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Background: Molecular testing is considered the gold standard for the detection of SARS-CoV-2. This study aimed to compare the performance of the P742H SARS-CoV-2 Nucleic Acid Multiplex Detection Kit in salivary samples, with respect to the 732HF Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Nucleic Acid Detection Kit and the TaqPath COVID-19 CEIVD RT-PCR Kit, used at University-Hospital of Padova, Italy. Methods: One hundred twenty-four salivary samples selfcollected by healthcare workers (HCW) during the screening program at University-Hospital of Padova, Italy, from Oct to Nov 2022, were included in the study. RNA extraction was performed by Viral DNA and RNA Extraction Kit (Technogenetics, Lodi, Italy) and amplification by P742H and 732HF (Technogenetics, Lodi, Italy). RNA was extracted using MagNa Pure 96 DNA and Viral NA Small Volume Kit (Roche, Switzerland) for TaqPath analysis (Thermo Fisher Scientific, USA). Results: 94 samples were positive at P742H, while 30 were negative; for 732HF, 96 samples were positive, while 28 were negative, with an overall agreement of 97.5% (Cohen's = 0.930, p < 0.001). TaqPath gave 95 positive samples, and 29 negative results, with an overall agreement of 100% (Cohen's = 1.0, p < 0.001) with respect to P742H, and 97.5% (Cohen's = 0.931, p < 0.001) with respect to 732HF. Comparing cycle threshold (Ct) between the P742H and 732HF, no statistically significant differences were found (p = n.s.). Conclusion: The P742H method proved better performances than 732HF for salivary samples, both presenting the same amplification time. In addition, P742H results were comparable to those obtained through the highthroughput method TaqPath.

Blau syndrome (BS) is a rare autoinflammatory granulomatosis characterized by granulomatous arthritis, uveitis, and dermatitis. Ocular complications are particularly severe in BS, significantly contributing to morbidity. This study aims to identify potential biomarkers for BS ocular degeneration through proteomic profiling of tear samples from affected patients. Seven subjects from the same family, including four carriers of the BS-associated NOD2 mutation (p.E383K), were recruited alongside healthy controls. Tear samples were collected using Schirmer strips and analyzed via mass spectrometry. A total of 387 proteins were identified, with significant differences in protein expression between BS patients, healthy familial subjects, and healthy controls. Key findings include the overexpression of alpha-2-macroglobulin (A2M) and immunoglobulin heavy constant gamma 4 (IGHG4) in BS patients. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that differentially expressed proteins are involved in acute-phase response, extracellular exosome formation, and protein binding. Notably, neutrophils' azurophilic granule components, as azurocidin (AZU1), myeloperoxidases (MPO), and defensins (DEFA3), were highly expressed in the most severely affected subject, suggesting a potential role of neutrophils in BS ocular severity. These proteins might be promising biomarkers for ocular involvement in BS, facilitating early detection and tailored treatment strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: this study was designed to measure ethyl alcohol concentrations in blood samples of different matrices (Li-He plasma, K2-EDTA plasma and serum) with the DRI® method on the ILab Taurus analyzer. The aim of the protocol was to compare the values between the matrices K2-EDTA and serum with Li-He plasma. Furthermore, 18 real samples from the emergency room were used to compare the results obtained with the enzymatic method on both Li-He and K2-EDTA plasma in comparison with the GC/HS reference method. Methods: serum, Li-He and K2-EDTA samples were obtained from left-over routine samples to obtain different pools (serum, Li-He plasma and K2-EDTA plasma pools). Samples with different expected concentrations of ethanol (range 0.00-2.22 g/L) were prepared in situ (60 samples for each matrix) by precise additions of a 10% ethanol solution. All these samples were stored at -20°C until use. Results: in the expected concentration range between 0.42 and 0.85 g/L and around 0.8 and 1.5 g/L [which incorporates most of the legally permitted levels of BAC (Blood Alcohol Concentration) in Europe including Italy] the CV% obtained are all <5.0%. The GC/HS correlation with ILab Taurus for both plasma matrices, LI-He and K2-EDTA evaluated in 18 genuine samples was excellent. Discussion: all the obtained results show that for all the matrices evaluated in the study, the analytical performances are highly satisfactory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Correlated regions of systemic interindividual variation (CoRSIV) represent a small proportion of the human genome showing DNA methylation patterns that are the same in all human tissues, are different among individuals, and are partially regulated by genetic variants in cis. In this study we aimed at investigating single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within CoRSIVs and their involvement with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) risk. We analyzed 29,099 CoRSIV‐SNPs and 133,615 CoRSIV‐mQTLs in 14,394 cases and 247,022 controls of European and Asian descent. We observed that the A allele of the rs2976395 SNP was associated with increased PDAC risk in Europeans (p = 2.81 × 10−5). This SNP lies in the prostate stem cell antigen gene and is in perfect linkage disequilibrium with a variant (rs2294008) that has been reported to be associated with risk of many other cancer types. The A allele is associated with the DNA methylation level of the gene according to the PanCan‐meQTL database and with overexpression according to QTLbase. The expression of the gene has been observed to be deregulated in many tumors of the gastrointestinal tract including pancreatic cancer; however, functional studies are needed to elucidate the function relevance of the association. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: An acute depletion of circulating haematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) occurs during COVID‐19, especially among patients with a poorer disease course. We herein examined whether HSPCs levels at hospital admission for COVID‐19 predict 1‐year mortality and the long‐COVID syndrome. Materials and Methods: Patients hospitalized for COVID‐19 in an infectious disease ward were consecutively enrolled. Circulating HSPC levels were assessed by flow cytometry as cells expressing CD34 and/or CD133. Follow‐up was performed for 12 months after hospitalization through the review of electronic medical records and demographic local registers. Results: The study included 100 patients, 36 of whom reported symptoms of long‐COVID and 20 died during follow‐up. The reduction of 1‐SD of HSPCs was associated with a 3‐ to 5‐fold increase in the risk of 1‐year mortality. Age, admission hyperglycaemia, C‐reactive protein peak, liver enzymes, the need of high‐flow oxygen and/or invasive ventilation were predictors of mortality at univariate analysis. Among pre‐existing comorbidities, coronary heart disease and chronic kidney disease, but not diabetes, were associated with 1‐year mortality. In multivariate analyses, HSPCs remained significantly associated with 1‐year mortality independently of confounders. The development of pneumonia an in‐hospital treatment with glucocorticoids and convalescent plasma were associated with long‐COVID symptoms at follow‐up. HSPCs, diabetes and other comorbidities were not predictors of long‐COVID. Conclusions: In a cohort of patients hospitalized for COVID‐19, lower HSPC levels at the time of admission were independent predictors of 1‐year mortality. However, COVID‐19 severity, but not HSPC level, was significantly associated with the development of long‐COVID symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the present study was to test the effects of an inpatient management system (CircadianCare) aimed at limiting the negative impact of hospitalization on sleep by enhancing circadian rhythmicity. Fifty inpatients were randomized to either CircadianCare (n = 25; 18 males, 62.4 ± 1.9 years) or standard of care (n = 25; 14 males, 64.5 ± 2.3 years). On admission, all underwent a full sleep-wake evaluation; they then completed daily sleep diaries and wore an actigraph for the whole length of hospitalization. On days 1 (T0), 7 (T1), and 14 (T2, if still hospitalized), salivary melatonin for dim light melatonin onset (DLMO) and 24-h skin temperature were recorded. In addition, environmental noise, temperature, and illuminance were monitored. Patients in the CircadianCare arm followed 1 of 3 schedules for light/dark, meal, and physical activity timings, based on their diurnal preference/habits. They wore short-wavelength-enriched light-emitting glasses for 45 min after awakening and short-wavelength light filter shades from 18:00 h until sleep onset. While the first, primary registered outcome (reduced sleep-onset latency on actigraphy or diary) was not met, based on sleep diaries, there was a trend (0.05 < p < 0.1) toward an advance in bedtime for CircadianCare compared to standard of care patients between T0 and T1. Similarly, DLMO time significantly advanced in the small group of patients for whom it could be computed on both occasions, with untreated ones starting from earlier baseline values. Patients sleeping near the window had significantly higher sleep efficiency, regardless of treatment arm. As noise fluctuation increased, so did the number of night awakenings, regardless of treatment arm. In conclusion, the CircadianCare management system showed positive results in terms of advancing sleep timing and the circadian rhythm of melatonin. Furthermore, our study identified a combination of environmental noise and lighting indices, which could be easily modulated to prevent hospitalization-related insomnia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ocean liming has gained attention as a potential solution to mitigate climate change by actively removing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. The addition of hydrated lime (Ca(OH)2) into oceanic surface water leads to an increase in alkalinity, which in turn promotes the uptake and sequestration of atmospheric CO2. Despite the potential of this technique, its effects on the marine ecosystem are still far to be understood, and there is currently no information on the potential impacts on the concentration and quality of Dissolved Organic Matter (DOM), that is the largest, the most complex and yet the least understood mixture of organic molecules on Earth. The aim of this study is to provide the first experimental evidence about the potential effects of pH peaks, that might be generated by the Ca(OH)2 dissolution in seawater, on DOM dynamics by assessing changes in its concentration and optical properties (absorption and fluorescence). To investigate the effects of liming on DOM pools with different concentrations and quality, seawater was collected from two contrasting environments: the oligotrophic Mediterranean Sea (MedSea), known for its Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) concentration comparable to that observed in the oceans, and the eutrophic Baltic Sea (BalSea), characterized by high DOM concentration mostly of terrestrial origin. Ca(OH)2 was added in both waters, to reach a pH of 9 and 10. Our findings reveal that the addition of hydrated lime has a noticeable effect on DOM dynamics in both the MedSea and BalSea, determining a reduction in DOC concentration and a change in the optical properties (absorption and fluorescence) of DOM. Thes effects, detectable at pH 9, become significant at pH 10 and are more pronounced in the MedSea than in the BalSea. These potential short-term effects should be considered within the context of the physico-chemical properties of seawater and the seasonal variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]