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Objective:To investigate Corynebacterium striatumas a nosocomial pathogen infecting hard-to-heal peripheral wounds, such as skin wounds, soft tissue abscesses and osteomyelitis. As of 2023, the medical community were alerted against the risk of emerging systemic and central infections; on the other hand literature on peripheral cutaneous regions is still scarce.Method:In this study, two groups of patients with similar lesions which were infected were compared: one group with the presence of the coryneform rod, the other without.Results:In total, Corynebacterium striatumwas cultured from 62 patients and 131 samples. Corynebacterium striatuminfection correlated well with the presence of: foot ulcer; venous leg ulcer; altered ambulation and/or altered foot loading; peripheral vascular and arterial disease; hospitalisation; malignancy; spinal cord injury; and recent administration of antibiotics (p<0.05 for all associations). Patients with Corynebacterium striatumhad a lower overall survival rate compared to patients in the non-Corynebacterium striatumgroup (28.6 versus 31.6 months, respectively; p=0.0285). Multivariate analysis revealed that Corynebacterium striatuminfection was an independent factor for poor prognosis (p<0.0001).Conclusion:In view of the findings of our study, Corynebacterium striatumappears to be an important opportunistic pathogen infecting peripheral tissues and complicating wound healing. Given its numerous and worrying virulence factors (such as multidrug resistance and biofilm production), particular attention should be given to this pathogen by professional wound care providers in nosocomial and outpatient environments.

Urban areas usually experience higher temperatures when compared to their rural surroundings. Several studies underlined that specific urban conditions are strictly connected with the Urban heat island (UHI) phenomenon, which consists in the environmental overheating related to anthropic activities. As a matter of fact, urban areas, characterized by massive constructions that reduce local vegetation coverage, are subject to the absorption of a great amount of solar radiation (short wave) which is only partially released into the atmosphere by radiation in the thermal infrared (long wave). On the contrary, green areas and rural environments in general show a reduced UHI effect, that is lower air temperatures, due to evapo-transpiration fluxes. Several studies demonstrate that urban microclimate affects buildings’ energy consumption and calculations based on typical meteorological year could misestimate their actual energy consumption. In this study, two different sets of meteorological data are used for the calculation of the heating and cooling energy needs of an existing university building. The building is modeled using TRNSYS v.17 software. The first set of data was collected by a weather station located in the city center of Modena, while the second set of data was collected by another station, located in the surrounding area of the city, near to the studied building. The influence of the different meteorological situations described by the two weather stations are analyzed and assumed to be representative of the UHI effect. Furthermore, the effects of UHI mitigation strategies on the building energy needs are evaluated and discussed.

The yeast Saccharomyces boulardiiis a biotherapeutic agent used for the prevention and treatment of several gastrointestinal diseases, such as diarrhoea caused by Clostridium difficile, in addition to the antibiotic therapy. In this study we report a case of Saccharomyces cerevisiaefungemia in a patient with Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhoea (CDAD) treated orally with S. boulardiiin association with vancomycin. The identification of the S. cerevisiaewas confirmed by molecular technique. Fungemia is a rare, but a serious complication to treatment with probiotics. We believe it is important to remind the clinicians of this risk when prescribing probiotics, especially to immunocompromised patients.

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a neglected infectious disease caused by the larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus. It constitutes a major public health problem in developing countries. During CE, the distinguishing feature of the host-parasite relationship is that chronic infection coexists with detectable humoral and cellular responses against the parasite. In order to establish successfully an infection, E. granulosus releases molecules that directly modulate the host immune responses favoring a strong anti-inflammatory response and perpetuating parasite survival in the host. In vitro and in vivo immunological approaches, together with molecular biology and immunoproteomic technologies provided us exciting insights into the mechanisms involved in the initiation of E. granulosus infection and the consequent induction and regulation of the immune response. Here, we review some of the recent developments and discuss how these observations helped to understand the immunology of E. granulosus infection in man. Although the last decade has clarified many aspects of host-relationship in human CE, establishing the full mechanisms that cause the disease require more studies. We need to define more clearly the events that manipulate the host immune response to protect the E. granulosus from elimination and minimizing severe pathology in the host.

Thermal mapping is an highly relevant tool for the assessment of the quality of coastal waters. Remote sensing is an useful technique for monitoring large surfaces in near real time, nevertheless, spatial resolution represents an important limiting factor. In this work it the spatial improvement, from 1km to 250m, of MODIS thermal imagery on coastal water obtained with the SWTI (SharpeningWater Thermal Imagery) is shown. This algorithm is applied, for the first time, to MODIS images acquired on the lagoon of Venice and on the delta of the Po River. The performances of SWTI are evaluated taking as a reference a couple of ASTER images acquired simultaneously to the MODIS images and on the same areas. Moreover, the water temperatures obtained with a simple bilinear interpolation of the MODIS images is also considered. Several statistical parameters, as bias and root mean square difference, are used to quantify the the difference between ASTER and MODIS/SWTI water temperatures along coastlines. In all the the cases these differences are lower than 1K.

Endogenous Ouabain (EO) has been demonstrated to modulate the activity of Na+, K+-ATPase. Our purpose was to measure plasma levels of EO in Ménière's Disease (MD) subjects as a possible predisposing factor to developing and maintaining hydrops.

Ménière's disease (MD) is an inner ear disorder characterized by recurrent episodic vertigo, hearing loss that is fluctuating in the first stages, aural fullness, and tinnitus. Raised endolymphatic pressure (hydrops) is commonly accepted as a causal condition. Approximately 90% of cases of MD are sporadic, whereas the remaining 10% of cases are linked to genetic factors. The ionic composition of endolymph may also depend on the activity of Na+, K+-ATPase. Adducin is a heterodimeric cytoskeleton protein consisting of 3 subunits (, , and ) coded by 3 different genes (ADD1, ADD2, and ADD3). ADD1 Gly460Trp polymorphism is associated with salt-sensitive hypertension and increased Na+-K+pump activity in transfected cells. This study aims to verify the role of adducin in the development of MD.

Despite inducing a strong host cellular and humoral immune response, the helminth Echinococcus granulosus is a highly successful parasite that develops, progresses, and ultimately causes chronic disease. Although surgery remains the preferred therapeutic option, pharmacological research now envisages antihelminthic strategies. To understand the mechanisms that E. granulosus uses to escape host immunosurveillance and promote chronic infection, we investigated how two hydatid cyst components, purified antigen B (AgB) and sheep hydatid fluid (SHF), act on host dendritic cell (DC) differentiation from monocyte precursors and how they influence maturation of DC that have already differentiated. We evaluated the immunomodulatory potential of these antigens by performing immunochemical and cytofluorimetric analyses of monocyte-derived DCs from healthy human donors. During monocyte differentiation, AgB and SHF downmodulated CD1a expression and upregulated CD86 expression. Compared with immature DCs differentiated in medium alone (iDCs), AgB- and SHF-differentiated cells stimulated with lipopolysaccharide included a significantly lower percentage of CD83+cells (P < 10–4) and had weaker costimulatory molecule expression. When stimulated with AgB and SHF, iDCs matured and primed lymphocytes towards the Th2 response typical of E. granulosus infection. SHF and particularly AgB reduced the production of interleukin-12p70 (IL-12p70) and tumor necrosis factor alpha in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated iDCs. Anti-IL-10 antibodies increased the levels of IL-12p70 secretion in AgB- and SHF-matured DCs. AgB and SHF induced interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase phosphorylation and activated nuclear factor-B, suggesting that Toll-like receptors could participate in E. granulosus-stimulated DC maturation. These results suggest that E. granulosus escapes host immunosurveillance in two ways: by interfering with monocyte differentiation and by modulating DC maturation.

ABSTRACTDespite inducing a strong host cellular and humoral immune response, the helminth Echinococcus granulosusis a highly successful parasite that develops, progresses, and ultimately causes chronic disease. Although surgery remains the preferred therapeutic option, pharmacological research now envisages antihelminthic strategies. To understand the mechanisms that E. granulosususes to escape host immunosurveillance and promote chronic infection, we investigated how two hydatid cyst components, purified antigen B (AgB) and sheep hydatid fluid (SHF), act on host dendritic cell (DC) differentiation from monocyte precursors and how they influence maturation of DC that have already differentiated. We evaluated the immunomodulatory potential of these antigens by performing immunochemical and cytofluorimetric analyses of monocyte-derived DCs from healthy human donors. During monocyte differentiation, AgB and SHF downmodulated CD1a expression and upregulated CD86 expression. Compared with immature DCs differentiated in medium alone (iDCs), AgB- and SHF-differentiated cells stimulated with lipopolysaccharide included a significantly lower percentage of CD83+cells (P< 10−4) and had weaker costimulatory molecule expression. When stimulated with AgB and SHF, iDCs matured and primed lymphocytes towards the Th2 response typical of E. granulosusinfection. SHF and particularly AgB reduced the production of interleukin-12p70 (IL-12p70) and tumor necrosis factor alpha in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated iDCs. Anti-IL-10 antibodies increased the levels of IL-12p70 secretion in AgB- and SHF-matured DCs. AgB and SHF induced interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase phosphorylation and activated nuclear factor-κB, suggesting that Toll-like receptors could participate in E. granulosus-stimulated DC maturation. These results suggest that E. granulosusescapes host immunosurveillance in two ways: by interfering with monocyte differentiation and by modulating DC maturation.

In this paper, an algorithm is developed based on the split-window technique, to estimate the SO2abundance in the plume of Mt. Etna volcano using the multispectral infrared and visible imaging spectrometer (MIVIS). The MIVIS data were remotely sensed in the thermal infrared (TIR) during the Sicily-1997 Campaign. In this study, the MODTRAN 3.5 code has been used to simulate the radiance at the sensor; the radiative transfer model was input along with the data of radio-sounding performed simultaneously with the MIVIS flight using a mobile radio-theodolite. From the SO2map, derived from the MIVIS image, the SO2flux along the axis of the plume was computed knowing the wind speed at the plume altitude. The SO2flux is variable along the plume axis. The average SO2flux (about 45 kg s–1on 12 June and about 30 kg s–1on 16 June) emitted from the vents is compared with the correlation spectrometer (COSPEC) measurements carried out by other teams (from the ground and from a light aircraft flying under the plume) during the MIVIS flight. Finally, by means of this algorithm it should be easier, with respect to the previously described procedure to monitor the SO2flux of a specific volcano such as Mt. Etna.

ABSTRACTBy directly suppressing the function of certain immune cell subsets and by stimulating other cell populations related to immunopathology, parasite-derived substances play an important role in the chronic establishment of parasitic disease. Our objective was twofold: (i) to investigate further the role of Echinococcus granulosusantigen B (AgB) in the human early inflammatory response by determining its effect on polymorphonuclear cell (PMN) random migration, chemotaxis, and oxidative metabolism and (ii) to determine its action in acquired immunity by evaluating AgB and sheep hydatid fluid (SHF)-driven Th1 (gamma interferon [IFN-γ] and interleukin 12 [IL-12]) and Th2 (IL-4 and IL-13) cytokine production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 40 patients who had cured or stable or progressive cystic echinococcosis. AgB significantly inhibited PMN recruitment but left their random migration and oxidative metabolism unchanged. Patients' PBMC stimulated with AgB produced IL-4 and IL-13 but did not produce IL-12. They also produced significantly lower IFN-γ concentrations than did PBMC stimulated with SHF (P= 10−5). AgB skewed the Th1/Th2 cytokine ratios towards a preferentially immunopathology-associated Th2 polarization, predominantly in patients with progressive disease. AgB-stimulated patients' PBMC also proliferated less than SHF-stimulated PBMC (P= 9 × 10−3). In vitro Th2 cytokine production was reflected in vivo by elevated specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) and IgG4 antibodies binding to AgB. These findings confirm that AgB plays a role in the escape from early immunity by inhibiting PMN chemotaxis. They also add new information on the host-parasite relationship, suggesting that AgB exploits the activation of T helper cells by eliciting a nonprotective Th2 cell response.

Fifty-three sera from 29 patients with hydatid disease, all but one positive for specific anti-parasite antibodies and all negative for specific circulating antigens, were studied for the presence of circulating immune complexes (CIC) by conglutinin binding-assay (KgBA). Fourteen serum samples (26%) from eight patients (27%) were positive. These positive sera were pooled for each patient and the eight samples were PEG-precipitated and analysed for the presence of specific Echinococcus granulosus antigens in the CIC using a human anti-human-hydatid cyst fluid antiserum capable of recognizing the major antigenic systems of the parasite namely, antigens 4 and 5. The assays utilized for detecting antigen in CIC were: (a) blotting on nitrocellulose paper after sodium dodecil sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and specific immunological detection; (b) ultracentrifugation in acid buffer and subsequent detection of antigens by a sandwich-radioimmuno assay (RIA); (c) protein separation by isoelectric focusing (IEF) and specific immunological recognition. In addition, all positive sera were analysed for the presence of antigen in the CIC by a modified KgBA and by polyethylenglicol (PEG)-precipitation in acid buffer followed by immunological recognition of antigen. All tests gave negative results with the patients' samples, but were positive with preformed in vitro complexes between parasite antigens and corresponding antibodies. Failure to detect antigen in the CIC could be due to: 1) insufficient sensitivity of the assays used to detect hydatid antigens in CIC; 2) rapid clearance of antigen or CIC from the circulation; 3) presence of parasite antigen not recognized by the antiserum employed; 4) production of CIC as a result of polyclonal B-cell activation. This last hypothesis is supported by the demonstration of IgM-rheumatoid factor (RF) and anti-F(ab')2 antibodies respectively in 11 (44 %) and 13 (52 %) out of 25 patients.

Combining high resolution power of SDS-PAGE and IEF with the specific immunological recognition of a human antiserum directed againstEchinococcus granulosus antigens, we could identify, in 4 hydatid cystic fluids of human origin, 4 antigens with a molecular weight in the range 32-13 KD, and an antigen of 200 KD which, in reducing conditions, gave 2 bands of 67 and 52 KD. In addition, mainly in one of the cystic fluids, there were at least another 4 specific non-reducible bands with a molecular weight ranging from 80 to 40 KD. Specific parasite antigens, which constitute not more than 3% of total protein content of the cystic fluid, migrate, in isoelectric focusing, from a pH of less than 5 to more than 8.

A 15-year-old woman with a history of recurrent episodes of meningococcal infections was admitted to our hospital with signs and symptoms indicating a meningeal inflammation. Since in the last few years some of the patients affected by recurrent meningococcal infections have been recognized to have selective complement deficiencies, the patient’s serum was studied for determining the complement function. C8 was found to be present only in traces, with a pattern of partial identity as compared with that of the normal human serum. Moreover, total hemolytic complement was undetectable and could be completely restored with purified C8, but not with other complement components; thus, we concluded for the presence of a C8 deficiency state. Further reconstitution experiments carried out with sera having selective deficiencies of either C8 β or C8 α-γ subunits allowed us to recognize the presence of a dysfunctional C8 molecule lacking the β chain, but possessing the α-γ subunit. The clinical history of the patient, characterized by recurrent meningococcal infections, further supports the current concept of an increased susceptibility of the C8 β-deficient patients toNeisseria meningitidisinfections.

Evapotranspiration is the dominant energy exchange process in dense vegetated environments with an adequate water supply. If water is available vegetation canopy temperatures do not respond immediately upon intercepting solar radiation because of the apportionment of absorbed solar radiation into sensible and latent heat. This lag in the thermal conditions of vegetation canopy following the incident solar flux can be even more complex after sunrise because the presence of dew on the foliage requires more available energy investment in evaporating water and less energy spent in warming the foliage. The aim of this Letter, which is based on remotely-sensed thermal data obtained from Landsat Thematic Mapper in the daytime of a clear summer day, is to investigate the relationship between canopy surface temperatures and the incident solar radiation for a forested montainous landscape of central Italy. Results show that, under the conditions of our experiment, a time lag of one hour considerably increases the linear relation between vegetation canopy temperature and local solar illumination angle.

We report our experience in the treatment with benzoimidazole carbamates (mebendazole and albendazole) of 337 patients affected by hydatid cysts with different localizations. The treated cysts showed degenerative modifications in 50.6% of the cases after mebendazole treatment and in about 80% after albendazole treatment. Relapses after therapy were observed in 30% of the cases; about 95% of the recurring cysts showed good susceptibility to a further cycle of therapy with benzoimidazole carbamates. Side effects observed with either drug were not severe and always reversible, consisting mainly of abdominal pains and increased levels of transaminases in serum. Among the factors that may influence the therapeutic results are the drug employed, the age of the cysts, the age of the patient, and the localization of the cysts and their morphological characteristics. Moreover, it can be hypothesized that each hydatid cyst has an intrinsic sensitivity to benzoimidazole carbamates.

Background/aimAmyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with still unknown aetiology. Among environmental factors, pesticides have been investigated due to their potential neurotoxic effects. Within a population-based case-control study conducted in two Italian regions, we aimed to investigate ALS risk due to passive residential exposure to pesticides using two methodologies.MethodsThe exposure assessment was carried with an individual questionnaire, which collected information of the entire residential history of subjects, focusing on rural residence or in the vicinity of agricultural areas. It was compared with assessment based on geographical information system (GIS), avoiding direct contact with study subjects. To do that, we computed the percentage (≥50%) of rural land use within the 100 m round buffer around each subjects’ residence, according to cover maps of two periods available from the Department of Agriculture, recent (2003–2009) and historical (1978–1989) ones. Risk for passive residential exposure to pesticides was computed using a sex and age adjusted logistic regression model for both methods, and their agreement was assessed using Cohen’s kappa (k).ResultsThe odds ratio (OR) with their 95% confidence intervals (CI) for passive residential exposure to pesticides was 1.67 (95% CI 0.87 to 3.20) from the questionnaire-based assessment, while ORs from the GIS-based assessment were 1.05 (0.40 to 2.73) and 1.13 (0.49 to 2.63) for the recent and historical period, respectively. The agreement between two methods considering all participants was generally moderate to high, with k of 0.564 (95% CI: 0.361 to 0.767) and 0.648 (0.494–0.802) for recent and historical periods, respectively. Analyses divided between cases and controls yielded similar results, with k of 0.468 (0.133–0.803) in cases and 0.630 (0.382–0.879) in controls for recent period, and 0.642 (0.380–0.904) in cases and 0.652 (0.464–0.840) in controls for historical one.ConclusionOur results showed a slight increased risk of passive exposure to pesticides using the questionnaire-based assessment, with less conclusive results from the GIS-based one. The similar agreement either between periods and case/control status, suggested also that no substantial information bias and differential exposure misclassification occurred when assessing pesticides exposure in our population.

Summary: A 73-year-old man with hydatid disease developed autoimmune hemolytic anemia due to IgM cold agglutinin with anti-I specificity. Hemolysis decreased after initiating mebendazole therapy. The cysts notably diminished in size and the red cell autoantibodies disappeared at the end of this treatment. On the basis of these observations, 44 patients with hydatid disease were investigated. One patient showed IgM cold autoantibody with no signs of anemia. In addition, cleavage fragments of C3 were detected on the erythrocyte membranes of 6 patients, following chronic activation of the complement system. We suggest that parasitic antigens may evoke antibodies cross-reacting with the red blood cells of the host.