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Over-the-counter emergency contraception (EC) purchase was legalised in Italy in 2015. Knowledge and access gaps, however, remain. The goal of this study was to explore women's and men's EC informational and access needs. As part of a larger reproductive study, researchers conducted 42 in-depth interviews (May–June 2019) with English-speaking women and men aged 18–50 years (mean ± standard deviation, 29.1 ± 7.9 years) living in or near Florence, Italy, and using the Italian health care system. Researchers completed qualitative data analysis to identify emergent themes related to EC knowledge, attitudes and access. HyperRESEARCH aided data organisation and analysis. Researchers used a comparative method to contextualise data and identify emergent themes. Findings demonstrated that peer communication and experiences served as influential factors in others' EC use. This propagated misinformation, reducing participants' confidence in EC efficacy and safety. Women described the relevance of relationship type in whether to engage men in EC discussion, while men desired an active supportive role. Finally, participants described various messaging and access channels to increase EC knowledge and access. Findings offer practical recommendations to guide social marketing and behaviour change interventions to increase EC access among women and men in Italy. The utility of pharmacists to individuals wishing to access EC is explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluoride (F) is an impurity in phosphatic fertilisers and significant amounts off will be added to soils with long-term application of phosphatic fertiliser to soil. There is a risk that F concentrations in soil may increase to levels toxic to plants or grazing animals. If F added to soil remains in the upper soil profile, due to high reactivity with soil, grazing animals could increase their intake of F through inadvertent ingestion of F-enriched soil. This study determined the distribution of F in the soil profile of medium ([is greater than] 8 years) and long-term permanent pastures ([is greater than] 50 years) where F had been applied as an impurity in phosphatic fertiliser, and assessed the potential bioavailability of fertiliser F in soil. Long-term application of superphosphate was linked to increased concentrations of the more soluble fraction of F in soil. The more soluble F fraction in the soil surface led to increased F concentrations in herbage (from 11 to 22 mg F/kg). Fluoride concentrations in herbage were not high enough to be toxic to plants or grazing animals. Fluoride applied as an impurity in phosphatic fertiliser was generally found to accumulate in the upper soil profile (0-6 cm depth). Such increases could also increase F ingestion by ruminants through incidental soil ingestion while grazing. The risk of fluorosis to grazing animals is low at present, but with continued application of fertiliser to soil containing high concentrations of F, and depending on the bioavailability of fertiliser-derived F in soil, we estimate that fluorosis may become an issue in the next 25-50 years in highly fertilised pasture soils. Additional keywords: superphosphate, aluminium, plant, ingestion., Introduction Fluoride (F) pollution is commonly experienced as an acute phytotoxicity problem surrounding atmospheric pollution sources such as aluminium smelters, brickworks, and fertiliser manufacturing plants (Sidhu 1979; Fuge and Hennah [...]

Spontaneous production of the interferon induced enzyme 2',5'-oligoadenylate synthetase (2',5'-A synthetase) was significantly greater in blood lymphocytes of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), Behçet's syndrome, and rheumatoid arthritis than in control lymphocytes. Alpha interferon (IFN-alpha) induced comparable production of enzyme in normal, rheumatoid, and Behçet's lymphocytes, and reduced, but still appreciable amounts in SLE lymphocytes. Phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) did not induce enzyme. Thus spontaneous production of 2',5'-A synthetase is encountered in several connective tissue diseases and seems likely to be induced by in-vivo exposure to interferons. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective. This study aims to design, manufacture, and test 3D printed quality assurance (QA) dosimetry phantoms for synchrotron brain cancer radiation therapy at the Australian synchrotron. Approach. Fabricated 3D printed phantoms from simple slab phantoms, a preclinical rat phantom, and an anthropomorphic head phantom were fabricated and characterized. Attenuation measurements of various polymers, ceramics and metals were acquired using synchrotron monochromatic micro-computed tomography (CT) imaging. Polylactic acid plus, VeroClear, Durable resin, and tricalcium phosphate were used in constructing the phantoms. Furthermore, 3D printed bone equivalent materials were compared relative to ICRU bone and hemihydrate plaster. Homogeneous and heterogeneous rat phantoms were designed and fabricated using tissue-equivalent materials. Geometric accuracy, CT imaging, and consistency were considered. Moreover, synchrotron broad-beam x-rays were delivered using a 3 Tesla superconducting multipole wiggler field for four sets of synchrotron radiation beam qualities. Dose measurements were acquired using a PinPoint ionization chamber and compared relative to a water phantom and a RMI457 Solid Water phantom. Experimental depth doses were compared relative to calculated doses using a Geant4 Monte Carlo simulation. Main results. Polylactic acid (PLA+) shows to have a good match with the attenuation coefficient of ICRU water, while both tricalcium phosphate and hydroxyapatite have good attenuation similarity with ICRU bone cortical. PLA+ material can be used as substitute to RMI457 slabs for reference dosimetry with a maximum difference of 1.84%. Percent depth dose measurement also shows that PLA+ has the best match with water and RMI457 within ±2.2% and ±1.6%, respectively. Overall, PLA+ phantoms match with RMI457 phantoms within ±3%. Significance and conclusion. The fabricated phantoms are excellent tissue equivalent equipment for synchrotron radiation dosimetry QA measurement. Both the rat and the anthropomorphic head phantoms are useful in synchrotron brain cancer radiotherapy dosimetry, experiments, and future clinical translation of synchrotron radiotherapy and imaging., (Creative Commons Attribution license.)

Quantification of daily physical activity is of clinical interest in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Objective measures using activity monitors may take several days to obtain reliable results. The aim of our study was to evaluate the Stanford Seven-Day Physical Activity Recall questionnaire (PAR) against the SenseWear armband (SWA) and compare its validity with three other physical activity questionnaires. 43 COPD patients wore the SWA for 7 days. Patients completed the PAR, Baecke, Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) and Zutphen questionnaires. Spearman rank correlation, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and receiver-operating characteristics (ROC) curves were used to assess the relationship between the questionnaires and SWA. Assessed by PAR, time spent at ≥3.0 metabolic equivalents (METs) correlated significantly (r=0.54, p<0.001) with equivalent measures from SWA, with an ICC of 0.40. No relationship was seen between the other questionnaires and the SWA. The PAR predicted active patients (≥30 min at ≥3.0 METs or a physical activity level (PAL) ≥1.55) and very inactive patients (PAL <1.40) with an area under ROC curve of 0.83, 0.77 and 0.70, respectively. While the PAR did not measure physical activity sufficiently accurately to make individual recommendations, it was able to identify COPD patients at extremes of the physical activity spectrum, potentially reducing the number of patients requiring direct measurement.

The main problems with Bacillus thuringiensis products for pest control are their often narrow activity spectrum, high sensitivity to UV degradation, and low cost effectiveness (high potency required). We constructed a sporulation-deficient SigK(-) B. thuringiensis strain that expressed a chimeric cry1C/Ab gene, the product of which had high activity against various lepidopteran pests, including Spodoptera littoralis (Egyptian cotton leaf worm) and Spodoptera exigua (lesser [beet] armyworm), which are not readily controlled by other Cry delta-endotoxins. The SigK(-) host strain carried the cry1Ac gene, the product of which is highly active against the larvae of the major pests Ostrinia nubilalis (European corn borer) and Heliothis virescens (tobacco budworm). This new strain had greater potency and a broader activity spectrum than the parent strain. The crystals produced by the asporogenic strain remained encapsulated within the cells, which protected them from UV degradation. The cry1C/Ab gene was introduced into the B. thuringiensis host via a site-specific recombination vector so that unwanted DNA was eliminated. Therefore, the final construct contained no sequences of non-B. thuringiensis origin. As the recombinant strain is a mutant blocked at late sporulation, it does not produce viable spores and therefore cannot compete with wild-type B. thuringiensis strains in the environment. It is thus a very safe biopesticide. In field trials, this new recombinant strain protected cabbage and broccoli against a pest complex under natural infestation conditions.