Interaction between Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium bovis, Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis with the enteric glia and microglial cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We investigated the interaction of <it>Mycobacterium avium </it>subspecies <it>paratuberculosis, M. bovis </it>and <it>M. tuberculosis </it>and different glial cells (enteric glial and microglial cells) in order to evaluate the infecting ability of these microorganisms and the effects produced on these cells, such as the evaluation of cytokines expression.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Our experiments demonstrated the adhesion of <it>M. paratuberculosis </it>to the enteroglial cells and the induction of IL-1A and IL-6 expression; <it>M. tuberculosis </it>and <it>M. bovis </it>showed a good adhesive capability to the enteric cell line with the expression of the following cytokines: IL-1A and IL-1B, TNF-α, G-CSF and GM-CSF; <it>M. bovis </it>induced the expression of IL-6 too.</p> <p>The experiment performed with the microglial cells confirmed the results obtained with the enteroglial cells after the infection with <it>M. tuberculosis </it>and <it>M. bovis</it>, whereas <it>M. paratuberculosis </it>stimulated the production of IL-1A and IL-1B.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Enteroglial and microglial cells, could be the target of pathogenic mycobacteria and, even if present in different locations (Enteric Nervous System and Central Nervous System), show to have similar mechanism of immunomodulation.</p

Colorectal Cancer Stage at Diagnosis Before vs During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy

IMPORTANCE Delays in screening programs and the reluctance of patients to seek medical attention because of the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 could be associated with the risk of more advanced colorectal cancers at diagnosis. OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was associated with more advanced oncologic stage and change in clinical presentation for patients with colorectal cancer. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This retrospective, multicenter cohort study included all 17 938 adult patients who underwent surgery for colorectal cancer from March 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021 (pandemic period), and from January 1, 2018, to February 29, 2020 (prepandemic period), in 81 participating centers in Italy, including tertiary centers and community hospitals. Follow-up was 30 days from surgery. EXPOSURES Any type of surgical procedure for colorectal cancer, including explorative surgery, palliative procedures, and atypical or segmental resections. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was advanced stage of colorectal cancer at diagnosis. Secondary outcomes were distant metastasis, T4 stage, aggressive biology (defined as cancer with at least 1 of the following characteristics: signet ring cells, mucinous tumor, budding, lymphovascular invasion, perineural invasion, and lymphangitis), stenotic lesion, emergency surgery, and palliative surgery. The independent association between the pandemic period and the outcomes was assessed using multivariate random-effects logistic regression, with hospital as the cluster variable. RESULTS A total of 17 938 patients (10 007 men [55.8%]; mean [SD] age, 70.6 [12.2] years) underwent surgery for colorectal cancer: 7796 (43.5%) during the pandemic period and 10 142 (56.5%) during the prepandemic period. Logistic regression indicated that the pandemic period was significantly associated with an increased rate of advanced-stage colorectal cancer (odds ratio [OR], 1.07; 95%CI, 1.01-1.13; P = .03), aggressive biology (OR, 1.32; 95%CI, 1.15-1.53; P &lt; .001), and stenotic lesions (OR, 1.15; 95%CI, 1.01-1.31; P = .03). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE This cohort study suggests a significant association between the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and the risk of a more advanced oncologic stage at diagnosis among patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer and might indicate a potential reduction of survival for these patients

The impact of surgical delay on resectability of colorectal cancer: An international prospective cohort study

AIM: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has provided a unique opportunity to explore the impact of surgical delays on cancer resectability. This study aimed to compare resectability for colorectal cancer patients undergoing delayed versus non-delayed surgery. METHODS: This was an international prospective cohort study of consecutive colorectal cancer patients with a decision for curative surgery (January-April 2020). Surgical delay was defined as an operation taking place more than 4 weeks after treatment decision, in a patient who did not receive neoadjuvant therapy. A subgroup analysis explored the effects of delay in elective patients only. The impact of longer delays was explored in a sensitivity analysis. The primary outcome was complete resection, defined as curative resection with an R0 margin. RESULTS: Overall, 5453 patients from 304 hospitals in 47 countries were included, of whom 6.6% (358/5453) did not receive their planned operation. Of the 4304 operated patients without neoadjuvant therapy, 40.5% (1744/4304) were delayed beyond 4 weeks. Delayed patients were more likely to be older, men, more comorbid, have higher body mass index and have rectal cancer and early stage disease. Delayed patients had higher unadjusted rates of complete resection (93.7% vs. 91.9%, P = 0.032) and lower rates of emergency surgery (4.5% vs. 22.5%, P < 0.001). After adjustment, delay was not associated with a lower rate of complete resection (OR 1.18, 95% CI 0.90-1.55, P = 0.224), which was consistent in elective patients only (OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.69-1.27, P = 0.672). Longer delays were not associated with poorer outcomes. CONCLUSION: One in 15 colorectal cancer patients did not receive their planned operation during the first wave of COVID-19. Surgical delay did not appear to compromise resectability, raising the hypothesis that any reduction in long-term survival attributable to delays is likely to be due to micro-metastatic disease

Prodotti Progetti 1995_2000

Raccolta antologica di lavori degli studenti del DUDI con l'obiettivo di mostrare il bilancio di un'esperienza didattica attraverso la presentazione dei principali temi trattati e di alcuni risultati

Bifactor structure of the schizotypal personality questionnaire (SPQ)

The best evidence from parallel PCA in the training set was in favor of a two-factor model; the bifactor implementation of this model showed good fit in the subsequent CFA. Two main dimensions of positive and negative symptoms underlie schizotypy in non-clinical samples, entailing specific risk of psychosis. On a measurement level, the study provided support for the use of the total scores of the SPQ to characterize schizotypy.The schizotypal personality questionnaire (SPQ) is used to characterize schizotypy, a complex construct helpful for the investigation of schizophrenia-related psychopathology and putative endophenotypes. The SPQ factor structure at item level has been rarely replicated and no study had tested a bifactor model of the SPQ so far. The unidimensional, the correlated, the second-order and the bifactor models of the SPQ were tested to evaluate whether the items converge into a major single factor defining the schizotypy-proneness of the participants, to be used for grouping purpose. Parallel principal component analysis (PCA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used to determine the optimal number of factors and components in a cross-sectional, survey design involving 649 college students (males: 47%). The first-order, nine-subscale model was confirmed by CFA in the whole sample

A Proteomic approach to differentiate histologically classified stable and unstable plaques from human carotid arteries

Objectives. By using proteomics we isolated and identified proteins that were expressed/retained in stable and unstable human carotid artery atherosclerotic plaques. Methods. The criteria for plaque instability were the presence of a thin fibrous cap or fissured cap covering the foamy or necrotic core, and the presence of overt, hemorrhagic, ulcerated or thrombotic plaques. Proteins were extracted from finely minced endarterectomy specimens (19 stable and 29 unstable plaques) and separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Coomassie Blue-stained gels were analysed using PD-Quest software. Results. A total of 57 distinct spots corresponding to 33 different proteins were identified by matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry using the NCBI database. Most of the spots were present in both types of extracts, although significantly (p &lt; 0.05) differing in abundance between them. Compared to stable plaque, unstable ones showed reduced abundance of: protective enzymes SOD3 and GST, small heat shock proteins HSP27 and HSP20, annexin A10, and Rho GDI. In unstable plaques the more abundant proteins were: ferritin light subunit, SOD 2 and fibrinogen fragment D. For fibrinogen fragment D, the increased levels in unstable versus stable plaques was confirmed by Western blot analysis. Conclusions. Since many of the differentially expressed proteins are known to have a functional role in inflammation and oxidative stress, we speculate that they may be involved in events relating to plaque stability.<br/