MRI and Clinical Biomarkers Overlap between Glaucoma and Alzheimer’s Disease

glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness worldwide. It is classically associated with structural and functional changes in the optic nerve head and retinal nerve fiber layer, but the damage is not limited to the eye. The involvement of the central visual pathways and disruption of brain network organization have been reported using advanced neuroimaging techniques. the brain structural changes at the level of the areas implied in processing visual information could justify the discrepancy between signs and symptoms and underlie the analogy of this disease with neurodegenerative dementias, such as alzheimer’s disease, and with the complex group of pathologies commonly referred to as “disconnection syndromes.” this review aims to summarize the current state of the art on the use of advanced neuroimaging techniques in glaucoma and alzheimer’s disease, highlighting the emerging biomarkers shared by both diseases

Human Papillomavirus infections in cervical samples from HIV-positive women: evaluation of the presence of the nonavalent HPV genotypes and genetic diversity

Non-nonavalent vaccine (9v) Human papillomavirus (HPV) types have been shown to have high prevalence among HIV-positive women. Here, 1444 cervical samples were tested for HPV DNA positivity. Co-infections of the 9v HPV types with other HPV types were evaluated. The HPV81 L1 and L2 genes were used to investigate the genetic variability of antigenic epitopes. HPV-positive samples were genotyped using the HPVCLART2 assay. The L1 and L2 protein sequences were analyzed using a self-optimized prediction method to predict their secondary structure. Co-occurrence probabilities of the 9v HPV types were calculated. Non9v types represented 49% of the HPV infections; 31.2% of the non9v HPV types were among the low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion samples, and 27.3% among the high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion samples, and several genotypes were low risk. The co-occurrence of 9v HPV types with the other genotypes was not correlated with the filogenetic distance. HPV81 showed an amino-acid substitution within the BC loop (N75Q) and the FGb loop (T315N). In the L2 protein, all of the mutations were located outside antigenic sites. The weak cross-protection of the 9v types suggests the relevance of a sustainable and effective screening program, which should be implemented by HPV DNA testing that does not include only high-risk types

Torquetenovirus Viremia Quantification Using Real-Time PCR Developed on a Fully Automated, Random-Access Platform

Quantification of Torquetenovirus (TTV) viremia is becoming important for evaluating the status of the immune system in solid organ transplant recipients, monitoring the appearance of post-transplant complications, and controlling the efficacy of maintenance immunosuppressive therapy. Thus, diagnostic approaches able to scale up TTV quantification are needed. Here, we report on the development and validation of a real-time PCR assay for TTV quantification on the Hologic Panther Fusion (R) System by utilizing its open-access channel. The manual real-time PCR previously developed in our laboratories was optimized to detect TTV DNA on the Hologic Panther Fusion (R) System. The assay was validated using clinical samples. The automated TTV assay has a limit of detection of 1.6 log copies per ml of serum. Using 112 samples previously tested via manual real-time PCR, the concordance in TTV detection was 93% between the assays. When the TTV levels were compared, the overall agreement between the methods, as assessed using Passing-Bablok linear regression and Bland-Altman analyses, was excellent. In summary, we validated a highly sensitive and accurate method for the diagnostic use of TTV quantification on a fully automated Hologic Panther Fusion (R) System. This will greatly improve the turnaround time for TTV testing and better support the laboratory diagnosis of this new viral biomarker

A large ongoing outbreak of hepatitis A predominantly affecting young males in Lazio, Italy; August 2016 - March 2017

The hepatitis A virus (HAV) is mainly transmitted through the faecal-oral route. In industrialized countries HAV infection generally occurs as either sporadic cases in travelers from endemic areas, local outbreak within closed/semi-closed population and as foodborne community outbreak. Recently, an increasing number of HAV infection clusters have been reported among young men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM). The Lazio Regional Service for the epidemiology and control for infectious diseases (SeRESMI) has noticed an increase of acute hepatitis A (AHA) since September 2016. Temporal analysis carried out with a discrete Poisson model using surveillance data between January 2016 and March 2017 evidenced an ongoing outbreak of AHA that started at the end of August. Molecular investigation carried out on 130 out of 513 cases AHA reported until March 2017 suggests that this outbreak is mainly supported by an HAV variant which is currently spreading within MSM communities across Europe (VRD_521_2016). The report confirms that AHA is an emerging issue among MSM. In addition through the integration of standard (case based) surveillance with molecular investigation we could discriminate, temporally concomitant but epidemiologically unrelated, clusters due to different HAV variants. As suggested by the WHO, in countries with low HAV circulation, vaccination programmes should be tailored on the local epidemiological patterns to prevent outbreaks among high risk groups and eventual spillover of the infection in the general population

A large ongoing outbreak of hepatitis A predominantly affecting young males in Lazio, Italy; August 2016 - March 2017

The hepatitis A virus (HAV) is mainly transmitted through the faecal-oral route. In industrialized countries HAV infection generally occurs as either sporadic cases in travelers from endemic areas, local outbreak within closed/semi-closed population and as foodborne community outbreak. Recently, an increasing number of HAV infection clusters have been reported among young men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM). The Lazio Regional Service for the epidemiology and control for infectious diseases (SeRESMI) has noticed an increase of acute hepatitis A (AHA) since September 2016. Temporal analysis carried out with a discrete Poisson model using surveillance data between January 2016 and March 2017 evidenced an ongoing outbreak of AHA that started at the end of August. Molecular investigation carried out on 130 out of 513 cases AHA reported until March 2017 suggests that this outbreak is mainly supported by an HAV variant which is currently spreading within MSM communities across Europe (VRD_521_2016). The report confirms that AHA is an emerging issue among MSM. In addition through the integration of standard (case based) surveillance with molecular investigation we could discriminate, temporally concomitant but epidemiologically unrelated, clusters due to different HAV variants. As suggested by the WHO, in countries with low HAV circulation, vaccination programmes should be tailored on the local epidemiological patterns to prevent outbreaks among high risk groups and eventual spillover of the infection in the general population

RILEVAZIONE DI VIRUS RESPIRATORI IN PAZIENTI CON PATOLOGIE DEL TRATTO RESPIRATORIO INFERIORE

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Lessons from a one-year hospital-based surveillance of acute respiratory infections in Berlin- comparing case definitions to monitor influenza

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Surveillance of severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) in sentinel hospitals is recommended to estimate the burden of severe influenza-cases. Therefore, we monitored patients admitted with respiratory infections (RI) in 9 Berlin hospitals from 7.12.2009 to 12.12.2010 according to different case definitions (CD) and determined the proportion of cases with influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 (pH1N1). We compared the sensitivity and specificity of CD for capturing pandemic pH1N1 cases.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We established an RI-surveillance restricted to adults aged ≤ 65 years within the framework of a pH1N1 vaccine effectiveness study, which required active identification of RI-cases. The hospital information-system was screened daily for newly admitted RI-patients. Nasopharyngeal swabs from consenting patients were tested by PCR for influenza-virus subtypes. Four clinical CD were compared in terms of capturing pH1N1-positives among hospitalized RI-patients by applying sensitivity and specificity analyses. The broadest case definition (CD1) was used for inclusion of RI-cases; the narrowest case definition (CD4) was identical to the SARI case definition recommended by ECDC/WHO.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Over the study period, we identified 1,025 RI-cases, of which 283 (28%) met the ECDC/WHO SARI case definition. The percentage of SARI-cases among internal medicine admissions decreased from 3.2% (calendar-week 50-2009) to 0.2% (week 25-2010). Of 354 patients tested by PCR, 20 (6%) were pH1N1-positive. Two case definitions narrower than CD1 but -in contrast to SARI- not requiring shortness of breath yielded the largest areas under the Receiver-Operator-Curve. Heterogeneity of proportions of patients admitted with RI between hospitals was significant.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Comprehensive surveillance of RI cases was feasible in a network of community hospitals. In most settings, several hospitals should be included to ensure representativeness. Although misclassification resulting from failure to obtain symptoms in the hospital information-system cannot be ruled out, a high proportion of hospitalized PCR-positive pH1N1-patients (45%) did not fulfil the SARI case-definition that included shortness of breath or difficulty breathing. Thus, to assess influenza-related disease burden in hospitals, broader, alternative case definitions should be considered.</p

Human cell types important for Hepatitis C Virus replication in vivo and in vitro. Old assertions and current evidence

Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) is a single stranded RNA virus which produces negative strand RNA as a replicative intermediate. We analyzed 75 RT-PCR studies that tested for negative strand HCV RNA in liver and other human tissues. 85% of the studies that investigated extrahepatic replication of HCV found one or more samples positive for replicative RNA. Studies using in situ hybridization, immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, and quasispecies analysis also demonstrated the presence of replicating HCV in various extrahepatic human tissues, and provide evidence that HCV replicates in macrophages, B cells, T cells, and other extrahepatic tissues. We also analyzed both short term and long term in vitro systems used to culture HCV. These systems vary in their purposes and methods, but long term culturing of HCV in B cells, T cells, and other cell types has been used to analyze replication. It is therefore now possible to study HIV-HCV co-infections and HCV replication in vitro

Manuale di Lobbying e Public Affairs

I Public Affairs sono il servizio specialistico delle Relazioni Pubbliche che cura i rapporti con la politica e l'amministrazione, mentre il Lobbying, che ne costituisce parte integrante, si riferisce alle attività connesse all'influenza sul processo legislativo, per ottenere l'approvazione di una nuova norma, ovvero la modifica o l'abrogazione di una vigente. A fare uso di questo servizio, che va sempre più professionalizzandosi in termini di conoscenze e competenze, sono tanto le imprese, quanto le associazioni no profit, e talora vi ricorrono i gruppi di interesse e le stesse istituzioni pubbliche, oltre ad alleanze e coalizioni trasversali. Il volume contiene nel dettaglio le definizioni, gli obiettivi e gli approcci, e tutti gli elementi di una campagna strategica di public affairs, incluso il processo di issue management, e riporta opinioni relative a questi servizi, e ne disamina attori, mediatori ed altri soggetti interessati. Dopo di che, fa il punto della situazione sul Lobbying presso le Istituzioni dell'Unione Europea, il Parlamento e il Governo Italiano e i Consigli Regionali, tenuto conto della persistente carenza di una organica normativa statuale, mentre diverse leggi regionali in materia di rappresentanza di interessi sono entrate in vigore, soprattutto negli ultimi anni. Traccia infine un quadro esaustivo delle fasi dell'attività e degli strumenti e competenze del professionista di Public Affairs, dei rapporti con il servizio di Media Relations, e persino dei risvolti di carattere penale che può avere il Lobbying in Italia sotto la legislazione vigente, suggerendo la sempre più pressante opportunità di pervenire ad una regolamentazione completa ed esaustiva del fenomeno, che consenta trasparenza e pari opportunità di accesso ai decisori pubblici ai vari livelli.Public Affairs are a specialized service branch of Public Relations, managing relations with politics and civil service authorities, while lobbying, which is its integral part, refers to activities connected to exert influence on legislative process, to obtain the approval of a new regulation, or the amendment or the abrogation of an existing one. To make use of these services, always more professionalized in terms of skills and competences, are both corporations and no profit organizations, but also interest groups, public institutions and cross-cutting alliances and coalitions. The volume outlines in detail definitions, objectives and approaches, contains all the elements of a public affairs strategic campaign , including issue management process, reports opinions on these services, and analyzes actors, mediators and other engaged subjects. After then, it takes stock of the situation about lobbying the European Union Institutions, Italian Parliament and Government and Regional Councils, taking into account the enduring lack of a complete state regulation, while several regional laws on the matter of particular interests advocacy have been approved, especially in the last few years. The volume finally gives a comprehensive overview of stages of activity and tools and skills of Public Affairs professional, of the connection with the service of Media Relation, and of the possible penal consequences of Lobbying in Italy under the present regulations. It suggests the more than ever current need to introduce a new, complete and exhaustive regulation of the matter, allowing transparency and equal opportunities of access to political decision-makers at all levels