Higher levels of osteoprotegerin and immune activation/immunosenescence markers are correlated with concomitant bone and endovascular damage in HIV-suppressed patients

HIV-infected patients appear to have a significantly greater risk of non-AIDS comorbidities such as osteoporosis and atherosclerosis. Subjects with osteoporosis are at a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease than those with normal bone mass, therefore a possible relation between these two conditions can be hypothesized. In the setting of HIV infection, several factors might contribute to bone disease and endothelial dysfunction. The aim of our study was to evaluate the relationship between bone and cardiovascular disease and to investigate the role of traditional factors, T-cell phenotype and osteoprotegerin in HIV positive subjects on effective antiretroviral therapy. We included 94 HIV positive subjects on antiretroviral therapy with virological suppression and 41 healthy subjects matched for age and gender as a control group. Carotid-Intima Media Thickness (c-IMT) and bone mineral density (BMD) were performed by ultrasound and DEXA, respectively. CD4+/CD8+ T-cell activation, senescence and osteoprotegerin plasma levels were measured by flow-cytometry and ELISA, respectively. Among HIV positive patients, 56.4% had osteopenia/osteoporosis and 45.7% had pathological c-IMT (>0.9mm). Subjects with pathological c-IMT and BMD exhibited higher CD4+ and CD8+ activated, CD8+ senescent and osteoprotegerin than subjects with normal c-IMT and BMD. HIV positive subjects with osteopenia/osteoporosis had higher c-IMT than subjects with normal BMD, and linear regression analysis showed a negative correlation between BMD and c-IMT. Several factors are implicated in the pathogenesis of non-AIDS comorbidities in HIV positive patients. Osteoprotegerin together with inflammation and immunosenescence in HIV positive patients could affect bone and vascular system and could be considered as a possible common link between these two diseases

Predictors of well-being, future anxiety, and multiple recurrent health complaints among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic: the role of socioeconomic determinants, sense of coherence, and digital health literacy. An Italian cross-sectional study

The pandemic deeply changed young adults’ life. Lockdown period and the social restrictions dramatically affected university students’ mental health. The aim of our cross-sectional study was to describe psychological well-being, future anxiety (FA), and health complaints (HCs) in a sample of 3,001 students of the University of Florence in the middle of the first two pandemic waves. We assessed the role of subjective social status, chronic diseases, sense of coherence (SoC), and digital health literacy (DHL) as predictors of psychological well-being, FA, and HCs. Students expressed high levels of FA and reported being disturbed by not being able to achieve their desired future goals. About 40% reported a low or a very low well-being and 19.1% experienced two or more subjective health complaints more than once a week. The likelihood of having a better mental health status significantly increased with increasing SoC and among males. Subjective Social Status proved to be a predictor for FA. Enhancing SoC could improve the health status of the university students during the pandemic and beyond

Ceftolozane/Tazobactam for Treatment of Severe ESBL-Producing Enterobacterales Infections: A Multicenter Nationwide Clinical Experience (CEFTABUSE II Study)

Background. Few data are reported in the literature about the outcome of patients with severe extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales (ESBL-E) infections treated with ceftolozane/tazobactam (C/T), in empiric or definitive therapy.Methods. A multicenter retrospective study was performed in Italy (June 2016-June 2019). Successful clinical outcome was defined as complete resolution of clinical signs/symptoms related to ESBL-E infection and lack of microbiological evidence of infection. The primary end point was to identify predictors of clinical failure of C/T therapy.Results. C/T treatment was documented in 153 patients: pneumonia was the most common diagnosis (n = 46, 30%), followed by 34 cases of complicated urinary tract infections (22.2%). Septic shock was observed in 42 (27.5%) patients. C/T was used as empiric therapy in 46 (30%) patients and as monotherapy in 127 (83%) patients. Favorable clinical outcome was observed in 128 (83.7%) patients; 25 patients were considered to have failed C/T therapy. Overall, 30-day mortality was reported for 15 (9.8%) patients. At multivariate analysis, Charlson comorbidity index >4 (odds ratio [OR], 2.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.9-3.5; P = .02), septic shock (OR, 6.2; 95% CI, 3.8-7.9; P < .001), and continuous renal replacement therapy (OR, 3.1; 95% CI, 1.9-5.3; P = .001) were independently associated with clinical failure, whereas empiric therapy displaying in vitro activity (OR, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.01-0.34; P < .001) and adequate source control of infection (OR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.14-0.55; P < .001) were associated with clinical success.Conclusions. Data show that C/T could be a valid option in empiric and/or targeted therapy in patients with severe infections caused by ESBL-producing Enterobacterales. Clinicians should be aware of the risk of clinical failure with standard-dose C/T therapy in septic patients receiving CRRT

Stregati dalla Luna. Il sogno del volo spaziale da Jules Verne all'Apollo 11

Il libro ricostruisce la storia del volo spaziale dai pionieri della missilistica, tra la fine dell'Ottocento e l'inizio del Novecento, al primo storico allunaggio, il 20 luglio 1969. Particolare rilievo \ue8 dato al rapporto tra scienza e immaginazione. La storia dell\u2019astronautica \ue8 cos\uec ripercorsa anche attraverso i contributi dei romanzi, dei film e dei comics di fantascienza, esaminando il ruolo che tali generi artistici hanno avuto nei sogni e nei progetti dei padri dell\u2019astronautica. Da Oberth a von Braun, tutti i protagonisti di questa storia hanno infatti dichiarato esplicitamente il debito nei confronti delle loro letture giovanili di Jules Verne e di molti altri autori. Ci si concentra, inoltre, su alcuni specifici aspetti della corsa allo spazio, come quello della realizzazione della stazione spaziale, progetto poi accantonato per dare la precedenza allo sbarco diretto sulla Luna. Nel corso del lavoro vengono anche presentati documenti inediti o poco conosciuti nell'ambito della storiografia sull'argomento

The Moon Landing as a worldwide case of Pop Science

On the 20th of July 1969, at 15:17 in Houston, Texas, the Eagle Module, hosting on board Neil Armstrong and Aldrin, landed on the Mare Tranquillitatis. After centuries of fantastical, visionary and surreal voyages, humanity had conquered Earth\u2019s satellite, the launch pad for space exploration. The Moon landing entered the collective imaginary and sparked a new interest in science, which includes literature, goes through cinema, music and fashion, and redefines the standards of communication, scientific disclosure, and dissemination. The attendance began with 78 television stations connected live from 40 different countries and ended with one billion viewers worldwide after the event. That long night has been one of the most influential media events of the twentieth century with an audience never seen before and perhaps never assumed. In all the history of science, no event or discovery has had the same social and cultural impact as the Moon landing. The aim of this work is to demonstrate how this scientific goal has created a link between the oneirical and science-fictional view of the satellite and the technological value of its conquest. The essay examines the media impact of the conquest of the Moon in the Italian press from July 1968 to July 1970. The sample taken into consideration consists of the two weeklies and the two most widespread periodicals of the 60's. In those years, the necessity of professional scientific journalists became concrete and many newspapers understood that they needed to reach an ever-larger audience with transversal topics. The Italian press started many collaborations with international periodicals and these partnerships will be very important for the realization of journalistic inquiries and will enter the history of Italian journalism. The analysed documents have confirmed that the conquest of the Moon should be still considered as one of the greatest scientific and technological achievements in the history of humankind. The worldwide growing interest in the Moon, which touched different aspects of knowledge, can be defined and studied as one of the most important case of Pop science and it will determine a real phenomenon of Moon-mania

<i>Ips sexdentatus</i> Mass-Trapping: Mitigation of Its Negative Effects on Saproxylic Beetles Larger Than the Target

Research Highlights: We investigated the negative effects of bark beetle mass trapping, especially non-target catches among the target’s natural enemies. Slot traps modified with mesh screen and escape windows were tested to improve their selectiveness. Background and Objectives: Two of the main natural enemies of bark beetles, Thanasimus formicarius (L.) and Temnoscheila caerulea (Olivier), are frequently trapped in high numbers in Ips sexdentatus (Böerner) pheromone traps, along with other saproxylic insects; this may lead to much larger pest populations in the successive 4–20 beetle generations. From 2016–2019, during I. sexdentatus mass-trapping in a pine forest of Tuscany (Italy), non-target catches were tallied. Trap modifications were evaluated to mitigate non-target catches, especially those concerning bark beetles’ natural enemies. Materials and Methods: A total of 25 bark-beetle slot traps were placed about 75 m apart in a pine stand infested by I. sexdentatus. Traps were baited with I. sexdentatus aggregation pheromone, whose main components are ipsenol, ipsdienol, and 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol. Catches were collected every 10 days from March to December. In 2019, 13 traps were modified by applying a 6-mm mesh screen on top of the collection container and by providing three 60 mm × 8 mm escape windows immediately above the screen. These “modified traps” and their captures were considered separately from the 12 remaining “standard traps.” All bark beetle species were recorded, as well as all beetle species > 8 mm. Results: Overall, target catches amounted for Orthotomicus erosus Wollaston. Trap modification allowed the escape of larger species, resulting in the reduction of the average size of caught specimens. Even though non-target catches among predators were still high, the proportion of major predators (T. formicarius and T. caerulea) to bark beetles showed a statistically significant reduction of predator catches in modified traps, an encouraging outcome. Conclusions: Trap modifications may mitigate the problem of non-target catches during mass trapping, especially reducing catches of beetle species larger than the target. However, the key is to schedule mass trapping only during those seasons when the target adults are more active than the main predator adults, thus limiting their catches and, consequently, the negative effects on pest management and biodiversity

Evaluation of the anti-proliferative activity of violacein, a natural pigment of bacterial origin, in urinary bladder cancer cell lines

Violacein is a natural pigment, a pyrrolidone, and a bisindole derived from the condensation of two tryptophan molecules, which gives a blue violet color to several gram‑negative violacein‑producing bacteria. Violacein production provides a competitive advantage against antagonistic species or predators. In addition, the compound has antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and antioxidant activities. Several studies on colon, breast, and head and neck cancer lines have already demonstrated the anti‑proliferative potential of violacein. Bladder cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in urology. The therapeutic approach is mainly based on surgery, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the anti‑proliferative activity of violacein against the human bladder cancer cell lines, HTB4 (T24) and HTB9 (5637), using low‑grade and high‑grade transitional cell carcinoma models, respectively, which has never been assayed before. For this purpose, the potential violacein anti‑proliferative effect on T24 and 5637 cells was evaluated by studying the cell viability, proliferation, cell cycle, and caspase‑3 activation. The results showed that violacein had anti‑proliferative activity in the two cell lines, which was greater for the second‑stage bladder cancer cell line (5637), and a different mode of action against the two cell lines