COVIDiSTRESS Global Survey dataset on psychological and behavioural consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak

This N = 173,426 social science dataset was collected through the collaborative COVIDiSTRESS Global Survey - an open science effort to improve understanding of the human experiences of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic between 30th March and 30th May, 2020. The dataset allows a cross-cultural study of psychological and behavioural responses to the Coronavirus pandemic and associated government measures like cancellation of public functions and stay at home orders implemented in many countries. The dataset contains demographic background variables as well as measures of Asian Disease Problem, perceived stress (PSS-10), availability of social provisions (SPS-10), trust in various authorities, trust in governmental measures to contain the virus (OECD trust), personality traits (BFF-15), information behaviours, agreement with the level of government intervention, and compliance with preventive measures, along with a rich pool of exploratory variables and written experiences. A global consortium from 39 countries and regions worked together to build and translate a survey with variables of shared interests, and recruited participants in 47 languages and dialects. Raw plus cleaned data and dynamic visualizations are available.Measurement(s) psychological measurement center dot anxiety-related behavior trait center dot Stress center dot response to center dot Isolation center dot loneliness measurement center dot Emotional Distress Technology Type(s) Survey Factor Type(s) geographic location center dot language center dot age of participant center dot responses to the Coronavirus pandemic Sample Characteristic - Organism Homo sapiens Sample Characteristic - Location global Machine-accessible metadata file describing the reported data:Peer reviewe

Stress and worry in the 2020 coronavirus pandemic: Relationships to trust and compliance with preventive measures across 48 countries in the COVIDiSTRESS global survey

The COVIDiSTRESS global survey collects data on early human responses to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic from 173 429 respondents in 48 countries. The open science study was co-designed by an international consortium of researchers to investigate how psychological responses differ across countries and cultures, and how this has impacted behaviour, coping and trust in government efforts to slow the spread of the virus. Starting in March 2020, COVIDiSTRESS leveraged the convenience of unpaid online recruitment to generate public data. The objective of the present analysis is to understand relationships between psychological responses in the early months of global coronavirus restrictions and help understand how different government measures succeed or fail in changing public behaviour. There were variations between and within countries. Although Western Europeans registered as more concerned over COVID-19, more stressed, and having slightly more trust in the governments' efforts, there was no clear geographical pattern in compliance with behavioural measures. Detailed plots illustrating between-countries differences are provided. Using both traditional and Bayesian analyses, we found that individuals who worried about getting sick worked harder to protect themselves and others. However, concern about the coronavirus itself did not account for all of the variances in experienced stress during the early months of COVID-19 restrictions. More alarmingly, such stress was associated with less compliance. Further, those most concerned over the coronavirus trusted in government measures primarily where policies were strict. While concern over a disease is a source of mental distress, other factors including strictness of protective measures, social support and personal lockdown conditions must also be taken into consideration to fully appreciate the psychological impact of COVID-19 and to understand why some people fail to follow behavioural guidelines intended to protect themselves and others from infection. The Stage 1 manuscript associated with this submission received in-principle acceptance (IPA) on 18 May 2020. Following IPA, the accepted Stage 1 version of the manuscript was preregistered on the Open Science Framework at https://osf.io/g2t3b. This preregistration was performed prior to data analysis

Stress and worry in the 2020 coronavirus pandemic : relationships to trust and compliance with preventive measures across 48 countries in the COVIDiSTRESS global survey

The COVIDiSTRESS global survey collects data on early human responses to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic from 173 429 respondents in 48 countries. The open science study was co-designed by an international consortium of researchers to investigate how psychological responses differ across countries and cultures, and how this has impacted behaviour, coping and trust in government efforts to slow the spread of the virus. Starting in March 2020, COVIDiSTRESS leveraged the convenience of unpaid online recruitment to generate public data. The objective of the present analysis is to understand relationships between psychological responses in the early months of global coronavirus restrictions and help understand how different government measures succeed or fail in changing public behaviour. There were variations between and within countries. Although Western Europeans registered as more concerned over COVID-19, more stressed, and having slightly more trust in the governments' efforts, there was no clear geographical pattern in compliance with behavioural measures. Detailed plots illustrating between-countries differences are provided. Using both traditional and Bayesian analyses, we found that individuals who worried about getting sick worked harder to protect themselves and others. However, concern about the coronavirus itself did not account for all of the variances in experienced stress during the early months of COVID-19 restrictions. More alarmingly, such stress was associated with less compliance. Further, those most concerned over the coronavirus trusted in government measures primarily where policies were strict. While concern over a disease is a source of mental distress, other factors including strictness of protective measures, social support and personal lockdown conditions must also be taken into consideration to fully appreciate the psychological impact of COVID-19 and to understand why some people fail to follow behavioural guidelines intended to protect themselves and others from infection. The Stage 1 manuscript associated with this submission received in-principle acceptance (IPA) on 18 May 2020. Following IPA, the accepted Stage 1 version of the manuscript was preregistered on the Open Science Framework at https://osf.io/g2t3b. This preregistration was performed prior to data analysis.Peer reviewe

Making Visible the Invisible: Automatically Measured Global and Regional Brain Volume Is Associated with Cognitive Impairment and Fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis

In multiple sclerosis (MS), the transition from relapsing-remitting to the secondary-progressive phase is characterized by a progression independent of relapse activity (PIRA), resulting in physical disability accumulation and invisible symptoms, i.e., fatigue and cognitive impairment (CI). These symptoms are related to neurodegenerative processes and have been correlated with MRI measures of brain atrophy only at a group level; however, the application in clinical practice of atrophy-based measurements for single-patient evaluation is yet to be fully investigated. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the association between brain atrophy, measured with easy-to-use automatic software, and the “invisible” MS symptoms of cognition and fatigue. A total of 69 MS patients were included in the study; cognitive impairment and fatigue (FSS) (in addition to neurological disability, EDSS) were assessed and correlated with brain volumes calculated using the automated software QyScore® which is validated for single-patient use in the clinical setting. Results showed that the cognitive status was accurately reflected by measures of atrophy, with a sensitivity of up to 90%. CI patients showed a lower volume compared to cognitively normal patients in the whole brain (p = 0.017), gray matter (p = 0.042), insula (p = 0.035), cerebellum (p = 0.008), and limbic lobe (p = 0.049). FSS was associated with temporal lobe (r = −0.37, p = 0.013) and insular (r = −0.36, p = 0.019) volumes. The volumes of the same regions were also associated with EDSS. The global/regional atrophy results, assessed with automatic and easy-to-use software, correlated with cognitive and fatigue symptoms, thus supporting the clinical application in routine patient management

Gold(III)-dithiocarbamato anticancer agents: activity, toxicology and histopathological studies in rodents

Gold(III)-dithiocarbamato complexes have recently gained increasing attention as potential anticancer agents because of their strong tumor cell growth--inhibitory effects, generally achieved by exploiting non-cisplatin-like mechanisms of action. The rationale of our research work is to combine the antitumor properties of the gold(III) metal center with the potential chemoprotective function of coordinated dithiocarbamates in order to reduce toxic side effects (in particular nephrotoxicity) induced by clinically established platinum-based drugs. In this context, [Au(III) Br(2) (ESDT)] (AUL12) was proved to exert promising and outstanding antitumor activity in vitro and to overcome both acquired and intrinsic resistance showed by some types of tumors toward cisplatin. As a subsequent extension of our previous work, we here report on detailed in vivo studies in rodents, including antitumor activity toward three transplantable murine tumor models, toxicity, nephrotoxicity and histopathological investigations. Remarkably, the gold(III) complex AUL12 stands out for higher anticancer activity than cisplatin toward all the murine tumor models examined, inducing up to 80% inhibition of tumor growth. In addition, it shows low acute toxicity levels (lethal dose, LD(50) = 30 mg kg(-1) ) and reduced nephrotoxicity. Altogether, these results confirm the reliability of our drug design strategy and support the validation of this gold(III)-dithiocarbamato derivative as a suitable candidate for clinical trials

Historical overview of the presence of common ragweed airborne pollen since 2000 in Northern Italy

The aim of this study is to investigate the spatial and temporal changes of Ambrosia pollen in the geographical area of Northern Italy during the last 23 years. Ambrosia sp., also referred to as ragweed, is considered an invasive alien species in Europe. Originally native to North America, this annual plant prefers mostly anthropogenic habitats and can tolerate different climatic conditions. This geographical variety, from habitats in the Po Plain to alpine locations, characterizes the regions of Northern Italy, considered in this study. In addition to its broad ecological niche, the common ragweed causes health, environmental, and agronomical problems in many parts of the world. To evaluate the potential risk to human health due to the exposure levels to this highly allergenic pollen, investigating the change in pollen concentrations over time can be relevant. Furthermore, this study gains insight into the trend of the concentration of ragweed pollen during the new century in Italy. Considering the time interval 2000-2023, Ambrosia pollen data were collected at 34 aerobiological monitoring sites in North Italy; all sites had at least 12 years of daily pollen concentration ( P*m-3) data. 31 out of 34 monitoring sites belong to the Italian pollen network POLLnet. All stations performed the aerobiological monitoring using a volumetric Hirst sampler and adopting a common method consistent with UNI EN 16868:2019 EU standard procedure. The dataset has been checked for completeness. Referring to the flowering period of Ambrosia (i.e., July-October), 3% of the yearly data series were excluded since the completeness was lower than 80%. Ambrosia pollen concentrations were analyzed to verify if changes occurred in the study area regarding pollen amounts (i.e., Seasonal Pollen Integral, SPIn, the sum of daily concentrations in the July-October period) and seasonality. Firstly, considering the SPIn values averaged over the entire 2000-2023 study period, results show a large spatial variability, from the lowest values in Brunico (BZ) (9 P*m-3*day) to the highest values in Magenta (MI) site (3667 P*m-3*day). This confirms previous results, evidencing in the Milan area mean SPIn values above 2000 P*m3*day, while the seven stations in the Alpine and pre-Alpine area display on average values below 100 P*m-3*day; eastern stations show intermediate values ranging from 100 to 500 P*m3*day. Referring to the first occurrence in Italy of Ophraella communa verified in 2013, the comparison (Mann-Whitney U Test) of mean APIn values registered before (i.e., in 2000-2012 period) and after (i.e., 2013-2023 period) displays a significant decrease only for Legnano, Magenta, Rho, Piacenza (p<0.001), Omegna, Novara (p<0.01), and Bolzano (p<0.05). Further analyses will include the pollen seasonality and the spatial distribution with thematic map production. Considering the spatial and temporal variation of Ambrosia pollen amounts, it is of crucial importance to continuously monitor this invasive plant and its pollen, for human health and environment protection, in a large and inclusive One Health perspective. The findings of this study can build the base to improve the current management measures, by adding new ones, which are increasingly comprehensive and can be used as supportive information for decision makers for future handling steps of this invasive speci

L'iscrizione come strumento di integrazione culturale nella società romana. In ricordo di Angela Donati. Atti del Colloquio Borghesi 2021, Bertinoro, 28-30 ottobre 2021

Il volume raccoglie i contributi scaturiti dagli interventi presentati in occasione del Colloquio Borghesi 2021 di epigrafia latina, svoltosi presso il Centro Residenziale Universitario di Bertinoro nelle giornate del 28-30 ottobre 2021, dedicato alla memoria di Angela Donati e incentrato sul tema dell'iscrizione come strumento di integrazione culturale in ambito romano

Mitochondrial Akt Regulation of Hypoxic Tumor Reprogramming

Hypoxia is a universal driver of aggressive tumor behavior, but the underlying mechanisms are not completely understood. Using a phosphoproteomics screen, we now show that active Akt accumulates in the mitochondria during hypoxia and phosphorylates pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 (PDK1) on Thr346 to inactivate the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. In turn, this pathway switches tumormetabolism toward glycolysis, antagonizes apoptosis and autophagy, dampens oxidative stress, and maintains tumor cell proliferation in the face of severe hypoxia. Mitochondrial Akt-PDK1 signaling correlates with unfavorable prognostic markers and shorter survival in glioma patients and may provide an "actionable'' therapeutic target in cancer.ope

The Mitochondrial Unfoldase-Peptidase Complex ClpXP Controls Bioenergetics Stress and Metastasis

Mitochondria must buffer the risk of proteotoxic stress to preserve bioenergetics, but the role of these mechanisms in disease is poorly understood. Using a proteomics screen, we now show that the mitochondrial unfoldase-peptidase complex ClpXP associates with the oncoprotein survivin and the respiratory chain Complex II subunit succinate dehydrogenase B (SDHB) in mitochondria of tumor cells. Knockdown of ClpXP subunits ClpP or ClpX induces the accumulation of misfolded SDHB, impairing oxidative phosphorylation and ATP production while activating "stress" signals of 50 adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation and autophagy. Deregulated mitochondrial respiration induced by ClpXP targeting causes oxidative stress, which in turn reduces tumor cell proliferation, suppresses cell motility, and abolishes metastatic dissemination in vivo. ClpP is universally overexpressed in primary and metastatic human cancer, correlating with shortened patient survival. Therefore, tumors exploit ClpXP-directed proteostasis to maintain mitochondrial bioenergetics, buffer oxidative stress, and enable metastatic competence. This pathway may provide a "drugable" therapeutic target in cancer.ope