Gauging the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tuberculosis services: a global study.

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Association of COVID-19 case fatality rate with disease burden: an ecological analysis in Italy during the first wave.

Objectives: In Italy, the case fatality rate (CFR) of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during the first wave of the pandemic showed significant geographic heterogeneity. The aim of this study was to explore the possible association between the CFR and measures of disease burden in the Italian regions using an ecological approach.

Methods: Cumulated regional data for the period February 24 to May 11, 2020 were analysed to assess the association of the CFR with the cumulative incidence of COVID-19 and the ratio between the maximum number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care units (ICU) and ICU beds available before the pandemic (ICU load), adjusting for median age of the patients at disease onset, number of nasopharyngeal swabs performed per confirmed case, and prevalence of chronic diseases .

Decrease in Incidence Rate of Hospitalizations Due to AIDS-Defining Conditions but Not to Non-AIDS Conditions in PLWHIV on cART in 2008-2018 in Italy.

Background: We aimed to describe the change in the incidence and causes of hospitalization between 2008 and 2018 among persons living with HIV (PLWHIV) who started antiretroviral therapy (ART) from 2008 onwards in Italy.

Methods: We included participants in the ICONA (Italian Cohort Naïve Antiretrovirals) cohort who started ART in 2008. All the hospitalizations occurring during the first 30 days from the start of ART were excluded.

Common and Rare Hematological Manifestations and Adverse Drug Events during Treatment of Active TB: A State of Art.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) can seriously affect the hematopoietic system, with involvement of both myeloid and lymphoid cell lines as well as plasma components. These hematological changes act as a marker for the diagnosis, prognosis and response to therapy.

Methods: We searched PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, EMBASE, Cochrane Library and WHO websites from 1950 to May 2021 for papers on the interaction between TB and common and rare hematological manifestation.

Zika virus NS2A inhibits interferon signaling by degradation of STAT1 and STAT2.

The Interferon (IFN) response is crucial to restrain pathogenic infections. Investigations into flavivirus-host interactions reported that the high virulence is linked to innate immune evasion. Zika Virus (ZIKV) has developed diversified strategies to evade the innate immune system.

Tetravalent SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibodies Show Enhanced Potency and Resistance to Escape Mutations.

Neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) hold promise as therapeutics against COVID-19. Here, we describe protein engineering and modular design principles that have led to the development of synthetic bivalent and tetravalent nAbs against SARS-CoV-2. The best nAb targets the host receptor binding site of the viral S-protein and tetravalent versions block entry with a potency exceeding bivalent nAbs by an order of magnitude.

Clinical Management of Adult Patients with COVID-19 Outside Intensive Care Units: Guidelines from the Italian Society of Anti-Infective Therapy (SITA) and the Italian Society of Pulmonology (SIP).

Introduction: The Italian Society of Anti-Infective Therapy (SITA) and the Italian Society of Pulmonology (SIP) constituted an expert panel for developing evidence-based guidance for the clinical management of adult patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outside intensive care units.

Methods: Ten systematic literature searches were performed to answer ten different key questions. The retrieved evidence was graded according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation methodology (GRADE).

Antibody Subclass and Glycosylation Shift Following Effective TB Treatment.

With an estimated 25% of the global population infected with (), tuberculosis (TB) remains a leading cause of death by infectious diseases. Humoral immunity following TB treatment is largely uncharacterized, and antibody profiling could provide insights into disease resolution. Here we focused on the distinctive TB-specific serum antibody features in active TB disease (ATB) and compared them with latent TB infection (LTBI) or treated ATB (txATB).

Fibrogenic signals persist in DAA-treated HCV patients after sustained virological response.

Background & Aims: Patients with HCV who achieve a sustained virological response (SVR) on direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy still need to be monitored for signs of liver disease progression. To this end, the identification of both disease biomarkers and therapeutic targets is necessary.

Methods: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) purified from plasma of 15 healthy donors (HDs), and 16 HCV-infected patients before (T0) and after (T6) DAA treatment were utilized for functional and miRNA cargo analysis.

Hepatitis C virus infection and risk of liver-related and non-liver-related deaths: a population-based cohort study in Naples, southern Italy.

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection represents a global health issue with severe implications on morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of HCV infection on all-cause, liver-related, and non-liver-related mortality in a population living in an area with a high prevalence of HCV infection before the advent of Direct-Acting Antiviral (DAA) therapies, and to identify factors associated with cause-specific mortality among HCV-infected individuals.

Methods: We conducted a cohort study on 4492 individuals enrolled between 2003 and 2006 in a population-based seroprevalence survey on viral hepatitis infections in the province of Naples, southern Italy.

The RNA editing enzyme ADAR2 restricts L1 mobility.

Adenosine deaminases acting on RNA (ADARs) are enzymes that convert adenosines to inosines in double-stranded RNAs (RNA editing A-to-I). ADAR1 and ADAR2 were previously reported as HIV-1 proviral factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the composition of the ADAR2 ribonucleoprotein complex during HIV-1 expression.

Multi-country evaluation of RISK6, a 6-gene blood transcriptomic signature, for tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment monitoring.

There is a crucial need for non-sputum-based TB tests. Here, we evaluate the performance of RISK6, a human-blood transcriptomic signature, for TB screening, triage and treatment monitoring. RISK6 performance was also compared to that of two IGRAs: one based on RD1 antigens (QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus, QFT-P, Qiagen) and one on recombinant M.

Coordinate Induction of Humoral and Spike Specific T-Cell Response in a Cohort of Italian Health Care Workers Receiving BNT162b2 mRNA Vaccine.

Vaccination is the main public health measure to reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission and hospitalization, and a massive worldwide scientific effort resulted in the rapid development of effective vaccines. This work aimed to define the dynamics of humoral and cell-mediated immune response in a cohort of health care workers (HCWs) who received a two-dose BNT162b2-mRNA vaccination. The serological response was evaluated by quantifying the anti-RBD and neutralizing antibodies.

Hepatitis E Outbreak in the Central Part of Italy Sustained by Multiple HEV Genotype 3 Strains, June-December 2019.

In European countries, autochthonous acute hepatitis E cases are caused by Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) genotype 3 and are usually observed as sporadic cases. In mid/late September 2019, a hepatitis E outbreak caused by HEV genotype 3 was recognized by detection of identical/highly similar HEV sequences in some hepatitis E cases from two Italian regions, Abruzzo and Lazio, with most cases from this latter region showing a link with Abruzzo. Overall, 47 cases of HEV infection were finally observed with onsets from 8 June 2019 to 6 December 2019; they represent a marked increase as compared with just a few cases in the same period of time in the past years and in the same areas.

Virus-Negative Necrotizing Coronary Vasculitis with Aneurysm Formation in Human SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

We report a case of myopericarditis associated to SARS-CoV-2 infection with necrotizing coronary vasculitis of intramural vessels, giving rise to biventricular apical microaneurysms and to electrical instability. Negativity of myocardial polymerase chain reaction for the most common cardiotropic viruses and for SARS-CoV-2 suggested an immune-mediated myocardial and pericardial inflammatory disease. High dose (1 mg/Kg daily) prednisone and anti-viral (Remdesivir, IDA Business, Carrigtohill, County Cork, T45 DP77, Ireland) therapy led to resolution of cardiac inflammation and ventricular arrhythmias.

Lopinavir/Ritonavir and Darunavir/Cobicistat in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients: Findings From the Multicenter Italian CORIST Study.

Protease inhibitors have been considered as possible therapeutic agents for COVID-19 patients. To describe the association between lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r) or darunavir/cobicistat (DRV/c) use and in-hospital mortality in COVID-19 patients. Multicenter observational study of COVID-19 patients admitted in 33 Italian hospitals.

Gastrointestinal manifestations of human immunodeficiency virus and coronavirus disease 2019: Understanding the intersecting regions between the two epidemics.

In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared coronavirus disease (COVID-19) a pandemic. As of February 2021, there were 107 million COVID-19 cases worldwide. As a comparison, there are approximately 38 million people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV) worldwide.

No need for secondary Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia prophylaxis in adult people living with HIV from Europe on ART with suppressed viraemia and a CD4 cell count greater than 100 cells/µL.

Introduction: Since the beginning of the HIV epidemic in resource-rich countries, Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PjP) is one of the most frequent opportunistic AIDS-defining infections. The Collaboration of Observational HIV Epidemiological Research Europe (COHERE) has shown that primary Pneumocystis jirovecii Pneumonia (PjP) prophylaxis can be safely withdrawn in patients with CD4 counts of 100 to 200 cells/µL if plasma HIV-RNA is suppressed on combination antiretroviral therapy. Whether this holds true for secondary prophylaxis is not known, and this has proved difficult to determine due to the much lower population at risk.

Inflammation and microbial translocation measured prior to combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) and long-term probability of clinical progression in people living with HIV.

Background: Despite the effectiveness of cART, people living with HIV still experience an increased risk of serious non-AIDS events, as compared to the HIV negative population. Whether pre-cART microbial translocation (MT) and systemic inflammation might predict morbidity/mortality during suppressive cART, independently of other known risk factors, is still unclear. Thus, we aimed to investigate the role of pre-cART inflammation and MT as predictors of clinical progression in HIV+ patients enrolled in the Icona Foundation Study Cohort.

The seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among health care workers before the era of vaccination: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among health care workers (HCWs) provides information about the spread of COVID-19 within health care facilities, and the risk groups.

Objectives: We aimed to describe the rate of SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and its determinants among HCWs.

Data Sources: We used Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, MEDLINE, EBSCOhost and Cochrane Library.

Therapeutic strategies and outcomes of MDR and pre-XDR-TB in Italy: a nationwide study.

Treatment outcomes in multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) patients are suboptimal in several low-incidence countries. The primary outcome measure was the proportion of successfully treated patients in Italy during an 18-year period. Secondary outcomes were treatment outcomes in certain drug-containing regimens and the possibility for the WHO shorter MDR-TB regimen.

Transglutaminase 2 Regulates Innate Immunity by Modulating the STING/TBK1/IRF3 Axis.

We have recently shown that type 2 transglutaminase (TG2) plays a key role in the host's inflammatory response during bacterial infections. In this study, we investigated whether the enzyme is involved in the regulation of the STING pathway, which is the main signaling activated in the presence of both self- and pathogen DNA in the cytoplasm, leading to type I IFN (IFN I) production. In this study, we demonstrated that TG2 negatively regulates STING signaling by impairing IRF3 phosphorylation in bone marrow-derived macrophages, isolated from wild-type and TG2 knockout mice.