Maternal γδ T cells shape offspring pulmonary type 2 immunity in a microbiota-dependent manner.

Immune development is profoundly influenced by vertically transferred cues. However, little is known about how maternal innate-like lymphocytes regulate offspring immunity. Here, we show that mice born from γδ T cell-deficient (TCRδ-/-) dams display an increase in first-breath-induced inflammation, with a pulmonary milieu selectively enriched in type 2 cytokines and type 2-polarized immune cells, when compared with the progeny of γδ T cell-sufficient dams. Upon helminth infection, mice born from TCRδ-/- dams sustain an increased type 2 inflammatory response. This is independent of the genotype of the pups. Instead, the offspring of TCRδ-/- dams harbors a distinct intestinal microbiota, acquired during birth and fostering, and decreased levels of intestinal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), such as pentanoate and hexanoate. Importantly, exogenous SCFA supplementation inhibits type 2 innate lymphoid cell function and suppresses first-breath- and infection-induced inflammation. Taken together, our findings unravel a maternal γδ T cell-microbiota-SCFA axis regulating neonatal lung immunity

Rischio trasfusionale per Trypanosoma cruzi: screening dei donatori presso il laboratorio di Parassitologia dell'Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana.

Introduzione La legge 219 del 21/10/2015 e le relative linee guida (4.10/2015/66 e 4.10/2015/71) stabiliscono che soggetti nati in Paesi dove la malattia di Chagas è endemica, o che sono stati trasfusi o hanno soggiornato in condizioni di rischio in tali Paesi, possono essere ammessi alla donazione di sangue solo in presenza di un test per anticorpi anti-Trypanosoma cruzi negativo. Materiali e metodi Il laboratorio di Parassitologia dell'U. O. di Microbiologia dell' Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana (AOUP) da Febbraio 2016 effettua il test di screening dei donatori che fanno capo ai centri trasfusionali dell’AOUP stessa e dell'Azienda USL Nord Ovest della Regione Toscana (Pisa, Livorno, Lucca, Massa Carrara, Pontedera e Viareggio), utilizzando la metodica dell'immunocromatografia (IC; Chagas Quick Test, Cypress Diagnostics) su campioni di siero. I campioni con risultato positivo sono stati ulteriormente testati tramite immunoblot (IB; Chagas IgG LineBlot, Novatec) e chemiluminescenza (CL; Architect Chagas, Abbott). Sono stati inoltre testati con le tre metodiche, in qualità di controlli, 10 sieri raccolti dal Centro Malattie Tropicali di Negrar (cortesia del Dott. Angheben). Risultati Nel periodo dal 15/02/2016 al 08/09/2016 sono stati testati 755 donatori. Quattro donatori (0.53%) sono risultati positivi al test ICT. Di questi, 3 sono risultati negativi al test IB e 4 al test CL. Tra i controlli, 8 sono risultati positivi a tutti i test, 1 è risultato negativo a tutti i test, e 1 è risultato negativo al test ICT, dubbio al test IB e debolmente positivo al test CL. Conclusioni Tra i 755 donatori di sangue afferenti all' Azienda USL Nord Ovest della Regione Toscana sottoposti a ricerca per anticorpi anti-Trypanosoma cruzi durante il periodo di studio sono risultati positivi al test ICT 4 soggetti, risultati però negativi al test CL, indicando una prevalenza di donatori sieropositivi dello 0%. I risultati del confronto tra i test ICT, IB e CL mostrano una buona concordanza, e suggeriscono di proseguire nell'utilizzo del test ICT come test di screening e del test CL come test di conferma, mentre l'IB potrà essere usato nel caso di discordanza dell'esito delle prime due metodiche, come suggerito dall'Organizzazione Mondiale della Sanit

An over-the-distance wireless battery charger based on RF energy harvesting

An RF powered receiver silicon IC (integrated circuit) for RF energy harvesting is presented as wireless battery charger. This includes an RF-to-DC energy converter specifically designed with a sensitivity of -18.8 dBm and an energy conversion efficiency of \ue2\u88\ubc45% at 900 MHz with a transmitting power of 0.5 W in free space. Experimental results concerned with remotely battery charging using a complete prototype working in realistic scenarios will be shown

Correlates of sexual functioning in Italian menopausal women.

Abstract OBJECTIVES: To analyze the sexuality of Italian menopausal women. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. POPULATION: Menopausal women consecutively observed during the study period in menopause clinics. METHODS: Women were interviewed about their current and premenopausal sexual activity: sexual intercourse frequency and self-rated sexual desire, capacity for orgasm and sexual satisfaction were recorded. Women were defined as having poor sexual functioning if they had one or less sexual intercourses per week or answered 'absent/poor' to the questions about the sexual domains. RESULTS: Oral hormone therapy (HT) use (odds ratio (OR) 0.43 for desire, 0.54 for orgasm and 0.56 for overall sexual satisfaction, all p < 0.001) and transdermal HT (OR 0.38, 0.53 and 0.53, respectively, all p < 0.001) were significantly associated with lower risk of poor sexual functioning. Higher physical and mental component scores (PCS and MCS, range 0-100) of the Short Form-12 are inversely related to poor sexual functioning (OR by point 0.96, 0.95, 0.95 for PCS and 0.96, 0.96 and 0.95, for MCS, respectively, all p < 0.001). Pain during and symptoms after sexual intercourse were significantly related to desire (OR 1.96 and 1.78, respectively), orgasm (OR 2.22 and 2.06, respectively) and sexual satisfaction (OR 2.02 and 1.79, respectively). The partner's health problems were associated with low sexual intercourse frequency (OR 4.18, p < 0.001) and absent/poor overall satisfaction (OR 2.61, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that, in menopausal Italian women attending menopause clinics, sexual function is associated with the quality of sexual life in reproductive age, partner's health status, current quality of life, HT and occurrence of pain during and symptoms after sexual intercour

FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH CLIMATERIC SYMPTOMS IN WOMEN AROUND MENOPAUSE ATTENDING MANOPAUSE CLINICS IN ITALY

Objective: To obtain data on correlates of climacteric symptoms in women around menopause attending menopause clinics in Italy. Methods: Since 1997 a large cross sectional study has been conducted on the characteristics of women around menopause attending a network of first level menopause outpatient\u2019s clinics in Italy. A total of 66,501 (mean age 54.4 years) women are considered in the present paper. Results: The odds ratios of moderate and severe hot flashes/night sweats were lower in more educated women and (for severe symptoms only) in women reporting regular physical activity. Depression, difficulty to sleep, forgetfulness and irritability tended to be less frequent in more educated women and (depression only) in women reporting regular physical activity. Parous women reported more frequently these symptoms. Conclusions: This large study confirms in Southern European population that low education, body mass index and low physical activity are associated with climacteric symptoms. Parous women are at greater risk of psychological symptoms. \ua9 2005 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved