Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Maria Fernanda Alves-Martin, Thaina Valente Bertozzo, Isabella Neves Aires, Suzane Manzini, Mirian dos Santos Paixao-Marques, Livia Maisa Guiraldi, Wesley Jose dos Santos, Gabriela Pacheco Sanchez, Vera Claudia Lorenzetti Magalhaes Curci, Virginia Bodelao Richini-Pereira, Simone Baldini Lucheis
Summary: In this study, conjunctival swabs were used for molecular analysis to detect Leishmania infection in cats. PCR was used as a screening technique, followed by confirmation through HRM and genetic sequencing. Conjunctival swabs proved to be a non-invasive, practical, and easy-to-perform technique for diagnosing Feline leishmaniasis.
Article
Medical Laboratory Technology
Eun Ju Jung, Su Kyung Lee, Seon Hee Shin, Jin Soo Kim, Heungjeong Woo, Eun-Jung Cho, Jungwon Hyun, Jae-Seok Kim, Hyun Soo Kim
Summary: This study compared the utility of nasal swabs, naso-pharyngeal swabs (NPSs), and saliva samples for detecting SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory virus infections. The results showed that NPSs were the most effective sample type, but nasal swabs and saliva samples could be used as alternatives to NPSs. Vigorously rubbed nasal swabs can provide similar SARS-CoV-2 concentrations to NPSs.
ANNALS OF LABORATORY MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Annamaria Pratelli, Francesco Pellegrini, Luigi Ceci, Daniela Tato, Maria Stella Lucente, Loredana Capozzi, Michele Camero, Alessio Buonavoglia
Summary: This article introduces a rRT-PCR test using a pooling strategy for simpler, faster, and less invasive monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The study shows that the pooling strategy can effectively detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA, even when the pool contains only one low viral load positive sample. This strategy has benefits for routine monitoring of groups in regions with a low SARS-CoV-2 prevalence.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Pathology
Caterina De Luca, Gianluca Gragnano, Floriana Conticelli, Michele Cennamo, Pasquale Pisapia, Daniela Terracciano, Umberto Malapelle, Emma Montella, Maria Triassi, Giancarlo Troncone, Giuseppe Portella
Summary: The study aimed to evaluate the analytical and clinical performance of the Idylla SARS-CoV-2 Test on previously tested SARS-CoV-2 individuals. The results showed that Idylla had a sensitivity of 93.9% and a specificity of 100.0%, making it a valid, fast, highly sensitive, and specific RT-PCR test for identifying SARS-CoV-2 infection.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PATHOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
N. Kojima, F. Turner, V Slepnev, A. Bacelar, L. Deming, S. Kodeboyina, J. D. Klausner
Summary: Both supervised oral fluid and nasal swab specimens performed similarly to clinician-collected nasopharyngeal swab specimens in detecting SARS-CoV-2, and none of the positive participants were detected using any sample type.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Michael Woelfl-Duchek, Felix Bergmann, Anselm Jorda, Maria Weber, Matthias Mueller, Tamara Seitz, Alexander Zoufaly, Robert Strassl, Markus Zeitlinger, Harald Herkner, Harald Schnidar, Karolina Anderle, Ulla Derhaschnig
Summary: This study evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of rapid antigen detection tests versus reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) using different swab samples. The results showed that self-collected anterior nasal swabs were as sensitive and more tolerable than professionally collected nasopharyngeal swabs when the C-T value was less than 30. Rapid antigen detection tests provide immediate results, while PCR should be preferred in crucial settings whenever possible.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2022)
Review
Microbiology
Rose A. Lee, Joshua C. Herigon, Andrea Benedetti, Nira R. Pollock, Claudia M. Denkinger
Summary: Nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs are considered the best sample for diagnosing SARS-CoV-2, but saliva, oropharyngeal (OP), nasal (NS) swabs, and combinations of OP/NS are promising alternatives. While some alternative samples had lower detection rates, a combination of OP/NS showed comparable performance to NP swabs. The absence of RNA extraction (saliva) and use of a more sensitive nucleic acid amplification test (NS) significantly reduced the positive yield of alternative samples.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Javier Asin, Megan E. Moriarty, Andrea B. Mikolon, Deana L. Clifford, Daniel Rejmanek, Francisco A. Uzal, Beate M. Crossley
Summary: Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2 (RHDV2) is spreading in North America, leading to submissions of lagomorphs for testing to veterinary diagnostic laboratories (VDLs). In this study, an RT-qPCR assay on rectal swabs was optimized and evaluated for the detection of RHDV2 RNA in leporid carcasses during an outbreak. Although the rectal swab RT-qPCR had lower sensitivity compared to liver tissue RT-qPCR, it can still be used for screening the presence of RHDV2 RNA in leporid carcasses.
TRANSBOUNDARY AND EMERGING DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Food Science & Technology
D. Cristiano, M. F. Peruzy, M. Aponte, A. Mancusi, Y. T. R. Proroga, F. Capuano, N. Murru
Summary: The study investigated the detection methods for Yersinia enterocolitica in leafy greens, finding that only ddPCR technology could detect the pathogen in leafy greens contaminated at low levels. Additionally, the incubation time and temperature were shown to significantly impact the survival and concentration of Yersinia enterocolitica in vegetables.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Microbiology
Matthew F. Flynn, Martin Kelly, James S. G. Dooley
Summary: Despite advances in molecular diagnostics, nasal pathogen detection sensitivities can be as low as 70%. Various sampling methods were compared, with no statistical differences in sensitivities observed. Further research is needed to explore potential factors affecting sensitivity in detecting respiratory pathogens.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Saiful Arefeen Sazed, Mohammad Golam Kibria, Mohammad Shafiul Alam
Summary: The real-time PCR method established in this study efficiently detects and distinguishes five human Plasmodium species with a single protocol, improving sensitivity and specificity. This method can be considered as an alternative to existing molecular diagnosis lineup for malaria in endemic countries.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Patricia Schliesser, Felix L. Struebing, Bernd H. Northoff, Anna Kurz, Jan Remi, Lesca Holdt, Guenter U. Hoeglinger, Jochen Herms, Thomas Koeglsperger
Summary: This study found that the expression of hsa-miR-1260a was significantly increased in patients with Parkinson's disease and isolated rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder, and it correlated with disease severity and olfactory function. The results indicate that oral and nasal swabs can serve as a valuable source of biomarkers for diagnosing Parkinson's disease and related neurodegenerative conditions.
MOVEMENT DISORDERS
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Vincent Blaschke, Alea Berten, Heike Sprenger, Jutta Zagon, Matthias Winkel
Summary: In this study, highly specific real-time PCR methods were developed for the comprehensive detection of all commercially relevant cephalopod species and the gastropod families Helicidae, Buccinidae, and Muricidae in food matrices. The specificity of the systems was demonstrated by cross-testing over 100 animal and plant species. The robustness and practical applicability of the protocol were confirmed through testing multiple parameters and cooking and autoclaving of samples.
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Sergei A. Kiryanov, Tatiana A. Levina, Vladislava V. Kadochnikova, Maria V. Konopleva, Anatoly P. Suslov, Dmitry Yu. Trofimov
Summary: This study compared the diagnostic performance of different upper respiratory tract samples for the direct RT-PCR detection of SARS-CoV-2. The results showed that nasal swab and saliva samples tested by direct RT-PCR had sufficient sensitivity and can be acceptable alternatives for rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 infections.
Article
Immunology
Carlos G. Grijalva, Melissa Rolfes, Yuwei Zhu, James Chappell, Natasha Halasa, Ahra Kim, Carrie Reed, Alicia Fry, H. Keipp Talbot
Summary: In a household transmission study, self-collected saliva specimens were found to be a noninvasive alternative to nasal swabs, especially when collected in traditional transport media, for longitudinal field studies aiming to detect both symptomatic and asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections.
OPEN FORUM INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sara Lago, Matteo Nadai, Emanuela Ruggiero, Martina Tassinari, Maja Marusic, Beatrice Tosoni, Ilaria Frasson, Filippo M. Cernilogar, Valentina Pirota, Filippo Doria, Janez Plavec, Gunnar Schotta, Sara N. Richter
Summary: Well-differentiated liposarcoma is a malignant neoplasm characterized by amplification of the MDM2 gene region, and targeting the MDM2 G-quadruplex can promote apoptosis in cancer cells. The research suggests that this approach may be beneficial for treating WDLPS and other tumors seeking to restore wild-type p53.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Medical Laboratory Technology
Margherita Scapaticci, Andrea Bartolini, Marta Biscaro, Renzo Biscaro, Giorgio Da Rin
Summary: The study revealed that CRP, ESR, and fecal calprotectin were associated with autoimmune rheumatic disorders and therapy, while serum calprotectin and IL-6 did not seem to be related to disease improvement after treatment initiation, along with leukocyte count and platelet count.
LABORATORY MEDICINE
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ilaria Frasson, Valentina Pirota, Sara N. Richter, Filippo Doria
Summary: G-quadruplexes (G4s) are stable non-canonical structures in human cells that regulate key cellular processes. They can form high-order structures through multimerization, and play important roles in genome replication, transcription, and translation.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ilaria Caputo, Brasilina Caroccia, Ilaria Frasson, Elena Poggio, Stefania Zamberlan, Margherita Morpurgo, Teresa M. Seccia, Tito Cali, Marisa Brini, Sara N. Richter, Gian Paolo Rossi
Summary: Blockers of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) can increase the expression of ACE2, the cellular receptor of SARS-CoV-2, and thus increase the risk of COVID-19. This study found that angiotensin II (Ang II) significantly increased the levels of ACE2 expression by acting on the angiotensin type 1 receptor, resulting in enhanced viral entry into cells. However, the blockade of ACE-1-mediated Ang II formation and ACE2-mediated Ang II conversion did not have any effect. Therefore, increased production of Ang II in patients with an activated RAS may lead to a greater spread of COVID-19 infection in lung cells.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Margherita Scapaticci, Andrea Bartolini, Francesca Vitone, Vincenzo Cerreta, Monica Vignoli, Elena Gnudi, Alessandra Frazzoni, Barbara Sitta, Silvia Capitani, Annamaria Lopriore, Mariapina Donadio, Stefania Chiarastella, Marina Bioli, Rita Mancini
Summary: Whole-genome sequencing is the gold standard for identifying SARS-CoV-2 variants, but it is time consuming and expensive. Therefore, assays targeting multiple regions of the SARS-CoV-2 genome may be useful for rapid tracing of known or new variants. In this study, a variant detection kit was used to test forty nasopharyngeal swabs, resulting in the identification of an unprecedented variant, which was confirmed as Kappa variant through subsequent whole-genome sequencing.
JOURNAL OF VIROLOGICAL METHODS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Emanuela Ruggiero, Ilaria Frasson, Elena Tosoni, Matteo Scalabrin, Rosalba Perrone, Maja Marusic, Janez Plavec, Sara N. Richter
Summary: The fused in liposarcoma (FUS) protein has been found to selectively bind and stabilize the least stable and bulged G-quadruplex (G4) structure in HIV-1 LTR, leading to down-regulation of viral transcription. This study reveals the complexity and dynamics of HIV-1 LTR G4s, highlighting their significance as potential targets for antiviral therapies.
ACS INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Massimiliano Berretta, Vincenzo Quagliariello, Alessia Bignucolo, Sergio Facchini, Nicola Maurea, Raffaele Di Francia, Francesco Fiorica, Saman Sharifi, Silvia Bressan, Sara N. Richter, Valentina Camozzi, Luca Rinaldi, Carla Scaroni, Monica Montopoli
Summary: This review examines the effects of vitamin D on human health, focusing particularly on its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects against cancer, immune-related diseases, cardiomyopathies, and infectious diseases. The study found that vitamin D significantly reduces the risk factors associated with chronic cardiometabolic disease and cancer.
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Roberta Rocca, Francesca Scionti, Matteo Nadai, Federica Moraca, Annalisa Maruca, Giosue Costa, Raffaella Catalano, Giada Juli, Maria Teresa Di Martino, Francesco Ortuso, Stefano Alcaro, Pierosandro Tagliaferri, Pierfrancesco Tassone, Sara N. Richter, Anna Artese
Summary: This study investigated the stabilizing effect of three candidate compounds on TERRA G4 through molecular modeling simulations, in vitro, and in cell analysis. The results demonstrated the stabilizing power of these candidates on TERRA G4, and they also showed good antiproliferative activity against colorectal and lung adenocarcinoma cell lines. This research could potentially provide new tools for cancer treatment.
Article
Hematology
Giorgio Da Rin, Michela Seghezzi, Andrea Padoan, Rachele Pajola, Anna Bengiamo, Anna Maria Di Fabio, Francesco Dima, Alessandra Fanelli, Sara Francione, Luca Germagnoli, Maria Lorubbio, Alessandro Marzoni, Silvia Pipitone, Roberta Rolla, Maria del Carmen Bagorria Vaca, Andrea Bartolini, Lisa Bonato, Laura Sciacovelli, Sabrina Buoro
Summary: This study evaluated the performance of an automated image-processing system (AIS) in cell pre-classification and reclassification compared to manual optical microscopy. The results showed that AIS can be helpful in cases with low cell counts and offer advantages in blood cell morphology analysis.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LABORATORY HEMATOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Ilaria Frasson, Paola Solda, Matteo Nadai, Martina Tassinari, Matteo Scalabrin, Vijay Gokhale, Laurence H. Hurley, Sara N. Richter
Summary: A series of new quindoline-derivatives were evaluated, showing high binding to and stabilization of viral G4s. They exhibited nanomolar-range anti-HSV-1 activity in human cells with negligible cytotoxicity, demonstrating remarkable selectivity. These quindoline-derivatives emerge as a new class of G4 ligands with potent dual anti-HSV-1 activity.
ANTIVIRAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Giulia Nicoletto, Sara N. Richter, Ilaria Frasson
Summary: This study reports the presence, conservation, and localization of putative G4-forming sequences (PQSs) in human arboviruses. Analysis revealed that positive-strand ssRNA arboviruses, especially Flaviviruses, are enriched in highly conserved PQSs located in coding sequences (CDSs) or untranslated regions (UTRs), while negative-strand ssRNA and dsRNA arboviruses contain few conserved PQSs. The presence of highly conserved PQSs in human arboviruses highlights the potential of non-canonical nucleic acid structures as therapeutic targets in arbovirus infections.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Irene Zanin, Emanuela Ruggiero, Giulia Nicoletto, Sara Lago, Ilaria Maurizio, Irene Gallina, Sara N. Richter
Summary: Among the alternative secondary structures to the DNA double helix, i-Motifs (iMs) and G-quadruplexes (G4s) are non-canonical nucleic acid structures that form in cytosine- and guanine-rich regions, respectively. It was previously believed that iMs only form in vitro, but now it has been shown that they also form in live human cells, mainly at gene promoters. iMs and G4s have distinct activity as regulators of the cell transcriptome, with iMs associated with low transcript levels and G4s associated with high levels.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Margherita Scapaticci, Andrea Bartolini, Rita Mancini
Summary: This study retrospectively evaluated laboratory parameters in COVID-19 positive patients admitted to the hospital in March and April 2020. The results showed that age was positively correlated with the risk of death, while sex and hospitalization days were not associated with the risk of death. Several laboratory tests, including BNP, creatinine, CRP, INR, leukocyte count, lymphocyte count, neutrophil count, and PCT, were found to be significantly different between surviving and non-surviving patients, suggesting their potential role as markers of disease severity. However, only lymphocyte count was identified as an independent risk factor for death.
NEW MICROBIOLOGICA
(2023)
