Vaccines constitute highly effective tools for controlling and eliminating vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) and are assessed to avert between two to three million deaths per year globally. Healthcare personnel (HCP) constitute a priority group for several vaccinations. However, studies indicate significant rates of vaccine hesitancy among them and, therefore, of acceptance of vaccination recommendations. This cross-sectional study was conducted in a university hospital in Southern Italy to assess the knowledge and attitudes of HCP about VPDs before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, estimate their intention to get vaccinated against COVID-19, and search for determinants that may influence their choice. A self-administered questionnaire was used. HCP improved their knowledge about VPDs and were more favorable to vaccinations in September–December 2020 compared to January–December 2019. Overall, 75% of respondents would get a COVID-19 vaccine. Our findings indicate a potential role of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on Italian HCP’s knowledge and attitudes towards vaccines.

Rotating SW nurses show alterations in peripheral clock gene expression and 17-β-estradiol levels at the beginning of the morning shift after a day off.

The DNA base excision repair pathway is the main system involved in the removal of oxidative damage to DNA such as 8-Oxoguanine (8-oxoG) primarily via the 8-Oxoguanine DNA glycosylase (OGG1). Our goal was to investigate whether the repair of 8-oxoG DNA damage follow a circadian rhythm. In a group of 15 healthy volunteers, we found a daily variation of Ogg1 expression and activity with higher levels in the morning compared to the evening hours. Consistent with this, we also found lower levels of 8-oxoG in morning hours compared to those in the evening hours. Lymphocytes exposed to oxidative damage to DNA at 8:00 AM display lower accumulation of 8-oxoG than lymphocytes exposed at 8:00 PM. Furthermore, altered levels of Ogg1 expression were also observed in a group of shift workers experiencing a deregulation of circadian clock genes compared to a control group. Moreover, BMAL1 knockdown fibroblasts with a deregulated molecular clock showed an abolishment of circadian variation of Ogg1 expression and an increase of OGG1 activity. Our results suggest that the circadian modulation of 8-oxoG DNA damage repair, according to a variation of Ogg1 expression, could render humans less susceptible to accumulate 8-oxoG DNA damage in the morning hours.

Over the last years it has started a real revolution in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C. This occurred for the availability of direct-acting antiviral agents that allow to reach sustained virologic response in approximately 90% of cases. In the near future further progress will be achieved with the use of pan-genotypic drugs with high efficacy but without side effects. Core tip: This review analyzes the current therapies for chronic hepatitis C and the future challenges of the research. So it tries to give an update on the research of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, providing a critical view of the emerging therapies and their impact on the future management of HCV infection. Since novel TOPIC HIGHLIGHT Chronic hepatitis C: This and the new era of treatment2016 Hepatitis C Virus: Global view treatments for HCV infection are highly efficacious but costly, priority should be given to patients with advanced hepatic fibrosis, which is a disease that cannot be deferred. INTRODUCTIONThe hepatitis C virus (HCV), identified in the 70s but cloned in 1989, is a single-stranded RNA virus belonging to the family Flaviviridae.HCV is the main cause of progressive liver diseases and a public health problem worldwide. It is estimated that approximately 150-180 million people in the world are living with chronic hepatitis [1,2] , 350 million of whom die each year from liver damage associated with the infection [3] . About 80% of people infected with HCV develop chronic hepatitis, of which 20%-40% will develop liver cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) 20-30 years after infection.As a consequence, chronic HCV infection is the major reason of liver transplantation in developed countries [4][5][6][7] . According to the Global Burden Disease Study in Europe, the death rate for viral hepatitis is significantly higher than that for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome; in particular in 2010, the number of deaths from viral hepatitis have been ten times bigger than that attributed to HIV. It is reasonable to think that this difference is due to the lack of effective therapies for HCV until a few years ago [8] .HCV is also one of the main causes of death [9] . The virus causes both liver damage and extra-hepatic manifestations, many of these syndromes are associated with the ability of HCV to replicate in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs); an example is the mixed cryoglobulinemia, which is by far the most common extrahepatic disease closely connected with the infection.Recently it was shown that antiviral treatment is associated with improved renal and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with cryoglobulinemia [4,6,10,11] . Newly approved oral anti-HCV drugs are very safe and effective, but unfortunately their cost will force to choose a priority of treatment. The intent should therefore be to identify and treat patients with a higher risk of morbidity and mortality due to HCV.The availability of these new oral treatments can definitely heal patients and ...

Lead (Pb) may affect humoral and cellular immunity, acting on lymphocytes as well as on granulocytes and monocytes. Cytokines and nitric oxide (NO) play a central role in the immune balance. In this study, plasma levels of nitrites and nitrates (NOx), IL2, IL4, IL6, IL10, TNF-α and INF-γ, were measured in healthy workers with very low (Pb-B =3.2 -18.0 μg/dL) and low (Pb-B = 9.1 -46.0 μg/dL) Pb-exposure compared to non-exposed workers. Low Pb-exposed workers (Pb-B =9.1 -46.0 μg/ dL) were found to have significantly higher plasma IL-10 levels, and tendentially higher plasma TNF-α levels compared to non-exposed workers. This is the first report of a significant increase of plasma IL-10 levels in Pb-exposed workers. Plasma IL-10 increase was influenced by blood Pb levels even after correction for main confounding factors. No difference was found in plasma NOx levels between Pb-exposed and non-exposed workers, which is in agreement with previous findings exclusively regarding groups in the general population. Low Pb-exposure can induce an increase of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-α, with a consequent increase of other cytokines, such as IL-10, considered a T cell cross-regulatory factor, suggesting possible interference of Pb in the system of immunophlogosis. Human & Experimental Toxicology (2007) 26, 551 - 556