Preventive medicine center and health care for students of medicine and health professions at the Sapienza University of Rome: a research protocol

This project aims to develop a Center of Preventive Medicine and Health Care for the students of Medicine and Health profession at Sapienza University of Rome. At the beginning of the university career students, both residents and nonresident s, have to face several difficulties such as: starting smoking or the increase in cigarette consumption ; the independent management of their own health (especially for non residents consequently to the distance of the family doctor) ; unhealthy diet; tuberculosis (TB) biological risk during their university training. These aspects , especially if present at the same time, act as a source stress and adversely affect the quality of life and the academic performance. Specific aims of the project will be: implementing an ambulatory of Preventive Medicine; implementing a virtual ambulatory of general medicine; creating a website on the problems mentioned above. Data collected will be computerized to keep an electronic health record (HER) and to use the information for the purposes of scientific research. The Centre will act in close relationship with the Central Administration, with the Headmasters of the Medical Faculties, and in close collaboration with the Center of Occupational Medicine of Sapienza University

COVID-19 Severity in Multiple Sclerosis: Putting Data Into Context

Background and objectives: It is unclear how multiple sclerosis (MS) affects the severity of COVID-19. The aim of this study is to compare COVID-19-related outcomes collected in an Italian cohort of patients with MS with the outcomes expected in the age- and sex-matched Italian population. Methods: Hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and death after COVID-19 diagnosis of 1,362 patients with MS were compared with the age- and sex-matched Italian population in a retrospective observational case-cohort study with population-based control. The observed vs the expected events were compared in the whole MS cohort and in different subgroups (higher risk: Expanded Disability Status Scale [EDSS] score > 3 or at least 1 comorbidity, lower risk: EDSS score ≤ 3 and no comorbidities) by the χ2 test, and the risk excess was quantified by risk ratios (RRs). Results: The risk of severe events was about twice the risk in the age- and sex-matched Italian population: RR = 2.12 for hospitalization (p < 0.001), RR = 2.19 for ICU admission (p < 0.001), and RR = 2.43 for death (p < 0.001). The excess of risk was confined to the higher-risk group (n = 553). In lower-risk patients (n = 809), the rate of events was close to that of the Italian age- and sex-matched population (RR = 1.12 for hospitalization, RR = 1.52 for ICU admission, and RR = 1.19 for death). In the lower-risk group, an increased hospitalization risk was detected in patients on anti-CD20 (RR = 3.03, p = 0.005), whereas a decrease was detected in patients on interferon (0 observed vs 4 expected events, p = 0.04). Discussion: Overall, the MS cohort had a risk of severe events that is twice the risk than the age- and sex-matched Italian population. This excess of risk is mainly explained by the EDSS score and comorbidities, whereas a residual increase of hospitalization risk was observed in patients on anti-CD20 therapies and a decrease in people on interferon

DMTs and Covid-19 severity in MS: a pooled analysis from Italy and France

We evaluated the effect of DMTs on Covid-19 severity in patients with MS, with a pooled-analysis of two large cohorts from Italy and France. The association of baseline characteristics and DMTs with Covid-19 severity was assessed by multivariate ordinal-logistic models and pooled by a fixed-effect meta-analysis. 1066 patients with MS from Italy and 721 from France were included. In the multivariate model, anti-CD20 therapies were significantly associated (OR = 2.05, 95%CI = 1.39–3.02, p < 0.001) with Covid-19 severity, whereas interferon indicated a decreased risk (OR = 0.42, 95%CI = 0.18–0.99, p = 0.047). This pooled-analysis confirms an increased risk of severe Covid-19 in patients on anti-CD20 therapies and supports the protective role of interferon

Looking for a role of polygalacturonase of Fusaria during cereal infection

To penetrate and colonize host tissue most pathogenic fungi produce enzymes degrading the cuticle and the plant cell wall. Among these, pectinases and in particular endo-polygalacturonases (PGs), are expressed in the early stages of host infection and contribute to the virulence or the pathogenicity of several phytopathogenic fungi by degrading the pectin component of the cell wall and middle lamella. Pectic enzymes are considered the main factors responsible for the maceration of the pectin rich cell wall of dicotyledonous plants. Recently, the importance of these enzymes has been shown also in the pathogenesis of some Graminaceous, although these plants have a cell wall consisting of small amount of pectin. Fusarium graminearum and Fusarium verticillioides are two relevant pathogens of cereal species and are know to produce PG activity in liquid culture. The demonstration that the PGs of these fungi are virulence factors might contribute to develop strategies aimed to increase the resistance of host plants to infection by these pathogens. To clarify the importance of these enzymes during pathogenesis, firstly the two endo-PGs secreted in vitro by F. graminearum were purified and characterized. These PGs showed different biochemical properties, like optimum pH and substrate cleavage mechanism. The expression of their encoding genes was analysed also during wheat infection compared to the expression of pectin lyase and xylanase encoding genes: since pectinases genes were expressed earlier than xylanase gene, pectinases, and in particular PGs, might play a role during the early stage of infection. To establish the importance in pathogenesis of the two purified and characterized F. graminearum PGs, and of F. verticillioides PG, previously characterized (Sella et al., 2004; Raiola et al., in press), their encoding genes were disrupted by targeted homologous recombination. The pathogenicity of each mutant was tested by inoculating host plants. Single F. graminearum mutants maintained the capability to infect wheat plants. However, since the loss of PG activity due to the knock-out of a single pg gene could be compensated by the activity of the remaining PG, a double knock-out mutant should be obtained and tested in infection experiments. Also the F. verticillioides mutant maintained the capability to infect maize plants, but in this case the pg gene disruption caused a reduction of virulence. In particular, the necrotic symptom observed during infection with the wild-type strain might be related to the presence of the PG in the infected tissue

Expression of two Sclerotinia sclerotiorum endo-PG genes correlates with endo-polygalacturonase activity during Glycine max colonization

Quantitative expression of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum genes encoding two endo-polygalacturonase (endo-PG) isoforms (PGa and PGb), malate dehydrogenase (MDH, a key enzyme in fungal biosynthetic pathway of oxalic acid), and plant polygalacturonase-inhibiting protein (PGIP) were monitored by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) during the early stages (0-48 h) of soybean seedling infection. The activity of the two endo-PGs was also investigated during plant infection. PGa and PGb activity reflected very closely the pattern of their transcript accumulation as determined by qRT-PCR. In particular, the PGb encoding gene (Sspgb) was induced at 8 h after inoculation and reached a maximum at 16 h; expression of the PGa encoding gene (Sspga) was comparatively lower, reaching its maximum level later and its rate of increase paralleled that of the S. sclerotiorum b-tubulin gene; the expression of the MDH encoding gene (Ssmdh) was maximal 16 h after infection; soybean pgip transcript began to accumulate 8 h after inoculation reaching a maximum after 24 h. Expression patterns of reported genes are discussed in relation to the ability of S. sclerotiorum to induce disease by regulating endo-PGs and oxalate accumulation to elude the effect of plant PGIP

Characterization of Fusarium graminearum pectic enzymes secreted in liquid culture and during wheat infection

Fusarium graminearum (teleomorph Giberella zeae) causes important diseases in cereals, like wheat, barley and maize. During the infection process this fungus produces mycotoxins and secretes several cell wall degrading enzymes (CWDEs) which could have a role in host colonization. Among CWDEs, we analyzed pectic enzymes produced in liquid culture and during wheat infection. In culture, activity of endo-polygalacturonase (endo-PG) resulted much greater than that of pectin lyase (PNL). Two endo-PGs are secreted and they exhibit different pH range and optimum: one of them, named PG1, has an optimum pH of 5.0 and is inactive at pH 8.0; the second one, named PG2, has an optimum pH of 7.0 and is still active at pH 8.0. Gene expression analysis performed by real time RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) and enzyme activity data showed that, in liquid culture, PG1 was more expressed than PG2. The expression of pg1 and pg2 genes during the infection of wheat spikes was compared to that of pnl gene, encoding a pectin lyase, and xylA gene, encoding an endo-xylanase. This latter gene was later expressed than pg and pnl genes, but its expression resulted higher. To clarify the importance of F. graminearum endo-PGs in the infection process we performed transformation-mediated gene disruptions. A phenotypic characterization of these mutants will be presented

Characterization and expression of Fusarium graminearum endo-polygalacturonases in vitro and during wheat infection

This study investigated the expression and characterization of two polygalacturonases (PG1 and PG2) of Fusarium graminearum during infection of wheat spikelets; after purification, these were demonstrated to be products of two unique endo - pg genes annotated in the genome database of F. graminearum . Both genes (Fgpg1 and Fgpg2) were expressed in vitro and during spike infection. PG1 had a greater specific activity, with a maximum at pH 5\u20137, was largely secreted in liquid culture and clearly detectable in the infected ovary tissue. PG2 was more active at pH 7\u20137.8, was poorly secreted in liquid culture and faintly detectable in infected ovaries. Both PG-encoding genes were maximally expressed 24 h after wheat spikelet infection, paralleling the expression of a pectin lyase (Fgpnl1) gene; they anticipated the expression of a xylanase gene (FgxylA) that was induced only 48 h after infection with a maximum at 96 h. These data strongly indicate F. graminearum -secreted PG activity at an early stage of wheat infection

FabLab. Un laboratorio permanente per la città di Terni. Area Bosco - Studio di fattibilità

Il progetto prevede la realizzazione di un piccolo edificio nell’Area Bosco a Terni, in prossimità della stazione, da destinare a laboratorio permanete aperto, denominato “FabLab”, secondo quanto previsto dall’Istituto Tecnico Tecnologico “Lorenzo Allievi - Antonio da Sangallo”, soggetto che si propone per la gestione. L’edificio, semplice ma con forte connotazione simbolica si propone quale catalizzatore del processo di qualificazione dell’intero ambito e come punto di riferimento per una “cultura del fare” eminentemente operativa che caratterizza e connota da sempre la città di Terni. In questo piccolo incubatore improntato alla massima flessibilità, si potranno svolgere molteplici attività (didattica, formazione professionale, laboratori, workshop, mostre), le quali troveranno massima visibilità rispetto alla città e al territorio