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Objective: Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) can be considered the most important agent of congenital infection. Long-term sequelae of congenital infection occur in about 15% of infants asymptomatic at birth. To avoid long-term sequelae or to reduce their burden, it is necessary to identify infected children for early interventions. CMV DNA can be detected in dried blood spots (DBSs). DBSs have been used in several studies for the retrospective diagnosis of congenital CMV (CCMV). It has been proposed to use DBSs for the newborn screening of CMV infection; however, manual methods are not suitable for newborn screening of CCMV. Methods: We evaluated in an off-label application the use of an automated instrument, the QIAsymphony SP/AS, in combination with the artus CMV QS-RGQ kit and the RotorGene Q real-time polymerase chain reaction system. Results: We analyzed 100 DBSs from newborns positive or negative for plasma CMV DNA with a 94% concordance in positive samples. Conclusions: We show that the QIAsymphony SP/AS and RotorGene Q workflow is suitable for CMV DNA extraction and detection from DBSs and that the system correctly identified newborns at risk of late sequelae due to CMV infection.

The endoplasmic reticulum represents the quality control site of the cell for folding and assembly of cargo proteins. A variety of conditions can alter the ability of the endoplasmic reticulum ( ER) to properly fold proteins, thus resulting in ER stress. Cells respond to ER stress by activating different signal transduction pathways leading to increased transcription of chaperone genes, decreased protein synthesis, and eventually to apoptosis. In the present paper we analyzed the role that the adaptor protein tumor necrosis factor-receptor associated factor 2 ( TRAF2) plays in regulating cellular responses to apoptotic stimuli from the endoplasmic reticulum. Mouse embryonic fibroblasts derived from TRAF2(-/-) mice were more susceptible to apoptosis induced by ER stress than the wild type counterpart. This increased susceptibility to ER stress-induced apoptosis was because of an increased accumulation of reactive oxygen species following ER stress, and was abolished by the use of antioxidant. In addition, we demonstrated that the NF-kappa B pathway protects cells from ER stress-induced apoptosis, controlling ROS accumulation. Our results underscore the involvement of TRAF2 in regulating ER stress responses and the role of NF-kappa B in protecting cells from ER stress-induced apoptosis.