Publications

The contribution of children to viral spread in schools is still debated. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies to investigate SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the school setting. Literature searches on 15 May 2021 yielded a total of 1088 publications, including screening, contact tracing, and seroprevalence studies. MOOSE guidelines were followed, and data were analyzed using random-effects models. From screening studies involving more than 120,000 subjects, we estimated 0.31% (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.05-0.81) SARS-CoV-2 point prevalence in schools. Contact tracing studies, involving a total of 112,622 contacts of children and adults, showed that onward viral transmission was limited (2.54%, 95% CI 0.76-5.31). Young index cases were found to be 74% significantly less likely than adults to favor viral spread (odds ratio (OR) 0.26, 95% CI 0.11-0.63) and less susceptible to infection (OR 0.60; 95% CI 0.25-1.47). Lastly, from seroprevalence studies, with a total of 17,879 subjects involved, we estimated that children were 43% significantly less likely than adults to test positive for antibodies (OR 0.57, 95% CI 0.49-0.68). These findings may not applied to the Omicron phase, we further planned a randomized controlled trial to verify these results.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, and understanding its pathological patterns and trends is of interest for clinical and public health interventions. This study investigates the trends in lung cancer incidence rates from 1995 to 2021 in the Friuli Venezia Giulia (FVG) region in northeastern Italy, focusing on histological subtypes and sex-specific differences. Data were obtained from the population-based FVG Cancer Registry. Data on histological types of lung cancer were analyzed. Using census-based population estimates, age-standardized incidence rates (ASIRs) were calculated for three calendar periods (1995-2003, 2004-2012, 2013-2021). Joinpoint regression analysis was used to assess significant changes in trends, estimating annual percent change and average annual percent change (AAPC). A total of 24 519 lung cancer cases were recorded between 1995 and 2021, 70% in males. During 2013-2021, ASIRs were 31.9/100 000 males and 16.9/100 000 females. Adenocarcinoma accounted for the highest ASIRs in both sexes (15.2/100 000 males and 9.9/100 000 females). Over the 1995-2021 period, the overall incidence of lung cancer decreased in males (AAPC: -3.2%), whereas it increased in females (AAPC: +1.0%). Trends in adenocarcinoma were inconsistent formales but continued to rise in females. Squamous and small cell lung cancer incidence declined in males, while both increased in females. These trends underscore the importance of targeted prevention strategies, especially addressing smoking cessation in middle-aged females.

The relationships between age at first birth, parity, and the risk of ovarian cancer were evaluated in a case-control study of 272 women with histologically confirmed epithelial ovarian cancer and 544 age-matched controls with a spectrum of acute conditions unrelated to any of the established or potential risk factors for ovarian cancer. Late age at first birth was associated with increased risk: Compared to women who first had a child before the age of 22 years, the relative risks (RR) for those who first gave birth at ages 22-24, 25-27, and 28 or more were 2.7, 3.2, and 4.0, respectively. Nulliparous women showed increased RR (3.9) comparable to the RR among women who first bore a child at age 25 or more, regardless of the number of births. The elevated risk associated with later age at first birth was not accounted for by low parity. The risk of ovarian cancer, as expected, increased with decreasing parity: RR estimates for women having 5 or more, 3 or 4, and 1 or 2 children and for nulliparae were 1.0, 1.7, 1.9, and 2.6, respectively. However, the inverse association between parity and ovarian cancer could be accounted for largely by the importance of age at first birth, because when adjustment was made for that variable, the RR for 3 or 4 and 1 or 2 children decreased to 1.3 and 1.2, respectively. Thus the results of the present study show a strong independent effect of age at first birth on the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer, whereas the association with parity can be explained largely or totally in terms of a high correlation between total parity and age at first birth. The pattern of ovarian cancer risk that emerges from this study, therefore, is similar to the epidemiology of breast cancer. General evidence on this issue from various other studies, however, is rather controversial, and similar analysis of other data-sets would be useful.

Abstract Pharmacological activation of brown adipose tissue (BAT) is an attractive approach for increasing energy expenditure to counteract obesity. Given the side-effects of known activators of BAT, we studied inhibitors of BAT as a novel, alternative concept to regulate energy expenditure. We focused on G-protein-coupled receptors that are one of the major targets of clinically used drugs. Here, we identify GPR183, also known as EBI2, as the most highly expressed inhibitory G-protein-coupled receptor in BAT among the receptors examined. Activation of EBI2 using its endogenous ligand 7α,25-dihydroxycholesterol significantly decreases BAT-mediated energy expenditure in mice. In contrast, mice deficient for EBI2 show increased energy dissipation in response to cold. Interestingly, only thermogenic adipose tissue depots — BAT and subcutaneous white adipose tissue —respond to 7α,25-dihydroxycholesterol treatment/EBI2 activation but not gonadal white fat, which has the lowest thermogenic capacity. EBI2 activation in brown adipocytes significantly reduces norepinephrine-induced cAMP production, whereas pharmacological inhibition or genetic ablation of EBI2 results in an increased response. Importantly, EBI2 significantly inhibits norepinephrine-induced activation of human brown adipocytes. Our data identify the 7α,25-dihydroxycholesterol/EBI2 signaling pathway as a so far unknown BAT inhibitor. Understanding the inhibitory regulation of BAT might lead to novel pharmacological approaches to increase the activity of thermogenic adipose tissue and whole body energy expenditure in humans.