48 research outputs found
Exposure to the agricultural fungicide tebuconazole promotes Aspergillus fumigatus cross-resistance to clinical azoles. [Comini S. is the co-first author; Banche G. is the corresponding author; Cuffini A.M. is the co-corresponding author]
No full textResistance to clinical triazoles in Aspergillus fumigatus is a growing concern for individuals at high risk of Aspergillus infection. Two triazole resistance selection routes are currently being investigated: one occurring in triazole-treated patients in healthcare settings, and the second taking place in the environment due to the widespread use of agricultural triazoles. This study aimed to assess the ability of agricultural azoles to promote cross-resistance to clinical azoles in A. fumigatus. Five A. fumigatus isolates susceptible to clinical azoles were exposed to the triazole 14α-demethylase inhibitor, tebuconazole (TBC), and then antifungal susceptibility tests for voriconazole, itraconazole, posaconazole and isavuconazole were performed. Under TBC selection pressure, all A. fumigatus isolates exhibited resistance to clinical triazoles. However, only two displayed a multiresistant phenotype to clinical azoles. TBC exposure was also associated with delayed conidia formation and progressive absence of conidiation. Noteworthy, no TBC-exposed clones harbored TR34/L98H mutation, as judged by real-time PCR assays. The observation that TBC exposure promotes cross-resistance to clinical triazoles warrants careful and thorough assessment of the human health risk associated with agricultural azoles. The absence of TR34/L98H mutation in cross-resistant A. fumigatus isolates suggests that other cyp51A mutations may be involved in clinical azole cross-resistance
Synthesis of benzisoxazole and benzisothiazole derivatives with potential antitumor activity
No full textSiC Foams Decorated with SnO2 Nanostructures for Room Temperature Gas Sensing
No full textSberveglieri, Giorgio/0000-0003-0080-8117; Ponzoni, Andrea/0000-0001-9955-5118; Comini, Elisabetta/0000-0003-2559-5197; Vakifahmetoglu, Cekdar/0000-0003-1222-4362Cell walls of the commercial silicon carbide (SiC)-based foams were decorated by one-dimensional tin dioxide (SnO2) nanostructures. Thermal evaporation of SnO2 powder with the assistance of a Au catalyst in inert atmosphere caused the formation of SnO2 nanobelts on the pore surfaces. The room temperature (RT) ammonia (NH3) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) gas sensing behaviors were investigated systematically in both dry and humid air atmosphere with/without UV activation. The results were compared to those for bare SnO2 and SiC. It was shown that SiC/SnO2 composite was efficient to detect low concentration of NH3 (10-50 ppm) and NO2 (1-5 ppm) under humid air and UV activation at RT.TUBITAK (The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey)Turkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK) [CAYDAG-113Y533]The author wishes to express sincere appreciation to Prof. Gian Domenico Soraru and his team in University of Trento for the N2 adsorption and desorption data. C. V. gratefully acknowledge the support of TUBITAK (The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey) under the project Grant No. CAYDAG-113Y533
Volitional rehabilitative assessments in patients admitted in a post-intensive care step down unit. A feasibility study
No full textA high variability in functional tests and activities used during the pulmonary rehabilitation has been observed in post-intensive care unit (ICU) patients, and the best battery of tests to adopt has not been described yet. We tested in patients admitted in a post-ICU Step Down Unit the ability to perform the more frequent functional volitional tests. The relations of each single volitional test with general disability and dyspnea at discharge were also evaluated. Ten volitional tests including: bedside spirometry test (ST: FEV1%, FVC%), maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP), maximal expiratory pressure (MEP), Peak Expiratory Flow during Cough (PCEF), Quadriceps Muscle Strength (QMS), latissimus Dorsi and teres Major Strength (DMS), Brachial biceps Muscle Strength (BMS), effort tolerance measured by sit-to-stand test, Takahashi test and 6-Min Walking Test (6MWT), were evaluated in post-ICU patients at entry and discharge from in-hospital rehabilitation. General disability was assessed by Barthel Index, while dyspnea by Borg scale. At admission, >70% of subjects performed muscle strength test, while <25% performed respiratory and effort tolerance tests. At discharge, feasibility of spirometry, respiratory muscle strength and effort tolerance tests improved (all, p<0.001); 6MWT was the least feasible. At discharge, cardiorespiratory patients were more capable to perform tests compared to neurological ones. All outcome measures, with exception of FEV1%, and FVC%, were significantly related to the disability score. Peripheral muscle exercises showed the highest feasibility, spirometry and leg effort tolerance the lowest. Motor disability was explained mainly by the peripheral muscle strength. The study of non-volitional outcome measures and tests linked to a protocol-driven intervention should be performed in this specific population
Relationship between perceived and neuromuscular fatigue in COPD patients with chronic respiratory failure with long-term oxygen therapy: a cross-sectional study
No full textPurpose: To evaluate perceived fatigue (PF) and neuromuscular fatigue (NMF) in patients with COPD and chronic respiratory failure (CRF) on long-term oxygen therapy (CRF-COPD group), and the relationships between PF, NMF, patient's characteristics, comparing severe patients with COPD to patients without CRF (COPD group). Methods: This cross-sectional study compared 19 CRF-COPD patients with 10 COPD patients attending a rehabilitation program. PF was determined by Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), while dyspnea by the Barthel Dyspnea Index (BDI). We assessed quadriceps NMF via electrical nerve stimulation during and following a Maximal Voluntary Contraction (MVC) detecting changes after a Constant Workload Cycling Test (CWCT) at 80% of the peak power output at exhaustion. Results: CRF-COPD patients showed higher PF (+ 1.79 of FSS score, p = 0.0052) and dyspnea (+ 21.03 of BDI score, p = 0.0023) than COPD patients. After the fatiguing task and normalization for the total work, there was a similar decrease in the MVC (CRF-COPD -1.5 ± 2.4 vs COPD -1.1 ± 1.2% baseline kJ-1, p = 0.5819), in the potentiated resting twitch force (CRF-COPD -2.8 ± 4.7 vs COPD -2.0 ± 3.3% baseline kJ-1, p = 0.7481) and in the maximal voluntary activation (CRF-COPD -0.1 ± 3.9 vs COPD -0.9 ± 1.2 -2.0 ± 3.3% baseline kJ-1, p = 0.4354). FSS and BDI were closely related (R = 0.5735, p = 0.0011), while no correlation between PF and NMF was found. Conclusion: Patients with CRF-COPD develop higher levels of perceived fatigue and dyspnea than patients with COPD; while neuromuscular fatigue is similar, suggesting a mismatch between symptoms and neuromuscular dysfunction
Skeletal muscle myopathy in heart failure: the role of ejection fraction
No full textPURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review summarizes: (1) the structural and functional features coupled with pathophysiological factors responsible of skeletal muscle myopathy (SMM) in both heart failure with reduced (HFrEF) and preserved (HFpEF) ejection fraction and (2) the role of exercise as treatment of SMM in these HF-related phenotypes. RECENT FINDINGS: The recent literature showed two main phenotypes of heart failure (HF): (1) HFrEF primarily due to a systolic dysfunction of the left ventricle and (2) HFpEF, mainly related to a diastolic dysfunction. Exercise intolerance is one of most disabling symptoms of HF and it is shown that persists after the normalization of the central hemodynamic impairments by therapy and/or cardiac surgery including heart transplant. A specific skeletal muscle myopathy (SMM) has been defined as one of the main causes of exercise intolerance in HF. The SMM has been well described in the last 20 years in the HFrEF; on the contrary, few studies are available in HFpEF. Recent evidences have revealed that exercise training counteracts HF-related SMM and in turn ameliorates exercise intolerance
Altered vascular endothelium-dependent responsiveness in frail elderly patients recovering from {COVID}-19 pneumonia: preliminary evidence
No full textWe evaluated vascular dysfunction with the single passive leg movement test (sPLM) in 22 frail elderly patients at 84 + 31 days after hospitalization for COVID-19 pneumonia, compared to 22 age-, sex- and comorbidity-matched controls (CTRL). At rest, all COVID-19 patients were in stable clinical condition without severe comorbidities. Patients (aged 72 ± 6 years, 73% male) had moderate disability (Barthel index score 77 ± 26), hypoxemia and normocapnia at arterial blood gas analysis and mild pulmonary restriction at spirometry. Values of circulating markers of inflammation (C-reactive protein: CRP; erythrocyte sedimentation rate: ESR) and coagulation (D-dimer) were: 27.13 ± 37.52 mg/dL, 64.24 ± 32.37 mm/1 h and 1043 ± 729 ng/mL, respectively. At rest, femoral artery diameter was similar in COVID-19 and CTRL (p = 0.16). On the contrary, COVID-19 infection deeply impacted blood velocity (p = 0.001) and femoral blood flow (p < 0.0001). After sPLM, peak femoral blood flow was dramatically reduced in COVID-19 compared to CTRL (p = 0.001), as was blood flow ∆peak (p = 0.05) and the area under the curve (p < 0.0001). This altered vascular responsiveness could be one of the unknown components of long COVID-19 syndrome leading to fatigue, changes in muscle metabolism and fibers’ composition, exercise intolerance and increased cardiovascular risk. Impact of specific treatments, such as exercise training, dietary supplements or drugs, should be evaluated
Impact of Clinical and Quality of Life Outcomes of Long-Stay ICU Survivors Recovering From Rehabilitation on Caregivers' Burden
No full textThe objective of this work was to evaluate the time course of clinical and health-related quality of life outcomes of long-stay ICU survivors' and caregivers' burden
Discovery of histamine H3 receptor antagonistic property of simple imidazole-free derivatives: preliminary pharmacological investigation.
No full textA Pulmonary Rehabilitation Decisional Score to Define Priority Access for COPD Patients
No full textThis retrospective study aimed to evaluate, through an ad hoc 17-item tool, the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Decisional Score (PRDS), the priority access to PR prescription by respiratory specialists. The PRDS, scoring functional, clinical, disability, frailty, and participation parameters from 0 = low priority to 34 = very high priority for PR access, was retrospectively calculated on 124 specialist reports sent to the GP of subjects (aged 71 ± 11 years, FEV1% 51 ± 17) consecutively admitted to our respiratory outpatient clinic. From the specialist's report the final subject's allocation could be low priority (LP) (>60 days), high priority (HP) (30-60 days), or very high priority (VHP) (<30 days) to rehabilitation. The PRDS calculation showed scores significantly higher in VHP versus LP (p < 0.001) and significantly different between HP and VHP (p < 0.001). Comparing the specialist's allocation decision and priority choice based on PRDS cut-offs, PR prescription was significantly more appropriate in VHP than in HP (p = 0.016). Specialists underprescribed PR in 49% of LP cases and overprescribed it in 46% and 30% of the HP and VHP prescriptions, respectively. A multicomprehensive score is feasible being useful for staging the clinical priorities for PR prescription and facilitating sustainability of the health system
