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Background: Mental disorders that are comorbid with chronic infectious diseases may worsen clinical outcomes and patients’ quality of life. We hypothesized that depression and/or anxiety syndromes or symptoms comorbid with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection might stem from shared biological mechanisms. Methods: We conducted a systematic review applying the PRISMA statement by searching into the PubMed, APA PsycInfo, and Scopus databases. We examined the literature on HIV/HBV infection comorbid with depression and/or anxiety in adults ≥18 years. Results: Thirty-one studies on HIV and three on HBV were analyzed. The Tat protein contributed to HIV-associated mood disorders due to the protein’s ability to cause neurodegeneration and induce hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation in response to natural stressors. The decreased brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels also emerged as a mechanism involved in HIV neuropathogenesis and the associated mood symptoms. Neuroinflammation was implicated in depression and/or anxiety onset in patients with HIV/HBV infections. Microglial activation and release of cytokines, in particular, appeared as potential pathogenetic mechanisms. Furthermore, an altered balance between quinolinic acid and kynurenic acid production emerged in HIV patients with comorbid depression, indicating a glutamatergic dysfunction. Inflammatory cytokine production and the downregulation of cellular immune responses contributed to persisting inflammation, delayed healing, and functional decline in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection. A shift in type 1–type 2 cytokine balance might be implicated in HBV-related immune pathogenesis, and depression and anxiety might be considered immunomodulatory factors. Cytokines also caused HPA axis hyperactivity, frequently observed in HIV/HBV patients with comorbid depression/anxiety. Conclusions: The present systematic review showed, for the first time, that HIV/HBV and depression and/or anxiety might have several biological mechanisms as common denominators. The longitudinal course of the highlighted biological mechanisms should be explored to establish the causative interrelationship among the involved mechanisms. In addition, future research should investigate the possibility that a patient’s clinical outcome might improve using pharmacological treatments acting on the biological mechanisms we described as common denominators of chronic inflammatory infective diseases and depression/anxiety.

Climate change and the need to feed an increasing population undermines food production and safety, representing the reasons behind the development of a new agriculture that is much more sustainable, productive and accessible worldwide. Genome editing and, in particular, clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated protein (CRISPR/Cas) tools will play a major role in plant breeding to address these concerns. CRISPR/Cas includes a series of genome editing tools relying on the recognition and cleavage of target DNA/RNA sequences to introduce specific mutations.

Abstract Woven coronary disease is a rare pathology with unknown etiology. Although initially considered benign, recent publications report myocardial ischemia caused by the affected vessel. Since most patients are asymptomatic, long-term follow-up to understand its behavior is mandatory. We report a multivessel woven disease case with documented ischemia that was submitted to coronary artery bypass grafting and remained asymptomatic for two years of follow-up.

Quantitation of wheat proteins is still a challenge, especially regarding amylase/trypsin-inhibitors (ATIs). A selection of ATIs was silenced in the common wheat cultivar Bobwhite and durum wheat cultivar Svevo by RNAi and gene editing, respectively, in order to reduce the amounts of ATIs. The controls and silenced lines were analyzed after digestion to peptides by LC-MS/MS with different approaches to evaluate changes in composition of ATIs. First, a targeted method with stable isotope dilution assay (SIDA) using labeled peptides as internal standards was applied. Additionally, four different approaches for relative quantitation were conducted, in detail, iTRAQ labeled and label free quantitation (LFQ) combined with data dependent acquisition (DDA) and data independent acquisition (DIA). Quantitation was performed manually (Skyline and MASCOT) and with different proteomics software tools (PLGS, MaxQuant, and PEAKS X Pro). To characterize the wheat proteins on protein level, complementary techniques as high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gel electrophoresis were performed. The targeted approach with SIDA was able to quantitate all ATIs, even at low levels, but an optimized extraction is necessary. The labeled iTRAQ approach revealed an indistinct performance. LFQ with low resolution equipment (IonTrap) showed similar results for major ATIs, but low abundance ATIs as CM1, were not detectable. DDA measurements with an Orbitrap system and evaluation using MaxQuant showed that the relative quantitation was dependent on the wheat species. The combination of manual curation of the MaxQuant search with Skyline revealed a very good performance. The DIA approach with analytical flow found similar results compared to absolute quantitation except for some minor ATIs, which were not detected. Comparison of applied methods revealed that peptide selection is a crucial step for protein quantitation. Wheat proteomics faces challenges due to the high genetic complexity, the close relationship to other cereals and the incomplete, redundant protein database requiring sensitive, precise and accurate LC-MS/MS methods.

Human coronaviruses have neuroinvasive and neurotropic abilities that might explain psychiatric outcomes in affected patients. We hypothesized that delirium might be the sole clinical manifestation or even the prodrome of a psychiatric episode consistent with the mental history of a few infected patients with a preexisting diagnosed cognitive impairment. We examined three patients with preexisting mild cognitive impairment and delirium at admission for suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection. We diagnosed delirium using DSM-5 and Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) and measured consciousness level by the Glasgow Coma Scale. All the patients had no history of fever, respiratory complications, anosmia or ageusia, meningitis, and negative cerebrospinal fluid analysis for SARS-CoV-2. Our first patient had no psychiatric history, the second reported only a depressive episode, and the third had a history of bipolar disorder dated back to 40 years before. In the first patient, delirium resolved 2 days following the admission. The other two patients recovered in 4 and 14 days, and delirium appeared as the prodrome of a new psychiatric episode resembling past events. Clinicians should monitor the possibility that SARS-CoV-2 presence in the brain might clinically manifest in the form of delirium and acute psychiatric sequelae, even without other systemic symptoms. Psychiatric history and preexisting mild cognitive impairment are to be considered as predisposing factors for COVID-19 sequelae in delirium patients.

Abstract This work presents hydric conflicts in Brazil, its causes and effects and the case of conflicts related to the supply and demand of groundwater in the municipality of Araraquara, Brazil. In this municipality, the situation is classified as critical by the Tietê-Jacaré Basin Committee, to which it belongs. The main factors that cause conflicts in Araraquara and the key actors involved were identified. The demands of groundwater users were determined and the users responsible for most of the total demand were identified by the ABC Method. These users, even in small number, are the main potential causers for the conflicts, involving public and private water supply. Public policies related to water resources and conflicts management are also discussed and measures for conflict attenuation are proposed. Such measures should be implemented by key actors and the main groundwater users involved.

Despite methodological limitations, real-world studies might support clinicians by broadening the knowledge of antipsychotics’ (APs) effectiveness and tolerability in different clinical scenarios and complement clinical trials. We conducted an extensive literature search in the PubMed database to evaluate the effectiveness and tolerability profiles of second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) from real-world studies to aid clinicians and researchers in selecting the proper treatment for patients with schizophrenia and related disorders. The present review evidenced that SGAs demonstrated superior effectiveness over first-generation antipsychotics (FGAs) in relapse-free survival and psychiatric hospitalization rate and for treating negative symptoms. Persistence and adherence to therapy were higher in SGAs than FGAs. Most studies concluded that switching to long-acting injectables (LAIs) was significantly associated with a lower treatment failure rate than monotherapy with oral SGAs. Considerable improvements in general functionality, subjective well-being, and total score on global satisfaction tests, besides improved personal and social performance, were reported in some studies on patients treated with LAI SGAs. Clozapine was also associated with the lowest rates of treatment failure and greater effectiveness over the other SGAs, although with more severe side effects. Effectiveness on primary negative symptoms and cognitive deficits was rarely measured in these studies. Based on the data analyzed in the present review, new treatments are needed with better tolerability and improved effectiveness for negative, affective, and cognitive symptoms.

Abstract Background Mental disorders in comorbidity with chronic skin diseases may worsen disease outcome and patients’ quality of life. We hypothesized the comorbidity of depression, anxiety syndromes, or symptoms as attributable to biological mechanisms that the combined diseases share. Methods We conducted a systematic review based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis statement searching into PubMed, PsycInfo, and Scopus databases. We examined the literature regarding the comorbidity of psoriasis (Ps), atopic dermatitis (AD), or hidradenitis suppurativa with depression and/or anxiety in adults ≥18 years and the hypothetical shared underlying biological mechanisms. Results Sixteen studies were analyzed, mostly regarding Ps and AD. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor/tropomyosin receptor kinase B signaling and nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells/p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways arose as shared mechanisms in Ps animal models with depression- and/or anxiety-like behaviors. Activated microglia and neuroinflammatory responses emerged in AD depressive models. As to genetic studies, atopic-dermatitis patients with comorbid anxiety traits carried the short variant of serotonin transporter and a polymorphism of the human translocator protein gene. A GA genotype of catechol-O-methyltransferase gene was instead associated with Ps. Reduced natural killer cell activity, IL-4, serotonin serum levels, and increased plasma cortisol and IgE levels were hypothesized in comorbid depressive AD patients. In Ps patients with comorbid depression, high serum concentrations of IL-6 and IL-18, as well as IL-17A, were presumed to act as shared inflammatory mechanisms. Conclusions Further studies should investigate mental disorders and chronic skin diseases concurrently across patients’ life course and identify their temporal relation and biological correlates. Future research should also identify biological characteristics of individuals at high risk of the comorbid disorders and associated complications.

Wheat and its derived foods are widespread, representing one of the main food sources globally. During the last decades, the incidence of disorders related to wheat has become a global issue for the human population, probably linked to the spread of wheat-derived foods. It has been ascertained that structural and metabolic proteins, like α-amylase/trypsin inhibitors (ATI), are involved in the onset of wheat allergies (bakers' asthma) and probably Non-Coeliac Wheat Sensitivity (NCWS). The ATI are a group of exogenous protease inhibitors, which are encoded by a multigene family dispersed over several chromosomes in durum and bread wheat. WTAI-CM3 and WTAI-CM16 subunits are considered among the main proteins involved in the onset of bakers' asthma and probably NCWS. A CRISPR-Cas9 multiplexing strategy was used to edit the ATI subunits WTAI-CM3 and WTAI-CM16 in the grain of the Italian durum wheat cultivar Svevo with the aim to produce wheat lines with reduced amount of potential allergens involved in adverse reactions. Using a marker gene-free approach, whereby plants are regenerated without selection agents, homozygous mutant plants without the presence of CRISPR vectors were obtained directly from T0 generation. This study demonstrates the capability of CRISPR technology to knock out immunogenic proteins in a reduced time compared to conventional breeding programmes. The editing of the two target genes was confirmed either at molecular (sequencing and gene expression study) or biochemical (immunologic test) level. Noteworthy, as a pleiotropic effect, is the activation of the ATI 0.28 pseudogene in the edited lines.

Durum wheat milling is a key process step to improve the quality and safety of final products. The aim of this study was to characterize three bran-enriched milling fractions (i.e., F250, G230 and G250), obtained from three durum wheat grain samples, by using an innovative micronization and air-classification technology. Milling fractions were characterized for main standard quality parameters and for alveographic properties, starch composition and content, phenolic acids, antioxidant activity and ATIs. Results showed that yield recovery, ash content and particle size distributions were influenced either by the operating conditions (230 or 250) or by the grain samples. While total starch content was lower in the micronized sample and air-classified fractions, the P/L ratio increased in air-classified fractions as compared to semolina. Six main individual phenolic acids were identified through HPLC-DAD analysis (i.e., ferulic acid, vanillic acid, p-coumaric acid, sinapic acid, syringic and p-hydroxybenzoic acids). Compared to semolina, higher contents of all individual phenolic components were found in all bran-enriched fractions. The highest rise of TPAs occurred in the F250 fraction, which was maintained in the derived pasta. Moreover, bran-enriched fractions showed significant reductions of ATIs content versus semolina. Overall, our data suggest the potential health benefits of F250, G230 and G250 and support their use to make durum-based foods.

SARS-CoV-2 neuroinvasive and neurotropic abilities may underlie delirium onset and neuropsychiatric outcomes. Only a limited number of studies have addressed the potential effect of SARS-CoV-2 infection on mental health so far. Most studies mainly reported the acute onset of mixed neuropsychiatric conditions in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2, characterized by agitated behavior, altered level of consciousness, and disorganized thinking, regardless of psychological or socioeconomic triggering factors. The present narrative review aims to analyze and discuss the mechanisms underlying the neuroinvasive/neurotropic properties of SARS-CoV-2 and the subsequent mental complications. Delirium appeared as a clinical manifestation of SARS-CoV-2 brain infection in some patients, without systemic or multiple organ failure symptoms. A small number of studies demonstrated that neuropsychiatric symptoms associated with COVID-19, initially presenting as a confused state, may subsequently evolve in a way that is consistent with the patients’ neuropsychiatric history. A literature analysis on this topic prevalently showed case reports and case series of patients presenting delirium or delirium-like symptoms as the main outburst of COVID-19, plus a cognitive impairment, from mild to severe, which pre-existed or was demonstrated during the acute phase or after infection. Dementia appeared as one of the most frequent predisposing factors to SARS-CoV-2 infection complicated with delirium. Instead, contrasting data emerged on the potential link between COVID-19 and delirium in patients with cognitive impairment and without a neuropsychiatric history. Therefore, clinicians should contemplate the possibility that COVID-19 appears as delirium followed by a psychiatric exacerbation, even without other systemic symptoms. In addition, cognitive impairment might act as a predisposing factor for COVID-19 in patients with delirium.

Abstract Background Among wheat gluten proteins, the α-type gliadins are the major responsible for celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder that affects about 1% of the world population. In fact, these proteins contain several toxic and immunogenic epitopes that trigger the onset of the disease. The α-type gliadins are a multigene family, encoded by genes located at the complex Gli-2 loci. Results Here, three bread wheat deletion lines (Gli-A2, Gli-D2 and Gli-A2/Gli-D2) at the Gli-2 loci were generated by the introgression in the bread wheat cultivar Pegaso of natural mutations, detected in different bread wheat cultivars. The molecular characterization of these lines allowed the isolation of 49 unique expressed genes coding α-type gliadins, that were assigned to each of the three Gli-2 loci. The number and the amount of α-type gliadin transcripts were drastically reduced in the deletion lines. In particular, the line Gli-A2/Gli-D2 contained only 12 active α-type gliadin genes (−75.6% respect to the cv. Pegaso) and a minor level of transcripts (−80% compared to cv. Pegaso). Compensatory pleiotropic effects were observed in the two other classes of gliadins (ω- and γ-gliadins) either at gene expression or protein levels. Although the comparative analysis of the deduced amino acid sequences highlighted the typical structural features of α-type gliadin proteins, substantial differences were displayed among the 49 proteins for the presence of toxic and immunogenic epitopes. Conclusion The deletion line Gli-A2/Gli-D2 did not contain the 33-mer peptide, one of the major epitopes triggering the celiac disease, representing an interesting material to develop less “toxic” wheat varieties.

Plant diseases are globally causing substantial losses in staple crop production, undermining the urgent goal of a 60% increase needed to meet the food demand, a task made more challenging by the climate changes. Main consequences concern the reduction of food amount and quality. Crop diseases also compromise food safety due to the presence of pesticides and/or toxins. Nowadays, biotechnology represents our best resource both for protecting crop yield and for a science-based increased sustainability in agriculture. Over the last decades, agricultural biotechnologies have made important progress based on the diffusion of new, fast and efficient technologies, offering a broad spectrum of options for understanding plant molecular mechanisms and breeding. This knowledge is accelerating the identification of key resistance traits to be rapidly and efficiently transferred and applied in crop breeding programs. This review gathers examples of how disease resistance may be implemented in cereals by exploiting a combination of basic research derived knowledge with fast and precise genetic engineering techniques. Priming and/or boosting the immune system in crops represent a sustainable, rapid and effective way to save part of the global harvest currently lost to diseases and to prevent food contamination.

This study aims to present the conversational robot Teacher Tical in a wider dimension and with the resources of synthesis and voice commands. TICAL, which became operational as a prototype during the III International Congress of Dialectology and Sociolinguistics at the NFB in 2014, remains a proving ground for some theories that keeps each other an interdisciplinary character as Geolinguistics (CARDOSO et al., 2014a, 2014b), Natural Language Processing (SCHILDT, 1989; RICH, 1993; MANFIO; MORENO; BARBOSA, 2014a, 2014b) and Data Processing (ZIVIANI, 1999). The linguist ‘robot’, even featuring a fairly limited database and showing various typical failures of such systems and equipped with these capabilities, served largely to carry out tests on all the knowledge areas involved and proved to be functional enough to give rise to the need to give continuity to the project and research: ‘listen’, ‘talks’, performs quick searches and knows Linguistics.

Although wheat is used worldwide as a staple food, it can give rise to adverse reactions, for which the triggering factors have not been identified yet. These reactions can be caused mainly by kernel proteins, both gluten and non-gluten proteins. Among these latter proteins, α-amylase/trypsin inhibitors (ATI) are involved in baker’s asthma and realistically in Non Celiac Wheat Sensitivity (NCWS). In this paper, we report characterization of three transgenic lines obtained from the bread wheat cultivar Bobwhite silenced by RNAi in the three ATI genes CM3, CM16 and 0.28. We have obtained transgenic lines showing an effective decrease in the activity of target genes that, although showing a higher trypsin inhibition as a pleiotropic effect, generate a lower reaction when tested with sera of patients allergic to wheat, accounting for the important role of the three target proteins in wheat allergies. Finally, these lines show unintended differences in high molecular weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS) accumulation, involved in technological performances, but do not show differences in terms of yield. The development of new genotypes accumulating a lower amount of proteins potentially or effectively involved in allergies to wheat and NCWS, not only offers the possibility to use them as a basis for the production of varieties with a lower impact on adverse reaction, but also to test if these proteins are actually implicated in those pathologies for which the triggering factor has not been established yet.

Apresentamos neste trabalho uma análise da produção científica presente nas 10 edições do Encontro Nacional de Educação Matemática – ENEM (1987-2010) no que se refere à Educação do Campo. Para a constituição dos procedimentos analíticos empregados na pesquisa, valemo-nos de inspirações na análise de conteúdo, principalmente os movimentos de unitarização e categorização. Concluímos que a produção específica nessa temática é baixa, constituindo-se aproximadamente 0,3% do total de trabalhos publicados no ENEM. Em grande parte dos trabalhos, os autores valorizam a conexão entre o cotidiano camponês dos estudantes e o as aulas de Matemática. Notamos que essa valorização não é consensual entre os autores, de modo que abordagens distintas foram encontradas nos artigos analisados. THE RELATIONSHIPS ESTABLISHED BETWEEN FIELD DAILY LIFE AND MATHEMATICS CLASS: analysis of scientific production in 10 editions of the National Conference on Mathematics Education ABSTRACT This paper presents an analysis of the scientific production from the last 10 editions of Encontro Nacional de Educação Matemática – ENEM [National Meeting of Mathematics Education] (1987-2010), regarding rural education. The analytical procedures that were applied in this study were based on content analysis approach, mainly in the movements of unitarization and categorization. We conclude that production in this specific area is low, approximately 0.3% of the total of papers published in the proceedings of ENEM. Generally, the authors emphasise the importance of the connection between of the daily routine of students who live in rural areas with mathematics classes. However, there is no consensual agreement about this matter, and distinct approaches were found in the articles analysed.

Muitos autores das áreas de Educação Matemática e de Ensino de Ciências têm apontado que a história da matemática e das ciências em geral deva ser incorporada ao ensino dos conteúdos específicos dessas áreas. Mostraremos aqui, analisando-os cuidadosamente, alguns argumentos apresentados por eles. Pretendemos apresentar uma reflexão sobre esta participação da história no ensino sob dois pontos de vista distintos: historiográfico e pedagógico. Por fim, indicaremos alguns encontros e desencontros entre eles, de modo que explicitemos o problema e as dificuldades envolvidas na participação da história no ensino, para que ela não aconteça nem seja defendida de uma maneira ingênua e irresponsável.

Oral infections have a strong ethnic predilection; suggesting that ethnicity is a critical determinant of oral microbial colonization. Dental plaque and saliva samples from 192 subjects belonging to four major ethnicities in the United States were analyzed using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (t-RFLP) and 16S pyrosequencing. Ethnicity-specific clustering of microbial communities was apparent in saliva and subgingival biofilms, and a machine-learning classifier was capable of identifying an individual's ethnicity from subgingival microbial signatures. The classifier identified African Americans with a 100% sensitivity and 74% specificity and Caucasians with a 50% sensitivity and 91% specificity. The data demonstrates a significant association between ethnic affiliation and the composition of the oral microbiome; to the extent that these microbial signatures appear to be capable of discriminating between ethnicities.

Pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA genes allows for in-depth characterization of complex microbial communities. Although it is known that primer selection can influence the profile of a community generated by sequencing, the extent and severity of this bias on deep-sequencing methodologies is not well elucidated. We tested the hypothesis that the hypervariable region targeted for sequencing and primer degeneracy play important roles in influencing the composition of 16S pyrotag communities. Subgingival plaque from deep sites of current smokers with chronic periodontitis was analyzed using Sanger sequencing and pyrosequencing using 4 primer pairs. Greater numbers of species were detected by pyrosequencing than by Sanger sequencing. Rare taxa constituted nearly 6% of each pyrotag community and less than 1% of the Sanger sequencing community. However, the different target regions selected for pyrosequencing did not demonstrate a significant difference in the number of rare and abundant taxa detected. The genera Prevotella, Fusobacterium, Streptococcus, Granulicatella, Bacteroides, Porphyromonas and Treponema were abundant when the V1-V3 region was targeted, while Streptococcus, Treponema, Prevotella, Eubacterium, Porphyromonas, Campylobacter and Enterococcus predominated in the community generated by V4-V6 primers, and the most numerous genera in the V7-V9 community were Veillonella, Streptococcus, Eubacterium, Enterococcus, Treponema, Catonella and Selenomonas. Targeting the V4-V6 region failed to detect the genus Fusobacterium, while the taxa Selenomonas, TM7 and Mycoplasma were not detected by the V7-V9 primer pairs. The communities generated by degenerate and non-degenerate primers did not demonstrate significant differences. Averaging the community fingerprints generated by V1-V3 and V7-V9 primers provided results similar to Sanger sequencing, while allowing a significantly greater depth of coverage than is possible with Sanger sequencing. It is therefore important to use primers targeted to these two regions of the 16S rRNA gene in all deep-sequencing efforts to obtain representational characterization of complex microbial communities.

A partir de una serie de mediciones de la distribución vertical de corrientes en el área de Punta Médanos, Argentina, se calcularon las características de la fricción interna. El lugar muestra una batimetría inusual, debido a la presencia de bancos alineados de gran tamaño y otras formas menores superpuestas. Las velocidades máximas en el área resultaron del orden de los 50 cm/s y en general siguen la alineación de la costa. Los valores medios de la viscosidad turbulenta VT resultan del orden de 350 cm2/s. La rugosidad equivalente r es elevada, alcanzando un valor máximo de 63 cm, magnitud del mismo orden de la deducida por Scott y Csanady (1976). Los valores obtenidos para el coeficiente que linealiza las tensiones de fondo A y el coeficiente de Darcy f son de 0.1 cm/s y 0.03, respectivamente. Los resultados indican que los bancos actúan sobre la dirección de las corrientes, pero no en la rugosidad del fondo. doi: https://doi.org/10.22201/igeof.00167169p.1991.30.1.950

Background: High levels of anhedonia have been found in patients with schizophrenia; specifically they report higher levels of social anhedonia rather than physical anhedonia, and further, in the anticipatory rather than consummatory facets of pleasure. Nonetheless, contrasting results emerged regarding the underlying mechanisms of this deficit. Basic Symptoms (BS) disturb subjective experiences present for most of the illness' course; this impacts patients' daily lives leading to a loss of the ability to organize the experience of the self and the world in a fluid and automatic way. Considering the role played by negative emotions in the subjective evaluation of anhedonia, the aim of the study is to clarify the role of BS in the assessment of anhedonia in a sample of patients with schizophrenia (n = 53) compared with healthy controls (n = 46). Methods: Participants completed a self-administered trait questionnaire evaluating social anhedonia (Revised-Social Anhedonia Scale), physical anhedonia (Physical Anhedonia Scale), and the consummatory and anticipatory pleasure experiences (Temporal Experience of Pleasure Scale). BS were evaluated with the Frankfurter Beschwerde-Frageboden (FBF) whereas psychopathology was assessed with the Positive and Negative Syndromes Scale. Results: Patients scored higher than healthy controls in social, physical and anticipatory anhedonia, but not in consummatory anhedonia and these relationships were mediated by the FBF. Basic Symptoms of Memory, Overstimulation and Lack of Automatism were related to some facets of anhedonia, independently from depressive symptoms. Conclusions: We hypothesize that a subjective cognitive deficit and a reduced ability in information processing, could prevent patients from retaining a positive experience from past pleasant activities. Therefore the lack of pleasure would be, at least in part, related to an avoidance of potentially stressful new scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have analized the persistence of vaccine-induced antibodies to hepatitis B surface antigen, in a cohort of 445 eighteen-year-old males, who had been immunized against hepatitis B six years earlier (when they were 12 years old, according to the Italian law). These young men were about to begin their military service and were going through the routine check-up. They came from two different towns Reggio Emilia and Mantova, in the north of Italy, and were divided into two groups (group A no 258 men, group B no 187 men) depending on where they had been vaccinated. The serologic results showed that 97% of subjects had anti-HBs and 94% anti-HBs protective levels (> or = 10 mIU/ml). Moreover 81% of responder subjects showed titles > or = 100 mIU/ml, and 25% showed titles even > or = 1000 mIU/ml. Anti-HBs GMT of the total responders was 367.1. Differences have been found in the anti-HBs levels of men vaccinated in the two different towns.