Direct-acting antivirals and visceral leishmaniasis: A case report

Background: Visceral leishmaniasis is a vector-borne parasitic disease caused by protozoa belonging to the genus Leishmania. The clinical presentation of visceral leishmaniasis strictly depends on the host immunocompetency, whereas depressive conditions of the immune system impair the capability to resolve the infection and allow reactivation from sites of latency of the parasite. Case presentation: We describe a case of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) that occurred in a patient with chronic hepatitis C treated with direct-acting antiviral drugs (DAA). The hypothesized mechanism is the alteration of protective inflammation mechanisms secondary to DAA therapy. Downregulation of type II and III IFNs, their receptors, which accompany HCV clearance achieved during treatment with sofosbuvir and ribavirin might have a negative impact on a risk for reactivation of a previous Leishmania infection. We know indeed that IFN-\u3b3 is important to enhance killing mechanisms in macrophages, which are the primary target cells of Leishmania. Conclusion: Since VL is endemic in Sicily as well as in other countries of the Mediterranean basin, physicians should be aware of the possible unmasking of cryptic Leishmania infection by DAAs

Molecular phylogeny, taxonomy and biogeography of the "haenydra" lineage (coleoptera, hydraenidae, genus hydraena)

The water beetle family Hydraenidae includes more than 1500 species worldwide, currently divided into four subfamilies: Hydraeninae, Ochthebiinae, Prosthetopinae and Orchymontinae. The majority of species are adapted for marginal life in the microscopic, mainly freshwater, aquatic world, feedeing dyatoms algae, even if details about the ecology of these beetles are poorly known. Most Hydraenidae species usually live in a layer of nearly stationary waters, where they adhere to the submerged stones within the fastest regions of cold, clean and fastflowing perennial streams. Hydraena Kugelann represents the largest genus within the water beetle family Hydraenidae, and in particular within Hydraeninae, with about 850 species widely distributed all over the world and several hundreds not yet described. In a recent cladistic analysis, based on morphological characters, Hydraena s.l. was split in two subgenera: Hydraenopsis Janssens (Gondwanian) and Hydraena s.str. (Laurasian). Moreover, within Hydraena s.str, some derived and well-supported monophyletic clades were recognised, and defined as “lineages”. Among them, the "Haenydra" Rey lineage, previously considered by many authors as a valid genus/subgenus, includes about 90 species distributed esclusively in western Palaearctic, from Portugal to Iran, but absent in North Africa. According mainly to male genitalia features, "Haenydra" species could be divided into several species groups and complexes. The first objective of the present project was to completely re–examinate morphology (analyzing the diagnostic characters in a cladistic standpoint), taxonomy, ecology, biogeography and conservation of the whole lineage. Furthermore, the second aim of the present work was to investigate the molecular phylogeny of the "Haenydra" lineage using both mitochondrial (COI, 16S rDNA, NAD1, tRNALeu) and nuclear (18S rDNA, 28S rDNA) markers, in order to clarify the evolutionary relationships among the different species groups and complexes, and to confirm the phylogenetic position of the "Haenydra" lineage within the large genus Hydraena s.l. In fact, although the monophyly of "Haenydra" is generally accepted, hydraenid specialists have been often discordant about the phylogenetic position of the lineage within Hydraena, sometimes considering it a basal taxon, sometimes a derived lineage. Moreover, molecular clocks were used to investigate the natural history of Hydraena s.str., and particularly of "Haenydra". Preliminarly results well supported the monophyly and the derived phylogenetic position of the “Haenydra” lineage, that was split in two major monophyletic clades: the H. gracilis and the H. dentipes clades (that split ca. 7.5 MYA), each one including several sub-clades, often corresponding to previously morphologically defined species groups/complexe

EXPERIENCES OF UAV SURVEYS APPLIED TO ENVIRONMENTAL RISK MANAGEMENT

In this paper the results of some surveys carried out in an area of Apulian territory affected by serious environmental hazard are presented. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) are emerging as a key engineering tool for future environmental survey tasks. UAVs are increasingly seen as an attractive low-cost alternative or supplement to aerial and terrestrial photogrammetry due to their low cost, flexibility, availability and readiness for duty. In addition, UAVs can be operated in hazardous or temporarily inaccessible locations, that makes them very suitable for the assessment and management of environmental risk conditions. In order to verify the reliability of these technologies an UAV survey and A LIDAR survey have been carried outalong about 1 km of coast in the Salento peninsula, near the towns of San Foca, Torre dellOrso and SantAndrea( Lecce, Southern Italy). This area is affected by serious environmental risks due to the presence of dangerous rocky cliffs named falesie. The UAV platform was equipped with a photogrammetric measurement system that allowed us to obtain a mobile mapping of the fractured fronts of dangerous rocky cliffs. UAV-images data have been processed using dedicated software (AgisoftPhotoscan). The point clouds obtained from both the UAV and LIDAR surveys have been processed using Cloud Compare software, with the aim of testing the UAV results with respect to the LIDAR ones. The total error obtained was of centimeter-order that is a very satisfactory result. The environmental information has been arranged in an ArcGIS platform in order to assess the risk levels. The possibility to repeat the survey at time intervals more or less close together depending on the measured levels of risk and to compare the output allows following the trend of the dangerous phenomena. In conclusion, for inaccessible locations of dangerous rocky bodies the UAV survey coupled with GIS methodology proved to be a key engineering tool for the management of environmental risks

Molecular phylogeny, taxonomy and biogeography of the "haenydra" lineage (coleoptera, hydraenidae, genus hydraena)

The water beetle family Hydraenidae includes more than 1500 species worldwide, currently divided into four subfamilies: Hydraeninae, Ochthebiinae, Prosthetopinae and Orchymontinae. The majority of species are adapted for marginal life in the microscopic, mainly freshwater, aquatic world, feedeing dyatoms algae, even if details about the ecology of these beetles are poorly known. Most Hydraenidae species usually live in a layer of nearly stationary waters, where they adhere to the submerged stones within the fastest regions of cold, clean and fastflowing perennial streams. Hydraena Kugelann represents the largest genus within the water beetle family Hydraenidae, and in particular within Hydraeninae, with about 850 species widely distributed all over the world and several hundreds not yet described. In a recent cladistic analysis, based on morphological characters, Hydraena s.l. was split in two subgenera: Hydraenopsis Janssens (Gondwanian) and Hydraena s.str. (Laurasian). Moreover, within Hydraena s.str, some derived and well-supported monophyletic clades were recognised, and defined as “lineages”. Among them, the "Haenydra" Rey lineage, previously considered by many authors as a valid genus/subgenus, includes about 90 species distributed esclusively in western Palaearctic, from Portugal to Iran, but absent in North Africa. According mainly to male genitalia features, "Haenydra" species could be divided into several species groups and complexes. The first objective of the present project was to completely re–examinate morphology (analyzing the diagnostic characters in a cladistic standpoint), taxonomy, ecology, biogeography and conservation of the whole lineage. Furthermore, the second aim of the present work was to investigate the molecular phylogeny of the "Haenydra" lineage using both mitochondrial (COI, 16S rDNA, NAD1, tRNALeu) and nuclear (18S rDNA, 28S rDNA) markers, in order to clarify the evolutionary relationships among the different species groups and complexes, and to confirm the phylogenetic position of the "Haenydra" lineage within the large genus Hydraena s.l. In fact, although the monophyly of "Haenydra" is generally accepted, hydraenid specialists have been often discordant about the phylogenetic position of the lineage within Hydraena, sometimes considering it a basal taxon, sometimes a derived lineage. Moreover, molecular clocks were used to investigate the natural history of Hydraena s.str., and particularly of "Haenydra". Preliminarly results well supported the monophyly and the derived phylogenetic position of the “Haenydra” lineage, that was split in two major monophyletic clades: the H. gracilis and the H. dentipes clades (that split ca. 7.5 MYA), each one including several sub-clades, often corresponding to previously morphologically defined species groups/complexe

Molecular and morphological analyses confirm two new species of the Hydraena emarginata–saga clade (Coleoptera, Hydraenidae) from Spain and France

El documento auto-archivado en Digital.CSIC es el PRE-PRINT del autor. La versión definitiva se publicó posteriormente en Zootaxa 2760 : 29-38 (2011)Using morphological and molecular analyses, the existence of two undescribed species, H. diazi from north–eastern Spain and French Pyrenees, and H. fosterorum from north–central Spain is confirmed. These species are members of a European endemic complex of hydraenid beetles, the Hydraena emarginata–saga clade, belonging to the ”Haenydra“ lineage. The two new species are described and the geographic range of the widespread H. saga is revised.A visit of the first author to the NMW was supported by Synthesys (Application AT–TAF–53); the work of IR was funded by projects CGL2007–61665 and CGL2010–15755.Peer reviewe

First case of Mediterranean spotted fever-associated rhabdomyolysis leading to fatal acute renal failure and encephalitis

Mediterranean spotted fever (MSF) is a tick-borne zoonosis caused by Rickettsia conorii. In Italy, about 400 cases are reported every year and nearly half of them occur in Sicily, which is one of the most endemic regions. Although MSF is mostly a self-limited disease characterized by fever, skin rash, and a dark eschar at the site of the tick bite called a 'tache noire', serious complications are described, mainly in adult patients. Nevertheless, severe forms of the disease with major morbidity and a higher mortality risk have been described. We report a fatal case of MSF complicated by rhabdomyolysis, acute renal failure, and encephalitis in an elderly woman

Fever with perinasal and tongue lesions: A diagnostic challenge

The diagnosis may be challenging, and high suspicion index should be maintained in immunosuppressed patients with unusual mucocutaneous lesions, even in non-endemic areas for mucocutaneous leishmaniasis

The Evolutionary Conserved SWI/SNF Subunits ARID1A and ARID1B Are Key Modulators of Pluripotency and Cell-Fate Determination

Organismal development is a process that requires a fine-tuned control of cell fate and identity, through timely regulation of lineage-specific genes. These processes are mediated by the concerted action of transcription factors and protein complexes that orchestrate the interaction between cis-regulatory elements (enhancers, promoters) and RNA Polymerase II to elicit transcription. A proper understanding of these dynamics is essential to elucidate the mechanisms underlying developmental diseases. Many developmental disorders, such as Coffin-Siris Syndrome, characterized by growth impairment and intellectual disability are associated with mutations in subunits of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeler complex, which is an essential regulator of transcription. ARID1B and its paralog ARID1A encode for the two largest, mutually exclusive, subunits of the complex. Mutations in ARID1A and, especially, ARID1B are recurrently associated with a very wide array of developmental disorders, suggesting that these two SWI/SNF subunits play an important role in cell fate decision. In this mini-review we therefore discuss the available scientific literature linking ARID1A and ARID1B to cell fate determination, pluripotency maintenance, and organismal development

Leprosy-like cutaneous presentation of Histoplasma capsulatum infection in an African HIV+ patient

Histoplasma capsulatum is an opportunistic dimorphic fungus responsible for most often self-limiting or flu-like infections but potentially lethal in immunocompromised hosts. Histoplasmosis is rare in Europe. We reported a case of disseminated histoplasmosis in an African HIV patient with a leprosy-like primary cutaneous presentation and involvement of lungs, brain, limphnodes and eye. The therapy with liposomial B amphotericin and itraconazole led to a prompt resolution of the symptoms