COVID-19 related lockdown: a trigger from the pre-melancholic phase to catatonia and depression, a case report of a 59 year-old man

Background: The pre-melancholic model described by Tellenbach may provide a common model for understanding the psychological implications of the lockdown. In this case report, we describe a rare catatonic status as a psychological implication linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, a really unique global situation. Case presentation: B is a 59 year-old man with mute psychiatric anamnesis whose mother suffered from a major depressive disorder. As the lockdown began, he started to develop concerns about his family’s economic condition. According to his wife, he could see no end to the epidemic and no future at all. Moving from this, he started to show a severe and rapidly progressive depression and to develop mood congruent delusions. In addition, he had increasing anhedonia, apathy, starvation and insomnia. This turned in the end into a catatonic-like state, along with a deep desire to die. Admitted to the psychiatry ward in a state of mutism, he was discharged after 15 days with a diagnosis of “Major depressive disorder, single severe episode with no psychotic behavior”. He was treated with Sertraline, Olanzapine and Lorazepam. Conclusions: Our aim is to draw attention to the effect of the lockdown upon a Tellenbach-like personality structure. Identifying this type of pre-morbid personality structure could help clinicians understand and treat some cases of patients with severe major depressive disorders elicited by the COVID-19 pandemic

Investigation on the Actual Robustness of GNSS-based Timing Distribution Under Meaconing and Spoofing Interferences

Long-term stability and accurate time synchronization are at the core of timing network facilities in several critical infrastructures, such as in telecommunication networks. In these applications, timing signals disciplined by Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) receivers, i.e., One Pulse-per-Second (1-PPS), complement Primary Reference Time Clocks (PRTCs) by compensating for long-term drifts of their embedded atomic clocks. However, GNSS receivers may expose timing distribution networks to Radio Frequency (RF) vulnerabilities being the cause of possible degraded or disrupted synchronization among the nodes. This paper presents a test methodology assessing the resilience of new GNSS timing receivers to different classes of intentional RF interferences. The analysis of the results compares the effects of practicable spoofing and meaconing attacks on the 1-PPS generated by three Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) GNSS timing receivers, currently employed in timing applications. On one hand, the results emphasised the robustness of State-of-the-Art (SoA) mitigation technologies compared to previous generations’ devices. On the other hand, the vulnerability of SoA receivers to meaconing attacks highlights the limits of such mitigation solutions that may turn to severe effects on telecommunication networks’ performance

Post-test simulations for the NACIE-UP benchmark by STH codes

This paper illustrates the results obtained in the last phase of the NACIE-UP benchmark activity foreseen inside the EU SESAME Project. The purpose of this research activity, performed by system thermal–hydraulic (STH) codes, is finalized to the improvement, development and validation of existing STH codes for Heavy Liquid Metal (HLM) systems. All the participants improved their modelling of the NACIE-UP facility, respect to the initial blind simulation phase, adopting the actual experimental boundary conditions and reducing as much as possible sources of uncertainty in their numerical model. Four different STH codes were employed by the participants to the benchmark to model the NACIE-UP facility, namely: CATHARE for ENEA, ATHLET for GRS, RELAP5-3D© for the “Sapienza” University of Rome and RELAP5/Mod3.3(modified) for the University of Pisa. Three reference tests foreseen in the NACIE-UP benchmark and carried out at ENEA Brasimone Research Centre were analysed from four participants. The data from the post-test analyses, performed independently by the participant using different STH codes, were compared together and with the available experimental results and critically discussed

Meat and carcass quality from peruvian llama (Lama glama) and alpaca (Lama pacos)

An experiment based on 20 llama males and 40 alpaca males reared in Peru has been carried out with the aim to evaluate the live growth performances, carcass quality, the nutritional characteristics of meat from animals slaughtered at 25 months of age, and to determine the physical and chemical parameters of meat obtained from these animals. The live body weights registered during the 25 months of the experiment were significantly lower in alpaca compared with llama. In llama carcasses were significantly higher both warm and cold carcass weight (P<0.001) but dressing percentage was higher in alpacas (P<0.01). The glycolityc fine-course was very similar both in llama and in alpaca muscle Longissimus Thoracis et Lumborum. Chemical composition of muscle Longissimus Thoracis et Lumborum taken from llama and alpaca carcasses was significantly different (P<0.01) in ash content; cholesterol content was significantly higher (P<0.001) in llama meat compared with alpaca

The role of new technologies to prevent suicide in adolescence. a systematic review of the literature

Background and objectives: Suicide in adolescents represents a major public health concern. To date, a growing number of suicide preventive strategies based on the use of new technologies are emerging. We aimed to provide an overview of the present literature on the use of new technologies in adolescent suicide prevention. Materials and methods: An electronic search was run using the following keywords: Technology OR Technologies OR APP OR Application OR mobile application) AND (Adolescent OR youth OR puberty) AND (Suicid* OR Self-harm OR self-destruction). Inclusion criteria were: English language, published in a peer-reviewed journal, suicide prevention with the use of new technologies among adolescents. Results: Our search strategy yielded a total of 12 studies on the use of telemedicine, 7 on mobile applications, and 3 on language detection. We also found heterogeneity regarding the study design: 3 are randomized controlled trials (RCT), 13 are open-label single group trials, 2 are randomized studies, and 1 is a cross-sectional study. Telemedicine was the most adopted tool, especially web-based approaches. Mobile applications mostly focused on screening of depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation, and for clinical monitoring through the use of text messages. Although telepsychiatry and mobile applications can provide a fast and safe tool, supporting and preceding a face-to-face clinical assessment, only a few studies demonstrated efficacy in preventing suicide among adolescents through the use of these interventions. Some studies suggested algorithms able to recognize people at risk of suicide from the exploration of the language on social media posts. Conclusions: New technologies were found to be well accepted and tolerated supports for suicide prevention in adolescents. However, to date, few data support the use of such interventions in clinical practice and preventive strategies. Further studies are needed to test their efficacy in suicide prevention among adolescents and young adults

Characterization of prevalence and genetic subtypes of Blastocystis sp. in wild and domestic Suidae of central Italy aided by amplicon NGS

Blastocystis spp. is a common single-celled intestinal symbiont, comprising several genetic subtypes (ST) and trans- missible by animal-to-animal, human-to-human, animal-to-human and, possibly, human-to-animal routes. This work was designed to explore the presence of Blastocystis in sympatric domestic and wild suids and their ability to carry zoonotic STs, in a condition of widespread opportunity to come in contact with the microorganism through their shared water and food resources, and other carriers. We sampled 42 and 37 stool samples from wild boars and domestic pigs, respectively. STs were first identified by PCR followed by Sanger sequencing. Sequences represented in double-band PCR products or in Sanger chromatograms displaying multiple peaks, were resolved by next generation sequencing (NGS). Twenty-six (61.9%) wild boar and 26 (70.2%) pig samples were PCR-positive, respectively. ST3, ST5 and ST15 were found in 3.8%, 38.4% and 80.8% of the positive wild boars and 11.5%, 88.5%, 11.5% of the positive pigs, respectively. ST1 was found only in pigs (3.8%). STs 5 and 15 were common in both groups of animals, but in reversed proportions, suggesting preferential colonization. We found significantly different ST distributions among wild boars and domestic pigs. This might indicate that lifestyle differences between the two populations influence their risk for contracting certain subtypes, or that ST5 and ST15 can colonize preferentially wild or domestic animals. Based on the STs described here, wild boars and domestic pigs can act as reservoirs with zoonotic potential. The ability of suids to carry zoonotic STs appears to be higher when using NGS than Sanger sequencing, and resolution of complex sequencing profiles is imperative before excluding the presence of STs of human concern

Plasma antioxidant status, immunoglobulin G oxidation and lipid peroxidation in demented patients:Relevance to Alzheimer disease and vascular dementia

A large body of evidence supports a role of oxidative stress in Alzheimer disease (AD) and in cerebrovascular disease. A vascular component might be critical in the pathophysiology of AD, but there is a substantial lack of data regarding the simultaneous behavior of peripheral antioxidants and biomarkers of oxidative stress in AD and vascular dementia (VaD). Sixty-three AD patients, 23 VaD patients and 55 controls were included in the study. We measured plasma levels of water-soluble (vitamin C and uric acid) and lipophilic (vitamin E, vitamin A, carotenoids including lutein, zeaxanthin, β-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, α- and β-carotene) antioxidant micronutrients as well as levels of biomarkers of lipid peroxidation [malondialdehyde (MDA)] and of protein oxidation [immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels of protein carbonyls and dityrosine] in patients and controls. With the exception of β-carotene, all antioxidants were lower in demented patients as compared to controls. Furthermore, AD patients showed a significantly higher IgG dityrosine content as compared to controls. AD and VaD patients showed similar plasma levels of plasma antioxidants and MDA as well as a similar IgG content of protein carbonyls and dityrosine. We conclude that, independent of its nature - vascular or degenerative - dementia is associated with the depletion of a large spectrum of antioxidant micronutrients and with increased protein oxidative modification. This might be relevant to the pathophysiology of dementing disorders, particularly in light of the recently suggested importance of the vascular component in AD development. Copyright © 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel

Analisi morfometrica del piede equino: correlazione tra misure radiografiche ed incidenza di patologie osseee e tenodesmiche osservate in RM

Scopo del lavoro. Modificazioni della fisiologica conformazione del piede, di natura congenita, a seguito di patologie, di errori di pareggio e/o ferratura possono determinare significative alterazio- ni biomeccaniche. In letteratura sono riportati studi in cui viene indagata l\u2019associazione tra aspetto dello zoccolo e incidenza di lesioni catastrofiche o tra conformazione dell\u2019arto e durata media del- la carriera sportiva. In nessuno studio vengono per\uf2 correlate misurazioni scheletriche e incidenza di patologie ossee e tenodesmiche. L\u2019esistenza di tale correlazione potrebbe fornire al veterinario un utile strumento interpretativo dei radiogrammi in grado di potenziarne l\u2019intrinseco valore diagno- stico. Scopo del lavoro \ue8 dimostrare l\u2019esistenza di una correlazione tra diverse tipologie di lesioni, sia tenodesmiche che scheletriche, utlizzando la Risonanza Magnetica (RM) come \u201cgold standard\u201d e alterazioni dei rapporti morfometrici del piede indagati mediante esame radiografico. Materiali e metodi. Nello studio sono stati inclusi soggetti affetti da zoppia anteriore a carico del piede, abolita per mezzo dell\u2019anestesia perineurale dei nervi digitali palmari bassi o intra-articolare della DIPJ, in cui siano stati effettuati sia un esame radiografico che la tomografia a RM. \uc8 stato condotto uno studio preliminare di ripetibilit\ue0 intra-osservatore e inter-osservatore al fine di valida- re il sistema di misurazione. Sono state escluse dallo studio tutte le misurazioni influenzate da al- tezza e peso dei soggetti. Due operatori hanno effettuato valutazioni morfometriche nelle proiezio- ni LM e DPa considerando 21 diverse misurazioni e calcolandone alcune ratio. Sono stati quindi re- visionati i reperti RM dei soggetti inclusi nello studio. Infine, sono state valutate la presenza e la gravit\ue0 di lesioni a carico di differenti strutture alle quali \ue8 stato assegnato un punteggio da 0 (le- sione assente) a 3 (lesione grave). Le strutture esaminate sono state: Tendine Flessore Profondo del Dito (DDFT), Legamento Impari Distale (DSIL), Legamento Collaterale del Navicolare (CSL), Le- gamenti Collaterali (CLs) della DIPJ, Corticale Flessoria e Spongiosa ossea dell\u2019osso Navicolare (NBm). I dati ottenuti sono stati sottoposti ad indagine statistica mediante correlazione semplice tra variabili e patologie riscontrate nelle differenti strutture utilizzando il software SAS. Successiva- mente per ogni patologia \ue8 stato costruito un albero di classificazione (CART) utile per effettuare previsioni circa l\u2019incidenza della patologia stessa in funzione di differenti variabili direttamente identificabili con le misurazioni radiografiche effettuate in precedenza, o ottenute per mezzo di tra- sformazioni lineari di queste. Risultati. Sono stati esaminati 93 soggetti di razza, et\ue0, sesso e attitudine differenti per un totale di 125 piedi. Di questi, ne sono stati eliminati dallo studio 51 a causa della lieve obliquit\ue0 delle proiezioni radiografiche. Le misurazioni sono quindi state effettuate in 52 soggetti per un totale di 74 piedi. \uc8 stata verificata l\u2019esistenza di una correlazione statisticamente significativa tra lesioni a carico di DDFT, CSL, CL della DIPJ, NBm, margine prossimale e distale del navicolare e alcune delle variabili radiologiche esaminate quali l\u2019angolo palmare, la ratio tra spessore del navicolare e spessore della corticale flessoria, tra lunghezza del navicolare e lunghezza dell\u2019estensione del margine prossimale e quello distale, il \u201cjoint tilt\u201d tra P2 e P3 e il rapporto tra lunghezza totale del pie- de e della punta. La validazione dei CART, eseguita secondo la modalit\ue0 denominata \u201cresubstitu- tion\u201d, ha restituito per ogni singola patologia una performance predittiva del modello pari o supe- riore all\u201980%. Conclusioni. Dal presente studio \ue8 emerso come alcuni aspetti morfometrici del piede possano ri- velarsi predittivi per quanto riguarda l\u2019incidenza e la presenza di determinate patologie. Un pro- lungamento dei margini distale e prossimale del navicolare \ue8 fortemente correlato con alterazioni rispettivamente a carico del DSIL e del CLS. Il disequilibrio medio-laterale non \ue8 risultato essere associato ad alcuna alterazione mentre \ue8 stato osservato come il joint-tilt tra P2 e P3 e l\u2019angolo pal- mare influenzino la comparsa di una desmopatia dei CLs della DIP. Lo studio ha permesso di os- servare come il rapporto tra lunghezza della punta e lunghezza totale del piede sia correlato a pa- tologie a carico della NBm e alle modificazioni del margine prossimale del navicolare. Da studi precedenti \ue8 gi\ue0 emerso come alcune di queste variabili siano influenzate dal pareggio. Ne conse- gue che un corretto piano di gestione del piede, integrato da misurazioni morfometriche appro- priate potrebbe rivelarsi indispensabile nel ridurre i rischi di insorgenza di tutte quelle patologie correlate a variabili controllabili attraverso operazioni mirate di pareggio, quali il rapporto tra lun- ghezza della punta e lunghezza totale del piede e angolo palmare. Oltre a questo il presente studio evidenzia come un attento e ben condotto esame radiologico, sebbene non possa sostituirsi alla RM, possa fornire al clinico importanti indicazioni prognostico-terapeutiche nella gestione delle patologie del piede

Site directed mutagenesis as a tool to understand the catalytic mechanism of human cytidine deaminase.

Cytidine deaminase (CDA), is one of the enzymes involved in the pyrimidine salvage pathways, which catalyzes the formation of uridine and deoxyuridine by the hydrolytic deamination of cytidine and deoxycytidine, respectively. Human CDA is a tetrameric enzyme of identical 15 kDa subunits, each containing an essential zinc atom in the active site. The substrate binds to each active site independently and the cooperativity between subunits has not been reported. CDA is able to recognize as substrates some antitumor and antiviral cytidine analogs rendering them pharmacologically inactive. In light of the role played by this enzyme, a deep knowledge of CDA active site and mechanism of catalysis is required. Site-directed mutagenesis, associated with molecular modeling studies, may be an important tool to discover the active site structure of an enzyme and consequently its mechanism of action. In this review are summarized the site-directed mutagenesis experiments performed on human CDA: through these studies it was possible to understand the role exerted by specific amino acid residues in CDA active site and in the contacts between subunits. The obtained results may open a way for designing new cytidine based drugs or more potent CDA inhibitors

Chest CT texture-based radiomics analysis in differentiating COVID-19 from other interstitial pneumonia

Purpose To evaluate the potential role of texture-based radiomics analysis in differentiating Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) pneumonia from pneumonia of other etiology on Chest CT. Materials and methods One hundred and twenty consecutive patients admitted to Emergency Department, from March 8, 2020, to April 25, 2020, with suspicious of COVID-19 that underwent Chest CT, were retrospectively analyzed. All patients presented CT findings indicative for interstitial pneumonia. Sixty patients with positive COVID-19 real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and 60 patients with negative COVID-19 RT-PCR were enrolled. CT texture analysis (CTTA) was manually performed using dedicated software by two radiologists in consensus and textural features on filtered and unfiltered images were extracted as follows: mean intensity, standard deviation (SD), entropy, mean of positive pixels (MPP), skewness, and kurtosis. Nonparametric Mann–Whitney test assessed CTTA ability to differentiate positive from negative COVID-19 patients. Diagnostic criteria were obtained from receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results Unfiltered CTTA showed lower values of mean intensity, MPP, and kurtosis in COVID-19 positive patients compared to negative patients (p = 0.041, 0.004, and 0.002, respectively). On filtered images, fine and medium texture scales were significant differentiators; fine texture scale being most significant where COVID-19 positive patients had lower SD (p = 0.004) and MPP (p = 0.004) compared to COVID-19 negative patients. A combination of the significant texture features could identify the patients with positive COVID-19 from negative COVID-19 with a sensitivity of 60% and specificity of 80% (p = 0.001). Conclusions Preliminary evaluation suggests potential role of CTTA in distinguishing COVID-19 pneumonia from other interstitial pneumonia on Chest CT