Director configuration in the twist-bend nematic phase of CB11CB

The director distribution in the nematic phases exhibited by the 100,1100-bis(4-cyanobiphenyl-40-yl)undecane (CB11CB) liquid crystal has been studied in the bulk with the EPR spin probe technique. EPR spectra confirmed the presence of an higher temperature uniaxial nematic phase and of a lower temperature nematic phase in which the director distribution is not uniform. Spectra recorded in the lower temperature nematic phase were not fully compatible with theoretical EPR spectra calculated according to the recently proposed model for the twist-bend phase in which the local domain director twists around an axis with a fixed tilt angle, θ₀, but were well described by a “distributed-tilt” model in which the director has a relatively narrow distribution, centred at θ₀

EPR study of the polydomain structure of the twist-bend nematic phase of CB9CB in the bulk

EPR spin probe spectra of the liquid crystal phases exhibited, in the bulk, by the 1″,9″-bis(4-cyanobiphenyl-4’-yl)nonane (CB9CB) bent-shape dimer showed that, on cooling from the isotropicphase, this material forms a uniaxial nematic phase with a uniform director macroscopicallyaligned along the spectrometer field. Upon further cooling, a transition into the twist-bendnematic phase is observed after a biphasic region of approximately 4 K. In this lower temperaturenematic phase, the director does not appear to be macroscopically aligned. The non-uniformdirector distribution is modelled as a collection of monodomains tilted with respect to themagnetic field and orientationally distributed around the tilt direction

Role of cryptochrome-1 and cryptochrome-2 in aldosterone-producing adenomas and adrenocortical cells

Mice lacking the core-clock components, cryptochrome-1 (CRY1) and cryptochrome-2 (CRY2) display a phenotype of hyperaldosteronism, due to the upregulation of type VI 3β-hydroxyl-steroid dehydrogenase (Hsd3b6), the murine counterpart to the human type I 3β-hydroxyl-steroid dehydrogenase (HSD3B1) gene. In the present study, we evaluated the role of CRY1 and CRY2 genes, and their potential interplay with HSD3B isoforms in adrenal pathophysiology in man. Forty-six sporadic aldosterone-producing adenomas (APAs) and 20 paired adrenal samples were included, with the human adrenocortical cells HAC15 used as the in vitro model. In our cohort of sporadic APAs, CRY1 expression was 1.7-fold [0.75–2.26] higher (p = 0.016), while CRY2 showed a 20% lower expression [0.80, 0.52–1.08] (p = 0.04) in APAs when compared with the corresponding adjacent adrenal cortex. Type II 3β-hydroxyl-steroid dehydrogenase (HSD3B2) was 317-fold [200–573] more expressed than HSD3B1, and is the main HSD3B isoform in APAs. Both dehydrogenases were more expressed in APAs when compared with the adjacent cortex (5.7-fold and 3.5-fold, respectively, p < 0.001 and p = 0.001) and HSD3B1 was significantly more expressed in APAs composed mainly of zona glomerulosa-like cells. Treatment with angiotensin II (AngII) resulted in a significant upregulation of CRY1 (1.7 ± 0.25-fold, p < 0.001) at 6 h, and downregulation of CRY2 at 12 h (0.6 ± 0.1-fold, p < 0.001), through activation of the AngII type 1 receptor. Independent silencing of CRY1 and CRY2 genes in HAC15 cells resulted in a mild upregulation of HSD3B2 without affecting HSD3B1 expression. In conclusion, our results support the hypothesis that CRY1 and CRY2, being AngII-regulated genes, and showing a differential expression in APAs when compared with the adjacent adrenal cortex, might be involved in adrenal cell function, and in the regulation of aldosterone production

Evaluation of HIV-DNA and inflammatory markers in HIV-infected individuals with different viral load patterns

Abstract Background: Persistent residual viremia (RV) and low grade inflammation and immune activation have been associated with non-AIDS defining events. The impact of persistent RV and HIV-DNA load on immune activation/ inflammation remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to gain new insights into the relation between viremia, markers of inflammation and HIV-DNA levels. Methods: Three hundred and twenty-one HIV-infected patients were studied. A retrospective analysis of viremia values, prospectively collected for 48 months, was performed. Patients were separated into three groups: 113 TND (Target Not Detected, patients with sustained undetectable viremia); 113 RV (Residual Viremia, patients who had at least three detectable viral load (VL) values <37 copies/ml); 95 LLV (Low Level Viremia, patients with at least two VL values >37 but <200 copies/ml). HIV-DNA, TNF-α, IL-6 and sCD14 were analyzed. Results: HIV-DNA, sCD14 and TNF-α were significantly lower in the TND group than in the RV and LLV groups. In addition, RV patients showed lower levels of HIV-DNA and sCD14 than LLV individuals. HIV-DNA load was not related to markers of inflammation. The ordinal logistic analysis showed that two independent variables were significantly associated with VL pattern: sCD14, HIV-DNA. In addition NRTIs plus NNRTIs and NRTIs plus PIs were negatively associated to VL pattern compared to INI-containing regimen. Conclusions: Persistent undetectable viremia was associated with lower levels of inflammatory markers and HIVDNA. However, the lack of normalization of these biomarkers in the TND group and the fact that HIV-DNA load was not associated with inflammation strongly suggest that other mechanisms play a major role in maintaining inflammation over time

Myo-inositol may prevent gestational diabetes onset in overweight women: a randomized, controlled trial

Objective: To evaluate whether myo-inositol supplementation may reduce gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) rate in overweight women. Methods: In an open-label, randomized trial, myo-inositol (2 g plus 200 μg folic acid twice a day) or placebo (200 μg folic acid twice a day) was administered from the first trimester to delivery in pregnant overweight non-obese women (pre-pregnancy body mass index ≥ 25 and < 30 kg/m2). The primary outcome was the incidence of GDM. Results: From January 2012 to December 2014, 220 pregnant women were randomized at two Italian University hospitals, 110 to myo-inositol and 110 to placebo. The incidence of GDM was significantly lower in the myo-inositol group compared to the placebo group (11.6% versus 27.4%, respectively, p = 0.004). Myo-inositol treatment was associated with a 67% risk reduction of developing GDM (OR 0.33; 95% CI 0.15–0.70). Conclusions: Myo-inositol supplementation, administered since early pregnancy, reduces GDM incidence in overweight non-obese women

Unitas Multiplex. Biological architectures of consciousness

The so-called Posthuman question - the birth of organisms generated by the encounter of biological and artificial entities (humanoid robots, cyborgs and so on) – is now on the agenda of science and, more generally, of contemporary society. This is an issue of enormous importance, which not only poses ethical questions but also, and above all, methodological questions about how it will be achieved on a scientific plane. How such entities will be born and what their functions will be? For example, what kind of consciousness will they be equipped with, in view of the function of consciousness for distinguishing the Self from others, which is the foundation of the interactive life of relationships? Many scholars believe that rapid technological progress will lead to the emergence of organisms that will simulate the functions of the mind, learn from their experiences, decode real-world information, and plan their actions and choices based on their own values elaborated from vast amounts of data and metadata. In the not-too-distant future, it is believed that these entities will acquire awareness and, consequently, decisional freedom, and perhaps even their own unique morals. In this paper, we try to show that the path towards this goal cannot avoid clarification of the problems that neuroscience has ahead of it. These problems concern: a) the way in which consciousness comes about on the basis of well-defined brain processes; b) how it represents its own organization and not a simple brain function; c) how simultaneously contains multiple distinct contents, each with its own intentionality; d) how it expresses dynamic evolutionary relations and not a set of phenomena that may be isolated; e) finally, how its order is not rigidly hierarchical, but is supported by a multiplicity of horizontal levels, each of which is in structural and functional continuum with different phenomenal events. The empirical and theoretical research effort on this topic provides an intensive contribution to the development of IC Technologies

Comparison Between Invasive and Noninvasive Methods to Estimate Subendocardial Oxygen Supply and Demand Imbalance

Background Estimation of the balance between subendocardial oxygen supply and demand could be a useful parameter to assess the risk of myocardial ischemia. Evaluation of the subendocardial viability ratio (SEVR, also known as Buckberg index) by invasive recording of left ventricular and aortic pressure curves represents a valid method to estimate the degree of myocardial perfusion relative to left ventricular workload. However, routine clinical use of this parameter requires its noninvasive estimation and the demonstration of its reliability. Methods and Results Arterial applanation tonometry allows a noninvasive estimation of SEVR as the ratio of the areas directly beneath the central aortic pressure curves obtained during diastole (myocardial oxygen supply) and during systole (myocardial oxygen demand). However, this "traditional" method does not account for the intra-ventricular diastolic pressure and proper allocation to systole and diastole of left ventricular isometric contraction and relaxation, respectively, resulting in an overestimation of the SEVR values. These issues are considered in the novel method for SEVR assessment tested in this study. SEVR values estimated with carotid tonometry by "traditional" and "new" method were compared with those evaluated invasively by cardiac catheterization. The "traditional" method provided significantly higher SEVR values than the reference invasive SEVR: average of differences +/- SD= 44 +/- 11% (limits of agreement: 23% - 65%). The noninvasive "new" method showed a much better agreement with the invasive determination of SEVR: average of differences +/- SD= 0 +/- 8% (limits of agreement: -15% to 16%). Conclusions Carotid applanation tonometry provides valid noninvasive SEVR values only when all the main factors determining myocardial supply and demand flow are considered

Development and Metrological Characterization of a Multi-sensor Device for Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) monitoring

Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ), which affects people's health, comfort, well-being and productivity, combines thermal, visual, acoustic and air quality conditions. This work deals with design, development and metrological characterization of a low-cost multi-sensor device that is able to detect the quality conditions of indoor environments for IEQ purposes. The device, hereafter referred as PROMET&O (PROactive Monitoring for indoor EnvironmenTal quality & cOmfort) embeds a set of low-cost sensors that measure air temperature and relative humidity, illuminance, sound pressure level, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, particulate matter, formaldehyde, and nitrogen dioxide. The basic architecture of the device is described and the design criteria that are related to the measurement requirements are highlighted. Particular attention has been paid towards the traceability assurance of the measurements provided by PROMET&O by means of specifically conceived calibration procedures, which have been tailored to the requirements of each measurement quantity. The calibration is based on the comparison to reference standards following commonly employed or ad-hoc developed technical procedures. The defined calibration procedures can be applied both for the single sensors and for the set of sensors integrated in the multi-sensor case. For the latter, the effects of the percentage of permeable case surface and the sensors allocation are also investigated. A preliminary uncertainty evaluation of the proposed multi-sensor device is reported for the carbon dioxide and the illuminance sensors taking the defined calibration procedures into account