Giulia Martelli

Seroprevalence of five neglected parasitic diseases among immigrants accessing five infectious and tropical diseases units in Italy: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE This multicentre cross-sectional study aims to estimate the prevalence of five neglected tropical diseases (Chagas disease, filariasis, schistosomiasis, strongyloidiasis and toxocariasis) among immigrants accessing health care facilities in five Italian cities (Bologna, Brescia, Florence, Rome, Verona). METHODS Individuals underwent a different set of serological tests, according to country of origin and presence of eosinophilia. Seropositive patients were treated and further followed up. RESULTS A total of 930 adult immigrants were enrolled: 477 men (51.3%), 445 women (47.9%), eight transgender (0.8%); median age was 37.81 years (range 18-80 years). Most of them had come from the African continent (405/930, 43.5%), the rest from East Europe, South America and Asia, and 9.6% (89/930) were diagnosed with at least one of the infections under study. Seroprevalence of each specific infection varied from 3.9% (7/180) for Chagas disease to 9.7% (11/113) for toxocariasis. Seropositive people were more likely to be 35-40 years old and male, and to come from South East Asia, sub-Saharan Africa or South America. CONCLUSIONS The results of our study confirm that neglected tropical diseases represent a substantial health problem among immigrants and highlight the need to address this emerging public health issue.

Schistosoma mansoni Eggs in Spleen and Lungs, Mimicking Other Diseases

1 Center for Tropical Diseases, Ospedale Sacro-Cuore Don Calabria, Negrar, Verona, Italy, 2 Infectious Diseases Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Ospedale S. Orsola-Malpighi, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy, 3 Acute and Chronic Viral Hepatitis Department, Seconda Universita degli Studi di Napoli, Naples, Italy, 4 Department of Pathology, Ospedale Sacro-Cuore Don Calabria, Negrar, Verona, Italy

Monocyclic β-lactams loaded on hydroxyapatite: new biomaterials with enhanced antibacterial activity against resistant strains

The development of biomaterials able to act against a wide range of bacteria, including antibiotic resistant bacteria, is of great importance since bacterial colonization is one of the main causes of implant failure. In this work, we explored the possibility to functionalize hydroxyapatite (HA) nanocrystals with some monocyclic N-thio-substituted β-lactams. To this aim, a series of non-polar azetidinones have been synthesized and characterized. The amount of azetidinones loaded on HA could be properly controlled on changing the polarity of the loading solution and it can reach values up to 17 wt%. Data on cumulative release in aqueous solution show different trends which can be related to the lipophilicity of the molecules and can be modulated by suitable groups on the azetidinone. The examined β-lactams-HA composites display good antibacterial activity against reference Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. However, the results of citotoxicity and antibacterial tests indicate that HA loaded with 4-acetoxy-1-(methylthio)-azetidin-2-one displays the best performance. In fact, this material strongly inhibited the bacterial growth of both methicillin resistant and methicillin susceptible clinical isolates of S. aureus from surgical bone biopsies, showing to be a very good candidate as a new functional biomaterial with enhanced antibacterial activity.

Plasmodium falciparum malaria in migrants who transited Libya – Where did they contract malaria?

We discuss recent cases of Plasmodium falciparum malaria diagnosed in an Italian travel clinic in Malian migrants who resided in Libya, which is considered a malaria-free country. We postulated some hypothesis of transmission, which might entail some clinical and public health reflections. A 19-year-old man from Mali was admitted to the Infectious Diseases inpatient clinic at S.Orsola University Hospital in Bologna, Italy, in May 2015, presenting with a 5 days history of fever, headache and thoracic pain. He

Sodium periodate/TEMPO as a selective and efficient system for amine oxidation

A new metal-free protocol for promoting oxidation of amines in aqueous-organic medium was developed. NaIO4 and TEMPO as the catalyst emerged as the most efficient and selective system for oxidation of differently substituted benzyl amines to the corresponding benzaldehydes without overoxidation. Unsymmetrical secondary amines underwent selective oxidation only at the benzylic position thus realising an oxidative deprotection of a benzylic group with an easy amine recovery.

Liver transplantation is associated with good clinical outcome in patients with active tuberculosis and acute liver failure due to anti‐tubercular treatment

Active tuberculosis (TB) is commonly considered a contraindication for liver transplantation (LT). However, in patients with TB who develop acute liver failure (ALF) due to toxicity induced by anti‐tubercular treatment (ATT), LT could be the only opportunity for treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of LT in this scenario.

Design and Synthesis of New 4-Alkylidene-beta-lactams: Benzyl-and Phenethyl-carbamate as Key Fragments to Switch on the Antibacterial Activity.

The emergence of multidrug‐resistant bacterial strains is particularly important in chronic pathologies such as cystic fibrosis (CF), in which persistent colonization and selection of resistant strains is favored by the frequent and repeated use of antibacterial agents. Staphylococcus aureus is a common pathogen in CF patients that has an associated increased multidrug resistance. In previous studies we demonstrated that the presence of a 4‐alkylidene side chain directly linked to a β‐lactam appeared to strengthen the potency against S. aureus, especially against methicillin‐resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strains. In the present study, 21 new 4‐alkylidene‐β‐lactams were synthesized and evaluated for antibacterial activity. We designed the new compounds to have aryl, benzyl, or phenethyl‐carbamate groups on the C3 hydroxyethyl side chain. We found a correlation between biological activity and the nitrogen substituent of the carbamate group, and two phenethyl‐carbamate β‐lactams were shown to be valuable antibacterial agents against selected linezolid‐resistant strains, with a minimum inhibitory concentrations of 2–4 mg L−1.

Antibacterial and antioxidant activities for natural and synthetic dual-active compounds

Antimicrobial resistance is widely recognized as a grave threat to global health in the 21st century, since the past decades have seen a dramatic increase in human-pathogenic bacteria that are resistant to one or multiple antibiotics. New antimicrobial agents are urgently required, particularly in the treatment of chronic infections such as cystic fibrosis, often associated with persistent colonization by drug-resistant pathogens and epithelial damage by pulmonary oxidative stress. In such events, it would be favourable to find agents that could have antioxidant and antibacterial activities combined in one molecule. The discovery of compounds that can show a dual-target activity considerably increased in the last years, reflecting the growing confidence that this new approach could lead to better therapeutic solutions for complex multigenic diseases. The aim of this review is to report those natural and synthetic compounds displaying significant antioxidant and antibacterial activities. In recent years there has been a growing attention on plant-derived antimicrobials as an alternative to antibiotics, for their efficacy and low tendency in developing bacterial resistance. Moreover, it was found that some natural products could enhance the activity of common antibiotics displaying a synergistic effect. We then report some selected synthetic compounds with an in-built capacity to act on two targets or with the combination in a single structure of two pharmacophores with antioxidant and antibacterial activities. Recent literature instances were screened and the most promising examples of dual-active antibacterial-antioxidant molecules were highlighted.