Changing Features of COVID-19: Characteristics of Infections with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta (B.1.617.2) and Alpha (B.1.1.7) Variants in Southern Italy

Differences in the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients infected with the Alpha and Delta SARS‐CoV‐2 variants of concern in a large region of Southern Italy were assessed. Two cohorts of positive patients were compared. The Alpha group consisted of 11,135 subjects diagnosed between 21 March and 21 April 2021, and the Delta group consisted of 499 positive subjects diagnosed between 21 July and 21 August 2021. A descriptive and statistical analysis of the demographic and clinical characteristics of the two groups was performed. The proportion of patients with mild and moderate infections was significantly higher in the Delta than in the Alpha group (p < 0.001). In fully vaccinated patients, the proportion of symptomatic individuals was significantly higher in the Delta than in the Alpha group. The Delta group showed odds ratios of 3.08 (95% CI, 2.55–3.72) for symptomatic infection and 2.66 (95% CI, 1.76–3.94) for hospitalization. Improving COVID‐19 vaccination rates is a priority, since infection with the SARS‐CoV‐2 Delta variant has a significant impact on patient outcomes. Additional targeted prevention strategies such as social distancing, the use of masks in indoor settings irrespective of vaccination status, and the use of a sanitary passport could be crucial to contain further spread of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection

Osmotic induction marking with Alizarin Red S on juveniles of pejerrey, <i>Odontesthes bonariensis</i> (Atherinopsidae)

Juveniles of pejerrey, Odontesthes bonariensis, were exposed to 0.1% Alizarin Red S (ARS) alone or with a previous immersion in 2.2% saline solution (Osmotic Induction, OI) to enhance the ARS marking method. Fish were marked in the field and immediately released in 1 m3 cages in "La Salada de Monasterio" lagoon, Chascomús, Buenos Aires , Argentina. After 73 days, clear marks were observed in the otoliths, caudal fin rays and scales with both treatments, being the intensity of the signal in the scales of OI+ARS treated fish higher. On the other hand, no marks were observed in the control group on the same structures. Approximately one year post-treatment (385 days), only marks in caudal fin rays were found clearly in OI+ARS treated fish. After this period, no significant differences in total length or weight between marked or control fish were observed and the mortality ranged between 30-40 % in all cages. These results provide strong evidence for the potential applicability of this cost-effective marking technique in differentiation of wild and hatchery-produced pejerrey. The success in the caudal fin rays marking is also important because it is easy to do and does not require the sacrifice of fish.Juvenis de pejerrey, Odontesthes bonariensis, foram expostos a Vermelho de Alizarina S (ARS) 0,1% de duas formas, sozinho ou com uma imersão anterior em 2,2% de solução salina (Indução osmótica, IO) para melhorar o método de marcação ARS. Os procedimentos foram realizados no campo e os peixes foram liberados em gaiolas (tanques-rede) de 1 m3 na lagoa "La Salada de Monasterio", Chascomús, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Após 73 dias, marcas claras foram observadas nos otólitos, raios da nadadeira caudal e escamas em ambos os tratamentos, sendo que a intensidade do sinal nas escalas de IO + ARS de peixe tratado foi superior. Por outro lado, não foram observados marcas no grupo controle sobre as mesmas estruturas. Aproximadamente um ano pós-tratamento (385 dias), apenas marcas nos raios da nadadeira caudal foram encontrados claramente nos peixes tratados com IO+ARS. Entre os peixes observados, após este período, não houve diferenças significativas no comprimento total ou peso entre o grupo controle e marcados, ademais, a mortalidade variou entre 30-40% em todas as gaiolas. Estes resultados fornecem fortes evidências e um grande potencial para aplicação desta técnica rentável de marcação que diferencia o pejerrey selvagem e o produzido em cativeiro. O sucesso na marcação dos raios da nadadeira caudal também é de grande importância, pois sua verificação é fácil e não requer o sacrifício de peixes.Instituto de Limnología "Dr. Raúl A. Ringuelet

An evaluation of gambling addiction and video lottery in the South of Italy

Nowadays, pathological gambling is an emerging health problem. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5 (DSM 5) renames it as 'Gambling Disorder' (GD), thus recognising its highly dependent status. A study was conducted from April 2016 to August 2017 to evaluate the prevalence of this phenomenon by administering an ad hoc questionnaire to adult individuals (both sexes) over the age of 18.&nbsp; We analysed a sample of 562 individuals with DSM 5 criteria. We obtained a score &gt; 4 indicating a possible mild gambling disorder in 1.6% of the sample and a score &gt; 6 corresponding to a moderate GD in 2.3% of the sample. We observed that the main motivations for gambling were “having fun” and “the prospect of winning” and 10.9% of respondents had played more than they intended. Furthermore, "problematic" players showed to be more prone to alcohol abuse than "social" players (p &lt; 0.001). Only 7.5% of respondents had already gambling problems in their family (involving in particular their mothers). The phenomenon is, therefore, quite common in our area and, indeed, 64.1% of the sample believes that gambling is a problem in their own territory, however only 20.6% would know where to find help. In conclusion, given the high socio-economic impact of this phenomenon, we believe that it is imperative to establish structured preventions programs in order to to contain the spread of this phenomenon.&nbsp; Key words

Epidermal growth factor receptor gene copy number in 101 advanced colorectal cancer patients treated with chemotherapy plus cetuximab

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Responsiveness to Cetuximab alone can be mediated by an increase of Epidermal Growth factor Receptor (EGFR) Gene Copy Number (GCN). Aim of this study was to assess the role of EGFR-GCN in advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) patients receiving chemotherapy plus Cetuximab.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>One hundred and one advanced CRC patients (43 untreated- and 58 pre-treated) were retrospectively studied by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to assess EGFR-GCN and by immunohistochemistry (IHC) to determine EGFR expression. Sixty-one out of 101 patients were evaluated also for k-ras status by direct sequencing. Clinical end-points were response rate (RR), progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Increased EGFR-GCN was found in 60/101 (59%) tumor samples. There was no correlation between intensity of EGFR-IHC and EGFR-GCN (p = 0.43). Patients receiving chemotherapy plus Cetuximab as first line treatment had a RR of 70% (30/43) while it was 18% (10/56) in the group with previous lines of therapy (p < 0.0001). RR was observed in 29/60 (48%) of patients with increased EGFR-GCN and in 6/28 (21%) in those without (p = 0.02). At multivariate analyses, number of chemotherapy lines and increased EGFR-GCN were predictive of response; EGFR-IHC score, increased EGFR-GCN and number of chemotherapy lines were significantly associated with a significant better PFS. Response to therapy was the only prognostic predictive factor for OS. In the 60 patients analyzed for k-ras mutations, number of chemotherapy lines, increased EGFR-GCN and k-ras wild type status predicted a better PFS.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In metastatic CRC patients treated with chemotherapy plus Cetuximab number of chemotherapy lines and increased EGFR-GCN were significantly associated with a better clinical outcome, independent of k-ras status.</p

Valutazione dello stato della biodiversità in aree antropizzate: applicazione della metodologia BRUV (Baited Remote Underwater Video) per lo studio della componente nectonica dell'ecosistema

Uno studio di valutazione dello stato della biodiversità focalizzato sulla componente nectonica e finalizzato alla determinazione dell’abbondanza e della composizione in specie del popolamento marino costiero si può avvalere di diversi strumenti e metodologie, le quali possono essere più o meno invasive sull’ecosistema oggetto dello studio. È possibile ad esempio applicare delle metodologie di pesca sperimentale, i.e. di prelievo degli organismi dal loro ambiente al fine di riconoscere e quantificare la presenza delle specie nectoniche nell’area di studio. Esistono tuttavia metodologie meno distruttive che permettono la raccolta di dati attraverso una stima visiva dell’abbondanza e della composizione delle specie direttamente nel loro ambiente naturale. Di queste metodologie fanno parte i censimenti visivi in situ (Samoilys M.A. 1997), i quali hanno il vantaggio di permettere la raccolta dati nel rispetto della biodiversità, evitando eventi mortali e/o fortemente stressanti agli individui oggetto dello studio. Questo fa si che tali metodologie risultino particolarmente utili in ambienti vulnerabili e/o soggetti a particolari vincoli protezionistici volti alla conservazione dell’ambiente marino, come le Aree Marine Protette (AMP), le quali in questo studio rappresentano delle zone di confronto caratterizzate da un limitato impatto antropico. Per tali ragioni, nell’ambito del progetto CISAS è stato scelto di portare avanti la valutazione dello stato del popolamento ittico attraverso una particolare tecnica di censimento visivo, la quale viene effettuata attraverso il sistema BRUV (Baited Remote Underwater Video)

Methylome Analysis and Epigenetic Changes Associated with Menarcheal Age

CAD received funding from EU-Europe aid grant CRIS 2009/223–507.The EPIC cohort is supported by the Europe Against Cancer Program of the European Commission (SANCO). The individual centres also received funding from: Denmark (Danish Cancer Society); France (Ligue centre le Cancer, Institut Gustave Roussy, Mutuelle Ge´ne´rale de l’Education Nationale, and Institut National de la Sante´ et de la Recherche Me´dicale (INSERM)); Greece (Hellenic Ministry of Health, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation and the Hellenic Health Foundation); Germany (German Cancer Aid, German Cancer Research Center, and Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Grant 01-EA-9401)); Italy (Italian Association for Research on Cancer and the National Research Council); The Netherlands (Dutch Ministry of Public Health, Welfare and Sports (VWS), Netherlands Cancer Registry (NKR), LK Research Funds, Dutch Prevention Funds, and Dutch ZON (Zorg Onderzoek Nederland), World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF)); Spain (Health Research Fund (FIS) of the Spanish Ministry of Health (Exp 96/0032) and the participating regional governments and institutions); Sweden (Swedish Cancer Society, Swedish Scientific Council, and Regional Government of Skane); and the United Kingdom (Cancer Research UK and Medical Research Council UK and Breast Cancer Campaign). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript