Search results for "General Immunology and Microbiology"
showing 10 items of 784 documents
Evolution of foraging ecology in Fennoscandian tits ( Parus spp.)
1994
Species belonging to the same genus exploit similar resources in a similar manner. Despite their general similarities in behaviour, they differ in morphology, and these differences are often interpreted as adaptations for use of different resources. Here we report on the relation between morphology, habitat selection and feeding ecology in seven tit species (Parus spp.) in Fennoscandia. A problem previously disregarded in most ecomorphological studies is that members of a guild with closely related species share their common ancestry. This historical legacy causes similarity in ecology and morphology. We have used phylogenetic information with proper comparative methods to reveal the evolut…
Selection for cryptic coloration in a visually heterogeneous habitat.
2001
We studied selection by predators for cryptic prey coloration in a visually heterogeneous habitat that consists of two microhabitats. It has been suggested that the probability of escaping detection in such habitats might be optimized by maximizing crypsis in one of the microhabitats. However, a recent model indicates that a coloration that compromises the requirements of different microhabitats might sometimes be the optimal solution. To experimentally study these hypotheses, we allowed great tits (Parus major L.) to search for artificial prey items in two different microhabitats (background boards): small patterned and large patterned. On each board there was one prey item that was either…
A Proposed Methodology to Control Body Temperature in Patients at Risk of Hypothermia by means of Active Rewarming Systems
2014
Hypothermia is a common complication in patients undergoing surgery under general anesthesia. It has been noted that, during the first hour of surgery, the patient’s internal temperature (Tcore) decreases by 0.5–1.5°C due to the vasodilatory effect of anesthetic gases, which affect the body’s thermoregulatory system by inhibiting vasoconstriction. Thus a continuous check on patient temperature must be carried out. The currently most used methods to avoid hypothermia are based on passive systems (such as blankets reducing body heat loss) and on active ones (thermal blankets, electric or hot-water mattresses, forced hot air, warming lamps, etc.). Within a broader research upon the environment…
Post vaccine acute disseminated encephalomyelitis as the first manifestation of chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome in a 15-month old baby: a case r…
2014
We describe a case of a 15-month-old female child admitted to our hospital because of fever, rash, neurological signs (oscillation between states of irritability and drowsiness), palpebral edema and drooping eyelid, appeared 10 days after the vaccination for measles, mumps and rubella. Brain MRI images showed multiple bilateral hyperintense lesions in the white matter typical of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), an autoimmune demyelinating disorder with inflammatory lesions of the central nervous system, due to viral antigens or vaccines. In the mean time, because of patient's vague phenotypic manifestations, suggestive of a genetic defect, array comparative genomic hybridization…
Automated Measurement of Microcirculatory Blood Flow Velocity in Pulmonary Metastases of Rats
2014
Because the lung is a major target organ of metastatic disease, animal models to study the physiology of pulmonary metastases are of great importance. However, very few methods exist to date to investigate lung metastases in a dynamic fashion at the microcirculatory level, due to the difficulty to access the lung with a microscope. Here, an intravital microscopy method is presented to functionally image and quantify the microcirculation of superficial pulmonary metastases in rats, using a closed-chest pulmonary window and automated analysis of blood flow velocity and direction. The utility of this method is demonstrated to measure increases in blood flow velocity in response to pharmacologi…
Are Endothelial Progenitor Cells the Real Solution for Cardiovascular Diseases? Focus on Controversies and Perspectives
2015
Advanced knowledge in the field of stem cell biology and their ability to provide a cue for counteracting several diseases are leading numerous researchers to focus their attention on “regenerative medicine” as possible solutions for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). However, the lack of consistent evidence in this arena has hampered the clinical application. The same condition affects the research on endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), creating more confusion than comprehension. In this review, this aspect is discussed with particular emphasis. In particular, we describe biology and physiology of EPCs, outline their clinical relevance as both new predictive, diagnostic, and prognostic CVD b…
Computer-Assisted Classification Patterns in Autoimmune Diagnostics: The AIDA Project.
2016
International audience; Antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) are significant biomarkers in the diagnosis of autoimmune diseases in humans, done by mean of Indirect ImmunoFluorescence (IIF) method, and performed by analyzing patterns and fluorescence intensity. This paper introduces the AIDA Project (autoimmunity: diagnosis assisted by computer) developed in the framework of an Italy-Tunisia cross-border cooperation and its preliminary results. A database of interpreted IIF images is being collected through the exchange of images and double reporting and a Gold Standard database, containing around 1000 double reported images, has been settled. The Gold Standard database is used for optimization of …
Effectiveness of hexavalent vaccines against invasive Haemophilus influenzae type b disease: Germany's experience after 5 years of licensure
2007
Summary Vaccine effectiveness (VE) was determined with a case-cohort approach using Cox regression. Cases with confirmed systemic Hib infections in children born from 1 August 2000 to 31 December 2004 were ascertained through two independent nationwide active surveillance systems. A representative cohort of 1303 children born in the same time frame was randomly sampled in a nationwide immunisation survey. Thirty cases were eligible for VE calculation; 19 were unvaccinated and 11 vaccinated with hexavalent vaccines. VE was 68.4% (95% CI: 19.0–87.6) for incomplete primary series and 90.4% (95% CI: 70.6–96.8) for the full primary series. For full immunisation VE was 100.0% (95% CI: 52.7–100.0)…
Varicella vaccination as useful strategy for reducing the risk of varicella-related hospitalizations in both vaccinated and unvaccinated cohorts (Ita…
2020
The present study summarizes evidences of the impact that varicella vaccination (VV) introduction and coverage can have on varicella attributable hospitalization rates.A retrospective observational study was carried out by considering hospital discharge records and VV coverage at 24 months collected from 2003 to 2018 by the Italian Ministry of Health. All hospitalizations records reporting an ICD-9 CM 052.X code as the principal diagnosis or any of the five secondary diagnoses were considered as related to varicella. The hospitalization rate reduction was evaluated by calculating average annual percent change (AAPC) through joint-point analysis.Hospitalization rates showed a decreasing tren…