In silico prediction of the interaction of legacy and novel per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) with selected human transporters and of their possible accumulation in the human body.

Per- and poly-fluorinated compounds constitute a wide group of fluorocarbon chemicals with widespread industrial applications, ranging from non-stick coating in cookware to water surfactants, from fire-fighting foams to water-repellent coatings on textiles. Presently, over 12,000 PFAS are known worldwide. In recent years, extensive research has focused on investigating the biological effects of these molecules on various organisms, including humans.

Effect of neoadjuvant chemoradiation on anorectal function assessed with anorectal manometry: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aim: Improvement in oncological survival for rectal cancer increases attention to anorectal dysfunction. Diagnostic questionnaires can evaluate quality of life but are subjective and dependent on patients' compliance. Anorectal manometry can objectively assess the continence mechanism and identify functional sphincter weakness and rectal compliance.

Human leukocyte antigen variants associate with BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine response.

Background: Since the beginning of the anti-COVID-19 vaccination campaign, it has become evident that vaccinated subjects exhibit considerable inter-individual variability in the response to the vaccine that could be partly explained by host genetic factors. A recent study reported that the immune response elicited by the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in individuals from the United Kingdom was influenced by a specific allele of the human leukocyte antigen gene HLA-DQB1.

Methods: We carried out a genome-wide association study to investigate the genetic determinants of the antibody response to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in an Italian cohort of 1351 subjects recruited in three centers.

A genome-wide association study for survival from a multi-centre European study identified variants associated with COVID-19 risk of death.

The clinical manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection vary widely among patients, from asymptomatic to life-threatening. Host genetics is one of the factors that contributes to this variability as previously reported by the COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative (HGI), which identified sixteen loci associated with COVID-19 severity. Herein, we investigated the genetic determinants of COVID-19 mortality, by performing a case-only genome-wide survival analysis, 60 days after infection, of 3904 COVID-19 patients from the GEN-COVID and other European series (EGAS00001005304 study of the COVID-19 HGI).