High Risk of Secondary Infections Following Thrombotic Complications in Patients With COVID-19

Background. This study’s primary aim was to evaluate the impact of thrombotic complications on the development of secondary infections. The secondary aim was to compare the etiology of secondary infections in patients with and without thrombotic complications. Methods. This was a cohort study (NCT04318366) of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients hospitalized at IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital between February 25 and June 30, 2020. Incidence rates (IRs) were calculated by univariable Poisson regression as the number of cases per 1000 person-days of follow-up (PDFU) with 95% confidence intervals. The cumulative incidence functions of secondary infections according to thrombotic complications were compared with Gray’s method accounting for competing risk of death. A multivariable Fine-Gray model was applied to assess factors associated with risk of secondary infections. Results. Overall, 109/904 patients had 176 secondary infections (IR, 10.0; 95% CI, 8.8–11.5; per 1000-PDFU). The IRs of secondary infections among patients with or without thrombotic complications were 15.0 (95% CI, 10.7–21.0) and 9.3 (95% CI, 7.9–11.0) per 1000-PDFU, respectively (P = .017). At multivariable analysis, thrombotic complications were associated with the development of secondary infections (subdistribution hazard ratio, 1.788; 95% CI, 1.018–3.140; P = .043). The etiology of secondary infections was similar in patients with and without thrombotic complications. Conclusions. In patients with COVID-19, thrombotic complications were associated with a high risk of secondary infections

Endogenous (In)Formal Institutions.

Despite the huge evidence documenting the relevance of inclusive political institutions and a culture of cooperation, we still lack a framework that identifies their origins and interaction. In a model in which an elite and a citizenry try to cooperate in consumption risk-sharing and investment, we show that a rise in the investment value encourages the elite to introduce more inclusive political institutions to convince the citizenry that a sufficient part of the returns on joint investments will be shared. In addition, accumulation of culture rises with the severity of consumption risk if this is not too large and thus cheating is not too appealing. Finally, the citizenry may over-accumulate culture to credibly commit to cooperate in investment when its value falls and so inclusive political institutions are at risk. These predictions are consistent with the evolution of activity-specific geographic factors, monasticism, and political institutions in a panel of 90 European regions spanning the 1000-1600 period. Evidence from several identification strategies suggests that the relationships we uncover are causal

Indagine pilota: alla scoperta del sostenitore nel mondo del Sostegno a Distanza

La ricerca sul ruolo dei sostenitori nell’ambito del Sostegno a Distanza (SaD) na- sce dalla collaborazione tra l’Università del Salento e La Gabbianella Onlus di Roma, come proseguimento del Censimento nazionale sul SaD del 2008 (Ciavolino et al., 2008). L’idea è nata dall’ipotesi che l’atto del sostegno a distanza, può essere visto co- me un processo unico di erogazione del servizio, che parte dal sostenitore ed, attra- verso gli Enti SaD, arriva al beneficiario. L’obiettivo di questo contributo è presentare i risultati dell’indagine pilota sul ruo- lo dei sostenitori nell’ambito del SaD. La struttura del lavoro, si articola secondo i seguenti punti: studiare le percezio- ni e le aspettative dei sostenitori italiani; definire un profilo medio comportamenta- le, attraverso l’utilizzo dei dati socio-anagrafici, dei sostenitori; indagare le motiva- zioni di sostegno e le diffidenze verso il SAD attraverso le percezioni e le impressio- ni di chi scelto di compiere tale gesto; valutare il livello di soddisfazione dei sosteni- tori e quali sono le caratteristiche che devono essere migliorate, in modo da definire possibili miglioramenti nel rapporto tra l’ente e il sostenitore e di conseguenza ver- so il beneficiario

La de-industrializzazione, il sottofinanziamento delle Università e le migrazioni intellettuali: il caso italiano= De-industrialization, Universities underfinancing and intellectual migration: the Italian case

De-industrialization, Universities underfinancing and intellectual migration: the Italian case. The aim of this paper is to analyze the link existing between the reduction of public expenditure on tertiary education and scientific research and the increase in migration on the part of young individuals with high human capital, from Southern to Northern Italy. It will be shown that the reduction of public spending on tertiary education and scientific research basically depends on the reduction of labour demand for highly skilled workers, and that this strategy proves to be counterproductive for the long-term growth of the Italian economy and for purpose of reducing interregional divergences. These arguments are dealt with in a Kaldorian theoretical perspectiv

Hair analysis for illicit drugs by using capillary zone electrophoresis-electrospray ionization-ion trap mass spectrometry

In forensic toxicology, hair analysis has become a well established analytical strategy to investigate retrospectively drug abuse histories. In this field, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry are currently used, often after preliminaryscreening with immunoassays. However, on the basis of previous applications to pharmaceutical analysis, capillary zone electrophoresis coupled to ion trap mass spectrometry looks also highly promising. The purpose of the present work was the development of a simple and rapid CZE–MS method for sensitive and quantitative determination of the main drugs of abuse and their metabolites (namely, 6-monoacetylmorphine, morphine, amphetamine, methamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), 3,4-methylenedioxymethampthetamine (MDMA), benzoylecgonine, ephedrine and cocaine) in human hair. Hair samples (100 mg) were washed, cut and incubated overnight in 0.1MHCl at 45 ◦C, then neutralized with NaOH and extracted by a liquid–liquid extraction method. CZE separations were carried out in a 100 cm×75m (I.D.) uncoated fused silica capillary. The separation buffer was composed of 25mM ammonium formate, pH 9.5; the separation voltage was 15 kV. Electrokineticinjections were performed at 7 kV for 30 s under field amplified sample stacking conditions. ESI-ion trap MS detection was performed in the ESI positive ionization mode using the following conditions: capillary voltage 4 kV, nebulizer gas (nitrogen) pressure 3 psi, source temperature 150 ◦C and drying gas (nitrogen) flow rate 8 l/min. A sheath liquid, composed of isopropanol–water (50:50, v/v) with 0.5% formic acid, was delivered at a flow rate of 4 ul/min. The ion trap MS operated in a selected ion monitoring mode (SIM) of positive molecular ions for each drug/metabolite.Collision induced fragmentation was also possible. Nalorphine was used as internal standard. Under the described conditions, the separation of all compounds, except amphetamine/methamphetamine, MDA/MDMA and morphine/6-MAM was achieved in 20 min, with limits of detection lower than the most severe cut-offs adopted in hair analysis (i.e. 0.1 ng/mg). Linearity was assessed within drug concentration ranges from 0.025 to 5 ng of each analyte/mg of hair. Analytical precision was fairly acceptable with RSD’s ≤3.06% for migration times and ≤22.47% for areas in realsamples, in both intra-day and day-to-day experiments. On these grounds, the described method can be proposed for rapid, selective and accurate toxicological hair analysis for both clinical and forensic purposes

Broad-spectrum toxicological analysis of hair based on capillary zone electrophoresis-time-of-flight mass spectrometry

The coupling of capillary electrophoresis\u2013electrospray ionization and time-of-flight mass spectrometry, combining efficiency and speed of separation with high mass accuracy and fast scanning capability, was for the first time applied to the determination of drugs of abuse (amphetamine, methamphetamine,MDA, MDMA, ephedrine, cocaine, morphine, codeine) and their metabolites in hair (6-MAM, benzoylecgonine). Experimental conditions were as follows. Separation: voltage 15 kV, uncoated fused-silica capillary (75 um ID, 100 cm total length), running electrolyte 25mM ammonium formate, pH 9.5, field-amplified sample stacking injection. Forensic drugs could be identified by exact mass determination (mass accuracy typically 64 5 ppm) and by match of the isotopic pattern. The method was fully validated, showing limit of detections (LODs) suitable for the determination of all the compounds below the cut-off usually adopted for hair analysis (0.1 ng/mg). Analytical precision in real matrices (tested at 0.1 and 1.0 ng/mg) was typically characterized by CV\u2019s 64 24% in both intra-day and day-to-day experiments. Quantitative determination was also tested by using a single internal standard (folcodine). Results, although with a moderate accuracy, conceivably depending on the lack of deuterated internal standards, proved useful for diagnostic use of the results from hair analysis. A single liquid\u2013liquid extraction procedure was applied for all analytes, allowing the detection of a broad spectrum of basic drugs and their major metabolites

Nanostructured polysaccharidic microcapsules for intracellular release of cisplatin

Carbohydrate polimeric microcapsules were assembled using a LbL approach onto a CaCO3 core. The microcapsules were used to delivery the anticancer drug cisplatin into HeLa and MCF-7 cancer cell lines. Drug encapsulation, measured by ICP spectroscopy, was around 50% of the charging solution. Fluorimetric measurements showed an efficient cellular uptake of polysacchardic microcapsules in both cell lines. The drug-loaded capsules demonstrated a better efficiency against cell viability than the free drug. Specifically, the amount of platinum reaching genomic DNA was measured, showing that encapsulation improves the nuclear delivery of the drug for both cell lines

Flexible object-oriented modelling for the control of large gas networks

In this work we develop an innovative framework for the dynamic modelling of natural gas transmission networks. Thanks to its flexibility, this tool may be used to support operation of the network while also giving the possibility to explore and test new optimized scenarios, introduce new elements in the grid itself (ranging from new branches to new machines) and test the use of new gas mixtures. We use as benchmark the Italian high pressure gas transportation network, executing simulations of past daily operation scenarios. Results are compared to real measurements so to prove the validity of the adopted approach

Long-term effects after treatment with platinum compounds, cisplatin and [Pt(O,O′-acac)(γ-acac)(DMS)]: Autophagy activation in rat B50 neuroblastoma cells

Cisplatin (cisPt), among the best known components of multi-drug front-line therapies used for the treatments of solid tumors, such as the childhood neuroblastoma, acts through DNA linking. Nevertheless, the cisPt effectiveness is compromised by the onset of severe side effects, including neurotoxicity that results in neurodegeneration, cell death, and drug-resistance. In the field of experimental oncology, aimed at overcoming cytotoxicity and chemoresistance, great efforts are devoted to the synthesis of new platinum-based drugs, such as [Pt(O,O'-acac)(γ-acac)(DMS)] (PtAcacDMS), which shows a specific reactivity with sulfur residues of enzymes involved in apoptosis. Autophagy, an evolutionary conserved degradation pathway for recycling of cytoplasmic components, represents one of the mechanisms adopted by cancer cells which contribute to drug-resistance. In the present study, standard acute (48 h-exposure) and long-term effects (7 day-recovery after treatment or 7 day-recovery followed by reseeding and 96 h-growth), of cisPt and PtAcacDMS (40 and 10 μM, respectively) were investigated in vitro employing rat B50 neuroblastoma as a cancer model. Using fluorescence and electron microscopy, as well as biochemical techniques, our data highlight a key role of the autophagic process in B50 cells. Specifically, long-term effects caused by cisPt lead to inhibition of the apoptotic process and paralleled by the activation of autophagy, thus evidencing that autophagy has a protective role after cisPt exposure, allowing cells to survive. Whereas, long-term effects produced by PtAcacDMS lead toward both apoptosis and autophagy activation. In conclusion, autophagy may represents an alternative cell death pathway, circumventing drug-resistance strategies employed by cancer cells to survive chemoterapy