Diagnosis of cardiac papillary fibroelastoma presenting with acute coronary syndrome and concomitant Salmonella bacteraemia, mimicking aortic endocarditis

Introduction: A case of fibroelastoma of the aortic valve in a patient with acute coronary syndrome has been reported. Cardiac papillary fibroelastomas (PFE) are rare cardiac tumours that are generally benign. In most cases they are incidental findings, their first clinical manifestation is often associated with embolic events. Case presentation: We present the case of a 63-year-old man who experienced coronary embolization without any indications of underlying coronary artery disease. Further investigation led to the identification of the cause of embolization. The concomitant presence of Salmonella bacteraemia, associated with symptoms of gastrointestinal inflammation and elevated inflammation indices, led to the hypothesis of valvular endocarditis. Therefore, a transoesophageal echocardiogram was performed, which confirmed the presence of a mobile, well-demarcated, echo-dense mass identified on the left coronary cusp. Despite the diagnostic uncertainty between fibroelastoma and endocarditic formation, the occurrence of the embolic event and the marked hypermobility we decided that prompt intervention was required. Surgical cleavage of the valve formation was performed, revealing macroscopic morphological characteristics consistent with PFE which was confirmed by the histological finding. Conclusions: This case highlight the importance of a comprehensive diagnostic approach, including transoesophageal echocardiography, in patients with embolic events with no obvious evidence of an embolic causes

Seasonal variations in intracellular trace element content and physiological parameters in the lichen Evernia prunastri transplanted to an urban environment

In this study we investigated the seasonal variations in the intracellular content of 14 trace elements (Al, As, Ba, Cd, Ce, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Pd, Sb, Zn) and physiological parameters (namely chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, ergosterol, photosynthetic efficiency, cell membrane integrity) in the thalli of the lichen Evernia prunastri (L.) Ach. exposed to an urban environment (Siena, central Italy). Lichen thalli were collected before each exposure period from an unpolluted area and transplanted to 16 sites; every 3 months the thalli were retrieved and replaced with new ones. Exposed-to-control ratios of trace elements revealed a marked intracellular accumulation of Cd in summer and autumn, and of Sb in autumn and spring, possibly as a result of vehicular traffic pollution. However, considering the low absolute concentrations of these elements, the intracellular fraction of depositions may hardly have caused an impairment of physiological parameters. As a matter of fact, indicators of photobiont vitality (content of chlorophylls a and b and photosynthetic efficiency) did not show any fluctuation across seasons, while changes in the indicators of mycobiont vitality (cell membrane damage and ergosterol content) overall did reflect some seasonal changes and/or lichen growth

Lipopolysaccharide O-antigen molecular and supramolecular modifications of plant root microbiota are pivotal for host recognition

11 pags., 5 figs.Lipopolysaccharides, the major outer membrane components of Gram-negative bacteria, are crucial actors of the host-microbial dialogue. They can contribute to the establishment of either symbiosis or bacterial virulence, depending on the bacterial lifestyle. Plant microbiota shows great complexity, promotes plant health and growth and assures protection from pathogens. How plants perceive LPS from plant-associated bacteria and discriminate between beneficial and pathogenic microbes is an open and urgent question. Here, we report on the structure, conformation, membrane properties and immune recognition of LPS isolated from the Arabidopsis thaliana root microbiota member Herbaspirillum sp. Root189. The LPS consists of an O-methylated and variously acetylated D-rhamnose containing polysaccharide with a rather hydrophobic surface. Plant immunology studies in A. thaliana demonstrate that the native acetylated O-antigen shields the LPS from immune recognition whereas the O-deacylated one does not. These findings highlight the role of Herbaspirillum LPS within plant-microbial crosstalk, and how O-antigen modifications influence membrane properties and modulate LPS host recognition.This study was supported by PRIN 2017 "Glytunes" (2017XZ2ZBK, 2019-2022) to AS; by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 851356 to RM. Neutron Reflectivity (NR) measurements were performed at the INTER instrument at ISIS Pulsed Neutron and Muon Source, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, UK. The authors thank the ISIS facility for provision of beam time. MACR and DS gratefully acknowl- edge financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities (RTI2018-099985-B-I00), and the CIBER of Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES), an initiative from the Spanish Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII). AZ and LM acknowledge support from the Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS) funded by the Deutsche For- schungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) under Ger- many’s Excellence Strategy-EXC 2048/1-Project ID: 390686111 and project ZU 263/11-1 (SPP DECRyPT)Peer reviewe

Acute Delta Hepatitis in Italy spanning three decades (1991–2019): Evidence for the effectiveness of the hepatitis B vaccination campaign

Updated incidence data of acute Delta virus hepatitis (HDV) are lacking worldwide. Our aim was to evaluate incidence of and risk factors for acute HDV in Italy after the introduction of the compulsory vaccination against hepatitis B virus (HBV) in 1991. Data were obtained from the National Surveillance System of acute viral hepatitis (SEIEVA). Independent predictors of HDV were assessed by logistic-regression analysis. The incidence of acute HDV per 1-million population declined from 3.2 cases in 1987 to 0.04 in 2019, parallel to that of acute HBV per 100,000 from 10.0 to 0.39 cases during the same period. The median age of cases increased from 27 years in the decade 1991-1999 to 44 years in the decade 2010-2019 (p < .001). Over the same period, the male/female ratio decreased from 3.8 to 2.1, the proportion of coinfections increased from 55% to 75% (p = .003) and that of HBsAg positive acute hepatitis tested for by IgM anti-HDV linearly decreased from 50.1% to 34.1% (p < .001). People born abroad accounted for 24.6% of cases in 2004-2010 and 32.1% in 2011-2019. In the period 2010-2019, risky sexual behaviour (O.R. 4.2; 95%CI: 1.4-12.8) was the sole independent predictor of acute HDV; conversely intravenous drug use was no longer associated (O.R. 1.25; 95%CI: 0.15-10.22) with this. In conclusion, HBV vaccination was an effective measure to control acute HDV. Intravenous drug use is no longer an efficient mode of HDV spread. Testing for IgM-anti HDV is a grey area requiring alert. Acute HDV in foreigners should be monitored in the years to come

Salute ed elaborazione scritta di eventi emotivamente rilevanti in ambito lavorativo

- J.W. Pennebaker's studies showed positive results on health through the use of the writing technique in different subjects. In line with these studies and Health Psychology's goals, in this research we applied Pennebaker's Writing Technique to subjects in a fire brigade sample who are often exposed to emotional experiences during their work. The sample was divided in three groups. The first group wrote about their most traumatic working experience (Negative exp. Gr.). The second group wrote about the most rewarding working experience (Positive exp. Gr.). The third group didn't receive any writing task (Control Gr.). The aims of the present study were to assess: 1) an improvement on health parameters in the two writing groups in respect to the control group; 2) an effectiveness of writing in the Positive experience gr. in the short period, in the Negative experience gr. in the long period; 3) a possible interaction between writing and alexithymia levels. Comparing the data of the three groups we found out significant differences confirming our hypothesis on our three dependent variables: sick leave days (F = 3.60; p &amp;lt; 0.04); SCL-90 scores (F = 5.56; p &amp;lt; 0.0005) and number of physical examinations reported in the Health Interview (F = 4.11; p &amp;lt; 0.03). Regarding our second hypothesis, results of this study suggest the need of adapting the writing task instructions to the context for a more effectiveness of the technique. Finally, interaction between writing and alexithymia was not found, possibly due to low alexithymia levels in the sample in general.</jats:p

BIOACCUMULO, FISIOLOGIA E PROTEOMICA DEL LICHENE EVERNIA PRUNASTRI (L.) ACH. ESPOSTO A DIFFERENTI INTENSITÀ DI TRAFFICO VEICOLARE

Nell’area urbana e peri-urbana della città di Siena gli input di contaminazione atmosferica possono essere ricondotti, ad eccezione del riscaldamento domestico nel periodo invernale, esclusivamente al traffico veicolare in quanto, la presenza di altre fonti di emissione, come le attività industriali e artigianali sono rispettivamente subordinate e minoritarie. Lo studio degli effetti di tale inquinamento sui licheni risulta tuttavia di difficile comprensione dati sia la molteplicità dei contaminanti in gioco sia i possibili effetti di sinergismo e antagonismo a cui i talli risultano esposti. In questo studio nell’ambiente urbano di Siena sono state individuate tre zone aventi differenti caratteristiche di traffico veicolare: area urbana (zona all’interno delle mura cittadine), area perimetrale (perimetro dell’area urbana retrostante la cinta muraria cittadina), area peri-urbana. È stata altresì selezionata una stazione di controllo all’interno dell’orto botanico della città ubicata a ridosso dell’area urbana. All’interno di ciascuna area e nella stazione di controllo sono stati eseguiti, con cadenza stagionale, dei trapianti di talli di Evernia prunastri per la durata complessiva di un anno. Dopo ogni periodo di esposizione sono state misurate le concentrazioni degli elementi in traccia (Al, As, Ba, Cd, Cr, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Pd, Pt, Sb, Zn) e sono stati valutati alcuni parametri fisiologici (contenuto di pigmenti fotosintetici, efficienza fotosintetica, contenuto di ergosterolo, danneggiamento delle membrane cellulari). I risultati evidenziano che le concentrazioni degli elementi in traccia e i parametri fisiologici sono in stretta relazione con le diverse condizioni di traffico veicolare e con la stagionalità. Questi dati sono stati integrati con un’analisi di proteomica che ha fornito risultati interessanti anche se non di facile interpretazione

Seasonal variations in intracellular trace element content and physiological parameters in the lichen Evernia prunastri transplanted to an urban environment

In this study we investigated the seasonal variations in the intracellular content of 14 trace elements (Al, As, Ba, Cd, Ce, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Pd, Sb, Zn) and physiological parameters (namely chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, ergosterol, photosynthetic efficiency, cell membrane integrity) in the thalli of the lichen Evernia prunastri (L.) Ach. exposed to an urban environment (Siena, central Italy). Lichen thalli were collected before each exposure period from an unpolluted area and transplanted to 16 sites; every 3 months the thalli were retrieved and replaced with new ones. Exposed-to-control ratios of trace elements revealed a marked intracellular accumulation of Cd in summer and autumn, and of Sb in autumn and spring, possibly as a result of vehicular traffic pollution. However, considering the low absolute concentrations of these elements, the intracellular fraction of depositions may hardly have caused an impairment of physiological parameters. As a matter of fact, indicators of photobiont vitality (content of chlorophylls a and b and photosynthetic efficiency) did not show any fluctuation across seasons, while changes in the indicators of mycobiont vitality (cell membrane damage and ergosterol content) overall did reflect some seasonal changes and/or lichen growth

Author Correction: Pain perception during social interactions is modulated by self-related and moral contextual cues

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.</jats:p