Background: From March to May 2020, lockdown measures were adopted in Italy to contain the epidemic of the novel Coronavirus. People were forced to restrict their movement and social contacts, therefore having a higher risk of inactivity. This study, carried out among Italian undergraduates, explored their sedentary and physical activities (PA) during the lockdown with respect to their previous habits. Methods: An electronic questionnaire was administered once to students attending three Italian universities after the end of lockdown. Results: A total of 1430 students (mean age 22.9 ± 3.5 years, 65.5% females) completed the questionnaire. All the sedentary behaviors increased significantly, and all the physical activities decreased significantly during the lockdown. Time spent using electronic devices showed the highest increase (+52.4 min/day), and walking the greatest decrease (−365.5 min/week). Being younger than 22 years old, female, and previously active, attending the universities of Naples and Rome and having at least one graduate parent were associated with the achievement of recommended levels of PA even during the lockdown. Conclusions: This study highlights the reduction of PA among Italian undergraduates in the course of home-confinement due to the CoViD-19 pandemic. The practice of adequate PA during the lockdown was mainly associated with the previous adoption of an active lifestyle. Promoting active lifestyles during the non-pandemic period may have had positive effects also in case of lockdown.

Background. This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the microbial composition of the gut and its possible association with the Mediterranean diet (MD) after adjusting for demographic and anthropometric characteristics in a sample of healthy young Italian adults. Methods. Gut microbiota, demographic information, and data on adherence to MD and physical activity (PA) habits were collected in a sample of 140 university students (48.6% males, mean age 22.5 ± 2.9) with a mean body mass index (BMI) of 22.4 ± 2.8 kg/m2 (15.2–33.8) and a mean PA level of 3006.2 ± 2973.6 metabolic equivalent (MET)-minutes/week (148–21,090). Results. A high prevalence of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes was found in all the fecal samples. Significant dissimilarities in the microbiota composition were found on the basis of MD adherence and PA levels (p = 0.001). At the genus level, Streptococcus and Dorea were highly abundant in overweight/obese individuals, Ruminococcus and Oscillospira in participants with lower adherence to MD, and Lachnobacterium in subjects with low levels of PA (p = 0.001). A significantly higher abundance of Paraprevotella was shown by individuals with lower BMI, lower MD adherence, and lower PA levels (p = 0.001). Conclusions. This study contributes to the characterization of the gut microbiome of healthy humans. The findings suggest the role of diet and PA in determining gut microbiota variability.

SARS-CoV-2 infection shows a wide-ranging clinical severity, requiring prognostic markers. We focused on S100B, a calcium-binding protein present in biological fluids, being a reliable biomarker in disorders having inflammatory processes as common basis and RAGE as main receptor. Since Covid-19 is characterized by a potent inflammatory response also involving RAGE, we tested if S100B serum levels were related to disease severity. Serum samples (n = 74) were collected from hospitalized SARS-CoV-2 positive patients admitted to Covid center. Illness severity was established by admission clinical criteria and Covid risk score. Treatment protocols followed WHO guidelines available at the time. Circulating S100B was determined by ELISA assay. Statistical analysis used Pearson’s χ2 test, t-Test, and ANOVA, ANCOVA, Linear Regression. S100B was detected in serum from Covid-19 patients, significantly correlating with disease severity as shown both by the level of intensity of care (p < 0.006) as well by the value of Covid score (Multiple R-squared: 0.3751); the correlation between Covid-Score and S100B was 0.61 (p < 0.01). S100B concentration was associated with inflammation markers (Ferritin, C-Reactive Protein, Procalcitonin), and organ damage markers (Alanine Aminotransferase, Creatinine). Serum S100B plays a role in Covid-19 and can represent a marker of clinical severity in Sars-CoV-2 infected patients.

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Electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) were introduced into the market in 2006 and their technological features have evolved substantially over time. Currently, there are four different generations of e-cigs that are broadly considered less harmful than the use of combusted tobacco products although passive exposure to aerosols often occurs in public spaces and indoor environments. The study aim was to evaluate the levels of airborne particulate matter (PM) emitted during the use of all the four generations of e-cigs, testing different use modalities. PM10, PM4, PM2.5 and PM1 were measured through a Dusttrak ™ II Aerosol Monitor, for a total of 20 independent experiments. All tested e-cigs devices produced PM during their use, and PM10 was almost made of PM1 size fraction. In addition, we observed a progressive increase in PM emission from the first to the fourth generation, and an upward trend of PM1 emitted by the fourth generation e-cig with an increase in the operating power. The results showed that, whatever the model adopted, passive vaping does occur. This finding supports the need for legislative interventions to regulate the e-cigs use in public places and other enclosed environments, in order to protect the health of any subject who is potentially exposed.

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Healthcare facilities (HF) represent an at-risk environment for legionellosis transmission occurring after inhalation of contaminated aerosols. In general, the control of water is preferred to that of air because, to date, there are no standardized sampling protocols. Legionella air contamination was investigated in the bathrooms of 11 HF by active sampling (Surface Air System and Coriolis®μ) and passive sampling using settling plates. During the 8-hour sampling, hot tap water was sampled three times. All air samples were evaluated using culture-based methods, whereas liquid samples collected using the Coriolis®μ were also analyzed by real-time PCR. Legionella presence in the air and water was then compared by sequence-based typing (SBT) methods. Air contamination was found in four HF (36.4%) by at least one of the culturable methods. The culturable investigation by Coriolis®μ did not yield Legionella in any enrolled HF. However, molecular investigation using Coriolis®μ resulted in eight HF testing positive for Legionella in the air. Comparison of Legionella air and water contamination indicated that Legionella water concentration could be predictive of its presence in the air. Furthermore, a molecular study of 12 L. pneumophila strains confirmed a match between the Legionella strains from air and water samples by SBT for three out of four HF that tested positive for Legionella by at least one of the culturable methods. Overall, our study shows that Legionella air detection cannot replace water sampling because the absence of microorganisms from the air does not necessarily represent their absence from water; nevertheless, air sampling may provide useful information for risk assessment. The liquid impingement technique appears to have the greatest capacity for collecting airborne Legionella if combined with molecular investigations.

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