Elimination of congenital rubella: a seroprevalence study of pregnant women and women of childbearing age in Italy

Prevention of congenital rubella is achieved by vaccination of susceptible women of childbearing age. In Italy, the National Plan for Measles and Congenital Rubella Elimination 2010–2015 implemented catch-up vaccination activities targeting susceptible adolescents and young adults, including women of childbearing age. The aim of this study was to assess the immunity against rubella in women of childbearing age in Tuscany (Central Italy) and Apulia (Southern Italy) and pregnant women in Apulia after the implementation of the National Plan for Measles and Congenital Rubella Elimination. Overall, anti-rubella IgG prevalence in women of childbearing age samples was 88.6% in Tuscany and 84.3% in Apulia. The lowest prevalence was observed in samples of 26–35 years old women of childbearing age in Apulia with 77.8%. Only 62.7% of samples from 26–35 years old pregnant women had IgG against rubella, and one sample out of 95 was positive to IgM. The findings of this study highlight the need for increasing awareness on the risk of contracting rubella infection during pregnancy and implement vaccination strategies to create opportunities for administration of rubella containing vaccines in young girls and women of childbearing age

Perinatal Depression and Anxiety Symptoms, Parental Bonding and Dyadic Sensitivity in Mother–Baby Interactions at Three Months Post-Partum

The quality of the early parent-infant relationship is crucial for the child's optimal development, and parental sensitivity plays a key role in early interactions. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the influence of maternal perinatal depression and anxiety symptoms on dyadic sensitivity at three months post-partum, also considering a large set of maternal and infant variables. At the third trimester of pregnancy (T1) and at three months postpartum (T2), 43 primiparous women filled in a set of questionnaires evaluating symptoms of depression (CES-D) or anxiety (STAI), the woman's parental bonding experiences (PBI), alexithymia (TAS-20), maternal attachment to the baby (PAI, MPAS) and the perceived social support (MSPSS). At T2 mothers also completed a questionnaire on infant temperament and took part in the CARE-Index videotaped procedure. Dyadic sensitivity was predicted by higher maternal trait anxiety scores in pregnancy. In addition, the mother's experience of being cared for by her father in childhood was predictive of her infant's lower compulsivity, while paternal overprotection predicted higher unresponsiveness. The results highlight the influence of perinatal maternal psychological well-being and maternal childhood experiences on the quality of the dyadic relationship. The results may be useful to foster mother-child adjustment during the perinatal period

The application of structural retinal biomarkers to evaluate the effect of intravitreal ranibizumab and dexamethasone intravitreal implant on treatment of diabetic macular edema

Background: The aim of this study was to compare the therapeutic effect of intravitreal treatment with ranibizumab and dexamethasone using specific swept-source optical coherence tomography retinal biomarkers in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME). Methods: 156 treatment-naïve patients with DME were divided in two groups: 75 patients received 3 monthly intravitreal injections of ranibizumab 0.5 mg (Lucentis®) (Group 1) and 81 patients received an intravitreal implant of dexamethasone 0.7 mg (Ozurdex®) (Group 2). Patients were evaluated at baseline (V1), at three months post-treatment in Group 1, and at two months post-treatment in Group 2 (V2). Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and swept source-OCT were recorded at each interval. Changes between V1 and V2 were analyzed using the Wilcoxon test and differences between the two groups of treatment were assessed using the Mann-Whitney test. Multiple regression analysis was performed to evaluate the possible OCT biomarker (CRT, ICR, CT, SND, HRS) as predictive factors for final visual acuity improvement. Results: In both groups, BCVA improved (p-value < 0.0001), and a significant reduction in central retinal thickness, intra-retinal cysts, red dots, hyper-reflective spots (HRS), and serous detachment of neuro-epithelium (SDN) was observed. A superiority of dexamethasone over ranibizumab in reducing the SDN height (p-value = 0.03) and HRS (p-value = 0.01) was documented. Conclusions: Ranibizumab and dexamethasone are effective in the treatment of DME, as demonstrated by functional improvement and morphological biomarker change. DME associated with SDN and HRS represents a specific inflammatory pattern for which dexamethasone appears to be more effective

meat quality traits of marchigiana beef cattle

Variation in quality of meat within the same breed and among different ones is due both to different biological factor (genotype, productivity, sex and age) and environmental and technological factors (composition and nutritional level of diet, rearing, transport and slaughter) acting on animals reared . All these factors interact in a complex way and lead to a high variability of muscular structure that characterizes the qualitative characteristic of meat. For this reason, in a study that expected the control at slaughter of 1000 Marchigiana cattle, on a random, 114 sample's steaks were taken from LD at 5th rib, right side of carcasses grading U or more in SEUROP grid. On meat samples, we tested colour parameters (L*a*b*) using Minolta Chromameter CR 200 and light D65 and Drip Loss as reported by ASPA Commission (1996). Then meat samples were weighted, frozen, lyophilized; their chemical composition (moisture, protein and fat) was determined. Variability of analysis' results was studied according to JMP package (SAS).The colour means (L*, a*, b*) were obtained considering at least 3 readings on every sample. Luminosity value (L* = 40.1 ± 3.6) is similar to the one reported on subjects transported for 1-4 hours, similarly to the Marchigiana cattle object of this study, while is higher than the mean reported by other researchers on Valdostana cattle, English crossbreds and on Charolaise x Maremmana crossbreds. The red parameter (a* = 25.0 ± 3.2) is better than means reported by the same researchers. The yellow parameter (b* = 6.9 ± 2.5) is similar to results obtained on Valdostana cattle, but lower that means obtained by other researchers. The Hue values are lower than those reported for Charolaise x Maremmana (15.1 vs 26.1), while Chroma (26.1 ± 3.7) is similar to the values obtained by the same researchers. The moisture (72.8 ± 1.2) is similar to the mean obtained on Chianina calves, but lower than the one indicated on Marchigiana bulls. The protein (19.8 ± 1.6) is lower than that obtained on Marchigiana cattle. The intramuscular fat (3.9 ± 1.5) is higher than results obtained on Marchigiana calves. The Drip Loss (1.4 ± 0.5) is 1 point % lower than those reported by other researchers. This low Drip Loss can be considered a parameter that indicates a good muscular maturity of slaughtered cattle. All parameters have a low variability except for fat (33.1%) and Drip Loss (35.7%). The Marchigiana cattle confirms the good qualitative characteristics of its meat, and strengthen the opportunity to increase the number of Marchigiana heads to be bred and raisen

Haplotypes of the genes (GCK and G6PC2) underlying the glucose/glucose-6-phosphate cycle are associated with pancreatic beta cell glucose sensitivity in patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes from the VNDS study (VNDS 11)

Background: Elevated fasting plasma glucose has been associated with increased risk for development of type 2 diabetes (T2D). The balance between glucokinase (GCK) and glucose-6-phosphate catalytic subunit 2 (G6PC2) activity are involved in glucose homeostasis through glycolytic flux, and subsequent insulin secretion. Aim: In this study, we evaluated the association between the genetic variability of G6PC2 and GCK genes and T2D-related quantitative traits. Methods: In 794 drug-naïve, GADA-negative, newly diagnosed T2D patients (VNDS; NTC01526720) we performed: genotyping of 6 independent tag-SNPs within GCK gene and 5 tag-SNPs within G6PC2 gene; euglycaemic insulin clamp to assess insulin sensitivity; OGTT to estimate beta-cell function (derivative and proportional control; DC, PC) by mathematical modeling. Genetic association analysis has been conducted using Plink software. Results: Two SNPs within GCK gene (rs882019 and rs1303722) were associated to DC in opposite way (both p < 0.004). Two G6PC2 variants (rs13387347 and rs560887) were associated to both parameters of insulin secretion (DC and PC) and to fasting C-peptide levels (all p < 0.038). Moreover, subjects carrying the A allele of rs560887 showed higher values of 2h-plasma glucose (2hPG) (p = 0.033). Haplotype analysis revealed that GCK (AACAAA) haplotype was associated to decreased fasting C-peptide levels, whereas, the most frequent haplotype of G6PC2 (GGAAG) was associated with higher fasting C-peptide levels (p = 0.001), higher PC (β = 6.87, p = 0.022) and the lower 2hPG (p = 0.012). Conclusion: Our findings confirmed the role of GCK and G6PC2 in regulating the pulsatility in insulin secretion thereby influencing insulin-signaling and leading to a gradual modulation in glucose levels in Italian patients with newly diagnosed T2D

Rifampicin-loaded electrospun polycaprolactone membranes: Characterization of stability, antibacterial effects and urotheliocytes proliferation

Pathological conditions such as infections, cancer, inflammation, or iatrogenic lesions, can hinder the cor-rect functionality of the ureter and its structural integrity. Several strategies for the regeneration of the ureter and the restoration of its functionality are available but the best strategy has not been reached yet. Among the proposed strategies, a promising one is the development of tubular scaffolds, in particular exploiting electrospinning technique. In this work, antibacterial electrospun polycaprolactone/rifampicin (PCL/Rif) membranes were prepared and characterized. The membranes are characterized by randomly oriented nanofibers with a homogeneous diameter, as determined by scanning electron microscopy. The mechanical characterization, performed with uniaxial tensile tests, showed a suitable stability over time and a proper deformability. The rifampicin release, investigated by UV spectrophotometry, showed a burst release in the first part of the experiment and a sustained release over time. The membranes are biocompatible and able to support the adhesion and proliferation of urotheliocytes. Moreover, PCL/Rif membranes showed an antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and other bacterial strains belonging to the "ESKAPE" group. Considering the possibility to use the electrospinning for the production of tubu-lar scaffolds, the described membranes represent a promising starting point for the preparation of uret-eral scaffolds with antibacterial properties.(c) 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Early myocardial damage and microvascular dysfunction in asymptomatic patients with systemic sclerosis: A cardiovascular magnetic resonance study with cold pressor test

Purpose: Cardiac involvement in Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) is increasingly recognized as a mayor cause of morbidity and mortality. The aim of present study is to investigate the early stages of cardiac involvement in SSc by Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR), combining the non-invasive detection of myocardial inflammation and fibrosis using T2 and T1 mapping techniques and the assessment of microcirculatory impairment through perfusion response to cold pressor test (CPT). Methods: 40 SSc patients (30 females, mean age: 42.1 years) without cardiac symptoms and 10 controls underwent CMR at 1.5 T unit. CMR protocol included: native and contrast-enhanced T1 mapping, T2 mapping, T2-weighted, cineMR and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) imaging. Microvascular function was evaluated by comparing myocardial blood flow (MBF) on perfusion imaging acquired at rest and after CPT. Native myocardial T1 and T2 relaxation times, extracellular volume fraction (ECV), T2 signal intensity ratio, biventricular volumes and LGE were assessed in each patient. Results: SSc patients had significantly higher mean myocardial T1 (1029±32ms vs. 985±18ms, p<0.01), ECV (30.1±4.3% vs. 26.7±2.4%, p<0.05) and T2 (50.1±2.8ms vs. 47±1.5ms, p<0.01) values compared with controls. No significant differences were found between absolute MBF values at rest and after CPT; whereas lower MBF variation after CPT was observed in SSc patients (+33 ± 14% vs. +44 ± 12%, p<0.01). MBF variation had inverse correlation with native T1 values (r: -0.32, p<0.05), but not with ECV. Conclusions: Myocardial involvement in SSc at preclinical stage increases native T1, T2 and ECV values, reflecting inflammation and fibrosis, and reduces vasodilatory response to CPT, as expression of microvascular dysfunction

Ion uptake and YSL1 gene identification in tomato

Tomato breeder are using wild tomato relatives, even non-cross compatibles ones, in order to obtain cultivars with highly commercial values bearing new traits. However, the introgression of a wild genome into the cultivated one produces a new gene combinations that may lead to the expression of undeliverable traits, perhaps not so easy to recognise; even more, phenotypic variations may escape during the selection procedure when minor genes or non-abnormal phenotypes are involved. In the frame of the “GenoPom” project funded by MIUR, we have focused our interest on the alteration of heavy metals uptake from the soil and their loading into edible organs in commercial lines coming from Solanum interspecific crosses. Our final aim is to put together data coming from ion homeostasis and gene expression analyses, thus obtaining a ionomic map of tomato. To pursue our goal, we have started to study the cv M82 of Solanum lycopersicon, the wild relative Solanum pennelli and their introgression lines IL. Regarding the experiments on ion homeostasis, S. lycopersicon M82 and the introgression line IL 6-4-2 were grown in hydroponics under controlled environmental conditions. Twenty day-old plants were left to grow for 10 days in the presence of non-toxic concentration of Cd (10 mM), Pb (3 mM), Zn (100 mM) given separately or combined. Control and treated roots and leaves were then harvested and stored at -80°C for ionic and gene expression analyses. Ions analysis of Solanum lycopersicon M82 and IL 6-4-2 showed that traits correlated to ionic homeostasis is significantly modified in response to all metals and to the genotype. The analysis of ions data, obtained by ICP-MS, give a pictures of the different responses performed both to different stress and to combined stress, probably correlated to the up-regulation and/or down regulation of metal uptake proteins. Performed experiments demonstrate that the introgression of the wild genome into the cultivated one produces a new phenotype, perhaps due to the expression of traits linked to uptake, translocation and accumulation of useful and/or toxic metal into plant tissues and organs. Regarding the functional genomics approach for gaining insight into gene networks involved in mineral-ion accumulation in tomato plants, in literature has been reported that at least 25 major family genes are involved for metal homeostasis in plants. Among them, the genes ysl, hma, mtp, znt, zrt have been already studied at least in the plant species Arabidopsis thaliana, A. halleri and Thlaspi caerulescens. So far, no such genes have been reported to be cloned in Solanum species. We have focused our study on the genes YSL1, ZNT1 and MTP1 responsible for uptake, translocation and accumulation of metal such as zinc, cadmium, and iron into plant compartment. For all of them, consensous sequences from nucleotide multialignment have been obtained. Then, each of those were blasted in a Solanum EST collection databank and an assembled UniGene sequence was obtained.. Finally, we have designed primers and performed PCR analysis on S. lycopersicon and S. pennelli genomic DNA. So far, we have cloned a putative ysl1 sequence from tomato, that has shown that a very high percentage of identity (92%) with whole ysl1 gene of Nicotiana tabacum; the in silico translated sequence of this sequence has shown a 89% of identity with the same tobacco protein

Impact of CFTR Modulators on Beta-Cell Function in Children and Young Adults with Cystic Fibrosis

Background: To date, no consistent data are available on the possible impact of CFTR modulators on glucose metabolism. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that treatment with CFTR modulators is associated with an improvement in the key direct determinants of glucose regulation in children and young adults affected by Cystic Fibrosis (CF). Methods: In this study, 21 CF patients aged 10–25 underwent oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) before and after 12–18 months of treatment with Lumacaftor/Ivacaftor or Elexacaftor-Ivacaftor-Tezacaftor. β-cell function (i.e., first and second phase of insulin secretion measured as derivative and proportional control, respectively) and insulin clearance were estimated by OGTT mathematical modelling. Insulin sensitivity was estimated by the Oral Glucose Sensitivity Index (OGIS). The dynamic interplay between β-cell function, insulin clearance and insulin sensitivity was analysed by vector plots of glucose-stimulated insulin bioavailability vs. insulin sensitivity. Results: No changes in glucose tolerance occurred after either treatment, whereas a significant improvement in pulmonary function and chronic bacterial infection was observed. Beta cell function and insulin clearance did not change in both treatment groups. Insulin sensitivity worsened in the Lumacaftor/Ivacaftor group. The analysis of vector plots confirmed that glucose regulation was stable in both groups. Conclusions: Treatment of CF patients with CFTR modulators does not significantly ameliorate glucose homeostasis and/or any of its direct determinants

Antibacterial rifampicin-loaded electrospun polycaprolactone membranes for ureteral regeneration

Author of the study: Nowadays partial or complete ureteral loss following resection or injuries of various etiology is managed with different surgical techniques involving local tissue flaps or autologous tissues interposition. In the last years ureteral tissue engineering using membranes, tubular scaffolds or decellularized matrices has shown promising results for ureteral substitution. The aim of this study is to evaluate the use of antibacterial electrospun polycaprolactone/ rifampicin (PCL/RIF) membranes for the production of ureteral scaffolds with antibacterial properties. Materials and methods: Electrospinning processwas used to produce the membranes that were subsequently impregnated with rifampicin. Membranes stability was evaluated by immersion in Simulated Body Fluid (SBF) at 37 °C. Mechanical properties were evaluated by uniaxial tensile tests, Young’s modulus was calculated for each sample. UV spectrophotometry was used to evaluate in vitro release of rifampicin. The ability of PCL/Rif membranes to sustain cell adhesion and proliferation was evaluated by seeding human urothelial bladder carcinoma cells on the membranes. In order to investigate the antibacterial effect of PCL/Rif membranes, in vitro antibacterial tests were performed using bacterial strains belonging to the “ESKAPE” group. Results: PCL/Rif membranes are characterized by a random distribution of fibers with an average diameter of 0.52 μm.Water contact angle for PCL and PCL/Rif membranes is around 125° and decreases to 0° after air-plasma treatment. When culture medium is used as testing fluid PCL and PCL/Rif contact angles are 116° and 12° respectively. Membranes are deformable up to 300% of their initial dimension and possess an elastic Young modulus of about 20 kPa; after 3 weeks membranes gain the property to sustain a 100% deformation before rupture. The 72% of rifampicin load is released by the membranes in the first 24 hours. Proliferation assay showed a seven-fold increase of cell number adhered on the membranes after 7 days of culture. At the same time in presence of PCL/Rif membranes, rates of bacterial proliferation inhibition ranged from 75 to 94% compared to controls. Conclusions: PCL/Rif membranes represent a promising starting point in the production of ureteral scaffolds with antibacterial properties for ureteral substitution