SARS-CoV-2 and Companion Animals: Sources of Information and Communication Campaign during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy

This study analyzed data on the sources and the level of Italians' awareness on the risk of infection by SARS-CoV-2 at the human-animal interface. Data were collected through a survey-type investigation on a representative sample of the Italian population. Forty-five percent of the interviewees were aware that companion animals could be infected by SARS-CoV-2. However, 29.8% were familiar with preventive measures to adopt to avoid viral transmission between infected humans and companion animals, and only 20.7% knew which companion animals could be at risk of infection. Higher awareness regarding the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission between animals and humans (51.7%) and the measures to prevent it (33.3%) was detected among companion animals' owners. Notably, 40.4% of interviewees were not informed at all. Television broadcasts (26.4%) represented the main source of information, while only 3.5% of the interviewees relied on veterinarians, of which 31.9% considered this source of information as the most trustworthy. Overall, 72.4% of Italians recognized that the communication campaign on COVID-19 and companion animals was inadequate. This survey highlights the need for increasing the public awareness of the risk of companion animals being infected with SARS-CoV-2 and the involvement of professionals in the public communication on zoonoses.

Public Perception of COVID-19 Vaccination in Italy: The Role of Trust and Experts’ Communication

Objectives: Vaccination campaigns against COVID-19 throughout the world are not only a major organisational challenge, but also a communication and social challenge. Recent data from several countries show that a relevant proportion of citizens either do not plan to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or would rather postpone their vaccination. We argue that such attitudes are not the result of generalised scepticism about vaccination, nor of generalised distrust in science.

Methods: We analysed data from three survey waves on attitudes to vaccination against COVID-19 conducted in Italy in October 2020, January 2021, and May 2021 in the context of the Science in Society Monitor.

Results: Positive evaluations of experts’ communication and trust in their contribution—as well as in that of health institutions, local authorities, and healthcare workers—play a key role in understanding the willingness to be vaccinated.

Conclusion: Relevant implications can be drawn in terms of communication efforts and institutional strategies that are essential to build effective and inclusive vaccination campaigns.

Public communication by research institutes compared across countries and sciences: Building capacity for engagement or competing for visibility?

Leading academic institutions, governments, and funders of research across the world have spent the last few decades fretting publicly about the need for scientists and research organisations to engage more widely with the public and be open about their research. While a global literature asserts that public communication has changed from a virtue to a duty for scientists in many countries and disciplines, our knowledge about what research institutions are doing and what factors drive their ‘going public’ is very limited. Here we present the first cross-national study of N = 2,030 research institutes within universities and large scientific organisations in Brazil, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. We find that institutes embrace communication with non-peers and do so through a variety of public events and traditional news media–less so through new media channels–and we find variation across countries and sciences, yet these are less evident than we expected. Country and disciplinary cultures contribute to the level of this communication, as do the resources that institutes make available for the effort; institutes with professionalised staff show higher activity online. Future research should examine whether a real change in the organisational culture is happening or whether this activity and resource allocation is merely a means to increase institutional visibility.

Midsagittal cranial shape variation in the genus Homo by geometric morphometrics

Midsagittal profiles of crania referred to different taxa of the genus Homo have been analyzed by geometric morphometric techniques. Comparisons between single specimens using the thin-plate-spline function suggest a generalized reduction of the lower face, associated with antero-posterior development of the braincase occurring (possibly in parallel evolution) along distinct human lineages. Furthermore, Neandertals display a projection of the midface, and modern humans show a derived globularity of the vault associated with midsagittal parietal bulging. Principal Component Analysis demonstrates a bimodal pattern of variation, which describes an "archaic" pole (rather heterogeneous in terms of taxonomy) clearly distinguishable from the modern one. The first two principal components - that explain together 80% of the total variance in shape - involve respectively fronto-parietal expansion and midfacial prognathism. These results contribute to identify different structural patterns in human evolution, supporting discontinuity rather than continuity of cranial shape among different taxa of the genus Homo, especially when considering the differences between Neandertals and early modern humans.

Radiation therapy in the management of symptomatic bone metastases: the effect of total dose and histology on pain relief and response duration

PURPOSE

In order to better define variables and factors that may influence the pain response to radiation, and to look for a radiation regimen that can assure the highest percentage and the longest duration of pain relief, we performed a prospective, although not randomized, study on patients with bone metastases from various primary sites.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

From December 1988 to March 1994, 205 patients with a total of 255 solitary or multiple bone metastases from several primary tumors were treated in our radiotherapy center with palliative intent. Irradiation fields were treated with three main fractionation schedules: (1) Conventional fractionation: 40-46 Gy/20-23 fractions in 5-5.5 weeks; (2) Short course: 30-36 Gy/10-12 fractions in 2-2.3 weeks; (3) Fast course: 8-28 Gy/1-4 consecutive fractions. Pain intensity was self-assessed by patients using a visual analogic scale graduated from 0 (no pain) to 10 (the strongest pain one can experience). Analgesic requirement was assessed by using a five-point scale, scoring both analgesic strength and frequency (0 = no drug or occasional nonopioids; 1 = Nonopioids once daily; 2 = Nonopioids more than once daily; 3 = Mild opioids (oral codeine, pentazocine, etc.), once daily; 4 = Mild opioids more than once daily; 5 = Strong opioids (morphine, meperidine, etc.). Complete pain relief meant the achievement of a score < or = 2 in the pain scale or 0 in the analgesic requirement scale. Partial pain relief indicated a score of 3 to 4 or of 1 to 2 on the former and latter scale, respectively.

RESULTS

Total pain relief (complete + partial) was observed in 195 (76%) sites, in 158 of which (62%) a complete response was obtained. Metastases from NSC lung tumors appeared to be the least responsive among all primary tumors, with 46% complete pain relief in comparison to 65% and 83% complete relief in breast (p = 0.04) and in prostate metastases (p = 0.002), respectively. A significant difference in pain relief was detected among the several ranges of total dose delivered to the painful metastases, with 81%, 65%, and 46% complete relief rates in the 40-46 Gy, 30-36 Gy (p = 0.03), and 8-28 Gy (p = 0.0001) dose ranges respectively. A straight correlation between total dose and complete pain relief was confirmed by the curve calculated by the logistic model which shows that doses of 30 Gy or more are necessary to achieve complete pain relief in 70% or more of bone metastases. This correlation holds also for the duration of pain control, as shown by the actuarial analysis of time to pain progression. Multivariate analyses, with complete pain relief and time to pain progression as endpoints show a highly significant effect of radiation dose (p = 0.0007) and performance status (p = 0.003), with lower rates of complete pain relief and shorter time to pain progression observed after smaller radiation total doses or higher Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) scores.

CONCLUSION

Although single-dose or short course irradiation is an attractive treatment in reducing the number of multiple visits to radiotherapy departments for patients with painful bone metastases, it is nevertheless clear that aggressive protracted treatments seem to offer significant advantages especially for patients in whom the expected life span is not short.

Combined hyperfractionated radiotherapy and protracted infusion chemotherapy in bladder cancer for organ preservation

PURPOSE

To test an innovative schedule of concurrent protracted intravenous infusion (PVI) of cisplatin (CDDP) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and hyperfractionated radiotherapy (HFRT) with organ-sparing intent in bladder cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Fifty-two patients (pts) were selected to receive an aggressive TURB followed by 2 MCV cycles, and HFRT with concomitant CDDP and 5-FU PVI (33 pts) or HFRT and concomitant CDDP and 5-FU PVI (20 pts). The 5-FU and CDDP doses ranged from 180 to 220 mg/sm/day and from 4 to 6 mg/sm/day, respectively. Radiotherapy was delivered as three 100 cGy fraction per day or two 150 cGy fraction per day to a total dose of 50 Gy to the pelvis and a 20 Gy boost to the bladder.

RESULTS

Grade III toxicity in pts who received or not MCV was: rectal tenesmus 12/33 and 0/20, dysuria 6/33 and 4/20, leukopenia 3/33 and 0/20, thrombocytopenia 7/33 and 1/20 pts, respectively. A Grade IV toxicity was observed in 2 pts. Of the 28 evaluable patients treated with MCV, CR were observed in 23 (82%) and PR in 5 cases. Of the 18 evaluable patients treated without MCV, CR were observed in 18 cases (100%). Actually, 65% and 14% of the CR pts treated with or without HCV are alive and free of tumor.

CONCLUSIONS

This bladder-sparing treatment shows an acceptable acute and late toxicity, similar to that observed with radiotherapy alone. The high CRs and bladder preservation rates observed deserve further clinical evaluation.

Radiotherapy with or without androgen deprivation in the treatment of localized adenocarcinoma of the prostate

This study analyzes the results of disease relapse and survival in two series of patients treated between 1974 and 1991 with definitive irradiation, with or without early androgen deprivation, for carcinoma of the prostate localized to the pelvis. All 264 patients were irradiated to the prostate and pelvic lymph nodes with a dose of 50 to 54 Gy in 25 to 27 fractions, followed by a 16- to 20-Gy boost in 8 to 10 fractions to the prostate and periprostatic region. Ninety percent of patients received a total dose to the prostate (pelvis + boost) of 70 Gy. Ninety-nine of the 264 patients underwent early androgen deprivation. The endocrine manipulation program was initiated 0 to 9 months before the beginning of the radiotherapy course and was continued for 2 or more years or until disease progression. All patients who relapsed after radiotherapy alone received late hormonal manipulation. After a median follow-up of 100 months, no difference in the incidence of local and distant failure rate and cancer-specific mortality was detected between the two treatment groups. The local and distant failure rates were, respectively, 19% and 40% in patients who had undergone radiotherapy and early androgen deprivation and 20% and 36% in patients who received radiotherapy alone. Cancer mortality was similar, with 35% and 30% of deaths in the former and latter group, respectively. Death for intercurrent disease, however, was significantly more frequent (p = 0.03) in patients treated with radiotherapy and hormones (19%) than in those who received radiotherapy alone (8%). Actuarial analysis of both metastasis-free and disease-free survival detected no difference between the two treatment groups, with 10-year rates of 53.3% and 42.5%, respectively, in the radiation-alone group and 45.5% and 47%, respectively, in the radiation-plus-androgen deprivation group. A statistically significant difference (p = 0.03) in overall survival in favor of patients treated with radiotherapy alone was noted, with a 10-year rate of 47%, compared with 26% observed in the radiotherapy-plus-androgen deprivation group. In conclusion, results of our study confirm numerous reports based on retrospective analyses that failed to show any benefit of hormonal management adjuvant to a definitive irradiation. The disappointing finding was the significantly better overall survival in patients who underwent radiotherapy alone.

Combined treatment of invasive bladder carcinoma with transurethral resection, induction chemotherapy, and radical radiotherapy plus concomitant protracted infusion of cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil: a phase I study

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to define the maximum tolerated doses (MTDs) of cisplatin (CDDP) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) administered as protracted intravenous infusion (PVI) during hyperfractionated radiotherapy (HFRT) administered with organ-sparing intent to patients with infiltrating transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder (TCCB).

METHODS

Twenty-five patients with T2-T4aNXM0 TCCB were enrolled in this study. After a complete transurethral resection, bladder mapping, and two cycles of induction chemotherapy, patients were submitted to HFRT and CDDP + 5-FU as concomitant PVI at escalating dose levels until MTDs were reached. Treatment efficacy was also evaluated, in terms of complete response (CR) rates and cystectomy free, disease free, and overall survival.

RESULTS

Combined treatment was well tolerated. The recommended doses for Phase II studies of PVI chemotherapy and radiotherapy for patients with invasive bladder carcinoma are CDDP 5 mg/m2/day and 5-FU 220 mg/m2/day. Twenty-four patients were evaluable for response: 21 (87.5%) had CR and 3 PR. After a median follow-up of 31 months (range, 11-49 months), 18 of 21 patients with CRs (86%) were alive: 15 (71.4%) had tumor free bladder, of whom 3 had superficial recurrence successfully treated with endovesical therapy and 1 had distant metastases. Three patients were submitted to cystectomy, one for superficial recurrence and hematuria and two for invasive bladder recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS

This study defines the MTDs of CDDP and 5-FU concomitantly administered with hyperfractionated radiotherapy. The low toxicity observed and the high CRs and bladder preservation rates deserve further study.

Prognostic impact of transurethral resection on patients irradiated for localized prostate cancer

The prognosis for irradiated patients with localized prostatic carcinoma following transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) has been debated. Controversy centers upon whether or not TURP has an adverse effect on the outcome. A retrospective analysis of 264 patients treated during 1974-1991 with radical external beam radiotherapy was performed. Ten patients who were irradiated postoperatively were excluded. One hundred and nine patients with urinary obstruction underwent TURP. In another 155 patients, pathological diagnosis was made by needle aspiration or tru-cut biopsies. One hundred and one patients received endocrine manipulation, 58 (40%) in the needle biopsy group, and 43 (39.5%) in the TURP group. Lymph node staging by pelvic lymphadenectomy (20 cases), lymphangiography (15 cases), and CAT and/or NMR (113 cases) was performed in 148 patients. Nodal metastases were found in 38 patients, 19 in the needle biopsy group, and 19 in the TURP group. Disease-related, disease-free and metastasis-free survivals were calculated for all stages and within each tumor stage and histological grade for both groups. Correlation of pretreatment factors with clinical outcome was evaluated by multivariate analysis. Overall, disease-related survival was significantly higher (P = 0.05) in patients undergoing needle biopsy than in those who had TURP (58% vs. 38% at 10 years). This difference was more significant in the subset of patients with well differentiated tumors (P < 0.01). However, no difference could be observed between the two groups in histological grade 2 and 3 tumors or by stage comparison.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)