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The current pandemic was immediately characterized as an “extra-ordinary” (out of the ordinary) emergency in which everyone, in their own way, tried to find and bring out their own available resources. In this state of emergency, technology has assumed considerable importance: the only one capable of reducing, in every context and situation, the enormous distances unpredictably imposed. The total lockdown of the nation has contributed, in fact, to highlight the importance of technological support in reaching people. Starting from this reflection, Psicologi per i Popoli –Trentino ODV put forward the proposal to integrate tech-nology into the daily working life of the emergency psychologist, starting from the idea that this can be a fundamental support in a time when there is no possibility of proximity and its important implications in the therapeutic relationship. “The virtual channel, although often limiting as it lacks some communicative dimensions and body language, is the one that today allows us to continue to promote the dimension of care, speech, relationship and prevent the worsening of pre-existing psychopathological situations, so how to provide an initial response and support to those who feel the need” (Di Giuseppe and Lauro, 2020).This contribution wants to share our experience of Psicologi per i Popoli Trentino ODV, with the population, in this sense. Our work was inside a remote psychological help and support service, called Vicini anche se lontani, inserted in the #Resta a casa, passo io service, activated by the Health and Social Policies Department of the Autonomous Prov-ince of Trento, in Italy, in collaboration with the Civil Protection. The Covid-19 epidemic rep-resented the first experience of remote psychological intervention mediated by means of communication (telephone, smartphone, e-mail, instant messaging, videoconferencing platforms, etc.), thus opening new horizons and new operating methods.

Aim: To investigate the potential association among Craniopharyngioma (CP), chronotypes and metabolic risk profile. Subjects and Methods: The study population included 28 patients (46.4% males; 42.6 ± 15.8 years) and 28 controls, age, gender and BMI matched (46.4% males; 46.5 ± 12.9 years). In this study sample, we evaluated: anthropometric measurements (waist circumference, WC; BMI), plasma glucose, lipid profile, and systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure. Morningness-Eveningness was measured with the Horne-Ostberg Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ), which included 19 questions about preferred sleep time and daily performance. Results: in both patients and controls grade I obesity was detected in 15 subjects (53.6%), grade II obesity in 13 subjects (46.4%). In the patient group, the mean score of chronotype was 47.8 ± 12.6. In particular, 9 patients (32.1%) exhibited the morning chronotype, 6 (21.4%) the intermediate chronotype and 13 (46.4.%) the evening chronotype. No significant difference was found in gender and age among the chronotype categories. Patients with the evening chronotype had higher blood pressure values and worse metabolic parameters than those with the morning chronotype. In the control group, the mean score of the chronotype was 57.6 ± 9.5. In particular, 16 (57.1%) subjects exhibited the morning chronotype, 10 (35.7%) the intermediate chronotype and only 2 (7.1.%) the evening chronotype. The prevalence of intermediate and evening chronotypes was higher in females than males (p = 0.021), while males have a higher prevalence of the morning chronotype. Subjects with intermediate and evening chronotypes had worse metabolic parameters than those with the morning chronotype. In patients, the chronotype score was inversely correlated to WC, BMI, SBP, DBP, plasma glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol and positively correlated with HDL cholesterol. No correlation was found between age and chronotype. In controls, the chronotype score was inversely correlated to WC, BMI, plasma glucose, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol. No correlation was found among chronotype and age, blood pressure, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol. Considering the whole population of the study (patients and controls), at logistic regression the chronotype score was significantly associated with the presence of CP. Conclusions: for the first time thus far, our study puts the light on the association of the CP with chronotypes and metabolic alterations in this disease, which are the main determinants of the reduced quality of life, higher morbidity and mortality in this setting of patients. This finding suggests that alterations of chronotype might represent an adjunctive risk for CP patients and a possible target for their integrate management.

Background Quality of bowel cleansing in hospitalized patients undergoing colonoscopy is often unsatisfactory. No study has investigated the inpatient or outpatient setting as cause of inadequate cleansing. Aims To assess degree of bowel cleansing in inpatients and outpatients and to identify possible predictors of poor bowel preparation in the two populations. Methods Prospective multicentre study on consecutive colonoscopies in 25 regional endoscopy units. Univariate and multivariate analysis with odds ratio estimation were performed. Results Data from 3276 colonoscopies were analyzed (2178 outpatients, 1098 inpatients). Incomplete colonoscopy due to inadequate cleansing was recorded in 369 patients (11.2%). There was no significant difference in bowel cleansing rates between in- and outpatients in both colonic segments. In the overall population, independent predictors of inadequate cleansing both at the level of right and left colon were: male gender (odds ratio, 1.20 [1.02–1.43] and 1.27 [1.05–1.53]), diabetes mellitus (odds ratio, 2.35 [1.68–3.29] and 2.12 [1.47–3.05]), chronic constipation (odds ratio, 1.60 [1.30–1.97] and 1.55 [1.23–1.94]), incomplete purge intake (odds ratio, 2.36 [1.90–2.94] and 2.11 [1.68–2.65]) and a runway time >12 h (odds ratio, 3.36 [2.40–4.72] and 2.53 [1.74–3.67]). Conclusions We found no difference in the rate of inadequate bowel preparation between hospitalized patients and outpatients.

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by clinical and neuropathological heterogeneity and high genetic complexity. Granulin gene (GRN) is a major genetic determinant and Progranulin protein (PGRN) haploinsufficiency is the proposed disease mechanism. Patients with PGRN deficiency, show mainly ubiquitin-positive TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) aggregates in the brain, however the neurobiology of this protein remain still unclear. We collected and screened 256 FTD patients and 300 healthy, age-, sex- and geographic region-matched controls and sequenced all the coding exons of GRN and MAPT genes in patients with a familial history for dementia. We identified a rare GRN gene exon six deletion g10325_10331delCTGCTGT (relative to nt 1 in NG_007886.1), alias Cys157LysfsX97 in three autosomal dominant pedigrees of Southern Italian segregating FTD on three generations. We identified and analyzed the effect of this GRN mutation at transcriptional and translational levels and observed deficiency of the protein. With the goal to provide an efficient model system to dissect the molecular mechanisms of PGRN in pathway potentially involved in FTD-TDP43 proteinopathy, we generated by CRISPR-Cas9 a cellular model of PGRN deficiency. We silenced GRN gene in mouse embryonic stem cells (E14), then subjected wild-type and knock-out E14 cells to neuronal differentiation to have a mature neuronal phenotype lacking PGRN. With the hypothesis of an impairment of autophagic-lysosomal pathway in cases of PGRN deficiency, we performed, by quantitative RT-PCR, mRNA gene expression analysis of autophagy related genes. Preliminary results show a decrease of Beclin2 and LC3 genes in PGRN deficient cells compared to wild-type E14. Our findings support the role of GRN gene in the etiology of FTD and that PGRN insufficiency can predisposes to neurons degeneration. We can moreover speculate a role of PGRN in the regulation of autophagic-lysosomal pathway further analysis are in progress to confirm this hypothesis and to identify the connection with FTD onset.

Progranulin (GRN) is genetically associated with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), with mutations present in 23% of patients with familial FTD. The neurobiology of progranulin (PGRN) is still unclear, although the proposed disease mechanism is linked to a deficiency of the protein. Furthermore, patients with PGRN deficiency express primarily ubiquitin-positive TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) aggregates in the brain. It is possible that misfolded proteins may aggregate similarly to prions, converting a native protein into a pathologic misfolded replicate able to initiate template-directed protein misfolding. We enrolled 256 FTD patients and 300 healthy age-, sex- and geographic region-matched controls and sequenced all the coding exons of GRN and MAPT genes in patients with a familial history for dementia. We identified a rare GRN gene exon six deletion, g10325_10331delCTGCTGT (relative to nt 1 in NG_007886.1), alias Cys157LysfsX97, in three autosomal dominant pedigrees in Southern Italy segregating FTD in three generations. Transcriptional and translational analysis of mRNA from WBC and plasma proteins from FTD patients carrying the mutation exhibited deficiency of the protein. We used mouse embryonic stem cells (E14) with the goal of generating a cell model using CRISPR-Cas9, to test regulatory functions and pathological mechanisms of PGRN in vitro. We designed single guide RNA for the GRN gene with high specific, on-target activity and derived pure cellular clones carrying homozygote GRN gene mutations causing protein deficiency. We subjected wild-type and knock-out E14 cells to neuronal differentiation, generating an efficient model system to dissect the molecular mechanisms of PGRN in pathways potentially involved in FTD-TDP43 proteinopathy. To test the hypothesis that PGRN deficiency results in an impairment of the autophagic-lysosomal pathway, we performed mRNA gene expression analysis of autophagy-related genes using quantitative RT-PCR. Preliminary results demonstrated a decrease of Beclin2 and LC3 genes in PGRN-deficient cells compared to wild-type E14. Our findings support the role of the GRN gene in the etiology of FTD and the hypothesis that PGRN insufficiency can be a predisposing factor in neuronal degeneration. We can also speculate that PGRN plays a role in the regulation of the autophagic-lysosomal pathway. Further analyses are in progress to confirm this hypothesis and to identify the connection with the onset of FTD.

Both experimental and clinical studies suggest that any potential treatment of polycystic kidney disease should start early and last for a long time to be effective, with unavoidable side reactions and considerable costs. The aim of the present study was to test how low-doses of Rapamycin (RAPA, 0.15 mg/Kg/4 days a week i.p.), Tolvaptan (TOLV, 0.005% in the diet) or AEZ131, a novel ERK inhibitor (AEZ, 30 mg/kg/thrice a week by gavage), alone and in association, affect the progression of polycystic renal disease in PCK rats. Rats were treated for 8 weeks, starting at 4-6 weeks of age. The efficacy of low-doses of such drugs in inhibiting their respective targets was confirmed by immunoblotting studies. Compared to control rats, RAPA determined a significant reduction in cyst volume density (CVD, -19% vs CON), numerically similar in TOLV treated rats (-18%, NS), whereas AEZ was not effective. RAPA+TOLV determined a significantly lower CVD (-49% vs CON), associated with a striking decrease in CREB phosphorylation, and similar data were detected in RAPA+AEZ rats (-42%), whereas the association TOLV+AEZ had virtually no effect. RAPA administration significantly lessened body weight gain, whereas TOLV determined mild increase in diuresis and a significant increase in cAMP urinary excretion. Histological data of tubular proliferation were in full agreement with the data of CVD. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that the association of low-doses of RAPA, TOLV and AEZ slows the progression of PKD with limited side effects, suggesting the use of combined therapies also in clinical trials.

Arylimidamides (AIAs) represent a new class of molecules that exhibit potent antileishmanial activity (50% inhibitory concentration [IC50]