Optical and Near-IR Imaging of the Dark Globule CB 52

The internal structure of the dark globule CB 52 is investigated by means of broadband imaging in the optical and near-IR spectral range. By exploiting the extinction of the stellar light within this object, we derive observational parameters suitable to infer the internal structure of this cloud. Extinction maps were obtained at different wavelengths by using both stellar counts and two-color diagrams. While in the optical region the extinction is better evaluated at the cloud boundaries, the internal regions are more conveniently probed in the near-IR, so a combined map was derived. The total-to-selective extinction ratio RV was also observed to increase toward the inner regions, and a plot versus the extinction AV suggests that grain growth processes are active in this cloud. The statistical fluctuation of the AV, estimated in the line of sight of the background stars, is investigated by comparing the observed stellar colors with those of the unreddened stars. The dispersion σAV, derived from optical observations, is found to be almost independent of the mean extinction, AV, while by using near-IR data we find a more complex behavior: the σAV versus AV relation increases until AV ~ 6 and then decreases for larger extinctions. This is discussed in the framework of a simple model, suggesting that a clumpy and clustered structure can explain the observations in the inner regions, while outside the cloud the mass distribution remains more homogeneous

The Structure of the Small Dark Cloud CB 107

This paper presents the near-IR imaging observations of CB 107, a small dark globule projected against a rich stellar background. By means of accurate photometry, the near-IR two-color diagram J - H versus H - K was obtained for the stellar background. This information was used to estimate the color excesses of the detected stars so that, given the reddening curve, it was possible to derive the extinction map of the cloud. The structural properties of the dark globule were investigated by plotting the extinction dispersion σ, obtained in a given spatial box, as a function of the mean extinction AV. This relationship has shown quite a definite linear behavior, with the slope increasing with the box size. The results of the present analysis, compared with those obtained by other authors on larger dark clouds, suggest that for a given spatial scale the slope of the σ versus AV relation is greater in CB 107 than in larger clouds. The so-called Δ-variance method was also used to investigate the structure of the dark globule by evaluating the drift behavior of its extinction map. In this way, we have found that the power spectrum of the extinction map is characterized by a power law with exponent β ~ 2.7. This value is lower than expected, for the same range of spatial scales, on the basis of previous work on large molecular clouds

Impaired immunogenicity to COVID-19 vaccines in autoimmune systemic diseases. High prevalence of non-response in different patients’ subgroups

Autoimmune systemic diseases (ASD) may show impaired immunogenicity to COVID-19 vaccines. Our prospective observational multicenter study aimed to evaluate the seroconversion after the vaccination cycle and at 6-12-month follow-up, as well the safety and efficacy of vaccines in preventing COVID-19. The study included 478 unselected ASD patients (mean age 59 ± 15 years), namely 101 rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 38 systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 265 systemic sclerosis (SSc), 61 cryoglobulinemic vasculitis (CV), and a miscellanea of 13 systemic vasculitis. The control group included 502 individuals from the general population (mean age 59 ± 14SD years). The immunogenicity of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273) was evaluated by measuring serum IgG-neutralizing antibody (NAb) (SARS-CoV-2 IgG II Quant antibody test kit; Abbott Laboratories, Chicago, IL) on samples obtained within 3 weeks after vaccination cycle. The short-term results of our prospective study revealed significantly lower NAb levels in ASD series compared to controls [286 (53–1203) vs 825 (451–1542) BAU/mL, p < 0.0001], as well as between single ASD subgroups and controls. More interestingly, higher percentage of non-responders to vaccine was recorded in ASD patients compared to controls [13.2% (63/478), vs 2.8% (14/502); p < 0.0001]. Increased prevalence of non-response to vaccine was also observed in different ASD subgroups, in patients with ASD-related interstitial lung disease (p = 0.009), and in those treated with glucocorticoids (p = 0.002), mycophenolate-mofetil (p < 0.0001), or rituximab (p < 0.0001). Comparable percentages of vaccine-related adverse effects were recorded among responder and non-responder ASD patients. Patients with weak/absent seroconversion, believed to be immune to SARS-CoV-2 infection, are at high risk to develop COVID-19. Early determination of serum NAb after vaccination cycle may allow to identify three main groups of ASD patients: responders, subjects with suboptimal response, non-responders. Patients with suboptimal response should be prioritized for a booster-dose of vaccine, while a different type of vaccine could be administered to non-responder individuals

Impact of Carnivory on Human Development and Evolution Revealed by a New Unifying Model of Weaning in Mammals

Our large brain, long life span and high fertility are key elements of human evolutionary success and are often thought to have evolved in interplay with tool use, carnivory and hunting. However, the specific impact of carnivory on human evolution, life history and development remains controversial. Here we show in quantitative terms that dietary profile is a key factor influencing time to weaning across a wide taxonomic range of mammals, including humans. In a model encompassing a total of 67 species and genera from 12 mammalian orders, adult brain mass and two dichotomous variables reflecting species differences regarding limb biomechanics and dietary profile, accounted for 75.5%, 10.3% and 3.4% of variance in time to weaning, respectively, together capturing 89.2% of total variance. Crucially, carnivory predicted the time point of early weaning in humans with remarkable precision, yielding a prediction error of less than 5% with a sample of forty-six human natural fertility societies as reference. Hence, carnivory appears to provide both a necessary and sufficient explanation as to why humans wean so much earlier than the great apes. While early weaning is regarded as essentially differentiating the genus Homo from the great apes, its timing seems to be determined by the same limited set of factors in humans as in mammals in general, despite some 90 million years of evolution. Our analysis emphasizes the high degree of similarity of relative time scales in mammalian development and life history across 67 genera from 12 mammalian orders and shows that the impact of carnivory on time to weaning in humans is quantifiable, and critical. Since early weaning yields shorter interbirth intervals and higher rates of reproduction, with profound effects on population dynamics, our findings highlight the emergence of carnivory as a process fundamentally determining human evolution

POS1246 COVID-19 IN ITALIAN PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATIC AUTOIMMUNE SYSTEMIC DISEASES: RESULTS OF A NATIONWIDE SURVEY STUDY

Background: SARS-CoV-2 infection poses a serious challenge for patients with rheumatic autoimmune systemic diseases (ASD), characterized by marked immune-system dysregulation and frequent visceral organ involvement. Objectives: To evaluate the impact of Covid-19 pandemic in a large series of Italian patients with ASD. Methods: Our multicenter telephone survey (8-week period, March-April 2020) included a large series of 2,994 patients (584 M, 2,410 F, mean age 58.9±13.4SD years) with ASD followed at 34 tertiary referral centers of 14 regions of northern, central, and southern Italian macro areas, characterized by different prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection. According to currently used criteria, Covid-19 was classified as definite Covid-19 (signs or symptoms of Covid-19 confirmed by positive oral/nasopharyngeal swabs at PCR testing) or highly suspected Covid-19 (signs or symptoms highly

Covid-19 And Rheumatic Autoimmune Systemic Diseases: Role of Pre-Existing Lung Involvement and Ongoing Treatments

The Covid-19 pandemic may have a deleterious impact on patients with autoimmune systemic diseases (ASD) due to their deep immune-system alterations

Attribuzioni genitoriali e stili di attaccamento nel comportamento alimentare del bambino

The aim of this study was to investigate the parent-child concordance in children’s eating behaviour. The sample was composed by 204 children (both genders), aged between 5 and 11 years, and their parents. Agreement/disagreement of perspectives was assessed in relation to attachment styles of children. Attachment style was measured using the modified version (Attili, 2001) of SAT (Klagsbrun and Bowlby, 1976); eating behavior was investigated by showing pictures to children and administering a questionnaire to their parents. Results showed higher level of coherence in parent-child descriptions in secure children compared to insecure ones. Disorganized children attachment showed a lower level of concordance. Research results, performed on a non-clinic sample, about a potentially risky behaviour as that of food intake, have pointed out that significant differences in sharing eating behaviour descriptions are attachment correlated