Ln(III) Complexes Embedded in Biocompatible PLGA Nanoparticles as Potential Vis-to-NIR Optical Probes

In this contribution, we present the spectroscopic study of two NIR emitting hydrophobic heteroleptic (R,R)-YbL1(tta) and (R,R)-NdL1(tta) complexes (with tta = 2-thenoyltrifluoroacetonate and L1 = N,N0 -bis(2-(8-hydroxyquinolinate)methylidene)-1,2-(R,R or S,S)-cyclohexanediamine), both in methanol solution and embedded in water dispersible and biocompatible poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) nanoparticles. Thanks to their absorption properties in a wide range of wavelengths extending from the UV up to the blue and green visible regions, the emission of these complexes can be effectively sensitized using visible radiation, which is much less harmful to tissues and skin than the UV one. The encapsulation of the two Ln(III)-based complexes in PLGA allows us to preserve their nature, making them stable in water and to test their cytotoxicity on two different cell lines, with the aim of using them in the future as potential bioimaging optical probes

METHOD DEVELOPMENT AND OPTIMIZATION FOR MONITORING PROBE EXHALED BREATH METABOLITES USING PARALLEL MS-BASED ANALYTICAL PLATFORMS

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COVID-19 symptoms at hospital admission vary with age and sex: results from the ISARIC prospective multinational observational study

Background: The ISARIC prospective multinational observational study is the largest cohort of hospitalized patients with COVID-19. We present relationships of age, sex, and nationality to presenting symptoms. Methods: International, prospective observational study of 60 109 hospitalized symptomatic patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 recruited from 43 countries between 30 January and 3 August 2020. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate relationships of age and sex to published COVID-19 case definitions and the most commonly reported symptoms. Results: ‘Typical’ symptoms of fever (69%), cough (68%) and shortness of breath (66%) were the most commonly reported. 92% of patients experienced at least one of these. Prevalence of typical symptoms was greatest in 30- to 60-year-olds (respectively 80, 79, 69%; at least one 95%). They were reported less frequently in children (≤ 18 years: 69, 48, 23; 85%), older adults (≥ 70 years: 61, 62, 65; 90%), and women (66, 66, 64; 90%; vs. men 71, 70, 67; 93%, each P < 0.001). The most common atypical presentations under 60 years of age were nausea and vomiting and abdominal pain, and over 60 years was confusion. Regression models showed significant differences in symptoms with sex, age and country. Interpretation: This international collaboration has allowed us to report reliable symptom data from the largest cohort of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19. Adults over 60 and children admitted to hospital with COVID-19 are less likely to present with typical symptoms. Nausea and vomiting are common atypical presentations under 30 years. Confusion is a frequent atypical presentation of COVID-19 in adults over 60 years. Women are less likely to experience typical symptoms than men

Legionnaires' Disease in Occupational Settings: A Cross-Sectional Study from Northeastern Italy (2019)

In Italy, Legionnaires' Disease (LD) causes >1000 hospital admissions per year, with a lethality rate of 5 to 10%. Occupational exposures could reasonably explain a substantial share of total cases, but the role of Occupational Physicians (OPs) in management and prevention of LD has been scarcely investigated. The present survey therefore evaluates the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) regarding LD from a convenience sample of Italian OPs, focusing on their participation in preventive interventions. A total of 165 OPs were recruited through a training event (Parma, Northeastern Italy, 2019), and completed a specifically designed structured questionnaire. The association between reported participation in preventive interventions and individual factors was analyzed using a binary logistic regression model, calculating corresponding multivariable Odds Ratio (aOR). Overall, participants exhibited satisfactory knowledge of the clinical and diagnostic aspects of LD, while substantial uncertainties were associated epidemiological factors (i.e., notification rate and lethality). Although the majority of participating OPs reportedly assisted at least one hospital (26.7%) and/or a nursing home (42.4%) and/or a wastewater treatment plant, only 41.8% reportedly contributed to the risk assessment for LD and 18.8% promoted specifically designed preventive measures. Working as OPs in nursing homes (aOR 8.732; 95% Confidence Intervals [95%CI] 2.991 to 25.487) and wastewater treatment plants (aOR 8.710; 95%CI 2.844 to 26.668) was associated with participation in the risk assessment for LD, while the promotion of preventive practice was associated with working as an OP in hospitals (aOR 6.792; 95%CI 2.026 to 22.764) and wastewater treatment plants (aOR 4.464, 95%CI 1.363 to 14.619). In other words, the effective participation of the OP in the implementation of preventive measures appears uncommon and is limited to certain occupational settings. Collectively, these results highlight the importance of tailoring specifically designed information campaigns aimed to raise the involvement of OPs in the prevention of LD in occupational settings other than healthcare

Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatographic platforms comparison for exhaled breath metabolites analysis.

peer reviewedThe high potential of exhaled breath for disease diagnosis has been highlighted in numerous studies. However, exhaled breath analysis is suffering from a lack of standardized sampling and analysis procedures, impacting the robustness of inter-laboratory results, and thus hampering proper external validation. The aim of this work was to verify compliance and validate the performance of two different comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry platforms in different laboratories by monitoring probe metabolites in exhaled breath following the Peppermint Initiative guidelines. An initial assessment of the exhaled breath sampling conditions was performed, selecting the most suitable sampling bag material and volume. Then, a single sampling was performed using Tedlar bags, followed by the trapping of the volatile organic compounds into thermal desorption tubes for the subsequent analysis using two different analytical platforms. The thermal desorption tubes were first analyzed by a (cryogenically modulated) comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography system coupled to high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The desorption was performed in split mode and the split part was recollected in the same tube and further analyzed by a different (flow modulated) comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography system with a parallel detection, specifically using a quadrupole mass spectrometer and a vacuum ultraviolet detector. Both the comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography platforms enabled the longitudinal tracking of the peppermint oil metabolites in exhaled breath. The increased sensitivity of comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography enabled to successfully monitor over a 6.5 h period a total of 10 target compounds, namely α-pinene, camphene, β-pinene, limonene, cymene, eucalyptol, menthofuran, menthone, isomenthone, and neomenthol

Importance du type d'absorbant pour l'échantillonnage des volatils : application sur les cultures bactériennes et l'haleine

Les composés organiques volatils bactériens (VOC) sont considérés comme des biomarqueurs sensibles et spécifiques pour le phénotypage bactérien dans les biofluides humains (haleine, sang, urine, etc.) et dans les milieux de culture. La possibilité d'utiliser les VOCs pour l'identification bactérienne ouvre de nouvelles possibilités pour la mise au point de techniques de diagnostiques plus efficaces. Outre les différences biologiques des environnements in-vivo et in-vitro, il est essentiel d'utiliser la même technique d’échantillonnage pour la caractérisation et la validation de biomarqueurs. Dans cette étude, la chromatographie gazeuse bidimensionnelle couplée à la spectrométrie de masse (GC×GC-MS) a été utilisée pour comparer et évaluer différents adsorbants de tubes de désorption thermique pour l’échantillonnage des VOCs. Plus précisément, les paramètres suivants ont été évalués pour chaque adsorbant: sensibilité, sélectivité, reproductibilité et linéarité. Cinq adsorbants différents (Carbopack Y, X, B, Carboxen 1000 et Tenax), utilisés individuellement ou en combinaison, ont été testés sur un mélange de standards (15 composés). Les meilleures sensibilité et reproductibilité ont été obtenues pour les tubes conditionnés avec du Tenax. Les deux tubes de désorption thermique les plus performants, Tenax et Carbopack Y + X + Carboxen 1000, ont également été évalués sur des cultures de E. coli, S. aureus et P. aeruginosa. Ces deux types de tubes ont pu distinguer les 3 types de culture bactérienne, mais une amélioration de la sensibilité et de la reproductibilité a été obtenue avec les tubes Tenax. Une comparaison similaire sur les performances des tubes a été effectuée sur des échantillons d'haleine