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Bettio V, Mazzucco E, Aleni C, Cracas S, Rinaldi C, Antona A, Varalda M, Venetucci J, Ferrante D, Rimedio A, Capello D. UPO Biobank: The Challenge of Integrating Biobanking into the Academic Environment to Support Translational Research. J Pers Med 2023; 13:911. [PMID: 37373900 DOI: 10.3390/jpm13060911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Revised: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Biobanks are driving motors of precision and personalized medicine by providing high-quality biological material/data through the standardization and harmonization of their collection, preservation, and distribution. UPO Biobank was established in 2020 as an institutional, disease, and population biobank within the University of Piemonte Orientale (UPO) for the promotion and support of high-quality, multidisciplinary studies. UPO Biobank collaborates with UPO researchers, sustaining academic translational research, and supports the Novara Cohort Study, a longitudinal cohort study involving the population in the Novara area that will collect data and biological specimens that will be available for epidemiological, public health, and biological studies on aging. UPO Biobank has been developed by implementing the quality standards for the field and the ethical and legal issues and normative about privacy protection, data collection, and sharing. As a member of the "Biobanking and Biomolecular Resources Research Infrastructure" (BBMRI) network, UPO Biobank aims to expand its activity worldwide and launch cooperation with new national and international partners and researchers. The objective of this manuscript is to report an institutional and operational experience through the description of the technical and procedural solutions and ethical and scientific implications associated with the establishment of this university research biobank.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Bettio
- UPO Biobank, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy
- Department of Translational Medicine, Center of Excellence in Aging Sciences, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy
| | - Eleonora Mazzucco
- UPO Biobank, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy
- Department of Translational Medicine, Center of Excellence in Aging Sciences, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy
| | - Chiara Aleni
- Department of Sustainable Development and Ecological Transition, University of Piemonte Orientale, 13100 Vercelli, Italy
| | - Silvia Cracas
- Department of Translational Medicine, Center of Excellence in Aging Sciences, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy
| | - Carmela Rinaldi
- Department of Translational Medicine, Center of Excellence in Aging Sciences, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy
- Learning and Research Area, A.O.U. Maggiore della Carità, 28100 Novara, Italy
| | - Annamaria Antona
- Department of Translational Medicine, Center of Excellence in Aging Sciences, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy
| | - Marco Varalda
- Department of Translational Medicine, Center of Excellence in Aging Sciences, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy
| | - Jacopo Venetucci
- Department of Translational Medicine, Center of Excellence in Aging Sciences, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy
| | - Daniela Ferrante
- Department of Translational Medicine, Center of Excellence in Aging Sciences, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy
| | - Antonio Rimedio
- Ethics Committee of the University "Hospital Major of Charity" in Novara, Local Health Authorities Biella, 28100 Novara, Italy
| | - Daniela Capello
- UPO Biobank, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy
- Department of Translational Medicine, Center of Excellence in Aging Sciences, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy
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Aleni C, Rinaldi C, Bettio V, Mazzucco E, Antona A, Meini C, Loria E, Bonvicini P, Cracas SV, Caristia S, Rimedio A, Faggiano F, Ferrante D, Capello D. Public Attitude towards Biobanking: An Italian University Survey. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2022; 19:13041. [PMID: 36293613 PMCID: PMC9603334 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192013041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Revised: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 10/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Biobanks have established a critical role in biomedical research by collecting, preserving, organizing, and disseminating biospecimens and related health data, contributing to precision medicine development. Participation in biobanks is influenced by several factors, such as trust in institutions and scientists, knowledge about biobanking, and the consideration of benefit sharing. Understanding public attitudes, fears, and concerns toward biobanking is fundamental to designing targeted interventions to increase trust towards biobanks. The aim of our study was to investigate the level of knowledge and perception of biobanks in students and personnel of the University of Piemonte Orientale. An online questionnaire was designed and administered via e-mail. A total of 17,758 UPO personnel and students were invited to participate in the survey, and 1521 (9.3%) subjects completed the survey. The results showed that 65.0% of the participants were aware of the term "biobank" and knew what the activity of a biobank was, and 76.3% of subjects were willing to provide biospecimens to a research biobank, whereas 67.3% of the respondents were willing to contribute, in addition to biospecimens, their health and lifestyle data. Concerns were raised about the confidentiality of the information (25.6%) and the commercial use of the samples (25.0%). In conclusion, participants were aware of the role that biobanks play in research and were eager to participate for the sake of furthering scientific research. Still, several concerns need to be addressed regarding the confidentiality of the data along with the commercial use of the samples and associated data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Aleni
- Department of Sustainable Development and Ecological Transition, University of Piemonte Orientale, 13100 Vercelli, Italy
| | - Carmela Rinaldi
- “Maggiore della Carità” Hospital, 28100 Novara, Italy
- UPO Biobank, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy
| | - Valentina Bettio
- UPO Biobank, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy
| | - Eleonora Mazzucco
- UPO Biobank, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy
| | - Annamaria Antona
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy
| | - Cristina Meini
- Department of Sustainable Development and Ecological Transition, University of Piemonte Orientale, 13100 Vercelli, Italy
| | - Emiliano Loria
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy
| | - Paolo Bonvicini
- Biobanks and Complex Data Management, University of Cote d’Azur, 06108 Nice, France
| | - Silvia Vittoria Cracas
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy
| | - Silvia Caristia
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy
| | - Antonio Rimedio
- Ethics Committee of the “Maggiore della Carità” Hospital, 28100 Novara, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Faggiano
- Department of Sustainable Development and Ecological Transition, University of Piemonte Orientale, 13100 Vercelli, Italy
| | - Daniela Ferrante
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy
| | - Daniela Capello
- UPO Biobank, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy
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Bortoluzzi S, Coppo A, Alessi D, Parovina S, Napoletano S, Ammazzagatti I, Airoldi C, Zibetti A, Aleni C, Caristia S, Faggiano F. The Dedalo Project, a Community-based Prevention Program for the Promotion of Healthy Behaviors in Adult Population: Model Description and Target Population Assessment. J of Prevention 2022; 43:639-658. [PMID: 35834152 PMCID: PMC9281316 DOI: 10.1007/s10935-022-00693-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading global cause of death. The Italian National Prevention Plan (INPP) highlights the importance of health promotion and NCD prevention while avoiding health inequalities. In line with the INPP guidelines, we initiated a multicomponent community-based intervention program, named the Dedalo project, to promote healthy and active aging among population living around the Vercelli’s municipality, Italy. A cross-sectional analysis, that used the baseline data of a longitudinal study of the project, evaluated the program’s ability to enroll participants participants who represent the socioeconomic conditions present in the municipality. To this end, we compared the main social characteristics and behaviors of 40–74-year-old subjects (n = 155), who had attended at least one Dedalo activity, to those of same age individuals (n = 124) randomly extracted from the general population. We found that most participants were women (81.3%) and had a higher SES compared to the general population. Furthermore, they were healthier—OR 0.52, 95% CI 0.31–0.87 for self-reported diseases—and displayed healthier behaviors—OR 0.20, 95% CI 0.08–0.46 for smokers; 0.32 95%, CI 0.16–0.64 for fruit/vegetable consumers; and 0.36 95% CI 0.20–0.64 for sweet beverages consumers. Overall, our initial evaluation indicates that the Dedalo project has so far struggled to enroll individuals with low SES, men with any SES, and subjects displaying unhealthy behaviors, thereby failing to meet the INPP goal of preventing NCDs while avoiding health disparities. Thus, efforts should be made to ensure that this community-based intervention program can effectively reach all the target population, in particular those individuals most exposed to behavioral risk factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Bortoluzzi
- School of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, Department of Translational Medicine, Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale, Via Solaroli 17, 28100, Novara, Italy
| | - Alessandro Coppo
- Epidemiologic Unit, Vercelli Local Health Authority, Largo Giuseppe Giusti 13, 13100, Vercelli, Italy
| | - Daniela Alessi
- Epidemiologic Unit, Vercelli Local Health Authority, Largo Giuseppe Giusti 13, 13100, Vercelli, Italy
| | - Stefano Parovina
- Department of Translational Medicine, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Via Solaroli 17, 28100, Novara, Italy
| | - Sara Napoletano
- Department of Translational Medicine, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Via Solaroli 17, 28100, Novara, Italy
| | - Irene Ammazzagatti
- Department of Translational Medicine, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Via Solaroli 17, 28100, Novara, Italy
| | - Chiara Airoldi
- Department of Translational Medicine, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Via Solaroli 17, 28100, Novara, Italy
| | - Angelica Zibetti
- Institute of Legal Medicine, Università "Magna Grecia" di Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Chiara Aleni
- Department of Translational Medicine, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Via Solaroli 17, 28100, Novara, Italy
| | - Silvia Caristia
- Department of Translational Medicine, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Via Solaroli 17, 28100, Novara, Italy.
| | - Fabrizio Faggiano
- Epidemiologic Unit, Vercelli Local Health Authority, Largo Giuseppe Giusti 13, 13100, Vercelli, Italy
- Department of Translational Medicine, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Via Solaroli 17, 28100, Novara, Italy
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Piu N, Isabella A, Airoldi C, Aleni C, Sarro A, Faggiano F. Taste and Smell Disorders in COVID-19 Patients at a Local Healthcare Trust in Northern Italy: a Cross-Sectional Study. Ann Ig 2022; 34:122-127. [PMID: 35088821 DOI: 10.7416/ai.2022.2474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In Italy, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, patients testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 through nasopharyngeal swab have reported taste and smell alterations. As these symptoms are quite uncommon in other respiratory infections, their specificity and prevalence are useful features for the differential diagnosis of COVID-19. The objective was to describe taste and smell alterations in patients diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection and to define the onset of those disorders during the clinical course of the disease. STUDY DESIGN Cross-sectional study. METHODS This study was conducted on adult patients testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection through nasopharyngeal swab at a Local Healthcare Trust in Northern Italy between April 27th and May 27th, 2020. In order to investigate the clinical course, the onset of the first symptoms, smell and/or taste alterations, a phone-based questionnaire was administered during the programming of the second nasopharyngeal swab. RESULTS We recruited 168 patients; the mean age was 52 years old, and 94 (56.0%) were female. Among the 135 symptomatic patients, 87 (64.4%) reported taste and smell alterations. Patients with a mild clinical course showed the highest prevalence for taste and smell disorders (76.6%), which were also associated with a more benign clinical course of the disease (P = 0.0166). Furthermore, in 33 (37.9%) of these patients, changes in smell and taste perception appeared before the acute phase of the disease. Among the 14 patients with a severe clinical course of SARS-CoV-2 infection, 8 reported a variation of taste and smell perception before the hospitalization, with a median of 4 days (IQR 2-7). CONCLUSIONS Smell and taste disorders can be listed among the first symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection and may anticipate the acute phase of the disease. Noteworthy, they seem to be associated with a more benign clinical course.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Piu
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Eastern Piedmont, Novara, Italy
| | - A Isabella
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Eastern Piedmont, Novara, Italy
| | - C Airoldi
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Eastern Piedmont, Novara, Italy
| | - C Aleni
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Eastern Piedmont, Novara, Italy
| | - A Sarro
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Eastern Piedmont, Novara, Italy
| | - F Faggiano
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Eastern Piedmont, Novara, Italy
- Epidemiological Observatory, Local Healthcare Trust, Vercelli, Italy
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Griffante G, Chandel S, Ferrante D, Caneparo V, Capello D, Bettio V, Borgogna C, Aleni C, Esposito S, Sarro A, Vasile A, Comba M, Testa T, Cotrupi G, De Andrea M, Bortoluzzi S, Gariglio M. Persistence of Neutralizing Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in First Wave Infected Individuals at Ten Months Post-Infection: The UnIRSA Cohort Study. Viruses 2021; 13:2270. [PMID: 34835076 PMCID: PMC8620452 DOI: 10.3390/v13112270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Revised: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Longitudinal mapping of antibody-based SARS-CoV-2 immunity is critical for public health control of the pandemic and vaccine development. We performed a longitudinal analysis of the antibody-based immune response in a cohort of 100 COVID-19 individuals who were infected during the first wave of infection in northern Italy. The SARS-CoV-2 humoral response was tested using the COVID-SeroIndex, Kantaro Quantitative SARS-CoV-2 IgG Antibody RUO Kit (R&D Systems, Bio-Techne, Minneapolis, USA) and pseudotype-based neutralizing antibody assay. Using sequential serum samples collected from 100 COVID-19 recovered individuals from northern Italy-mostly with mild disease-at 2 and 10 months after their first positive PCR test, we show that 93% of them seroconverted at 2 months, with a geometric mean (GeoMean) half-maximal neutralization titer (NT50) of 387.9. Among the 35 unvaccinated subjects retested at 10 months, 7 resulted seronegative, with an 80% drop in seropositivity, while 28 showed decreased anti-receptor binding domain (RBD) and anti-spike (S) IgG titers, with a GeoMean NT50 neutralization titer dropping to 163.5. As an NT50 > 100 is known to confer protection from SARS-CoV-2 re-infection, our data show that the neutralizing activity elicited by the natural infection has lasted for at least 10 months in a large fraction of subjects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gloria Griffante
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy; (G.G.); (S.C.); (D.F.); (V.C.); (D.C.); (V.B.); (C.B.); (C.A.); (S.E.); (A.S.); (A.V.); (M.C.); (T.T.); (G.C.)
| | - Shikha Chandel
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy; (G.G.); (S.C.); (D.F.); (V.C.); (D.C.); (V.B.); (C.B.); (C.A.); (S.E.); (A.S.); (A.V.); (M.C.); (T.T.); (G.C.)
| | - Daniela Ferrante
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy; (G.G.); (S.C.); (D.F.); (V.C.); (D.C.); (V.B.); (C.B.); (C.A.); (S.E.); (A.S.); (A.V.); (M.C.); (T.T.); (G.C.)
| | - Valeria Caneparo
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy; (G.G.); (S.C.); (D.F.); (V.C.); (D.C.); (V.B.); (C.B.); (C.A.); (S.E.); (A.S.); (A.V.); (M.C.); (T.T.); (G.C.)
- Center for Translational Research on Autoimmune and Allergic Disease (CAAD), University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy;
| | - Daniela Capello
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy; (G.G.); (S.C.); (D.F.); (V.C.); (D.C.); (V.B.); (C.B.); (C.A.); (S.E.); (A.S.); (A.V.); (M.C.); (T.T.); (G.C.)
- UPO Biobank, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy
| | - Valentina Bettio
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy; (G.G.); (S.C.); (D.F.); (V.C.); (D.C.); (V.B.); (C.B.); (C.A.); (S.E.); (A.S.); (A.V.); (M.C.); (T.T.); (G.C.)
- UPO Biobank, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy
| | - Cinzia Borgogna
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy; (G.G.); (S.C.); (D.F.); (V.C.); (D.C.); (V.B.); (C.B.); (C.A.); (S.E.); (A.S.); (A.V.); (M.C.); (T.T.); (G.C.)
| | - Chiara Aleni
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy; (G.G.); (S.C.); (D.F.); (V.C.); (D.C.); (V.B.); (C.B.); (C.A.); (S.E.); (A.S.); (A.V.); (M.C.); (T.T.); (G.C.)
| | - Salvatore Esposito
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy; (G.G.); (S.C.); (D.F.); (V.C.); (D.C.); (V.B.); (C.B.); (C.A.); (S.E.); (A.S.); (A.V.); (M.C.); (T.T.); (G.C.)
| | - Andrea Sarro
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy; (G.G.); (S.C.); (D.F.); (V.C.); (D.C.); (V.B.); (C.B.); (C.A.); (S.E.); (A.S.); (A.V.); (M.C.); (T.T.); (G.C.)
| | - Alessandra Vasile
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy; (G.G.); (S.C.); (D.F.); (V.C.); (D.C.); (V.B.); (C.B.); (C.A.); (S.E.); (A.S.); (A.V.); (M.C.); (T.T.); (G.C.)
| | - Marco Comba
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy; (G.G.); (S.C.); (D.F.); (V.C.); (D.C.); (V.B.); (C.B.); (C.A.); (S.E.); (A.S.); (A.V.); (M.C.); (T.T.); (G.C.)
| | - Tommaso Testa
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy; (G.G.); (S.C.); (D.F.); (V.C.); (D.C.); (V.B.); (C.B.); (C.A.); (S.E.); (A.S.); (A.V.); (M.C.); (T.T.); (G.C.)
| | - Gianmarco Cotrupi
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy; (G.G.); (S.C.); (D.F.); (V.C.); (D.C.); (V.B.); (C.B.); (C.A.); (S.E.); (A.S.); (A.V.); (M.C.); (T.T.); (G.C.)
| | - Marco De Andrea
- Center for Translational Research on Autoimmune and Allergic Disease (CAAD), University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy;
- Department of Public Health and Pediatric Sciences, University of Turin, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - Sara Bortoluzzi
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy; (G.G.); (S.C.); (D.F.); (V.C.); (D.C.); (V.B.); (C.B.); (C.A.); (S.E.); (A.S.); (A.V.); (M.C.); (T.T.); (G.C.)
| | - Marisa Gariglio
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy; (G.G.); (S.C.); (D.F.); (V.C.); (D.C.); (V.B.); (C.B.); (C.A.); (S.E.); (A.S.); (A.V.); (M.C.); (T.T.); (G.C.)
- Center for Translational Research on Autoimmune and Allergic Disease (CAAD), University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy;
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