Weakly interacting oscillators on dense random graphs

We consider a class of weakly interacting particle systems of mean-field type. The interactions between the particles are encoded in a graph sequence, i.e., two particles are interacting if and only if they are connected in the underlying graph. We establish a Law of Large Numbers for the empirical measure of the system that holds whenever the graph sequence is convergent in the sense of graph limits theory. The limit is shown to be the solution to a non-linear Fokker-Planck equation weighted by the (possibly random) graph limit. No regularity assumptions are made on the graphon limit so that our analysis allows for very general graph sequences, such as exchangeable random graphs. For these, we also prove a propagation of chaos result. Finally, we fully characterize the graph sequences for which the associated empirical measure converges to the mean-field limit, i.e., to the solution of the classical McKean-Vlasov equation.Comment: 25 page

Collaboration experience between Dermatology Unit and Infectious Disease Clinic in Modena: optimization strategies for HIV, hepatitis and syphilis screening tests

Introduction Screening tests for HIV, HBV, HCV and syphilis are very important to detect and treat these infections at an early stage and prevent their diffusion inside communities. Sexually Transmitted Diseases Ambulatory of Dermatology Unit (STDs-DU) and “Test & Counselling” Ambulatory of Infectious Disease Clinic (T&C-IDC) in Modena began collaboration in 2010 and adopted a common diagnostic serological profile since 2013. Objective The main aim of the study was to analyse the results of screening tests performed in the STDs-DU and T&C-IDC, comparing the results obtained after the adoption of the shared protocol with the previous period. The secondary objective was to evaluate the efficacy of our collaboration in term of number of new diagnoses and linkage to care. Materials and Methods Consecutive patients referred to the STDs-DU and T&C-IDC from January 2010 to December 2016, with at least one performed screening test for HIV, HBV, HCV and syphilis were enrolled. Referral of patients with a new infection was obtained by capture-recapture methods in hospital databases. Results During the seven-years observation we collected 13117 admittances for 9154 patients. We observed a significant increase in the number of screening tests (p<0.001) and ratio between tests and admissions (p=0.002). 644 (7.0%) people with at least one infection were diagnosed. Among these, the most common was syphilis (41.9%), followed by HBV (25.7%), HCV (21.4%) and HIV (10.9%). Syphilis and HCV occurred predominantly in Italians (72.5% and 81.1%) and males (75.7% and 75.5%), while foreign-born (85.5%) mainly harboured HBV infection. HIV diagnosis was detected more frequently among males (67.1%) with a similar proportion between Italians and foreign-born. 543 out of 644 (84.3%) patients were linked to care. Conclusions The cooperation between STDs-DU and T&C-IDC has proven to work well increasing the diagnosis over the time and obtaining good results in linkage to care

Optimization strategies for HIV, syphilis and hepatitis testings in infectious disease and dermatology clinics: preliminary results of Modena collaboration experience

Background: HIV and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) screening tests are usually offered in many Italian health institutions. These tests are very important for detection of HIV and STDs, for treating them at an early stage and for prevention of diffusion inside communities. Generally, HIV test is the only screening exam performed in Infectious Disease Clinic (IDC). Increased collaboration between IDC and STDs Centre using the same approach to test sexually transmitted infections could implement the number of new diagnoses. In the Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria (AOU) of Modena, the IDC and STDs Centre of Dermatology Clinic began a strict collaboration and adopted a common diagnostic profile including HIV, syphilis, HBV and HCV screening tests since 2013. The aim of the study was to observe the results of a seven-years collaboration in term of number of new HIV and STDs diagnoses. Material & Methods: Consecutive patients who underwent at least 1 screening test for HIV, syphilis, HBV and HCV from January 2010 to September 2016 in IDC or STDs Centre were included. Demographical data were electronically recorded in clinical databases. “Linkage to care” was obtained through a capture and recapture method using Modena HIV surveillance System and Modena HIV clinic databases. Results: During the study period 10675 admittances related to 8623 patients, who carried out at least 1 screening test, were registered in the centres. They were mainly male (68.2%). Median age was 33 years-old (IQR 26-43). Foreigners represented 26.5% of tested people. Since 2013 an increasing number of admittances was observed (1343 accesses in 2010 and 1901 in 2015). HBV, HCV and syphilis tests increased in IDC after 2013 as well as HIV tests in STDs Centre (Figure 1). A total of 700 people were positive for at least 1 screening test: 71 with HIV infection (2016 incidence rate 1.4%), 314 with syphilis (2016 incidence rate 1.3%), 182 with HCV infection (2016 incidence rate 1.64%) and 161 with HBV infection (2016 incidence rate 3.8%). The number of HIV and HBV positive tests increased in the last 2 years but the trend was statistically significant only for HIV (p<0.001). 57% of HIV new infections were observed in Italian men, while 82% of new HBV infections were detected in young foreigners. During the study period the number of new syphilis infections showed a reduction (p<0.001) while HCV positive tests were changeless (p=0.245). 87.6% of new infections were found be linked in care in AOU of Modena. Conclusion: The agreement between IDC and STDs Centre has proven to work well increasing the diagnosis over the time and obtaining a good results in “linkage to care”, which allows to patients with positive screening test to be sent to the pertinent Clinic for further investigations and therapeutical management

Optimization strategies for HIV, hepatitis and syphilis testing in Infectious Disease Clinic and Dermatology Unit of Modena: seven-years results of collaboration experience

Introduction: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and syphilis infections modify the epidemiology and presentation of each other. Screening tests are very important for detection of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), for treating them at an early stage and prevent the diffusion inside communities. “Test & Counselling” Ambulatory of Infectious Disease Clinic (T&C-IDC) and Sexually Transmitted Diseases Ambulatory of Dermatology Unit (STDs-DU) of the Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Policlinico of Modena began collaboration in 2010 and adopted a common diagnostic profile since 2013. The main objective was to analyse the results of screening tests performed in the T&C-IDC and STDs-DU during the study period in order to identify early HIV, HBV, HCV and syphilis infections. The secondary objective was to evaluate the efficacy of our collaboration in term of number of new STIs diagnoses and linkage to care. Material and Methods: Consecutive patients referred to the T&C-IDC and STDs-DU from January 2010 to December 2016, with at least one performed screening test for HIV, HBV, HCV and syphilis were enrolled. Demographic and laboratory data were acquired from each patient. Linkage to care of positive patients was obtained through a join of different outpatient clinical databases. Results: During the seven-years observation we collected 13117 admittances for 9154 patients. Median age was 35.1 years ± 12.6 and foreign-born population represents 29% of the tested people. People who resulted positive for at least one screening test increased during the study period. A total of 668 infections were detected in 644 patients. Discussion: The agreement between T&C-IDC and STDs-DU has proven to work well increasing the diagnosis over the time and obtaining a good results in linkage to care, which allows to patients with positive screening test to be sent to the pertinent Clinic for further investigations and therapeutic management

E-FABP induces differentiation in normal human keratinocytes and modulates the differentiation process in psoriatic keratinocytes in vitro.

Epidermal fatty acid-binding protein (E-FABP) is a lipid carrier, originally discovered in human epidermis. We show that E-FABP is almost exclusively expressed in postmitotic (PM) keratinocytes, corresponding to its localization in the highest suprabasal layers, while it is barely expressed in keratinocyte stem cells (KSC) and transit amplifying (TA) keratinocytes. Transfection of normal human keratinocytes with recombinant (r) E-FABP induces overexpression of K10 and involucrin. On the other hand, E-FABP inhibition by siRNA downregulates K10 and involucrin expression in normal keratinocytes through NF-κB and JNK signalling pathways. E-FABP is highly expressed in psoriatic epidermis, and it is mainly localized in stratum spinosum. Psoriatic PM keratinocytes overexpress E-FABP as compared to the same population in normal epidermis. E-FABP inhibition in psoriatic keratinocytes markedly reduces differentiation, while it upregulates psoriatic markers such as survivin and K16. However, under high-calcium conditions, E-FABP silencing downregulates K10 and involucrin, while survivin and K16 expression is completely abolished. These data strongly indicate that E-FABP plays an important role in keratinocyte differentiation. Moreover, E-FABP modulates differentiation in psoriatic keratinocytes

Life-Long Treatment with Late Sodium Current Blocker Reduces Myocardial Dysfunction and Remodeling in a Mouse Model of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

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