The use of natural substances with antiviral properties might reduce foodborne viral diseases. In this study, we evaluated the virucidal effect of
and
essential oils (EOs) and of
,
and
hydrolates on ...murine norovirus (MNV), a human norovirus surrogate. To assess the virucidal effect of these natural substances, the reduction in viral infectivity was estimated by comparing the TCID
/mL of untreated viral suspension and the viral suspension treated with hydrolates and EOs at different concentrations. The results showed a natural loss of infectivity of the untreated virus after 24 h of approx. 1 log. The EO (1%) of
, and hydrolates (1% and 2%) of
and
immediately caused a reduction in MNV infectivity of about 2 log but did not provide a further significant decrease after 24 h. Instead, the EO (1%) and hydrolate (1% and 2%) of
exerted an immediate reduction in the viral infectivity of about 1.3 log and 1 log, respectively, followed by a further reduction in infectivity of 1 log after 24 h for the hydrolate. These results will allow for the implementation of a depuration treatment based on the use of these natural compounds.
Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL) is a lymphoproliferative disease typically diagnosed in the young. The excellent results obtained with current treatment lead to long survival with age-related ...complications affecting patients' survival and quality of life. One issue affecting HL patients is infertility. This problem can be easily overcome in males with seminal liquid cryopreservation, however, in females it is more complex either in terms of the quality of the cryopreserved material or the patients' age at diagnosis. Moreover, not all chemo- or radio-therapies have the same negative impact on fertility.The main objectives of this study was to collect epidemiological information on HL patients involved in fertility preservation counseling and to analyze the impact of ABVD (adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine), the standard treatment for HL, on ovarian function, hormonal levels and ovarian and uterine tissue morphologies. Patterns of fertility preservation were also reported.
Data were obtained from 270 female patients at HL onset who were interested in fertility counseling prior to therapy initiation. Each patient was assessed at HL diagnosis for levels of Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH), Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH), and 17β-oestradiol (17β-oe), with additional assessments at 6 and 12 months after chemotherapy. Patients were evaluated with ultrasound scans to study the number of ovarian follicles and the degree of uterine thickness at the same timepoints.
The average patient AMH level showed a statistically significant reduction at 6 months after chemotherapy (p=0.05) and by the 12 month time point returned to near pre-chemotherapy values. FSH and 17β-oe levels did not significantly vary throughout the study period. ABVD chemotherapy was associated with a significant reduction of both ovarian follicles and endometrial thickness at the 6 month time point followed by a recovery at the 12 time point in both ovaries. Different results were observed when patients changed treatment to a more intensive one.
Based on the results from the hormonal measurements and the follicle echography, it appears that the toxic effect of ABVD on fertility is transient, whereas, in contrast, more intensive therapies may potentially be more harmful and long-lasting.
Norovirus (NoV) is the most important cause of seafood-borne gastroenteritis worldwide, mainly associated with the consumption of raw oysters. NoV is often present in oysters that comply with ...existing control standards for shellfish. Therefore, the improvement of post-harvest treatments and practices can represent one of the main strategies to reduce the incidence of viral diseases related to shellfish. This study aimed to investigate long-term relays for the reduction of NoV levels in live oysters, during the high-risk cold months, by transferring the oysters from a more contaminated site to two sites with lower NoV levels. The efficacy of relaying was evaluated by analyzing oyster samples collected at days 0 (T0) and 30 (T30) for NoV levels using a real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). The NoV level at the relay sites was consistently lower than at the harvest site. The relay process for 30 days in seawater with a lower NoV level resulted in a decrease in the NoV load compared to day 0 with significant reductions depending on the site and genogroup of NoV considered. These results suggest that long-term relaying of oysters to reduce NoV levels is promising and could help growers to improve oyster safety; however, further investigations are needed.
In this study, we evaluated the use of hydrolates, co-products of essential oil distillation, as processing aids to improve the depuration process of Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) as a ...post-harvest method aimed at reducing the norovirus (NoV) viral load. Live oysters were kept in water to which hydrolates of Thymus serpyllum and Citrus limon at 1% were added for 24 h. The concentration of NoV was quantified using the ISO 15216-1 quantitative real-time RT-PCR method in the oyster digestive tissue both before and after the treatment. The results showed a significant reduction of 0.2 log in the NoV GII concentration after 24 h of treatment with 1% C. limon hydrolate. Conversely, treatment with T. serpyllum did not appear to reduce the concentration of NoV compared to the control. Additionally, a sensory analysis was conducted through a blind survey comparing untreated and treated oysters. No changes in the sensory and physical characteristics of the oysters were observed, except for a decrease in the marine flavour intensity, which was positively perceived by consumers. These results indicate that the addition of hydrolates of C. limon at 1% during depuration might represent a promising processing aid for enhancing both the safety and acceptability of live oysters.
The upfront treatment of very elderly and frail patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is still a matter of debate. Herein, we report results of the metronomic all-oral DEVEC ...prednisolone/deltacortene®, vinorelbine (VNR), etoposide (ETO), cyclophosphamide combined with i.v. rituximab (R). This schedule was administered as a first line therapy in 22 elderly/frail DLBCL subjects (median age = 84.5 years). In 17/22 (77%) patients, the Elderly-IPI-score was high. After a median follow-up of 24 months, 15 patients had died: seven (50%) for causes unrelated to DLBCL or its treatment, six (40%) for progression, and two (13%) for multiorgan failure. Six treatment-pertinent serious-adverse-events occurred. At the end of induction, 14/22 (64%) achieved complete remission; overall survival and event-free survival at 24 months were both 54% (95% CI = 32−72%), while the time to progression was 74% (95% CI = 48−88%). Furthermore, antiproliferative and proapoptotic assays were performed on DLBCL/OCI-LY3 cell-line using metronomic VNR and ETO and their combination. Both metronomic VNR and ETO had concentration-dependent antiproliferative (IC50 = 0.036 ± 0.01 nM and 7.9 ± 3.6 nM, respectively), and proapoptotic activities in DLBCL cells. Co-administration of the two drugs showed a strong synergism (combination index < 1 and dose reduction index > 1) against cell proliferation and survival. This low-dose schedule seems to compare favourably with intravenous-CHEMO protocols used in the same subset. Indeed, the high synergism shown by metronomic VRN+ETO in in vitro studies, explains the remarkable clinical responses and it allows significant dose reductions.
Astroviruses are important human enteric pathogens transmissible with contaminated food and water. Astroviruses have also been identified in mammals, birds, lower vertebrates and invertebrates. The ...genetic diversity of human and animal astroviruses poses a challenge for diagnostics and taxonomy. As a proof of concept, we used a panastrovirus consensus primer set, able to amplify in a nested RT-PCR protocol a 400-nt-long fragment of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase of most members of the
family, in conjunction with a nanopore sequencing platform, to generate information on the astrovirome in filter-feeding mollusks. Amplicons generated from bivalve samples were used to generate libraries for deep sequencing. In three samples, only one unique RdRp sequence type was obtained. However, in seven samples and in three barcodes with eleven pooled samples, we identified a variety of known and unknown RdRp sequence types, in most cases distantly related to astrovirus sequences available in the databases. In total, 37 different sequence contigs were generated. Avian-origin astrovirus sequences were predominant, likely due to contamination of shellfish harvesting waters by marine birds. Astroviruses of the aquatic eco-system were also identified, whereas human astroviruses were not detected.
This study aims to investigate the occurrence of Anisakidae larvae (genera Anisakis and Hysterothylacium) in fishes and squids used for human nutrition and increase the knowledge of the distribution ...of Anisakidae larvae in this area of Mediterranean Sea. Distribution and correct identification of Anisakidae larvae in fish species is important for the assessment of their relative epidemiological role; especially when the fishes are of high commercial value and largely used in human nutrition. The study investigated the occurrence of Anisakidae larvae (genera Anisakis and Hysterothylacium) in 195 fishes owing to 22 different species and 60 squids (Illex coindetii) sampled in northern Ligurian Sea. A combination of morphological and PCR-RFLP methods have been used. A total of 177 anisakid larvae were isolated in 42/195 (21.5%) fish of 11 species and only one larva in one squid. These larvae were identified morphologically as belonging to the genera Anisakis (36/177) or Hysterothylacium (142/177). All Anisakis larvae were isolated from Trachurus trachurus and were identified at species level by PCR-RFLP as belonging to Anisakis pegreffii. Hysterothylacium sp. in short, larvae presence occurred in most of examined fish species with a higher density in Mullus barbatus (mean intensity 5.6 larvae) and Serranus scriba (MI 5.3).
The wild boar is an important natural reservoir for the zoonotic transmission of the hepatitis E virus (HEV) around the world. In particular, HEV genotypes 3 and 4 are an emerging problem in ...industrialized countries, as the number of wild boars has increased, and their territory is ever closer to farms and populated areas. This study describes the HEV prevalence and geographic circulation among wild boar populations in the Ligurian region (Italy) during the period 2019–2022. Liver samples from 849 wild boars were analyzed for HEV RNA using real-time RT-PCR; positive samples were then subjected to sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. Overall, 6.7% of the wild boars were positive for HEV RNA; however, in the last two years, the percentage of positive animals almost doubled. Phylogenetic analysis showed that wild boar HEV sequences belonged to genotype 3 and clustered within subtypes 3a and 3c, and, for the first time in Italy, subtypes 3b and 3m were identified. Interestingly, 13 sequences could not be assigned to a recognized subtype. Furthermore, the results showed different circulations of identified subtypes across the territory. These findings increase the knowledge of HEV-3 heterogeneity in Italy and describe the role of wild boars in maintaining an active viral circulation in the environment.
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