Socio-demographic factors involved in a low-incidence phase of sars-cov-2 spread in sicily, italy

Background: The present study analysed SARS-CoV-2 cases observed in Sicily and investigated social determinants that could have an impact on the virus spread. Methods: SARS-CoV-2 cases observed among Sicilian residents between the 1 February 2020 and 15 October 2020 have been included in the analyses. Age, sex, date of infection detection, residency, clinical outcomes, and exposure route have been evaluated. Each case has been linked to the census section of residency and its socio-demographic data. Results: A total of 10,114 patients (202.3 cases per 100,000 residents; 95% CI = 198.4–206.2) were analysed: 45.4% were asymptomatic and 3.62% were deceased during follow-up. Asymptomatic or mild cases were more frequent among young groups. A multivariable analysis found a reduced risk of SARS-CoV-2 cases was found in census sections with higher male prevalence (adj-OR = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.99–0.99; p < 0.001) and presence of immigrants (adj-OR = 0.89, 95% CI 0.86–0.92; p < 0.001). Proportion of residents aged <15 years, residents with a university degree, residents with secondary education, extra-urban mobility, presence of home for rent, and presence of more than five homes per building were found to increase the risk of SARS-CoV-2 incidence. Conclusion: Routinely collected socio-demographic data can be predictors of SARS-CoV-2 risk infection and they may have a role in mapping high risk micro-areas for virus transmission

Extracellular vesicles in airway homeostasis and pathophysiology

The epithelial–mesenchymal trophic unit (EMTU) is a morphofunctional entity involved in the maintenance of the homeostasis of airways as well as in the pathogenesis of several diseases, including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The “muco-microbiotic layer” (MML) is the innermost layer of airways made by microbiota elements (bacteria, viruses, archaea and fungi) and the surrounding mucous matrix. The MML homeostasis is also crucial for maintaining the healthy status of organs and its alteration is at the basis of airway disorders. Nanovesicles produced by EMTU and MML elements are probably the most important tool of communication among the different cell types, including inflammatory ones. How nanovesicles produced by EMTU and MML may affect the airway integrity, leading to the onset of asthma and COPD, as well as their putative use in therapy will be discussed here

Does access to care play a role in liver cancer survival? The ten-year (2006\u20132015) experience from a population-based cancer registry in Southern Italy

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most frequent primary invasive cancer of the liver. During the last decade, the epidemiology of HCC has been continuously changing in developed countries, due to more effective primary prevention and to successful treatment of virus-related liver diseases. The study aims to examine survival by level of access to care in patients with HCC, for all patients combined and by age. Methods: We included 2018 adult patients (15\u201399 years) diagnosed with a primary liver tumour, registered in the Palermo Province Cancer Registry during 2006\u20132015, and followed-up to 30 October 2019. We obtained a proxy measure of access to care by linking each record to the Hospital Discharge Records and the Ambulatory Discharge Records. We estimated net survival up to 5 years after diagnosis by access to care (\u201ceasy access to care\u201d versus \u201cpoor access to care\u201d), using the Pohar-Perme estimator. Estimates were age-standardised using International Cancer Survival Standard (ICSS) weights. We also examined survival by access to care and age (15\u201364, 65\u201374 and 65 75 years). Results: Among the 2018 patients, 62.4% were morphologically verified and 37.6% clinically diagnosed. Morphologically verified tumours were more frequent in patients aged 65\u201374 years (41.6%), while tumours diagnosed clinically were more frequent in patients aged 75 years or over (50.2%). During 2006\u20132015, age-standardised net survival was higher among HCC patients with \u201ceasy access to care\u201d than in those with \u201cpoor access to care\u201d (68% vs. 48% at 1 year, 29% vs. 11% at 5 years; p < 0.0001). Net survival up to 5 years was higher for patients with \u201ceasy access to care\u201d in each age group (p < 0.0001). Moreover, survival increased slightly for patients with easier access to care, while it remained relatively stable for patients with poor access to care. Conclusions: During 2006\u20132015, 5-year survival was higher for HCC patients with easier access to care, probably reflecting progressive improvement in the effectiveness of health care services offered to these patients. Our linkage algorithm could provide valuable evidence to support healthcare decision-making in the context of the evolving epidemiology of hepatocellular carcinoma

Reducing quantum control for spin-spin entanglement distribution

We present a protocol that sets maximum stationary entanglement between remote spins through scattering of mobile mediators without initialization, post-selection or feedback of the mediators' state. No time-resolved tuning is needed and, counterintuitively, the protocol generates two-qubit singlet states even when classical mediators are used. The mechanism responsible for such effect is resilient against non-optimal coupling strengths and dephasing affecting the spins. The scheme uses itinerant particles and scattering centres and can be implemented in various settings. When quantum dots and photons are used a striking result is found: injection of classical mediators, rather than quantum ones, improves the scheme efficiency.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, replaced with published versio

Quasideterministic realization of a universal quantum gate in a single scattering process

We show that a flying particle, such as an electron or a photon, scattering along a one-dimensional waveguide from a pair of static spin-1/2 centers, such as quantum dots, can implement a CZ gate (universal for quantum computation) between them. This occurs quasi-deterministically in a single scattering event, hence with no need for any post-selection or iteration, {and} without demanding the flying particle to bear any internal spin. We show that an easily matched hard-wall boundary condition along with the elastic nature of the process are key to such performances.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures (including Suppl. Mater.

Two-dimensional hydrodynamic lattice-gas simulations of binary immiscible and ternary amphiphilic fluid flow through porous media

The behaviour of two dimensional binary and ternary amphiphilic fluids under flow conditions is investigated using a hydrodynamic lattice gas model. After the validation of the model in simple cases (Poiseuille flow, Darcy's law for single component fluids), attention is focussed on the properties of binary immiscible fluids in porous media. An extension of Darcy's law which explicitly admits a viscous coupling between the fluids is verified, and evidence of capillary effects are described. The influence of a third component, namely surfactant, is studied in the same context. Invasion simulations have also been performed. The effect of the applied force on the invasion process is reported. As the forcing level increases, the invasion process becomes faster and the residual oil saturation decreases. The introduction of surfactant in the invading phase during imbibition produces new phenomena, including emulsification and micellisation. At very low fluid forcing levels, this leads to the production of a low-resistance gel, which then slows down the progress of the invading fluid. At long times (beyond the water percolation threshold), the concentration of remaining oil within the porous medium is lowered by the action of surfactant, thus enhancing oil recovery. On the other hand, the introduction of surfactant in the invading phase during drainage simulations slows down the invasion process -- the invading fluid takes a more tortuous path to invade the porous medium -- and reduces the oil recovery (the residual oil saturation increases).Comment: 48 pages, 26 figures. Phys. Rev. E (in press

Use of a comprehensive diagnostic algorithm for Anisakis allergy in a high seroprevalence Mediterranean setting

Background. Diagnosis of anisakis allergy (AA) is based on the skin prick test (SPT) and specific IgE (sIgE) determination. Anyway, false positivity cases are due to cross reactivity with numerous allergens. The aim of the study was to evaluate the reliability of a comprehensive diagnostic algorithm for the AA. Methods. An observational study was conducted on a sample of consecutive subjects accessing the allergology outpatient ambulatories of two hospitals located in Western Sicily. All the recruited outpatients were tested by Skin Prick Test performed using anisakis extracts by ALK-Abello (Madrid, Spain). Specific IgE dosage for anisakis extracts was then performed by using ImmunoCAP250 (Immunodiagnostics Uppsala, Sweden). Consequently, outpatients who tested positive to first line tests underwent sIgE testing for ascaris and tropomyosin. Lastly, outpatients positive to the first line were invited to be further tested by basophil activation test (BAT) by using Flow CAST kit and anisakis commercial extract (Buhlmann Laboratories AG, Schonenbuch, Switzerland), as confirmatory analysis. Results. One hundred and eleven outpatients with an anamnesis suggestive of sensitization to anisakis (AS) and 466 subjects with chronic urticaria (CU) were recruited in the study. Of these, 22 with AS and 41 with CU showed a sensitization to anisakis allergens. The diagnostic algorithm revealed that 8.8% of outpatients who tested positive to sIgE determination were affected by CU, while 82.5% of all the sIgE positivity was related to cross-reactivity. Overall, a genuine anisakis seroprevalence of 2.3% was documented. Within a sub-sample of 15 subjects with clinical symptoms related to AA, n. 8 showed a real positivity after BAT. A greater response to A. pegreffii allergens as compared to A. simplex was reported. Conclusions. Our preliminary findings support the high clinical specificity of BAT for AA diagnosis, suggesting implementing this method in a comprehensive diagnostic algorithm

Comparative primary paediatric nasal epithelial cell culture differentiation and RSV-induced cytopathogenesis following culture in two commercial media

The culture of differentiated human airway epithelial cells allows the study of pathogen-host interactions and innate immune responses in a physiologically relevant in vitro model. As the use of primary cell culture has gained popularity the availability of the reagents needed to generate these cultures has increased. In this study we assessed two different media, Promocell and PneumaCult, during the differentiation and maintenance of well-differentiated primary nasal epithelial cell cultures (WD-PNECs). We compared and contrasted the consequences of these media on WD-PNEC morphological and physiological characteristics and their responses to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. We found that cultures generated using PneumaCult resulted in greater total numbers of smaller, tightly packed, pseudostratified cells. However, cultures from both media resulted in similar proportions of ciliated and goblet cells. There were no differences in RSV growth kinetics, although more ciliated cells were infected in the PneumaCult cultures. There was also significantly more IL-29/IFNλ1 secreted from PneumaCult compared to Promocell cultures following infection. In conclusion, the type of medium used for the differentiation of primary human airway epithelial cells may impact experimental results.</p

Effectiveness of service screening: a case–control study to assess breast cancer mortality reduction

The aim of this study was the evaluation of the impact of service screening programmes on breast cancer mortality in five regions of Italy. We conducted a matched case–control study with four controls for each case. Cases were defined as breast cancer deaths occurred not later than 31 December 2002. Controls were sampled from the local municipality list and matched by date of birth. Screening histories were assessed by the local, computerised, screening database and subjects were classified as either invited or not-yet-invited and as either screened or unscreened. There were a total of 1750 breast cancer deaths within the 50 to 74-year-old breast cancer cases and a total of 7000 controls. The logistic conditional estimate of the cumulative odds ratios comparing invited with not-yet-invited women was 0.75 (95% CI: 0.62–0.92). Restricting the analyses to invited women, the odds ratio of screened to never-respondent women corrected for self-selection bias was 0.55 (95% CI: 0.36–0.85). The introduction of breast cancer screening programmes in Italy is associated with a reduction in breast cancer mortality attributable to the additional impact of service screening over and above the background access to mammography

Morphology on the cloud Virtual Campus, an integrated didactic platform for biomedical studies

The current Core Curricula of Degree courses in Biomedical areas has enormously compressed the hours dedicated to the student for self-learning in morphological subjects. The result is a reduced student attitude to integrate the information received by attending lectures and practical sessions, with the indispensable consultation of texts dealing with morphological and \u2018functional\u2019 subjects, a key experience to autonomously logically identify the rational of the morphology/function relationship in the human body, at the macroscopic and microscopic level. These changes are occurring at a time when new medical imaging technologies become more and more informative in both morphological and functional areas. As a consequence, we are modifying our way of organize lessons compared to the generations of colleagues who have preceded us. More and more frontal lessons are organized with a logical morpho-functional approach. For example, the reference to the anatomy of the living, displayed through invasive or not invasive imaging, is added to the necessary and traditional anatomy of the cadaver. The reference to the pathology helps to define how the alteration of morphological integrity is reflected on function, both at the macro and microscopic level, and so on. However, there are no organized easy-to-use guided tours for the student to allow, in the shortest possible time, to \u2018rationally see\u2019 what he has studied, in the various imaging contexts available at the macro- and microscopic level. At the same time, there are no \u2018data bank\u2019 of resources for the preparation of the lessons. That is why we have imagined \u2018virtual campus\u2019 an integrated digital learning platform for self-learning. The platform has been thought and realized thanks to a group of teachers of \u2018morphologic\u2019 and \u2018functional\u2019 biomedical subjects and computer engineers belonging to a publishing house. The presentation will explain the rationale behind the platform, its structure and the educational opportunities offered