Seroprevalence of five neglected parasitic diseases among immigrants accessing five infectious and tropical diseases units in Italy: a cross-sectional study.

: This multicentre cross-sectional study aims to estimate the prevalence of five neglected tropical diseases (Chagas disease, filariasis, schistosomiasis, strongyloidiasis, toxocariasis) among immigrants accessing health care facilities in five Italian cities (Bologna, Brescia, Florence, Rome, Verona). : Individuals underwent a different set of serological tests, according to country of origin and presence of eosinophilia. Seropositive patients were treated and further followed up. : A total of 930 adult immigrants were enrolled: 477 men (51.3%), 445 women (47.9%), 8 transgender (0.8%); median age was 37.81 years (range 18-80). Most of them were coming from the African continent (405/930, 43.5%), the rest from East Europe, South America and Asia. A portion of 9.6% (89/930) were diagnosed with at least one of the infections under study. Seroprevalence of each specific infection varied from 3.9% (7/180) for Chagas diseases to 9.7% (11/113) for toxocariasis. Seropositive people were more likely to be 35 to 40 years-old male and to come from South East Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa or South America. : The results of our study confirm that neglected tropical diseases represent a substantial health problem among immigrants and highlight the need for addressing this emerging public health issue.<br/

New results on the gamma-ray burst variability–luminosity relation

Context. At the dawn of the gamma–ray burst (GRB) afterglow era, a Cepheid-like correlation was discovered between the time variability V and the isotropic-equivalent peak luminosity Liso of the prompt emission of about a dozen long GRBs with measured redshift available at that time. Soon afterwards, the correlation was confirmed in a sample of about 30 GRBs, even though it was affected by significant scatter. Unlike the minimum variability timescale (MVT), V measures the relative power of short-to-intermediate timescales. Aims. We aim to test the correlation using about 200 long GRBs with spectroscopically measured redshift, detected by Swift, Fermi, and Konus/WIND, for which both observables can be accurately estimated. Methods. The variability for all selected GRBs was calculated according to the original definition using the 64 ms background-subtracted light curves of Swift/BAT (Fermi/GBM) in the 15–150 (8–900) keV energy passband. Peak luminosities were either taken from the literature or derived from modelling broad-band spectra acquired with either Konus/WIND or Fermi/GBM. Results.The statistical significance of the correlation has weakened to ≲2%, mostly due to the appearance of a number of smooth and luminous GRBs that are characterised by a relatively small V. At odds with most long GRBs, three out of four long-duration merger candidates have high V and low Liso. Conclusions. The luminosity is more tightly connected with shortest timescales measured by MVT than the short to intermediate timescales measured by V. We discuss the implications for internal dissipation models and the role of the e± photosphere. We identified a few smooth GRBs with a single broad pulse and low V that might have an external shock origin, in contrast with most GRBs. The combination of high variability (V ≳ 0.1), low luminosity Liso ≲ 1051 erg s−1, and short MVT (≲0.1 s) could be a good indicator for a compact binary merger origin

PATOLOGIA DEGENERATIVA DEL GOMITO. IL MICROTRAUMA.

Dopo una sezione dedicata alla anatomia del gomito, vengono analizzati i quadri clinici e radiologici secondari alla patologia da iperuso. Un approfondimento particolare è dedicato al gomito nella DISH ed alle alterazioni dovute ai microtraumatismi di origine professionale

Osservazioni sull'anemia in corso di artropatia psoriasica.

E' stato sudiatoil quadro ematologico periferico di 70 pazienti affetti da artrite psoriasica. L'anemia è meno frequente (28% dei casi) di quanto riportato nell'artrite reumatoide. La maggior parte dei soggetti anemici con artrite psoriasica presentava un impegno poliarticolare simil-reumatoide

Enzymatic synthesis of 2’-O-acyl-prodrugs of 1-(beta-D-arabinofuranosyl)-5(E)-(2-bromovinyl)uracil (sorivudine, BV-araU) and of 2’-O-acyl-araU, -araC and -araA.

Pig liver esterase (EC 3.1.1.1) catalysed regioselective hydrolysis of 1-(2,3,5-tri-O-acyl-beta-D-arabinofuranosyl)uracil, -cytosine and -adenine to give the corresponding 2'-monoesters effectively and in high yield. This methodology enabled the preparation of 1-(2-O-acyl-beta-D-arabinofuranosyl)-5-[(E)-(2-bromovinyl)]uracil prodrugs which, although slightly less active than the parent 1-(beta-D-arabinofuranosyl)-5-(E)-(2 bromovinyl)uracil (sorivudine; BV-araU), were strongly active in vitro against varicella-zoster virus (ED50 2.4-45 ng/ml). The retarded rates of enzymatic hydrolysis of the 2'-esters imply that they might function as lipophilic prodrugs, leading to increased plasma and cellular concentrations. In view of the marked in vitro activity, they represent an interesting approach to arabinofuranosyl nucleoside prodrugs with improved pharmacokinetics and enzymatic stability

Il quadro ematologico dell'artrite reumatoide del beta-talassemico eterozigote

lo sudio analizza il quadro ematologico con particolare riferimento allo stato anemico di soggetti beta talassemici eterozigoti nel contesto dell'artrite reumatoide

New isoxazole derivatives of retinoids: Synthesis and activity on growth and differentiation of tumor cells

The effects of several newly synthesized isoxazole analogues of retinoids on differentiation and proliferation of 'in vitro' cultured tumor cell lines are reported. Some of the tested compounds exhibit significative differentiating action, inducing adipogenic conversion of the Chinese hamster FH06T1-1 cell line in a range of 2-10 times the activity of retinoic acid and retinol

Distributions of energy, luminosity, duration, and waiting times of gamma-ray burst pulses with known redshift detected by Fermi/GBM

Discovered more than 50 years ago, gamma-ray burst (GRB) prompt emission remains the most puzzling aspect of GRB physics. Its complex and irregular nature should reveal how newborn GRB engines release their energy. In this respect, the possibility that GRB engines could operate as self-organized critical (SOC) systems has been put forward. Here, we present the energy, luminosity, waiting time, and duration distributions of individual pulses of GRBs with known redshift detected by the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM). This is the first study of this kind in which selection effects are accounted for. The compatibility of our results with the framework of SOC theory is discussed. We found evidence for an intrinsic break in the power-law models that describe the energy and the luminosity distributions