A New Approach to Evaluate the Bactericidal Activity of Different Antiseptic Ophthalmic Preparations Used as Surgical Prophylaxis.

: A survey conducted by the European Observatory on Cataract Surgery showed high heterogeneity in the use of antiseptics both preoperatively and in the operating room, highlighting the absence of a global consensus regarding ocular infection prophylaxis in cataract surgery. : The antibacterial activity of seven antiseptic ophthalmic formulations (AOFs) registered as medical devices and the two most common disinfectants were evaluated in vitro against five bacterial species. The viability of bacterial strains after exposure to the antiseptic was evaluated with different techniques: the in vitro Minimum Inhibitory Concentration and the subsequent Minimum Bactericidal Concentration, performed on liquid and solid culture medium.

Changes in the Adaptive Cellular Repertoire after Infection with Different SARS-CoV-2 VOCs in a Cohort of Vaccinated Healthcare Workers.

Background: Currently approved vaccines are highly effective in protecting against hospitalization and severe COVID-19 infections. How pre-existing immunity responds to new variants with mutated antigens is crucial information for elucidating the functional interplay between antibodies and B and T cell responses during infection with new SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Methods: In this study, we monitored the dynamics and persistence of the immune response versus different SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern that emerged during the pandemic period (2021-2022) in a cohort of vaccinated healthcare workers, who experienced breakthrough infection in the Pre-Delta, Delta, and Omicron waves.

Infrared analysis in the aqueous humor of patients with uveitis: Preliminary results.

Inflammatory processes affecting the uvea result in a temporary o permanent blurred vision and represent an important cause of visual impairment worldwide. It is often hard to make a precise diagnosis which is dependent on the clinical expertise, diagnostic tests, laboratory investigations in blood and sometimes in the aqueous humor (AH). With the aim of obtaining proof of principle Fourier Transformed Infrared (FT-IR) absorbance spectroscopy was applied to study the molecular composition of 72 AH samples collected in 26 patients with uveitis and in 44 controls.

Humoral Effect of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination with booster dose in solid tumor patients with different anticancer treatments.

Introduction: Cancer patients are at risk for serious complications in case of SARS-CoV-2 infection. In these patients SARS-CoV-2 vaccination is strongly recommended, with the preferential use of mRNA vaccines. The antibody response in cancer patients is variable, depending on the type of cancer and antitumoral treatment.

Subjects who developed SARS-CoV-2 specific IgM after vaccination show a longer humoral immunity and a lower frequency of infection.

Background: We have previously shown that eliciting SARS-CoV-2-specific IgM after vaccination is associated with higher levels of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing IgG. This study aims to assess whether IgM development is also associated with longer-lasting immunity.

Methods: We analysed anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike protein IgG and IgM (IgG-S, IgM-S), and anti-nucleocapsid IgG (IgG-N) in 1872 vaccinees at different time points: before the first dose (D1; w0), before the second dose (D2; w3) at three (w6) and 23 weeks (w29) after D2; moreover, 109 subjects were further tested at the booster dose (D3, w44), at 3 weeks (w47) and 6 months (w70) after D3.

Serotypes in Italian and Foreign Populations: A Cross-Sectional Study Using a Homemade ELISA Test.

is a protozoan parasite responsible for human toxoplasmosis. The three major clonal lineages and different recombinant strains of have a varied global distribution. This study aimed at evaluating the epidemiological distribution of types II and I-III and recombinant or mixed in Italians and foreigners residing in Italy, establishing an association between serotypes and demographic characteristics.

Soil-Transmitted Helminths and Anaemia: A Neglected Association Outside the Tropics.

Anaemia is an important cause of morbidity and mortality globally. Among infectious agents responsible for anaemia, helminthic infections are often neglected, particularly in non-endemic countries. However, they should not be neglected in this setting, as international travel and migration are on the rise.

A PI3Kγ mimetic peptide triggers CFTR gating, bronchodilation, and reduced inflammation in obstructive airway diseases.

Cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP)-elevating agents, such as β-adrenergic receptor (β-AR) agonists and phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitors, remain a mainstay in the treatment of obstructive respiratory diseases, conditions characterized by airway constriction, inflammation, and mucus hypersecretion. However, their clinical use is limited by unwanted side effects because of unrestricted cAMP elevation in the airways and in distant organs. Here, we identified the A-kinase anchoring protein phosphoinositide 3-kinase γ (PI3Kγ) as a critical regulator of a discrete cAMP signaling microdomain activated by β-ARs in airway structural and inflammatory cells.

SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen test in comparison to RT-PCR targeting different genes: A real-life evaluation among unselected patients in a regional hospital of Italy.

We assessed the performance of the Panbio rapid antigen detection (RAD) test for the detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and we compared it with the routine reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-based molecular test in a population of 4167 unselected patients admitted to IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital. Analysis stratified by cycling threshold (C ) value of SARS-CoV-2 gene targets indicated that antigen (Ag)-positive C values were significantly lower compared to Ag-negative values (p < 0.0001).

Molecular techniques for the genomic viral RNA detection of West Nile, Dengue, Zika and Chikungunya arboviruses: a narrative review.

: Molecular technology has played an important role in arboviruses diagnostics. PCR-based methods stand out in terms of sensitivity, specificity, cost, robustness, and accessibility, and especially the isothermal amplification (IA) method is ideal for field-adaptable diagnostics in resource-limited settings (RLS).: In this review, we provide an overview of the various molecular methods for West Nile, Zika, Dengue and Chikungunya.

Antibody Response to the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine in Subjects with Prior SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

Although antibody levels progressively decrease following SARS-CoV-2 infection, the immune memory persists for months. Thus, individuals who naturally contracted SARS-CoV-2 are expected to develop a more rapid and sustained response to COVID-19 vaccines than naïve individuals. In this study, we analyzed the dynamics of the antibody response to the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in six healthcare workers who contracted SARS-CoV-2 in March 2020, in comparison to nine control subjects without a previous infection.

Neurocysticercosis-related seizures in the post-partum period: two cases and a review of the literature.

Neurocysticercosis, the infection of the CNS with larval cysts of Taenia solium, is a leading cause of seizures in low-income countries. The clinical presentation of neurocysticercosis is variable and depends on the number, size, and location of cysticerci, and on the immune response of the host. In most patients, the affected site is the brain parenchyma, where cysts can precipitate seizures.

Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator functional evaluations in a G542X+/- IVS8Tn:T7/9 patient with acute recurrent pancreatitis.

Background: Acute recurrent pancreatitis (ARP) is characterized by episodes of acute pancreatitis in an otherwise normal gland. When no cause of ARP is identifiable, the diagnosis of "idiopathic" ARP is given. Mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator () gene increase the risk of ARP by 3- to 4-times compared to the general population, while cystic fibrosis (CF) patients present with a 40- to 80-times higher risk of developing pancreatitis.

Infrared biomarkers of impaired cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator protein biogenesis.

The mid-infrared (IR) spectra of human cystic fibrosis (CF) cells acquired by Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy were compared with those of non-CF cells. Within the 1700 to 1480 cm spectral domain of amides, unsupervised explorative principal component analysis identified a few variables reflecting quantitative and qualitative vibrations arising from protein secondary structures and amino acid side chains. Their pattern reflected α-helix to β-sheet transitions in bronchial epithelial cells and in immortalized peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with R1162X missense or in-frame F508del mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator gene (Cftr).

Mutations of Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator Gene Cause a Monocyte-Selective Adhesion Deficiency.

Rationale: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a common genetic disease caused by mutations of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene. Persistent lung inflammation, characterized by increasing polymorphonuclear leukocyte recruitment, is a major cause of the decline in respiratory function in patients with CF and is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. CFTR is expressed in various cell types, including leukocytes, but its involvement in the regulation of leukocyte recruitment is unknown.

A novel anti-GD2/4-1BB chimeric antigen receptor triggers neuroblastoma cell killing.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-expressing T cells are a promising therapeutic option for patients with cancer. We developed a new CAR directed against the disialoganglioside GD2, a surface molecule expressed in neuroblastoma and in other neuroectoderm-derived neoplasms. The anti-GD2 single-chain variable fragment (scFv) derived from a murine antibody of IgM class was linked, via a human CD8α hinge-transmembrane domain, to the signaling domains of the costimulatory molecules 4-1BB (CD137) and CD3-ζ.

Electrophysiological evaluation of cystic fibrosis conductance transmembrane regulator (CFTR) expression in human monocytes.

Background: Cystic fibrosis is caused by mutations of CFTR gene, a protein kinase A-activated anion channel, and is associated to a persistent and excessive chronic lung inflammation, suggesting functional alterations of immune cells. Leukocytes express detectable levels of CFTR but the molecule has not been fully characterized in these cells.

Methods: Freshly isolated monocytes from healthy individuals and CF patients were assessed by protein expression, single cell electrophysiological and membrane depolarization assays.

Detection of CFTR protein in human leukocytes by flow cytometry.

Leukocytes have previously been shown to express detectable levels of the protein cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR). This study aims to evaluate the application of flow cytometric (FC) analysis to detect CFTR expression, and changes thereof, in these cells. Aliquots (200 μL) of peripheral whole blood from 12 healthy control volunteers (CTRLs), 12 carriers of a CFTR mutation (CFC), and 40 patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) carrying various combinations of CFTR mutations were incubated with specific fluorescent probes recognizing CFTR protein expressed on the plasma membrane of leukocytes.

Challenging the diagnosis of cystic fibrosis in a patient carrying the 186-8T/C allelic variant in the CF transmembrane conductance regulator gene.

Background: This report describe for the first time a clinical case with a CFTR allelic variant 186-8T/C (c.54-8 T/C) in intron 1 of CFTR and underline the importance of applying a combination of genetic and functional tests to establish or exclude a diagnosis of Cystic Fibrosis. In this case the diagnostic algorithm proposed for CF has been successfully applied at our Center and previous CF diagnosis assigned in a different Center was not confirmed.