Effects of an Educational Book on Paediatric Oral Health knowledge in a sample of Italian women.

AIM: Parents and caregivers, particularly in Italy, often have limited knowledge about their children's oral health. The primary objective of the study is to evaluate the educational effectiveness of a book on nutrition and prevention of oral diseases entitled "Oral health of mother and child in the first 1000 days of life". MATERIALS: The sample for this study was composed of 103 adult Italian women who were potential caregivers of one or more children (e.g., mothers, grandmothers, babysitters, and educators). The enrolled women completed a preliminary online survey which included questions about their socio-demographic characteristics and their knowledge on oral health in the first 1000 days of life of newborns (30 questions). Following the survey, they received the educational book. After reading it, the participants completed a second online survey with the same 30 questions, to measure any improvement in their knowledge. CONCLUSION: It appears that our educational book about nutrition and prevention of oral diseases was effective in enhancing knowledge among the participants in our study. These findings suggest that this educational resource has the potential to be a valuable tool in preventing oral diseases in paediatric populations. However, further confirmation of these results should be obtained through randomised controlled trials.

Isolation of dissolved organic matter from aqueous solution by precipitation with FeCl3: mechanisms and significance in environmental perspectives.

Ferric ions can bind strongly with dissolved organic matter (DOM), including humic acids (HA), fulvic acids (FA), and protein-like substances, whereas isolation of Fe-DOM precipitates (Fe-DOMP) and their biochemical characteristics remain unclear. In this work FeCl3 was used to isolate DOM components from various sources, including river, lake, soil, cow dung, and standard tryptophan and tyrosine, through precipitation at pH 7.5-8.5. The Fe-DOMP contribute to total DOM by approximately 38.6-93.8% of FA, 76.2% of HA and 25.0-30.4% of tryptophan and tyrosine, whilst fluorescence spectra allowed to monitor/discriminate the various DOM fractions in the samples. The relative intensity of the main infrared peaks such as 3406‒3383 cm-1 (aromatic OH), 1689‒1635 cm-1 (‒COOH), 1523-1504 cm-1 (amide) and 1176-1033 cm-1 (‒S=O) show either to decline or disappear in Fe‒DOMP. These results suggest the occurrence of Fe bonds with various functional groups of DOM, indicating the formation of π-d electron bonding systems of different strengths in Fe‒DOMP. The novel method used for isolation of Fe-DOMP shows promising in opening a new frontier both at laboratory and industrial purposes. Furthermore, results obtained may provide a better understanding of metal-organic complexes involved in the regulation of the long-term stabilization/sequestration of DOM in soils and waters.

Changing epidemiology of hepatitis C in Italy: a population-based survey in a historically high endemic area.

BACKGROUND: General population data on hepatitis C virus (HCV) prevalence in Italy come mostly from studies conducted in small towns. The highest rates have consistently been found in southern regions, especially in Calabria. Herein, we aimed to determine HCV prevalence, awareness, and risk factors in the general population of Catanzaro, the capital city of Calabria, Italy. METHODS: A stratified probability-based random sample of adult population was drawn from the Census. Anti-HCV and HCV-RNA were assayed. Data on sociodemographycs, risk factors and awareness of infection status were also collected. Crude and age and sex directly standardized rates (DSR), using Catanzaro's general population as standard, were calculated. Log binomial regressions with sampling weights was used to identify independent predictors of infection. RESULTS: The final study population consisted of 1003 people. Of them 27 (2.69%; 95% confidence interval, [CI] 1.78-3.89) (DSR: 2.34%; 95% CI: 1.37-3.30) and 9 (0.9%; 95% CI: 0.41-1.70) (DSR: 0.79%; 95% CI: 0.21-1.37) were anti-HCV and HCV RNA positive, respectively. Most HCV-positive participants were older people. Age ≥65 and past use of illicit drugs were both positive independent predictors of anti-HCV positivity, while female sex was an independent protective predictor of infection. Only 9 (33.3%) of anti-HCV positive participants had awareness of their status. CONCLUSIONS: We detected a much lower anti-HCV prevalence than those previously found in Calabria, along with a substantial change in HCV transmission modes. Infected people were almost only elderly and mostly unaware of their infection. Improving diagnosis and linkage to care for these infected persons would be needed.

Role of IgG and IgM and proinflammatory non-specific markers in the diagnosis and prognosis of COVID-19 patients stratified by number of positive SARS-CoV-2 genes.

BACKGROUND: A prompt set of suitable biomarkers is needed in suspected COVID-19 patients. This study aims to assess patients positive for one or more gene associated with the C reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) as non-specific pro-inflammatory markers and IgG and IgM kinetic as specific diagnostic and prognostic tools in SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR positive patients. METHODS: We enrolled 101 patients within a two month time span (March 26th, 2020 to May 31st, 2020). A reverse transcription-Real-Time PCR assay on nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal swabs was used for SARS-CoV-2 identification. Serum anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG were measured by enzyme immunoassay, PCT levels by Enzyme linked fluorescent assay (ELFA)and CRP by nephelometry. RESULTS: We found that older patients were significantly associated with a worse prognosis. Serum IgM levels were significantly lower during the late stage of the disease, regardless of the presence of one or three genes and patients' outcome. On the contrary, IgG levels exhibited a higher concentration in the late phases of the illness, regardless of the gene found or patients' prognosis. With the exception of the very first sample tested, an increase in CRP in surviving patients (both one and three genes) and a time-dependent decrease of deceased patients CRP was found. PCT levels were always within the normal reference range. The difference between one gene and three genes patients was significant during late disease stages regarding IgG levels and also between three genes survivors versus three genes deceased, where the IgG levels were progressively increasing over time. CONCLUSIONS: The relevant finding of the present study is the significant and consistent increase of IgG and IgM in deceased patients. The associated evaluation of antibody kinetics and non specific inflammatory markers (CRP and PCT) in positive patients stratified according to the presence of one gene or three genes could help the clinician in both the diagnosis and prognosis of COVID-19 patients.

Ultra-wide-field fundus photography compared to ophthalmoscopy in diagnosing and classifying major retinal diseases.

To analyze the performance of ultra-wide-field (UWF) fundus photography compared with ophthalmoscopy in identifying and classifying retinal diseases. Patients examined for presumed major retinal disorders were consecutively enrolled. Each patient underwent indirect ophthalmoscopic evaluation, with scleral depression and/or fundus biomicroscopy, when clinically indicated, and mydriatic UWF fundus imaging by means of CLARUS 500™ fundus camera. Each eye was classified by a clinical grader and two image graders in the following groups: normal retina, diabetic retinopathy, vascular abnormalities, macular degenerations and dystrophies, retinal and choroidal tumors, peripheral degenerative lesions and retinal detachment and myopic alterations. 7024 eyes of new patients were included. The inter-grader agreement for images classification was perfect (kappa = 0.998, 95% Confidence Interval (95%CI) = 0.997-0.999), as the two methods concordance for retinal diseases diagnosis (kappa = 0.997, 95%CI = 0.996-0.999) without statistically significant difference. UWF fundus imaging might be an alternative to ophthalmoscopy, since it allows to accurately classify major retinal diseases, widening the range of disorders possibly diagnosed with teleophthalmology. Although the clinician should be aware of the possibility that a minority of the most peripheral lesions may be not entirely visualized, it might be considered a first line diagnostic modality, in the context of a full ophthalmological examination.

Commentary on "Poor evidence for host-dependent regular RNA editing in the transcriptome of SARS-CoV-2".

Analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 transcriptome has revealed a background of low-frequency intra-host genetic changes with a strong bias towards transitions. A similar pattern is also observed when inter-host variability is considered. We and others have shown that the cellular RNA editing machinery based on ADAR and APOBEC host-deaminases could be involved in the onset of SARS-CoV-2 genetic variability. Our hypothesis is based both on similarities with other known forms of viral genome editing and on the excess of transition changes, which is difficult to explain with errors during viral replication. Zong et al. criticize our analysis on both conceptual and technical grounds. While ultimate proof of an involvement of host deaminases in viral RNA editing will depend on experimental validation, here, we address the criticism to suggest that viral RNA editing is the most reasonable explanation for the observed intra- and inter-host variability.

Prevalence of Early Childhood Caries (ECC) in a paediatric italian population: An epidemiological study.

AIM: The present work aims to evaluate, through an epidemiological study, the prevalence of Early Childhood Caries in an Italian paediatric population, aged up to 71 months, evaluating some determinants that will be illustrated in this study in order to adopt preventive care and intervene as early as possible to limit the development of this disease. METHODS: The sample consisted of 76 children aged up to 71 months who were examined at the PAediatric Dentistry Clinic of the University of l'Aquila. Parents were informed of the research that was taking place. All read the information sheet explaining the study and signed the informed consent where it was emphasised that the data collected would be treated and stored in a strictly confidential manner, pursuant to the Legislative Decree 196/2003 in force in Italy since June 30, 2003, regarding the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data. At the end of this study, a standardised questionnaire administered. The questionnaire, divided into two parts, made it possible to acquire information regarding the characteristics of the population. First part: General data of the child and the medical history of the mother and father; Second part: The age and gender of the child, the type and duration of breastfeeding, the use of sugary pacifiers, oral hygiene and frequency of consumption of sugars drinks and food, identifying the starting age. RESULTS: Evaluating the dmft of each child, 40.79% of our sample population is affected by ECC; 57.89% of the children used the pacifier and 13,16% of them have or have used it with honey with a p value of 0.001, therefore this parameter was statistically significant, together with the intake of candies, chocolates and sugar drinks. The data was collected for a period of about 12 months, consequently a descriptive statistical analysis was conducted in which the characteristics of the population under consideration were outlined. Discrete and nominal variables have been described with frequencies and percentages. The percentage differences were evaluated using the chi-square test and the Fisher test. Quantitative variables were expressed in terms of mean and standard deviation and significance was assessed by the Mann-Whitney test. The level of significance was established as p <0.05. A Logistic Regression was conducted to evaluate the risk factors associated with a dmft>0 setting, dmft=0/dmft>0 as the dependent variable and the variables investigated as explanatory variables. The evaluation of the association was reported as the Odds Ratio with the 95% confidence interval. The statistical analysis was carried out using the Stata 12/1C statistical package. CONCLUSION: ECC is a multifactorial disease in which eating habits play a very important role. A diet that from childhood is characterised by a high consumption of sugar-rich food and drinks is highly associated with the incidence of ECC in later years.

Discrimination of Genetically Very Close Accessions of Sweet Orange (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck) by Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS).

The correct recognition of sweet orange (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck) variety accessions at the nursery stage of growth is a challenge for the productive sector as they do not show any difference in phenotype traits. Furthermore, there is no DNA marker able to distinguish orange accessions within a variety due to their narrow genetic trace. As different combinations of canopy and rootstock affect the uptake of elements from soil, each accession features a typical elemental concentration in the leaves. Thus, the main aim of this work was to analyze two sets of ten different accessions of very close genetic characters of three varieties of fresh citrus leaves at the nursery stage of growth by measuring the differences in elemental concentration by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). The accessions were discriminated by both principal component analysis (PCA) and a classifier based on the combination of classification via regression (CVR) and partial least square regression (PLSR) models, which used the elemental concentrations measured by LIBS as input data. A correct classification of 95.1% and 80.96% was achieved, respectively, for set 1 and set 2. These results showed that LIBS is a valuable technique to discriminate among citrus accessions, which can be applied in the productive sector as an excellent cost-benefit tool in citrus breeding programs.

Evaluation of rice varieties using LIBS and FTIR techniques associated with PCA and machine learning algorithms.

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) for atomic multi-elementary analyses, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) for molecular identification, are often suggested as the most versatile spectroscopic techniques. The present work aimed to evaluate the performance of both techniques, LIBS and FTIR, combined with principal component analysis (PCA) and machine learning (ML) algorithms in the detection of the composition analysis and differentiation of four different types of rice, white, brown, black, and red. The two techniques were primarily used to obtain the elemental and molecular qualitative characterization of rice samples. Then, LIBS and FTIR data sets were subjected to PCA and supervised ML analysis to investigate which main chemical features were responsible for nutritional differences for the white (milled) and colored rice samples. In particular, PCA data analysis suggested that protein, fatty acids, and magnesium were the highest contributors to the sample's differentiation. The ML analysis based on this information yielded a 100% level of accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity on sample classification. In conclusion, LIBS and FTIR coupled with multivariate analysis were confirmed as promising tools alternative to traditional analytical techniques for composition analysis and differentiation when subtle chemical variations were observed.

Combined micro X-ray fluorescence and micro computed tomography for the study of extraterrestrial volcanic rocks. The case of North West Africa (NWA) 8657: A shergottite martian meteorite.

The combined potentiality of benchtop micro X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (µ-XRF) and micro computed tomography (µ-CT) has been applied to describe microstructures, type and distribution of mineralogical phases as well as geological constraints on the history of the North West Africa (NWA) 8657 shergottite Martian meteorite. The 3D rendering of the sample was used to compute its vesiculation, infer the presence of cracks and reveal different shapes in its crystal habits including subhedral pyroxene phases and rounded sulphide and/or sulphates minerals. Phase discrimination was achieved by comparing chemical information about element distribution with mineral classes segmented as a function of their relative density. In particular, the relationships between the plagioclase/maskelynite phase and other minerals such as Ca-phosphates, the chemical zoning of Ca-pyroxenes and maskelynite and the presence of S-bearing phases in the form of K-sulphates and Fe-sulphides were revealed, which allowed reconstructing satisfactorily meteorite history. The successful performance of the combined approach used in this work shows promising for further application to other types of meteorites.

Survey on women's awareness of the importance of oral hygiene during pregnancy for the health of the mother and her unborn child: Observational aepidemiological study.

AIM: This research aims to assess the oral hygiene habits of women in the perinatal period. The study also aims to ascertain the degree of awareness of mothers, or future mothers, about the importance of oral hygiene for themselves and their child. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Study design: aepidemiological, observational, cross-sectional survey among a group of young women of childbearing age. The group was composed of mothers recruited from kindergartens and pregnant women who went to counseling centers or participated in childbirth courses throughout Italy. RESULTS: The sample included 500 women from Central and Northern Italy and 263 from Southern Italy for a total of 763 subjects. Most of them were Italian (87.9%) and just over 50% of them had at least one child (52.7%); 40% were above 35 years old, and 52% were between 25 and 35 years of age. CONCLUSION: Young women often underestimate the importance of oral hygiene even before pregnancy, and the impact of oral hygiene lasts throughout gestation and continues after childbirth.

Macro-classification of meteorites by portable energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (pED-XRF), principal component analysis (PCA) and machine learning algorithms.

The research on meteorites from hot and cold deserts is gaining advantages from the recent improvements of portable technologies such as X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF). The main advantages of portable instruments include the fast recognition of meteorites through their classification in macro-groups and discrimination from materials such as industrial slags, desert varnish covered rocks and iron oxides, named "meteor-wrongs". In this study, 18 meteorite samples of different nature and origin were discriminated and preliminarily classified into characteristic macro-groups: iron meteorites, stony meteorites and meteor-wrongs, combining a portable energy dispersive XRF instrument (pED-XRF), principal component analysis (PCA) and some machine learning algorithms applied to the XRF spectra. The results showed that 100% accuracy in sample classification was obtained by applying the cubic support vector machine (CSVM), fine kernel nearest neighbor (FKNN), subspace discriminant-ensemble classifiers (SD-EC) and subspace discriminant KNN-EC (SKNN-EC) algorithms on standardized spectra.

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Role of Sugar-Free Chewing Gum in Dental Caries.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the difference in level of dental caries in adults and children who chew sugar-free gum (SFG), compared with those who do not chew SFG or use alternatives such as lozenges, candies, rinses, tablets, and other nonchewing controls. METHODS: Systematic review of published literature. RESULTS: Twelve studies of interventions of SFG for dental caries outcomes were included. SFGs were found to significantly reduce caries increment, giving a preventative fraction (PF) of 28% (95% CI, 7% to 48%). Including the 8 trials that used xylitol gum only as the basis of the intervention, the PF was 33% (95% CI, 4% to 61%). No adverse effects were recorded. There was a high level of heterogeneity among the trials included. CONCLUSION: The findings of this review provide tentative evidence that chewing SFG reduces caries increment in comparison to nonchewing controls. However, there is a considerable degree of variability in the effect and the trials included were generally of moderate quality. There is a need for future research to explore the acceptability and feasibility of the use of SFG as a public health intervention (PROSPERO 2018 CRD42018094676). KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER STATEMENT: The results of this study can be used by clinicians when deciding how best to implement dental caries prevention regimes for their patients. With consideration of cost and patient preference, this information could help to develop national policy directives on caries prevention and dictate the direction of future clinical research.

Determination of Pb in soils by double-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy assisted by continuum wave-diode laser-induced fluorescence.

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has attracted a lot of attention due to its potential to rapidly identify and quantify any chemical element with minimal sample preparation. Despite continuous improvements, the sensitivity of this technique still remains a challenge. In order to increase LIBS intensity, a laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) system can be coupled with LIBS to re-excite a transition of the element in the plasma by employing very expensive optical parametric oscillators (OPO). In this work, a homemade tunable continuum wave-diode laser (CW-DL) has been developed and coupled to a double pulse (DP) LIBS system to enhance the sensitivity of Pb detection in a soil sample at the transition 6s26p2-P32→6s26p7s-P31 at 405.78 nm. Before sample analysis, the production of no scattered light by the plasma was ascertained, and the optimal temperature of 10,000 K was estimated for this transition, feasible to be achieved in DP-LIBS systems. An increase of approximately 100% for the Pb I transition at 405.78 nm was obtained by DP-LIBS-CW-DL-LIF with respect to the DP-LIBS system alone. This result opens a new promising line of research to improve LIBS sensitivity using the CW-DL approach.

Utility of Molecular Identification and Quantitation of Bartonella Species with Species-Specific Real-Time PCR for Monitoring Treatment Response: A Case Series.

BACKGROUND: Bartonella species are intracellular bacteria capable of producing several diseases in humans. The three most common and wellknown diseases are cat scratch disease (CSD), caused by B. henselae, trench fever, caused by B. quintana and Carrion's Disease, caused by B. bacilliformis. Signs and symptoms are very different and aspecific: Fatigue, fever, headache, lymphadenopathy, malaise, loss of weight. No data exist to support guidelines' recommendations to decide which drugs should be optimally used and how long they should be administered. Therefore, a marker of treatment response is needed to guide treatment strategies. METHODS: We report herein three cases in which a species specific Reverse-Transcriptase Polymerase-Chain-Reaction (RT PCR) developed in-house was performed and compared to serology in order to make diagnosis and to evaluate treatment response. RESULTS: Our species-specific RT PCR seemed to play a fundamental role both in diagnosis and treatment. Moreover, a discrepancy with the serology results was found. CONCLUSION: Further studies are necessary to validate these results and elucidate what is the best treatment for this pleomorphic disease. However, in absence of clear guidelines, RT PCR may be useful to orientate kind of treatment ad its duration.

Depression of lymphocyte activity during cutaneous leishmaniasis: a case report.

Skin leishmaniasis includes lesions of different appearance, shape, and severity, spanning from alarming diffuse lesions to an asymptomatic course. Moreover, aspecific presentation, as well as challenging differential diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis, may request more in-depth investigations on the intriguing and complex pathogenesis of such infection. A 7-year case of worsening cutaneous leishmaniasis in the left frontoparietal region of the scalp, achieving omolateral eyebrow, in a 68-year-old male patient prompted us to address the immunity profile of peripheral blood lymphocytes. An increase of regulatory CD19+/CD38bright/CD24bright B cell lymphocytes was observed at the front of normal levels of other lymphocytes subpopulations, including CD4+/CD25bright T cells. The total IgG and IgM, as well as proinflammatory subclasses of IgG, were below the normal range. However, IgG4 subclass was found normal. In conclusion, our data may indicate inhibition of humoral immunity associated with an increase of lymphocyte B-regulatory subpopulation.

Increase of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Decrease of MCP-1 and Some Updated Epidemiology Aspects of Cystic Echinococcosis Human Cases in Calabria Region.

We aim to investigate some of the pathogenetic mediators of the human echinococcosis and to obtain updated epidemiological findings on cases of echinococcosis in Calabria, Southern Italy. Echinococcosis diagnosis was based on imaging, serological investigations, and molecular assay. Indeed, real-time PCR indicated the presence of G2/G3 genotypes of Echinococcus granulosus complex. Regarding pathogenesis, a relevant novel tool of immune depression should be deemed the reduced level of serum MCP-1. Also, we found a previously unreported VEGF, possibly associated with neovascularization requested by the parasite cyst metabolism. Cytokine profiles suggest a bias of the immunity toward Th2 and Treg responses. Nitric oxide levels exhibited a significant decrease one week after therapy versus basal level measured before surgery and/or chemotherapy. An increase of serum total IgE class and IgG4 subclass was found in Echinococcus-positive patients versus controls. Our data demonstrated an endemic spreading, at least in the province of Catanzaro and neighboring Calabria territories, for such parasitosis with the novel issue of the number of female overcoming male cases. In conclusion, the novel findings of this study were the increased VEGF and the reduced serum MCP-1 in the studied cases, as well as the number of Echinococcus-infected females overcoming the infected males.

Leishmania amazonensis induces modulation of costimulatory and surface marker molecules in human macrophages.

Manipulation of costimulatory and surface molecules that shape the extent of immune responses by Leishmania is suggested as one of the mechanisms of evading the host's defences. The experiments reported here were designed to evaluate the expressions of CD11b, CD11c, CD14, CD18, CD54, CD80, CD86, CD206, MHC class II and TLR-2 (Toll-like receptor 2) in human macrophages infected with L. amazonensis. Phenotypic evaluation revealed a negative modulation in CD11b, CD11c, CD14, CD18, CD54 and MHC class II molecules, depending on the level of infection. The results showed that as early as 1 hour after infection no reduction in marker expression occurs, whereas after 24 hours, downregulation of these molecules was observed in macrophages. No significant changes were observed in the expressions of CD80, CD86, CD206 and TLR2. Evidence of the differential modulation of markers expression and that after parasite uptake no reduction in surface marker expression occurs indicates that parasite internalization is not involved in the phenomena of down-modulation.

Application of micro X-ray fluorescence and micro computed tomography to the study of laser cleaning efficiency on limestone monuments covered by black crusts.

Laser cleaning is widely used to remove black crusts from weathered limestone monuments. The cleaning efficiency is commonly tested using conventional analytical techniques, which do not allow to analyze the same sample before and after the treatment. In this paper, micro computed tomography (µ-CT) and micro X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (µ-XRF) techniques were used for the first time to evaluate the laser cleaning efficiency on two different encrusted quoins collected from a limestone monument. Analyses were carried out non-destructively on the same portion of the two lithotypes before and after the treatment. µ-XRF confirmed the presence of gypsum in the black crust, and showed a marked decrease of S and other typical elements after laser cleaning of both samples. µ-CT clearly showed the different structure of limestone before and after cleaning and the crust portion removed by the laser. The combination of the two techniques allowed to assess that, even if the two samples had a similar chemical composition, their response to laser cleaning was different on dependence of their different fabric/structure. In fact, in one sample calcium sulphate was still partially retained also after the black crust removal, whereas in the other sample the sulphate layer was almost completely ablated due to its more compact structure. In both cases, laser cleaning operation was shown not to cause any structural modification or mechanical damage of the original stone material. In conclusion, the use of these novel techniques appears very promising for studying the effects of laser ablation on rock samples in order to set the best working conditions for their cleaning.