Heterotopic Transcatheter Tricuspid Valve Implantation: A Useful Bailout Strategy After Failed Transcatheter Tricuspid Valve Repair?

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Adjuvantation of Influenza Vaccines to Induce Cross-Protective Immunity

Influenza poses a huge threat to global public health. Influenza vaccines are the most effective and cost-effective means to control influenza. Current influenza vaccines mainly induce neutralizing antibodies against highly variable globular head of hemagglutinin and lack cross-protection. Vaccine adjuvants have been approved to enhance seasonal influenza vaccine efficacy in the elderly and spare influenza vaccine doses. Clinical studies found that MF59 and AS03-adjuvanted influenza vaccines could induce cross-protective immunity against non-vaccine viral strains. In addition to MF59 and AS03 adjuvants, experimental adjuvants, such as Toll-like receptor agonists, saponin-based adjuvants, cholera toxin and heat-labile enterotoxin-based mucosal adjuvants, and physical adjuvants, are also able to broaden influenza vaccine-induced immune responses against non-vaccine strains. This review focuses on introducing the various types of adjuvants capable of assisting current influenza vaccines to induce cross-protective immunity in preclinical and clinical studies. Mechanisms of licensed MF59 and AS03 adjuvants to induce cross-protective immunity are also introduced. Vaccine adjuvants hold a great promise to adjuvant influenza vaccines to induce cross-protective immunity

Heptavalent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine: growing knowledge and its implications for Italy

Introductive note A wide literature on Streptococcus Pneumoniae (Pn) infections is available, largely published in the recent years, after the introduction of the heptavalent conjugate vaccine in US and in Europe. This review is based on the most up-to-date scientific articles about this pathogen

A SOA-Based Solution to Monitor Vaccination Coverage Among HIV-Infected Patients in Liguria

Vaccination in HIV-infected patients constitutes an essential tool in the prevention of the most common infectious diseases. The Ligurian Vaccination in HIV Program is a proposed vaccination schedule specifically dedicated to this risk group. Selective strategies are proposed within this program, employing ICT (Information and Communication) tools to identify this susceptible target group, to monitor immunization coverage over time and to manage failures and defaulting. The proposal is to connect an immunization registry system to an existing regional platform that allows clinical data re-use among several medical structures, to completely manage the vaccination process. This architecture will adopt a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) approach and standard HSSP (Health Services Specification Program) interfaces to support interoperability. According to the presented solution, vaccination administration information retrieved from the immunization registry will be structured according to the specifications within the immunization section of the HL7 (Health Level 7) CCD (Continuity of Care Document) document. Immunization coverage will be evaluated through the continuous monitoring of serology and antibody titers gathered from the hospital LIS (Laboratory Information System) structured into a HL7 Version 3 (v3) Clinical Document Architecture Release 2 (CDA R2)

A Spinozan Analysis of Film Experience

The aim of this work is to analyse film experience within the perspective of embodied cognition, namely through the philosophy of Baruch Spinoza. His work was based on a vision of existence as absolute immanence, on the refusal of all dualism, and established a perfect parallelism between sensation and reason. This account involves an ecological and experiential model of subjectivity that is continuously redefined by the relational systems in which it is involved and by the ability to take an active part in them. Furthermore, Spinoza defined the human mind as an integrated and multimodal process mostly grounded on the associations of body states with complex concepts. These notions are largely compatible with George Lakoff’s semantic models, which focus on the experiential and embodied bases of cognition, and recent achievements within neurocognitive studies. With an innovative model that combines all these elements it is possible to accomplish a re-evaluation of Cognitive Film Theory (CFT) and to overcome different theoretical impasses in an innovative manner. In particular, Spinoza’s philosophy provides the opportunity to address negation and sad passions without referring exclusively to traditional notions such as catharsis, sublimation or detachment, which are traditionally put forth in CFT. With this new account, it is possible to highlight and embody the descriptive power of negative perceptions of the world and to overcome them, thus generating a renewed, constructive point of view. This new analytical approach will be tested on four case studies, films that challenge the viewer’s emotional engagement since they display situations of cosmic failure and depict controversial and damaged characters: A Serious Man (2009) by the Coen Brothers; Melancholia (2011) by Lars Von Trier; The Act of Killing (2012) by Joshua Oppenheimer; Only Lovers Left Alive (2013) by Jim Jarmusch. Spinoza’s philosophy allows us to appreciate and master sad passions and, at the same time, to show the conceptual power of film experience

The intradermal vaccination: past experiences and current perspectives

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New approaches for the control of influenza: the intradermal vaccination

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