Risk Perceptions and Psychological Effects During the Italian COVID-19 Emergency

The current study provides data about the immediate risk perceptions and psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic among Italian participants. A sample of 980 volunteers answered a web-based survey which aimed to investigate the many facets of risk perceptions connected to COVID-19 (health, work, institutionaleconomy, interpersonal and psychological), and risk-related variables such as perceived knowledge, news seeking, perceived control, perceived efficacy of containment measures, and affective states. Socio-demographic characteristics were also collected. Results showed that although levels of general concern are relatively high among Italians, risk perceptions are highest with regards to the institutional-economy and work, and lowest concerning health. COVID-19 has been also estimated to be the least likely cause of death. Cognitive and affective risk-related variables contributed to explain the several risk perception domains differently. COVID-19 perceived knowledge did not affect any risk perception while the perceived control decreased health risk likelihood. The other risk-related variables amplified risk perceptions: News seeking increased work and institutional-economy risk; perceived efficacy of containment measures increased almost all perceived risks; negative affective states of fear, anger and sadness increased health risk; anxiety increased health, interpersonal and psychological risks, and uncertainty increased work, institutional-economy, interpersonal and psychological risk perceptions. Finally, positive affective states increased health risk perception. Socio-psychological implications are discussed

The characterization of Thermotoga maritima Arginine Binding Protein variants demonstrates that minimal local strains have an important impact on protein stability

The Ramachandran plot is a versatile and valuable tool that provides fundamental information for protein structure determination, prediction, and validation. The structural/thermodynamic effects produced by forcing a residue to adopt a conformation predicted to be forbidden were here explored using Thermotoga maritima Arginine Binding Protein (TmArgBP) as model. Specifically, we mutated TmArgBP Gly52 that assumes a conformation believed to be strictly disallowed for non-Gly residues. Surprisingly, the crystallographic characterization of Gly52Ala TmArgBP indicates that the structural context forces the residue to adopt a non-canonical conformation never observed in any of the high-medium resolution PDB structures. Interestingly, the inspection of this high resolution structure demonstrates that only minor alterations occur. Nevertheless, experiments indicate that Gly52 replacements in TmArgBP produce destabilizations comparable to those observed upon protein truncation or dissection in domains. Notably, we show that force-fields commonly used in computational biology do not reproduce this non-canonical state. Using TmArgBP as model system we here demonstrate that the structural context may force residues to adopt conformations believed to be strictly forbidden and that barely detectable alterations produce major destabilizations. Present findings highlight the role of subtle strains in governing protein stability. A full understanding of these phenomena is essential for an exhaustive comprehension of the factors regulating protein structures

Adverse Reactions to Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine: A Prospective Cohort Study Based on an Active Surveillance System

: To date, Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has caused high morbidity and mortality worldwide. To counteract the pandemic scenario, several vaccines against the etiological factor of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) were developed and tested. At the end of December 2020, BNT162b2 (Comirnaty, Pfizer-BioNTech) was the first and only authorized vaccine in Italy for selected categories, such as healthcare workers, fragile patients and people aged over 80 years old. To master our knowledge about BNT162b2 adverse reactions (ARs), an active surveillance system based on instant messaging was realized for voluntary participants who had been vaccinated at COVID-19 Vaccination Center of the Palermo University Hospital. Overall, 293 vaccinated persons were included in this study, which were more frequently healthcare workers (n = 207, 70.6% with a median age of 36 years, IQR = 29-55) followed by health professional students (n = 31, 10.6% with a median age of 27 years, IQR = 25-29), reporting 82.6% of at least one local or systemic AR. In details, the frequency of at least one local or systemic AR after the second dose of Comirnaty (n = 235, 80.2%) was statistically significant with higher value in comparison to the first one (n = 149, 50.9%; p < 0.001). However, local pain, swelling, joint pain and muscular pain after the second dose were the symptom causing a statistically significant working limitation. The youngest persons showed a higher risk to have either local or systemic ARs (aOR = 7.5, CI 95% = 2.9-18.9), while females had a higher risk of having systemic ARs (aOR = 1.8, CI 95% = 1.1-3.0). Despite the small sample examined, this active surveillance system by instant messaging seems to detect a higher ARs prevalence with respect to data obtained by the passive surveillance. Further studies could be required in order to optimize this clinical monitoring that could be considered an efficient and timely active surveillance

Synthesis, HPLC enantioresolution and X-ray analysis of a new series of C5-methyl pyridazines as N-formyl peptide receptor (FPR) agonists

The synthesis of three racemates and the corresponding non chiral analogues of a C5-methyl pyridazine series is described here, as well as the isolation of pure enantiomers and their absolute configuration assignment. In order to obtain optically active compounds, direct chromatographic methods of separation by HPLC-UV were investigated using four chiral stationary phases (CSPs: Lux Amylose-2(®), Lux Cellulose-1(®), Lux Cellulose-2(®) and Lux Cellulose-3(®)). The best resolution was achieved using amylose tris(5-chloro-2-methylphenylcarbamate) (Lux Amylose-2(®)), and single enantiomers were isolated on a semipreparative scale with high enantiomeric excess, suitable for biological assays. The absolute configuration of optically active compounds was unequivocally established by X-ray crystallographic analysis and comparative chiral HPLC-UV profile. All compounds of the series were tested for formyl peptide receptor (FPR) agonist activity, and four were found to be active, with EC(50) values in the micromolar range

Therapeutic Strategies and Oncological Outcome of Peritoneal Metastases from Lung Cancer: A Systematic Review and Pooled Analysis

The peritoneum is an unusual site of metastases from lung cancer, and optimal management at the moment remains unclear and mostly based on palliative strategies. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate demographic characteristics, management and overall survival of patients with peritoneal metastases from lung cancer (PCLC). A PRISMA-compliant systematic review and pooled analysis was performed searching all English studies published until December 2022. PROSPERO, CRD42022349362. Inclusion criteria were original articles including patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis from lung cancer, specifying at least one outcome of interest. Exclusion criteria were being unable to retrieve patient data from articles, and the same patient series included in different studies. Among 1746 studies imported for screening, twenty-one were included (2783 patients). Mean overall survival was between 0.5 and 5 months after peritoneal carcinomatosis diagnosis and 9 and 21 months from lung cancer diagnosis. In total, 27% of patients underwent first-line or palliative chemotherapy and 7% of them surgery. Management differs significantly among published studies. The literature on PCLC is scarce. Its incidence is low but appears to be substantially rising and is likely to be an underestimation. Prognosis is very poor and therapeutic strategies have been limited and used in a minority of patients. Subcategories of PCLC patients may have an improved prognosis and may benefit from an aggressive oncological approach, including cytoreductive surgery. Further investigation would be needed in this regar

Correction to: Accuracy and inter-observer agreement of the nice and kudo classifications of superficial colonic lesions: a comparative study

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The Fall in Antibody Response to SARS-CoV-2: a Longitudinal Study of Asymptomatic to Critically Ill Patients Up to 10 Months after Recovery

The aim of this study was to assess the long-term dynamics and factors associated with the serological response against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 after primary infection. A prospective longitudinal study was conducted with monthly serological follow-up during the first 4 months, and then at 6, 8, and 10 months after the disease onset of all recovered adult in- and outpatients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) attending Udine Hospital (Italy) during the first wave (from March to May 2020). A total of 546 individuals were included (289 female, mean age 53.1 years), mostly with mild COVID-19 (370, 68.3%). Patients were followed for a median of 302 days (interquartile range, 186 to 311). The overall seroconversion rate within 2 months was 32% for IgM and 90% for IgG. Seroreversion was observed in 90% of patients for IgM at 4 months and in 47% for IgG at 10 months. Older age, number of symptoms at acute onset, and severity of acute COVID-19 were all independent predictors of long-term immunity both for IgM (beta, linear regression coefficient, 1.10, P = 0.001; beta 5.15 P = 0.014; beta 43.84 P = 0.021, respectively) and for IgG (beta 1.43 P < 0.001; beta 10.46 P < 0.001; beta 46.79 P, 0.001, respectively), whereas the initial IgG peak was associated only with IgG duration (beta 1.12, P < 0.001). IgM antibodies disappeared at 4 months, and IgG antibodies declined in about half of patients 10 months after acute COVID-19. These effects varied depending on the intensity of the initial antibody response, age, and burden of acute COVID-19

A new MEFV gene mutation in an Iranian patient with familial Mediterranean fever.

Familial mediterranean fever (FMF) is an inherited autoinflammatory disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of fever and painful inflammation involving the intra-abdominal organs, the lungs and the joints, which is highly prevalent in specific ethnic groups including the Iranians. We report a 12-year-old boy from Iran, with a clinical history of recurrent fever. Based on the suggestive clinical data, mutational analysis revealed the presence of the novel c.1945C>T heterozygous variant in exon 10, which leads to a leucine to phenylalanine change at position 649 of the protein. The mutation was inherited from the mother. This novel mutation lies in exon 10 of the MEFV gene, which encodes for a domain called B30.2-SPRY, located in the C-terminal region of the pyrin protein and contains the most frequent mutations associated with FMF. The present report expands the spectrum of MEFV gene mutations associated with FMF. The uniqueness of this study, compared with other published case reports, consists in the new mutation found in the MEFV gene. In fact, new mutations in this gene are of high interest, in order to better understand the role of this gene in autoinflammation