Il ritorno della politica? Uno sguardo sull'Italia

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Politica, antipolitica e nuova politica nell’Italia contemporanea. Colloquio con Donatella della Porta

Colloquio con Donatella Della Porta su politica e antipolitica in Italia

Antibacterial rifampicin-loaded electrospun polycaprolactone membranes for ureteral regeneration

Author of the study: Nowadays partial or complete ureteral loss following resection or injuries of various etiology is managed with different surgical techniques involving local tissue flaps or autologous tissues interposition. In the last years ureteral tissue engineering using membranes, tubular scaffolds or decellularized matrices has shown promising results for ureteral substitution. The aim of this study is to evaluate the use of antibacterial electrospun polycaprolactone/ rifampicin (PCL/RIF) membranes for the production of ureteral scaffolds with antibacterial properties. Materials and methods: Electrospinning processwas used to produce the membranes that were subsequently impregnated with rifampicin. Membranes stability was evaluated by immersion in Simulated Body Fluid (SBF) at 37 °C. Mechanical properties were evaluated by uniaxial tensile tests, Young’s modulus was calculated for each sample. UV spectrophotometry was used to evaluate in vitro release of rifampicin. The ability of PCL/Rif membranes to sustain cell adhesion and proliferation was evaluated by seeding human urothelial bladder carcinoma cells on the membranes. In order to investigate the antibacterial effect of PCL/Rif membranes, in vitro antibacterial tests were performed using bacterial strains belonging to the “ESKAPE” group. Results: PCL/Rif membranes are characterized by a random distribution of fibers with an average diameter of 0.52 μm.Water contact angle for PCL and PCL/Rif membranes is around 125° and decreases to 0° after air-plasma treatment. When culture medium is used as testing fluid PCL and PCL/Rif contact angles are 116° and 12° respectively. Membranes are deformable up to 300% of their initial dimension and possess an elastic Young modulus of about 20 kPa; after 3 weeks membranes gain the property to sustain a 100% deformation before rupture. The 72% of rifampicin load is released by the membranes in the first 24 hours. Proliferation assay showed a seven-fold increase of cell number adhered on the membranes after 7 days of culture. At the same time in presence of PCL/Rif membranes, rates of bacterial proliferation inhibition ranged from 75 to 94% compared to controls. Conclusions: PCL/Rif membranes represent a promising starting point in the production of ureteral scaffolds with antibacterial properties for ureteral substitution

Rifampicin-loaded electrospun polycaprolactone membranes: Characterization of stability, antibacterial effects and urotheliocytes proliferation

Pathological conditions such as infections, cancer, inflammation, or iatrogenic lesions, can hinder the cor-rect functionality of the ureter and its structural integrity. Several strategies for the regeneration of the ureter and the restoration of its functionality are available but the best strategy has not been reached yet. Among the proposed strategies, a promising one is the development of tubular scaffolds, in particular exploiting electrospinning technique. In this work, antibacterial electrospun polycaprolactone/rifampicin (PCL/Rif) membranes were prepared and characterized. The membranes are characterized by randomly oriented nanofibers with a homogeneous diameter, as determined by scanning electron microscopy. The mechanical characterization, performed with uniaxial tensile tests, showed a suitable stability over time and a proper deformability. The rifampicin release, investigated by UV spectrophotometry, showed a burst release in the first part of the experiment and a sustained release over time. The membranes are biocompatible and able to support the adhesion and proliferation of urotheliocytes. Moreover, PCL/Rif membranes showed an antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and other bacterial strains belonging to the "ESKAPE" group. Considering the possibility to use the electrospinning for the production of tubu-lar scaffolds, the described membranes represent a promising starting point for the preparation of uret-eral scaffolds with antibacterial properties.(c) 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

A Prospective Observational Study of Antihemophilic Factor (Recombinant) Prophylaxis Related to Physical Activity Levels in Patients with Hemophilia A in the United States (SPACE)

Introduction: High collision-risk physical activity can increase bleeding risk in people with hemophilia A, as can increasing the time between factor VIII (FVIII) administration and physical activity. FVIII prophylaxis may be tailored to planned activities to prevent activity-related bleeding. Aim: To explore the relationship between physical activity levels, FVIII infusion timing, and occurrence of bleeding in patients with severe/moderately severe hemophilia A without FVIII inhibitors receiving antihemophilic factor (recombinant) (rAHF; ADVATE®; Baxalta US Inc., a Takeda company, Lexington, MA, USA). Methods: SPACE was a 6-month, prospective, multicenter, observational outcomes study (NCT02190149). Enrolled patients received an eDiary application and a wearable activity tracker, which recorded physical activity, rAHF infusion, and occurrence of bleeding. Physical activity risks were ranked using National Hemophilia Foundation criteria. Results: Fifty-four patients aged 11– 58 years (n = 47 prophylaxis, n = 7 on-demand) were included in the analysis. Patients had a mean (SD) 8.14 (10.94) annualized bleeding rate, and recorded 4980 intervals between an rAHF infusion and physical activity; 1759 (35.3%) of these intervals were ≤ 24 hours. Analysis of recorded eDiary data showed that the risk of activity-related bleeding did not significantly increase with time between last infusion and activity, but did increase with higher-risk physical activities. Analysis of activity tracker recorded data showed that the risk of bleeding reported by patients as spontaneous increased with prolonging time (≤ 24 to \u3e 24 hours) from last infusion to physical activity start (odds ratio 2.65, p \u3c 0.05). Joint health data collected at baseline were not included in the regression analysis because of small sample size; therefore the study could not assess whether patients with more joint disease at baseline were at higher risk of injury-related and reported spontaneous occurrence of bleeding. Conclusion: These results show that activities with a high risk of collision lead to an increased risk of bleeding. Further investigation is warranted to explore potential benefits of FVIII infusion timing to reduce the risks of activity-related occurrence of bleeding

Apixaban overdose in children: case report and proposed management. A brief communication from the Pediatric and Neonatal Thrombosis and Hemostasis SSC of ISTH

\ua9 2024 The Authors. Background: Direct oral anticoagulants are commonly prescribed for adults and increasingly also for children requiring anticoagulation therapy. While household medications should not be accessible to children, accidental, and intentional overdoses occur. Key Clinical Question: How should apixaban overdose in children be managed?. Clinical Approach: We present a case of an accidental overdose with the factor Xa antagonist apixaban in a young child and propose an approach to the management of cases of apixaban overdose in children. Conclusion: Given the increasing use of direct oral anticoagulants, it is important to have an approach to the management of overdose of these medications

Human and animal integrated influenza surveillance: a novel sampling approach for an additional transmission way in the aquatic bird reservoir.

Background: infectious low pathogenic avian influenza viruses (LPAIVs) have been recently detected on feathers of wild ducks. Laboratory trial results suggested that the preen oil gland secretion, covering waterbirds\u2019 feathers, may attract and concentrate virus particles from AIV-contaminated waters to birds\u2019 bodies. We evaluated whether ducks can become infected by the ingestion of preen oil-associated viral particles, experimentally smeared on their plumage. In addition, we compared virologic and serologic results obtained from mallards whose feathers were experimentally infected, with those from wild mallards naturally carrying AIVs on feathers. Methods: we experimentally coated 7 mallards (Anas plathyrynchos) using preen oil mixed with a LPAIV (H10N7 subtype), and housed them for 45 days with a control, uncoated duck. Cloacal, oropharyngeal and feather swabs were collected from all birds and examined for AIV molecular detection and isolation. Blood samples were also taken to detect influenza specific antibodies. In addition, sera from 10 wild mallards, carrying on feathers infectious LPAIV H10N7, were examined. Results: virologic and serologic results indicated that through self- and allopreening all the birds experimentally coated with the preen oil/AIV mix and the control duck ingested viruses covering feathers and became infected. Virus isolation from feathers was up to 32 days post-coating treatment. One out of 8 wild mallards showing antibodies against type A influenza virus was seropositive for H10 subtype too. Conclusions: our experimental and field results show evidences suggesting that uninfected birds carrying viruses on their feathers, including immune ones, might play an active role in spreading AIV infection in nature. For this reason, routine AIV surveillance programs, aimed at detecting intestinal and/or respiratory viruses, should include the collection of samples, such as feather swabs, enabling the detection of viruses sticky to preened birds\u2019 bodies

Serologic evidence of occupational exposure to avian influenza viruses at the wildfowl/poultry/human interface

Ecological interactions between wild aquatic birds and outdoor-housed poultry can enhance spillover events of avian influenza viruses (AIVs) from wild reservoirs to domestic birds, thus increasing the related zoonotic risk to occupationally exposed workers. To assess serological evidence of AIV infection in workers operating in Northern Italy at the wildfowl/poultry interface or directly exposed to wildfowl, serum samples were collected between April 2005 and November 2006 from 57 bird-exposed workers (BEWs) and from 7 unexposed controls (Cs), planning three sample collec-tions from each individual. Concurrently, AIV surveillance of 3587 reared birds identified 4 AIVs belonging to H10N7, H4N6 and H2N2 subtypes while serological analysis by hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay showed recent infections caused by H1, H2, H4, H6, H10, H11, H12, and H13 subtypes. Human sera were analyzed for specific antibodies against AIVs belonging to antigenic subtypes from H1 to H14 by using HI and virus microneutralization (MN) assays as a screening and a confirmatory test, respectively. Overall, antibodies specific to AIV-H3, AIV-H6, AIV-H8, and AIV-H9 were found in three poultry workers (PWs) and seropositivity to AIV-11, AIV-H13—still detectable in October 2017—in one wildlife professional (WP). Furthermore, seropositivity to AIV-H2, accounting for previous exposure to the “extinct” H2N2 human influenza viruses, was found in both BEWs and Cs groups. These data further emphasize the occupational risk posed by zoonotic AIV strains and show the possible occurrence of long-lived antibody-based immunity following AIV infections in humans