Analysis of potential factors affecting allografts contamination at retrieval.

The microbiological contamination of retrieved tissues has become a very important topic and it is a critical aspect in the safety of allografts, especially from multi-tissue donors whose tissues are frequently contaminated as a consequence of retrieval. We analysed a total of 10,107 tissues, 8178 musculoskeletal and 1929 cardiovascular tissues, retrieved from 978 multi-tissue donors. Of these, 159 heart-beating donors (HBD) were also organ donors, while the remaining 819 non-heart-beating donors (NHBD) were tissue donors only. A multivariate logistic model was used to determine the factors affecting contamination risk during retrieval. In the model, the dependent variable was the presence/absence of contamination while the covariates included were: gender, type of donor, age of donor, cause of death, previous skin donation, cadaver time, number of people attending the retrieval, number of tissues retrieved. Moreover, a second log-linear model was used to determine the number of strains isolated per tissue. Tissue contamination was statistically correlated with gender, type of donor, cadaver time, number of people attending the retrieval and season. In conclusion, to minimize the risk of bacterial contamination, aseptic techniques should be used at retrieval, with the number of retrieval team members kept to a minimum. In addition, cadaver time should be as short as possible and the donor should be refrigerated within a few hours after death.

Analysis of the karyotype of expanded human adipose-derived stem cells for bone reconstruction of the maxillo-facial region.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) and adipose-derived stem cells (ASC) were recently proposed for bone maxillofacial reconstruction in association with biomaterials. For this application MSC must be ex-vivo expanded in order to obtain, for a given volume of implanted biomaterial, a relevant number of bone forming cells. Previously conducted pre-clinical studies suggested that a concentration of 6 x 10(8) ASC associated with 900 mg of anorganic bovine bone (ABB) could be effective for human maxillary sinus floor elevation. A keystone issue to guarantee the quality and safety of Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products containing expanded MSC and ASC is their chromosome stability in culture: this topic has been widely investigated and conflicting results have been published. Abnormal karyotype of human ex-vivo expanded MSC and ASC was found by some authors, while, at the same time, several other studies showed the MSC and ASC karyotype to be normal. It is therefore important that all the results obtained on MSC and ASC karyotype analysis be published. Given this context, the aim of this manuscript, aim of this manuscript is to verify the karyotype stability of ASC in view of their applications in clinical trials. ASC obtained from the adipose tissue of 4 donors were expanded over extended culture time. Based on previous ASC expansions we hypothesized to be able to obtain 6 x 10(8) cells by passage 7. Karyotype analysis of 30 metaphases was planned to be investigated at passage 2, 7, and 15 in all the cultures. No abnormalities were found in the karyotype of two donors at all the passages tested, while a translocation was found in 2 metaphases of a donor at passage 7, but not at passage 15, and in the fourth donor in 5 metaphases a trisomy was found at passage 15. Chromosomal abnormalities were detected only after extended ASC expansion. Whether these anomalies can be related to risk for the patient's safety will have to be demonstrated by in-vivo studies.

Fishing for litter for the reduction of marine plastic debris: What benefits and costs do Italians perceive?

As marine plastic litter (MPL) accumulates in the ocean, the need for remediation solutions, such as fishing for litter (FFL) schemes, is very crucial. In order to support the implementation of FFL schemes, the opinion of some Italians were sampled. The present study investigates Italians' opinions about the contribution of FFL in reducing MPL, and the perceived benefits and costs of the scheme. Descriptive statistics, test analyses and a logit regression were carried out. The key findings show a high sensitivity and concern toward MPL, and a good knowledge of FFL experiences. In Italians' opinion, potential FFL costs incurred by fishers should be mainly borne by public institutions. Considering FFL benefits, Italians have no doubts about the effectiveness of fishing for litter in reducing MPL. Female and coastal residence, FFL knowledge and concern about MPL positively affected the perceptions of FFL benefits, while education has a negative effect on the beneficial perceptions of FFL.

What hides beneath the scar: sexuality and breast cancer what women don't say: A single-center study.

Background: Breast is a symbol of femininity, motherhood and sexuality. Breast cancer (BC) is the leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide and most frequent cancer in Italy: in 2019, 53.500 new cases were diagnosed. BC and its treatment, the disturbances of body image, and mental health problems such as anxiety and depression could influence sexuality. Very often the aspect of sexuality in BC is likely not to be fully investigated: cultural barriers may also contribute to lack of attention to these issues. In Italy, there are very few Breast Units that provide the figure of the sexologist and psycho-oncologist. Methods: We enlisted 141 BC patients (pts), mean age was 54 years afferent to Breast Unit S. Maria Goretti Hospital, Latina, from March 2019 to March 2020. All pts had undergone surgical intervention. Participants were invited to complete a structured questionnaire, which included four close-up questions regarding self-image, sexual activity, sexual satisfaction, analyzing these aspects before and after BC and its treatments. Finally the participants were asked if they needed the sexologist and psycho-oncologist. Results: Only 2/141 pts (1.41%) refused to participate in our study. Of 139 participants, 68 (48.92%) had disturbances of body image, 26 (18.7%) had sexuality greatly negatively affected, and 103 (74.1%) every kind of sexual dissatisfaction after BC. 38 pts (27.3%) would require the help of the sexologist. 135 ( 97%) would require the help of the psycho-oncologist. Despite the negative influence in their body-image and sexuality, few pts require the help of the sexologist, but nearly all pts require the help of the psycho-oncologist. Conclusion: In our study nearly all pts require the help of the psycho-oncologist, but few pts of the sexologist. Further studies will be needed to understand the reasons for this disparity: at the moment we are carrying out another project following this illustration, with the aim of understanding why this disparity.

Marine plastic litter: public perceptions and opinions in Italy.

Understanding public perceptions, opinions and knowledge about marine plastic litter issue is a critical step in effectively engaging society and changing human behaviour in order to reduce litter inputs. The study performs a segmentation analysis that jointly considers opinions about sources and impacts of a sample of 605 Italians with a twofold objective: i. to identify homogeneous segments of people according to the importance they attach to different sources and impacts of plastic litter; ii. to understand if behavioural aspects and personal characteristics emerged for each cluster of people. Gender, education and living areas significantly affect respondents' opinions, knowledge and behaviour. A high level of awareness and concern emerged. Four clusters- "the silent majority", "the least concerned and involved", "the little conscious of litter sources", and "the most severe and committed"-, reveal the heterogeneity of people's profiles. Policy implications in terms of knowledge, education and behaviour for reducing marine plastic pollution are discussed.

Spontaneous conversion to estrogen receptor expression by the human breast epithelial cell line, MCF-10A.

The human breast epithelial cell line, MCF-10A, derived from tissue from a woman undergoing a cutaneous mastectomy for fibrocystic breast disease, is negative for estrogen receptor expression, has undergone minimal genetic changes, retains many of the characteristics of normal breast epithelium and fails to exhibit growth in nude mice. When transfected with a functional copy of the estrogen receptor, both ER and MDM2 expression are negatively regulated by the presence of increasing concentrations of estradiol, as previously reported. We obtained the MCF-10A cell line from the American Type Culture Collection and confirmed that it was negative for ER expression. After approximately 20 passages under differing growth conditions, one subline was determined to be positive for ER expression. Growth of this ER-positive subline in phenol red-free media supplemented with charcoal-dextran stripped serum in the presence of nanomolar concentrations of estradiol failed to modulate ER and MDM2 expression, and induced expression of both pS2 and cathepsin D. Simultaneously with these observations, we observed that this subline, unlike the parent MCF-10A line, overexpressed P53 protein with a nuclear localization. Intermediate levels of the P53-inducible protein p21 WAF1/Cip1 were also detected in the ER-positive subline whereas levels of this protein in the parent subline were barely detectable, as measured by immunohistochemical methods. We conclude from these studies that ER expression and P53 alteration may constitute early steps in progression of malignant potential for breast cancer development.

Cancer risk related to uncommon migration within Italy.

AIMS AND BACKGROUND: Given the industrialization in Italy over this past century much migration has occurred within the country especially from southern to northern regions. Following repeated drainings of the pre-existing marsh area (Pontina plain) during the 1930s the Latina province received an unusual north-south immigration from the regions of Veneto, Friuli and Emilia Romagna. This consisted principally of manual workers, farmers and their families. Four new towns developed after a few years (Littoria, later renamed Latina, Sabaudia, Pontinia and Aprilia), and the whole province quickly reached a population of 60,000. The availability of a population-based Cancer Registry in the Latina province allowed us to assess the cancer risk in this migrant population. METHODS: Standardized Incidence ratios (SIRs) according to cancer site and sex were computed for residents over the age of 55 years, born in northern Italy. Population data, by sex, age and region of birth were based on the 1981 census. The age-sex-site specific incidence rates for the 1983-1987 period for the entire population of the Latina province over 55 years of age were used as standard. RESULTS: A significant excess of cancer risk for subjects of both sexes born in northern Italy was found. In addition, a statistically significant higher risk was observed for the cancers of the lung, skin (non-melanomas) and prostate in males, and of the mouthpharynx, lung and skin (non-melanomas) in females. CONCLUSIONS: SIRs for all sites confirm the findings from other studies on migrants in Italy and strongly support the hypothesis that the place of birth has an important influence on the frequency of cancer. Some possible etiological factors are suggested for cancer sites with higher frequencies in northern-born subjects.

[The prevalence of anterior tooth trauma in children 6 to 11 years old]. / Prevalenza di traumi sui denti anteriori in bambini di 6-11 anni.

The aim of the present paper was the study of prevalence of traumatic dental injuries to the anterior teeth of Italian schoolchildren. 519, 6- to 11-year-old children from two primary schools in Rome were examined, in order to evaluate dental injuries on canines and incisors. Traumatic injuries were classified according to Garcia-Godoy et al.; this classification is the most appropriate for retrospective studies. Dental injury prevalence was 21.0%, this value was higher than values shown by surveys made in the emergency services, but similar to those of other retrospective studies made in other countries. Male/female ratio was 1.69, statistically significant at 99% level. The age distribution showed that the higher prevalence was among the 9 year-old children (26.9%), the lower among the 8-year-old children (14.3%); the 9 year-old incidence value was the highest. 74.6% of the teeth involved were maxillary central incisors. Enamel fractures were the most frequent trauma type (67.0%), followed by enamel-dentine fractures (19.3%) and concussions (8.3%). No serious fracture was found. Play was the major dental trauma cause (64.2%), followed by sports (17.4%). 16.5% of traumatized children and their parents did not report the cause. Traffic accidents were not reported as causes. In conclusion, the high prevalence of dental traumas in schoolchildren, involving more than one fifth of subjects, is emphasized. Most of traumas were, however, slight, so that sometimes the cause was not reported. Serious dental injuries were more uncommon. Traffic accidents and violent impacts, which often cause these traumas, were also uncommon.

The ability of PiCCO versus LiDCO variables to detect changes in cardiac index: a prospective clinical study.

BACKGROUND: Both PiCCO and LiDCO can provide dynamic preload parameters, pulse pressure variation (PPV) and stroke volume variation (SVV). The PiCCO device also provides a measure of intrathoracic blood volume index (ITBVI). We investigated the agreement between SVV and PPV, as well as the reliability of LiDCO- and PiCCO-measured SVV, PPV and ITBVI, in detecting fluid responsiveness before and after fluid challenge (FC). METHODS: We performed a prospective clinical study in University Hospital ICU. Nine adult ICU patients with cardiovascular instability were enrolled in the study. All patients were sedated and mechanically ventilated with intermittent positive pressure ventilation. The PiCCO and LiDCO systems were both connected to each patient. The PiCCO pulse waveform system was joined by a 5-French (Fr) thermistor-tipped arterial catheter inserted into the femoral artery. LiDCO measurements were performed through radial artery pulse contour analysis. Fluid challenge was performed using a rapid infusion of 7 mL/kg of 6% hydroxyethylstarch over 30 min. RESULTS: Measurements of CI, ITBVI, SVV, and PVV were made using both techniques before and after FC. Pre-FC cardiac index (CI) measurements were similar with both devices, although the reading was higher after FC with the PiCCO device (P<0.001). The correlation coefficient between PiCCO-CI and LiDCO-CI was 0.85 (95% CI: 0.69 to 0.93; P<0.001); for P-PPV and L-PPV, it was 0.74 (95% CI: 0.49 to 0.88; P<0.001). Only ITBV had a significant correlation with LiDCO-CI or PiCCO-CI. CONCLUSION: We found a narrow bias but less accurate precision in cardiac index values measured by a radial artery-site LiDCO catheter and a femoral artery-site PiCCO catheter, with poor agreement between radial and femoral-derived SVV and PPV measurements. ITBVI proved to be the best predictor of fluid responsiveness. The SVV does not seem to be reliable for preload optimization in ICU patients.

Campaña preventiva y educativa denominada "Semana del lunar" / A preventive and educational campaing named \"The week of the mole\"

Desde el 1 al 11 de diciembre de 1992, realizamos en Dermatología de Hospital San Roque (Córdoba), una campaña preventiva y educativa denominada "Semana del lunar". Fueron examinados 1007 pacientes, de los cuales a 256 se les realizó cirugía, y a 236 se les efectuó estudio histopatológico. El resto de los pacientes fueron citados a controles periódicos a 3-6-9 y 12 meses de acuerdo a las características clínicas de las lesiones. Se detectaron lesiones malignas en 31 pacientes (28 epiteliomas basocelulares; 1 epitelioma espinocelular y 2 melanomas malignos)