Perfect tag identification protocol in RFID networks

Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) systems are becoming more and more popular in the field of ubiquitous computing, in particular for objects identification. An RFID system is composed by one or more readers and a number of tags. One of the main issues in an RFID network is the fast and reliable identification of all tags in the reader range. The reader issues some queries, and tags properly answer. Then, the reader must identify the tags from such answers. This is crucial for most applications. Since the transmission medium is shared, the typical problem to be faced is a MAC-like one, i.e. to avoid or limit the number of tags transmission collisions. We propose a protocol which, under some assumptions about transmission techniques, always achieves a 100% perfomance. It is based on a proper recursive splitting of the concurrent tags sets, until all tags have been identified. The other approaches present in literature have performances of about 42% in the average at most. The counterpart is a more sophisticated hardware to be deployed in the manufacture of low cost tags.Comment: 12 pages, 1 figur

Treatment of epilepsy in patients with Alzheimer’s disease

Introduction: Epilepsy is significantly more frequent in AD patients than in age-matched controls, even though the true extent of the phenomenon is not clear yet. Areas covered: In this review, we describe in detail the available data on the pharmacological treatment of epilepsy in patients with AD. We also briefly describe general principles of AEDs use in elderly, as well as the potential cognitive profile of AEDs and safety of concomitant psychotropic drugs in patients with epilepsy and AD. Expertcommentary: As some preclinical data suggest a role of epileptiform discharges in cognitive decline in AD, a prompt diagnosis and treatment of seizures in these patients should be pursued. The few data on the use of AEDs in AD patients suggest that newer AEDs (in particular lamotrigine and levetiracetam) might be good choices. Experimental data even support a potential role of some AEDs in modifying the disease course of AD

An RbAp48-like gene regulates adult stem cells in planarians.

Retinoblastoma-associated proteins 46 and 48 (RbAp46 and RbAp48) are factors that are components of different chromatin-modelling complexes, such as polycomb repressive complex 2, the activity of which is related to epigenetic gene regulation in stem cells. To date, no direct findings are available on the in vivo role of RbAp48 in stem-cell biology. We recently identified DjRbAp48 — a planarian ( Dugesia japonica ) homologue of human RBAP48 — expression of which is restricted to the neoblasts, the adult stem cells of planarians. In vivo silencing of DjRbAp48 induces lethality and inability to regenerate, even though neoblasts proliferate and accumulate after wounding. Despite a partial reduction in neoblast number, we were always able to detect a significant number of these cells in DjRbAp48 RNAi animals. Parallel to the decrease in neoblasts, a reduction in the number of differentiated cells and the presence of apoptotic-like neoblasts were detectable in RNAi animals. These findings suggest that DjRbAp48 is not involved in neoblast maintenance, but rather in the regulation of differentiation of stem-cell progeny. We discuss our data, taking into account the possibility that DjRbAp48 might control the expression of genes necessary for cell differentiation by influencing chromatin architecture

Acid microenvironment promotes cell survival of human bone sarcoma through the activation of cIAP proteins and NF-κB pathway

Extracellular acidification is a very common cause of stress in tumor microenvironment and of Darwinian pressure. In acid areas of the tumor, most cancer cells are-albeit slowly proliferating-more resistant to cell death than those in well-perfused regions. Tumor acidosis can directly regulate the expression of pro-survival proteins since a low extracellular pH activates the caspase-dependent cell death machinery. This mechanism has never been explored in bone sarcomas. We cultured osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma cells under low pH (pH 6.5), and we performed deep-sequencing and protein analysis. Both in in vitro and in vivo models, acidification activity enhanced tumor cells survival. However, we did not observe any change in ERK1 phosphorylation. On the contrary, both at the mRNA and protein level, we found a significant induction of TRAF adaptor proteins and of cIAP proteins (BIRC2 and/or BIRC3). As a consequence, the downstream nuclear transcription factor kappa B (NF-κB) survival pathway was increased. Furthermore, the treatment with the cIAP inhibitor LCL161 reverted the protection from apoptosis under low pH. In vitro results were confirmed both in Ewing sarcoma xenograft and in osteosarcoma patients, since the analysis of tumor tissues demonstrated that the levels of expression of TRAF1 or NF-κB1 significantly correlate with the level of expression of the vacuolar ATPase (V-ATPase), the most important proton pump in eukaryotes. Moreover, in the tissue sections of xenograft model, the nuclear translocation of RelB, a key subunit of the NF-κB transcriptional complex, localized in the tumor region that also corresponded to the acid microenvironment associated with the highest levels of expression of LAMP2 and V-ATPase, in the internal area of the tumor, as revealed by immunohistochemistry. Our data confirm that tumor acid microenvironment activates a stress-regulated switch to promote cell survival of bone sarcoma, and support the hypothesis that this mechanism is mediated by the recruitment of TRAF/cIAP complexes. Altogether, these results suggest that TRAF/cIAP can be considered as a target for anti-cancer therapies

Targeting Inflammatory Mediators in Epilepsy: A Systematic Review of Its Molecular Basis and Clinical Applications

Introduction: Recent studies prompted the identification of neuroinflammation as a potential target for the treatment of epilepsy, particularly drug-resistant epilepsy, and refractory status epilepticus. This work provides a systematic review of the clinical experience with anti-cytokine agents and agents targeting lymphocytes and aims to evaluate their efficacy and safety for the treatment of refractory epilepsy. Moreover, the review analyzes the main therapeutic perspectives in this field. Methods: A systematic review of the literature was conducted on MEDLINE database. Search terminology was constructed using the name of the specific drug (anakinra, canakinumab, tocilizumab, adalimumab, rituximab, and natalizumab) and the terms “status epilepticus,” “epilepsy,” and “seizure.” The review included clinical trials, prospective studies, case series, and reports published in English between January 2016 and August 2021. The number of patients and their age, study design, specific drugs used, dosage, route, and timing of administration, and patients outcomes were extracted. The data were synthesized through quantitative and qualitative analysis. Results: Our search identified 12 articles on anakinra and canakinumab, for a total of 37 patients with epilepsy (86% febrile infection-related epilepsy syndrome), with reduced seizure frequency or seizure arrest in more than 50% of the patients. The search identified nine articles on the use of tocilizumab (16 patients, 75% refractory status epilepticus), with a high response rate. Only one reference on the use of adalimumab in 11 patients with Rasmussen encephalitis showed complete response in 45% of the cases. Eight articles on rituximab employment sowed a reduced seizure burden in 16/26 patients. Finally, one trial concerning natalizumab evidenced a response in 10/32 participants. Conclusion: The experience with anti-cytokine agents and drugs targeting lymphocytes in epilepsy derives mostly from case reports or series. The use of anti-IL-1, anti-IL-6, and anti-CD20 agents in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy and refractory status epilepticus has shown promising results and a good safety profile. The experience with TNF inhibitors is limited to Rasmussen encephalitis. The use of anti-α4-integrin agents did not show significant effects in refractory focal seizures. Concerning research perspectives, there is increasing interest in the potential use of anti-chemokine and anti-HMGB-1 agents

Observational study of sleep-related disorders in Italian patients with Parkinson's disease: usefulness of the Italian version of Parkinson's disease sleep scale.

Sleep disturbances are common in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). We aimed to evaluate prevalence and severity of nighttime sleep disturbances in Italian PD patients and to validate the Italian version of the Parkinson's disease sleep scale. A total of 221 PD patients and 57 healthy controls participated in a cross-sectional study with retest. PDSS, Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), and Hoehn and Yahr staging were applied. PDSS total and individual items scores from patients were significantly lower than those in controls. Internal consistency of PDSS scale was satisfactory and intraclass correlation coefficient for test-retest reliability was 0.96 for total PDSS score. A significant negative correlation was found between total PDSS and ESS scores, and between total PDSS and HDRS scores. PDSS scores were also related to UPDRS sections II, III and IV, and H&Y stage. PDSS and ESS scores were not related to levodopa equivalent dose. Daytime sleepiness, depressive symptoms and disease severity correlate with sleep disturbances in Italian PD patients. The PDSS is a valid and reliable tool to evaluate sleep disturbances in Italian patients. © 2011 Springer-Verlag

Early and longer term effects of gastric bypass surgery on tissue-specific insulin sensitivity and beta cell function in morbidly obese patients with and without type 2 diabetes

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Plasma levels of oxidative stress markers, before and after BoNT/A Treatment, in chronic migraine

The pathophysiological mechanisms of migraine transformation are debated. Modifications of plasma oxidative stress biomarkers have been described in chronic migraine. OnabotulintoxinA (BoNT/A) treatment, approved for chronic migraine prophylaxis, possibly reduces pain neurotransmitters release and oxidative stress products. Aims of our study were to investigate differences in the levels of selected plasmatic oxidative stress biomarkers (Advanced Oxidation Protein Products (AOPP), Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP), Thiolic Groups (SH)) comparing chronic migraineurs (CM) and healthy controls (HC). We also explored possible clinical and biochemical modifications in the CM group after six months of treatment with BoNT/A. At the baseline, we found higher values of AOPP (p < 0.001), and lower values of SH (p < 0.001) and FRAP (p = 0.005) in the CM group. At the six-month follow-up we found a reduction of AOPP (p < 0.001) and an increase of FRAP (p < 0.001) and SH (p = 0.023) within the CM group. BoNT/A treatment improved migraine symptoms in the CM group. We confirmed previous reports of imbalanced antioxidant mechanisms in chronic migraine showing lower antioxidant capacities in patients than controls. BoNT/A improved the levels of plasma oxidative stress biomarkers and confirmed its role as an effective prophylactic treatment for CM. Other studies should investigate the potential antioxidant properties of BoNT/A treatment

Oxidative stress in cerebral small vessel disease dizziness patients, basally and after polyphenol compound supplementation

Leukoaraiosis (LA) is a common radiological finding in elderly, frequently associated with several clinical disorders, including unexplained dizziness. The pathogenesis of LA is multifactorial, with a dysfunction of cerebral microcirculation resulting in chronic hypoperfusion and tissue loss, with oxidative stress involved in this cascade. The aim of this study was to analyse some oxidative stress biomarkers in a cohort of LA patients. In a subgroup of 33 patients with LA and unexplained dizziness, we have then performed an open study to evaluate if 60-day supplementation with a poliphenol compound may modify these biomarkers and influence quality of life, analysed with the Dizziness handicap Inventory (DHI) scale. At baseline, blood oxidative stress parameters values were outside normal ranges and compared to matched healthy controls. After the two months supplementation, we observed a significant decrement of advanced oxidation protein products values and a significant improvement of DHI. Oxidative stress biomarkers may be useful to detect redox imbalance in LA and to provide non-invasive tools to monitor disease status and response to therapy