Cognitive outcomes and psychological symptoms in an Italian cohort with post-acute COVID-19 condition (PACC).

Background: We aim to investigate the proportion of patients (pts) with long-term cognitive outcomes (CO) of PACC and identify associated features.

Methods: We assessed participants through a neuropsychological assessment. The chi-square test was used for comparisons according with time of NPA (within or beyond 6 months since COVID19) and with previously hospitalization status (hospitalized patients, PH; not hospitalized patients, nPH).

Sanitary Waters: Is It Worth Looking for Mycobacteria?

The freshwater environment is suitable for nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTMs) growth. Their high adaptability represents a considerable risk for sanitary water systems, which are a potential vector for NTMs transmission. This study investigated the occurrence of NTMs, such as , in hospital water systems to support the surveillance and control of potentially pathogenic NTMs.

Impact of switching from EFV/F/TDF to B/F/TAF on psychiatric symptoms and neurocognition.

Objectives: The aim was to investigate whether switching from EFV/F/TDF to B/F/TAF may improve neuropsychiatrc symptoms and neurocognition.

Design: Pilot, single-arm, prospective study of persons with HIV (PWH) on the efficacy and safety of switching from EFV/F/TDF to B/F/TAF.

Methods: Participants underwent neuropsychological assessment (NPA) at switch (T0) and after 48 weeks (T1).

COVID-19 and multiple sclerosis: challenges and lessons for patient care.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and their healthcare providers have faced unique challenges related to the interaction between SARS-CoV-2, underlying neurological disease and the use of disease-modifying treatments (DMTs). Key concerns arose, primarily related to the possibility that SARS-CoV-2 infection could trigger the initial demyelinating event or exacerbate disease activity. Another major concern was the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines, especially for patients undergoing specific treatments that could weaken their antibody responses.

Cerebrospinal Fluid and Peripheral Blood Lymphomonocyte Single-Cell Transcriptomics in a Subject with Multiple Sclerosis Acutely Infected with HIV.

Signatures of neurodegeneration in clinical samples from a subject with multiple sclerosis (MS) acutely infected with HIV were investigated with single-cell transcriptomics using 10X Chromium technology. Sequencing was carried out on NovaSeq-TM, and the analysis was performed with Cell Ranger software (v 7.1.

Pooled analysis of the MANTICO2 and MONET randomized controlled trials comparing drug efficacy for early treatment of COVID-19 during Omicron waves.

Background: The clinical effectiveness of early therapies for mild-to-moderate COVID-19, comparing antivirals and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) during the Omicron era, has not been conclusively assessed through a post-approval comparative trial. We present a pooled analysis of two randomized clinical trials conducted during Omicron waves.

Methods: The MANTICO2/MONET trial is a pooled analysis of two multicentric, independent, phase-4, three-arm, superiority, randomized, open-label trials.

Therapy modulates the response to T cell epitopes over the spectrum of tuberculosis infection.

Background: Identifying stage-specific antigens is essential for developing tuberculosis (TB) diagnostics and vaccines. In a low TB endemic country, we characterized, the Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb)-specific immune response to a pool of Mtb-derived epitopes (ATB116), demonstrated as associated with TB disease.

Methods: In this prospective observational cross-sectional study, we enrolled healthy donors (HD), subjects with TB disease, and TB infection (TBI) at baseline and therapy completion.

Impact of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination on Disease Severity and Clinical Outcomes of Individuals Hospitalized for COVID-19 Throughout Successive Pandemic Waves: Data from an Italian Reference Hospital.

This is a retrospective observational study including all COVID-19 patients admitted at our Institute throughout three successive pandemic waves, from January 2021 to June 2023. The main in-hospital outcomes (clinical progression [CP], defined as admission to Intensive Care Unit [ICU]/death, and death within 28 days) were compared among participants unvaccinated (NV), fully vaccinated (FV), with one (FV&B1) and two (FV&B2) booster doses. Vaccinated participants were stratified into recently and waned FV/FV&B1/FV&B2, depending on the time elapsed from last dose (≤ and >120 days, respectively).

Reaction Times in Modern Virology: "This is not a Drill".

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variant of interest BA.2.87.

Neurolymphomatosis mimicking a Guillain-Barré syndrome triggered by COVID-19 vaccination.

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an acute disorder of the peripheral nervous system, causing flaccid paralysis, areflexia, and variable sensory involvement. Proximal as well distal muscles of the limbs can be involved, and in most severe and advanced cases progresses to respiratory failure and death. GBS is considered an autoimmune disease, and at the basis of the attack at the peripheral nervous system different mechanisms have been recognized, in particular viral infections or other immune stimulations.

Transarterial Radioembolization Can Downstage Intermediate and Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma to Liver Transplantation.

Background: Transarterial radioembolization (TARE) is an effective treatment to control tumor growth and improve survival in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The role of TARE in downstaging patients to liver transplantation (LT) is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the downstaging efficacy of TARE for intermediate and advanced HCC.

Update on Hepatitis C Vaccine: Results and Challenges.

Therapy against the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has significantly improved with the introduction of direct-acting antiviral drugs (DAAs), achieving over 95% sustained virological response (SVR). Despite this, the development of an effective anti-HCV vaccine remains a critical challenge due to the low number of patients treated with DAAs and the occurrence of HCV reinfections in high-risk groups. Current vaccine strategies aim to stimulate either B-cell or T-cell responses.

Anti-RBD Antibody Levels and IFN-γ-Specific T Cell Response Are Associated with a More Rapid Swab Reversion in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis after the Booster Dose of COVID-19 Vaccination.

This study investigated the incidence and severity of SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections (BIs) and the time to swab reversion in patients with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) after the booster dose of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. We enrolled 64 PwMS who had completed the three-dose mRNA vaccine schedule and had never experienced COVID-19 before. Among the 64 PwMS, 43.

Subsequent Waves of Convergent Evolution in SARS-CoV-2 Genes and Proteins.

Beginning in 2022, following widespread infection and vaccination among the global population, the SARS-CoV-2 virus mainly evolved to evade immunity derived from vaccines and past infections. This review covers the convergent evolution of structural, nonstructural, and accessory proteins in SARS-CoV-2, with a specific look at common mutations found in long-lasting infections that hint at the virus potentially reverting to an enteric sarbecovirus type.

The Drug Susceptibility of Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM) in a Referral Hospital in Rome from 2018 to 2023.

The treatment of non-tuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infections is challenging because of the difficulty in obtaining phenotypic (pDST) and/or molecular (mDST) drug susceptibility testing and the need of a multi-drug regimen. : The objective was to describe the in vitro susceptibility patterns of various NTM species through an analysis of susceptibility results obtained on isolates collected between 2018 and 2023. Species identification and mutations in or genes (mDST) were identified by a line probe assay, while the pDST was performed by broth microdilution and interpreted according to CLSI criteria.

Association of Methylated DNA Markers with High-Risk HPV Infections in Oral Site and Precancer Anal Lesions in HIV-Positive MSM.

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is linked to several cancers, including anal and oral cancers. The incidence of anal cancer is particularly high among HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM). DNA methylation markers have shown promise as biomarkers for identifying precancerous lesions and cancer in HPV-infected individuals.

Concomitant Parenchymal, Subarachnoid, and Ventricular Neurocysticercosis in Rome, Italy: A Case Report with a 4-Year Follow-Up.

Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is caused by the larval stage of . This parasitic disease is endemic in many areas of the world and is emerging in Europe. NCC can affect different brain regions, but simultaneous involvement of the parenchymal, subarachnoid, and ventricular regions is rare.