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Biomedical subjects

A Petrini

Publications and source records attributed to A Petrini.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Reliability evaluation of sampling plan fixed by Council Directive 91/68/EEC for the maintenance of officially brucellosis-free flock status.

The European Union (EU) strategy with respect to sheep and goat brucellosis aims to eradicate the infection and achieve officially brucellosis-free (OBF) status in all EU holdings and territories. Council Directive 91/68/EEC of 28 January 1991 states that to maintain OBF status of ovine or caprine holdings located outside an OBF territory, only a representative number of animals need to be tested annually. However, depending on the number of animals in a holding, this testing method risks non-detection of the infection, thereby reducing the efficacy of the brucellosis control plan. The recommended sampling procedure has a low sensitivity for detecting infection in medium-sized flocks; furthermore, the risk of not detecting re-infection in OBF flocks, particularly in territories that have not yet gained OBF status, is also not acceptable. Moreover, in large-sized flocks, the Directive sampling procedure entails taking an excessive number of samples, which can be very expensive. The authors evaluated, by using statistical analyses and a simulation model based on field data, the possible consequences of the current EU strategy. It is suggested that the sampling criteria for the maintenance of OBF status in the EU should be modified and that a statistically based sampling method should be applied instead of the fixed percentage method that is currently in use.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Correlation between animal and human brucellosis in Italy during the period 1997-2002.

The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that brucellosis in Italy is a food-borne, rather than an occupational disease. This hypothesis was tested using data for both human and animal populations from the period 1997-2002. The correlation between the distribution of the disease in the human, sheep and goat populations was analysed, as were the risk factors for the disease, with respect to gender, age, occupation and residence of the individuals involved. Notifications of human brucellosis, which are mandatory in Italy, reach a peak between April and June. However, considering the standard incubation period of 2-4 weeks, and the fact that lamb slaughter is traditionally at a peak during the Easter period, it might be expected that occupational exposure would result in a peak of human cases between March and May. The observed peak between April and June could be related to the production and consumption of fresh cheese, starting just after lamb slaughter. The age of patients showed a fairly uniform distribution, and analysis of incidence rates of human brucellosis between 1997 and 2002 showed that the incidence rates were consistent with an occupational exposure risk of about 25%.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety: interaction between the Convention on Biological Diversity and the World Organisation for Animal Health.

The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety is an international agreement (adopted on 29 January 2000 as a supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity) that addresses the potential adverse effects of living modified organisms. It focuses primarily on transboundary movements and is therefore relevant to international trade. It includes provisions on import decision-making, risk assessment and management, information-sharing, documentation, capacity-building, compliance, liability and redress, public awareness and participation, and socio-economic considerations. Given the scope of the Protocol, there may be cases where trade in living modified organisms also falls under the mandate of existing international bodies such as the OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health) and other standard-setting bodies. There could therefore be benefits from collaboration between the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the World Organisation for Animal Health on issues such as risk assessment and management, information-sharing, documentation requirements, and procedures related to unintentional transboundary movements. This paper reviews the key provisions of the Protocol and attempts to highlight areas of the agreement which are also of interest to various international bodies, particularly the OIE.

Animal Welfare↗
PubMed2005

Philosophy, policy and procedures of the World Organisation for Animal Health for the development of standards in animal welfare.

Animal welfare was identified as a priority for the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) in the 2001-2005 OIE Strategic Plan. Member Countries recognised that, as animal protection is a complex, multi-faceted public policy issue which includes important scientific, ethical, economic and political dimensions, the OIE needed to develop a detailed vision and strategy incorporating and balancing these dimensions. A permanent working group on animal welfare was established in order to provide guidance to the OIE in its work on the development of science-based standards and guidelines. The Working Group decided to give priority to the welfare of animals used in agriculture and aquaculture, and that, within those groups, the topics of transportation, slaughter for human consumption and killing for disease control purposes would be addressed first. Some guiding principles were approved by the International Committee of OIE Member Countries during the 72nd General Session in May 2004, and these have been followed by four specific guidelines on the priority topics listed above.

Abattoirs↗
PubMed2000

Use of innovative methods in the eradication of bovine tuberculosis.

During final phases of eradication programmes, strains of Mycobacterium sp. not belonging to the tuberculosis complex increase their relative frequency and are responsible for positive skin test reactions. Moreover, the specificity of any indirect diagnostic test, such as the skin test, is never completely accurate, therefore even when tuberculosis infection is completely eradicated, a number of false positive reactions are to be expected. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the performances of traditional isolation/typing techniques, automatic isolation/typing techniques based on fluorimetric detection of bacterial growth (Bactec), skin tests and the -interferon test. Samples examined for the evaluation of test sensitivities originated from 154 infected animals belonging to 32 infected herds. Samples used as negative controls in the evaluation of test specificities originated from 86 animals of nine officially infection-free herds. The automatic isolation/typing technique based on fluorimetric detection of bacterial growth showed higher sensitivity than the traditional isolation typing technique. Moreover, it allowed a safer processing of bacterial cultures, decreasing the risk for laboratory workers. The observed performance of the gamma-interferon test was considered beneficial in that it increased the sensitivity of individual diagnosis within an infected herd, especially in 'problem herds', but its poor specificity did not improve detection of infected herds compared to the skin test.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Feeding pattern studies suggest that d-fenfluramine and sertraline specifically enhance the state of satiety in rats.

The effects of d-fenfluramine (1.5 mg/kg) and sertraline (10 mg/kg), administered intraperitoneally once daily for seven days were studied on feeding parameters of rats over various periods. On the first day of treatment both drugs markedly reduced meal size and meal duration during the first hour and, to a lesser extent, the first 4 h. No effects were seen later. The size and duration of eating bouts were also markedly reduced by both drugs in the first hour. There was no significant effect of either drug on meal frequency in any period. Only d-fenfluramine significantly reduced the rate of eating within 4 h from the start of testing. Sertraline, but not d-fenfluramine, markedly increased locomotor activity in the first 4 h after the start of testing. The d-fenfluramine effect on eating rate disappeared by the second day whereas total intake and meal size were still reduced on day five. By days six and seven however the d-fenfluramine-treated rats did not differ from the controls. During the seven-day treatment sertraline always reduced total food eaten and meal size but caused only transient changes of locomotor activity and eating rate. Since the effects of d-fenfluramine and sertraline on meal size and food intake could be separated from the effects on eating rate and arousal, it appears that at appropriate doses these drugs specifically increase the satiating effect of food. Tolerance to this effect appears to develop more rapidly for d-fenfluramine than for sertraline.

1-Naphthylamine↗
PubMed1990

[Insular carcinoma of the thyroid gland. Observation of a clinical case].

We present a case report about a patient affected by an "insular" thyroid carcinoma, a poorly differentiated carcinoma, situated morphologically and biologically in an intermediate position between the well-differentiated (papillary and follicular) and the totally undifferentiated thyroid tumors. We believe that its separation from other types of thyroid cancer will lead to a more accurate estimate of its prognosis and a more aggressive therapeutic approach.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1990

Is multi-infarct dementia representative of vascular dementias? A retrospective study.

Multi-infarct dementia (MID) indicates a dementia disorder primarily caused by multiple cerebral infarcts. Since other pathogenetic mechanisms cause vascular dementia we evaluated clinical, CT scan and CSF neurochemical parameters of 134 MID and 67 PVD (probable vascular dementia) patients. We found no differences with regard to the presence of major risk factors. Only TIA/stroke episodes and focal neurological signs were significantly more frequent in MID than in PVD cases, an anticipable result on the basis of MID definition. CT scan findings showed a prevalence of subcortical with respect to cortical lesions in both groups, with a higher frequency in MID patients. Subjects with deep infarcts more frequently showed TIA/stroke episodes and diabetes mellitus. No differences were detectable in CSF monoamine metabolite levels. We conclude that in the majority of vascular dementias subcortical damage seems to have a major pathogenetic role.

Aged↗
PubMed1989

Neuropsychological results of long-term therapy with oxiracetam in patients with dementia of Alzheimer type and multi-infarct dementia in comparison with a control group.

The cognitive and behavioral effects of oxiracetam therapy during long-term treatment in patients with dementia of Alzheimer type (DAT) and multi-infarct dementia (MID) were studied in comparison with a historical control group. Twenty DAT/MID outpatients, aged 54-86 years, received oxiracetam (800 mg twice a day) for a period of 6 months. Another 20 DAT/MID outpatients, aged 67-85 years, were selected from our clinical records in order to obtain a control group of patients matched for age, sex, diagnosis, baseline Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) score and follow-up duration. All the patients were diagnosed as having mild to moderate degrees of dementia as defined by a baseline MMSE score between 14 and 24. The patients of both groups underwent, both at baseline and after 6 months, the following neuropsychological tests: MMSE, Idiopathic Cerebral Dysfunction Scale, Babcock Test, Gibson Spiral, Toulouse-Pieron Test. Statistical analysis of experimental data demonstrated that at baseline the two groups were comparable. At the end of the study period the oxiracetam group scored significantly better on the majority of the tests evaluating memory, attention, orientation, concentration and psychomotricity than the control group, in which a worsening trend was seen on the whole. No side effects were seen during oxiracetam treatment. The present study, showing positive clinical findings after long-term oxiracetam therapy in controlled conditions, confirms that this drug can be a useful pharmacological treatment for mild to moderate degrees of dementia.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

[Not Available].

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History, Ancient↗
PubMed1983

Long term results in traumatic dislocation of the hip in children.

The long term results of 14 cases of traumatic dislocation of the hip in children are reviewed. The follow-up period was from 10 to 30 years, which in all but 2 cases involved attaining skeletal maturity. The following observations are recorded. The lesion can be produced by comparatively minor trauma; the prognosis is more benign than in adults; prolonged restriction of weight bearing does not play any significant role in the development of complications, particularly in children under the age of 6. Late complications are essentially related to the severity of the initial trauma than to early or late weight bearing.

Adolescent↗