Seleção de bactérias promotoras para produção orgânica de soja e trigo.

Errata/Autoria: BETTI, L. A

Quality of Life and psychopathology in adults who underwent Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) in childhood: a qualitative and quantitative analysis.

Background: Patients who undergo pediatric Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) may experience long-term psychological sequelae and poor Quality of Life (QoL) in adulthood. This study aimed to investigate subjective illness experience, QoL, and psychopathology in young adults who have survived pediatric HSCT. Method: The study involved patients treated with HSCT in the Hematology-Oncology Department between 1984 and 2007. Psychopathology and QoL were investigated using the SCL-90-R and SF-36. Socio-demographic and medical information was also collected. Finally, participants were asked to write a brief composition about their experiences of illness and care. Qualitative analysis of the texts was performed using T-LAB, an instrument for text analysis that allows the user to highlight the occurrences and co-occurrences of lemma. Quantitative analyses were performed using non-parametric tests (Spearman correlations, Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests). Results: Twenty-one patients (9 males) participated in the study. No significant distress was found on the SCL-90 Global Severity Index, but it was found on specific scales. On the SF-36, lower scores were reported on scales referring to bodily pain, general health, and physical and social functioning. All the measures were significantly (p < 0.05) associated with specific socio-demographic and medical variables (gender, type of pathology, type of HSCT, time elapsed between communication of the need to transplant and effective transplantation, and days of hospitalization). With regard to the narrative analyses, males focused on expressions related to the body and medical therapies, while females focused on people they met during treatment, family members, and donors. Low general health and treatment with autologous HSCT were associated with memories about chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and the body parts involved, while high general health was associated with expressions focused on gratitude (V-Test \ub1 1.96). Conclusion: Pediatric HSCT survivors are more likely to experience psychological distress and low QoL in adulthood compared with the general population. These aspects, along with survivors' subjective illness experience, show differences according to specific medical and socio-demographic variables. Studies are needed in order to improve the care and long-term follow-up of these families

Sexism Interacts with Patient–Physician Gender Concordance in Influencing Patient Control Preferences: Findings from a Vignette Experimental Design

Background: Patient preferences regarding their involvement in shared treatments decisions is fundamental in clinical practice. Previous evidences demonstrated a large heterogeneity in these preferences. However, only few studies have analysed the influence of patients’ individual differences, contextual and situational qualities, and their complex interaction in explaining this variability. Methods: We assessed the role of the interaction of patient’s sociodemographic and psychological factors with a physician’s gender. Specifically, we focused on patient gender and attitudes toward male or female physicians. One hundred fifty-three people participated in this randomised controlled study and were randomly assigned to one of two experimental conditions in which they were asked to imagine discussing their treatment with a male and a female doctor. Results: Analyses showed an interplay between attitude towards women and the gender of patients and doctors, explaining interindividual variability in patient preferences. Conclusions: In conclusion, patients’ attitudes toward the physicians’ gender constitutes a relevant characteristic that may influence the degree of control patients want to have and the overall patient-physician relationship

Reasons why HIV-positive women do not want to have a child: the questionnaire-based DIDI study

Given that the majority of HIV‐positive women are of reproductive age, it is necessary to understand the interaction between HIV and family planning, especially as antiretroviral medications allow to live longer, healthier lives. Aim of this analysis form the DIDI study was to assess prevalence of motherhood desire in current years and to identify variables associated pregnancy decision‐making in HIV‐infected women. DIDI is an Italian, 16‐center, questionnaire‐based survey performed in 585 HIV‐positive women between Nov. 2010 and Feb. 2011. The items covered in the self‐administered questionnaire included: socio‐demographic characteristics, sexual and gynecological health, motherhood desire, strategies adopted to become pregnant, reasons for not wanting a child, partnership, HIV disclosure, physical and mental health, ART adherence, drug use. For the present analysis only women aged<45 years and engaged in a partnership were included. Absence of motherhood desire was defined by a negative answer at the question whether the women at present would like to have a child. 178 women were included: mean age 39 (IQR, 33–42), HIV transmission heterosexual 75%, IVDU 11%, heterosexual/IVDU 2.5%, not known 7.5%; mean CD4 and HIV‐RNA were 552/mmc (+252) and 3.85 c/ml (+4.7), respectively. Absence of motherhood desire was found in 61% of women; 50% of women declared that HIV negatively affected motherhood desire, and 22% declared a decrease in desire after start of ART. The probability of vertical transmission was estimated higher than 50% by 19% of women, even when adopting all preventive measures. Not wanting a child was associated with: fear of vertical transmission (p<0.001), fear of not being able to raise the child (p<0.001), decline in motherhood desire after HIV (p=0.007), unstable partnership (p=0.02). At multivariable analysis, variables found to be significantly associated with negative pregnancy decision‐making were: fear of vertical transmission (AOR 3.75; 95%CI 1.18–11.89), economic restrictions (AOR 0.28; 95% CI 0.10–0.76 In conclusion, absent motherhood desire in HIV‐positive women with child‐bearing potential is frequent and essential information on vertical HIV transmission is lacking. HIV‐positive women of childbearing age may benefit from counseling interventions sensitive to factors that influence infected women's pregnancy decisions

Ocupação nodular com estirpes de Bradyrhizobium spp. em cultivares de soja sob diferentes disponibilidades hídricas a campo.

A ocupação nodular com estirpes de Bradyrhizobium spp. em cultivares de soja sob diferentes disponibilidades hídricas foi analisada na safra 2007/08 em Londrina-PR. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi o de blocos ao acaso com parcelas sub-divididas, com quatro repetições. As parcelas principais receberam três tratamentos (1- déficit hídrico nos estádios reprodutivos - DHER, 2- condições normais de campo - CNC e 3- condições ótimas de umidade - IRR); e as sub-parcelas, dez cultivares de soja. Os nódulos foram tipificados pelo método de ELISA, com anti-soros das estirpes SEMIA 5079, SEMIA 5080, SEMIA 587 e SEMIA 5019. Não houve diferença significativa para a ocupação nodular em relação à disponibilidade hídrica, porém, estes resultados podem estar relacionados ao fato da indução de déficit hídrico ter ocorrido na fase reprodutiva, quando a nodulação já estava estabelecida. As estirpes inoculadas, quando consideradas em conjunto, foram mais competitivas na nodulação do que as estirpes naturalizadas no solo, sendo a SEMIA 587 a que apresentou maior ocupação nodular. Não foi possível identificar uma estirpe mais tolerante ao déficit hídrico

Expression and structural features of endoglin (CD105), a transforming growth factor beta1 and beta3 binding protein, in human melanoma.

Human endoglin (CD105) is a member of the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) receptor family that binds TGF-beta1 and -beta3, but not TGF-beta2, on human endothelial cells. Immunohistochemical analyses demonstrated that CD105 is expressed on normal and neoplastic cells of the melanocytic lineage. The anti-CD105 MAb, MAEND3, stained 50, 25 and 34% of intradermal naevi, primary and metastatic melanomas investigated, respectively, and nine out of 12 melanoma cell lines. Sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis revealed that CD105 expressed by melanoma cells consists of a homodimeric protein with an apparent molecular weight of 180 and 95 kDa under non-reducing and reducing conditions. Cross-linking of 125I-labelled TGF-beta1 to melanoma cells, Mel 97, by disuccinimidyl suberate (DSS) demonstrated that CD105 expressed on pigmented cells binds TGF-beta1; the pattern of binding of TGF-beta1 to melanoma cells was found to be similar to that of human umbilical vein endothelial cells. The addition of exogenous, bioactive TGF-beta1 significantly (P<0.05) inhibited the growth of CD105-positive melanoma cells, Mel 97, but did not affect that of CD105-negative melanoma cells, F0-1. These data, altogether, demonstrate that CD105 is expressed on pigmented cells and might play a functionally relevant role in the biology of human melanoma cells by regulating their sensitivity to TGF-betas

Dasabuvir and Ombitasvir/Paritaprevir/Ritonavir with or without Ribavirin in Patients with HIV-HCV Coinfection. Real Life Interim Analysis of an Italian Multicentre Compassionate Use Program

Background and Aims: An HCV cure is now possible in a large proportion of HIV-HCV patient. We present real life results of a compassionate use program promoted by SIMIT (Infectious and Tropical Diseases Italian Society) of Dasabuvir and Ombitasvir/Paritaprevir/Ritonavir ± Ribavirin for 12 weeks in 213 HIV-HCV genotype 1 patients. Data on efficacy and tolerability of this strategy in HIV patients have been reported until now only in 43 non cirrhotic HIV subjects

An integrated strategy for the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection in healthcare workers: a prospective observational study

BACKGROUND: Since the beginning of SARS-CoV-2 outbreak, a large number of infections have been reported among healthcare workers (HCWs). The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among HCWs involved in the first management of infected patients and to describe the measures adopted to prevent the transmission in the hospital. METHODS: This prospective observational study was conducted between February 21 and April 16, 2020, in the Padua University Hospital (north-east Italy). The infection control policy adopted consisted of the following: the creation of the "Advanced Triage" area for the evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 cases, and the implementation of an integrated infection control surveillance system directed to all the healthcare personnel involved in the Advance Triage area. HCWs were regularly tested with nasopharyngeal swabs for SARS-CoV-2; body temperature and suggestive symptoms were evaluated at each duty. Demographic and clinical data of both patients and HCWs were collected and analyzed; HCWs' personal protective equipment (PPE) consumption was also recorded. The efficiency of the control strategy among HCWs was evaluated identifying symptomatic infection (primary endpoint) and asymptomatic infection (secondary endpoint) with confirmed detection of SARS-CoV-2. RESULTS: 7595 patients were evaluated in the Advanced Triage area: 5.2% resulted positive and 72.4% was symptomatic. The HCW team was composed of 60 members. A total of 361 nasopharyngeal swabs were performed on HCWs. All the swabs resulted negative and none of the HCWs reached the primary or the secondary endpoint. CONCLUSIONS: An integrated hospital infection control strategy, consisting of dedicated areas for infected patients, strict measures for PPE use and mass surveillance, is successful to prevent infection among HCWs

Efficacy and safety of dalbavancin in the treatment of acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSIs) and other infections in a real-life setting: data from an Italian observational multicentric study (DALBITA study)

Objectives: We evaluated the efficacy and safety of dalbavancin in ABSSSI and ‘other sites’ infections’ (OTA). Methods: Observational study involving 11 Italian hospitals including patients that received ≥1 dose of dalbavancin in 2016–2019. The outcome was end-of-treatment efficacy and safety in ABSSSI and OTA in a real-life setting. Results: 206 patients enrolled (males 50%, median age 62 [IQR 50–76] years), 60.2% ABSSSI, 39.8% OTA. 69.7% ABSSSI vs 90.7% OTA (p&nbsp;=&nbsp;0.003) and 46.3% ABSSSI vs 37.2% OTA (p&nbsp;=&nbsp;0.786) received previous and concomitant antibiotics, respectively. 82.5% reached clinical cure. Eleven (5.4%) patients had non-serious adverse events (AE). OTA patients showed longer hospitalization (13.5&nbsp;days, 5.5–22 vs 3, 0–11.7; p&lt;0.0001) and received longer previous (18&nbsp;days, 9–30 vs 11, 7–19; p =&nbsp;0.007)/concomitant antibiotic treatments (21&nbsp;days, 14–52 vs 11, 8–14; p &lt;&nbsp;0.0001), compared to ABSSSI. ABSSSI and OTA showed similar efficacy (85.5% vs 75%, p =&nbsp;0.459) and safety (no AE: 81.5% vs 64.3%, p =&nbsp;0.258); efficacy was independent of previous/concomitant therapies. Conclusions: Dalbavancin demonstrated a success rate of &gt;80%, with similar efficacy/safety in ABSSSI and off-label indications. The preferential use of dalbavancin as second-line or combination therapy would seem to suggest the need for in-depth studies focused on its off-label use