Objectve: To determine the general clinical presentaton and incidence of adverse reactons to vaccinatons in domestcanimals.Design: A retrospectve study using clinical databases and scientfc literature.Methods: Veterinary hospitals, Universites and private animal clinics partecipated in a database search for all the domestic animals vaccinated within a 2-year period.Results: We reported all the adverse events, including local injecton site reactions and systemic signs recorded in cats, dogs and ferrets.Conclusions: Data from this study show that adverse reactons occur frequently, we are not aware of the exact role of the vaccinal components or of the their complex formulaton altogether, as defnite triggers of post-injecton complicatons, but comparatve pathology with exhaustve surveys of animals untoward effects either in the domestic or zoo technique setting will assist us in better deciphering this puzzling issue.

Background. Telangiectasia is the dilation of dermal capillaries mainly due to hypertension and vein insufficiency. Treatments of choice for this condition are sclerotherapy with foam liquid or intradermal fiber optic laser energy delivery. Aim. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of a new therapeutic approach consisting in the use of polymerized hyaluronic acid mesotherapicinjections following sclerotherapy in the areas of the skin affected by telangiectasia in patients without major vein insufficiency.
Materials and Methods. A total of 20 women, aged between 19 and 64 years, affected by recurrent lower leg telangiectasia, were included in this study. Patients were preliminarily submitted to echo color Doppler sonography to rule out severe saphenofemoral valve and lower limb major vein insufficiency. All patients underwent 3 sessions a month of polidocanol 1% capillary injections for 2 months. This was followed by 0.1 ml cross-linked hyaluronic acid introduction in the polidocanol 1% needle track. A total of 50 mesotherapic injections (0.05 ml each) were performed on the skin surface where an ice pack was previously applied for 4 to 5 minutes. A follow-up visit was performed at 3 months. The results, based on photographic examination, were rated as follows: poor improvement (0%-50%), good improvement (51%-75%), and very good improvement (76%-100%). The side effects of the clinical procedure, in terms of pain, itching, paresthesia, ecchymosis, and relapse of telangiectasia over the treated skin surface, as well as a persisting pigmentation in the injection spots and induced benefits related to leg heaviness and comfort, were recorded. Results. In total, 6 patients displayed a slight venous insufficiency, 3 patients displayed patent venous insufficiency, and 11 patients did not show any venous insufficiency. Before treatment, itching was present in 18 out of 20 patients, paresthesia in 15 out of 20 patients, ecchymosis in 16 out of 20 patients, and leg heaviness in 15 out of 20 patients. At the 3-month follow-up, an improvement of 0% to 50% was observed in 4 patients who had a relapse in telangiectasia. A 51% to 75% improvement was observed in 3 patients and a 76% to 100% improvement occurred in 13 patients. At the 3-month follow-up, itching persisted only in 4 patients; paresthesia was absent in 12 patients, while 3 patients still presented this symptom; ecchymosis was absent in 16 patients; 15 patients reported a feeling of lightweight legs. Among the patients with relapsing telangiectasia, 2 patients reported pigmentation due to hemosiderin deposit in the skin at the 3-month follow-up. The slight venous insufficiency, observed at the beginning of the study, improved in 5 out of 6 patients. The patients’ compliance with the procedure was high and 16 out of 20 patients declared their willingness to repeat the whole clinical procedure, if necessary. Conclusions. This pilot clinical study supports the use of hyaluronic acid mesotherapic injections following sclerotherapy for treatment of lower leg telangiectasia without major venous insufficiency. We propose that the prolonged persistence of cross-linked hyaluronic acid, across the microvascular venous areas, is able to induce a stronger stromal tissue, thus preventing relapse. Further clinical studies, comparing this new approach with existing clinical procedures, are needed in a larger number of patients.

Background: Oxidative stress is involved in the pathophysiology of several diseases such as cardiovascular disorders, cancer, neurodegeneration. Aims and Objectives: Our study evaluated the oxidant/antioxidant status on a cohort of healthy patients matched with someindependent variables as a basic individual redox balance monitor on a disease-prevention perspective. Materials and Methods: The anecdotic, retrospective and observational study included 200 apparently healthy volunteers after formal informed consent release whose personal history and physical examination had been recorded specifcally on the following items: age, previous diseases, sport activities, smoking habit, balanced/unbalanced nutrition, current absence/presence of inflammatory processes, oral health hygiene, administration of oral contraceptives or hormone replacement therapy in postmenopausal women. No drug treatment was admitted in the recruited patients, up to 6 months before the evaluation. The laboratory instruments used were Point of care FRAS 4 Evolvo (H&D, Parma, Italy) measuring the oxidative stress in plasma samples and antioxidant capacity in plasma and saliva samples. Results: Two-hundred patients were recruited. Statistically relevant differences were observed in oxidative stress-related variables, namely a signifcant relationship between plasma oxidative stress level and female gender (p<0.01), between saliva antioxidant level and age (p=0.01), between plasma antioxidant level and unbalanced diet (p<0.01), between plasma oxidative stress level and inflammation in the oral cavity (p=0.04), and between saliva antioxidant level and inflammation in the oral cavity (p<0.01). Conclusions: A relationship between oxidative/antioxidant status and health risk factors has been outlined in our study;the achieved data are quite helpful, in the clinical practice, providing additional information on individual general health conditions, putatively related to prevention diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment effectiveness in some specifc diseases.  

Objective: To assess the effcacy of fruits & vegetables juice consumption on daily energy balance in a homogenous cohort ofsarcopenic old patients.Methods: 30 participants (27 women and 3 men) affected by sarcopenia were prescribed to drink a fxed volume of fruits & vegetables juice for 3 months. In this anecdotal and retrospective observational study, we flled questionnaire (0-5 rating) describing subjective well-being feelings, psycho-neurological traits, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, and cardiovascular as well as any untoward effects. Muscle strength and antioxidant saliva status were the parameters investigated by means of a non-invasive and practical hand dynamometer “FH-500” (Rupac Srl, Milan, Italy) and Point of Care FRAS 4 Evolvo SAT Test (H&D, Parma, Italy), respectively.Data were statistically analyzed by Mann-Whitney test (continuous variables not normally distributed) and chi squared test (categoricalvariables).Results: All parametric data (body weight and BMI) were not signifcantly different between 1-day and 90-day average for all the patients. On the contrary, signifcant improvement (p < 0.02) between 1 and 90-day based on the clinical questionnaire were found in the all the patients: specifcally, increased ratings for energy level, athletic performance, quality of sleep, ease of awakening and spontaneous sleep induction, ability to focus on activities, mental acuity. The administered juice reduced signifcantly also asthenia and stress. No signifcant changes in gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal or cardiovascular system were observed. The main isometric strength values, as well as the antioxidant salivastatus, were increased in all the patients at the end of the treatment (p < 0.03).Conclusions: The results defnitely showed that daily consumption of fruits & vegetables juice for 90-days increases the subjective feelings of general well-being, and improves some neurological/psychological performances. The protocol had very high performance compliance and no drop out, supporting the hypothesis of a possible prescription even in the clinical practice.  

Le capacità olfattive dei cani sono circa 10.000 – 100.000 più sviluppate rispetto a quelle dell’uomo. È noto che il fiuto dei cani viene utilizzato in medicina forense, per la ricerca di persone scomparse o nel rintracciare materiali e sostanze sulla base di caratteristiche sensoriali specifiche. In ambito clinico sussiste la possibilità di poter sfruttare le capacità olfattive di cani, opportunamente allenati, per lo screening di patologie tumorali e non, caratterizzate dalla presenza di molecole biomarcatori specifici nei materiali biologici. In ambito oncologico sussistono evidenze scientifiche di tale opportunità per il melanoma, il carcinoma del polmone, della mammella, e per le neoplasie di retto, ovaio, prostata e vescica. In ambito non oncologico, invece, esistono diverse condizioni patologiche accomunate dalla presenza di composti organici volatili in materiali biologici che potrebbero essere campo di indagine ed approfondimento da parte del fiuto canino. Con questo articolo vogliamo fornire uno stato dell’arte riguardo le attuali capacità olfatto-diagnostiche dei cani, spiegandone le basi scientifiche delle loro capacità, i vantaggi e gli svantaggi del metodo, e scandagliare ambiti patologici non del tutto approfonditi, che potrebbero essere invece passibili di tale applicazione. 

Human papilloma virus (HPV) is recognized as a major cause for cervical cancer among women worldwide. Two HPV vaccines are currently available: Gardasil and Cervarix. Both vaccines enclose viral antigenic proteins, but differ as to the biological systems of culture and the adjuvant components. Recently, a collection of symptoms, indicating nervous system dysfunction, has been described after HPV vaccination. We retrospectively described a case series including 18 girls (aged 12–24 years) referred to our ‘‘Second Opinion Medical Network’’ for the evaluation of ‘‘neuropathywith autonomic dysfunction’’ after HPV vaccination. All girls complained of long-lasting and invalidating somatoform symptoms (including asthenia, headache, cognitive dysfunctions, myalgia, sinus tachycardia and skin rashes) that have developed 1–5 days (n = 11), 5–15 days (n = 5) and 15–20 days (n = 2) after the vaccination. These cases can be included in the recently described immune dysfunction named autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (ASIA). HPV vaccine, through its adjuvant component, is speculated to induce an abnormal activation of theimmune system, involving glia cells in the nervous system too. Further researches should aim at defining the pathological and clinical aspects of these post-vaccination diseases and identifying a genetic background predisposing to these adverse reactions.  

BACKGROUND: Probiotics are usually administered for the treatment of gastrointestinal and immune diseases, such as chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), intestinal bowel syndrome (IBS), and vaginal infections. This anecdotal spontaneous observational clinical study investigates the effcacy of a probiotic formulation composed by L. rhamnosus (LRH11), L. acidophilus (LA5) and B. lactis (BB12) enriched with short-chain fructose-oligosaccharides (FOS), in association with an individually tailored balanced diet and hydro-colon therapy, for the treatment of Crohn’s Disease, IBS,
diverticulitis, psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.
METHODS: Forty-fve patients were enrolled at the second opinion Network, in Modena, Italy. Patients were administered 2 capsules/day for 3 months of the galenic formulation (1 capsule in the morning before having breakfast and 1 capsule in the evening before going to bed), and to follow a proper diet during the probiotic intake. Before starting the treatment and at the end of the study the concentration of faecal calprotectin (index of gut inflammation) was tested in order to assess intestinal inflammation by a quantitative rapid test points of care (POC) system and urinary indican and skatole concentration (for gut disbiosis), by colorimetric and liquid chromatography method, respectively. Furthermore, 7 patients affected by recent severe constipation and pain were submitted to one session of hydro colon-therapy to clean the gut, before starting the treatment.
RESULTS: after three months of treatment, urinary indican and faecal calprotectin values signifcantly decreased (P=0.005 and P=0.00 respectively), and clinical symptoms (evaluated by Scott-Huskisson scale) improved.
CONCLUSIONS: the association of our probiotic/prebiotic formulation with a balanced diet and hydro-colon therapy,
when required, was effective to improve inflammation and disbiosis in patients affected by Crohn’s Disease, IBS, diverticulitis, psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, without side effects.  

BACKGROUND: Probiotics are usually administered for the treatment of gastrointestinal and immune diseases, such as chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), intestinal bowel syndrome (IBS), and vaginal infections. This anecdotal spontaneous observational clinical study investigates the efficacy of a probiotic formulation composed by L. rhamnosus (LRH11), L. acidophilus (LA5) and B. lactis (BB12) enriched with short-chain fructose-oligosaccharides (FOS), in association with an individually tailored balanced diet and hydro-colon therapy, for the treatment of Crohn’s Disease, IBS,diverticulitis, psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.METHODS: Forty-five patients were enrolled at the second opinion Network, in Modena, Italy. Patients were administered 2 capsules/day for 3 months of the galenic formulation (1 capsule in the morning before having breakfast and 1 capsule in the evening before going to bed), and to follow a proper diet during the probiotic intake. Before starting the treatment and at the end of the study the concentration of faecal calprotectin (index of gut inflammation) was tested in order to assess intestinal inflammation by a quantitative rapid test points of care (POC) system and urinary indican and skatole concentration(for gut disbiosis), by colorimetric and liquid chromatography method, respectively. Furthermore, 7 patients affected by recent severe constipation and pain were submitted to one session of hydro colon-therapy to clean the gut, before starting the treatment.
RESULTS: after three months of treatment, urinary indican and faecal calprotectin values significantly decreased (P=0.005 and P=0.00 respectively), and clinical symptoms (evaluated by Scott-Huskisson scale) improved.CONCLUSIONS: the association of our probiotic/prebiotic formulation with a balanced diet and hydro-colon therapy, when required, was effective to improve inflammation and disbiosis in patients affected by Crohn’s Disease, IBS, diverticulitis, psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, without side effects.

Objective: Long-term bedridden patients are at high risk of acquring pressure ulcers (PUs). In this group of patients, prevention is necessaryto cut the health costs, improve quality of life and reduce the mortality. Here, we evaluated the effectiveness of a cross-linked hyaluronic acid(HA) as plastic bulking-agent flling and remodelling the deep dermis and subcutaneous space of the skin areas exposed to the risk of necrosis. Our work hypothesis has been to inflate a sub-dermal elastic cushion, flled with a natural ECM component, with the aim to induce a stronger tissue background resistant to the ulcerative process. Method: All the patients had an increased risk of PUs, at the sacral, ileum or heel skin. Patients were being nursed accordingly to the standard orthopaedic ward management with a pressure relieveing air mattress. The standard protocol consisted in body mobilisation every 3 hours, 24 hours a day and accurate cleaning of the skin with liquid soap and water without any towel friction and without adding any cream or lotion for the skin protection. Our flling protocol enclosed: accurate disinfection of the skin to be injected with povidone-iodine solution, followed by a local anaesthesia with 28G 13 mm needle,   njecting 1.5ml of 1% xylocaine. Then slow, deep, subcutaneous injection of cross-linked HA was performed with a 18G long needle, in order to deliver a homogeneous, soft gel layer underneath and around the whitish erythematous skin edges at risk of ulceration. Patients’ tolerability of the compound and adverse events were also recorded. Results: There were 15 patients (78–94 years old) who participated in the study. All tolerated the procedure very well and no serious side effects were declared  No skin pressure ulceration was detected in the four weeks follow-up. Conclusion: We have demonstrated the safety and tolerability of a cross-linked HA subdermal injection in PUs prevention. The compound stratifes in a soft, elastic, interstitial bulk into the deep dermis, thus reducing the exogenous pressure stress: thus, the induction of a thick hydrophilic substrate supports adequate mesenchymal and blood cells traffc to immediately restore any early or impending damage to the skin. 

The folk ethno-medicine describes some useful herbal remedies for vaginal hygiene, whose knowledge goes back to previous centuries;unfortunately, only few of them have been submitted to clinical trials and fulfilled the evidence-based medicine rules thus being successfully introduced into the routine use; as a matter of fact actually the consumer is quite sensitive to the message that historical natural active principles revisited by positive recent investigations can have a role in the disease prevention and treatment.Salvia, Melaleuca and Calendula have been selected by us among a certain number of natural compounds to be introduced in the formulaof our vaginal gel, because their complementary properties synergize each other, achieving, altogether the best clinical results. Themechanism of actionof the 3 herbs extracts in combination, takes control of the vaginal surface integrity and mucosa restoration aftermechanical, chemical or microbiological damage, especially through the well-known Calendula contributes to body defenses against external agents, has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and healing properties; Salvia expresses altogether a wide and selective control, supports the natural mechanism for body´s purification and promotes the toxin elimination; Melaleuca expresses altogether a wide and selective control of pathogenic microflora enclosing the often relapsing Candida albicans super-infections.