Clone Size of \u3ci\u3eAndropogon gerardii\u3c/i\u3e Vitman (Big Bluestem) at Konza Prairie, Kansas

Clone size of plants of Andropogon gerardii from Konza Prairie Biological Station, Manhattan, Kansas was estimated from spatial patterns of genetic variation, using proteins detected by starch gel electrophoresis and DNA content (ploidy) measured by flow cytometry. Unique multi-locus protein banding patterns and differences in ploidy were used to exclude plants as members of the same clone. Individual clones averaged about 2 m in diameter and areas of prairie of 100 m2 were calculated to contain an average of 31.8 genetic individuals

Immunization status of internationally adopted children in Rome, Italy

Aims: International adoption medicine is a relatively new specialty in pediatrics that has emerged to address the specific health care needs of internationally adopted children in high‑income countries. This study ascertains the seroprotection rate for vaccine‑preventable diseases, especially against pneumococcal diseases.Patients and Methods: We evaluated 67 internationally adopted children that reached the International Adoption Unit of Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, Rome‑Italy. We collected demographic information, data from preadoption immunization records, results of laboratory testing for immunity to vaccine‑preventable diseases (tetanus, pneumococcus, hepatitis B, hemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), measles), as well as results of screening for HIV, hepatitis C, quantiferon, immunological and nutritional status.Results: For children that had received ≥3 vaccine doses of tetanus, overall protection was 94% of 31 vaccinated children; with 1–2 vaccine doses for hepatitis B and Hib respectively, protection was 45% of 29 vaccinated children and 63% of 8 vaccinated children, respectively. For children with one or more doses of measles vaccine, protection was 63% of 32 vaccinated children. Regarding pneumococcus vaccine (documented for eight children), 88% of children with one or more doses of vaccine had developed protective immunity.Conclusions: International adoptees without a valid vaccine record need to undergo a complete schedule in accordance with their age and should receive all the vaccines in the adoptive country’s schedule.Key words: And pneumococcal immunization, immigrant children, internationally adopted children, vaccination statu

Seasonal Pattern of Hospitalization from Acute Respiratory Infections in Yaounde, Cameroon

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Chlamydophila pneumoniae infection in patients undergoing carotid artery stent.

Although several reports have correlated Chlamydophila pneumoniae (CP) infection with carotid endarterectomy and coronary stent, no data have been reported on the potential relationship between this pathogen and carotid artery stenting (CAS). Hence, we evaluated 47 subjects, 27 symptomatic and 20 asymptomatic, before CAS intervention and during the follow up, for the presence of CP DNA and anti-CP antibodies, including chlamydial HSP60 (Cp-HSP60). Before stent placement, CP DNA was detected exclusively in symptomatic patients, all of whom were also positive for CP IgG and IgA and 85.7% of them also had CP-HSP60 antibodies. At the follow-up, all CP DNA positive and 11 out of the 13 symptomatic patients with Cp-HSP60 antibodies became negatives. In contrast, no change was observed for CP- IgA antibodies. Despite the small number of patients, the present study advocates an important role of CP infection in symptomatic patients with carotid artery disease. Our findings also suggest that stent placement and/or therapy might have a role in favouring resolution of inflammation, though not affecting persistence of CP infection

The assessment and the within-plant variation of the morpho-physiological traits and VOCs profile in endemic and rare Salvia ceratophylloides Ard. (Lamiaceae)

Salvia ceratophylloides (Ard.) is an endemic and rare plant species recently rediscovered as very few individuals at two different Southern Italy sites. The study of within-plant variation is fundamental to understand the plant adaptation to the local conditions, especially in rare species, and consequently to preserve plant biodiversity. Here, we reported the variation of the morpho-ecophysiological and metabolic traits between the sessile and petiolate leaf of S. ceratophylloides plants at two different sites for understanding the adaptation strategies for surviving in these habitats. The S. ceratophylloides individuals exhibited different net photosynthetic rate, maximum quantum yield, light intensity for the saturation of the photosynthetic machinery, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, leaf area, fractal dimension, and some volatile organic compounds (VOCs) between the different leaf types. This within-plant morpho-physiological and metabolic variation was dependent on the site. These results provide empirical evidence of sharply within-plant variation of the morpho-physiological traits and VOCs profiles in S. ceratophylloides, explaining the adaptation to the local conditions

Initial impact of SARS-Cov-2 vaccination on healthcare workers in Italy. Update on the 28th of march 2021

In Italy, the COVID-19 vaccination campaign started in December 2020 with the vaccination of healthcare workers (HCW). To analyse the real-life impact that vaccination is having on this population group, we measured the association between week of diagnosis and HCW status using log-binomial regression. By the week 22–28 March, we observed a 74% reduction (PPR 0.26; 95% CI 0.22–0.29) in the proportion of cases reported as HCW and 81% reduction in the proportion of symptomatic cases reported as HCW, compared with the week with the lowest proportion of cases among HCWs prior to the vaccination campaign (31 August-7 September). The reduction, both in relative and absolute terms, of COVID-19 cases in HCWs that started around 30 days after the start of the vaccination campaign suggest that COVID-19 vaccines are being effective in preventing infection in this group

High Quality Inkjet Printed‐Emissive Nanocrystalline Perovskite CsPbBr3 Layers for Color Conversion Layer and LEDs Applications

Metal halide perovskites (MHPs) have shown outstanding optical emissive properties and can be employed in several optoelectronics devices. In contrast with materials of well-established technologies, which are prone to degradation or require expensive processes, MHPs can be obtained by solution processing methods and increase stability. Inkjet printing is proposed as an industrial friendly technique to deposit MHPs. The inks have been developed from colloidal CsPbBr3 nanocrystals and printing procedures that allow the deposition of thin layers with intense green emission. High emissive printed layers are assured by carrying out thermal annealing in vacuum oven, which is demonstrated to promote compact layers with low roughness, corroborated by SEM and AFM. XRD measurements show CsPbBr3 crystalline layers with cubic symmetry and XPS provides insight into the stoichiometric composition and local bonding. Optical properties of inkjet-printed CsPbBr3 films have been analyzed by UV-vis absorbance and photoluminescence (PL), to extract the bandgap energy and photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY). CsPbBr3 printed layers emit at 524 nm with a narrow emission (FWHM ≈ 15 nm), exhibiting a PLQY up to 20%. These results enabled the large-scale fabrication by inkjet printing of CsPbBr3 color conversion layers (CCLs) and pave the way for flexible LEDs

Continuous increase in HIV-1 incidence after the year 2000 among men who have sex with men in Rome: insights from a 25-year retrospective cohort study

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