Frequent detection of high human papillomavirus DNA loads in oral potentially malignant disorders

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is estimated to be the cause of 40-80% of the squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx but only of a small fraction of the oral cavity cancers. The prevalence of oral HPV infection has significantly increased in the last decade, raising concerns about the HPV role in progression of oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD) toward squamous cell carcinomas. We sought to study HPV infection in patients with oral lesions, and in control individuals, using non-invasive and site-specific oral brushing and sensitive molecular methods. HPV DNA positivity and viral loads were evaluated in relation to patient data and clinical diagnosis. We enrolled 116 individuals attending Dental Clinics: 62 patients with benign oral lesions (e.g. fibromas, papillomatosis, ulcers) or OPMD (e.g. lichen, leukoplakia) and 54 controls. Oral cells were collected with Cytobrush and HPV-DNA detected with quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) for the more common high-risk (HR) and low-risk (LR) genotypes. HPV detection rate, percentage of HR HPVs and HPV-DNA loads (namely HPV16 and in particular, HPV18) were significantly higher in patients than in controls. Lichen planus cases had the highest HPV positive rate (75.0%), hairy leukoplakia the lowest (33.3%). This study detected unexpectedly high rates of HPV infection in cells of the oral mucosa. The elevated HR HPV loads found in OPMD suggest the effectiveness of qPCR in testing oral lesions. Prospective studies are needed to establish whether elevated viral loads represent a clinically useful marker of the risk of malignant progression

Seroprevalence of group B Coxsackieviruses: retrospective study in an Italian population

Purpose Group B Coxsackieviruses (CVB) include 6 serotypes (B1‐6) responsible for a wide range of clinical diseases. Since no recent seroepidemiologic data are available in Italy, the study aim was to investigate CVB seroprevalence in a wide Italian population. Methods The study retrospectively included 2,459 subjects referring to a large academic hospital in Rome (Italy) in the period 2004‐2016. Seroprevalence rates and neutralizing antibodies (nAb) titers were evaluated in relation to years of observation and subjects’ characteristics. Results Positivity for at least one serotype was detected in 69.1% of individuals. Overall, the prevalent serotype was B4, followed by B3 (33.3%), B5 (26.2%), B1 (12.7%), B2 (11.0%), and B6 (1.7%). For B2, a significant decrease in seroprevalence over years was observed. Positivity to at least one virus was 25.2% in children aged 0‐2 years, but significantly increased in pre‐school (3‐5 yr) (50.3%) and school (6‐10 yr) children (70.4%). Higher nAb responses for B3 and B4 were observed in children aged 3‐5 years. Conclusion A high overall CVB prevalence was found. Type‐specific variations in prevalence over time probably reflect the fluctuations in circulation typical of Enteroviruses. Children are at greater risk for CVB infection given the high number of seronegative subjects aged 0‐10 years

EVALITA Evaluation of NLP and Speech Tools for Italian - December 17th, 2020

Welcome to EVALITA 2020! EVALITA is the evaluation campaign of Natural Language Processing and Speech Tools for Italian. EVALITA is an initiative of the Italian Association for Computational Linguistics (AILC, http://www.ai-lc.it) and it is endorsed by the Italian Association for Artificial Intelligence (AIxIA, http://www.aixia.it) and the Italian Association for Speech Sciences (AISV, http://www.aisv.it)

Enhancement of Viniferin Production in Vitis vinifera L. cv. Alphonse Lavallee Cell Suspensions by Low-Energy Ultrasound Alone and in Combination with Methyl Jasmonate

This study examined for the first time the effect of low-energy ultrasound (US), used alone or in combination with methyl jasmonate (MeJA), on viniferin production in cell cultures of Vitis vinifera L. cv Alphonse Lavallee. Cell suspensions were exposed for 2 min to US (power 30, 60, and 90 mW cm(-3)). The highest viniferin production was obtained at 30 mW cm(-3). When sonication was performed twice, the effect on viniferin production was negligible, whereas triple sonication slightly increased production. US treatment at 30 mW cm(-3) for 5 min decreased viniferin production and induced cellular death. The combined use of MeJA and US (2 min) increased the production of delta-viniferin, the dominant stilbene, more than each elicitor used alone. These results suggest that low-energy US, alone and in combination with MeJA, can act as a physical elicitor to stimulate viniferin production in V. vinifera cell cultures

HIV-1 DIVERSITY AND ANTIRETROVIRAL RESISTANCE MUTATIONS AMONG TREATMENT NAÏVE PATIENTS FROM 2005-2017: A SINGLE CENTER EXPERIENCE

Background: Transmitted drug resistance (TDR) in antiretroviral (ART)-naïve patients remains a serious concern since it can reduce the efficacy of treatment and may affect clinical outcomes. The aim of this retrospective study is to describe circulating viral subtypes and evaluate the prevalence of TDR in drug naïve patients from Sapienza University Hospital. Materials/methods: Genotypic resistance tests (GRT) of 668 ART-naïve patients attending Sapienza University Hospital, Rome, between 2005 and 2017 were analyzed. GRT were conducted in integrase (n= 52), protease and reverse transcriptase (RT) (n=668) sequences (Trugene® HIV-1 Genotyping Kit, Siemens; ViroSeq™ HIV-1 Genotyping System, Abbott). Results: Most of patients were male (76.1%), of Italian origin (70.9%), with a median age of 38 years (IQR 31- 48 years); the median viral load was 4.7 log10 copies/mL (IQR 4.1-5.3) and the mean baseline CD4 cell count was 352 cells/mm3 (IQR 148-570). Phylogenetic analysis revealed the presence of 21 different subtypes and Circulating Recombinant Forms (CRFs). Subtype B was most common (67.1%), followed by CRF02_AG (8.4%), subtypes C and F (6%). A significantly increased overtime in the proportion of non-B strains (p<0.001) and in the rates of nonItalians patients (p<0.001) was found. Most individuals (92.7%) had no TDR mutations and were susceptible to all drugs. The overall prevalence of TDR was 9.4% [nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs)= 4.2%, non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs)= 5.8%, protease inhibitors (PIs)= 1.0%] and was higher in subtype B strains. The most common resistant mutations were K103N (1.9%) and T215D/S (1.5%) in RT region and M46I (0.4%) in protease. Among integrase resistance mutations,7 individuals had a minor or accessory mutation and 2 showed major mutations. Among the minor mutations, T97A and G140S were detected in 3 and 2 patients respectively; E138K occurred in 1 individual. Interestingly, 2 patients harbored the major Q148H and the minor G140S mutation and share also the reverse transcriptase mutations (E138G, T215S, H221Y, M230L). These individuals were a couple, both active drug users and in acute phase of infection. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed that these patients harboring the same virus. No significant decrease of TDR was documented overtime. Conclusions: TDR rate observed in our population is in agreement with the average rate in Europe. The lack of a significant reduction of TDR underlines the importance of a continuous surveillance of resistance mutations. These data on INSTI mutations reinforce the recommendations to perform INSTI GRT before commencing treatment, especially in those presenting resistance to other classes of drugs and in difficult population like active drug users. Moreover, the significant increase of non-B viruses suggests the importance to monitor dynamics of HIV transmission, since this may have important clinical and diagnostic implication