Assessment of BoAHV-1 Seronegative Latent Carrier by the Administration of Two Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis Live Marker Vaccines in Calves.

Seronegative latent carriers (SNLCs) are animals that carry the virus without detectable antibodies and pose a risk for disease transmission and diagnostic challenges, suggesting the importance of consideration of marker vaccines in managing them. Therefore, in this study, we evaluated two modified live infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) marker vaccines (single and double deletions) for their ability to generate SNLC calves. These vaccines were administered to four groups (n = 3 in each group) of three-month-old calves in the presence or absence of passive immunity. Three hundred days after the first vaccination and after confirming the IBR seronegativity of all animals, dexamethasone was administered intravenously for five consecutive days. Only animals immunized with the modified live IBR marker vaccine (single deletion) in the absence of passive immunity exhibited a more enduring immune response than those vaccinated in the presence of passive immunity. Moreover, the administration of a modified live IBR marker vaccine (double deletion) to calves with passive immunity generated SNLC. These findings underscore the potential of live IBR marker vaccine (double-deletions) to aid serological diagnostic tools and develop vaccination protocols in achieving the desired immune response, particularly in the context of latent carrier status, offering valuable insights into optimizing vaccination strategies for effective IBR control.

Genomic Characterization of a Wild-Type Bovine alphaherpesvirus 1 (BoAHV-1) Strain Isolated in an Outbreak in Central Italy.

Bovine alphaherpesvirus-1 (BoAHV-1) infection is common in cattle worldwide. However, information on the spread of BoAHV-1-circulating strains in Italy remains limited. In this study, we investigated an outbreak characterized by severe respiratory symptoms in a cattle herd (n = 30) located in Central Italy. BoAHV-1 was isolated from three cattle in a cell culture, which confirmed viral infection. Next, we characterized one (16453/07 TN) of the three isolates of BoAHV-1 using whole-genome sequencing. BLASTn and phylogenetic analysis revealed a nucleotide identity >99% with all BoAHV-1 strains belonging to subtype 1.1, highlighting the genetic stability of the virus. This study reports the first full genomic characterization of a BoAHV-1 isolate in Italy, enriching our understanding of the genetic characteristics of the circulating BoAHV-1 strain in Italy.

MEDTEC Students against Coronavirus: Investigating the Role of Hemostatic Genes in the Predisposition to COVID-19 Severity.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the etiologic agent of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Besides virus intrinsic characteristics, the host genetic makeup is predicted to account for the extreme clinical heterogeneity of the disease, which is characterized, among other manifestations, by a derangement of hemostasis associated with thromboembolic events. To date, large-scale studies confirmed that genetic predisposition plays a role in COVID-19 severity, pinpointing several susceptibility genes, often characterized by immunologic functions. With these premises, we performed an association study of common variants in 32 hemostatic genes with COVID-19 severity. We investigated 49,845 single-nucleotide polymorphism in a cohort of 332 Italian severe COVID-19 patients and 1668 controls from the general population. The study was conducted engaging a class of students attending the second year of the MEDTEC school (a six-year program, held in collaboration between Humanitas University and the Politecnico of Milan, allowing students to gain an MD in Medicine and a Bachelor's Degree in Biomedical Engineering). Thanks to their willingness to participate in the fight against the pandemic, we evidenced several suggestive hits (p < 0.001), involving the PROC, MTHFR, MTR, ADAMTS13, and THBS2 genes (top signal in PROC: chr2:127192625:G:A, OR = 2.23, 95%CI = 1.50-3.34, p = 8.77 × 10-5). The top signals in PROC, MTHFR, MTR, ADAMTS13 were instrumental for the construction of a polygenic risk score, whose distribution was significantly different between cases and controls (p = 1.62 × 10-8 for difference in median levels). Finally, a meta-analysis performed using data from the Regeneron database confirmed the contribution of the MTHFR variant chr1:11753033:G:A to the predisposition to severe COVID-19 (pooled OR = 1.21, 95%CI = 1.09-1.33, p = 4.34 × 10-14 in the weighted analysis).

Analysis of obstetric care variables associated with caesarean section in low-risk pregnancy patients.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE WORK: The excessive use of caesarean section (CS) is an issue that is at the core of the political and healthcare management debate. This concern is particularly relevant for low-risk pregnancies, which does not theoretically require CS. Indeed, in Robson's classification, group 1 and 3 are considered at low-risk and in these groups, CS rate should be near to zero. The aim of the present work was to evaluate whether the non-compliance with guidelines by WHO is correlated to the increase in the rate of CS in Robson's class 1 and 3 in low-risk pregnancies. METHODS: A retrospective patient record study carried out in two hospitals of the northern Italy was used. RESULTS: Admission in active phase of labour and one-to-one care significantly decreased the likelihood of CS. On the contrary, an unjustified amniorrhexis and oxytocin administration increased the rate of CS. Other considered variables, instead, had not significant effect on CS rate. ROC curve on the computed risk index indicated a discrete sensibility and specificity, and that the better cut-off was up to 1. CONCLUSIONS: This research confirms the importance of one-to-one midwifery in management of low-risk pregnancy and labour.  Moreover, it stress the risk that an excessive medicalization of low-risk pregnancy can drive to "unnatural" CS.