ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 outbreak driven by SARS-CoV-2 has caused more than 2.5 million deaths globally, with the most severe cases characterized by over-exuberant production of immune-mediators, the nature of which is not fully understood. Interferons of the type I (IFN-I) or type III (IFN-III) families are potent antivirals, but their role in COVID-19 remains debated. Our analysis of gene and protein expression along the respiratory tract shows that IFNs, especially IFN-III, are over-represented in the lower airways of patients with severe COVID-19, while high levels of IFN-III, and to a lesser extent IFN-I, characterize the upper airways of patients with high viral burden but reduced disease risk or severity; also, IFN expression varies with abundance of the cell types that produce them. Our data point to a dynamic process of inter- and intra-family production of IFNs in COVID-19, and suggest that IFNs play opposing roles at distinct anatomical sites.
Subject(s)
COVID-19ABSTRACT
This article aims to investigate the evolution of public sector communication before and after the Covid-19 crisis that has strongly impacted governmental institutions, public policy, contemporary society, and media ecologies. After a review of the main characteristics of public sector communication, the article proposes an interpretative and dynamic model to better understand the new challenges for public institutions. The model introduces ethics as the new, primary driver for public sector communication to surround all decisions, pointing out the need for transparent, authentic participation and dialogue to build trust. Focusing on two dimensions (trust/distrust, openness/closedness), the authors investigate the main trajectories of change for public sector communication, conceiving the three pillars of open government (transparency, participation and collaboration) as strategic values for improving the quality and efficacy of communication. In this time of uncertainty, the new trajectories of communication should fully embrace an ethical approach in order to become resilient, able to respond to citizens' needs and expectations, and to maintain responsible relationships with media, varied strategic publics, and a rapidly changing global community.
ABSTRACT
Plenty of serologic tests for SARS-CoV-2 have been developed so far, thus documenting the importance of evaluating the relevant features of the immune response to this viral agent. The performance of these assays is currently under investigation. Amongst them, LIAISON(R) SARS-CoV-2 S1/S2 IgG by DiaSorin and Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 cobas(R) by Roche are currently used by laboratory medicine hospital departments in Italy and many other countries. In the present study, we have firstly compared two serologic tests on serum samples collected at two different time points from forty-six laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 subjects. Secondly, eighty-five negative serum samples collected before the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic were analyzed. Thirdly, possible correlations between antibody levels and the resulting neutralizing activity against a clinical isolate of SARS-CoV-2 were evaluated. Results revealed that both tests are endowed with low sensitivity on the day of hospital admission, which increased to 97.8 and 100% for samples collected after 15 days for DiaSorin and Roche tests, respectively. The specificity of the two tests ranges from 96.5 to 100%, respectively. Importantly, a poor direct correlation between antibody titers and neutralizing activity levels was evidenced in the present study.
Subject(s)
COVID-19ABSTRACT
The potential virucidal effects of UV-C irradiation on SARS-CoV-2 were experimentally evaluated for different illumination doses and virus concentrations (1000, 5, 0.05 MOI). Both virus inactivation and replication inhibition were investigated as a function of these parameters. At a virus density comparable to that observed in SARS-CoV-2 infection, an UV-C dose of just 3.7 mJ/cm2 was sufficient to achieve a 3-log inactivation, and complete inhibition of all viral concentrations was observed with 16.9 mJ/cm2. These results could explain the epidemiological trends of COVID-19 and are important for the development of novel sterilizing methods to contain SARS-CoV-2 infection.