Detection of Mycobacterium chimaera in medical device water samples by customised real time PCR using a InGenius platform.

Mycobacterium chimaera, belonging to the Mycobacterium avium complex, is an opportunistic environmental mycobacterium which has been isolated from medical device water samples such as Heater Cooler Units (HCU). Laboratories currently use culture-based diagnostic methods to detect M. chimaera, but these take a long time to obtain results.

Elevated S100B urine levels predict seizures in infants complicated by perinatal asphyxia and undergoing therapeutic hypothermia.

Objectives: Seizures (SZ) are one of the main complications occurring in infants undergoing therapeutic hypothermia (TH) due to perinatal asphyxia (PA) and hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Phenobarbital (PB) is the first-line therapeutic strategy, although data on its potential side-effects need elucidation. We investigated whether: i) PB administration in PA-HIE TH-treated infants affects S100B urine levels, and ii) S100B could be a reliable early predictor of SZ.

Cerebral blood flow patterns in preterm and term neonates assessed with pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling perfusion MRI.

In preterm (PT) infants, regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) disturbances may predispose to abnormal brain maturation even without overt brain injury. Therefore, it would be informative to determine the spatial distribution of grey matter (GM) CBF in PT and full-term (FT) newborns at term-equivalent age (TEA) and to assess the relationship between the features of the CBF pattern and both prematurity and prematurity-related brain lesions. In this prospective study, we obtained measures of CBF in 66 PT (51 without and 15 with prematurity-related brain lesions) and 38 FT newborns through pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (pCASL) MRI acquired at TEA.

Environmental Contamination by SARS-CoV-2 During Noninvasive Ventilation in COVID-19.

Background: Environmental contamination by SARS-CoV-2 from patients with COVID-19 undergoing noninvasive ventilation (NIV) in the ICU is still under investigation. This study set out to investigate the presence of SARS-CoV-2 on surfaces near subjects receiving NIV in the ICU under controlled conditions (ie, use of dual-limb circuits, filters, adequate room ventilation).

Methods: This was a single-center, prospective, observational study in the ICU of a tertiary teaching hospital.

Experimental testing of air filter efficiency against the SARS-CoV-2 virus: The role of droplet and airborne transmission.

Verifying the capacity of different types of air filters to stop the propagation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has become a strategic element to contain viral spreading in enclosed spaces. This paper shows the results of experimental tests about the capacity of different commercial filter grades to stop SARS-CoV-2 propagation using inactivated virions. In the first test, the obtained results showed that the F8 filter blocks SARS-CoV-2 propagation if it encounters a flow devoid of liquid phase, i.

Perioperative GABA Blood Concentrations in Infants with Cyanotic and Non-Cyanotic Congenital Heart Diseases.

Perioperative stress detection in children with congenital heart disease (CHD), particularly in the brain, is still limited. Among biomarkers, γ-amino-aminobutyric acid (GABA) assessment in biological fluids appears to be promising for its regulatory action on the cardiovascular and cerebral systems. We aimed to investigate cyanotic (C) or non-cyanotic (N) CHD children for GABA blood level changes in the perioperative period.

S100B protein, cerebral ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging patterns in brain injured preterm infants.

Objectives: The early detection of preterm infants (PI) at risk for intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) and neurological sequelae still constitutes an unsolved issue. We aimed at validating the role of S100B protein in the early diagnosis and prognosis of IVH in PI by means of cerebral ultrasound (CUS) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) today considered standard of care procedures.

Methods: We conducted an observational case-control study in 216 PI of whom 36 with IVH and 180 controls.

Restriction Factors expression decreases in HIV-1 patients after cART.

Activation of interferon (IFN) mediated responses and the consequent expression of restriction factors (RFs) represent an early line of defense against HIV-1 infection. The levels of viral replication and the antiviral are among the determinants influencing RFs' expression pattern. A deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms regulating RFs activity and their relationship with viral replication factors might lead to new therapeutic strategies based on the enhancement of immune response against the virus.

Effects of time to chemoradiation on high-grade gliomas from the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area.

High-Grade Gliomas (HGG) are the most frequent brain tumor in adults. The gold standard of clinical care recommends beginning chemoradiation within 6 weeks of surgery. Disparities in access to healthcare in Argentina are notorious, often leading to treatment delays.

Hypertension, seizures, and epilepsy: a review on pathophysiology and management.

Background: Epilepsy and hypertension are common chronic conditions, both showing high prevalence in older age groups. This review outlines current experimental and clinical evidence on both direct and indirect role of hypertension in epileptogenesis and discusses the principles of drug treatment in patients with hypertension and epilepsy.

Methods: We selected English-written articles on epilepsy, hypertension, stroke, and cerebrovascular disease until December, 2018.

[A critical analysis of the degree of care humanization in the Hospitals of the Provincia Romana San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli (FBF)].

Unlabelled: In the Hospitals of the Ordine della Provincia Romana San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli (FBF) (consisting of four hospitals located in three Italian regions) Patient Centeredness has always been considered a central point. In 2015, the Central Hospitals' Health Direction decided to use a check-list for the evaluation of the degree of Patient Centered Care Facilities, drawn up by the National Agency for Regional Health Services (Age.Na.

Sodium oxybate for idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder: a report on two patients.

Background: REM-sleep behavior disorder (RBD) therapy is based on small to medium-sized case series, as no large controlled clinical trials have been performed. The most used and widely recognized effective drugs are clonazepam and melatonin, with anecdotal reports on the potential benefit of other drug classes.

Methods: We report on two patients suffering from idiopathic RBD presenting with almost nightly complex and violent episodes, refractory to conventional drugs.

The Role of the Serotonergic System in REM Sleep Behavior Disorder.

Study Objectives: REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) can be induced by antidepressants, especially serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), thus a role of the serotonergic system in the pathogenesis of RBD has been proposed. However, the serotonergic system integrity in idiopathic RBD (iRBD) is still unknown. We aimed to study brain stem serotonergic system integrity, by means of (123)I-FP-CIT-SPECT, in a group of iRBD patients as compared to normal subjects.

Glutathione transferases and neurodegenerative diseases.

There is substantial agreement that the unbalance between oxidant and antioxidant species may affect the onset and/or the course of a number of common diseases including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. Many studies suggest a crucial role for oxidative stress in the first phase of aging, or in the pathogenesis of various diseases including neurological ones. Particularly, the role exerted by glutathione and glutathione-related enzymes (Glutathione Transferases) in the nervous system appears more relevant, this latter tissue being much more vulnerable to toxins and oxidative stress than other tissues such as liver, kidney or muscle.

Agomelatine but not melatonin improves fatigue perception: a longitudinal proof-of-concept study.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) represents a disabling condition characterized by persistent mental and physical fatigue, bodily discomfort and cognitive difficulties. To date the neural bases of CFS are poorly understood; however, mono-aminergic abnormalities, sleep-wake cycle changes and prefrontal dysfunctions are all thought to play a role in the development and maintenance of this condition. Here we explored in a group of 62 CFS subjects the impact on fatigue levels of agomelatine, an antidepressant with agonist activity at melatonin receptors (MT1 and MT2) and antagonist activity at serotoninergic 2C receptors (5HT2C).

Good functional outcome after prolonged postanoxic comatose myoclonic status epilepticus in a patient who had undergone bone marrow transplantation.

In anoxic coma, myoclonic status epilepticus and other nonreactive epileptiform patterns are considered as signs of poor prognosis. We report the case of a good recovery in a prolonged comatose myoclonic status epilepticus (MSE) after a cardiac arrest (CA) treated with mild therapeutic hypothermia (TH) in a patient who had undergone a bone marrow transplantation for Hodgkin's lymphoma. This case emphasizes the opportunity of performing an electroencephalogram (EEG) in the acute period after an hypoxic-ischemic insult and underlines the diagnostic difficulties between MSE and Lance-Adams syndrome, which classically occurs after the patient has regained consciousness, but can also begin while the patient is still comatose or sedated.

[The social responsibility report drafting in healthcare facilities. Experiences in Fatebenefratelli's Hospitals].

Medical facilities have the duty to report, in a transparent, comprehensive and integrated manner, their performance, not only in relation to the services provided directly but also in relation to the interest of the various stakeholders and the economic and social benefits for the community. The Social Report is not only a communication tool related to corporate social responsibility but also the initial basis for acquiring social legitimacy, and serves the role of "social accounting" of the activities of an organization, with respect to its mission and institutional role. In healthcare, it can contribute to achieving the fundamental objectives of the healthcare system, in the financial area (fair financing), and also in the medical (outcomes) and ethical-social areas.

Identifying and characterizing binding sites on the irreversible inhibition of human glutathione S-transferase P1-1 by S-thiocarbamoylation.

Human glutathione S-transferase P1-1 (hGST P1-1) is involved in cell detoxification processes through the conjugation of its natural substrate, reduced glutathione (GSH), with xenobiotics. GSTs are known to be overexpressed in tumors, and naturally occurring isothiocyanates, such as benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC), are effective cancer chemopreventive compounds. To identify and characterize the potential inhibitory mechanisms of GST P1-1 induced by isothiocyanate conjugates, we studied the binding of GST P1-1 and some cysteine mutants to the BITC-SG conjugate as well as to the synthetic S-(N-benzylcarbamoylmethyl)glutathione conjugate (BC-SG).

Treatment of doxorubicin-resistant MCF7/Dx cells with nitric oxide causes histone glutathionylation and reversal of drug resistance.

Acquired drug resistance was found to be suppressed in the doxorubicin-resistant breast cancer cell line MCF7/Dx after pre-treatment with GSNO (nitrosoglutathione). The effect was accompanied by enhanced protein glutathionylation and accumulation of doxorubicin in the nucleus. Among the glutathionylated proteins, we identified three members of the histone family; this is, to our knowledge, the first time that histone glutathionylation has been reported.

Cortical subarachnoid hemorrhage associated with reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome after elective triplet cesarean delivery.

Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndromes (RCVS) comprise a group of disorders characterized by prolonged, but reversible vasoconstriction of the cerebral arteries, usually associated with acute-onset, severe, recurrent headaches, with or without additional neurological signs and symptoms. Various complications of this condition have been observed, such as cortical subarachnoid hemorrhages (cSAH), intracerebral hemorrhages, reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy, ischaemic strokes and transient ischaemic attacks. It is important to include RCVS in thunderclap headache differential diagnosis and among non-aneurismatic subarachnoid hemorrhage causes.

Clarithromycin-induced neurotoxicity in adults.

Clarithromycin is a relatively new antibiotic of the macrolide family heralded for an improved side effect profile, dosing schedule, and microbiological activity relative to its parent compound, erythromycin. We review the literature on clarithromycin-induced neurotoxicity in adults and present an illustrative case. A total of 38 patients with clarithromycin-induced neurotoxicity have been reported.

Amisulpride vs. fluoxetine treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome: a pilot study.

Different pharmacologic agents have been evaluated in the treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), albeit with moderate efficacy. Among the compounds thought to present with potential to be efficacious in CFS patients stands out low-dose amisulpride, a substituted benzamide that has been shown to be an useful treatment for conditions which exhibit some overlap with CFS such as dysthymia and somatoform disorders. We thus recruited forty non-depressed CFS patients that were randomized to receive either amisulpride 25mg bid, or fluoxetine 20mg uid; all subjects were un-blinded to the treatment regimen.

Diuretic drug binding to human glutathione transferase P1-1: potential role of Cys-101 revealed in the double mutant C47S/Y108V.

The diuretic drug ethacrynic acid (EA), both an inhibitor and substrate of pi class glutathione S-transferase (GST P1-1), has been tested in clinical trials as an adjuvant in chemotherapy. We recently studied the role of the active site residue Tyr-108 in binding EA to the enzyme and found that the analysis was complicated by covalent binding of this drug to the highly reactive Cys-47. Previous attempts to eliminate this binding by chemical modification yielded ambiguous results and therefore we decided here to produce a double mutant C47S/Y108V by site directed mutagenesis and further expression in Escherichia coli and the interaction of EA and its GSH conjugate (EASG) examined by calorimetric studies and X-ray diffraction.