Gambling at the time of COVID-19: results from interviews in an Italian sample of gamblers

© 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of International Society for the Study of Emerging Drugs. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/The coronavirus pandemic affected the life of those suffering from addic- tive behaviors often confined to prolonged periods of self-isolation. To explore the variation of symptoms related to gambling, 46 outpatients of the mental health services in the Trento Province were invited to take part in a phone interview at the start of the national lockdown. Although only 2.17% increased gambling activity during this period, half of the sample (50.00%) experienced irritability, mood fluctuation (43.48%) and anxiety (39.13%). Follow-up studies should assess modifications in their behaviors that occurred after the reopening of gambling venues.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Monitoring COVID-19 transmission risks by quantitative real-time PCR tracing of droplets in hospital and living environments

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) environmental contamination occurs through droplets and biological fluids released in the surroundings from patients or asymptomatic carriers. Surfaces and objects contaminated by saliva or nose secretions represent a risk for indirect transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We assayed surfaces from hospital and living spaces to identify the presence of viral RNA and the spread of fomites in the environment. Anthropic contamination by droplets and biological fluids was monitored by detecting the microbiota signature using multiplex quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) on selected species and massive sequencing on 16S amplicons. A total of 92 samples (flocked swabs) were collected from critical areas during the pandemic, including indoor (three hospitals and three public buildings) and outdoor surfaces exposed to anthropic contamination (handles and handrails, playgrounds). Traces of biological fluids were frequently detected in spaces open to the public and on objects that are touched with the hands (.80%). However, viral RNA was not detected in hospital wards or other indoor and outdoor surfaces either in the air system of a COVID hospital but only in the surroundings of an infected patient, in consistent association with droplet traces and fomites. Handled objects accumulated the highest level of multiple contaminations by saliva, nose secretions, and fecal traces, further supporting the priority role of handwashing in prevention. In conclusion, anthropic contamination by droplets and biological fluids is widespread in spaces open to the public and can be traced by qPCR. Monitoring fomites can support evaluation of indirect transmission risks for coronavirus or other flu-like viruses in the environment

Genome scan of Kenyan Themeda triandra populations by AFLP markers reveals a complex genetic structure and hints for ongoing environmental selection

AbstractTropical and subtropical rangeland systems provide core ecosystem services for the welfare of human populations that rely on readiness and quality of forage resources. However, forage species are still widely overlooked by molecular biology studies. In the present study, we employ 366 AFLP markers to provide the first description of the genetic landscape of three Kenyan populations of Themeda triandra Forssk., a key wild grass forage species. By including Australian T. triandra accessions and other closely related species in a molecular phylogeny, we provide a first evaluation of the relationships existing between African and Australian germplasm. Genetic diversity, population genetic structure and recombination rates in Kenyan T. triandra populations were investigated in detail. GPS coordinates of each sampled population were used to retrieve meteorological data at specific locations, and environmental factors likely contributing to T. triandra genetic differentiation were taken into consideration using a correlative approach based on outlier loci distribution. The use of molecular markers unveiled some previously unknown aspects about the biology of T. triandra, namely: i) African and Australian T. triandra genotypes analyzed in this study are genetically undistinguishable, ii) sexual recombination of Kenyan T. triandra is likely to play a major role in its reproduction, and iii) environmental characteristics of the collection sites are correlated with the allelic distribution of a limited set of loci under selection

Data from: Evolution of an insect immune barrier through horizontal gene transfer mediated by a parasitic wasp

Genome sequencing data have recently demonstrated that eukaryote evolution has been remarkably influenced by the acquisition of a large number of genes by horizontal gene transfer (HGT) across different kingdoms. However, in depth-studies on the physiological traits conferred by these accidental DNA acquisitions are largely lacking. Here we elucidate the functional role of Sl gasmin, a gene of a symbiotic virus of a parasitic wasp that has been transferred to an ancestor of the moth species Spodoptera littoralis and domesticated. This gene is highly expressed in circulating immune cells (haemocytes) of larval stages, where its transcription is rapidly boosted by injection of microorganisms into the body cavity. RNAi silencing of Sl gasmin generated a phenotype characterized by a precocious suppression of phagocytic activity by haemocytes, which was rescued when these immune cells were incubated in plasma samples of control larvae, containing high levels of the encoded protein. Proteomic analysis demonstrated that the protein Sl gasmin is released by haemocytes into the haemolymph, where it opsonizes the invading bacteria to promote their phagocytosis, both in vitro and in vivo. Our results show that important physiological traits do not necessarily originate from evolution of pre-existing genes, but can be acquired by HGT events, through unique pathways of symbiotic evolution. These findings indicate that insects can paradoxically acquire selective advantages with the help of their natural enemies

Raw data Di Lelio et al., 2019

Numerical data that underlies tables and graphs (figures 1-7, 9, 10; table 1) and statistics of the PLOS Genetics article from di Lelio et al., 2019