Risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, hospitalization, and death for COVID-19 in people with Parkinson disease or parkinsonism over a 15-month period: A cohort study

Background and purpose: The patterns of long-term risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, hospitalization for COVID-19, and related death are uncertain in people with Parkinson disease (PD) or parkinsonism (PS). The aim of the study was to quantify these risks compared to a control population cohort, during the period March 2020–May 2021, in Bologna, Northern Italy. Methods: ParkLink Bologna cohort (759 PD, 192 PS) and controls (9226) anonymously matched (ratio = 1:10) for sex, age, district, and comorbidity were included. Data were analysed in the whole period and in the two different pandemic waves (March–May 2020 and October 2020–May 2021). Results: Adjusted hazard ratio of SARS-CoV-2 infection was 1.3 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.04–1.7) in PD and 1.9 (95% CI = 1.3–2.8) in PS compared to the controls. The trend was detected in both the pandemic waves. Adjusted hazard ratio of hospitalization for COVID-19 was 1.1 (95% CI = 0.8–1.7) in PD and 1.8 (95% CI = 0.97–3.1) in PS. A higher risk of hospital admission was detected in PS only in the first wave. The 30-day mortality risk after hospitalization was higher (p = 0.048) in PS (58%) than in PD (19%) and controls (26%). Conclusions: Compared with controls, after adjustment for key covariates, people with PD and PS showed a higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection throughout the first 15 months of the pandemic. COVID-19 hospitalization risk was increased only in people with PS and only during the first wave. This group of patients was burdened by a very high risk of death after infection and hospitalization

Bread baking monitoring by smart sensory system: A feasibility study

The concepts of process optimization and product innovation are revolutionizing consumers' needs both at home and on an industrial level, pushing the scientific research to the development of smart products. In this context, this paper describes the realization and the preliminary testing of an E-Nose prototype for bread baking monitoring. More in detail, it explored its potentialities in the discrimination of different bread cooking status aimed at the development of an E-Nose module to be implemented in smart home appliances for the on-line monitoring of baking progress. The feasibility study proved, with accuracies close or above 95%, that the E-Nose prototype can monitor odour alterations occurring during baking and identify the achievement of bread optimal cooking

La survivina come marker di cellule staminali follicolari: espressione immunoistochimica nel follicolo pilifero e nei tumori follicolari del cane.

Canine hair follicle stem cells have been identified in a specialized area of the outer root sheath. The increasing interest in the characterization of these cells is also related to the key role they may play in the onset of tumours. Survivin has yet been identified as hematopoietic, mesenchymal, intestinal and interfollicular epidermis stem cells marker. Its overexpression has been found in several human and canine cutaneous tumors, suggesting a possible involvement of the molecule in tumour initiation and cancer stem cell maintenance. The immunohistochemical expression of survivin was evaluated in 4 normal skin samples and 30 hair follicle tumours of dog, with a comparison with the expression of known stem cell markers, in order to establish its possible role as a marker of follicular and cancer stem cells. Positive nuclei were observed in scattered cells of the basal cell layer of normal epidermis and among basal cells of the outer root sheath and matrical cells of the hair follicle bulb. The highest number of positive cells were present in trichoblastomas and among cells with matrical differentiation of pilomatricomas and trichoepitheliomas. The present results would suggest survivin as a follicular stem cell marker, considering the presence of positive cells in the outer root sheath and its overexpression in tumours deriving from these cells: trichoepitheliomas and trichoblastomas. However, further studies are needed to better define the role of survivin as follicular stem cell marker.[...

Survivin expression in canine hair follicle tumours

Introduction. Despite the vast body of knowledge on survivin expression in skin tumours, no data are available concerning survivin expression in hair follicle neoplasms. The aims of this study was to evaluate survivin expression pattern in canine hair follicle tumours. Materials and Methods: Survivin expression was investigated by immunohistochemistry in 4 normal canine skin samples, 30 hair follicle tumours (6 pilomatricomas, 8 infundibular keratinizing acanthomas-IKA, 6 trichoepiteliomas, 10 trichoblastomas) and 2 basal cell carcinomas (BCC). A semi-quantitative method was used to analyse results. Mitotic index was morphologically evaluated. Results: Nuclear immunolabelling with positive mitosis have been observed among basal cells of normal epidermis, outer root sheath, hyperplastic epidermis overlying the tumours and neoplastic cords of IKA cases. Scattered positive matrical cells were present in the bulb of normal hair follicles. The highest number of positive cells (>50%) were present in pilomatricomas and trichoepitheliomas, among cells with matrical differentiation, and in some cases of trichoblastoma. Few or absent positive cells were observed in BCCs. Conclusion: In accordance with previous study on human hair follicle, our results suggested that survivin could represent a key molecule in the maintenance of cellular subpopulations of canine hair follicle, as well as of tumours deriving from these cells: trichoepithelioma, trichoblastoma and pilomatrixoma. [...

miR-204 targets Bcl-2 expression and enhances responsiveness of gastric cancer

Micro RNAs (miRs) are small non-coding RNAs aberrantly expressed in human tumors. Here, we aim to identify miRs whose deregulated expression leads to the activation of oncogenic pathways in human gastric cancers (GCs). Thirty nine out of 123 tumoral and matched uninvolved peritumoral gastric specimens from three independent European subsets of patients were analyzed for the expression of 851 human miRs using Agilent Platform. The remaining 84 samples were used to validate miRs differentially expressed between tumoral and matched peritumoral specimens by qPCR. miR-204 falls into a group of eight miRs differentially expressed between tumoral and peritumoral samples. Downregulation of miR-204 has prognostic value and correlates with increased staining of Bcl-2 protein in tumoral specimens. Ectopic expression of miR-204 inhibited colony forming ability, migration and tumor engraftment of GC cells. miR-204 targeted Bcl-2 messenger RNA and increased responsiveness of GC cells to 5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin treatment. Ectopic expression of Bcl-2 protein counteracted miR-204 pro-apoptotic activity in response to 5-fluorouracil. Altogether, these findings suggest that modulation of aberrant expression of miR-204, which in turn releases oncogenic Bcl-2 protein activity might hold promise for preventive and therapeutic strategies of GC. Cell Death and Disease (2012) 3, e423; doi:10.1038/cddis.2012.160; published online 15 November 201