Medical implantable devices for the controlled release of anti-TGF-beta1 in the repair of peripheral nerve injuries

The development of novel bioartificial nerve grafts which release soluble therapeutic agents, shows great promises guiding the extension of the injured axons and optimizing and improving the degree and specificity of neural outgrowth. The TGF-â family cytokines are polypeptides involved in pathogenesis of neuropathies during nerve lesion. In particular, studies carried out on TGF-â1 have demonstrated its key-role as a humoral stimulus in scar formation. The use of neutralising antibodies to this pro-fibrotic factor, incorporated and released by medical devices, could be potentially useful to get improved results in nerve repair. The aim of this study was to characterise the uptake and release of antibodies, structurally no different from the anti-TGFâ1 specific ones, by innovative constructs based on the use of biodegradable and biocompatible compounds with which to support and improve peripheral nerve repair

Adiabatic quantum dynamics of a random Ising chain across its quantum critical point

We present here our study of the adiabatic quantum dynamics of a random Ising chain across its quantum critical point. The model investigated is an Ising chain in a transverse field with disorder present both in the exchange coupling and in the transverse field. The transverse field term is proportional to a function $\Gamma(t)$ which, as in the Kibble-Zurek mechanism, is linearly reduced to zero in time with a rate $\tau^{-1}$, $\Gamma(t)=-t/\tau$, starting at $t=-\infty$ from the quantum disordered phase ($\Gamma=\infty$) and ending at $t=0$ in the classical ferromagnetic phase ($\Gamma=0$). We first analyze the distribution of the gaps -- occurring at the critical point $\Gamma_c=1$ -- which are relevant for breaking the adiabaticity of the dynamics. We then present extensive numerical simulations for the residual energy $E_{\rm res}$ and density of defects $\rho_k$ at the end of the annealing, as a function of the annealing inverse rate $\tau$. %for different lenghts of the chain. Both the average $E_{\rm res}(\tau)$ and $\rho_k(\tau)$ are found to behave logarithmically for large $\tau$, but with different exponents, $[E_{\rm res}(\tau)/L]_{\rm av}\sim 1/\ln^{\zeta}(\tau)$ with $\zeta\approx 3.4$, and $[\rho_k(\tau)]_{\rm av}\sim 1/\ln^{2}(\tau)$. We propose a mechanism for $1/\ln^2{\tau}$-behavior of $[\rho_k]_{\rm av}$ based on the Landau-Zener tunneling theory and on a Fisher's type real-space renormalization group analysis of the relevant gaps. The model proposed shows therefore a paradigmatic example of how an adiabatic quantum computation can become very slow when disorder is at play, even in absence of any source of frustration.Comment: 10 pages, 11 figures; v2: added references, published versio

Noise-resistant optimal spin squeezing via quantum control

Entangled atomic states, such as spin squeezed states, represent a promising resource for a new generation of quantum sensors and atomic clocks. We demonstrate that optimal control techniques can be used to substantially enhance the degree of spin squeezing in strongly interacting many-body systems, even in the presence of noise and imperfections. Specifically, we present a protocol that is robust to noise which outperforms conventional methods. Potential experimental implementations are discussed.Comment: 5 pages of main tex

Suicide and suicides attempts in Italian prison epidemiological findings from the “Triveneto” area, 2010-2016

The aim of this observational study was to assess rates of suicide and suicide attempts, in relation to gender, age, place of birth and security levels, in north-eastern Italian prisons during 2010-2016, and investigate associations with prison overcrowding, offence type and prior self-harm and suicide attempts. The study was based on individual data on suicides and suicide attempts from 16 prisons, with an average yearly number of 3,900 inmates during the study period, for all prisons combined. Descriptive and binomial regression analyses were performed. Rates of suicide and suicide attempts in Triveneto prisons were 1and 15 per 1,000 inmates, respectively. More than 90% of suicides and suicide attempters were men aged between 21 and 49 years old, and most had committed violent offences. Only half the prisoners who died by suicide and 30% of those who made a suicide attempt in custody were Italians. ‘Cooperative witnesses’ had the highest mean suicide attempt rate (30/1,000 inmates). Fourteen per cent of suicides and 19% of attempters had a prior history of suicide attempts and self-injury. In binomial regression analyses, predictors of suicidal behaviour were being a male inmate in standard security conditions, with a mean age of 30 years. The study highlighted that there is a need for suicide prevention policies in Triveneto; these should take into account predictors of suicidal behaviours and individual characteristics of suicidal inmates. More research is warranted in order to both evaluate the effectiveness of prevention plans and better assess risk of suicide in specific groups, such as cooperative witnesses

Low Arousal Threshold Estimation Predicts Failure of Mandibular Advancement Devices in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome

Introduction: The treatment of choice for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). However, CPAP is usually poorly tolerated and mandibular advancement devices (MADs) are an alternative innovative therapeutic approach. Uncertainty still remains as to the most suitable candidates for MAD. Herein, it is hypothesized that the presence of low arousal threshold (low ArTH) could be predictive of MAD treatment failure. Methods: A total of 32 consecutive patients, with OSAS of any severity, who preferred an alternate therapy to CPAP, were treated with a tailored MAD aimed at obtaining 50% of their maximal mandibular advancement. Treatment response after 6 months of therapy was defined as AHI 58.3%. Results: There were 25 (78.1%) responders (p-value < 0.01) at 6 months. Thirteen patients (40.6%) in the non-severe group reached AHI lower than 5 events per hour. MAD treatment significantly reduced the median AHI in all patients from a median value of 22.5 to 6.5 (74.7% of reduction, p-value < 0.001). The mandibular advancement device reduced AHI, whatever the disease severity. A significant higher reduction of Delta AHI, after 6 months of treatment, was found for patients without low ArTH. Conclusions: Low ArTH at baseline was associated with a poorer response to MAD treatment and a lower AHI reduction at 6 months. A non-invasive assessment of Low ArTH can be performed through the Edwards' score, which could help to identify an endotype with a lower predicted response to oral appliances in a clinical setting

Antioxidant properties of agri-food byproducts and specific boosting effects of hydrolytic treatments

Largely produced agri\u2010food byproducts represent a sustainable and easily available source of phenolic compounds, such as lignins and tannins, endowed with potent antioxidant properties. We report herein the characterization of the antioxidant properties of nine plant\u2010derived byproducts. 2,2\u2010Diphenyl\u20101\u2010picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) assays indicated the superior activity of pomegranate peels and seeds, grape pomace and pecan nut shell. An increase in the antioxidant potency was observed for most of the waste materials following a hydrolytic treatment, with the exception of the condensed tannin\u2010rich pecan nut shell and grape pomace. UV\u2010Vis and HPLC investigation of the soluble fractions coupled with the results from IR analysis and chemical degradation approaches on the whole materials allowed to conclude that the improvement of the antioxidant properties was due not only to removal of non\u2010active components (mainly carbohydrates), but also to structural modifications of the phenolic compounds. Parallel experiments run on natural and bioinspired model phenolic polymers suggested that these structural modifications positively impacted on the antioxidant properties of lignins and hydrolyzable tannins, whereas significant degradation of condensed tannin moieties occurred, likely responsible for the lowering of the reducing power observed for grape pomace and pecan nut shell. These results open new perspectives toward the exploitation and manipulation of agri\u2010food byproducts for application as antioxidant additives in functional

High-fidelity quantum driving

The ability to accurately control a quantum system is a fundamental requirement in many areas of modern science such as quantum information processing and the coherent manipulation of molecular systems. It is usually necessary to realize these quantum manipulations in the shortest possible time in order to minimize decoherence, and with a large stability against fluctuations of the control parameters. While optimizing a protocol for speed leads to a natural lower bound in the form of the quantum speed limit rooted in the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, stability against parameter variations typically requires adiabatic following of the system. The ultimate goal in quantum control is to prepare a desired state with 100% fidelity. Here we experimentally implement optimal control schemes that achieve nearly perfect fidelity for a two-level quantum system realized with Bose-Einstein condensates in optical lattices. By suitably tailoring the time-dependence of the system's parameters, we transform an initial quantum state into a desired final state through a short-cut protocol reaching the maximum speed compatible with the laws of quantum mechanics. In the opposite limit we implement the recently proposed transitionless superadiabatic protocols, in which the system perfectly follows the instantaneous adiabatic ground state. We demonstrate that superadiabatic protocols are extremely robust against parameter variations, making them useful for practical applications.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figure

Quantum Quench in the Transverse Field Ising chain I: Time evolution of order parameter correlators

We consider the time evolution of order parameter correlation functions after a sudden quantum quench of the magnetic field in the transverse field Ising chain. Using two novel methods based on determinants and form factor sums respectively, we derive analytic expressions for the asymptotic behaviour of one and two point correlators. We discuss quenches within the ordered and disordered phases as well as quenches between the phases and to the quantum critical point. We give detailed account of both methods.Comment: 65 pages, 21 figures, some typos correcte

Flat Spectrum Radio Quasars through the MAGIC glasses

The detection of Flat Spectrum Radio Quasars (FSRQs) in the Very High Energy (VHE, E > 100 GeV) range is challenging, mainly because of their steep spectra in this energy band. Up to now, only five FSRQs are known to be VHE γ-ray emitters, all of them have been detected by the MAGIC telescopes, that discovered four of them in the VHE band. The observations in the VHE band are crucial to understand their emission, specially to constrain the location of the emitting region within the jet due to the absorption from their broad line region (BLR). Typically, FSRQs are detected during high flux states, enhancing the probability of detection with the current instruments sensitivities. However, the last observation campaigns performed with the MAGIC telescopes show emission during moderate states, thus challenging our understanding of the emission mechanisms in FSRQs. In this contribution, we give an overview and present the most recent results of the three FSRQs 3C279, PKS1222+21 and PKS1510-089 in a multi-wavelength context with special focus on MAGIC and Fermi-LAT simultaneous observations