Income reporting behaviour in sample surveys

This paper analyses respondents' behaviour when reporting their income sources in sample surveys and presents a method to deal with response error. Survey data relating to the number of earning recipients and to amounts received are validated using external information from administrative and statistical sources. Our findings suggest that the response bias on household income is about 12 per cent of reported figures. Misreporting is particularly severe for income from self-employment, financial assets and rents, as well as from secondary jobs. As to the distribution of response error, about 15 per cent of respondents show a high probability of misreporting. Misreporting is more diffuse among males, the older, the self-employed and respondents at the higher end of the earnings distribution.income distribution, response error, item response theory, SHIW, data accuracy.

CAR-T therapy: the role of the hematopoietic stem cell processing laboratory

Purpose of this paper is to review all the phases that in-volved, for the first time, the SC of Hematology and the SC of Transfu-sion Medicine, specifically, the CSE Processing laboratory, in imple-menting an innovative operative protocol of gene immunotherapydue to the inclusion of the first patient, affected by diffuse large B-celllymphoma (DLBCL), stage IV, into the CAR-T therapeutic program.The program took place within the SS Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Ar-rigo Hospital of Alessandria

Ultrastructural features of the nasal mucosa after massive removal of all soft tissues in the inferior turbinate hypertrophy

The nasal respiratory mucosa plays a key role in conditioning the inhaled air and in regulating the immune response against foreign particles. Many authors recom- mend mucosal sparing techniques for the surgical management of the inferior turbinate hypertrophy, such as laser surgery, radiofrequency electrocautery, cryosurgery, etc. In spite of their conservative purposes, ultrastructural studies demonstrate that these methods produce irreversible changes in the nasal mucosa. The aim of this study was to analyze ultrastructural features of the healing process after Microde- brider Assisted Turbinoplasty, alternative procedure that provides a radical interven- tion with removal of both mucosal and submucosal soft tissues of the inferior turbi- nate. Nasal mucosa biopsies from 7 patients (mean age 42+10) affected with inferior turbinate hypertrophy were taken before operation and 4 months after surgery and compared with 2 unaffected controls of the same age. Preoperative samples, routinely processed for Transmission Electron Microscopy (1), displayed a number of ultrastructural changes compared to normal controls such as disrupture of tight junctions, disappearance of pseudostratification, loss of cilia, fibrosis, and abundant inflamma- tory infiltrates. By contrast, in postoperative samples the nasal mucosa showed a normal appearance, with restoration of the pseudostratified ciliated pattern, intercellular connections and normal cellular morphology; collagen showed a normal organization in bundle and fibrosis and submucosal oedema were considerably reduced. In the light of these observations and previous Scanning Electron Microscopy findings (2), we can conclude that Microdebrider Assisted Turbinoplasty is a surgical procedure able to radically remove the inflamed tissue typical of hypertophic rynopathy and, consequently, to allow the resident stem cells to re-epithelize the nasal mucosa and restore its normal function

Enhanced prothrombotic and proinflammatory activity of circulating extracellular vesicles in acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Background: Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AE-COPD) are associated with a high rate of cardiovascular events. Thromboinflammation (the interplay between coagulation and inflammation) is probably involved in these events. Extracellular vesicles (EV) increase during AE-COPD, but their role in thromboinflammation in COPD is still unknown. We investigated EV-associated prothrombotic and proinflammatory activity in COPD. Methods: Patients with AE-COPD, stable COPD (sCOPD) and age- and sex-matched subjects (controls) were enrolled. AE-COPD patients were evaluated at hospital admission and 8 weeks after discharge (recovery; longitudinal arm). In a cross-sectional arm, AE-COPD were compared with sCOPD and controls. EV-mediated prothrombotic activity was tested by measuring the concentration of EV-associated phosphatidylserine, as assessed by a prothrombinase assay, and tissue factor, as assessed by a modified one-stage clotting assay (EV-PS and EV-TF, respectively). Synthesis of interleukin-8 (IL-8) and C-C motif chemokine ligand-2 (CCL-2) by cells of the human bronchial epithelial cell line 16HBE incubated with patients' EV was used to measure EV-mediated proinflammatory activity. Results: Twenty-five AE-COPD (median age [interquartile range] 74.0 [14.0] years), 31 sCOPD (75.0 [9.5] years) and 12 control (67.0 [3.5] years) subjects were enrolled. In the longitudinal arm, EV-PS, EV-TF, IL-8 and CCL-2 levels were all significantly higher at hospital admission than at recovery. Similarly, in the cross-sectional arm, EV-PS, EV-TF and cytokines synthesis were significantly higher in AE-COPD than in sCOPD and controls. Conclusions: EV exert prothrombotic and proinflammatory activities during AE-COPD and may therefore be effectors of thromboinflammation, thus contributing to the higher cardiovascular risk in AE-COPD

Extracellular Vesicles in Pulmonary Hypertension: A Dangerous Liaison?

The term pulmonary hypertension (PH) refers to different conditions, all characterized by increased pressure and resistance in the pulmonary arterial bed. PH has a wide range of causes (essentially, cardiovascular, pulmonary, or connective tissue disorders); however, idiopathic (i.e., without a clear cause) PH exists. This chronic, progressive, and sometimes devastating disease can finally lead to right heart failure and eventually death, through pulmonary vascular remodeling and dysfunction. The exact nature of PH pathophysiology is sometimes still unclear. Extracellular vesicles (EVs), previously known as apoptotic bodies, microvesicles, and exosomes, are small membrane-bound vesicles that are generated by almost all cell types and can be detected in a variety of physiological fluids. EVs are involved in intercellular communication, thus influencing immunological response, inflammation, embryogenesis, aging, and regenerative processes. Indeed, they transport chemokines, cytokines, lipids, RNA and miRNA, and other biologically active molecules. Although the precise functions of EVs are still not fully known, there is mounting evidence that they can play a significant role in the pathophysiology of PH. In this review, after briefly recapping the key stages of PH pathogenesis, we discuss the current evidence on the functions of EVs both as PH biomarkers and potential participants in the distinct pathways of disease progression

Thermotolerant Campylobacter spp. in chicken and bovine meat in Italy: Prevalence, level of contamination and molecular characterization of isolates

Campylobacter species are common foodborne pathogens associated with cases of human gastroenteritis worldwide. A detailed understanding of the prevalence, contamination levels and molecular characteristics of Campylobacter spp. in cattle and chicken, which are likely the most important sources of human contamination, is imperative. A collection of 1243 poultry meat samples (665 chicken breasts and 578 chicken thighs) and 1203 bovine meat samples (689 hamburgers and 514 knife-cut meat preparations) were collected at retail outlets, in randomly selected supermarkets located in different Italian regions during one year. Of these samples, 17.38% of the poultry meat and 0.58% of the bovine meat samples tested positive for Campylobacter, of which 131 were Campylobacter jejuni (57.96%) and 95 were Campylobacter coli (42.03%). Campylobacter isolates were genotyped with the aim of assessing the genetic diversity, population structure, source distribution and Campylobacter transmission route to humans. All isolates were molecularly characterized by pulse field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and further genotyped using multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and fla-SVR sequencing to gain better insight into the population structure. Antibiotic resistance was also investigate. The highest levels of resistance among chicken strains were observed for ciprofloxacin (88.25%), nalidixic acid (81.45%) and tetracycline (75.6%). PFGE analysis revealed 73 pulsotypes for C. jejuni and 54 pulsotypes for C. coli, demonstrating the existance of different and specific clones circulating in Italy. MLST of C.jejuni isolates mainly clustered in the CC353, CC354, CC21, CC206 and CC443; while C.coli isolates clustered only in CC828. The most common flaA alleles were 287 for C. jejuni and 66 for C. coli. Our study confirms that poultry meat is the main source of Campylobacteriosis, whereas red meat had a low level of contamination suggesting a minor role in transmission. The high presence of Campylobacter in retail chicken meat, paired with its increased resistance to antimicrobials with several multidrug resistance profiles detected, is alarming and represents a persistent threat to public health

Ultrastructural changes of the intestinal mucosa in Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity patients could represent an early indicator of cellular stress

Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity (NCGS) is a wide-spreading syndrome and an emerging problem in clinical practice linked to the increase of gluten content in some populations diet. It is characterized by intestinal and/or extra intestinal symptoms that improve or disappear after removing gluten from diet in non-celiac or non-wheat allergic patients [1]. In order to perform and support a precise and early diagnosis, as others recently suggested [2], the aim of this work was to analyze in detail ultrastructural features of the duodenal mucosa. Biopsy specimens were obtained from 10 patients who underwent gastrointestinal endoscopy for a diagnostic check-up at the Department of Gastroenterology of the University of Chieti and prepared for electron microscopy. Semithin sections were blindly observed but only biopsies showing well-shaped intestinal villi were selected for the ultrastructural study, observed with a ZEISS EM109 equipped with a Gatan videocamera. We analyzed: 1) brush border, 2) epithelial cell cytoplasm, 3) cellular junctions and 4) the villus connective axis with respect to inflammatory cell number and vascular alterations, evaluating amount and localization of cellular damages. Interestingly, only 3 of these biopsies, obtained from subjects in which clinical history and diagnosis was uncertain, presented fine spot damage in the epithelium from intestinal villi with an apparently normal morphology. Some epithelial cells showed sever distress such as heterochromatic and nuclei not-round shaped, dilated endoplasmic reticulum, increased number of mitochondria and a messy brush border thinned and reduced in width. Numerous damaged cellular junctions and remarkable basal detachment of cell plasma membranes were observed. These findings pave the way to a deepen characterization of intestinal mucosa from NCGS patients to identify, by means of electron microscopy, potential morphological and functional markers of NCGS. This work was supported by MIUR funds granted to R. Di Pietro and L. Centurione in 2014 and 2015

Correlation between GJB2 mutations and audiological deficits: personal experience

Mutations in GJB2 gene are the most common cause of genetic deafness. More than 100 mutations have been described. The aim of this work is to describe the personal experience in genetic hearing loss, investigating the audiological and genetical characteristics of Cx26 deafness and correlating genotype and phenotype. We performed audiological and genetical evaluation in 154 patients affected by non-syndromic deafness of different degree. All patients showed a bilateral symmetrical sensorineural hearing loss. From the genetical analysis 127 probands resulted as negatives while 27 as positives (51.8% homozygous for 35 delG, 14.8% compound heterozygosis and 33.3% single mutation); 7.5% of patients had a mild deafness, 37% moderate, 33.3% severe and 22.2% profound. The c.35 delG mutation was detected in 66.6% of patients. Three mutations were found in compound heterozygosis with 35 delG, six different single mutations already described, and a new mutation S138G were also found. Correlation between genotype and phenotype confirmed the high variability of hearing loss

Computed Tomography Structured Reporting in the Staging of Lymphoma: A Delphi Consensus Proposal

Abstract Structured reporting (SR) in radiology is becoming increasingly necessary and has been recognized recently by major scientific societies. This study aims to build structured CT-based reports for lymphoma patients during the staging phase to improve communication between radiologists, members of multidisciplinary teams, and patients. A panel of expert radiologists, members of the Italian Society of Medical and Interventional Radiology (SIRM), was established. A modified Delphi process was used to develop the SR and to assess a level of agreement for all report sections. The Cronbach's alpha (Cα) correlation coefficient was used to assess internal consistency for each section and to measure quality analysis according to the average inter-item correlation. The final SR version was divided into four sections: (a) Patient Clinical Data, (b) Clinical Evaluation, (c) Imaging Protocol, and (d) Report, including n = 13 items in the "Patient Clinical Data" section, n = 8 items in the "Clinical Evaluation" section, n = 9 items in the "Imaging Protocol" section, and n = 32 items in the "Report" section. Overall, 62 items were included in the final version of the SR. A dedicated section of significant images was added as part of the report. In the first Delphi round, all sections received more than a good rating (≥3). The overall mean score of the experts and the sum of score for structured report were 4.4 (range 1-5) and 1524 (mean value of 101.6 and standard deviation of 11.8). The Cα correlation coefficient was 0.89 in the first round. In the second Delphi round, all sections received more than an excellent rating (≥4). The overall mean score of the experts and the sum of scores for structured report were 4.9 (range 3-5) and 1694 (mean value of 112.9 and standard deviation of 4.0). The Cα correlation coefficient was 0.87 in this round. The highest overall means value, highest sum of scores of the panelists, and smallest standard deviation values of the evaluations in this round reflect the increase of the internal consistency and agreement among experts in the second round compared to first round. The accurate statement of imaging data given to referring physicians is critical for patient care; the information contained affects both the decision-making process and the subsequent treatment. The radiology report is the most important source of clinical imaging information. It conveys critical information about the patient's health and the radiologist's interpretation of medical findings. It also communicates information to the referring physicians and records this information for future clinical and research use. The present SR was generated based on a multi-round consensus-building Delphi exercise and uses standardized terminology and structures, in order to adhere to diagnostic/therapeutic recommendations and facilitate enrolment in clinical trials, to reduce any ambiguity that may arise from non-conventional language, and to enable better communication between radiologists and clinicians

Nuclear Phosphoinositides as Key Determinants of Nuclear Functions

Polyphosphoinositides (PPIns) are signalling messengers representing less than five per cent of the total phospholipid concentration within the cell. Despite their low concentration, these lipids are critical regulators of various cellular processes, including cell cycle, differentiation, gene transcription, apoptosis and motility. PPIns are generated by the phosphorylation of the inositol head group of phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns). Different pools of PPIns are found at distinct subcellular compartments, which are regulated by an array of kinases, phosphatases and phospholipases. Six of the seven PPIns species have been found in the nucleus, including the nuclear envelope, the nucleoplasm and the nucleolus. The identification and characterisation of PPIns interactor and effector proteins in the nucleus have led to increasing interest in the role of PPIns in nuclear signalling. However, the regulation and functions of PPIns in the nucleus are complex and are still being elucidated. This review summarises our current understanding of the localisation, biogenesis and physiological functions of the different PPIns species in the nucleus