3D Printing of Small-Scale Soft Robots with Programmable Magnetization

status: publishe

A survey of clinical features of allergic rhinitis in adults

Background: Allergic rhinitis (AR) has high prevalence and substantial socio-economic burden. Material/Methods: The study included 35 Italian Centers recruiting an overall number of 3383 adult patients with rhinitis (48% males, 52% females, mean age 29.1, range 18–45 years). For each patient, the attending physician had to fill in a standardized questionnaire, covering, in particular, some issues such as the ARIA classification of allergic rhinitis (AR), the results of skin prick test (SPT), the kind of treatment, the response to treatment, and the satisfaction with treatment. Results: Out of the 3383 patients with rhinitis, 2788 (82.4%) had AR: 311 (11.5%) had a mild intermittent, 229 (8.8%) a mild persistent, 636 (23.5%) a moderate-severe intermittent, and 1518 (56.1%) a moderate-severe persistent form. The most frequently used drugs were oral antihistamines (77.1%) and topical corticosteroids (60.8%). The response to treatment was judged as excellent in 12.2%, good in 41.3%, fair in 31.2%, poor in 14.5%, and very bad in 0.8% of subjects. The rate of treatment dissatisfaction was significantly higher in patients with moderate-to-severe AR than in patients with mild AR (p<0.0001). Indication to allergen immunotherapy (AIT) was significantly more frequent (p<0.01) in patients with severe AR than with mild AR. . Conclusions: These fndings confirm the appropriateness of ARIA guidelines in classifying the AR patients and the association of severe symptoms with unsuccessful drug treatment. The optimal targeting of patients to be treated with AIT needs to be reassessed

Haptic Guidance in Comanipulated Laser Surgery for Fetal Disorders

The current techniques in minimal invasive surgery allow to treat fetal disorders. In fetal interventions very precise instrument manipulation is required from the surgeon. For instance in the treatment of the twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) it is crucial that the surgeon maintains a specific distance between the tip of the employed instrument and the placenta, while lasering target sites on the placenta. To facilitate this procedure, we suggest a new approach where the surgeon comanipulates the instruments together with a robotic stabilizer arm. The stabilizer arm provides haptic guidance to the surgeon, augmenting the surgeon's dexterity and precision. The first results show that this approach is promising

Genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships of coevolving symbiont-harboring insect trypanosomatids, and their neotropical dispersal by invader African blowflies (Calliphoridae)

This study is about the inter- and intra-specific genetic diversity of trypanosomatids of the genus Angomonas, and their association with Calliphoridae (blowflies) in Neotropical and Afrotropical regions. Microscopic examination of 3,900 flies of various families, mostly Calliphoridae, revealed that 31% of them harbored trypanosomatids. Small subunit rRNA (SSU rRNA) barcoding showed that Angomonas predominated (46%) over the other common trypanosomatids of blowflies of genera Herpetomonas and Wallacemonas. Among Angomonas spp., A. deanei was much more common than the two-other species, A. desouzai and A. ambiguus. Phylogenetic analyses based on SSU rRNA, glycosomal glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gGAPDH) and internal transcribed spacer rDNA (ITS rDNA) sequences revealed a marked genetic diversity within A. deanei, which comprised four infraspecific genotypes (Dea1– Dea4), and four corresponding symbiont genotypes (Kcr1–Kcr4). Host and symbiont phylogenies were highly congruent corroborating their co-divergence, consistent with host-symbiont interdependent metabolism and symbiont reduced genomes shaped by a long coevolutionary history. We compared the diversity of Angomonas/symbionts from three genera of blowflies, Lucilia, Chrysomya and Cochliomyia. A. deanei, A. desouzai, and A. ambiguus were found in the three genera of blowflies in South America. In Africa, A. deanei and A. ambiguus were identified in Chrysomya. The absence of A. desouzai in Africa and its presence in Neotropical Cochliomyia and Lucilia suggests parasite spillback of A. desouzai into Chrysomya, which was most likely introduced four decades ago from Africa into the Neotropic. The absence of correlation between parasite diversity and geographic and genetic distances, with identical genotypes of A. deanei found in the Neotropic and Afrotropic, is consistent with disjunct distribution due to the recent human-mediated transoceanic dispersal of Angomonas by Chrysomya. This study provides the most comprehensive data gathered so far on the genetic repertoires of a genus of trypanosomatids found in flies from a wide geographical range.The PROAFRICA, INCT-EPIAMO, and PROSUL programs of CNPq, PNIPB of Capes, and FAPESP (Process 2016/07487-0). CAPEs (PNPD) granted a postdoctoral scholarship to TB.http://www.frontiersin.org/Microbiologyam2018Veterinary Tropical Disease

Induction and transmission of oncogene-induced senescence

Senescence is a cellular stress response triggered by diverse stressors, including oncogene activation, where it serves as a bona-fide tumour suppressor mechanism. Senescence can be transmitted to neighbouring cells, known as paracrine secondary senescence. Secondary senescence was initially described as a paracrine mechanism, but recent evidence suggests a more complex scenario involving juxtacrine communication between cells. In addition, single-cell studies described differences between primary and secondary senescent end-points, which have thus far not been considered functionally distinct. Here we discuss emerging concepts in senescence transmission and heterogeneity in primary and secondary senescence on a cellular and organ level

Transcriptional and genomic parallels between the monoxenous parasite Herpetomonas muscarum and Leishmania

Trypanosomatid parasites are causative agents of important human and animal diseases such as sleeping sickness and leishmaniasis. Most trypanosomatids are transmitted to their mammalian hosts by insects, often belonging to Diptera (or true flies). These are called dixenous trypanosomatids since they infect two different hosts, in contrast to those that infect just insects (monoxenous). However, it is still unclear whether dixenous and monoxenous trypanosomatids interact similarly with their insect host, as fly-monoxenous trypanosomatid interaction systems are rarely reported and under-studied–despite being common in nature. Here we present the genome of monoxenous trypanosomatid Herpetomonas muscarum and discuss its transcriptome during in vitro culture and during infection of its natural insect host Drosophila melanogaster. The H. muscarum genome is broadly syntenic with that of human parasite Leishmania major. We also found strong similarities between the H. muscarum transcriptome during fruit fly infection, and those of Leishmania during sand fly infections. Overall this suggests Drosophila-Herpetomonas is a suitable model for less accessible insect-trypanosomatid host-parasite systems such as sand fly-Leishmania

FUNDAMENTAL AND APPLIED RESEARCH ON FRESHWATER DECAPODS IN ITALY

The study group of freshwater decapods established within the Italian Association of Freshwater Ichthyologists aims at improving knowledge on the biology of both native and alien freshwater crayfish, shrimps, and crabs which currently inhabit Italian lentic and lotic waters, promoting at the same time the establishment of a network of experts that guarantees an adequate spread of correct useful and usable information, not only for management activities by the local and national competent authorities, but even by non-experts. The group deals with taxonomy, systematic, zoogeography, ecology, ethology, physiology, anatomy, genetics, conservation (of natives) and management (of aliens) of freshwater decapods in Italy. Our main aim is to update the status of freshwater decapods within the national territory, useful for monitoring programs on these species and the habitats where they inhabit. It is necessary to study all the aspects of this order because many species represent an ecological (as a keystone species), fauna (some taxa are interesting peninsular endemisms), biogeographical (the Whole order includes peculiar models of dispersion, migration and vicariance) and evolutionary (there are stimulating case studies of adaptive radiation phenomena linked to a specific ecological value) heritage. Also from an applied perspective, freshwater decapods have a peculiar double aspect linked to the conservation of aquatic environments: on the one side some species can be considered as valuable biological indicators, but on the other side many alien species are reported to be invasive and their management is mandatory, according to the new European and Italian legislations, and should be ecologically, economically and culturally examined to evaluate their effects on environment, human activities and health