One of the diagnostic hallmarks of the histological lesions associated with celiac disease is the extensive infiltration of the small intestinal epithelium by CD8+ T cells of unknown Ag specificity. In this study, we report recognition of the gliadin-derived peptide (A-gliadin 123–132) by CD8+ T lymphocytes from celiac patients. A-gliadin 123–132-specific IFN-γ production and cytotoxic activity were detected in PBMCs derived from patients on gluten-free diet, but not from either celiac patients on gluten-containing diet or healthy controls. In contrast, A-gliadin 123–132-specific cells were isolated from small intestine biopsies of patients on either gluten-free or gluten-containing diets. Short-term T cell lines derived from the small intestinal mucosa and specific for the 123–132 epitope recognized human APC pulsed with either whole recombinant α-gliadin or a partial pepsin-trypsin gliadin digest. Finally, we speculate on a possible mechanism leading to processing and presentation of class I-restricted gliadin-derived epitopes in celiac disease patients.

These data indicate that gliadins contain peptides able to activate, through a TCR/HLA class I interaction, CD8-mediated response in intestinal CD mucosa and to induce the enterocyte apoptosis.

Background: Killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) are a family of inhibitory and activatory receptors that are expressed by most natural killer (NK) cells. The KIR gene family is polymorphic: genomic diversity is achieved through differences in gene content and allelic polymorphism. The number of KIR loci has been reported to vary among individuals, resulting in different KIR haplotypes. In this study we report the genotypic structure of KIRs in 217 unrelated healthy Italian individuals from 22 immunogenetics laboratories, located in the northern, central and southern regions of Italy.

The need to measure body temperature contactless and quickly during the COVID-19 pandemic emergency has led to the widespread use of infrared thermometers, thermal imaging cameras and thermal scanners as an alternative to the traditional contact clinical thermometers. However, limits and issues of noncontact temperature measurement devices are not well known and technical–scientific literature itself sometimes provides conflicting reference values on the body and skin temperature of healthy subjects. To limit the risk of contagion, national authorities have set the obligation to measure body temperature of workers at the entrance to the workplace. In this paper, the authors analyze noncontact body temperature measurement issues from both clinical and metrological points of view with the aim to (i) improve body temperature measurements accuracy; (ii) estimate the uncertainty of body temperature measurement on the field; (iii) propose a screening decision rule for the prevention of the spread of COVID-19. The approach adopted in this paper takes into account both the traditional instrumental uncertainty sources and clinical–medical ones related to the subjectivity of the measurand. A proper screening protocol for body temperature measurement considering the role of uncertainty is essential to correctly choose the threshold temperature value and measurement method to access critical places during COVID-19 pandemic emergency.

Background: Endothelial injury can be induced by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and seems to exert a crucial pathogenic role in its most severe clinical manifestations. We aimed to investigate the association between brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (bFMD), a potential clinical and non-invasive measure of endothelial function, and in-hospital prognosis of COVID-19 patients. Methods: Brachial artery flow-mediated dilation was assessed in hospitalized COVID-19 patients within 48 h of hospital admission. The association between bFMD and either intensive care unit (ICU) admission or in-hospital death was explored using univariable and multivariable analyses. Results: Four hundred and eight patients were enrolled. Significantly lower bFMD values emerged in COVID-19 patients with either radiographic signs of pneumonia, respiratory distress, or the need for non-invasive ventilation compared with patients without these signs (p < 0.001, p = 0.001, and p < 0.001, respectively). Forty-two (10%) patients were admitted to the ICU, 76 (19%) patients died, and 118 (29%) patients met the composite endpoint of ICU admission/in-hospital death. At unadjusted Cox regression analysis showed that low bFMD (<4.4%, the median value) was associated with a higher risk for the composite endpoint of ICU admission/in-hospital death compared with high bFMD (≥4.4%, the median value) (HR 1.675, 95% CI 1.155–2.428, p = 0.007). Multi-adjusted Cox regression analyses showed that low bFMD was independently associated with a 1.519- to 1.658-fold increased risk for the composite endpoint of ICU admission/in-hospital death. Conclusions: Low bFMD predicts an unfavorable in-hospital prognosis in COVID-19 patients. The measurement of bFMD may be clinically useful in the prognostic stratification of COVID-19 patients upon hospital admission.