188 research outputs found

    Studio e caratterizzazione molecolare di rotavirus circolanti in Albania ed in differenti aree italiane

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    I Rotavirus sono una delle cause più importanti di gastroenterite nei bambini con età minore di 5 anni. L’analisi dei genotipi G e P dei Rotavirus in circolazione è di fondamentale importanza nella valutazione della appropriatezza della vaccinazione di massa dei bambini in tutto il mondo. Nel complesso, 592 campioni di feci sono stati raccolti a Tirana (Albania), nel Salento (Sud Italia), e in tre diversi ospedali di Roma (Italia Centrale). Dei campioni totali, il 31% è risultato positivo ai Rotavirus in Albania, il 78% nel Salento, e il 38% a Roma. I campioni raccolti a Tirana e Roma sono stati G-P tipizzati, mentre i campioni raccolti nel Salento solo G tipizzati. Complessivamente, le combinazioni più frequentemente isolate in Italia sono state G4-P[8] (48%), G1-P[8] (28%), e G2-P[4] (9%), mentre in Albania sono state G9-P[8] (il 77%), G4-P[8] (9%), G1-P[8] (7%) e G4-P[4] (3%). L’analisi filogenetica è stata effettuata anche per valutare la parentela genetica dei ceppi.Rotaviruses are one of the most important causes of gastroenteritis in children under 5 years old. Analysis of G and P rotavirus genotypes in circulation is crucial in evaluating the appropriacy of mass vaccination of children worldwide. Overall, 592 stool samples were collected in Tirana (Albania), the Salento peninsula (South Italy), and three different hospitals in Rome (Central Italy). Of the total samples, 31% were rotavirus positive in Albania, 78% in the Salento, and 38% in Rome. The samples collected in Tirana and Rome were G–P typed, whereas the samples collected in the Salento were only G typed. Overall, in Italy the most frequent combinations were G4P[8] (48%),G1P[8] (28%), and G2 P[4] (9%); in Albania they were G9 P[8] (77%), G4 P[8] (9%), G1 P[8] (7%), and G4 P[4] (3%). Phylogenetic analysis was also performed to assess the genetic relatedness of the strains

    Are PEI-coated SWCNTs conjugated with hepatitis A virus? A chemical study with SEM, Z-potential, EDXD and RT-PCR

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    The conjugation between nanotubes, coated with different doses of polyethylene imine (PEI) and hepatitis A virus (HAV) was investigated by scanning electron microscopy, Z-potential, thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray diffraction (EDXD) and reverse transcript polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). For the first time, to our knowledge, evidence is obtained that conjugation between the nanotubes and the HAV occurs and that it has an (at least a partial) electrostatic character. Since all components of the conjugated systems, nanotubes, coating material and virus are characterized by different peak shapes in the selected q range, it was possible to infer that conjugation occurred. RT-PCR measurements confirmed that the conjugation of the coated nanotubes and HAV occurred and the result was stable. This opens up the prospect of probing the coated nanotubes as intra-cellular carriers in transfection processes of the virus. Further biological applications will concern a possible vaccine especially for non-replicative viruses

    The Central Laser Facility at the Pierre Auger Observatory

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    The Central Laser Facility is located near the middle of the Pierre Auger Observatory in Argentina. It features a UV laser and optics that direct a beam of calibrated pulsed light into the sky. Light scattered from this beam produces tracks in the Auger optical detectors which normally record nitrogen fluorescence tracks from cosmic ray air showers. The Central Laser Facility provides a "test beam" to investigate properties of the atmosphere and the fluorescence detectors. The laser can send light via optical fiber simultaneously to the nearest surface detector tank for hybrid timing analyses. We describe the facility and show some examples of its many uses.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, submitted to 29th ICRC Pune Indi

    Environmental Surveillance. An Additional/Alternative Approach for Virological Surveillance in Greece?

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    The detection of viruses in the sewage of an urban city by nucleic acid amplification techniques allows the identification of the viral strains that are circulating in the community. The aim of the study was the application of such detection which gives useful data on the distribution, spread, and frequency of these viruses, supporting epidemiological studies of the related viral infections. A two year (2007–2009) survey was conducted in order to evaluate the presence of human adenoviruses (hAdV), hepatitis A viruses (HAV), hepatitis E viruses (HEV), noroviruses (NoV), and human polyomaviruses (hPyV) in sewage samples collected from the inlet of a municipal biological wastewater treatment plant located in southwestern Greece. PCR methods were used for this survey. In total, viruses have been detected in 87.5% (42/48) of the analyzed sewage samples. Analytically, DNA viruses, hAdVs and hPyVs have been detected in 45.8% (22/48) and 68.8% (33/48) of the samples, respectively. As it concerns RNA viruses, HAV was detected in 8.3% (4/48), NoVs in 6.3% (3/48), while HEV has not been detected at all. After sequencing, AdVs were typed as Ad8, Ad40 and Ad41, while both JC and BK hPyVs have been recognized. All NoVs have been identified as GII4, while HAV was typed as genotype IA. Similar long-term studies could be undertaken in countries such as Greece in order to offer a valuable and complementary tool to current problematic epidemiological surveillance systems. This study demonstrates the advantages of environmental surveillance as a tool to determine the epidemiology of viruses circulating in a given community. To our knowledge this was the first of its kind study performed in Greece in order to establish this new way of surveillance

    Anisotropy studies around the galactic centre at EeV energies with the Auger Observatory

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    Data from the Pierre Auger Observatory are analyzed to search for anisotropies near the direction of the Galactic Centre at EeV energies. The exposure of the surface array in this part of the sky is already significantly larger than that of the fore-runner experiments. Our results do not support previous findings of localized excesses in the AGASA and SUGAR data. We set an upper bound on a point-like flux of cosmic rays arriving from the Galactic Centre which excludes several scenarios predicting sources of EeV neutrons from Sagittarius AA. Also the events detected simultaneously by the surface and fluorescence detectors (the `hybrid' data set), which have better pointing accuracy but are less numerous than those of the surface array alone, do not show any significant localized excess from this direction.Comment: Matches published versio

    Operations of and Future Plans for the Pierre Auger Observatory

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    Technical reports on operations and features of the Pierre Auger Observatory, including ongoing and planned enhancements and the status of the future northern hemisphere portion of the Observatory. Contributions to the 31st International Cosmic Ray Conference, Lodz, Poland, July 2009.Comment: Contributions to the 31st ICRC, Lodz, Poland, July 200
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