Rudolph Virchow's Upper Silesia report: the starting point for his simultaneous engagement with public health and antisemitism.

In 2023 an important anniversary took place. It regards Virchow's report on the Upper Silesia epidemic typhus, which was associated with the death of numerous Polish peasants. It is also the starting point of Virchow's political career and fight against antisemitism, which has reached fearful levels in academia. Antisemitism is not new, but the recrudescence following the October 7th massacre of Jewish and not-Jewish people is appalling and recalls Virchow's vehemence of the past a few decades before the Nazi extermination of the Shoah during the World War II.

Benign tumors of the chest wall.

Benign tumors of the chest wall are rare tumors that might arise from all the tissues of the chest: vessels, nerves, bones, cartilage, and soft tissues. Despite benign features, these tumors can have several histological characteristics and different behaviors. Even if they do not influence life expectancy, rarely they may have a potential risk of malignant transformation. They can cause several, oft, unspecific symptoms but more than 20% of affected patients are asymptomatic and are being diagnosed incidentally on chest radiograph or computed tomography scan. Pain is the most common described symptom. Together with a detailed medical history, a rigorous and meticulous clinical and radiological assessment is mandatory. If radiological features are unclear or in case surgery could not be performed, a biopsy should be indicated to establish a diagnosis. Radical surgical resection can often be offered to resect and cure these neoplasms, but this is might not be true for all types of tumors and, in some cases, their dimension or position might contra-indicate surgery. Given the rarity of these tumors, there is a lack of treatment's guidelines and prospective trials that include a significant number of patients. This review discusses, according to the latest evidence, the histological features and the best treatment of several chest wall benign tumors.

Microbial profile in bile from pancreatic and extra-pancreatic biliary tract cancer.

BACKGROUND: Dysbiotic biliary bacterial profile is reported in cancer patients and is associated with survival and comorbidities, raising the question of its effect on the influence of anticancer drugs and, recently, the suggestion of perichemotherapy antibiotics in pancreatic cancer patients colonized by the Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we investigated the microbial communities that colonize tumours and which bacteria could aid in diagnosing pancreatic and biliary cancer and managing bile-colonized patients. METHODS: A retrospective study on positive bile cultures of 145 Italian patients who underwent cholangiopancreatography with PC and EPC cancer hospitalized from January 2006 to December 2020 in a QA-certified academic surgical unit were investigated for aerobic/facultative-anaerobic bacteria and fungal organisms. RESULTS: We found that among Gram-negative bacteria, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas spp were the most frequent in the EPC group, while Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp, and Pseudomonas spp were the most frequent in the PC group. Enterococcus spp was the most frequent Gram-positive bacteria in both groups. Comparing the EPC and PC, we found a significant presence of patients with greater age in the PC compared to the EPC group. Regarding Candida spp, we found no significant but greater rate in the PC group compared to the EPC group (11.7% vs 1.96%). We found that Alcaligenes faecalis was the most frequent bacteria in EPC than the PC group, among Gram-negative bacterial species. CONCLUSIONS: Age differences in gut microbiota composition may affect biliary habitats in our cancer population, especially in patients with pancreatic cancer. Alcaligenes faecalis isolated in the culture of bile samples could represent potential microbial markers for a restricted follow-up to early diagnosis of extra-pancreatic cancer. Finally, the prevalence of Candida spp in pancreatic cancer seems to trigger new aspects about debate about the role of fungal microbiota into their relationship with pancreatic cancer.

A Serological Analysis of the Humoral Immune Responses of Anti-RBD IgG, Anti-S1 IgG, and Anti-S2 IgG Levels Correlated to Anti-N IgG Positivity and Negativity in Sicilian Healthcare Workers (HCWs) with Third Doses of the mRNA-Based SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: With SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests on the market, healthcare providers must be confident that they can use the results to provide actionable information to understand the characteristics and dynamics of the humoral response and antibodies (abs) in SARS-CoV-2-vaccinated patients. In this way, the study of the antibody responses of healthcare workers (HCWs), a population that is immunocompetent, adherent to vaccination, and continuously exposed to different virus variants, can help us understand immune protection and determine vaccine design goals. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated antibody responses via multiplex assays in a sample of 538 asymptomatic HCWs with a documented complete vaccination cycle of 3 doses of mRNA vaccination and no previous history of infection. Our sample was composed of 49.44% males and 50.56% females, with an age ranging from 21 to 71 years, and a mean age of 46.73 years. All of the HCWs' sera were collected from April to July 2022 at the Sant'Elia Hospital of Caltanissetta to investigate the immunologic responses against anti-RBD, anti-S1, anti-S2, and anti-N IgG abs. RESULTS: A significant difference in age between HCWs who were positive and negative for anti-N IgG was observed. For anti-S2 IgG, a significant difference between HCWs who were negative and positive compared to anti-N IgG was observed only for positive HCWs, with values including 10 (U/mL)-100 (U/mL); meanwhile, for anti-RBD IgG and anti-S1 IgG levels, there was only a significant difference observed for positive HCWs with diluted titers. For the negative values of anti-N IgG, among the titer dilution levels of anti-RBD, anti-S1, and anti-S2 IgG, the anti-S2 IgG levels were significantly lower than the anti-RBD and anti-S1 levels; in addition, the anti-S1 IgG levels were significantly lower than the anti-RBD IgG levels. For the anti-N IgG positive levels, only the anti-S2 IgG levels were significantly lower than the anti-RBD IgG and anti-S1 IgG levels. Finally, a logistic regression analysis showed that age and anti-S2 IgG were negative and positive predictors of anti-N IgG levels, respectively. The analysis between the vaccine type and mixed mRNA combination showed higher levels of antibodies in mixed vaccinated HCWs. This finding disappeared in the anti-N positive group. CONCLUSIONS: Most anti-N positive HCWs showed antibodies against the S2 domain and were young subjects. Therefore, the authors suggest that including the anti-SARS-CoV-2-S2 in antibody profiles can serve as a complementary testing approach to qRT-PCR for the early identification of asymptomatic infections in order to reduce the impact of potential new SARS-CoV-2 variants. Our serological investigation on the type of mRNA vaccine and mixed mRNA vaccines shows that future investigations on the serological responses in vaccinated asymptomatic patients exposed to previous infection or reinfection are warranted for updated vaccine boosters.

Epidemiology and Pattern of Resistance of Gram-Negative Bacteria Isolated from Blood Samples in Hospitalized Patients: A Single Center Retrospective Analysis from Southern Italy.

BACKGROUND: Blood culturing remains the mainstream tool to inform an appropriate treatment in hospital-acquired bloodstream infections and to diagnose any bacteremia. METHODS: A retrospective investigation on the prevalence of Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) and their resistance in hospitalized patients by age, sex, and units from blood cultures (BCs) was conducted from January 2018 to April 2020 at Sant'Elia hospital, Caltanissetta, southern Italy. We divided the patient age range into four equal intervals. RESULTS: Multivariate demographic and microbiological variables did not show an association between bacteria distributions and gender and age. The distribution by units showed a higher prevalence of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Acinetobacter baumannii in the intensive care unit (ICU) and Escherichia coli in the non-intensive care units (non-ICUs). The analysis of antibiotic resistance showed that E. coli was susceptible to a large class of antibiotics such as carbapenem and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. K. pneumoniae showed a significant susceptibility to colistin, tigecycline, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. From the survival analysis, patients with E. coli had a higher survival rate. CONCLUSIONS: The authors stress the importance of the implementation of large community-level programs to prevent E. coli bacteremia. K. pneumoniae and E. coli susceptibility patterns to antibiotics, including in the prescription patterns of general practitioners, suggest that the local surveillance and implementation of educational programs remain essential measures to slow down the spread of resistance and, consequently, increase the antibiotic lifespan.

Gianotti-Crosti syndrome (papular acrodermatitis of childhood) in the era of a viral recrudescence and vaccine opposition.

BACKGROUND: Gianotti-Crosti syndrome is characterized by an acute onset of a papular or papulovesicular eruption with a symmetrical distribution. DATA SOURCES: A PubMed search was conducted using Clinical Queries with the key terms "Gianotti-Crosti syndrome" OR "papular acrodermatitis". The search strategy included meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials, clinical trials, observational studies, and reviews. This paper is based on, but not limited to, the search results. RESULTS: The eruption of Gianotti-Crosti syndrome is found predominantly on the cheeks, extensor surfaces of the extremities, and buttocks. There is a sparing of antecubital and popliteal fossae as well as palms, soles, and mucosal surfaces. Although often asymptomatic, the lesions may be mildly to moderately pruritic. Gianotti-Crosti syndrome is most common in children between 1 and 6 years of age. The Epstein-Barr virus and the hepatitis B virus are the most common pathogens associated with Gianotti-Crosti syndrome. No treatment for Gianotti-Crosti syndrome is necessary because it is self-limited. In an era of vaccine hesitancy and refusal, Gianotti-Crosti syndrome may be important to mention to parents, because it can occur and trigger alarmism. CONCLUSIONS: Gianotti-Crosti syndrome is mainly a disease of early childhood, characterized by an acute onset of a papular or papulovesicular eruption with a symmetrical distribution. With the advent of more universal vaccination against hepatitis B virus, Epstein-Barr virus has become the most common etiologic agent of Gianotti-Crosti syndrome. Few cases of post-vaccination Gianotti-Crosti syndrome have been reported. Currently, the emphasis should be placed on its self-limiting attribution.

Hirschsprung's disease: clinical dysmorphology, genes, micro-RNAs, and future perspectives.

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Dr. Harald Hirschsprung's death, there is a worldwide significant research effort toward identifying and understanding the role of genes and biochemical pathways involved in the pathogenesis as well as the use of new therapies for the disease harboring his name (Hirschsprung disease, HSCR). HSCR (aganglionic megacolon) is a frequent diagnostic and clinical challenge in perinatology and pediatric surgery, and a major cause of neonatal intestinal obstruction. HSCR is characterized by the absence of ganglia of the enteric nervous system, mostly in the distal gastrointestinal tract. This review focuses on current understanding of genes and pathways associated with HSCR and summarizes recent knowledge related to micro RNAs (miRNAs) and HSCR pathogenesis. While commonly sporadic, Mendelian patterns of inheritance have been described in syndromic cases with HSCR. Although only half of the patients with HSCR have mutations in specific genes related to early embryonic development, recent pathway-based analysis suggests that gene modules with common functions may be associated with HSCR in different populations. This comprehensive profile of functional gene modules may serve as a useful resource for future developmental, biochemical, and genetic studies providing insights into the complex nature of HSCR.

Branchiooculofacial syndrome and bilateral ectopic thymus: report of a family.

Branchiooculofacial syndrome (BOFS) is a rare autosomal-dominant condition characterized by branchial cleft sinus and ophthalmologic and craniofacial abnormalities that can range from mild to severe forms. Ectopic thymus, an uncommon condition with just over 100 cases reported in the literature, is seen in BOFS. We report a family with BOFS affecting the mother and two daughters, showing the dominant inheritance and variable phenotypical expression of BOFS.