poet, Francesco Sacchini Mudiana, who was in the service of Cesare: Francisci Sachini Fragmentum super illustrem & excelsum dominum d. Caesarem Borgiam; Questa è la historia de la morte del Duca Valentino; Libro overo Crónica di tutte le guerre de Italia; Questa è la destructione del Duca Valentino; Lamento della morte dello illustre et excelso signor Duca Valentino, novamente composto per Francesco de Sachino da Mudiana.
Keywords: Cesare Borgia; Italian literature; narrative poetry; print.Català: Continuació d’una sèrie d’articles iniciada per l’autora en aquesta mateixa publicació (vegeu Revista Borja. Revista de l’IIEB, 1 i 2), dedicats a l’edició i l’estudi dels poemes en italià sobre Cèsar Borja, centrats en l’empresa de la Romanya, la caiguda i la mort del Valentino. Aquí s’editen els següents textos, impresos durant la primera meitat del segle XVI, la majoria anònims, excepte els atribuïts a un poeta al servei de Cèsar, Francesco Sacchini de Mudiana: Francisci Sachini Fragmentum super illustrem & excelsum dominum d. Caesarem Borgiam; Questa è la historia de la morte del Duca Valentino; Libro overo Crónica di tutte le guerre de Italia; Questa è la destructione del Duca Valentino; Lamento della morte dello illustre et excelso signor Duca Valentino, novamente composto per Francesco de Sachino da Mudiana.
Paraules clau: Cèsar Borja; literatura italiana; poesia narrativa; impremta.
Italiano: Questo lavoro è il proseguimento di una serie di articoli, iniziata dall’autrice in questa stessa pubblicazione (vedi Revista Borja. Revista de l’IIEB, 1 e 2), dedicati all’edizione e allo studio di alcuni poemi in italiano su Cesare Borgia, in particolare sull’impresa della Romagna, la caduta e la morte del Valentino. In esso si editano i seguenti testi, stampati nella prima metà del secolo XVI e per la maggior parte anonimi eccetto che quelli attribuiti a un poeta al servizio dello stesso Cesare, Francesco Sacchini da Mudiana: Francisci Sachini Fragmentum super illustrem & excelsum dominum d. Caesarem Borgiam; Questa è la historia de la morte del Duca Valentino; Libro overo Crónica di tutte le guerre de Italia; Questa è la destructione del Duca Valentino; Lamento della morte dello illustre et excelso signor Duca Valentino, novamente composto per Francesco de Sachino da Mudiana.
Parole chiave: Cesare Borgia; letteratura italiana; poesia narrativa; stampa.
English: This paper continues a series of articles initiated by the author in this journal (see Revista Borja. Revista de l’IIEB, 1 and 2), devoted to the publication and study of poems, written in Italian about Cesare Borgia. The poems focus on the Romagna’s entreprise, and the fall and death of Valentino. In this issue, the following texts, printed in the first half of the sixteenth century, are published. Most of them are anonymous, except for those attributed to a poet, Francesco Sacchini Mudiana, who was in the service of Cesare: Francisci Sachini Fragmentum super illustrem & excelsum dominum d. Caesarem Borgiam; Questa è la historia de la morte del Duca Valentino; Libro overo Crónica di tutte le guerre de Italia; Questa è la destructione del Duca Valentino; Lamento della morte dello illustre et excelso signor Duca Valentino, novamente composto per Francesco de Sachino da Mudiana.
Keywords: Cesare Borgia; Italian literature; narrative poetry; print.Català: Continuació d’una sèrie d’articles iniciada per l’autora en aquesta mateixa publicació (vegeu Revista Borja. Revista de l’IIEB, 1 i 2), dedicats a l’edició i l’estudi dels poemes en italià sobre Cèsar Borja, centrats en l’empresa de la Romanya, la caiguda i la mort del Valentino. Aquí s’editen els següents textos, impresos durant la primera meitat del segle XVI, la majoria anònims, excepte els atribuïts a un poeta al servei de Cèsar, Francesco Sacchini de Mudiana: Francisci Sachini Fragmentum super illustrem & excelsum dominum d. Caesarem Borgiam; Questa è la historia de la morte del Duca Valentino; Libro overo Crónica di tutte le guerre de Italia; Questa è la destructione del Duca Valentino; Lamento della morte dello illustre et excelso signor Duca Valentino, novamente composto per Francesco de Sachino da Mudiana.
Paraules clau: Cèsar Borja; literatura italiana; poesia narrativa; impremta.
Italiano: Questo lavoro è il proseguimento di una serie di articoli, iniziata dall’autrice in questa stessa pubblicazione (vedi Revista Borja. Revista de l’IIEB, 1 e 2), dedicati all’edizione e allo studio di alcuni poemi in italiano su Cesare Borgia, in particolare sull’impresa della Romagna, la caduta e la morte del Valentino. In esso si editano i seguenti testi, stampati nella prima metà del secolo XVI e per la maggior parte anonimi eccetto che quelli attribuiti a un poeta al servizio dello stesso Cesare, Francesco Sacchini da Mudiana: Francisci Sachini Fragmentum super illustrem & excelsum dominum d. Caesarem Borgiam; Questa è la historia de la morte del Duca Valentino; Libro overo Crónica di tutte le guerre de Italia; Questa è la destructione del Duca Valentino; Lamento della morte dello illustre et excelso signor Duca Valentino, novamente composto per Francesco de Sachino da Mudiana.
Parole chiave: Cesare Borgia; letteratura italiana; poesia narrativa; stampa.
English: This paper continues a series of articles initiated by the author in this journal (see Revista Borja. Revista de l’IIEB, 1 and 2), devoted to the publication and study of poems, written in Italian about Cesare Borgia. The poems focus on the Romagna’s entreprise, and the fall and death of Valentino. In this issue, the following texts, printed in the first half of the sixteenth century, are published. Most of them are anonymous, except for those attributed to a poet, Francesco Sacchini Mudiana, who was in the service of Cesare: Francisci Sachini Fragmentum super illustrem & excelsum dominum d. Caesarem Borgiam; Questa è la historia de la morte del Duca Valentino; Libro overo Crónica di tutte le guerre de Italia; Questa è la destructione del Duca Valentino; Lamento della morte dello illustre et excelso signor Duca Valentino, novamente composto per Francesco de Sachino da Mudiana.
Keywords: Cesare Borgia; Italian literature; narrative poetry; print
Structured methodology review identified seven (RETREAT) criteria for selecting qualitative evidence synthesis approaches
No full textOBJECTIVE
To compare and contrast different methods of qualitative evidence synthesis (QES) against criteria identified from the literature and to map their attributes to inform selection of the most appropriate QES method to answer research questions addressed by qualitative research.
STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING
Electronic databases, citation searching and a study register were used to identify studies reporting QES methods. Attributes compiled from 26 methodological papers (2001-2014) were used as a framework for data extraction. Data were extracted into summary tables by one reviewer and then considered within the author team.
RESULTS
We identified seven considerations determining choice of methods from the methodological literature, encapsulated within the mnemonic RETREAT (Review question - Epistemology - Time/Timescale - Resources - Expertise - Audience and purpose - Type of Data). We mapped 15 different published QES methods against these seven criteria. The final framework focuses on stand-alone QES methods but may also hold potential when integrating quantitative and qualitative data.
CONCLUSION
These findings offer a contemporary perspective as a conceptual basis for future empirical investigation of the advantages and disadvantages of different methods of QES. It is hoped that this will inform appropriate selection of QES approaches
Decompression vs. Decomposition: Distribution, Amount, and Gas Composition of Bubbles in Stranded Marine Mammals
No full text© The Author(s), 2012. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Frontiers in Physiology 3 (2012): 177, doi:10.3389/fphys.2012.00177.Gas embolic lesions linked to military sonar have been described in stranded cetaceans including beaked whales. These descriptions suggest that gas bubbles in marine mammal tissues may be more common than previously thought. In this study we have analyzed gas amount (by gas score) and gas composition within different decomposition codes using a standardized methodology. This broad study has allowed us to explore species-specific variability in bubble prevalence, amount, distribution, and composition, as well as masking of bubble content by putrefaction gases. Bubbles detected within the cardiovascular system and other tissues related to both pre- and port-mortem processes are a common finding on necropsy of stranded cetaceans. To minimize masking by putrefaction gases, necropsy, and gas sampling must be performed as soon as possible. Before 24 h post mortem is recommended but preferably within 12 h post mortem. At necropsy, amount of bubbles (gas score) in decomposition code 2 in stranded cetaceans was found to be more important than merely presence vs. absence of bubbles from a pathological point of view. Deep divers presented higher abundance of gas bubbles, mainly composed of 70% nitrogen and 30% CO2, suggesting a higher predisposition of these species to suffer from decompression-related gas embolism.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation with two research projects: (AGL 2005-07947) and (CGL 2009/12663), as well as the Government of Canary Islands (DG Medio Natural). The Spanish Ministry of Education contributed with personal financial support (the University Professor Formation fellowship). The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Marine Mammal Centre and Wick and Sloan Simmons provided funding for the latest stage of this work
Preventative therapies for healthy women at high risk of breast cancer
No full textIvana Sestak Centre for Cancer Prevention, Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, Queen Mary University of London, Charterhouse Square, London, UKAbstract: Tamoxifen has been shown to reduce the risk of developing estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer by at least 50%, in both pre- and postmenopausal women. The current challenge is to find new agents with fewer side effects and to find agents that are specifically suitable for premenopausal women with ER-negative breast cancer. Other selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), such as raloxifene, arzoxifene, and lasofoxifene, have been shown to reduce the incidence of breast cancer by 50%–80%. SERMs are interesting agents for the prevention of breast cancer, but longer follow-up is needed for some of them for a complete risk–benefit profile of these drugs. Aromatase inhibitors have emerged as new drugs in the prevention setting for postmenopausal women. In the Mammary Prevention 3 (MAP3) trial, a 65% reduction in invasive breast cancer with exemestane was observed, and the Breast Cancer Intervention Study-II trial, which compared anastrozole with placebo, reported a 60% reduction in those cancers. Although SERMs and aromatase inhibitors have been proven to be excellent agents in the preventive setting specifically for postmenopausal women and ER-positive breast cancer, newer agents have to be found specifically for ER-negative breast cancers, which mostly occur in premenopausal women. Keywords: breast cancer, preventive therapy, selective estrogen receptor modulators, aromatase inhibitors, high-risk wome
Nicolas-Etienne Framery: and lyric theatre in eighteenth-century France
No full textThis study offers a reassessment of the librettist, parodist and critic Nicolas-Etienne Framery (1745-1810) whom scholars have frequently mentioned in passing, but whose career remains little known and poorly understood today. Though Framery was also active as a translator of Italian epic works and an occasional author of narrative, this study considers his work as a dramatist and theatrical critic, and demonstrates his constant concern for progress in French lyric theatre. Framery was one of the generation of librettists to write for the new Comédie-Italienne after 1762, and his enthusiasm for the innovative opéra-comique was unfailing. His attention to musical terminology made him one of the major contributors, alongside Momigny and Ginguené, to the Encyclopédie méthodique: musique. Unlike better-known theorists of music such as Rousseau, Framery adopted a progressive stance towards musical theatre and took an active part, in the 1770s, in the introduction of Italian lyric forms into the French theatre world. Parodies of Sacchini and Paisiello are considered here, as are Framery’s theoretical views on composition, on the relationship between music and language, and on operatic word setting. His progressivism extended to journalism (he was the editor of the first periodical on music in France, the Journal de musique, and a columnist for the Mercure de France) and to administrative issues (he acted as agent for the Bureau established to protect authors’ rights during the Revolution). Framery’s writings for the Journal, for the Encyclopédie méthodique, and for the Institut de France show him to be a pioneering thinker on music who preferred the concept of expression to classical theories of music as imitation. Framery’s approach led him to adopt a career at variance with tradition and it is only now, in the light of recent research on the opéra-comique, that his innovations in the lyric theatre can be properly appreciated. Table of illustrations Acknowledgements Abbreviations Introduction 1. Nicolas-Etienne Framery: a reluctant modernist? 2. Preference for the opéra-comique 3. Transformations of French works 4. The renewal of public interest in Italian music: parody as cultural translation 5. Framery and Sacchini 6. Framery and Paisiello 7. Criticism as a vehicle for cultural progress: Framery as journalist and critic 8. Framery’s work in cultural administration 9. Late writings on musical theory Conclusion Appendix 1: Unpublished and little-known texts by or concerning Framery Appendix 2: Letters from Framery to the press Appendix 3: Public performances of works by Framery Appendix 4: Press reviews of works by Framery Appendix 5: Liminary texts: La Colonie, ‘Au lecteur’ Critical catalogue of Framery’s works Bibliography Inde
Nicolas-Etienne Framery
No full textThis study offers a reassessment of the librettist, parodist and critic Nicolas-Etienne Framery (1745-1810) whom scholars have frequently mentioned in passing, but whose career remains little known and poorly understood today. Though Framery was also active as a translator of Italian epic works and an occasional author of narrative, this study considers his work as a dramatist and theatrical critic, and demonstrates his constant concern for progress in French lyric theatre. Framery was one of the generation of librettists to write for the new Comédie-Italienne after 1762, and his enthusiasm for the innovative opéra-comique was unfailing. His attention to musical terminology made him one of the major contributors, alongside Momigny and Ginguené, to the Encyclopédie méthodique: musique. Unlike better-known theorists of music such as Rousseau, Framery adopted a progressive stance towards musical theatre and took an active part, in the 1770s, in the introduction of Italian lyric forms into the French theatre world. Parodies of Sacchini and Paisiello are considered here, as are Frameryâs theoretical views on composition, on the relationship between music and language, and on operatic word setting. His progressivism extended to journalism (he was the editor of the first periodical on music in France, the Journal de musique, and a columnist for the Mercure de France) and to administrative issues (he acted as agent for the Bureau established to protect authorsâ rights during the Revolution). Frameryâs writings for the Journal, for the Encyclopédie méthodique, and for the Institut de France show him to be a pioneering thinker on music who preferred the concept of expression to classical theories of music as imitation. Frameryâs approach led him to adopt a career at variance with tradition and it is only now, in the light of recent research on the opéra-comique, that his innovations in the lyric theatre can be properly appreciated. Table of illustrations Acknowledgements Abbreviations Introduction 1. Nicolas-Etienne Framery: a reluctant modernist? 2. Preference for the opéra-comique 3. Transformations of French works 4. The renewal of public interest in Italian music: parody as cultural translation 5. Framery and Sacchini 6. Framery and Paisiello 7. Criticism as a vehicle for cultural progress: Framery as journalist and critic 8. Frameryâs work in cultural administration 9. Late writings on musical theory Conclusion Appendix 1: Unpublished and little-known texts by or concerning Framery Appendix 2: Letters from Framery to the press Appendix 3: Public performances of works by Framery Appendix 4: Press reviews of works by Framery Appendix 5: Liminary texts: La Colonie, âAu lecteurâ Critical catalogue of Frameryâs works Bibliography Index<br/
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