GIS mapping of agricultural plastic waste in southern Europe.

The escalating use of plastics in agriculture, driven by global population growth and increasing food demand, has concurrently led to a rise in Agricultural Plastic Waste (APW) production. Effective waste management is imperative, prompting this study to address the initial step of management, that is the quantification and localization of waste generated from different production systems in diverse regions. Focused on four Southern European countries (Italy, Spain, Greece, and Portugal) at the regional level, the study uses Geographic Information System (GIS), land use maps, indices tailored to each specific agricultural application and each crop type for plastic waste mapping. Furthermore, after the data was employed, it was validated by relevant stakeholders of the mentioned countries. The study revealed Spain, particularly the Andalusia region, as the highest contributor to APW equal to 324,000 tons per year, while Portugal's Azores region had the lowest estimate equal to 428 tons per year. Significantly, this research stands out as one of the first to comprehensively consider various plastic applications and detailed crop cultivations within the production systems, representing a pioneering effort in addressing plastic waste management in Southern Europe. This can lead further on to the management of waste in this area and the transfer of the scientific proposition to other countries.

Ideal Features of Topical Antibiotic Therapy for the Treatment of Impetigo: An Italian Expert Consensus Report.

Background: A group of Italian experts in impetigo medical care sought to define 10 statements to describe the ideal characteristics of the best local antibiotic treatments, and to provide relevant information re- garding their appropriate use and prescription that should be considered in clinical practice for impetigo management. Objective: A group of Italian experts in impetigo medical care sought to define 10 statements to describe the ideal characteristics of the best local antibiotic treatments, and to provide relevant information regarding their appropriate use and prescription that should be considered in clinical practice for impetigo management. Methods: A consensus on ideal features of antibiotic therapy for the treatment of impetigo was appraised by an online Delphi-based method, based on a panel of 61 infectious disease specialists, pediatricians, and dermatologists coordinated by a scientific committee of 5 experts specializing in impetigo management. Results: Full or very high consensus was reached on the 10 statements identified to describe the characteristics of the best hypothetic antibiotic therapy for impetigo together with indications for appropriate antibiotics use. Conclusions: Several criteria have to be considered when selecting topical antibacterial therapy for impetigo. Beyond efficacy and safety, antimicrobial susceptibility and pharmacological characteristics of the agent are essential points. Formulation of the antimicrobial product is fundamental, as well as patient and caregiver preference, to facilitate therapeutic adherence, to achieve the infection control, and to obtain the best benefit from treatment (Curr Ther Res Clin Exp. 2023; 84:XXXXXX).

Pediatric impetigo: an expert panel opinion about its main controversies.

Bacterial impetigo is one of the most common skin infection in childhood. Uncertainty exists about its management. This article offers practical suggestions, given the existing evidence and experts' opinions, for correctly managing pediatric impetigo in both hospital and ambulatory settings. Italian physicians with an expertise on pediatric impetigo appointed a working group. A preliminary literature search using Pubmed/MEDLINE and Cochrane Library databases has been performed. The most common controversial issues about pediatric impetigo have been identified and then discussed from multidisciplinary perspectives, according to the 'structured controversy' methodology, a technique discovered and designed to get engaged in a controversy and then guide participants to seek consensus. The expert panels identified 10 main controversies about pediatric impetigo. All of them have been discussed from dermatological, pediatric, pharmacological and microbiological points of view reaching consensus. Each controversy has been revised thus giving practical issues for an easy use in clinical practice. Based on clinical experts' opinion, local epidemiology and literature review this article offers practical suggestions for the management of pediatric impetigo trying to reduce uncertainty in this setting of care.

Acne prevalence in 9 to 14-year-old old patients attending pediatric ambulatory clinics in Italy.

BACKGROUND: Acne vulgaris is a chronic inflammatory skin disease of the pilosebaceous follicles that affects patients of all ages with a younger onset being more common than in the past. OBJECTIVES: To investigate on the prevalence, clinical features and treatments of acne in 9 to 14-year-old patients. METHODS: A prospective observational study was conducted between April 2016 and May 2016. The study population consisted of patients attending 32 different pediatric ambulatory clinics located in Italy (North: 56.25%, Center: 18.75%, South: 25%). For each patient, a specific questionnaire was registered: i) demographic data; ii) past personal history of acne; iii) auxologic parameters. Further data were gathered for patients suffering from acne at study enrollment: i) body areas involved by the disease; ii) acne severity evaluated through a 0-5 scale (Global Evaluation Acne scale); iii) acne treatments. RESULTS: A total of 683 children (49.2% male; mean age 11.05 ± 1.4 years) were enrolled. Acne was present in 234/683 (34.3%) of the patients, and its prevalence increased with age being higher after 13 years of age (85/234; 36.3%) and lowest at 9 years of age (14/234; 6%). The majority of the patients suffering from acne showed a mild or almost clear disease state severity (GEA scale 1 or 2) (207/234, 88.5%), whereas severe or very severe forms (GEA scale 4 or 5) represented only 4/234, 1.7% of the cases. CONCLUSIONS: Acne is not a rare disease in pre-adolescent age. Adequate and prompt treatment is also needed in this class of patient to minimize disease burden and potential future disease worsening.

Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate monotherapy maintains HBV suppression achieved by a "de novo" combination of lamivudine-adefovir: a pilot study.

Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) treatment aims at long-term suppression of HBV replication and improvement in clinical outcomes. We describe the data of a pilot, non-profit study in which patients with CHB were treated with de novo combination lamivudine-adefovir (LAM-ADV) for at least four years with a view to HBV suppression and resistance prevention, and shifted to tenofovir (TDF) when new antiviral agents were available. Fifty-one HBeAg negative patients were enrolled. Histology was available for 39 patients and data of liver stiffness (LS) for 24 patients at baseline. Serum quantification of HBsAg and HBVDNA was obtained regularly during the follow-up. In 10 and 7 patients, a paired histology and LS were available at the end of LAM-ADV treatment, respectively. The de novo LAM-ADV combination was able to obtain HBVDNA suppression and ALT normalization in one year in most of the patients and in the second year in the remaining. Histology improved in patients with paired biopsy, but tissue HBsAg was present in all but one patient after 48 months of therapy. TDF maintained biochemical and virological response throughout the follow-up. Renal impairment during LAM-ADV therapy improved on shifting to TDF; only in 4 cases was a second shift to entecavir needed. TDF was safe and effective in maintaining HBV DNA suppression achieved by a long-term course of LAM-ADV de novo combination for the treatment of HBeAg-negative CHB.

Prospective multicenter survey on the clinical management of pediatric contact dermatitis.

BACKGROUND: Contact dermatitis can be defined as an inflammatory process affecting the skin surface and induced by contact with chemical, physical and/or biotic agents in the environment. It causes lesions to skin, mucosae and semi-mucosae by means of allergic and irritant pathogenic mechanisms. Among the main triggers of contact dermatitis in the pediatric age are chemical or physical agents, which cause irritant contact dermatitis (ICD), and sensitizers, which cause a tissue damage through an allergic mechanism (allergic contact dermatitis [ACD]). METHODS: A prospective, multicenter, observational study was carried out in 204 children affected by contact dermatitis, aged up to 14 years, and enrolled by pediatricians from 7 different Italian provinces. The diagnosis of contact dermatitis was based on the pediatrician's clinical evaluation. The data were collected through a series of simple and multiple choice questions, anonymously filled out by pediatricians. RESULTS: In 90% of cases (184 of 204 patients), there was complete remission of contact dermatitis, with no cases of worsening. No adverse events were observed, either. The effectiveness of the therapy was rated as "very effective" by 84.4% of the parents and 86.8% of the pediatricians. In only 10 patients a new therapy had to be prescribed. CONCLUSIONS: Contact dermatitis is a heterogeneous inflammatory skin disease induced by contact with different kinds of environmental agents. Cutaneous manifestations are highly variable and depend on the modality of contact, on the causative agent and on the pathogenesis. This Italian experience of a clinical approach to contact dermatitis stresses the need of daily skin care through different therapeutic strategies, based on the diagnosis, the clinical severity and the parents and children compliance. The first therapeutic measure to be implemented is prevention, through the removal of the causative agent and the use of protective devices. Indeed, preserving the skin's barrier function is an important goal and a priority of treatment algorithms.

ABCB4 and ABCB11 mutations in intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy in an Italian population.

BACKGROUND: Genetic alterations in the ATP-binding cassette subfamily B member 4 (ABCB4) and ATP-binding cassette subfamily B member 11 (ABCB11) have been associated to the onset of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) in predisposed women. AIMS: To identify new and/or frequent ABCB4 and ABCB11 genes variants in a cohort of Italian patients with ICP and to evaluate the possible pathogenetic role for the novel mutations identified. METHODS: DNA of 33 unrelated Italian women with obstetric cholestasis were screened for mutations in the entire coding sequence of ABCB4 and ABCB11 genes. Polymerase chain reaction and automated sequencing was performed on the 27 coding exons of both genes. RESULTS: Genotyping revealed 11 mutations, 5 of whom were novel variants: 2 localized on ABCB4 (p.I587DfsX603, p.I738LfsX744) and 3 on ABCB11 (p.V284D, p.Q558H, p.P731S). The most severe phenotypes were associated with the variants p.I587DfsX603, p.I738LfsX744 and p.V284D. Moreover, the already described mutation p.N510S found in ABCB4 seems to be strictly involved in the onset of ICP in that particular patient. CONCLUSIONS: Our data support the hypothesis of a significant involvement of ABCB4 mutations in the onset of ICP, but also confirm an important role for ABCB11 mutations in increasing the susceptibility to cholestasis of pregnancy.

Fluorescence-based biosensors.

The field of optical sensors has been a growing research area over the last three decades. A wide range of books and review articles has been published by experts in the field who have highlighted the advantages of optical sensing over other transduction methods. Fluorescence is by far the method most often applied and comes in a variety of schemes. Nowadays, one of the most common approaches in the field of optical biosensors is to combine the high sensitivity of fluorescence detection in combination with the high selectivity provided by ligand-binding proteins. In this chapter we deal with reviewing our recent results on the implementation of fluorescence-based sensors for monitoring environmentally hazardous gas molecules (e.g. nitric oxide, hydrogen sulfide). Reflectivity-based sensors, fluorescence correlation spectroscopy-based (FCS) systems, and sensors relying on the enhanced fluorescence emission on silver island films (SIFs) coupled to the total internal reflection fluorescence mode (TIRF) for the detection of gliadin and other prolamines considered toxic for celiac patients are also discussed herein.

D-serine-dehydratase from Saccaromyces cerevisiae: a pyridoxal 5'- phosphate-dependent enzyme for advanced biotech applications.

The Saccaromices cerevisiae D-serine dehydratase is a pyridoxal 5'-phosphate dependent enzyme that requires zinc for its function. It catalyses the conversion of D-serine into pyruvate and ammonia with the K(m) and k(cat) values of 0.39 mM and 13.1 s(-1) respectively. In this work, a new methodology for monitoring D-serine is presented. Our results show that this enzyme could be successfully used as a biological probe for detection of D-serine via fluorescence spectroscopy.

Engineering resonance energy transfer for advanced immunoassays: the case of celiac disease.

Celiac disease (CD) is an immune-mediated disorder affecting genetically predisposed subjects. It is caused by the ingestion of wheat gluten and related prolamins. A final diagnosis for this disease can be obtained by examination of jejunal biopsies. Nevertheless, different analytical approaches have been established to detect the presence of anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies that represent a serological hallmark of the disease. In this work, we explored a new method for the diagnosis of CD based on the detection of serum anti-transglutaminase antibodies by resonance energy transfer (RET) between donor molecules and acceptor molecules. In particular, we labeled the liver transglutaminase (tTG) enzyme from guinea pig and the rabbit anti-tTG antibodies with a couple of fluorescence probes that are able to make RET if they are located within with Förster distance. We labeled tTG with the fluorescence probe DyLight 594 as donor and the anti-tTG antibodies with the fluorescence probe DyLight 649 as acceptor. However, due to the large size of the formed complex (tTG/anti-tTG), and consequently to the low efficiency energy transfer process between the donor-acceptor molecules, we explored a new experimental approach that allows us to extend the utilizable range of RET between donor:acceptor pairs by using one single molecule as donor and multiple molecules as energy acceptors, instead of using a single acceptor molecule as usually occurs in RET experiments. The obtained results clearly show that the use of one donor and multiacceptor strategy enables for a simple and rapid detection of serum anti-transglutaminase antibodies. In addition, our results point out that it is possible to consider this approach as a new method for a wide variety of analytical assays.

Myoglobin as a new fluorescence probe to sense H2S.

A new, fast, simple and cost-effective sensing device for monitoring H(2)S has been developed. Proof-of-principle results showing that a commercial and cheap Myoglobin (Mb) can be successfully used as a biological probe for a fluorescence biosensor for H(2)S detection are reported. The two different commercial labels Cy3 and Atto620 were selected for this study. A high selectivity for detecting H(2)S against other thiols was found. The applicability of the proposed sensing system was successfully explored not only in solution but also when applied in the form of a solid state device.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound techniques for guiding and assessing response to locoregional treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Most hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) are diagnosed in patients with cirrhosis and/or when tumor burden is too advanced for surgical treatment. In many of these cases the only suitable therapy is locoregional, percutaneous and/or intraarterial treatment. Moreover, the best way to guide and assess response to locoregional HCC treatment are two issues under discussion today. First-generation and subsequent second-generation microbubble contrast agents, together with contrast-enhanced ultrasound (US) imaging, have expanded the role of US techniques in HCC treatments. In this review our purpose is to illustrate the advantages, limits and potential of contrast-enhanced US application for locoregional HCC treatment.

Long-term outcome of hepatitis B and hepatitis C virus co-infection and single HBV infection acquired in youth.

Co-infection with HBV and HCV seems to be associated with more severe liver disease in retrospective and cross-sectional studies in adults, but no data are available when co-infection is acquired in youth. The long-term outcome of infection acquired in youth was assessed in patients co-infected with HBV and HCV and in patients with HBV infection only. Twenty-seven patients with HBV and HCV co-infection and 27 patients infected with HBV only were enrolled. Seventy-six per cent of the patients were treated with alpha-interferon for 1 year. After a median follow-up of 23 years, the annual progression rate of fibrosis was 0.07 in patients co-infected with HBV and HCV, and in those infected with HBV it was 0.07 and 0.11 (P < 0.004) for HBe and anti-HBe-positive patients, respectively. In co-infected patients, the development of cirrhosis was observed in 2 (7.4%) and of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in 1 (3.7%), while in those with HBV, cirrhosis appeared in one patient (3.7%). Alcohol intake (OR = 9.5 +/- 1.2; 95% CI = 6.6-13.9; P < 0.0001) was independently associated with cirrhosis and HCC. alpha-interferon showed no efficacy during treatment, but the treated group showed higher HCV RNA clearance during post-treatment follow-up. Co-infection with HBV and HCV and single HBV infection acquired in youth showed a low rate of progression to liver fibrosis, no liver failure, and low development of HCC during a median follow-up of 23 years (range 17-40).

Leukocyte interferon-alpha and ribavirin for treatment of chronic hepatitis C patients intolerant to pegylated-interferon.

Treatments for chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients intolerant to pegylated interferons (peg-IFNs) are lacking. Thus, such patients remain at high risk of developing an advanced and decompensated liver disease. Leukocyte IFN-alpha (Le-IFN-alpha) seems to possess a safer profile than other natural and recombinant a-interferons, but no information is available for peg-IFN intolerant patients. Accordingly, we evaluated the safety and efficacy of Le-IFN-alpha in patients intolerant to peg-IFNs. Twenty-five consecutive CHC patients intolerant to peg-IFNs were prospectively enrolled. HCV genotype 1 was present in 80% and cirrhosis in 68% of cases. Thirteen patients (52%) had thrombocytopenia. Le-IFN-alpha (3 MU three times a week) was administered for 48 weeks plus ribavirin 800 or 1,000 mg/day for HCV genotype 2/3 and 1, respectively. The follow-up was at 24 weeks. Compliance with treatment was satisfactory if the patient received 80% of the therapeutic regimen. An intention-to-treat analysis was done. Eighty-eight percent of CHC patients completed the prescribed treatment course with Le-IFN-alpha. In these patients the side effects, when observed, were mild to moderate, and did not require Le-IFN-alpha dose adjustment. Le-IFN-alpha showed significantly less hematological toxicity than peg-IFN (4 vs 48%; P<0.02). The overall sustained virologic response was 32%, i.e., 24% for cirrhotics and 50% for CHC, and 25% for genotype 1 and 60% for genotypes 2/3. The data indicate that Le-IFN-alpha plus ribavirin is a useful and effective treatment for CHC patients who are intolerant to peg-IFNs.

Correlates and prognostic value of the first-phase hepatitis C virus RNA kinetics during treatment.

BACKGROUND: Analysis of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA kinetics during antiviral therapy may allow estimation of the probability of response. METHODS: To assess clinical and virological correlates and the predictive value of first-phase HCV RNA kinetics during pegylated interferon and ribavirin treatment, we studied 119 patients with chronic hepatitis C who were treated with pegylated interferon and ribavirin. HCV RNA level was measured 5 min before and 2, 14, and 28 days after the start of treatment. For each patient the Delta(t0-t2) log(10) HCV RNA value was calculated, which indicates the relative reduction in HCV RNA level from before treatment to day 2 after logarithmic transformation. RESULTS: A Delta(t0-t2) log(10) HCV RNA value < or =0.8 showed a 95% negative predictive value for virological response, whereas one >2.5 had a 93% positive predictive value for virological response, independent of genotype and histology. The Delta(t0-t2) log(10) HCV RNA value was strictly related to final treatment outcome and could differentiate not only patients with a sustained virological response from nonresponders but also patients who experienced relapse from the former. The Delta(t0-t2) log(10) HCV RNA value was highest among patients infected with genotypes 2 and 3 and was lowest among patients infected with genotype 1. It decreased with increasing grades of fibrosis and steatosis and was also inversely related to gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) level and HOMA-IR (homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance) score. In multivariate analysis, Delta(t0-t2) log(10) HCV RNA value was the strongest predictor of sustained virological response and appeared to be independently related to viral genotype and GGT level. CONCLUSION: HCV RNA kinetics has strong predictive value. It correlates with virological and clinical parameters that are known predictors of antiviral treatment outcome, including insulin resistance. The measurement of HCV load as early as 2 days after the start of pegylated interferon and ribavirin is a useful tool for the prediction of treatment outcome in individual patients and should be used in clinical practice.

Hepatitis C virus-infected patients are 'spared' from the metabolic syndrome but not from insulin resistance. A comparative study of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and hepatitis C virus-related steatosis.

BACKGROUND: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and chronic hepatitis C feature steatosis and insulin resistance (IR), conditions associated with the metabolic syndrome (MS). OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence of MS and determinants of IR in patients with NAFLD and chronic hepatitis C. METHODS: Ninety-three consecutive patients with NAFLD, 97 with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes 1 and 2, and 182 'healthy' controls without steatosis were enrolled in the present study. The prevalence of MS was assessed by modified Adult Treatment Panel III criteria and IR by the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). IR was defined as the 75th percentile of the HOMA-IR of control subjects. RESULTS: While the prevalence of IR was similar in NAFLD and HCV-infected subjects (70.0% and 78.7%, respectively), the prevalence of MS was significantly higher in NAFLD patients than in HCV-infected patients (27.9% versus 4.1%) and in controls (5.6%). With multivariate analysis, IR was predicted by body mass index (OR 1.263; 95% CI 1.078 to 1.480) and triglyceridemia (OR 1.011; 95% CI 1.002 to 1.020) in NAFLD and by sex (OR for female sex 0.297; 95% CI 0.094 to 0.940) and fibrosis stage (OR 2.751; 95% CI 1.417 to 5.340) in chronic hepatitis C. CONCLUSIONS: IR is independently associated with body mass index and triglyceridemia in NAFLD, sex and fibrosis in chronic HCV infection, and has a higher prevalence in NAFLD and chronic hepatitis C than in controls. However, the frequency of MS in HCVinfected patients, similar to that of controls, is significantly lower than that seen in NAFLD patients. The current diagnostic criteria of MS are more likely to 'capture' patients with NAFLD than with chronic hepatitis C, although both groups are insulin resistant.

Computational mutagenesis reveals the role of active-site tyrosine in stabilising a boat conformation for the substrate: QM/MM molecular dynamics studies of wild-type and mutant xylanases.

Molecular dynamics simulations have been performed for non-covalent complexes of phenyl beta-xylobioside with the retaining endo-beta-1,4-xylanase from B. circulans (BCX) and its Tyr69Phe mutant using a hybrid QM/MM methodology. A trajectory initiated for the wild-type enzyme-substrate complex with the proximal xylose ring bound at the -1 subsite (adjacent to the scissile glycosidic bond) in the (4)C(1) chair conformation shows spontaneous transformation to the (2,5)B boat conformation, and potential of mean force calculations indicate that the boat is approximately 30 kJ mol(-1) lower in free energy than the chair. Analogous simulations for the mutant lacking one oxygen atom confirm the key role of Tyr69 in stabilizing the boat in preference to the (4)C(1) chair conformation, with a relative free energy difference of about 20 kJ mol(-1), by donating a hydrogen bond to the endocyclic oxygen of the proximal xylose ring. QM/MM MD simulations for phenyl beta-xyloside in water, with and without a propionate/propionic acid pair to mimic the catalytic glutamate/glutamic acid pair of the enzyme, show the (4)C(1) chair to be stable, although a hydrogen bond between the OH group at C2 of xylose and the propionate moiety seems to provide some stabilization for the (2,5)B conformation.