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Objectives Sweat chloride test is the gold standard test for cystic fibrosis (CF) diagnosis. In 2014 the Istituto Superiore di Sanità established the Italian pilot external quality assessment program for CF sweat test (IEQA-ST). Design and methods Ten laboratories, included among the 33 Italian CF Referral Centers, were selected and enrolled on the basis of their attitude to perform sweat test (ST) analysis by using methods recommended by the Italian Guidelines. They received three different sweat-like samples (normal, borderline and pathologic chloride concentration), with mock clinical indications, for analysis according to routine procedures. Assessment, performed by a panel of experts, covered analytical performance, interpretation and reporting of results; categories of “poor” and “satisfactory” performance were not defined. All data were managed through a web utility. Results The program identified important areas of interest and, in some case, of concern. It is important to underline that results are referred to a small proportion, i.e. about 30%, of Italian laboratories performing CF ST in the context of the Referral Centers. Conclusions Data collected highlight the importance of participation in EQA programs as it may improve laboratory/clinical performance; our study represents a model for the setting up of a large-scale EQA scheme for ST. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article aims at analyzing the influence of constructing a International Center for Chemical Microbiology biomedical research laboratory at the Istituto Superiore di Sanità in Rome, Italy. Various topics discussed include domestic production of penicillin in postwar Italy, economic policy of liberal protectionism and licensing of foreign products.

Objectives The aim of the study was to determine the modifications of the mutational archive in proviral HIV-1 DNA occurring during 24 months of intermittent or continuous highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Methods The study population included subjects enrolled in the Istituto Superiore di Sanità Pulsed Antiretroviral Therapy (ISS PART) clinical trial. All of these patients were on first-line HAART and had plasma HIV-1 RNA below 50 HIV-1 RNA copies/mL. A genotypic resistance test was performed on HIV-1 DNA extracted from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) at baseline and after 24 months of follow-up. Resistance-associated mutations (RAMs) were defined according to the International AIDS Society (IAS) USA classification. Results Sixty-nine subjects were included in the study [36 enrolled in arm A of the ISS PART (continuous HAART) and 33 enrolled in arm B (intermittent HAART)]. No major modifications of the mutational archive were found in either group after 24 months of follow-up, in terms of both the proportion of subjects with mutations and the total number of mutations. Conclusions In this patient population, the mutational archive in HIV-1 DNA extracted from PBMC was stable for 24 months, irrespective of HAART modality, whether continuous or intermittent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

States the European Commission issued a safety alert on September 1, 1998 after a case of foodborne botulism was reported in Italy. The detection of Clostridium botulinum toxin in a commercially available vegetable soup; The product, preserved in glass jars, being sold in Switzerland, Germany, and France; Sampling by the National Reference Centre for Botulism at the Istituto Superiore della Sanita in Rome, Italy.