Genetic analysis regarding the attribution of specimens covered ex Codice Iuris Canonic

We report on the short tandem repeat analysis (STR), using PowerPlex ESX 16 Systems (Promega), of the supposed specimens belonged to M. B. died in 1980. DNA was extracted from three different specimens dating back to the 50s represented by two bloodstains found on two different fragments of fabric and a bloodstain on a cotton glove. As reference sample, we used a bone collected from the body. Before DNA extraction, in order to get rid modern DNA contaminations, the bone was treated with diluited bleach, water and UV light. The different STR profiles were confirmed using criteria currently available for validation of degraded DNA, including independent PCR replication. The results obtained after the genetic analysis confirmed that the specimens analized, rapresented by two bloodstains found on two different fragments of fabric and a bloodstain on a cotton glove, were directly referred to M. B.

Paternity testing: a case of an alleged father with the saliva of a second subject hidden inside the mouth

In the present work we report about a singular case of paternity test occured this year at our laboratory. In this case the identity of the putative father of a child was in dispute: as a routine laboratory, the subjects, after collecting the informed acceptance, were submitted to the collection of two saliva swabs to be used for genetic analysis. Data obtained from NGM and Yfiler of the putative father’s sample showed a mixed genetic profile: negative control of extraction and amplification reaction showed no contamination by exogenous DNA; in order to exclude a possible random contamination and to confirm the mixed profile, it was analysed the second buccal swab collected from the alleged father. Genetic comparison between these profiles and those obtained from the sample of the child revealed an allele sharing at all loci amplified, noticeably in the Y-specific polymorphisms. In relation to the result obtained, the alleged father was again convened and, after rinsing the mouth, again submitted to the collection of a saliva swab. The new genetic comparison showed a full allele sharing at all loci amplified with a very high paternity value (P= 0,99999843530). It was later confirmed by the alleged father that he put in the mouth saliva belonging to another subject prior to the first sampling performed in our laboratory

L'incidenza dell'abuso nelle intossicazioni e nei decessi alcool correlati: esperienza della città e provincia di FERRARA (2000-2008)

L'incidenza dell'abuso nelle intossicazioni e nei decessi alcool correlati: esperienza della città e provincia di Ferrara (2000-2008

Hyperfractionated radiotherapy in locally advanced nasopharyngeal cancer. An analysis of 43 consecutive patients

Background: Despite numerous randomized trials suggesting a benefit of unconventional fractionation in locally advanced head and neck cancer, the role of this approach in nasopharyngeal carcinoma is debatable. Based on the current clinical experience, the authors introduced hyperfractionated irradiation in the treatment of locally advanced head and neck cancer, including nasopharyngeal tumors. The preliminary results of this treatment approach in nasopharyngeal cancer patients are presented, with special focus on the pattern of failure and toxicity. Patients and methods: 43 patients with nasopharyngeal cancer (stage II-IV, TNM 1997) underwent hyperfractionated irradiation. In 34 cases, radiotherapy was preceded by a median of three cycles of cisplatin-based induction chemotherapy. Irradiation was delivered using a shrinking-field technique up to a total dose of 74.4 Gy in 62 fractions of 1.2 Gy twice daily (minimum 6-h interval)/5 days/week. Results: Acute toxicity of hyperfractionated radiotherapy was significant but tolerable. Mucositis proved the most common side effect (grade 3: 24 patients, grade 4: three patients). Severe late toxicity was not observed. 30 of 34 patients (88%) responded to induction chemotherapy. At 6 weeks after completion of radiotherapy, complete response was seen in 35 patients (81%), partial response in five (12%), stable disease in one, and progressive disease in two. After a median follow-up of 32 months, 18 patients (41%) developed progressive disease. Primary tumor progression was observed in three patients, and seven patients each showed regional lymph node progression and distant metastases. In one case both regional lymph node progression and distant metastases were diagnosed. The 2-year progression-free survival and overall survival rates were 58% and 84%, respectively. Conclusion: Hyperfractionated radiotherapy seems a feasible and active regimen in locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Accompanying acute and late toxicity is acceptable and does not compromise delivery of the planned irradiation dose. This regimen is associated with a high local control rate; relatively high nodal and distant failure, however, call for further treatment modifications, e. g., optimization of irradiation technique and/or dose escalation as well as improved systemic therapies

Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus Vaccine-Induced Human Antibodies Mediate Negligible Enhancement of Zika Virus Infection InVitro and in a Mouse Model

ABSTRACT Recent reports in the scientific literature have suggested that anti-dengue virus (DENV) and anti-West Nile virus (WNV) immunity exacerbates Zika virus (ZIKV) pathogenesis in vitro and in vivo in mouse models. Large populations of immune individuals exist for a related flavivirus (tick-borne encephalitis virus [TBEV]), due to large-scale vaccination campaigns and endemic circulation throughout most of northern Europe and the southern Russian Federation. As a result, the question of whether anti-TBEV immunity can affect Zika virus pathogenesis is a pertinent one. For this study, we obtained 50 serum samples from individuals vaccinated with the TBEV vaccine FSME-IMMUN (Central European/Neudörfl strain) and evaluated their enhancement capacity in vitro using K562 human myeloid cells expressing CD32 and in vivo using a mouse model of ZIKV pathogenesis. Among the 50 TBEV vaccinee samples evaluated, 29 had detectable reactivity against ZIKV envelope (E) protein by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and 36 showed enhancement of ZIKV infection in vitro. A pool of the most highly reacting and enhanced samples resulted in no significant change in the morbidity/mortality of ZIKV disease in immunocompromised Stat2−/− mice. Our results suggest that humoral immunity against TBEV is unlikely to enhance Zika virus pathogenesis in humans. No clinical reports indicating that TBEV vaccinees experiencing enhanced ZIKV disease have been published so far, and though the epidemiological data are sparse, our findings suggest that there is little reason for concern. This study also displays a clear relationship between the phylogenetic distance between two flaviviruses and their capacity for pathogenic enhancement. IMPORTANCE The relationship between serial infections of two different serotypes of dengue virus and more severe disease courses is well-documented in the literature, driven by so-called antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE). Recently, studies have shown the possibility of ADE in cells exposed to anti-DENV human plasma and then infected with ZIKV and also in mouse models of ZIKV pathogenesis after passive transfer of anti-DENV human plasma. In this study, we evaluated the extent to which this phenomenon occurs using sera from individuals immunized against tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV). This is highly relevant, since large proportions of the European population are vaccinated against TBEV or otherwise seropositive