Mountain glaciers darkening: geochemical characterizazion of cryoconites and their radiative impact on the Vadret da Morteratsch (Swiss Alps)

Mountain glaciers represent an important source of fresh water across the globe. It is well known that these reservoirs are seriously threatened by global climate change, and a widespread reduction of glacier extension has been observed in recent years. Surface processes that promote ice melting are driven both by air temperature/precipitation and surface albedo. This latter is mainly influenced by the growth of snow grains and by the impurities content (such as mineral dust, soot, ash etc.). The origin of these light-absorbing impurities can be local or distal, and often, as a consequence of melting processes, they can aggregate on the glacier tongue, forming characteristics cryoconites, that decrease ice albedo and hence promote the melting. In this contribution, we coupled satellite images (EO1 \u2013 Hyperion and Landsat 8 - OLI) and ground hyperspectral data (ASD field spectrometer) for characterizing ice and snow surface reflectance of the Vadret da Morteratsch glacier (Swiss Alps). On the glacier ablation zone, we sampled ice, snow, surface dust and cryoconite material. To evaluate the possible impact of anthropogenic and natural emissions on cryoconites formation, we determined their geochemical composition (through the Neutron Activation Analysis, NAA) and the concentration of Black Carbon (BC), Organic Carbon (OC), Elemental Carbon (EC) and Levoglucosan. From satellite data, we computed the Snow Darkening Index (SDI), which is non-linearly correlated with dust content in snow. Results showed that, during 2015 summer season, ice albedo in the ablation zone reached very low values of about 0.1-0.2. The darkening of the glacier can be attributed to the impact of surface dust (from lateral moraine and Saharan desert) and cryoconites, coupled with grain growth driven by the extremely warm 2015 summer. The geochemical characterization of non-ice material contained in the cryoconites can provide important information regarding their source and the possible impact of anthropogenic emissions on cryoconites formation and evolution

Persistence of Unintegrated HIV DNA Associates With Ongoing NK Cell Activation and CD34+DNAM-1brightCXCR4+ Precursor Turnover in Vertically Infected Patients Despite Successful Antiretroviral Treatment

none11noThe quantification of proviral DNA is raising interest in view of clinical management and functional HIV eradication. Measures of all unintegrated HIV DNA (uDNA) forms in infected reservoir cells provides information on recent replication events that is not found from other proviral DNA assays. To evaluate its actual relevance in a cohort of perinatally-infected adult HIV patients (PHIV), we studied how peripheral blood mononuclear cell uDNA levels correlated with total HIV DNA (tDNA) and with overall replication or innate immune control parameters including NK cell activation/exhaustion and lymphoid turnover. Twenty-two PHIV were included, with successfully controlled HIV (HIV RNA <50 copies/mL) on combined antiretroviral therapy for mean of 8.7 ± 3.9 years. uDNA accounted for 16 [5.2-83.5] copies/µg and was strongly correlated with tDNA (ρ=0.700, p=0.001). Flow cytometric analysis of peripheral NK cells showed that CD69 expression was directly correlated uDNA (p=0.0412), but not with tDNA. Interestingly, CD56-CD16+NK cells which include newly described inflammatory precursors and terminally differentiated cells were directly correlated with uDNA levels (p<0.001), but not with tDNA, and an inverse association was observed between the proportion of NKG2D+ NK cells and uDNA (ρ=-0.548, p=0.015). In addition, CD34+DNAM-1brightCXCR4+ inflammatory precursor frequency correlated directly with uDNA levels (ρ=0.579, p=0.0075). The frequencies of CD56-CD16+ and CD34+DNAM-1brightCXCR4+ cells maintained association with uDNA levels in a multivariable analysis (p=0.045 and p=0.168, respectively). Thus, control of HIV-1 reservoir in aviremic patients on ART is an active process associated with continuous NK cell intervention and turnover, even after many years of treatment. Quantification of linear and circular uDNA provides relevant information on the requirement for ongoing innate immune control in addition to ART, on recent replication history and may help stratify patients for functional HIV eradication protocols with targeted options.openTaramasso, Lucia; Bozzano, Federica; Casabianca, Anna; Orlandi, Chiara; Bovis, Francesca; Mora, Sara; Giacomini, Mauro; Moretta, Lorenzo; Magnani, Mauro; Di Biagio, Antonio; De Maria, AndreaTaramasso, Lucia; Bozzano, Federica; Casabianca, Anna; Orlandi, Chiara; Bovis, Francesca; Mora, Sara; Giacomini, Mauro; Moretta, Lorenzo; Magnani, Mauro; Di Biagio, Antonio; De Maria, Andre

Prevalence of Viral Hepatitis in Unselected, Consecutively Enrolled Patients Hospitalised for SARS-CoV-2

Diagnosing people living with chronic viral hepatitis is challenging due to the absence of symptoms as long as liver decompensated cirrhosis come out. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the prevalence of HBV and/or HCV infections in a non-selected population, hospitalised for SARS-CoV-2 infection in a tertiary care hospital in Northern Italy. During the study period 1,429 patients were admitted to hospital for SARS-CoV-2 infection, serologic tests for HBV and/or HCV were available for 382 (27%) patients and 3 were excluded due to their previous known serologic status. Among 379 patients, 235 (62%) were male, median age was 70 years (range 21-103), 360 (95%) were Caucasian. Among them, 372/379 (98%) were screened for HBsAg, 320/379 (84%) for HBcAb. HBsAg was positive in 2/372 (0.5%, 95% CI 0.0006-0.02) patients (only in one HBV-DNA was performed that was negative), while HBcAb was found positive in 55/320 (17%, 95% CI 0.13-0.22). Among 370/379 (98%) patients screened for HCV, 11/370 (3%, 95% CI 0.02-0.05) had positive HCV-Ab. Five out of 11 (45%) were tested for HCV-RNA that resulted positive in two patients (0.5%, 95% CI 0.0006-0.02). Considering this data, even though the screening was performed in only 27% of study population, a tailored screening in people with known risk factors for hepatitis might be preferable to universal screening in low prevalence areas. Also a prompt diagnostic workout should begin in case of clinical or laboratory suspicion of hepatitis and in those starting immunosuppressive treatments

is osteoporosis risk in anorexia nervosa underestimated a case report series

Introduction: Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a mental disorder whose features are deliberate weight loss, disordered body image, and intrusive overvalued fears of gaining weight. Long-term consequences of AN include endocrine dysfunctions leading to secondary amenorrhea, bone loss and/or osteoporosis with an increased risk of bone fracture. Therefore young women with AN may develop a risk for bone fractures comparable to that of postmenopausal women. Methods: In this case report series Bone Mineral Density (BMD) was examined by Dual energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) in 19 hospitalized patients with diagnosis of AN and prolonged amenorrhea. Results: All patients showed a lumbar/femoral bone loss or osteoporosis, with an increased fracture risk comparable to that of postmenopausal women. Conclusions: Our observation suggests that DXA evaluation of anorexic patients with prolonged amenorrhea would be helpful to prevent fracture risk in this population of patients. However, although DXA is almost routinely recommended in women over 65, it is not in young AN patients with prolonged amenorrhea

Variazioni del filtrato glomerulare (eGFR) in una coorte di pazienti nati con HIV, risultati di uno studio osservazionale dal 2009 al 2018

Introduzione e scopo dello studio I pazienti nati con infezione da HIV rappresentano una popolazione speciale a causa dell\u2019esposizione fin dalla nascita ad HIV e alla terapia antiretrovirale di combinazione (cART). Molti pazienti hanno assunto tenofovir disoproxil fumarato (TDF) per necessit\ue0 anche se i dati in questa coorte sono scarsi. Inoltre vi sono pochi dati in letteratura relativi all\u2019andamento dell\u2019eGFR in questa popolazione. Scopo del nostro studio \ue8 di valutare le variazioni dell\u2019eGFR nei pazienti con infezione da HIV materno-fetale in follow-up nella nostra coorte. Materiali e metodi Studio osservazionale retrospettivo monocentrico nel periodo 2010-2018. Il dato \ue8 stato associato alla cART in corso. Abbiamo arruolato i pazienti con diagnosi di HIV trasmessa alla nascita ed estratto i dati delle cART e degli esami ematici dal sistema informatico ReteligureHIV (www.reteligureHIV.it) per il periodo in analisi. Abbiamo raccolto i dati del peso corporeo e altezza dalle cartelle cliniche. Abbiamo calcolato l\u2019eGFR con la formula di Cockroft-Gault nei pazienti maggiorenni al 2018, con la revised Schwartz equation nei minorenni. Abbiamo stratificato il dato con la cART effettuata (TDF, TAF, inibitore proteasi (PI), analogo non nucleosidico (NNRTI), inibitore integrasi (INI)). Risultati La nostra coorte \ue8 composta da 39 pazienti, di questi ne abbiamo arruolati 34, 5 sono stati esclusi per mancanza di dati. Il tempo di osservazione medio \ue8 di 8,8 anni (range 7-9). Le femmine 18 (53%), et\ue0 media di 18 anni nel 2010 (range 6-28). 30 pazienti (88%) hanno effettuato cART contenente TDF per almeno 1 anno, 19 (55%) hanno associato TDF+PI per almeno 1 anno, 14 (41%) TDF+NNRTI, 12 (35%) TDF+INI. 4 pazienti (12%) non hanno mai assunto TDF. Abbiamo osservato una riduzione mediana dell\u2019eGFR di 1,83 mL/min/anno (16,5 mL/min in 9 anni di studio). La riduzione \ue8 maggiore nel gruppo di pazienti in terapia con TDF+INI (3,7 mL/min/anno), minore per i pazienti in terapia con TDF+NNRTI (2,2 mL/min/anno) e TDF+PI (1,44 mL/min/anno). Abbiamo inoltre osservato un miglioramento dell\u2019eGFR mediano totale di 5 mL/min tra il 2017 e il 2018, anno in cui 23 pazienti (68%) hanno iniziato terapia con TAF. Nel solo gruppo esposto a TDF+INI abbiamo osservato un peggioramento dell\u2019eGFR anche nel 2018 (-5 mL/min). Conclusioni Il nostro studio ha evidenziato un peggioramento progressivo dell\u2019eGFR, come atteso in una popolazione esposta al virus HIV e alla cART. Il miglioramento osservato nel 2018 \ue8 un dato interessante, alla luce dell\u2019arrivo del TAF. Il peggioramento del filtrato con INI potrebbe dipendere dall\u2019associazione con DTG. Il proseguimento del follow-up \ue8 necessario per valutare l\u2019andamento negli anni futuri

Time to change the single-centre approach to management of patients with tuberculosis: a novel network platform with automatic data import and data sharing

Time to change the single-centre approach to TB http://ow.ly/lCeM30hBcbB

Pisa Syndrome in Parkinson's Disease: evidence for bilateral vestibulospinal dysfunction

Introduction. Pisa syndrome (PS) is a postural complication of Parkinson's disease (PD). Yet, its pathophysiology remains unclear, although a multifactorial component is probable. Cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (cVEMPs) explore vestibulospinal pathway, but they have not been measured yet in PD patients with PS (PDPS) to assess a potential vestibular impairment. Materials and Methods. We enrolled 15 PD patients, 15 PDPS patients, and 30 healthy controls (HCs). They underwent neurological examination and were examined with Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale II-Ill (UPDRSII-III), audiovestibular workup, and cVEMP recordings. Data were analysed with Chi-square, one-way ANOVA, multinomial regression, nonparametric, and Spearman's tests. Results. cVEMPs were significantly impaired in both PD and PDPS compared with HCs. PDPS exhibited more severe cVEMP abnormalities with prevalent bilateral loss of potentials, compared with the PD group, in which a prevalent unilateral loss was instead observed. No clinical-neurophysiological correlations emerged. Conclusions. Differently from HC, cVEMPs are altered in PD. Severity of cVEMPs alterations increases from PD without PS to PDPS, suggesting an involvement of vestibulospinal pathway in the pathophysiology of PS. Our results provide evidence for a significant impairment of cVEMPs in PDPS patients and encourage further studies to test validity of cVEMPs as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers of PD progression