Applicazione del monitoraggio aerobiologico dei pollini allergenici alla programmazione dei lavori clinici in allergologia respiratoria

Riassunto Una buona correlazione tra conta dei pollini allergenici in atmosfera e sintomi clinici nei pazienti con pollinosi è stata trovata in diversi studi. Per valutare se un nuovo trattamento iposensibilizzante specifico o se un nuovo farmaco antiallergico producono effetti migliori del placebo, è importante applicare molti test in vivo ed in vitro e verificare se questi parametri presentano variazioni nel corso della terapia in favore del nuovo trattamento. La quantificazione dei sintomi è influenzata dalla concentrazione pollinica atmosferica e dalla terapia. Fino ad ora le correlazioni tra i sintomi dei pazienti e le conte polliniche sono state valutate generalmente mediante l'uso di coefficienti di correlazione o con metodi grafici. Questi approcci appaiono inadeguati allorchè vengono comparati i risultati di due o più anni di studio o allorchè i pazienti vivono in aree con diverse conte polliniche. In questo lavoro vengono suggerite due possibili valutazioni quantitative: la regressione normalizzante e l'intervallo di conta pollinica. Entrambi i metodi sembrano fomire una migliore conoscenza dell'efficacia del trattamento, immunologico o farmacologico, nei lavori clinici su pazienti pollinotici.

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Summary The importance of recording daily pollen count in obtaining the clinical history of allergic patients and in the evaluation of the treatment of respiratory allergic diseases has been emphasized. A good correlation between the patient's symptoms and the pollen count has been found in a number of studies. To prove whether a new hyposensitization or drug treatment is better than placebo or another therapy it is important to apply many in vivo and in vitro tests and to verify if these parameters show a change during therapy in favour of the new treatment. The daily symptom score is influenced by the amount of pollen in the air and by the antiallergic medication. To get reliable daily symptom scores, daily medication should be recorded in a standardized manner. Relationship between symptom scores recorded by patients, and pollen counts have either been tested by calculating a correlation coefficient or examined by graphical methods. These approaches are inadeguate if results from 2 years of a trial are to be directly compared, particularly when patients are living in areas with different pollen counts. This paper suggests two possible quantitative approaches to relate daily pollen counts to patients' symptom scores: the normalised regression method and the pollen interval method. Both the methods, when applied to symptom or medication scores in trials of hyposensitization in hay fever, provide a better understanding of the effectiveness of the treatments involved.

     

Effect of harvest method and timing on yield and regeneration of Karengo (Porphyra spp.) (Bangiales,Rhodophyta) in New Zealand

Commercial interest in harvesting wild stocks ofPorphyra and concern for this prized resource by the Maori community highlighted the need to investigate the impact of harvest method and timing onPorphyra beds. Harvesting trials were carried out at two locations near Kaikoura (South Island) and one in Wellington (southern North Island) between June 1987 and September 1987. At each of five sampling sites, ten replicate sets of four quadrats were used to test the effects of harvest method and timing on yield and regeneration. The method of harvest had a major effect on the extent of regeneration: in quadrats in which thePorphyra had been cut with basal portions left intact there were harvestable plants within two months, whereas in quadrats which were cleared of allPorphyra there was very little growth after the same period. Harvests in the latter half of thePorphyra growing season gave greater yields at all sites except Wellington. Several species ofPorphyra were found to exist at the Kaikoura sampling sites and a single, different, species at the Wellington site. There were site to site differences in the yields.     

Dynamic changes of platelet-related parameters and their associations with clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients during hospitalization

This paper aims to analyze dynamic changes in platelet-related indicators and their associations with clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients. 220 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the General Hospital of Central Theater Command the PLA from January 21, 2020 to March 25, 2020, were enrolled. These patients were firstly divided into non-severe and severe groups in accordance with disease severity on admission. The patients of the severe group were further divided into survivors and non-survivors according to whether the patient was discharged or deceased. The results demonstrated that IL-6 had negative correlations with PLT (R=?0.318, P<0.001) and PCT (R=?0.323, P<0.001). However, no significant correlations or only weak correlations were found between the platelet-related parameters (PLT, MPV, PDW, PCT, and P-LCR) and other indexes of coagulation and inflammation (PT, APTT, FIB, D-D, and CRP). The dynamic changes of platelet-related parameters in non-severe patients and survivors during hospitalization showed very similar trends and changing rules, while those in the non-survivor group were considerably different. After adjusting for demographic variables and coexisting disorders, the patients with nadir platelet counts of (100–150), (50–100), and (0–50), respectively, possessed a significantly increased risk of mortality [(OR=1.81, 95% CI, 0.2–16.44, P>0.05), (OR=9.91, 95% CI, 1.36–72.2, P<0.05), and (OR=53.81, 95% CI, 5.85–495.22, P<0.001)] with (150–) as the reference. This study suggests that changing trends of the platelet-related parameterrs during hospitalization especially in the first week after admission, are of great significance for predicting clinical outcomes.     

Probing recalcitrant problems in polyclad evolution and systematics with novel mitochondrial genome resources

For their apparent morphological simplicity, the Platyhelminthes or “flatworms” are a diverse clade found in a broad range of habitats. Their body plans have however made them difficult to robustly classify. Molecular evidence is only beginning to uncover the true evolutionary history of this clade. Here we present nine novel mitochondrial genomes from the still undersampled orders Polycladida and Rhabdocoela, assembled from short Illumina reads. In particular we present for the first time in the literature the mitochondrial sequence of a Rhabdocoel, Bothromesostoma personatum (Typhloplanidae, Mesostominae). The novel mitochondrial genomes examined generally contained the 36 genes expected in the Platyhelminthes, with all possessing 12 of the 13 protein-coding genes normally found in metazoan mitochondrial genomes (ATP8 being absent from all Platyhelminth mtDNA sequenced to date), along with two ribosomal RNA genes. The majority presented possess 22 transfer RNA genes, and a single tRNA gene was absent from two of the nine assembled genomes. By comparison of mitochondrial gene order and phylogenetic analysis of the protein coding and ribosomal RNA genes contained within these sequences with those of previously sequenced species we are able to gain a firm molecular phylogeny for the inter-relationships within this clade.Our phylogenetic reconstructions, using both nucleotide and amino acid sequences under several models and both Bayesian and Maximum Likelihood methods, strongly support the monophyly of Polycladida, and the monophyly of Acotylea and Cotylea within that clade. They also allow us to speculate on the early emergence of Macrostomida, the monophyly of a “Turbellarian-like” clade, the placement of Rhabditophora, and that of Platyhelminthes relative to the Lophotrochozoa (=Spiralia). The data presented here therefore represent a significant advance in our understanding of platyhelminth phylogeny, and will form the basis of a range of future research in the still-disputed classifications within this taxon.     

脑脊液蛋白质组技术及临床应用研究进展

脑脊液(CSF)围绕并支持中枢神经系统(CNS),包括脑室和蛛网膜下腔,由于脑脊液与中枢神经系统直接接触,所以其是寻找中枢神经系统疾病生物标记物的重要来源。国内外学者开展了大量CSF蛋白质组学的研究工作,并取得了较大进展。文中综述了近年来CSF蛋白质组学技术及临床应用研究进展。     

Motivations,success, and cost of coral reef restoration

Coral reef restoration is an increasingly important part of tropical marine conservation. Information about what motivates coral reef restoration as well as its success and cost is not well understood but is needed to inform restoration decisions. We systematically review and synthesize data from mostly scientific studies published in peer‐reviewed and gray literature on the motivations for coral reef restoration, the variables measured, outcomes reported, the cost per hectare of the restoration project, the survival of restored corals, the duration of the project, and its overall spatial extent depending on the restoration technique employed. The main motivation to restore coral reefs for the projects assessed was to further our ecological knowledge and improve restoration techniques, with coral growth, productivity, and survival being the main variables measured. The median project cost was 400,000 US$/ha (2010 US$), ranging from 6,000 US$/ha for the nursery phase of coral gardening to 4,000,000 US$/ha for substrate addition to build an artificial reef. Restoration projects were mostly of short duration (1–2 years) and over small spatial extents (0.01 ha or 108 m²). Median reported survival of restored corals was 60.9%. Future research to survey practitioners who do not publish their discoveries would complement this work. Our findings and database provide critical data to inform future research in coral reef restoration.