Respiratory syncytial virus infection in infants and correlation with meteorological factors and air pollutants

BACKGROUND: Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is the most important cause of severe respiratory infections in infants with seasonal epidemics. Environmental factors (temperature, humidity, air pollution) could influence RSV epidemics through their effects on virus activity and diffusion. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study on a paediatric population who referred to our Paediatric Emergency Unit in order to analyze the correlation between weekly incidence of RSV positive cases during winter season in Bologna and meteorological factors and air pollutants concentration. RESULTS: We observed a significant correlation between the incidence of RSV infections and the mean minimum temperature registered during the same week and the previous weeks. The weekly number of RSV positive cases was also correlated to the mean PM(10) concentration of the week before. CONCLUSIONS: RSV epidemic trend in Bologna (Italy) is related to the mean minimum temperature, and the mean PM(10) concentration

Group b streptococcus late-onset disease: 2003-2010

BACKGROUND: There is insufficient population-based data on group B streptococcus (GBS) late-onset disease (LOD). Risk factors and routes of GBS transmission are poorly understood. METHODS: A prospective, cohort study was conducted to collect incidence data on LOD and evaluate GBS infections over an 8-year period (2003-2010). Starting from January 2007, maternal rectovaginal and breast milk cultures were routinely collected on confirmation of the LOD diagnosis to assess maternal GBS culture status. RESULTS: The incidence rate of LOD was 0.32 per 1000 live births (1.4 and 0.24 per 1000 live births for preterm and term newborns, respectively). The registered cases of LOD (n = 100) were classified as sepsis (n = 57), meningitis (n = 36), or focal infection (n = 7). Thirty neonates were preterm (2 had recurrent infection); 68 were term. Four infants died (3 early preterm, 1 term). At the time the LOD diagnosis was confirmed, 3 (6%) of 53 mothers had GBS mastitis, and 30 (64%) of 47 carried GBS at the rectovaginal site. Early (7-30 days) LOD presentation was associated with neonatal brain lesions or death (odds ratio: 0.96 [95% confidence interval: 0.93-0.99]). Intrapartum antibiotic exposure was significantly associated with mild (12 of 22) rather than severe (11 of 45; P = .03) LOD. CONCLUSIONS: Preterm neonates had the highest rates of LOD and mortality. Most mothers carried GBS at the time of the LOD diagnosis, whereas 6% had mastitis. Intrapartum antibiotics were associated both with delayed presentation of symptoms and milder LOD. Pediatrics 2013;131:e361-e368Early neonatal mortality has remained high and unchanged for many years in Tanzania, a resource-limited country. Helping Babies Breathe (HBB), a novel educational program using basic interventions to enhance delivery room stabilization/resuscitation, has been developed to reduce the number of these deaths. METHODS: Master trainers from the 3 major referral hospitals, 4 associated regional hospitals, and 1 district hospital were trained in the HBB program to serve as trainers for national dissemination. A before (n = 8124) and after (n = 78 500) design was used for implementation. The primary outcomes were a reduction in early neonatal deaths within 24 hours and rates of fresh stillbirths (FSB). RESULTS: Implementation was associated with a significant reduction in neonatal deaths (relative risk [RR] with training 0.53; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.43-0.65; P ≤.0001) and rates of FSB (RR with training 0.76; 95% CI 0.64-0.90; P = .001). The use of stimulation increased from 47% to 88% (RR 1.87; 95% CI 1.82-1.90; P ≤.0001) and suctioning from 15% to 22% (RR 1.40; 95% CI 1.33-1.46; P ≤.0001) whereas face mask ventilation decreased from 8.2% to 5.2% (RR 0.65; 95% CI 0.60- 0.72; P ≤ .0001). Copyright © 2013 by the American Academy of Pediatrics

Inter-society consensus document on treatment and prevention of bronchiolitis in newborns and infants

Acute bronchiolitis is the leading cause of lower respiratory tract infection and hospitalization in children less than 1 year of age worldwide. It is usually a mild disease, but some children may develop severe symptoms, requiring hospital admission and ventilatory support in the ICU. Infants with pre-existing risk factors (prematurity, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, congenital heart diseases and immunodeficiency) may be predisposed to a severe form of the disease. Clinical diagnosis of bronchiolitis is manly based on medical history and physical examination (rhinorrhea, cough, crackles, wheezing and signs of respiratory distress). Etiological diagnosis, with antigen or genome detection to identify viruses involved, may have a role in reducing hospital transmission of the infection. Criteria for hospitalization include low oxygen saturation (<90-92%), moderate-to-severe respiratory distress, dehydration and presence of apnea. Children with pre-existing risk factors should be carefully assessed. To date, there is no specific treatment for viral bronchiolitis, and the mainstay of therapy is supportive care. This consists of nasal suctioning and nebulized 3% hypertonic saline, assisted feeding and hydration, humidified O2 delivery. The possible role of any pharmacological approach is still debated, and till now there is no evidence to support the use of bronchodilators, corticosteroids, chest physiotherapy, antibiotics or antivirals. Nebulized adrenaline may be sometimes useful in the emergency room. Nebulized adrenaline can be useful in the hospital setting for treatment as needed. Lacking a specific etiological treatment, prophylaxis and prevention, especially in children at high risk of severe infection, have a fundamental role. Environmental preventive measures minimize viral transmission in hospital, in the outpatient setting and at home. Pharmacological prophylaxis with palivizumab for RSV bronchiolitis is indicated in specific categories of children at risk during the epidemic period. Viral bronchiolitis, especially in the case of severe form, may correlate with an increased incidence of recurrent wheezing in pre-schooled children and with asthma at school age. The aim of this document is to provide a multidisciplinary update on the current recommendations for the management and prevention of bronchiolitis, in order to share useful indications, identify gaps in knowledge and drive future research

HIV-1 matrix protein p17 misfolding forms toxic amyloidogenic assemblies that induce neurocognitive disorders

© 2017 The Author(s). Human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1)-Associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND) remains an important neurological manifestation that adversely affects a patient's quality of life. HIV-1 matrix protein p17 (p17) has been detected in autoptic brain tissue of HAND individuals who presented early with severe AIDS encephalopathy. We hypothesised that the ability of p17 to misfold may result in the generation of toxic assemblies in the brain and may be relevant for HAND pathogenesis. A multidisciplinary integrated approach has been applied to determine the ability of p17 to form soluble amyloidogenic assemblies in vitro. To provide new information into the potential pathogenic role of soluble p17 species in HAND, their toxicological capability was evaluated in vivo. In C. elegans, capable of recognising toxic assemblies of amyloidogenic proteins, p17 induces a specific toxic effect which can be counteracted by tetracyclines, drugs able to hinder the formation of large oligomers and consequently amyloid fibrils. The intrahippocampal injection of p17 in mice reduces their cognitive function and induces behavioral deficiencies. These findings offer a new way of thinking about the possible cause of neurodegeneration in HIV-1-seropositive patients, which engages the ability of p17 to form soluble toxic assemblies

Heterogeneous Bisoxazoline/Copper Complex: A Green Catalyst for the Enantioselective Reaction of Nitromethane with Substituted Benzaldehydes

Polystyrene-supported chiral 2,2′-methylenebis[(4S)-4-tert-butyl-2-oxazoline] is a promising heterogeneous catalyst for the enantioselective Henry reaction of nitromethane with substituted benzaldehydes. The process is carried out in ethanol as a green solvent, and the corresponding chiral β-nitroalcohols are obtained in 56–95 % yield with 49–88 % ee

Metabolomics: a new tool for the investigation of metabolic changes induced by cytomegalovirus

To date, cytomegalovirus (CMV) is one of the most studied and characterized virus, however the current knowledge on the effect of the human CMV (HCMV) infection on global metabolism is still poorly understood. Metabolomics is a new approach based on the systematic study of the complete set of low molecular weight compounds, both endogenous and exogenous, found within a cell, tissue, biofluid or organism. The purpose of this review is to provide insight into the use of the metabolomic approach on the study of the impact of HCMV on the human metabolome. The results described in this work suggest that metabolomics could be a new tool for HCMV investigation

A waste-minimized protocol for the preparation of 1,2-azido alcohols and 1,2-amino alcohols

Under solvent-free conditions the reaction of epoxides 1a–i with trimethylsilylazide (2) catalyzed by poly- stiryl-supported fluoride (PS-DABCOF2) has led to the efficient preparation of the corresponding O-TMS protected 1,2-azido alcohols 3a–i that, by treatment with Dowex-H, gave the related 1,2-azido alcohols 4a–i in excellent yields (83–99% and 82–96%, respectively). The use of a flow procedure has allowed us to significantly minimize waste in the preparation of representative 1,2-azido alcohols 4a, 4c and 4i that have been obtained with E-factors of 1.6, 2.1, and 1.9, respectively. The 1,2-amino alcohols 5a, 5c and 5f have been also prepared, in quantitative yields, by reduction of the corresponding O-TMS protected 1,2-azido alcohols 3a, 3c, and 3f by Pd on the Al3O3/HCOOH system

A Multi-Mode Teleoperation Framework for Humanoid Loco-Manipulation: An Application for the iCub Robot

International audienceOver the years, there have been many improvements in job-related safety standards and working conditions, but there are still many situations and environments where human lives are put at risk, such as in search and rescue situations, construction sites, and chemical plants. We envision a world where robots can act as physical avatars and effectively replace humans in those hazardous scenarios through teleoperation