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Objectives: A new variant of echovirus 11 (E11) infection is a major health concern in neonates. Here, we describe the clinical and virological characteristics of enterovirus (EV) infections in children hospitalized with acute respiratory infection in Southern Italy., Methods: Between July 2022 and August 2023, 173 EV infections were identified. Demographic and clinical characteristics, comorbidities, and coinfections were analyzed. Genotypes were identified by sequencing of VP1. Whole-genome sequencing of five E11 strains was performed., Results: Case numbers peaked in July 2022, November-December 2022, and June-July 2023. Coxsackievirus A2 was identified in 36.7%, coxsackievirus B5 in 13.8%, echovirus E11 in 9.2%, and EV-D68 in 6.4% of cases. No child had critical symptoms or a severe infection. The only neonate infected by E11 recovered fully after 5 days in hospital. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that four E11 strains were closely related to divergent lineage I E11 strains identified in France and Italy., Conclusions: The new variant of E11 was identified in children in Southern Italy. Although the cases were mild, the data suggest that transmission routes and host factors are likely to be main drivers for the development of potentially severe diseases. Systematic epidemiological/molecular surveillance will help us better understand the clinical impact of EV infections and develop preventive strategies., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

The recycling of agricultural wastes, co-products, and by-products is necessary for creating circular economic (closed loop) agro-food chains and more sustainable agro-ecosystems. The substitution of N mineral fertilisers with recycled organic fertiliser promotes a circular economy, makes the agricultural system more environmentally sustainable, and guarantees food security. Results from a continuous maize experiment and four-year rotation cropping systems (maize, winter wheat, maize, and soybean) were used in a three-year study that replaced part or all mineral fertilisers with Municipal Solid Waste Compost (MSWC). In the first experiment, two different fertilisation strategies, MSWC only (M-Com) and mineral fertilisers (M-Min), were compared with zero nutrients (M-Test 0), whereas in the rotation cropping systems, mineral fertilisation (R-Min) was compared with a combination of MSWC and mineral fertilisers (R-Com + Min). Depressed yields resulted in the initial year of compost application, but by the middle term (three years), MSWC fertilisation showed a good N fertiliser value, mainly for yield summer crops and integrated with N mineral fertilisers. Different soil indicators and the N content in crop tissues and soil suggested that the scarce N availability recorded mainly during the first year is responsible for yield reduction. Due to limited supplies of MSWC, soil total N and the stable organic fraction bound tightly to minerals (MOM), did not vary significantly in the three-year experiment. Conversely, the more labile organic fraction (fPOM) increased only in the top soil layers (0-15 cm). Also in the top layer, M-Com increased the amount of organic fraction occluded into soil aggregates (oPOM). Furthermore, replacement of N mineral fertiliser with compost effectively mitigated N 2 O emissions in wheat and maize. Overall, the fertiliser value of MSWC was maximised when it was used repeatedly and in combination with mineral fertiliser, especially in spring and summer crops., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Nitrogen (N) fertilisation determines maize grain yield (MGY). Precision agriculture (PA) allows matching crop N requirements in both space and time. Two approaches have been suggested for precision N management, i.e. management zones (MZ) delineation and crop remote and proximal sensing (PS). Several studies have demonstrated separately the advantages of these approaches for precision N application. This study evaluated their convenient integration, considering the influence of different PA techniques on MGY, N use efficiency (NUE), and farmer's net return, then providing a practical tool for choosing the fertilisation strategy that best applies in each agro-environment. A multi-site-year experiment was conducted between 2014 and 2016 in Colorado, USA. The trial compared four N management practices: uniform N rate, variable N rate based on MZ (VR-MZ), variable N rate based on PS (VR-PS), and variable N rate based on both PS and MZ (VR-PSMZ), based on their effect on MGY, partial factor productivity (PFP N ), and net return above N fertiliser cost (RANC). Maize grain yield and PFP N maximisation conflicted in several situations. Hence, a compromise between obtaining high yield and increasing NUE is needed to enhance the overall sustainability of maize cropping systems. Maximisation of RANC allowed defining the best N fertilisation practice in terms of profitability. The spatial range in MGY is a practical tool for identifying the best N management practice. Uniform N supply was suitable where no spatial pattern was detected. If a high spatial range (>100 m) existed, VR-MZ was the best approach. Conversely, VR-PS performed better when a shorter spatial range (<16 m) was detected, and when maximum variability in crop vigour was observed across the field (range of variation = 0.597) leading to a larger difference in MGY (range of variation = 13.9 Mg ha -1 ). Results indicated that VR-PSMZ can further improve maize fertilisation for intermediate spatial structures (43 m)., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, besides exerting detrimental effects on the upper digestive tract, can also damage the small and large intestine. Although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear, there is evidence that enteric bacteria play a pivotal role. The present study examined the enteroprotective effects of a delayed-release formulation of rifaximin-EIR (R-EIR, 50mg/kg BID, i.g.), a poorly absorbed antibiotic with a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity, in a rat model of enteropathy induced by indomethacin (IND, 1.5mg/kg BID for 14 days) administration. R-EIR was administered starting 7 days before or in concomitance with IND administration. At the end of treatments, blood samples were collected to evaluate hemoglobin (Hb) concentration (as an index of digestive bleeding). Small intestine was processed for: (1) histological assessment of intestinal damage (percentage length of lesions over the total length examined); (2) assay of tissue myeloperoxidase (MPO) and TNF levels, as markers of inflammation; (3) assay of tissue malondialdehyde (MDA) and protein carbonyl concentrations, as an index of lipid and protein peroxidation, respectively; (4) evaluation of the major bacterial phyla. IND significantly decreased Hb levels, this effect being significantly blunted by R-EIR. IND also induced the occurrence of lesions in the jejunum and ileum. In both intestinal regions, R-EIR significantly reduced the percentage of lesions, as compared with rats receiving IND alone. Either the markers of inflammation and tissue peroxidation were significantly increased in jejunum and ileum from IND-treated rats. However, in rats treated with R-EIR, these parameters were not significantly different from those observed in controls. R-EIR was also able to counterbalance the increase in Proteobacteria and Firmicutes abundance induced by INDO. To summarize, R-EIR treatment significantly prevents IND-induced intestinal damage, this enteroprotective effect being associated with a decrease in tissue inflammation, oxidative stress and digestive bleeding as well as reversal of NSAID-induced alterations in bacterial population., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To report a novel cause of nocturnal enuresis (NE) and highlight the literature giving insight into this novel mechanism., Patient: A 12-year-old morbidly obese female with 2-year history of nightly secondary monosymptomatic NE., Results: On evaluation, a history of severe sleep disturbed breathing was elicited. Anticipating obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), polysomnography was performed, detecting severe central sleep apnea (CSA) without OSA. Brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed severe Chiari malformation Type I (CM1) with abnormal cerebrospinal fluid dynamics. She had no other classic signs or symptoms of CM1. Neurosurgical decompression halted the NE and normalized nocturnal breathing and cerebrospinal fluid dynamics, confirming that the CSA was caused by the CM1 and resulted in the NE. A thorough literature review found no prior reports of CSA-induced NE. Since CSA and OSA differ by the absence of negative intrathoracic pressures in CSA, this case suggests that such pressures are not a key mechanistic component of SA-induced NE., Conclusion: This first report of secondary NE caused by CSA from CM1 emphasizes obtaining a sleep history in the enuretic child, introduces a new cause of NE, and challenges hypotheses underlying SA-induced NE., (Copyright (c) 2010 Journal of Pediatric Urology Company. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

With the aim of finding parameters capable of characterizing meat according to geographical origin, twenty-five lamb meat samples from three areas located in Apulia (Southern Italy) were analysed for moisture, ash, fat and protein content, stable isotope ratios ((15)N/(14)N and (13)C/(12)C), major elements (Ca, Mg, Na, K) and trace metals (Zn, Cu, Fe, Cr). (1)H high resolution magic angle spinning (HR-MAS) NMR spectra were also obtained for all the samples. The advantages of the (1)H HR-MAS NMR technique are that sample preparation is easy, since the spectrum is obtained directly on the minced solid sample, and that information is acquired for a large number of metabolites (amino acids, fatty acids, sugars, etc.). The application of multivariate statistical analysis to two data sets containing tissue composition results together with the metals contents and (1)H HR-MAS NMR spectral data together with isotope ratios, respectively, provided in both cases a satisfactory origin differentiation of lamb meat samples.