One year of surgical mask testing at the University of Bologna labs: Lessons learned from data analysis

The outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic highlighted the worldwide lack of surgical masks and personal protective equipment, which represent the main defense available against respiratory diseases as COVID-19. At the time, masks shortage was dramatic in Italy, the first European country seriously hit by the pandemic: aiming to address the emergency and to support the Italian industrial reconversion to the production of surgical masks, a multidisciplinary team of the University of Bologna organized a laboratory to test surgical masks according to European regulations. The group, driven by the expertise of chemical engineers, microbiologists, and occupational physicians, set-up the test lines to perform all the functional tests required. The laboratory started its activity on late March 2020, and as of the end of December of the same year 435 surgical mask prototypes were tested, with only 42 masks compliant to the European standard. From the analysis of the materials used, as well as of the production methods, it was found that a compliant surgical mask is most likely composed of three layers, a central meltblown filtration layer and two external spunbond comfort layers. An increase in the material thickness (grammage), or in the number of layers, does not improve the filtration efficiency, but leads to poor breathability, indicating that filtration depends not only on pure size exclusion, but other mechanisms are taking place (driven by electrostatic charge). The study critically reviewed the European standard procedures, identifying the weak aspects; among the others, the control of aerosol droplet size during the bacterial filtration test results to be crucial, since it can change the classification of a mask when its performance lies near to the limiting values of 95 or 98%.

Roscovitine has anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects on glioblastoma cell lines: A pilot study

Purine analogue roscovitine, a cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor, has shown strong anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects in solid and hematologic cancers such as non small-cell lung cancer and lymphomas. It targets CDK2, 7 and 9 preferentially, which are also overexpressed in glioblastoma. Τherefore, the biological effects of roscovitine in glioblastoma cell lines were investigated. Glioblastoma A172 and G28 cell lines were incubated with serial concentrations of roscovitine for 24-120 h. Proliferation was measured using the xCELLigence Real-Time Cell Analyzer, an impedance‑based cell viability system. Cell cycle distribution was assessed by flow cytometry and gene expression was quantified by quantitative RT-PCR and western blot analysis. Roscovitine exhibited a clear dose-dependent anti‑proliferative and pro‑apoptotic effect in the A172 cell line, while G28 cells showed a anti-proliferative effect only at 100 µM. The results of the flow cytometric (FACS) analysis revealed a dose-dependent increase of the G2/M and sub-G1 fractions in A172 cells, while G28 cells responded with an elevated sub-G1 fraction only at the highest concentration. Roscovitine led to a dose‑dependent decrease of transcripts of p53, CDK 7 and cyclins A and E and an increase of >4-fold of p21 in A172 cells. In G28 cells, a dose‑dependent induction of CDK2, p21 and cyclin D was observed between 10 and 50 µM roscovitine after 72 h, however, at the highest concentration of 100 µM, all investigated genes were downregulated. Roscovitine exerted clear dose-dependent anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects in A172 cells and less distinct effects on G28 cells. In A172 cells, roscovitine led to G2/M arrest and induced apoptosis, an effect accompanied by induced p21 and a reduced expression of CDK2, 7 and 9 and cyclins A and E. These effects requre further studies on a larger scale to confirm whether roscovitine can be used as a therapeutic agent against glioblastoma.

Embryonic transcription factors CDX2 and Oct4 are overexpressed in neuroendocrine tumors of the ileum: a pilot study

BACKGROUND

Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) of the ileum are rare submucosal tumors that are often diagnosed at advanced stages with metastatic spread to the liver causing a carcinoid syndrome. They present as solitary or multiple tumors. In NETs, loss of sequences on chromosomes 11, 16, 18 and 22 or gain of sequences on chromosomes 17 and 19 has been described. In this study we explored the expression of two novel candidate genes, CDX2 and Oct4, in NETs of the ileum and analyzed whether the molecular expression pattern correlates with the clinical phenotype (solitary/multiple tumors).

METHODS

Data from all patients who underwent surgery for a NET of the ileum between 2000 and 2010 were retrieved from a prospective database. For each patient, frozen normal and tumor tissue was used for the comparison of gene expression levels of two putative cancer stem cell markers, CDX2 and Oct4, using real-time PCR (rtPCR). Serial slides from paraffin blocks were used for immunohistochemistry. Gene expression was compared between normal and tumor tissue as well as between solitary and multiple tumors.

RESULTS

78 patients were identified. In rtPCR, a statistically significant higher expression of CDX2 in tumor tissue (p < 0.001) compared to normal tissue was found. The expression of Oct4 was elevated in the tumors, but did not reach the level of significance (p = 0.155). The expression of both candidate genes was confirmed immunohistochemically and showed a nuclear expression pattern. There was no difference in expression between solitary and multiple tumors or between tumors that had already spread to the liver.

CONCLUSION

CDX2 is overexpressed in ileum NETs, thus playing a role in the tumorigenesis of these rare tumors. Since expression does not correlate with clinical stage or phenotype, it might be an early event in tumor development.

The quality of life of children with pervasive developmental disorders

AIM

Quality of life is increasingly the focus of attention by health, psychological and social services. Pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) are a group of psychiatric conditions in which the patient's clinical case history is characterized by disturbances in social interaction, deterioration of verbal and non-verbal communication, and presence of bizarre, limited and stereotyped activity. These disturbances affect multiple developmental areas and show up in very early stages of development, resulting in a permanent disorder. Many studies have sought to recognize causes and interventions for persons with PDD, however, they often take insufficient account of the effects these disorder can have on the lifestyle of patients and their families. These clinical case histories are so pervasive that they cause a disorder which upsets the equilibrium of the person's entire life. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of living with PDD on the person's quality of life and to highlight the factors that impact on the person and his/her family.

METHODS

Both parents of 54 subjects (46 males and 8 females; age range 4-28 years) with diagnosed PDD (43 with autistic disorder, 2 with childhood disintegrative disorder, 3 with Asperger Syndrome, 6 with pervasive development disorder NAS) were enrolled in the study. The subjects affected with PDD were recruited at the AGSAS Onlus and IsMeC. Diagnosis was based on the criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Quality of life was assessed using the Italian version of the Impact of Childhood Illness Scale (Hoare and Russell, 1995). This scale consists of 30 questions that investigate the effect of illness on children, parents and families. For each question, the parent was asked to rate two variables: frequency and importance. Another questionnaire was administered to obtain medical history, diagnostic and therapeutic data of the persons with PDD.

RESULTS

Analysis of frequencies and percentages of questionnaire answers showed that the most important problems related to illness; specifically, according to the Frequency and Importance Parameters, the problems centered around self-care skills, difficulty in explaining the child's illness to others and looking after the child. The most important problems about the other children in the family concerned providing them with necessary attention and the restrictions their brother/sister's illness placed on their own activities. No significant correlations emerged between diagnosis type and answers on individual subscale items (Pearson's r).

CONCLUSIONS

Our data show that PDD has a considerable impact on both the child's development and the entire family. Parents' answers demonstrated that their child's illness had consequences for the child and how the family coped with it. For this reason, attention should be directed at psychological and social aspects, as well as attitudes, manners, reactions and effects such disturbances can have on the entire family.