A Case-Control Study on Leisure Time Physical Activity (LTPA) during the Last Three Months of Pregnancy and Foetal Outcomes in Italy

The association between Leisure Time Physical Activity (LTPA) during pregnancy and foetal outcomes has been extensively investigated. However, epidemiological studies specifically referred to LPTA in the last months of pregnancy are scarce. We evaluated the association between LPTA and the risk of both preterm delivery and small for gestational age (SGA) during the last three months of pregnancy in Italy. A nationwide case-control study was performed in nine Italian cities. A total of 299 preterm delivery, 364 SGA and 855 controls were enrolled in the study. A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess socio-demographic variables, medical and reproductive history, life-style habits and LTPA referred to the last three months of pregnancy. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed in order to estimate Odds ratios and 95% CI. LTPA during the last three months of pregnancy decreases the risk of preterm delivery (adjusted OR = 0.56; 95% CI 0.39 - 0.79). Among the different types of physical activity, walking, the most frequently referred activity, appears significantly protective against preterm delivery (adjusted OR = 0.53; 95% CI 0.36 - 0.81). Moreover, a small protective effect of walking was evidenced against SGA (adjusted OR = 0.72; 95% CI 0.51 - 1.00). In conclusion, a mild physical activity such as walking in the last three months of pregnancy seems to reduce the risk of preterm delivery and, at a lesser extent, of SGA, confirming the beneficial effects of physical activity along the whole pregnancy

Finding the right price: supply chain contracts as a tool to guarantee sustainable economic viability of organic farms

The aim of this study is to analyse the volatility of agricultural commodity prices and assess the effectiveness of supply chain contracts as possible tools to prevent it. The study refers to the cereal sector, which is of vital importance for the agri-food system of the Mediterranean area. Since Italy is the world’s largest producer of durum wheat semolina, the proper functioning of the Italian durum wheat supply chain is central to this investigation. The study was conducted following two different paths of analysis: (1) the calculation of volatility indices using annual and monthly data of durum wheat prices, both organic and industrial, observed in the Bologna Commodity Exchange (AGER); (2) the analysis of two organic durum wheat supply chain contracts, defined by a cooperative involving hundreds of Italian farms mainly from the Marche region and by an agricultural consortium operating in the Adriatic regions. Despite the limited number of cases examined, the present study shows how supply chain contracts can be valid tools for building stable relationships between the various players, from production to processing and distribution, guaranteeing farms fairer and more remunerative raw material purchase prices and higher quality standards

Benign TdT-positive cells in pediatric and adult lymph nodes: a potential diagnostic pitfall

Benign TdT-positive cells have been documented in a variety of non-hematopoietic tissues. Scant data are however available on their presence in non-neoplastic lymph nodes. This study is aimed to: (i) characterize the presence/distribution of benign TdT-positive cells in pediatric and adult reactive lymph nodes; (ii) define the phenotype and nature of such elements. This retrospective study considered 141 reactive lymph nodes from pediatric and adult patients without history of neoplastic disease. TdT-positive cells were characterized by immunohistochemical and morphometric analyses and their presence was correlated with the clinical-pathological features. The nature of TdT-positive cells was investigated by: (i) double immunostaining for early lymphoid cell markers; and (ii) assessment of TdT expression in fetal lymph nodes. Sparse TdT-positive cells were documented in all pediatric cases and in most (76%) adult lymph nodes. TdT-positive cell density was higher in children than adults (15.9/mm2 versus 8.6/mm2; P<.05). TdT positivity did not correlate with any clinical and histological parameter and double immunostaining disclosed a phenotype compatible with early lymphoid precursors (positivity for CD34, CD10 and variable expression of CD7). A very high TdT-positive cell density (802.4/mm2) was reported in all fetal lymph nodes. In conclusion, TdT-positive cells are a common finding in pediatric and adult lymph nodes. The interstitial distribution and low number of such cells allows for the differential diagnosis with precursor lymphoid neoplasms. The high density in fetal lymph nodes and the phenotype of such cells suggest their belonging to an immature lymphoid subset gradually decreasing with age

Prevalence of Ocular, Respiratory and Cutaneous Symptoms in Indoor Swimming Pool Workers and Exposure to Disinfection By-Products (DBPs)

The objective of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the prevalence of self-reported respiratory, ocular and cutaneous symptoms in subjects working at indoor swimming pools and to assess the relationship between frequency of declared symptoms and occupational exposure to disinfection by-products (DBPs). Twenty indoor swimming pools in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy were included in the study. Information about the health status of 133 employees was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Subjects working at swimming pools claimed to frequently experience the following symptoms: cold (65.4%), sneezing (52.6%), red eyes (48.9%) and itchy eyes (44.4%). Only 7.5% claimed to suffer from asthma. Red eyes, runny nose, voice loss and cold symptoms were declared more frequently by pool attendants (lifeguards and trainers) when compared with employees working in other areas of the facility (office, cafe, etc.). Pool attendants experienced generally more verrucas, mycosis, eczema and rash than others workers; however, only the difference in the frequency of self-declared mycosis was statistically significant (p = 0.010). Exposure to DBPs was evaluated using both environmental and biological monitoring. Trihalomethanes (THMs), the main DBPs, were evaluated in alveolar air samples collected from subjects. Swimming pool workers experienced different THM exposure levels: lifeguards and trainers showed the highest mean values of THMs in alveolar air samples (28.5 ± 20.2 μg/m3), while subjects working in cafe areas (17.6 ± 12.1 μg/m3), offices (14.4 ± 12.0 μg/m3) and engine rooms (13.6 ± 4.4 μg/m3) showed lower exposure levels. Employees with THM alveolar air values higher than 21 μg/m3 (median value) experienced higher risks for red eyes (OR 6.2; 95% CI 2.6–14.9), itchy eyes (OR 3.5; 95% CI 1.5–8.0), dyspnea/asthma (OR 5.1; 95% CI 1.0–27.2) and blocked nose (OR 2.2; 95% CI 1.0–4.7) than subjects with less exposure. This study confirms that lifeguards and trainers are more at risk for respiratory and ocular irritative symptoms and cutaneous diseases than subjects with other occupations at swimming pool facilities

The Kids Are Alright (?). Infants’ Development and COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objectives: The study aimed to assess and compare the global development in six-month-old infants before and during the pandemic restrictive social distancing measures. Methods: This cross-sectional nested study involved infants assessed through the Griffiths Scales of Child Development (GSCD) between September 2019 and April 2021. Infants were classified in a pre-COVID or a COVID group, considering the evaluation date and the restrictive measures in place. GSCD subscales and General Development Scores (GDS) were calculated and compared. Results: One hundred and four healthy term-born infants were evaluated. GDS in the COVID group (n:70; median: 94; IQR: 90–100) appeared significantly lower than in the pre-COVID group (n:34; median: 98; IQR: 97–103; p &lt; 0.001). Language and personal-social-emotional subareas scores appeared the most affected. A decreasing trend of GDS along with the severity of restriction was observed. Conclusion: A reduction in infant development scores was observed during pandemic social distancing. Further studies are needed to systematize these findings and to address effective public health policies for infants and families during long-term forced isolation periods

TOX Expression in Mycosis Fungoides and Sezary Syndrome.

Mycosis fungoides (MF) and Sezary syndrome (SS) are the two most common type of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). Currently, no markers can be clearly related to prognosis or to differential diagnosis between early stages and inflammatory benign diseases (IBD). The thymocyte selection-associated high mobility group box factor (TOX), has been proposed as a possible marker in differential diagnosis between early CTCL stages and IBD. Recently TOX has been related to prognosis. We aimed to investigate whether TOX may be a diagnostic or prognostic marker. MF and SS biopsies between 2010 and 2020 were retrieved. New tissues slides were stained with an anti-TOX antibody, (Clone NAN448B). On each slide, 5 fields were examined at high magnification (400×), to evaluate the percentage of marker-positivity in a quantitative way. Thirty-six patients (12 females and 24 males) and 48 biopsies were collected. Nine patients had multiple biopsies. TOX expression in MF/SS cases showed an increase from early to advanced phases. TOX was not regarded as a prognostic marker due to the absence of significant changes by comparing early MF cases with reactive conditions. TOX statistical significance increased in patients alive with disease and in those dead of disease (p = 0.013 and = 0.0005, respectively) as compared with patients in complete remission. Our results show that TOX should be regarded more as a prognostic than a diagnostic marker.This research received no external fundingS

SARS-COV-2 Infection in Children and Red Blood Cell Distribution Width

SARS-COV-2 infection due to Coronavirus is highly contagious and causes varying degrees of illness throughout the world. Recent literature has shown an association between red blood cell distribution width (RDW) and adverse outcomes among adult patients with COVID\u201019. Multiple hypotheses can explain the potential prognostic role of RDW in COVID-19 infection. The aim of this study is to describe RDW values in SARS-COV-2 infected children admitted to the Pediatric Emergency Department to shed light on the potential role of RDW as a prognostic factor in this specific group. Of 1086 tested children observed from March 2020 to April 2021, 36 positive SARS-COV-2 children (0-16 years) did not show clinically significant differences in RDW values according to illness categories, days of hospitalization, presence of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), or viral load (cycle threshold (CT) values). This study is the first to investigate this issue in a SARS-COV-2 infected pediatric population. Despite our negative results, given the high incidence of Delta variant in children, the low cost of the examination, its prognostic role described in adults, and its association to other pediatric illnesses, we believe that the role of RDW in SARS-COV-2 infected children should be deeper assessed and that larger collaborative studies on this issue are required

Influence of hyaluronic acid on bacterial and fungal species, including clinically relevant opportunistic pathogens.

Hyaluronic acid (HA) has several clinical applications (aesthetic surgery, dermatology, orthopaedics and ophtalmology). Following recent evidence, suggesting antimicrobial and antiviral properties for HA, we investigated its effects on 15 ATCC strains, representative ofclinically relevant bacterial and fungal species. The in vitro system employed allowed to assess optical density of broth cultures as a measure of microbial load in a time-dependent manner. The results showed that different microbial species and, sometimes, different strains belonging to the same species, are differently affected by HA. In particular, staphylococci, enterococci, Streptococcus mutans, twoEscherichia coli strains, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida glabrata and C. parapsilosis displayed a HA dosedependent growth inhibition; no HA effects were detected in E. coli ATCC 13768 and C. albicans; S. sanguinis was favoured by the highest HA dose. Therefore, the influence of HA on bacteria and fungi warrants further studies aimedat better establishing its relevance in clinical applications