Decline in hospitalization rates for herpes zoster in Italy (2003–2018): reduction in the burden of disease or changing of hospitalization criteria?

Background: Herpes Zoster (HZ) is a very demanding disease caused by the reactivation of latent Varicella Zoster Virus. The main aim of this study was to estimate the burden of the HZ hospitalizations in Italy from 2003 to 2018 evaluating temporal trends. Methods: Retrospective population-based study analyzing Hospital Discharge Records. Hospitalization records reporting the ICD-9 CM 053.X code in the principal diagnosis or in any of the five secondary diagnoses were considered as cases. Trends of hospitalization rates have been evaluated by Joinpoint analyses. Results: Overall, 99,036 patients were hospitalized with HZ in the 16-year period of the study, and 83,720 (84.5%) of these patients were over 50 years. Hospitalization rate was 10.4 per 100,000 persons/year with a significant decreasing trend from 13.9 in 2003–2006 to 7.8 in 2015–2018 (p < 0.001). Hospitalization rates showed a 20-fold higher risk among subjects aged over 80 years and 11-fold higher risk among 70–79-year-old subjects with respect to those aged less than 50 years. Over time, a statistically significant increase was observed for the case fatality rate (from 1.2 to 1.7%; p < 0.001) and the median length of stay (from 7 to 8 days; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Zoster is a disease that causes hospitalization as relatively frequent complication and the observed reduced trend over time could be due to a restriction in hospitalization criteria instead of a reduced burden of disease. The decreasing trend should be carefully interpreted, since it could have an impact on promoting herpes zoster vaccination

Evaluation of the burden of HPV-related hospitalizations as a useful tool to increase awareness: 2007–2017 data from the sicilian hospital discharge records

In light of the implementation of human papillomavirus (HPV) prevention strategies, epidemiological studies in different geographical areas are required in order to assess the impact of HPV-related diseases. The purpose of the present study was to describe the burden of HPV-related hospitalizations in Sicily. A retrospective observational study estimated 43,531 hospitalizations attributable to HPV from 2007 to 2017. During the observed period, there was a decrease for all HPV-related conditions with a higher reduction, among neoplasms, for cervical cancer (annual percent change (APC) = −9.9%, p < 0.001). The median age for cervical cancer was 45 years old, with an increasing value from 43 to 47 years (p < 0.001). The age classes with greater decreases in hospital admissions for invasive cancers were women aged 35 years or more (APC range from −5.5 to −9.86) and 25–34 years old (APC = −11.87, p < 0.001) for women with cervical carcinoma in situ. After ten years for vaccine introduction and sixteen years for cervical cancer screening availability, a relatively large decrease in hospital admissions for cervical cancer and other HPV-related diseases in Sicily was observed. Some clinical characteristics of hospitalization, such as increasing age, are suggestive clues for the impact of preventive strategies, but further research is needed to confirm this relationship

PH-Controlled Assembly of DNA Tiles

We demonstrate a strategy to trigger and finely control the assembly of supramolecular DNA nanostructures with pH. Control is achieved via a rationally designed strand displacement circuit that responds to pH and activates a downstream DNA tile self-assembly process. We observe that the DNA structures form under neutral/basic conditions, while the self-assembly process is suppressed under acidic conditions. The strategy presented here demonstrates a modular approach toward building systems capable of processing biochemical inputs and finely controlling the assembly of DNA-based nanostructures under isothermal conditions. In particular, the presented architecture is relevant for the development of complex DNA devices able to sense and respond to molecular markers associated with abnormal metabolism

Folding-upon-binding and signal-on electrochemical DNA sensor with high affinity and specificity

Here we investigate a novel signal-on electrochemical DNA sensor based on the use of a clamp-like DNA probe that binds a complementary target sequence through two distinct and sequential events, which lead to the formation of a triplex DNA structure. We demonstrate that this target-binding mechanism can improve both the affinity and specificity of recognition as opposed to classic probes solely based on Watson-Crick recognition. By using electrochemical signaling to report the conformational change, we demonstrate a signal-on E-DNA sensor with up to 400% signal gain upon target binding. Moreover, we were able to detect with nanomolar affinity a perfectly matched target as short as 10 bases (K(D) = 0.39 nM). Finally, thanks to the molecular "double-check" provided by the concomitant Watson-Crick and Hoogsteen base pairings involved in target recognition, our sensor provides excellent discrimination efficiency toward a single-base mismatched target

Neural signatures of strategic types in a two-person bargaining game

The management and manipulation of our own social image in the minds of others requires difficult and poorly understood computations. One computation useful in social image management is strategic deception: our ability and willingness to manipulate other people's beliefs about ourselves for gain. We used an interpersonal bargaining game to probe the capacity of players to manage their partner's beliefs about them. This probe parsed the group of subjects into three behavioral types according to their revealed level of strategic deception; these types were also distinguished by neural data measured during the game. The most deceptive subjects emitted behavioral signals that mimicked a more benign behavioral type, and their brains showed differential activation in right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and left Brodmann area 10 at the time of this deception. In addition, strategic types showed a significant correlation between activation in the right temporoparietal junction and expected payoff that was absent in the other groups. The neurobehavioral types identified by the game raise the possibility of identifying quantitative biomarkers for the capacity to manipulate and maintain a social image in another person's mind

Codage de la parole en bande élargie basé sur la structure MBE

Cet article présente l'adaptation à la bande élargie d'un codeur de parole MBE, initialement développé sur la bande téléphonique. Les contraintes de qualité et de débit, ainsi que les caractéristiques des signaux étant différentes sur la bande élargie, la structure du codeur est reconsidérée. Plusieurs améliorations, dont certaines ont déjà été proposées en bande téléphonique, comme la classification phonétique des trames ou la modélisation multi-harmonique du spectre sont apportées. Dans le but d'atteindre une plus grande qualité, particulièrement pour les voix aiguës, nous proposons aussi de modéliser et synthétiser l'erreur entre le spectre original et le spectre modélisé avec la technique MBE classique

Polychlorinated biphenyls, organochlorine pesticides, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in wild, farmed, and frozen marine seafood marketed in Campania, Italy.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were detected in fresh-catch, farmed, and frozen marine fish marketed in Campania, Italy. Additionally, polychlorobiphenyl congeners were found: six were non-dioxin-like (NDL-PCB) (IUPAC no. 28, 52, 101, 138, 153, and 180), and one was dioxin-like (DL-PCB) (IUPAC no. 118). In all, 93% of fresh-catch, 100% of aquaculture, and 74% of the frozen specimens contained PCBs at concentrations varying from 0.12 to 35.11 ng/g, wet weight; NDL-PCBs ranged between 0.12 and 32.44 ng/g. Penta-, hexa-, and heptachlorobiphenyls were predominant. Regarding organochlorine pesticides, hexachlorobenzene was detected in 35% of fresh catch, 36% of farmed, and 46% of the frozen fish specimens, in a range between < 0.01 and 3.29 ng/g. Contents of the dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane isomer amounted to 0.12 to 11.00 ng/g. Finally, PAHs were detected in 100% of the specimens. Benzo[a]pyrene was detected in 66% of the aquaculture, 35% of the fresh catch, and 24% of the frozen species, at concentrations varying from 0.03 to 9.18 ng/g. On the basis of annual fish consumption, an average daily intake of NDL-PCBs of 6.02 ng/kg of body weight was estimated. Calculated daily hexachlorobenzene and total dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane intakes were, respectively, 0.11 and 0.90 ng/kg of body weight per day. The contribution of fish to the daily consumption of the noncarcinogenic PAHs can be considered low; for benzo[a]pyrene, the estimated daily intake is considerably lower than the doses considered carcinogenic for experimental animals by the European Union Scientific Committee on Food