Cystic fibrosis (CF) patients have chronic airway infection and frequent exposure to antibiotics, which often leads to the emergence of resistant organisms. Achromobacter xylosoxidans is a new emergent pathogen in CF spectrum. From 2005 to 2010 we had an outbreak in A. xylosoxidans prevalence in our CF center, thus, the present study was aimed at deeply investigating virulence traits of A. xylosoxidans strains isolated from infected CF patients. To this purpose, we assessed A. xylosoxidans genome variability by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), biofilm production, antibiotic resistances, and motility. All A. xylosoxidans strains resulted to be biofilm producers, and were resistant to antibiotics usually employed in CF treatment. Hodge Test showed the ability to produce carbapenemase in some strains. Strains who were resistant to β-lactamics antibiotics, showed the specific band related to metal β-lactamase (blaIMP-1), and some of them showed to possess the integron1. Around 81% of A. xylosoxidans strains were motile. Multivariate analysis showed that RAPD profiles were able to predict Forced Expiratory Volume (FEV1%) and biofilm classes. A significant prevalence of strong biofilm producers strains was found in CF patients with severely impaired lung functions (FEV1% class 1). The outbreak we had in our center (prevalence from 8.9 to 16%) could be explained by an enhanced adaptation of A. xylosoxidans in the nosocomial environment, despite of aggressive antibiotic regimens that CF patients usually undergo.

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Riassunto Il crescente interesse per il dosaggio della vitamina D è aumentato negli ultimi anni in quanto legato a un'evidente correlazione tra bassi livelli sierici e numerose condizioni patologiche relative non solo al metabolismo osseo. L'aumento delle richieste cliniche e ambulatoriali ha quindi portato a una maggiore diffusione di diversi metodi automatizzati per la determinazione di questo analita. Presso l'Azienda Ospedaliera S. Giovanni Addolorata di Roma è stato condotto uno studio di confronto per il dosaggio di 25OHD su 93 campioni di siero utilizzando un metodo cromatografico (HPLC) e tre metodiche in chemiluminescenza sugli analizzatori Architect (Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, IL, USA), Centaur (Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Inc., Deerfield, IL, USA) e Liaison XL (DiaSorim, Saluggia, VC, Italia). I tre saggi immunochimici hanno fatto osservare una certa variabilità nei risultati ottenuti rispetto al metodo cromatografico, differenziazione imputabile alla diversa fase preparativa dei metodi che ne determina una diversa sensibilità, influenzando quindi la quantificazione dell'analita d'interesse. L'importanza di un dosaggio preciso e accurato della vitamina D consente di discriminare in maniera corretta i pazienti che hanno necessità di supplementare una carenza effettiva e al contempo di evitare una supplementazione in pazienti con un dosaggio normale.Parole chiave 25OHD · Confronto metodi · HPLC · Immunometria (Architect (Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, IL, USA), Centaur (Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Inc., Deerfield, IL, USA) and Liaison XL (DiaSorim, Saluggia, VC, Italia)). The comparison was performed on ninety-three human plasma samples. The results of the immunochemical methods compared with HPLC showed some variability, differentiation due to different preparative phase of the methods that determine a different sensitivity, thus affecting the quantification of the analyte of interest. An accurate and precise quantification of vitamin D is significant to discriminate correctly patients who need an additional supplementation for deficiency effective and at the same time to avoid in patients with a normal dosage. Summary The growing interest of the status of vitamin D has increased in recent years not only in relation to bone metabolism, but also to a clear correlation between low serum and numerous pathological conditions related. The increased clinic request led to a greater spread of several automated methods for the determination of this analyte. The Hospital San Giovanni Addolorata in Rome conducted a comparison study for the determination of 25OHD using an HPLC method and three chemiluminescence methods IntroduzioneIl crescente interesse medico e scientifico verso gli effetti causati dalla carenza di vitamina D (25-idrossi vitamina D, 25OHD) non è soltanto rivolto alle patologie ossee quali rachitismo nel bambino, osteoporosi e osteomalacia nell'adulto [1]; la deficienza di tale vitamina è infatti anche una possibile concausa di svariate patologie. In particolare, la 25OHD