Papers by Alessandro Romano
Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics, Jan 11, 2015
A single vaccination of Yellow Fever vaccines is believed to confer life-long protection. In this... more A single vaccination of Yellow Fever vaccines is believed to confer life-long protection. In this study, results of vaccinees who received a single dose of 17DD-YF immunization followed over 10 years challenge this premise. YF-neutralizing antibodies, subsets of memory T and B cells as well as cytokine-producing lymphocytes were evaluated in groups of adults before (NVday0) and after (PVday30-45, PVyear1-4, PVyear5-9, PVyear10-11, PVyear12-13) 17DD-YF primary vaccination. YF-neutralizing antibodies decrease significantly from PVyear1-4 to PVyear12-13 as compared to PVday30-45, and the seropositivity rates (PRNT≥2.9Log10mIU/mL) become critical (lower than 90%) beyond PVyear5-9. YF-specific memory phenotypes (effector T-cells and classical B-cells) significantly increase at PVday30-45 as compared to naïve baseline. Moreover, these phenotypes tend to decrease at PVyear10-11 as compared to PVday30-45. Decreasing levels of TNF-α(+) and IFN-γ(+) produced by CD4(+) and CD8(+) T-cells along...
Chronobiology international, Jan 30, 2015
Low levels of vitamin D are related to muscle weakness, poor balance, and higher risk of falls, a... more Low levels of vitamin D are related to muscle weakness, poor balance, and higher risk of falls, and can therefore have a major impact on performance and safety at work. Little knowledge exists on the association between work environment and vitamin D status. This study evaluates vitamin D status in shift workers. In this cross-sectional study, led during early springtime, 96 male shift workers at an engineering factory in Northern Italy, and 100 male daily workers operating nearby, participated. 25-OH vitamin D concentration, anthropometric indexes, fasting glycemia and triglycerides were detected. 51 shift workers underwent anamnesis collection on lifestyle and habits and determination of heel bone mineral density. Vitamin D levels were lower in shift workers than daily ones (13.4 ± 5.3 ng/mL versus 21.9 ± 10.7 ng/mL, p < 0.001). Linear regression analysis adjusted for age, body mass index and smoking habits confirms a statistically significant association between shift work and...
American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2015
A Brazilian ranch worker with encephalitis and flaccid paralysis was evaluated in the regional Ac... more A Brazilian ranch worker with encephalitis and flaccid paralysis was evaluated in the regional Acute Encephalitis Syndromic Surveillance Program. This was the first Brazilian patient who met the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmation criteria for West Nile virus disease. Owing to the overlapping of neurological manifestations attributable to several viral infections of the central nervous system, this report exemplifies the importance of human acute encephalitis surveillance. The syndromic approach to human encephalitis cases may enable early detection of the introduction of unusual virus or endemic occurrence of potentially alarming diseases within a region.
Sustainability, 2015
In the near future, the oceans will be subjected to a massive development of marine infrastructur... more In the near future, the oceans will be subjected to a massive development of marine infrastructures, including offshore wind, tidal and wave energy farms and constructions for marine aquaculture. The development of these facilities will unavoidably exert environmental pressures on marine ecosystems. It is therefore crucial that the economic costs, the use of marine space and the environmental impacts of these activities remain within acceptable limits. Moreover, the installation of arrays of wave energy devices is still far from being economically feasible due to many combined aspects, such as immature technologies for energy conversion, local energy storage and moorings. Therefore, multi-purpose solutions combining renewable energy from the sea (wind, wave, tide), aquaculture and transportation facilities can be considered as a challenging, yet advantageous, way to boost blue growth. This would be due to the sharing of the costs of installation and using the produced energy locally to feed the different functionalities and optimizing marine spatial planning. This paper focuses on the synergies that may be produced by a multi-purpose offshore installation in a relatively calm sea, i.e., the Northern Adriatic Sea, Italy, and specifically offshore Venice. It analyzes the combination of aquaculture, energy production from wind and waves, and energy storage or transfer. Alternative solutions are evaluated based on specific criteria, including the maturity of the technology, the environmental impact, the induced risks and the costs. Based on expert judgment, the alternatives are ranked and a preliminary layout of the selected multi-purpose installation for the case study is proposed, to further allow the exploitation of the synergies among different functionalities.
Revista Pan-Amazônica de Saúde, 2011
Human molecular genetics, Jan 3, 2015
We describe the case of a woman in whom combination of a mitochondrial (MT-CYB) and a nuclear (SD... more We describe the case of a woman in whom combination of a mitochondrial (MT-CYB) and a nuclear (SDHB) mutation was associated with clinical and metabolic features suggestive of a mitochondrial disorder. The mutations impaired overall energy metabolism in the patient's muscle and fibroblasts and increased cellular susceptibility to oxidative stress. To clarify the contribution of each mutation to the phenotype, mutant yeast strains were generated. A significant defect in strains carrying the Sdh2 mutation, either alone or in combination with the cytb variant, was observed. Our data suggest that the SDHB mutation was causative of the mitochondrial disorder in our patient with a possible cumulative contribution of the MT-CYB variant. To our knowledge, this is the first association of bi-genomic variants in the mtDNA and in a nuclear gene encoding a subunit of complex II.
Saroglia/Functional Genomics in Aquaculture, 2012
Selection of traits increasing salt (NaCl) tolerance would improve the cultivation of sugar beet ... more Selection of traits increasing salt (NaCl) tolerance would improve the cultivation of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L. subsp. vulgaris) in salty soils, by reducing or avoiding the usually linked losses in sugar yield and processing quality. This study analysed some adaptive morpho-physiological mechanisms in genotypes grown under controlled conditions in different salt concentrations. Parents and F1 hybrids obtained from a diallel cross were analysed for: i) mid-parent heterosis of root; ii) root length and its morphological components; and iii) length and dry weight of shoot (leaf + stem). Physiological traits such as: i) antioxidant enzyme activities in leaves; ii) root plasma membrane (pm) H + -ATPase activity; iii) leaf relative water content; and iv) shoot Na/K ratio, were also investigated. Through principal component analysis (PCA), it was possible to group the single morphophysiological traits. This permitted discrimination of hybrids in relation to their response to salinity. The hybrid Hy-1 in presence of medium salt concentration performed well in terms of root morphology and enzyme activities, which were linked to the cell growth process. These findings evince a better understanding of the salt tolerance mechanisms in sugar beet and the identification of useful physio-biochemical traits useful for sugar beet breeding.
Coastal Engineering Proceedings, 2014
ABSTRACT This paper presents an experimental and numerical study aimed at gaining insight on the ... more ABSTRACT This paper presents an experimental and numerical study aimed at gaining insight on the variability in the wave overtopping discharge on different types of coastal structures caused by different random starting phases of incident wave sequences sharing the same energy density spectrum. The experiments on a simple rubble mound breakwater have been carried out in the wave flume of the Roma Tre University (Rome, Italy). More than 150 small scale laboratory tests were carried out to simulate spectra producing different levels of overtopping. The numerical simulations, aimed at studying the wave overtopping on a simple impermeable smooth dike, have been carried out at the University of Nottingham (Nottingham, UK). More than 4000 simulations have been performed in order to provide a statistically robust dataset. For both the physical model tests and the numerical simulations the seeding of the random number generator used for the starting phases distribution was changed a number of times for each repetition of the same wave condition. The study allowed to quantify how the variability in the wave overtopping grows as the dimensionless freeboard increases and as the number of overtopping waves decreases.
Coastal Structures 2011, 2012
Platinum and Other Heavy Metal Compounds in Cancer Chemotherapy, 2009
Cisplatin, cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (II), is one of the most widely used anticancer drugs. Th... more Cisplatin, cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (II), is one of the most widely used anticancer drugs. The main cellular target of cisplatin is DNA, where the platinum atom is able to form covalent bonds with the N7 of purines. It is commonly accepted that there is a direct attack of cisplatin on DNA. But it should be noted that, inside cells, free purine bases, which can react with cisplatin, are also available. Free bases have many functional roles, not least the constitution of building blocks for the synthesis of new DNA and RNA molecules. For this reason, under physiological conditions, the erroneous insertion of platinated bases in the synthesized nucleic acids could compete with direct DNA/RNA platination. Moreover, due to the lower sterical hindrance offered by single nucleobases with respect to nucleic acids, platination is expected to be even easier for free purines with respect to DNA and RNA. We have recently shown, for the first time, that platinated DNA can be formed in vitro by Taq DNA polymerase promoted incorporation of platinated purines. Cytotoxicity tests with [Pt(dien)(N7-G)], dien = diethylenetriamine, G = 5'-dGTP, 5'-dGDP, 5'-GMP, 5'-dGMP, GUO, dGUO, complexes on HeLa cancer cells support this hypothesis of the relative cytotoxicity of [Pt(dien)(N7-G)] derivatives being clearly related to their bioavailability. In vivo platination of free purines before their incorporation in nucleic acids therefore opens new perspectives in platinum based antitumour drugs, for a better understanding of both the action mechanism and the new molecular design.
Epidemiologia e Serviços de Saúde, 2011
A re-emergência da febre amarela (FA) fora da região amazônica a partir de 2007 reacendeu a preoc... more A re-emergência da febre amarela (FA) fora da região amazônica a partir de 2007 reacendeu a preocupação das autoridades de saúde com a expansão das áreas de circulação viral no Brasil, documentada durante a última década.
Revista Brasileira de Ciência Veterinária, 2012
Algumas doenças neuroinvasivas em equinos têm um caráter antropozoonótico, e seu diagnóstico é ho... more Algumas doenças neuroinvasivas em equinos têm um caráter antropozoonótico, e seu diagnóstico é hoje um dos grandes problemas encontrados pelas autoridades públicas para que se possa implementar uma política de prevenção, vigilância e controle no Brasil. Os objetivos deste estudo foram determinar a prevalência de anticorpos inibidores da hemaglutinação para alfavírus em amostras de soro de 182 equinos investigados durante diferentes epizootias ocorridas na Paraíba, em 2009, bem como comparar os resultados obtidos no teste de inibição por hemaglutinação para o vírus da Encefalite Equina do Leste (EEL) com os de soroneutralização em microplacas para este mesmo vírus. Foi realizada coleta de sangue em 182 equídeos, distribuídos em 15 municípios da região oeste da Paraíba, onde existia relato da doença e/ou morte de equinos. Observou-se uma prevalência clínica para Encefalite Equina do Leste de 12,8%, prevalência real (PRNT) de 63,7% e prevalência aparente (IH) de 54,3%. Quando comparados os resultados obtidos no teste de inibição de hemaglutinação com os de soroneutralização, observou-se uma sensibilidade de 77,6% e especificidade de 86,4% no primeiro teste. Os valores preditivos positivos e negativos foram de 90,9% e 68,7%, respectivamente. O estudo revelou um grande número de animais sorologicamente reagentes e sem manifestação clínica aparente. Os resultados do teste de inibição de hemaglutinação associados às informações clínicas, epidemiológicas e ao diagnóstico virológico (detecção de genoma viral) foram capazes de confirmar as epizootias na área e demonstram que esta técnica pode ser recomendada como de triagem em inquéritos sorológicos desta natureza pelas elevadas sensibilidade e especificidade do teste.
Cadernos de Saúde Pública, 2006
Procedia Engineering, 2014
The main difficulty in implementing a Tsunami Early Warning System (TEWS) in the Mediterranean Se... more The main difficulty in implementing a Tsunami Early Warning System (TEWS) in the Mediterranean Sea arises from the proximity of the tsunami sources to the coasts at risk. Between few minutes and few tens of minutes are available for a timely warning of a possible approaching tsunami. To date, the only TEWS already operating in the Mediterranean Sea is that run by the Italian Department for Civil Protection at the Island of Stromboli, located north of Sicily in the south of the Tyrrhenian Sea. An active volcano is located on the island. The landslides that often detach from the "Sciara del Fuoco" following eruptive activity may result in the generation of tsunamis that propagate around the island and toward the coasts of Italy. The implemented TEWS is therefore aimed at mitigating the risk of landslide generated tsunamis.
PLoS ONE, 2013
Carnosine is an endogenous dipeptide abundant in the central nervous system, where by acting as i... more Carnosine is an endogenous dipeptide abundant in the central nervous system, where by acting as intracellular pH buffering molecule, Zn/Cu ion chelator, antioxidant and anti-crosslinking agent, it exerts a well-recognized multi-protective homeostatic function for neuronal and non-neuronal cells. Carnosine seems to counteract proteotoxicity and protein accumulation in neurodegenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer's Disease (AD). However, its direct impact on the dynamics of AD-related fibril formation remains uninvestigated. We considered the effects of carnosine on the formation of fibrils/aggregates of the amyloidogenic peptide fragment Ab1-42, a major hallmark of AD injury. Atomic force microscopy and thioflavin T assays showed inhibition of Ab1-42 fibrillogenesis in vitro and differences in the aggregation state of Ab1-42 small pre-fibrillar structures (monomers and small oligomers) in the presence of carnosine. in silico molecular docking supported the experimental data, calculating possible conformational carnosine/Ab1-42 interactions. Overall, our results suggest an effective role of carnosine against Ab1-42 aggregation.
Physiological Genomics, 2005
SoLute Carrier 15 (SLC15) membrane proteins PEPT1 (SLC15A1) and PEPT2 (SLC15A2) have been describ... more SoLute Carrier 15 (SLC15) membrane proteins PEPT1 (SLC15A1) and PEPT2 (SLC15A2) have been described in great detail in mammals. In contrast, information in lower vertebrates is limited. We characterized the functional properties of a novel zebrafish peptide transporter orthologous to mammalian and avian PEPT2, described its gene (pept2) structure and determined mRNA tissue distribution. An EST cDNA (IMAGE) corresponding to zebrafish pept2 was completed by inserting a stretch of 75 missing nucleotides in the coding sequence to obtain a 3238 bp functional clone. The complete ORF was 2160 bp and encoded a 719 amino acid protein.
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Papers by Alessandro Romano