Pseudomonas aeruginosa related to Nosocomial and Animal infections. New approaches in diagnosis and therapy

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a small bacillus gram negative, aerobic, asporogenous, monoflagellate, non-fermenting. P. aeruginosa infections often have a very severe course and are difficult to treat because of its ability to form biofilms characterized by a thick capsule coated with alginate (an exopolysaccharide consisting of D-mannuronic acid and glucuronic acid monomers). Alginate represent the main component of the extracellular matrix of P. aeruginosa biofilm; as a consequence, the alginate lysis facilitates the spread of antimicrobial substances. In fact, this extracellular matrix makes these micro-organisms resistant to antimicrobial agents and leads to the emergence of multidrug resistant clinical isolates (MDR) during therapy. Mutations in the mucA gene encode a protein involved in the production of this exopolysaccharide. In fact, in vitro inactivation of mucA in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 (non-mucoid) produces Alg+ strains; this seems to indicate, therefore, that mucA acts as a negative regulator of the production of alginate because it can bind and sequester the factor σ22, through the N-terminal cytoplasmic domain. The risk of P. aeruginosa infection may be related to several factors such as: (i) inappropriate therapies or prophylaxis measures, (ii) failure in the environmental monitoring systems (iii) inadequate laboratory protocols for detecting MDR strains. For example, the inappropriate use of peroxides as disinfectants could be increase the mutation rate in mucA gene. In this context, the P. aeruginosa biofilm studies allow to characterize new antimicrobials and to ascertain what are the useful ranges of the disinfectant that do not induce the mucoid phenotype more virulent and more resistant respectively to the not mucoid phenotype. Mutations present in the promoter of the gene or along the amino terminal part of the protein modulate an alginate hyper-expression giving the biofilm a barrier almost impermeable to the antimicrobials, this aspect must be considered during the use of oxidizing microbicides such as hydrogen peroxides, in able to determine mutations in the mucA gene. This work aims to study P. aeruginosa infections and its environmental contaminations as a global health problem. In fact, this multi-task pathogen can contaminate different areas in human, veterinary and agricultural fields. For this reason, a comprehensive work must be performed by different strategies in these points: 1 Pathogen detection: in this work, we describe a fast-molecular approach to detect the initial pathogen biofilm samples contaminated with Pseudomonas spp. (P. aeruginosa, P. fluorescens and P. putida). This procedure is based on the particular bi-functional FRET oligonucleotide probes named DUAL-FRET. 2 mucA / alginate profile: in P. aeruginosa, mucA genotype resulted essential to reveal high drug-resistant strains due to alginate hyperproduction in the biofilm. 3 Evaluation of potential new antimicrobials: a critical point in anti - P. aeruginosa prophylaxis is represented by the absence of highly performant disinfectant. 4 New cultural systems: design/use of bioreactors able to reproduce, in standard controlled conditions, the initial parameters in the primary contamination area, for example the cold storage implants in the food production 5 Future strategies: following the recent new molecular procedures obtained in biological field could be possible to design new clinical/laboratory strategies against P. aeruginosa, for example the study of miRNAs

Photodynamic therapy for the successful management of cyclosporine-related gum hypertrophy: A novel therapeutic option

Background: Drug-induced gingival overgrowth is associated with the intake of three classes of drugs: anticonvulsants, immunosuppressants, and calcium channel blockers. It is clinically characterized by hyperplasia of the gingival connective tissue which appears edematous, bloody, and purplish-red in color. In more severe cases, drug-induced gingival hyperplasia negatively affects the patient’s quality of life, making it difficult to eat and practice good oral hygiene. Drug-induced gingival overgrowth therapy is controversial and, in fact, no studies in the literature highlight a well-defined therapeutic protocol. The therapies that are described provide primarily for non-surgical periodontal treatment and second-line surgical treatment. The aim of this work is to highlight a case of drug-induced gingival hyperplasia which was completely resolved thanks to photodynamic therapy which is completely free from side effects. Design and Methods: Photodynamic therapy was performed on an 18year-old female patient with LEDs at a power of 450–470nm and 5500mW/cm2+7500mW/cm2, combined with a Curcuma longa-based photosensitizer. A single session was performed, with applications of approximately 30s for each interdental papilla. Results: The patient improved markedly after only one cycle of PDT. There was an absence of clinically detectable inflammation, edema, and rubor of the involved dental papillae. At the 4, 6, and 12week follow-ups there were no recurrences. Conclusions: This case report highlights the first case of drug-induced gingival hypertrophy entirely treated with photodynamic therapy to be described in the literature. Therefore, although it is only a case report, this therapy which is free from side effects should be investigated as an alternative to current therapies

Does Living in Previously Exposed Malaria or Warm Areas is Associated with a Lower Risk of Severe COVID-19 Infection in Italy?

Incidence of Covid-19 positivity (21/2/2020-28/3/2020) in provinces of 4 Italian regions whose territory was described as previously exposed to Malaria was compared with those of other provinces of the same regions. The climate of such provinces was compared with the climate of the other provinces in some regions. Previously malarial areas show a lower risk than other provinces of the same regions: Mantua (Lombardy) RR=0.94 (CI95%0.89-0.99); Venice-Rovigo (Veneto) RR=0.61 (CI95%0.58-0.65); Ferrara-Ravenna (Emilia-Romagna) RR=0.37 (CI95%0.35-0.41); Cagliari Oristano-South Sardinia (Sardinia) RR=0.25 (0.17-0.31). The maximum temperature in March 2020 in those provinces was higher in mean 1.5° for other provinces. The lower frequency of COVID-19 in the provinces previously exposed to Malaria of four Italian regions does not reveal a causal link. The phenomenon has emerged independently in all the regions investigated. People born between the 1920s and 1950s were those most exposed to malaria years ago and today are the most exposed to the severest forms of COVID-19. A warmer climate seems to be associated with a lower risk of COVID, in line with the evidence highlighted in equatorial states where a lower lethality of the virus has emerged, however this regardless of the presence of Malaria. This may suggest that climate and not Malaria is the real risk factor, though further studies need to determine the role of the association climate / COVID

Can an Investigation of a Single Gene be Effective in Differentiating Certain Features of the Bipolar Disorder Profile?

Bipolar disorder (BD) is amongst the most common heritable mental disorders, but the clarification of its genetic roots has proven to be very challenging. Many single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been identified to be associated with BD. SNPs in the CACNA1C gene have emerged as the most significantly associated with the disease. The aim of the present study is to provide a concise description of SNP 1006737 variants identified by Real Time PCR and confirm sequencing analysis with the Sanger method in order to estimate the association with BD. The molecular method was tested on 47 Sardinian subjects of whom 23 were found to not be mutated, 1 was found to be a carrier of the homozygous A allele and 23 were found to be carriers of the heterozygous G allele. Moreover, the positive results of the preliminary application suggest that the development of the screener could be extended to the other 5 genetic variables identified as associated with BD

Co-infection of Streptococcus pneumoniae in Respiratory Infections Caused by SARS-CoV-2

Abstract: Viral respiratory infections are often associated with bacterial co-infections that often lead to increased severity and mortality of the disease. During the recent pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), hospitalized patients reported developing secondary bacterial infections ranging from 0 to 40% of the cases. In the previous influenza pandemics, Streptococcus pneumoniae was the most isolated bacterial pathogen causing increased mortality in patients affected by viral pneumonia. Due to the difficulty to detect pneumococcal infection in SARSCoV-2 patients by a rapid clinical test, the real prevalence of S. pneumoniae might be underestimated, and only a few cases have been documented so far. It has been estimated that 90% of patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit are empirically treated with antimicrobial. The application of more rapid and sensitive diagnostic methods could help with targeted antibiotic therapy. Additionally, pneumococcal vaccination of high-risk individuals could reduce bacterial pneumonia, hospital admissions, and comorbidities associated with serious illness

Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Sites: Is There Something More Than Exophiala xenobiotica? New Insights into Black Fungal Diversity Using the Long Cold Incubation Method

Human-made hydrocarbon-rich environments are important reservoirs of microorganisms with specific degrading abilities and pathogenic potential. In particular, black fungi are of great interest, but their presence in the environment is frequently underestimated because they are difficult to isolate. In the frame of a biodiversity study from fuel-contaminated sites involving 30 diesel car tanks and 112 fuel pump dispensers (52 diesel and 60 gasoline, respectively), a total of 181 black fungal strains were isolated. The long cold incubation (LCI) of water-suspended samples, followed by plating on Dichloran Rose Bengal Chloramphenicol Agar (DRBC), gave isolation yields up to six times (6.6) higher than those of direct plating on DRBC, and those of enrichment with a phenolic mix. The sequencing of ITS and LSU-rDNA confirmed the dominance of potentially pathogenic fungi from the family Herpotrichiellaceae and Exophiala xenobiotica. Moreover, other opportunistic species were found, including E. opportunistica, E. oligosperma, E. phaeomuriformis, and Rhinocladiella similis. The recurrent presence of E. crusticola, Knufia epidermidis, Aureobasidium melanogenum, Cladosporium spp., and Scolecobasidium spp. was also recorded. Interestingly, 12% of total isolates, corresponding to 50% of taxa found (16/32), represent new species. All the novel taxa in this study were isolated by LCI. These findings suggest that black fungal diversity in hydrocarbon-rich niches remains largely unexplored and that LCI can be an efficient tool for further investigations

Characterization of FeOOH nanoparticles and amorphous silica matrix in an FeOOH-Sio 2 nanocomposite

A nanocomposite with an FeOOH/SiO2ratio equal to 17.7 wt% and the pertinent matrix, obtained by etching away the nanoparticles through reaction with hydrochloric acid, were investigated by XRD, TGA-DTA, heliostereopicnometry, BET, and TEM techniques. The study shows the presence in the nanocomposite of ferrihydrite nanoparticles phase with average dimensions around 4 nm. The FeOOH nanoparticles structure was analyzed by synchrotron X-ray diffraction data using the distribution difference curve method. The porous structure of the matrix resulting by etching away the nanoparticles differs significantly from that of a pureSiO2sample obtained by hydrolysis of TEOS under the same operative conditions followed in the nanocomposite preparation

The effects of robotic assistance on upper limb spatial muscle synergies in healthy people during planar upper-limb training

BackgroundRobotic rehabilitation is a commonly adopted technique used to restore motor functionality of neurological patients. However, despite promising results were achieved, the effects of human-robot interaction on human motor control and the recovery mechanisms induced with robot assistance can be further investigated even on healthy subjects before translating to clinical practice. In this study, we adopt a standard paradigm for upper-limb rehabilitation (a planar device with assistive control) with linear and challenging curvilinear trajectories to investigate the effect of the assistance in human-robot interaction in healthy people.MethodsTen healthy subjects were instructed to perform a large set of radial and curvilinear movements in two interaction modes: 1) free movement (subjects hold the robot handle with no assistance) and 2) assisted movement (with a force tunnel assistance paradigm). Kinematics and EMGs from representative upper-limb muscles were recorded to extract phasic muscle synergies. The free and assisted interaction modes were compared assessing the level of assistance, error, and muscle synergy comparison between the two interaction modes.ResultsIt was found that in free movement error magnitude is higher than with assistance, proving that task complexity required assistance also on healthy controls. Moreover, curvilinear tasks require more assistance than standard radial paths and error is higher. Interestingly, while assistance improved task performance, we found only a slight modification of phasic synergies when comparing assisted and free movement.ConclusionsWe found that on healthy people, the effect of assistance was significant on task performance, but limited on muscle synergies. The findings of this study can find applications for assessing human-robot interaction and to design training to maximize motor recovery

1h nmr brain metabonomics of scrapie exposed sheep

While neurochemical metabolite modifications, determined by different techniques, have been diffusely reported in human and mice brains affected by transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), this aspect has been little studied in the natural animal hosts with the same pathological conditions so far

Is a Genetic Variant associated with Bipolar Disorder Frequent in People without Bipolar Disorder but with Characteristics of Hyperactivity and Novelty Seeking?

Objective: The objective is to verify whether a genetic condition associated with bipolar disorder (BD) is frequent in old adults adapted to their environment, without BD, but with aptitudes for hyperactivity and novelty seeking (H/NS). Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the study sample included healthy elderly people (40 participants, aged 60 or older) living in an urban area and recruited from a previous study on physical exercise and active aging, who were compared with 21 old adults with BD from the same area. The genetic methodology consisted of blood sampling, DNA extraction, real-time PCR jointly with FRET probes, and the SANGER sequencing method. The genetic variant RS1006737 of CACNA1C, found to be associated with bipolar disorder diagnosis, was investigated. Results: The frequency of the RS1006737 genetic variant in the study group (H/NS) is not higher than in the BD group and is statistically significantly higher than in all the control groups found in the literature. However, the familiarity for BD is higher in old adults with BD than in the H/NS sample without BD. The risk of BD in the family (also considering those without BD but with family members with BD) is not associated with the presence of the genetic variant examined. Conclusion: The study suggests that the gene examined is associated with characteristics of hyperactivity rather than just BD. Nevertheless, choosing to participate in an exercise program is an excessively general way to identify H/NS. The next step would be to identify the old adults with welldefined H/NS features with an adequate tool