The multiple potentialities of anthozoans: analyses and comparisons between animal models

Anthozoans are the richest class of species of the phylum Cnidaria. They are a candidate group for studying the evolution of mutualisms and immunity and despite their morphological simplicity exhibit a repertoire of immunological components with large genomes and gene families similar to those of the Bilateria. Like other invertebrates, anthozoans immunity is based on self/non-self recognition mechanisms and allorecognition responses, therefore, maintaining their integrity and responding actively to selection pressures. Highlight and investigate the link between innate immunity, homeostasis maintenance, inflammation, tissue remodelling and regeneration in Anthozoa could be useful to elucidate the adaptive capability features to different stress factors. We have carried out studies demonstrating that all these processes are highly conserved among the anthozoans species. We have compared the inflammatory responses and the morpho-functional aspects related to regeneration in different species of Mediterranean anthozoans using histological, cellular and molecular technical approaches on organisms, maintained in aquaria under environmental and pathogenic stressful conditions. This approach appears to be a useful tool from baseline studies in immunology and anthozoans result valid models able to respond to environmental stress conditions. Important results have been obtained with potential biotechnological transferability in pharmacology

Effects of pet exposure in the first year of life on respiratory and allergic symptoms in 7-yr-old children. The SIDRIA-2 study

The effects of pet exposure on the development of respiratory symptoms have recently been the matter of vivid discussion. Our objective was to determine the effects of exposure to cat or dog in the first year of life on subsequent respiratory/allergic symptoms in children in a large Italian multicentre study. As part of the SIDRIA-2 Study (Studi Italiani sui Disturbi Respiratori dell'Infanzia e l'Ambiente 2002), the parents of 20016 children (median age 7 yr) provided information on indoor exposures at different times in life and respiratory/allergic symptoms through questionnaires. Logistic regression analyses were performed taking into account cat or dog exposure at different times in life and adjusting for the presence of the other pet, mould exposure, gender, age, parental education, maternal smoking during the first year of life, current passive smoking, family history of asthma/rhinitis/eczema and other potential confounders. Neither significant effects of dog exposure in the first year of life nor in other periods were found on respiratory/allergic symptoms after adjusting for the other covariates. Cat exposure in the first year of life was significantly and independently associated with current wheezing [OR (95% CI) 1.88 (1.33-2.68), p < 0.001] and current asthma [1.74 (1.10-2.78), p < 0.05] and border-line associated with current rhinoconjunctivitis [1.43 (0.97-2.11), p = 0.07]. No other effects of cat exposure were found on respiratory/allergic symptoms. Cat, but not dog, exposure in the first year of life is an independent risk factor for current wheezing, current asthma and current rhinoconjunctivitis at the age of 7

An Observational Study to Develop a Predictive Model for Bacterial Pneumonia Diagnosis in Severe COVID-19 Patients—C19-PNEUMOSCORE

In COVID-19 patients, antibiotics overuse is still an issue. A predictive scoring model for the diagnosis of bacterial pneumonia at intensive care unit (ICU) admission would be a useful stewardship tool. We performed a multicenter observational study including 331 COVID-19 patients requiring invasive mechanical ventilation at ICU admission; 179 patients with bacterial pneumonia; and 152 displaying negative lower-respiratory samplings. A multivariable logistic regression model was built to identify predictors of pulmonary co-infections, and a composite risk score was developed using &amp; beta;-coefficients. We identified seven variables as predictors of bacterial pneumonia: vaccination status (OR 7.01; 95% CI, 1.73-28.39); chronic kidney disease (OR 3.16; 95% CI, 1.15-8.71); pre-ICU hospital length of stay &amp; GE; 5 days (OR 1.94; 95% CI, 1.11-3.4); neutrophils &amp; GE; 9.41 x 10(9)/L (OR 1.96; 95% CI, 1.16-3.30); procalcitonin &amp; GE; 0.2 ng/mL (OR 5.09; 95% CI, 2.93-8.84); C-reactive protein &amp; GE; 107.6 mg/L (OR 1.99; 95% CI, 1.15-3.46); and Brixia chest X-ray score &amp; GE; 9 (OR 2.03; 95% CI, 1.19-3.45). A predictive score (C19-PNEUMOSCORE), ranging from 0 to 9, was obtained by assigning one point to each variable, except from procalcitonin and vaccine status, which gained two points each. At a cut-off of &amp; GE;3, the model exhibited a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of 84.9%, 55.9%, 69.4%, 75.9%, and 71.6%, respectively. C19-PNEUMOSCORE may be an easy-to-use bedside composite tool for the early identification of severe COVID-19 patients with pulmonary bacterial co-infection at ICU admission. Its implementation may help clinicians to optimize antibiotics administration in this setting

Developmental Dental Aberrations After the Dioxin Accident in Seveso

Children’s developing teeth may be sensitive to environmental dioxins, and in animal studies developing teeth are one of the most sensitive targets of toxicity of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). Twenty-five years after the dioxin accident in Seveso, Italy, 48 subjects from the contaminated areas (zones A and B) and in patches lightly contaminated (zone R) were recruited for the examination of dental and oral aberrations. Subjects were randomly invited from those exposed in their childhood and for whom frozen serum samples were available. The subjects were frequency matched with 65 subjects from the surrounding non-ABR zone for age, sex, and education. Concentrations of TCDD in previously analyzed plasma samples (zone ABR subjects only) ranged from 23 to 26,000 ng/kg in serum lipid. Ninety-three percent (25 of 27) of the subjects who had developmental enamel defects had been < 5 years of age at the time of the accident. The prevalence of defects in this age group was 42% (15 of 36) in zone ABR subjects and 26% (10 of 39) in zone non-ABR subjects, correlating with serum TCDD levels (p = 0.016). Hypodontia was seen in 12.5% (6 of 48) and 4.6% (3 of 65) of the zone ABR and non-ABR subjects, respectively, also correlating with serum TCDD level (p = 0.05). In conclusion, developmental dental aberrations were associated with childhood exposure to TCDD. In contrast, dental caries and periodontal disease, both infectious in nature, and oral pigmentation and salivary flow rate were not related to the exposure. The results support our hypothesis that dioxins can interfere with human organogenesis

Identifying environmental risk to male reproductive function by occupational sperm studies: logistics and design options.

Malfunction of the male reproductive system might be a sensitive marker of environmental hazards, the effects of which may extend beyond reproductive function. The testis is more vulnerable to heat and ionising radiation than any other organ of the body and several xenobiotics are known to disrupt spermatogenesis after low level exposure. Studies of environmental impact on human health are often most informative and accurate when carried out in the workplace where exposures can be high and easy to document. Semen analysis provides readily obtainable information on testicular function. The main advantages in comparison with functional measures such as fertility rates and time taken to conceive are the possibilities to examine men independently of marriage and pregnancy, to find changes of fecundity with different exposures within the same person and to detect adverse effects when no alteration of fertility is yet taking place. In the implementation of an occupational sperm study considerable attention must be paid to logistic issues. A mobile laboratory unit for initial semen preparation and processing may in some situations increase worker compliance and the quality of sperm cell motility. The cross sectional design which has been used in almost all male reproductive studies so far has several severe limitations including selection bias because of differential participation, difficulties in defining a suitable reference group, and lack of information about the time dimension of the cause-effect relation. The longitudinal design deals adequately with most of these constraints. Semen samples are collected before, during, and possibly after exposure to the risk factor of interest and causal inferences are based upon change of semen variables within a man over time rather than upon differences between men. The logistics of the longitudinal study may benefit from pre-employment health examinations to enrol newly hired workers and require fewer participants to obtain comparable statistical power. In conclusion, andrological methods and epidemiological designs are available for the implementation of valid studies concerned with environmental impact on human testicular function. Occupational sperm studies should probably not be the first choice when the objective is initial screening of environmental impact on fertility but should be implemented when their is a need to corroborate or refuse earlier evidence that specific exposures have impact on testicular function