Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Air Pollutants in the Province of Ferrara, Northern Italy: An Ecological Study

The etiopathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is still largely unknown, but likely depends on gene-environment interactions. Among the putative sources of environmental exposure are air pollutants and especially heavy metals. We aimed to investigate the relationship between ALS density and the concentration of air pollution heavy metals in Ferrara, northern Italy. An ecological study was designed to correlate the map of ALS distribution and that of air pollutants. All ALS cases diagnosed between 2000 and 2017 (Ferrara University Hospital administrative data) were plotted by residency in 100 sub-areas, and grouped in 4 sectors: urban, rural, northwestern and along the motorway. The concentrations of silver, aluminium, cadmium, chrome, copper, iron, manganese, lead, and selenium in moss and lichens were measured and monitored in 2006 and 2011. Based on 62 ALS patients, a strong and direct correlation of ALS density was observed only with copper concentrations in all sectors and in both sexes (Pearson coefficient (ρ) = 0.758; p = 0.000002). The correlation was higher in the urban sector (ρ = 0.767; p = 0.000128), in women for the overall population (ρ = 0.782, p = 0.000028) and in the urban (ρ = 0.872, p = 0.000047) population, and for the older cohort of diagnosed patients (2000-2009) the assessment correlated with the first assessment of air pollutants in 2006 (ρ = 0.724, p = 0.008). Our data is, in part, consistent with a hypothesis linking copper pollution to ALS

Kosteletzkya pentacarpos (L.) Ledeb.

Viene definita la distribuzione in Italia di Kosteletzkya pentacarpos e discusso il suo stato di conservazione

Probes for use in diagnsing Porphyria and allelic quantification of porphyria related genes by ligation and amplification reactions - gene HMBS

gene HMB

Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification : a novel approach for genetic diagnosis of Porphyria

Porphyrias are disorders caused by the genetic defects of enzymes of the heme pathway and are characterized by such a wide genetic heterogeneity that even the molecular analysis is not always decisive for a correct diagnosis. In the past few years, deletion with a size range of few kilobase pairs have been reported. These peculiar mutations, missed by both sequencing and cytogenetic techniques, have been identified by time consuming and technically demanding methods. To provide a rapid and sensitive method for the detection of deletions responsible for porphyria, we successfully designed and tested seven chemically synthesized probe sets specific for each heme gene and their flanking regions, to be used in multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification technique