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

Modello numerico di EDFAs per banda S basato su fibre ottiche con cladding depresso

A model of a S-band depressed cladding EDFA (Erbium Doped Fiber Amplifier) has been developped. The model is able to predict the ASE suppression due t

Numerical Modeling of S Band EDFA based on Distributed Fiber Loss

A numerical model for the analysis and the designof S band erbium-doped fiber amplifiers has been developed. Themodel is able to accurately predict the amplifier performancesby taking into account the ASE suppression due to the bending,as well as leakage losses of the fiber used as active medium.The model has been validated by comparing numerical andexperimental data of bending loss, amplifier gain and noise figureof a S band optical amplifier based on a depressed-claddingerbium-doped fiber. A good agreement has been verified byvarying fiber bending radius, input signal power and wavelength.The model has been then applied to the optimization of theamplifier performances for WDM applications. The numericalresults show that 20 12 25 dB gain can be achieved over a25 12 30nm range centered in different part of the S band from1460nm to 1525nm, just by changing the bending radius andthe length of a depressed-cladding fiber

Molecular diversity and genetic relationships of southern Italian olive cultivars depicted by AFLP and morphological traits.

Knowledge of the molecular and morphological diversity of olive cultivars is an essential pre-requisite for cultivar identification and is of considerable economic importance for the production of olive oil with Protected Denomination of Origin (PDO) status. In addition, studies on the genetic diversity of olive trees are valuable for germplasm conservation. Here we report on amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) profiling of olive genotypes that represent varieties used mainly for the production of PDO olive oil in the Campania region of Italy. AFLP analysis of 70 genotypes provided clear genetic differentiation between cultivars. Furthermore, DNA-profiling revealed synonyms and homonyms, indicating that erroneous denominations occur more frequently among local germplasm than in common varieties. Genetic distances were also calculated on the basis of 40 phenotypic traits, including morphological characters recommended for distinctness, homogeneity, and stability testing. Morphological and AFLP-based genetic distances yielded different hierarchical patterns, although the two data-sets were both useful for assessing the presence of genetic variation

Fibre a cristallo fotonico Solid-Core e Air-Guiding: analisi e progetto tramite il metodo degli elementi finiti

The finite element method has proved to be a powerful and reliable tool for the analysis and the design of photonic crystal fibers, new and exciting waveguides which can be exploited to enhance proper characteristics of the light for a huge range ofapplications, for example in telecommunications, sensing or biophotonics, unthinkable with standard optical fibers

Methylation pattern of different regions of the MLH1 promoter and silencing of gene expression in hereditary and sporadic colorectal cancer.

Nonrandom, widespread promoter methylation of tumor suppressor genes is a common mechanism of gene inactivation during tumorigenesis. We examined the methylation status of two distinct regions of the MLH1 promoter (proximal and distal to the transcription start site) and the MLH1 gene expression by methylation-specific PCR and immunohistochemistry. A total of 72 colorectal tumors, both with (n = 51, 22 affected by hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer, HNPCC, defined according to the international clinical criteria and 29 sporadic cases) and without microsatellite instability (MSI) (n = 21) were studied. Methylation was present in at least one of the two promoter regions in 86% of the sporadic MSI cases, in 33% of the cases lacking MSI, and in 23% of the HNPCC tumors. In the HNPCC cases with a known MLH1 mutation (n = 10) none of the two promoter regions was methylated. Hypermethylation in both MLH1 promoter regions was seen in 45% of the MSI sporadic cases vs. 5% of the MSI-negative cases and 0% of the HNPCC cases. The overall concordance between the two promoter regions regarding methylation status was good (P = 0.009), but no significant correlation between methylation and suppression of the MLH1 immunohistochemical expression was found. Our data confirm that mutation and hypermethylation are mutually exclusive mechanisms in inducing mismatch repair deficiency and support the hypothesis of methylation as a process evenly distributed along the different regions of the promoter

Il registro dei tumori colorettali

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Epidemiologia dei tumori del colon-retto. Incidenza, mortalità, familiarità e sopravvivenza nella ex USL di Modena, 1984-1998.

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