Tuberculosis contact investigations in congregate settings in Rome, Italy: contribution of migration

Background

In middle to low incidence countries tuberculosis (TB) is known to concentrate in big cities as national incidence falls: in the last decade TB incidence in Rome metropolitan area and in Lazio region has been higher than the national estimates; TB incidence among foreign born fell by more than half despite remaining higher than among Italian born.

We aimed to describe the current dynamics of TB transmission among residents of our local health unit in Rome metropolitan area in order to drive specific TB control interventions at local level.

Methods

We retrospectively evaluated characteristics of TB cases and results of contact investigations among the residents of ASL Roma 2 in congregate settings over year 2018.

Results

Overall 217 TB cases were notified, of which 70.5% with pulmonary involvement. Male/female ratio was 2.4/1 and age group most affected was 25-44 among foreign born and >65 among natives. During the study period foreign born cases accounted for 65% of the total number of TB cases. 19/141 (13.5%) foreign born patients were hosted in a reception center. 479 exposed close contacts were screened, with no evidence of secondary TB disease transmission. No identifiable links were found among cases occurred in the same immigrant reception center.

Conclusions

Italian guidelines recommend symptom screening for TB and LTBI testing both of new entrants and of long term residents -including second–generation migrants- from high TB burden countries. These findings suggest that local public health efforts should prioritize the identification of reactivations of remotely acquired latent TB rather than of new postarrival infections acquired in the host county through local transmission.

Key messages

City-specific data on TB incidence trends among native and foreign-born residents help understanding the wider interaction between migration and TB. To prevent TB incidents in congregate settings remotely acquired latent TB should be targeted.

Autologous bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells for regeneration of injured equine ligaments and tendons: a clinical report

The use of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (MSCs) in orthopedic practice has recently and rapidly acquired an important role. Therapies based on the use of MSCs for the treatment of acute injuries as well as chronic inflammatory disorders are gradually becoming clinical routine. These cells have demonstrated intriguing therapeutic potentialities (i.e.: inflammation control, tissue regeneration and pathological scar prevention), that have been taken into consideration for use in both human and veterinary medicine. In particular, horses represent high performance athletes considered models for human pathologies since musculo-skeletal disorders frequently occur in this species. In the past, repair of tendon injures were performed by different methods. In particular, clinical therapy was based on ice application, bandage, box rest and controlled exercise. An alternative approach consisted on the use of corticosteroid (inflammation reduction) and other drugs (sodium hyaluronate, polysulphated glycosaminoglycans, beta aminoproprionitrile fumarate). Furthermore, surgical treatments like accessory ligament desmotomy, local irritation by line firing or pin firing were commonly used. More recently ultrasound, laser therapy, electromagnetic field therapy have been considered. Unfortunately, they did not allow complete tissue healing and quite often animals did not regain competitiveness. In order to minimize this inconvenience, the use of MSCs has been introduced as an alternative to the traditional approach since it represents a potential tool to improve tissue regeneration. Aim of this study was to evaluate the capability of MSCs to improve the functional outcome of horses affected by tendonitis and desmitis. Thirty-three breed and activity-matched horses affected by tendonitis or desmitis, were included in clinical trial scored for lesions and subdivided into two groups. Group 1 animals were treated with autologous MSCs, associated with platelet rich plasma (group 1). Bone marrow samples were collected from the sternum of the treated horses and processed in order to isolate MSCs. Following cell therapy, they were subjected to a rehabilitation period and their ability to resume training was evaluated. In this study, implanted MSCs caused no adverse reactions and thirteen out of the eighteen inoculated horses returned to race competitions. On the contrary, no improvement was seen in the twelve animals of group 2 treated with pin firing, that were not able to resume sport activity. In conclusion the clinical trial proves the safety of equine bone-marrow derived MSCs and a successful outcome of the treated animals that returned to their previous level of sport activity.

Impact of concomitant immunosuppression on the presentation and prognosis of patients with melanoma

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Background: Melanoma has been reported to be susceptible to immune control. Therefore, we hypothesized that concomitant immune suppression might impact the course of the disease. Methods: We examined the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Cutaneous Oncology Program database for pts with immune suppression at the time of melanoma diagnosis. The demographics and stage of these pts were compared to those in the database as a whole. In addition, 3 controls matched for age, gender, stage and tumor location were identified for each case and disease outcome was compared between cases and controls. Results: 19 pts were identified with melanoma and concomitant immune suppression in a database of 1820 melanoma pts. Other diagnoses included renal transplant (4) inflammatory arthritis (8), Multiple Sclerosis (2), and ulcerative colitis (3). Immunosuppressive meds included methotrexate, azothioprine, cyclosporine, prednisone, infliximab, and natalizumab. Melanoma stages at diagnosis were in situ 1, IB 7, IIA 1, IIB 1, IIIB 3, IIIC 5, and IV 1. Compared to the database as a whole, cases were more likely to be female (84% vs 45%) and have a higher disease stage (42% stage IIIB/C vs 26%). In addition, more cases appeared to have an amelanotic primary (21% vs. 5.4%) or an atypical mole syndrome (21% vs 10.2%). For pts who relapsed, the cases had a shorter disease free interval (DFI) (2.1 vs 9.7 yrs) than the controls. At a median f/up of 52 mos, 37% of the cases had relapsed and all of these pts had died. At a median f/up of 76 mos, 30% of the controls had relapsed yet only 47% of these pts had died. As a consequence, cases appeared more likely to have died of their disease than controls (42% vs 23%) (p=0.10). Conclusions: Compared to the general melanoma population, pts with concomitant immune suppression appear more likely to be female, have an amelanotic primary or atypical mole syndrome and more advanced disease at presentation. Although pts with concomitant immune suppression are equally likely to relapse compared to matched controls, those that relapse appear to have a shorter DFI and to be less likely to be salvaged, suggesting more aggressive tumor behavior in this setting. Thus, diagnosis and treatment of a primary melanoma at an early stage appears especially important in an immunosuppressed population.

No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Characterization of a candidate Trypanosoma brucei U1 small nuclear RNA gene

We have previously shown that the poly(A) polymerase (PAP) gene of Trypanosoma brucei is interrupted by an intervening sequence. It was postulated that removing this intron by cis-splicing requires a yet unidentified U1 small nuclear RNA (snRNA), which in other organisms engages in base-pair interactions across the 5' splice site during early spliceosome assembly. Here we present a characterization of a 75 nucleotide long candidate T. brucei U1 snRNA. Immunoprecipitation studies indicate that a trimethylguanosine cap structure is present at the 5' end and that the RNA is bound to core proteins common to spliceosomal ribonucleoprotein particles. The U1 snRNA has the potential for extensive intermolecular base pairing with the PAP 5' splice site. We used block replacement mutagenesis to identify sequences necessary for in vivo expression of U1 snRNA. We found that at least two cis-acting elements, tRNA-like A and B boxes, located in the 5'-flanking region are necessary for U1 snRNA synthesis; no internal sequences close to the transcription start site are essential, suggesting a promoter architecture distinct from other trypanosome U-snRNA genes.