70 research outputs found
Diagnosis and prognosis of congenital CMV infection: A case report and review of the literature
No full textCongenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is the leading non-genetic cause of sensori-neural hearing loss and neurodevelopmental sequelae. Despite these alarming facts, the general public healthcare system is often not aware of CMV and not enough is done to prevent congenital CMV infection.We describe the clinical and laboratory monitoring of a case with primary CMV infection occurring before the fi rst trimester of gestation. Specifi c literature review is included in order to point out major goals achieved in the diagnosis and prognosis of congenital CMV infection and the many questions still unanswered. Serological diagnosis of primary CMV infection was performed based on serum-CMV specifi c-IgM anti bodies,
combined with low avidity anti-CMV IgG antibodies. The maternal infection was asymptomatic, as it is for most infections in immunocompetent patients. Therefore, disclosing primary infection depended on specifi c serological tests during the initial period of pregnancy (before weeks 12 – 16 of gestation). The invasive (amniocentesis) and non-invasive (ultrasonographic examination) prenatal tests, carried out at 21 weeks gestation, revealed a severe CMV infection in a fetus small for gestational age with ventriculomegaly. The presence of overt ultrasound abnormalities combined with high viral load in the amniotic fl uid sampled at the appropriate times was highly suggestive of an unfavourable prognosis. The autopsy performed on the fetus confi rmed severe disseminated CMV infection with histological brain damage
Origin and assessment of deep groundwater inflow in the Ca' Lita landslide using hydrochemistry and in situ monitoring
No full textChanges in soil water content, groundwater flow and a rise in pore water pressure are well-known causal or triggering factors for hillslope instability. Rainfall and snowmelt are generally assumed as the main sources of groundwater recharge. This assumption neglects the role of deep water inflow in highly tectonized areas, a factor that can influence long-term pore-pressure regimes and play a role on local slope instability. This paper aims to assess the origin of groundwater in the Ca' Lita landslide (northern Italian Apennines) and to qualify and quantify the aliquot attributable to deep water inflow. The research is essentially based on in situ monitoring and hydrochemical analyses. It involved 5 yr of continuous monitoring of groundwater levels, electrical conductivity and temperature and with groundwater sampling followed by determination of major ions (Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Cl?, HCO3?, SO42?), tracers (such as Btot and Sr2+), and isotopes (?18O, ?2H and 3H). Leaching experiments on soil samples, hydrochemical modelling and water recharge estimation were also carried out. Results show that the groundwater balance in the Ca' Lita landslide must take into account an inflow of deep and highly mineralised Na-SO4 water (more than 9500 ?S cm?1) with non-negligible amounts of Cl? (up to 800 mg l?1). The chemical and isotopic fingerprint of this water points to oilfield water hosted at large depths in the Apennine chain and that uprises through a regional fault line crossing the landslide area. It recharges the aquifer hosted in the bedrock underlying the sliding surface (at a rate of about 49 000–85 700 m3 yr?1) and it also partly recharges the landslide body. In both the aquifers, the hydrochemical imprint of deep water mixed with rainfall and snowmelt water was observed. This indicates a probable influence of deep water inflow on the mobility of the Ca' Lita landslide, a finding that could be applicable to other large landslides occurring in highly tectonized areas in the northern Apennines or in other mountain chains. The paper demonstrates that hydrochemistry should, therefore, be considered as a valuable investigation method to define hydrogeological limits and the groundwater sources in hillslope and to assess groundwater flow patterns in deep-seated landslides.Water ManagementCivil Engineering and Geoscience
Modello numerico del comportamento idrologico del Lago di Monate (VA)
No full textASPETTI CHIAVE
- Viene proposto un modello numerico concettuale del comportamento idrologico del bacino del Lago di Monate
- La calibrazione del modello proposto è stata condotta sfruttando simultaneamente sia le osservazioni di livello
idrometrico del lago che misure freatimetriche
- Il modello proposto permette di valutare il bilancio idrologico del lago a scala annuale restituendo risultati in linea
con quanto riportato in letteratur
An investigation into the development of toppling at the edge of fractured rock plateaux using a numerical modelling approach
No full textThis is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this record.The mechanisms controlling the onset of minor slope instability at the edges of rocky plateaux exhibiting lateral spreading phenomena are yet to be fully understood. Hypotheses have recently been introduced to explain the influence of groundwater within these plateaux on geomorphological processes leading to slope instability. We present a back analysis of a recent landslide which occurred on 27th February 2014 in the town of San Leo, Italy. The role of the softening of basal clay shales and erosion due to seepage is investigated using finite element geomechanical models. Both processes were observed in the field and are related to groundwater discharging along the contact between the rocky slab and the clay-rich substratum. Fracture propagation paths involving pre-existing discontinuities and intact rock bridges failure were simulated using a simplified discrete fracture network (DFN) model coupled with a Voronoi polygonal mesh approach. Model results allow the failure to be classified as a secondary toppling phenomenon. Moreover, a critical amount of undermining was indicated by the models agreeing with field observations made prior to the failure. Based on the modelling results, an interpretation of the overall mechanism inducing failures at the edges of fractured rock slabs is given. In particular, the inter-relationships between groundwater flow and geomorphic processes acting within the rock masses are presented
Pulmonary embolism in patients with severe COVID-19 treated with intermediate- to full-dose enoxaparin: A retrospective study
No full textCoronavirus disease (COVID-19) may predispose patients to pulmonary embolism (PE), despite standard thromboprophylaxis. Our retrospective study aimed to report the prevalence of PE in patients with COVID-19 and severe respiratory failure (SRF) treated with intermediate- to full-dose enoxaparin. We analyzed data from patients with COVID-19 pneumonia and SRF admitted to our Respiratory Intensive Care Unit (RICU) from February 27 to April 20, 2020. All patients received at least intermediate-dose enoxaparin (40 mg twice daily). Computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) was used to detect PE. Ninety-two patients with COVID-19 pneumonia and SRF were admitted to our RICU. Twenty-two patients underwent CTPA (24 %), 11 of whom had PEs (12%). We hypothesize that the enoxaparin treatment may be responsible for the lower prevalence of PE as compared to previous reports of similar patients, even if our report had several limitations, mainly the small sample size
Assessment of peptides specificity for cellular targeting: a fluorescence-based binding assay
No full textLAUREA MAGISTRALEL'introduzione di acidi nucleici (NAs) in cellule target con l'utilizzo di sistemi di delivery polimerici o lipidici è nota come gene delivery non virale. Questi tipi di sistemi presentano grandi vantaggi, come bassi effetti citotossici e immunogenici e la possibilità di trasportare una più elevata quantità di NAs rispetto ai vettori virali. Tuttavia, i vettori non virali hanno un'efficienza di trasfezione limitata dovuta anche alla bassa specificità per il target cellulare. Per migliorare l'efficacia dei vettori non virali, recenti lavori di ricerca si sono quindi concentrati sulla funzionalizzazione di vettori esistenti, in particolare con peptidi targeting. La coniugazione di sistema di delivery con questo tipo di peptidi può migliorare notevolmente la capacità di targeting, evitando così il trasferimento di NAs a cellule fuori target. Sebbene l'uso di peptidi targeting rappresenti una strategia molto promettente nel campo del gene delivery, in letteratura manca un'indagine approfondita dei meccanismi alla base dell'interazione tra il peptide di interesse e il recettore presente sul tipo cellulare considerato. Per questo motivo, partendo dai saggi di binding presenti in letteratura, il seguente lavoro si propone di ideare e ottimizzare un protocollo che definisca l'affinità del peptide considerato per il target cellulare, attraverso la quantificazione del segnale di fluorescenza dato dal binding di queste componenti. La procedura è stata ottimizzata su due peptidi e sul loro target cellulare: VGVAPGC per le cellule muscolari lisce e CREDVW per le cellule endoteliali. Dopo una valutazione preliminare per la definizione delle migliori condizioni sperimentali, sono stati eseguiti saggi di saturazione con l'obiettivo di valutare il legame specifico dei peptidi considerati. L'analisi del binding ha dimostrato che il peptide CREDVW mostra una specificità per le cellule endoteliali, mentre il peptide VGVAPGC non ha un legame preferenziale con le cellule muscolari lisce. Complessivamente, questi risultati hanno confermato la necessità di valutare l'effettiva selettività dei peptidi targeting con una procedura di analisi di binding standard, prima di utilizzarli in applicazioni di gene delivery.The introduction of nucleic acids (NAs) into target cells with the use of polymer or lipid-based delivery vehicles is known as non-viral gene delivery. These types of systems have great advantages, such as low cytotoxic and immunogenic effects, and large cargo capacity. However, non-viral vectors are affected by limited transfection efficiency due also to the low specificity for the cellular target. To enhance the effectiveness of non-viral vectors, recent research works have been focusing on functionalizing existing vectors, especially with targeting peptides. The conjugation of targeting peptides to the delivery system can strongly improve the targeting ability, avoiding NAs transfer to off-target cells. Although the use of peptides for targeting applications represents a very promising strategy in the field of gene delivery, the literature overall lacks a thorough investigation of mechanisms at the basis of the interaction between the peptide of interest and the receptor found on the cell type considered. For this reason, starting from the binding assay procedures found in the literature, this work aims to devise and optimize a straightforward, fluorescence-based protocol that defines the affinity of the considered peptide for the desired cellular target. The procedure was optimized on two peptides and their cellular target: VGVAPGC for smooth muscle cells and CREDVW for endothelial cells. After preliminary assessments of the best experimental conditions, saturation binding assays were performed with the aim of evaluating the specific binding of the beforementioned peptides. The binding analysis demonstrated that the CREDVW peptide shows specificity for endothelial cells, while the VGVAPGC peptide does not have a preferential binding to smooth muscle cells. Overall, these results confirmed the need to first assess the actual selectivity of targeting peptides with a standard binding assay procedure, before using them in gene delivery applications
The Presence of Bacterial and Protozoan Pathogens in Wild Fallow Deer (Dama dama) from a Protected Area in Central Italy
No full textWild ruminants often harbor pathogens transmissible to other animals and humans, but their epidemiological role is not always defined for all microorganisms. In this survey, spleens, kidneys, and hearts sampled from 162 fallow deer (Dama dama) were subjected to molecular analyses to detect bacterial (Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Borrelia burgdorferi s.l., Brucella spp., Chlamydia abortus, Coxiella burnetii, Francisella tularensis, Leptospira spp.) and protozoan (piroplasms, Neospora caninum, Toxoplasma gondii) pathogens. Five (3.08%) spleens were positive for A. phagocytophilum, and twelve (7.40%) spleens were positive for Theileria cervi. The remaining pathogens investigated were not detected, and no coinfections were found. The analyzed animals do not seem to have a relevant role in the spreading of these pathogens; however, monitoring is pivotal to understand the epidemiological scenarios and take appropriate preventive measures in areas frequently visited by people. © 2025 by the authors
Cellular non-specific interstitial pneumonia as a pulmonary manifestation of primary biliary cirrhosis.
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