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Histopathologic examination of the pathologic specimens using hematoxylin & eosin stains represents the backbone of the modern pathology. It is time-consuming; thus, "real-time" assessment of prostatic and periprostatic tissue has gained special interest in the diagnosis and management of prostate cancer. The current study focuses on the review of the different available techniques for "real-time" evaluation of surgical margins during radical prostatectomy (RP). We performed a comprehensive search of the Medline database to identify all the articles discussing "real-time" or intraoperative assessment of surgical margins during RP. Several filters were applied to the search to include only English articles performed on human subjects and published between January 2000 and March 2019. The search revealed several options for pathologic assessment of surgical margins including intraoperative frozen sections, confocal laser endomicroscopy, optical spectroscopy, photodynamic diagnosis, optical coherence tomography, multiphoton microscopy, structured illumination microscopy, 3D augmented reality, and ex vivo fluorescence confocal microscope. Frozen section represents the gold standard technique for real-time pathologic examinations of surgical margins during RP; however, several other options showed promising results in the initial clinical trials, and considering the rapid development in the field of molecular and cellular imaging, some of these options may serve as an alternative to frozen section., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: Bullying, aggression, and violence among children and young people are some of the most consequential public mental health problems. We tested the Learning Together intervention, which involved students in efforts to modify their school environment using restorative practice and by developing social and emotional skills., Methods: We did a cluster randomised trial, with economic and process evaluations, of the Learning Together intervention compared with standard practice (controls) over 3 years in secondary schools in south-east England. Learning Together consisted of staff training in restorative practice; convening and facilitating a school action group; and a student social and emotional skills curriculum. Primary outcomes were self-reported experience of bullying victimisation (Gatehouse Bullying Scale; GBS) and perpetration of aggression (Edinburgh Study of Youth Transitions and Crime (ESYTC) school misbehaviour subscale) measured at 36 months. We analysed data using intention-to-treat longitudinal mixed-effects models. This trial was registered with the ISRCTN registry (10751359)., Findings: We included 40 schools (20 in each group); no schools withdrew. 6667 (93·6%) of 7121 students participated at baseline and 5960 (83·3%) of 7154 at 36 months. Mean GBS bullying score at 36 months was 0·34 (SE 0·02) in the control group versus 0·29 (SE 0·02) in the intervention group, with a significant adjusted mean difference (-0·03, 95% CI -0·06 to -0·001; adjusted effect size -0·08). Mean ESYTC score at 36 months was 4·33 (SE 0·20) in the control group versus 4·04 (0·21) in the intervention group, with no evidence of a difference between groups (adjusted difference -0·13, 95% CI -0·43 to 0·18; adjusted effect size -0·03). Costs were an additional £58 per pupil in intervention schools than in control schools., Interpretation: Learning Together had small but significant effects on bullying, which could be important for public health, but no effect on aggression. Interventions to promote student health by modifying the whole-school environment are likely to be one of the most feasible and efficient ways of addressing closely related risk and health outcomes in children and young people., Funding: National Institute for Health Research, Educational Endowment Foundation., (Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Periodontitis is a chronic oral pathology caused by impaired immune response against oral bacteria resulting in tissue inflammation and damage. Among the members of innate immune response, the first line of defence against pathogens, inflammasomes are macro-molecular protein complexes that can be activated by different stimuli, comprised bacteria infections. Different proteins are involved in inflammasoma formation; the most important are molecules belonging from the family of nucleotide-binding and oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptors (NLRs). In this study, polymorphisms within 20 NLRs related genes were analysed in order to investigate their possible association with periodontitis susceptibility in a population from North-East Italy. One polymorphism, namely rs289723, in NLRC5 gene resulted associated with chronic slight and chronic localized periodontitis susceptibility, specifically A/A genotype was correlated with increased risk of disease development. Our study, for the first time, identified the possible involvement of a polymorphism within NLRC5 gene as a possible biomarker for periodontitis condition susceptibility among Italian individuals from genetic isolates., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

The collection of biological samples through non-invasive techniques represents one way of monitoring in vivo physiological changes associated with reproductive activity. Such techniques are particularly important for the study of animal species in the wild. The goals of this study were 1) to evaluate fecal progestogen (P), estrogen (E), and androgen (A) by means of radioimmunoassays, in male and female wild boars culled in the Piedmont, Italy area; 2) to compare them with plasmatic concentrations and the animals' reproductive status; and 3) to assess variations in reproductive seasonality between two populations of wild boars living in a mountainous vs. a plain habitat in Piedmont. The results demonstrate a positive correlation between fecal and plasmatic steroid concentrations (r=0.46, 0.58, and 0.45 for plasma P(4) and P, E(2) and E, and T and A; P<0.05). Moreover, high fecal levels of both P and E (>170 ng/g and >100 pg/g respectively) were found in 70.6% of pregnant sows and in none of the non-pregnant animals, thus supporting the use of this technique for detecting pregnancy status in wild boar. Similar birth patterns were displayed by the mountain and plain populations, but births peaked significantly only in the mountain population, in the spring (46%, P<0.05, vs. other seasons). A corresponding autumnal peak of plasma testosterone concentrations in males was displayed only by the mountain population (7.4 vs.<2.0 ng/mL in the other seasons, P<0.05). The correlation between fecal and plasmatic steroid concentrations obtained in this study supports the applicability of this non-invasive sampling technique for monitoring reproductive status in wild boar, thus enabling a more informed and correct management of the species., (2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The development of transgenic mosquitoes that are resistant to diseases may provide a new and effective weapon of diseases control. Such an approach relies on transgenic mosquitoes being able to survive and compete with wild-type populations. These transgenic mosquitoes carry a specific code that inhibits the plasmodium evolution in its organism. It is said that this characteristic is hereditary and consequently the disease fades away after some time. Once transgenic mosquitoes are released, interactions between the two populations and inter-specific mating between the two types of mosquitoes take place. We present a mathematical model that considers the generation overlapping and variable environment factors. Based on this continuous model, the malaria vector control is formulated and solved as an optimal control problem, indicating how genetically modified mosquitoes should be introduced in the environment. Numerical simulations show the effectiveness of the proposed control.

Descending necrotising mediastinitis is a rare complication secondary to oral surgery or odontogenic infections which ultimately spreads to the mediastinum through the anatomical cervical spaces. Delay in diagnosis, despite broad-spectrum antimicrobical therapy and extensive surgical intervention, results in an unacceptably high mortality rate (almost to 40%). A case study is presented as a rationale for a review of the current literature and to analyse the evolution in therapies, both medical and surgical from Pearse in 1938 to today.

Malignant tumours as well as severe malnutrition can interfere with carcass weight, serum albumin and delayed hypersensitivity tests. In order to identify the separate effects of these two phenomena, Wistar rats were submitted to various nutritional manipulations prior to Walker-256 carcinosarcoma inoculation (TU). Six groups of well-nourished rats with positive response to the Keyhole Limpet Haemocyanin (KLH) test were studied. Three TU-bearing groups were established, [1] protein-deprived before and after TU (group DDT), [2] protein deprived before TU and later brought back to normal chow (group DNT), and [3] those receiving a complete diet throughout the experiment (group NNT). Identical control groups without TU, sham-injected, were called DDC, DNC and NNC. Tumour size and body weight were measured daily. KLH tests were done sequentially and serum albumin was determined at sacrifice. Results indicated that cancer produced marked changes in immune response. Malnutrition was responsible for anergy and weight loss, and further aberrations tended to occur when both conditions were present. Feeding was able to restore body weight and KLH response in tumour-bearing as well as in control rats, but subsequent deterioration occurred in cancer bearing rats after the first week of tumour development. It is concluded that cancer potentiates the effects of malnutrition, on body weight and immune response, but temporary recovery could be demonstrated after adequate refeeding.