Analysis of HIV quasispecies and virological outcome of an HIV D+/R+ kidney–liver transplantation

Introduction: Transplantation among HIV positive patients may be a valuable therapeutic intervention. This study involves an HIV D+/R+ kidney–liver transplantation, where PBMC-associated HIV quasispecies were analyzed in donor and transplant recipients (TR) prior to transplantation and thereafter, together with standard viral monitoring. Methods: The donor was a 54 year of age HIV infected woman: kidney and liver recipients were two HIV infected men, aged 49 and 61. HIV quasispecies in PBMC was analyzed by ultra-deep sequencing of V3 env region. During TR follow-up, plasma HIV-1 RNA, HIV-1 DNA in PBMC, analysis of proviral integration sites and drug-resistance genotyping were performed. Other virological and immunological monitoring included CMV and EBV DNA quantification in blood and CD4 T cell counts. Results: Donor and TR were all ART-HIV suppressed at transplantation. Thereafter, TR maintained a nearly suppressed HIV-1 viremia, but HIV-1 RNA blips and the increase of proviral integration sites in PBMC attested some residual HIV replication. A transient peak in HIV-1 DNA occurred in the liver recipient. No major changes of drug-resistance genotype were detected after transplantation. CMV and EBV transient reactivations were observed only in the kidney recipient, but did not require specific treatment. CD4 counts remained stable. No intermixed quasispecies between donor and TR was observed at transplantation or thereafter. Despite signs of viral evolution in TR, HIV genetic heterogeneity did not increase over the course of the months of follow up. Conclusions: No evidence of HIV superinfection was observed in the donor nor in the recipients. The immunosuppressive treatment administrated to TR did not result in clinical relevant viral reactivations

Italian intersociety consensus statement on antithrombotic prophylaxis in hip and knee replacement and in femoral neck fracture surgery

Anticoagulant prophylaxis for preventing venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a worldwide established procedure in hip and knee replacement surgery, as well as in the treatment of femoral neck fractures (FNF). Different guidelines are available in the literature, with quite different recommendations. None of them is a multidisciplinary effort as the one presented. The Italian Society for Studies on Haemostasis and Thrombosis (SISET), the Italian Society of Orthopaedics and Traumatology (SIOT), the association of Orthopaedists and Traumatologists of Italian Hospitals (OTODI), together with the Italian Society of Anesthesia, Analgesia, Resuscitation, and Intensive Care (SIAARTI) have set down easy and quick suggestions for VTE prophylaxis in hip and knee surgery as well as in FNF treatment. This inter-society consensus statement aims at simplifying the grading system reported in the literature, and its goal is to benefit its clinical application. Special focus is given to fragile patients, those with high bleeding risk, and those receiving chronic antiplatelet (APT) and vitamin K antagonists treatment. A special chapter is dedicated to regional anaesthesia and VTE prophylaxis

Retrospective screening of solid organ donors in Italy, 2009, reveals unpredicted circulation of West Nile virus

Since the occurrence of West Nile virus (WNV) infection in humans in 2008 in Italy, concerns have been raised about the potential risks associated with solid organ transplantation (SOT). A nationwide retrospective survey showed that 1.2% of SOT donors in 2009 were WNV-seropositive and demonstrated that human WNV infection is distributed throughout several Italian regions. Transmission of WNV or other arboviruses through SOT is a possibility and risk assessment should be carried out before SOT to avoid infection through transplantatation

Carbonyl compounds indoors in a changing climate

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Formic acid, acetic acid and formaldehyde are important compounds in the indoor environment because of the potential for these acids to degrade calcareous materials (shells, eggs, tiles and geological specimens), paper and corrode or tarnish metals, especially copper and lead. Carbonyl sulfide tarnishes both silver and copper encouraging the formation of surface sulfides.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Carbonyls are evolved more quickly at higher temperatures likely in the Cartoon Gallery at Knole, an important historic house near Sevenoaks in Kent, England where the study is focused. There is a potential for higher concentrations to accumulate. However, it may well be that in warmer climates they will be depleted more rapidly if ventilation increases.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Carbonyls are likely to have a greater impact in the future.</p

Le confessioni religiose tra libertà di vivere nella realtà dell'ordinamento statale e potere di creare norme giuridiche all'interno dello Stato. Il caso della Chiesa di Scientology.

L'A. si pone nella prospettiva di delineare il possibile significato della compresenza delle due distinte previsioni, l’una nell’art. 8, l’altra nell’art. 19 della Costituzione, a garanzia del fenomeno associativo religioso. La ricerca è stata redatta, fra l’altro, in considerazione della circostanza che, ad una prima sommaria lettura della Carta Costituzionale, il lettore potrebbe essere indotto a pensare che il fenomeno religioso, ed in particolare quello che si svolge in forma associata, goda di una maggiore preferenza, rispetto a quello che si esprime in forma individuale, per essere più volte disciplinato in Costituzione. Problema, questo, il quale non sembra abbia sinora ricevuto adeguato rilievo dalla dottrina ecclesiasticista che si è meritevolmente impegnata sul tema. Si è posto al riguardo l’interrogativo che nasce dalla presenza di due distinte previsioni costituzionali a garanzia del fenomeno associativo religioso: la prima contenuta nell’art. 8 il quale - com’è noto - regola con novità di linguaggio la posizione dei culti diversi dalla religione cattolica, garantisce alle confessioni religiose l’eguale libertà davanti alla legge, il diritto di organizzarsi secondo i propri statuti ed il potere di concludere intese con gli organi dello Stato; la seconda nell’art. 19 che riconosce la libertà di professare liberamente la propria fede religiosa in qualsiasi forma “individuale o associata”. In ordine ai numerosi problemi che la previsione costituzionale dell’art. 8 solleva, si è riflettuto soprattutto sul dubbio se la fattispecie in essa contemplata sia sostanzialmente ripetitiva e si risolva in un inutile duplicato di quanto disposto dall’art. 19 per la parte che riguarda tale aspetto, oppure se, con ciascuna di tali disposizioni, il legislatore costituzionale abbia voluto conferire uno specifico rilievo a due distinte sfere dell’esperienza giuridica con caratteristiche proprie, per struttura e sistemi di garanzie. L’analisi intrapresa ha interessato anche la ricostruzione della definizione giuridica di confessione religiosa, nonché l’accertamento del carattere confessionale della Chiesa di Scientology alla luce delle sentenze della giurisprudenza costituzionale e di legittimità

Measurement of the cross-section of high transverse momentum vector bosons reconstructed as single jets and studies of jet substructure in pp collisions at √s = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This paper presents a measurement of the cross-section for high transverse momentum W and Z bosons produced in pp collisions and decaying to all-hadronic final states. The data used in the analysis were recorded by the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider at a centre-of-mass energy of √s = 7 TeV;{\rm Te}{\rm V}$and correspond to an integrated luminosity of$4.6\;{\rm f}{{{\rm b}}^{-1}}$. The measurement is performed by reconstructing the boosted W or Z bosons in single jets. The reconstructed jet mass is used to identify the W and Z bosons, and a jet substructure method based on energy cluster information in the jet centre-of-mass frame is used to suppress the large multi-jet background. The cross-section for events with a hadronically decaying W or Z boson, with transverse momentum${{p}_{{\rm T}}}\gt 320\;{\rm Ge}{\rm V}$and pseudorapidity$|\eta |\lt 1.9$, is measured to be${{\sigma }_{W+Z}}=8.5\pm 1.7$ pb and is compared to next-to-leading-order calculations. The selected events are further used to study jet grooming techniques

Search for direct pair production of the top squark in all-hadronic final states in proton-proton collisions at s√=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The results of a search for direct pair production of the scalar partner to the top quark using an integrated luminosity of 20.1fb−1 of proton–proton collision data at √s = 8 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC are reported. The top squark is assumed to decay via t˜→tχ˜01 or t˜→ bχ˜±1 →bW(∗)χ˜01 , where χ˜01 (χ˜±1 ) denotes the lightest neutralino (chargino) in supersymmetric models. The search targets a fully-hadronic final state in events with four or more jets and large missing transverse momentum. No significant excess over the Standard Model background prediction is observed, and exclusion limits are reported in terms of the top squark and neutralino masses and as a function of the branching fraction of t˜ → tχ˜01 . For a branching fraction of 100%, top squark masses in the range 270–645 GeV are excluded for χ˜01 masses below 30 GeV. For a branching fraction of 50% to either t˜ → tχ˜01 or t˜ → bχ˜±1 , and assuming the χ˜±1 mass to be twice the χ˜01 mass, top squark masses in the range 250–550 GeV are excluded for χ˜01 masses below 60 GeV

Search for pair-produced long-lived neutral particles decaying to jets in the ATLAS hadronic calorimeter in ppcollisions at √s=8TeV

The ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN is used to search for the decay of a scalar boson to a pair of long-lived particles, neutral under the Standard Model gauge group, in 20.3fb−1of data collected in proton–proton collisions at √s=8TeV. This search is sensitive to long-lived particles that decay to Standard Model particles producing jets at the outer edge of the ATLAS electromagnetic calorimeter or inside the hadronic calorimeter. No significant excess of events is observed. Limits are reported on the product of the scalar boson production cross section times branching ratio into long-lived neutral particles as a function of the proper lifetime of the particles. Limits are reported for boson masses from 100 GeVto 900 GeV, and a long-lived neutral particle mass from 10 GeVto 150 GeV