No evidence of SARS-CoV-2 in hospitalized patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome in five Italian hospitals from 1st November 2019 to 29th February 2020

Background On 9th January 2020, China CDC reported a novel coronavirus (later named SARS-CoV-2) as the causative agent of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Identifying the first appearance of virus is of epidemiological importance to tracking and mapping the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in a country. We therefore conducted a retrospective observational study to detect SARS-CoV-2 in oropharyngeal samples collected from hospitalized patients with a Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) enrolled in the DRIVE (Development of Robust and Innovative Vaccine Effectiveness) study in five Italian hospitals (CIRI-IT BIVE hospitals network) (1st November 2019 – 29th February 2020). Objectives To acquire new information on the real trend in SARS-CoV-2 infection during pandemic phase I and to determine the possible early appearance of the virus in Italy. Materials and methods Samples were tested for influenza [RT-PCR assay (A/H1N1, A/H3N2, B/Yam, B/Vic)] in accordance with the DRIVE study protocol. Subsequently, swabs underwent molecular testing for SARS-COV-2. [one-step real-time multiplex retro-transcription (RT) PCR]. Results In the 1683 samples collected, no evidence of SARS-CoV-2 was found. Moreover, 28.3% (477/1683) of swabs were positive for influenza viruses, the majority being type A (358 vs 119 type B). A/H3N2 was predominant among influenza A viruses (55%); among influenza B viruses, B/Victoria was prevalent. The highest influenza incidence rate was reported in patients aged 0–17 years (40.3%) followed by those aged 18–64 years (24.4%) and ≥65 years (14.8%). Conclusions In Italy, some studies have shown the early circulation of SARS-CoV-2 in northern regions, those most severely affected during phase I of the pandemic. In central and southern regions, by contrast no early circulation of the virus was registered. These results are in line with ours. These findings highlight the need to continue to carry out retrospective studies, in order to understand the epidemiology of the novel coronavirus, to better identify the clinical characteristics of COVID-19 in comparison with other acute respiratory illnesses (ARI), and to evaluate the real burden of COVID-19 on the healthcare system

Manipulation of Glucose Availability to Boost Cancer Immunotherapies

The orchestration of T cell responses is intimately linked to the execution of metabolic processes, both in homeostasis and disease. In cancer tissues, metabolic alterations that characterize malignant transformation profoundly affect the composition of the immune microenvironment and the accomplishment of an effective anti-tumor response. The growing understanding of the metabolic regulation of immune cell function has shed light on the possibility to manipulate metabolic pathways as a strategy to improve T cell function in cancer. Among others, glucose metabolism through the glycolytic pathway is central in shaping T cell responses and emerges as an ideal target to improve cancer immunotherapy. However, metabolic manipulation requires a deep level of control over side-effects and development of biomarkers of response. Here, we summarize the metabolic control of T cell function and focus on the implications of metabolic manipulation for the design of immunotherapeutic strategies. Integrating our understanding of T cell function and metabolism will hopefully foster the forthcoming development of more effective immunotherapeutic strategies

Spazi ed Educazione

SUL PIANO PEDAGOGICO, IL RINATO INTERESSE PER LE DIDATTICHE ATTIVE HA POSTO IN EVIDENZA L'AZIONE DETERMINANTE DELLO SPAZIO NEL PROMUOVERE UN APPRENDIMENTO ATTIVO. I SAGGI ALL'INTERNO DEL VOLUME - MATURATI A SEGUITO DEL CONVEGNO ' SPAZI INNOVATIVI INCLUSIVI PARTECIPATI ' (FEBBRAIO 2019) PRESSO L'ALMA MATER STUDIORUM - UNIVERSIT\ue0 DI BOLOGNA E ALLA COLLABORAZIONE DI DOCENTI, RICERCATORI, ARCHITETTI ED ESPERTI DEL TERRITORIO - SONO INCENTRATI SUL RIPENSAMENTO DEGLI SPAZI DIDATTICI AL FINE DI SVILUPPARE LA CREATIVIT\ue0, LA COLLABORAZIONE, IL PENSIERO CRITICO, LA COMUNICAZIONE E LA SOCIALIZZAZIONE. EMERGONO PROPOSTE IN CUI GLI AMBIENTI URBANI ED EDUCATIVI HANNO LE CARATTERISTICHE DELL'INCLUSIVIT\ue0 E DELLA PARTECIPAZIONE. L'ARCHITETTURA INCONTRA, DUNQUE, LA PEDAGOGIA ALL'INTERNO DI UNA STRATEGIA DI INNOVAZIONE FORMATIVA DAL FORTE CARATTERE SOCIALE