Occult HBV infection

The presence of hepatitis B virus genome in HBsAg-negative subjects is known as “occult infection” from HBV. Patients with occult infection may express markers of previous exposure to B virus (anti-HBs and / or anti-HBc positive). 20% is negative for all HBV markers except for the presence of HBV-DNA. Occult infection is associated with a strong suppression of viral replication that is responsible for both HBsAg negativity and the very low or undetectable HBV-DNA in serum but seen in the liver tissue. The pathogenesis of occult infection is considered multifactorial. Infection by mutants of HBV (HBsAg mutants), suppression of viral replication and expression of genes of HBV, HBV-DNA integration into the host genome, infection of HBV in mononuclear peripheral blood, abnormalities of the immune response, interference with other virus. HBV DNA with high sensitivity and specificity, can shorten the “window period” elapses between exposure to infection and responsiveness to the serological test.The presence of mutant HBV amino acid substitution of the determinant “a” gene “S” epitope of the surface protein of the virus, causes conformational changes that alter the binding with the specific antibody. Aim of this work is to assess negative or borderline subjects of HbsAg, with moderate increases of transaminase levels but - positive to HBV DNA test. The serological markers of HBV were determined with Architect (Abbott).The HBV-DNA was evaluated in Real-Time PCR Cobas TaqMan 48 (Roche) a quantitative test that detects the viral concentration. 15350.12 (0.07%) were positive for HBV-DNA test., 3 positive for HBsAg, 9 negative HBV markers showed anti-HBc reactivity in all 12 anti-HBe in 3, 4 anti-HBs with a titer of 13UI/ml.Le ALT were altered only for 2 to 12 and was detected viremia below the sensitivity test (<6 IU / ml).These data allow to draw some considerations: - Screening tests for infection with HBV do not show the “window period”.The slow replication of HBV with low viremia in the initial phase involves the impossibility of identifying HBsAg in serological screening, but detected by molecular biology tests. - The “window period”, the carrier state immunosilent chronic, low levels of viral proteins do not detect the infection. - Data in literature indicate the presence of different mutant strains of HBV characterized by altered expression of the antigenic determinant “a” of HbsAg. - The majority of screening tests for detection of HBsAg using monoclonal antibodies for the identification of the determinant “a” is needed to identify the different mutants using a mixture of monoclonal antibodies capable of recognizing even the most conserved regions.The gold standard methods to detect the mutant viruses are the techniques of molecular biology and the direct sequencing

The Italian Validation of the Level of Exposure-Dental Experiences Questionnaire

The aim of this monocentric cross-sectional study was to evaluate the psychometric characteristics of the Italian version of the Level of Exposure-Dental Experiences Questionnaire (LOE-DEQ) in an Italian sample of 253 dental patients ranging from 18–80 years of age. The LOE-DEQ assesses 16 potential dental distressing experiences and 7 general traumatic life events through 4 subscales: (1) dentists’ behaviour and patients’ emotions (DBPE); (2) distressing dental procedures (DDP); (3) other distressing dental events (ODDE); and (4) general traumatic events (GTE). Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the original 4-factor model had adequate fit to the data obtained from the Italian sample. Criterion validity was partially confirmed as only DBPE and DDP positively correlated with dental anxiety. Similarly, convergent validity was also partially confirmed as DBPE, DDP, and ODDE correlated with negative beliefs towards the dentist and the dental treatment. Discriminant validity was fully confirmed, as all correlations were below 0.60. Finally, DDP was the factor most associated with high dental anxiety. This study offers evidence of the reliability and validity of the LOE-DEQ in the Italian context, providing Italian researchers and dentists with a tool to assess dental and general distressing experiences in dental patients

Residual Effect of Compost and Biochar Amendment on Soil Chemical, Biological, and Physical Properties and Durum Wheat Response

The residual effect of compost and biochar amendment on soil properties and durum wheat response was evaluated under field conditions in a Mediterranean environment. The treatments compared in a randomized complete block experimental design with three replications were: mineral fertilizer (100 kg N ha−1), compost applied at the rate of 25 Mg ha−1, biochar applied at the rates of 10 and 30 Mg ha−1, unfertilized control. Wheat was the second crop included in a sorghum–wheat cropping system and did not receive fertilizer supply. A hierarchical statistical analysis was carried out to investigate how different treatments could impact the cropping system performance. The findings highlight the significant influence of soil properties, particularly total N, WEOC, and TOC, on wheat and protein yield. One year after the amendment and fertilizer application, compost and biochar significantly increased soil total organic carbon content. The highest soil water extractable organic carbon was found with the compost application (76.9 mg kg−1), whereas the lowest value (50 mg kg−1) was with the highest rate of biochar. Soil respiration rates and hydraulic properties were not affected by the investigated treatments. This behavior is probably related to the short experimental duration and to the silty clayey soil texture. Significant correlations were observed between bulk density and water content at pressure heads in the −20 and −100 cm range; this range accounts for the effect of soil macro and mesopores. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed strong predictive power for grain (R2_adj = 0.78; p < 0.001) and protein yield (R2_adj = 0.77; p < 0.001). The highest grain yield (3.36 Mg ha−1) was observed with compost, and the lowest (2.18 Mg ha−1) with biochar at a rate of 30 Mg ha−1. These findings lay the basis for understanding how different soil amendment management may impact soil quality and wheat performance, even in consideration of climate change. © 2024 by the authors

Association of proinflammatory diet with low-grade inflammation: results from the Moli-sani study

Objectives: The association between diet and inflammation is well documented. Yet, no evidence exists on the relationship between the inflammatory potential of the diet and low-grade inflammation (LGI) as measured by a composite score of plasma and cellular biomarkers. The aim of this study was to assess the association between the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII\uae) and LGI in a large population-based cohort. Methods: Cross-sectional analyses were conducted on data from 20 823 adults (age 6535 y; 48% male) without acute inflammation, who were recruited within the general population of the Moli-sani study from 2005 to 2010. LGI was measured by using a composite score (INFLA-score) including platelet and leukocyte counts, the granulocyte to lymphocyte ratio, and C-reactive protein. DII scores were computed based on dietary intake assessed by the EPIC food frequency questionnaire. Multivariable linear regression models were fit to produce adjusted regression coefficients and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: Higher DII scores were associated with increased LGI (\u3b2 = 0.131; 95% CI, 0.089\u20130.174 for the highest versus lowest quintile of DII) after adjusting for age, sex, lifestyle, prevalence of chronic diseases, and health conditions. A higher DII score also was positively associated with each single biomarker of inflammation included in the INFLA-score, unhealthy behaviors (smoking, sedentary lifestyle), and insulin. Conclusions: Higher DII scores, indicating greater inflammatory potential of the diet, were directly associated with LGI, as measured by a composite score of plasma and cellular biomarkers of inflammation. These findings are consistent with the contributing role of diet-mediated inflammation in increasing risk for inflammation-related chronic diseases

Mean platelet volume is associated with lower risk of overall and non-vascular mortality in a general population: Results from the Moli-sani study

Larger mean platelet volume (MPV) has been associated with adverse health outcomes in high-risk populations or patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). We tested the association of MPV with mortality in a prospective cohort study including 17,402 subjects randomly recruited from an adult general population within the Moli-sani study (2005-2010). Two distinct subgroups (with or without CVD at baseline) were subsequently analysed. Hazard ratios (HR) were calculated using multivariable Cox-proportional hazard models. Over a median follow up of eight years (137,547 person-years), 925 all-cause deaths occurred (330 vascular, 351 cancer and 244 other deaths). In a multivariable model, the highest MPV quintile (mean MPV=10.0 fL), as compared to the lowest one, was associated with reduced risk of overall mortality (HR=0.79; 95 % confidence interval 0.64-0.98), cancer death (HR=0.70; 0.49-1.00) and death from other non-vascular/non cancer causes (HR=0.55; 0.36-0.84) but not with vascular mortality. The inverse association with overall death appeared even stronger in the subgroup without CVD at baseline (HR=0.64; 0.50-0.81). In contrast, within 920 subjects reporting a previous CVD event, larger MPV was associated with higher risk of total mortality (HR=1.69; 1.05-2.72; p for interaction=0.048) and with a trend of risk for other cause-specific deaths. In conclusion, larger MPV is associated with lower risk of overall and non-vascular death in subjects apparently free from CVD, but appears to be a predictive marker of death in patients with CVD history. The latter is a likely effect modifier of the association between MPV and death