Assessment and prevention of radioactive risk due to 222Radon on university premises in Genoa, Italy

From October 2004 to September 2005, Radon222 activity inhigh-risk indoor spaces used by employees and students at theUniversity of Genoa was measured with CR-39 nuclear trackdetectors. The mean concentration in winter (78.9 Bq/m3 ± 74.92 S.D.) was low in relation to the microenvironment considered. When data were broken down by type and location ofthe spaces, no significant differences were found, despite thefact that the Genoa conurbation lies on soil of variable geological composition. The dose absorbed by employees was 0.42 mSv/year, with a relative risk of 4.2/1000 cases of Radonrelated lung cancer. The dose absorbed by students was 0.28mSv/year, with a relative risk of 2.5/1000 cases of Radonrelated lung cancer. The level of radon activity detected neverexceeded the limit of 500 Bq/m3 established by Italian law.Nevertheless, the value of the compound uncertainty indexsuggested that the real level of Radon contamination couldhave exceeded 400 Bq/m3 in selected spaces, a value requiring annual concentration tests

Tryptophan-derived Catabolites Are Responsible for Inhibition of T and Natural Killer Cell Proliferation Induced by Indoleamine 2,3-Dioxygenase

Macrophages exposed to macrophage colony-stimulating factor acquire the capacity to suppress T cell proliferation; this effect is associated with de novo expression of the tryptophan-catabolizing enzyme indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO). We have purified IDO and tested its activity in in vitro models of T cell activation. IDO was able to inhibit proliferation of CD4+ T lymphocytes, CD8+ T lymphocytes, and natural killer (NK) cells; proliferation of B lymphocytes was not affected. The inhibitory role of tryptophan and of its catabolites was then tested. In the presence of tryptophan, only l-kynurenine and picolinic acid inhibit cell proliferation. In a tryptophan-free medium cell proliferation was not affected. In the absence of tryptophan inhibition induced by l-kynurenine and picolinic acid was observed at concentrations below the lowest concentration that was effective in the presence of tryptophan, and quinolinic acid acquired some inhibitory capacity. Inhibition of cell proliferation induced by the tryptophan catabolites resulting from IDO activity was selective, applying only to cells undergoing activation. Resting cells were not affected and could subsequently activate normally. We suggest that IDO exerts its effect on cell proliferation by (i) starting the cascade of biochemical reactions that produce the three catabolites and by (ii) enhancing their inhibitory potential by depriving the extracellular microenvironment of tryptophan

What Happened to Patients With Obsessive Compulsive Disorder During the COVID-19 Pandemic? A Multicentre Report From Tertiary Clinics in Northern Italy

After the outbreak of Coronavirus disease was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization, this resulted in extraordinary public health measures to control the infection, such as entire countries being placed under quarantine. The psychopathological consequences of the pandemic and quarantine were anticipated to be of particular relevance, especially in patients with psychiatric disorders such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Aim of the present report was to describe the impact of COVID-19 pandemics within a sample of Italian patients affected by OCD. Sociodemographic and clinical variables of a sample of 123 OCD outpatients, currently attending three OCD tertiary clinics in Northern Italy, were assessed through telephone and in-person interviews. Patients showing a clinical worsening of OCD represented more than one third of the sample and reported a significant emergence of new obsessions and compulsions phenotypes along with a significant exacerbation of past ones. Moreover, they were more frequently found to experience suicidal ideation, increased Internet checking, sleep disturbances, avoidance behaviors, and work difficulties. A significantly increased need of therapy adjustment and family accommodation was also observed. Further research is warranted to clarify the potential risk and related consequences of the current COVID-19 pandemic on OCD patients

Monoclonal antibodies to human erythrocyte glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase

Several antisera human erythrocyte glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD, type B) have been raised in rabbits and used for the characterization of genetic variants of this enzyme protein. Use of the anti-G6PD antisera for estimating the specific activity of G6PD variants has recently been criticized and shown to be inadequate to this purpose. Moreover, both the specificity and strength of conventional antisera are not satisfactory enough to allow a precise characterization of G6PD variants associated with severe deficiency of activity. In an attempts to overcome thes limitations, we used cell fusion techniques to obtain anti-G6PD antibody-secreting hybridomas. By this approach, a number of antibodies directed to human G6PD were isolated after fusion of an 8-azaguanine-resistant mouse myeloma line with splenocytes from a mouse hyperimmunized with G6PD

Electrospray ionization ion trap multiple-stage mass spectrometric fragmentation pathways of leucine and isoleucine: an ab initio computational study

We recently demonstrated the possibility to distinguish between leucine and isoleucine in several tryptic peptides by means of consecutive tandem mass steps (Armirotti et al. J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom. 2007; 18: 57), exploiting a gas-phase rearrangement of the immonium ion of Ile. In the present paper we explore the tandem mass spectrometric behaviour of the two amino acids. We propose a plausible structure for the diagnostic m/z 69 ion of Ile, that was reported for the first time in 1996 (Hulst and Kientz J. Mass. Spectrom. 1996; 31: 1188), and we explain why its formation is favoured with respect to Leu. Our conclusions are supported by ab initio quantum chemistry calcultations and isotope-labelled standards experiments

Simple synthesis of P1P2-Diadenosine 5'-pyrophosphate

Pyrophosphate-linked coenzymes play essential roles in several biochemical systems. Symmetrical diadenosine-5'-pyrophosphate (Ap2A) has been synthesized from adenosine-5'-phosphate in virtually quantitative yield. The simple procedure is carried out in anhydrous pyridine using adenosine phosphoromorpholidate and adenosine monophosphate bis-(tri-n-butylammonium salt) as coupling reagents