Synthesis, molecular modeling and biological evaluation of two new chicoric acid analogs

Two conformationally constrained compounds similar to chicoric acid but lacking the catechol and carboxyl groups were prepared. In these analogues, the single bond between the two caffeoyl fragments has been replaced with a chiral oxirane ring and both aromatic residues modified protecting completely or partially the catechol moiety as methyl ether. Preliminary molecular modelling studies carried out on the two analogues showed interactions near the active site of HIV integrase; however, in comparison with raltegravir, the biological evaluation confirmed that CAA-1 and CAA-2 were unable to inhibit infection at lower concentration

Che suono avevano gli strumenti musicali degli antichi? Un progetto di ricerca e valorizzazione per lo strumento a fiato di età romana del Museo civico di Belriguardo

Lo studio riguarda lo strumento musicale a fiato ritrovato, alla metà degli anni Ottanta, nello scavo di Voghenza, che ha riportato alla luce una necropoli con recinti ed epigrafi, risalenti ai primi secoli dell’Impero, e parte del centro abitato. I materiali dello scavo, compreso lo strumento musicale, è attualmente conservato al Civico museo di Belriguardo (Voghiera, Ferrara). Nel 2019, in collaborazione con il Museo archeologico nazionale di Ferrara, Fede Berti, direttrice allora dello scavo archeologico e destinataria della Festschrift, ha caldeggiato la ripresa degli studi per la valorizzazione dello strumento musicale, di cui si dà conto in queste pagine. Qui si presenta l'aggiornamento sullo stato della ricerca, verso due prospettive: una lessicale, l'altra di ricreazione del suono. Da un lato, si approfondisce l’associazione del nome ad un certo strumento musicale ormai scomparso e, dall’altro, si descrivono i procedimenti metodologici per la restituzione del suono prodotto da uno strumento musicale non più in uso da secoli. Si tratta del primo studio inter- e multidisciplinare sullo strumento, e pertanto può costituire un modello metodologico rilevante per studi futuri sia sul medesimo oggetto, sia su altri reperti sonori. Attraverso le moderne tecnologie di ripresa e di ricreazione di copie in 3D e la sonorizzazione virtuale, lo strumento potrà avere una nuova visibilità all’interno del museo dove è attualmente conservato. Un nuovo allestimento della teca è già previsto, proprio sulla base di questo studio. Il ruolo dell’autrice comprende l’ideazione del contributo, il coordinamento delle sezioni curate dai vari componenti del gruppo di studio, la stesura della sua parte

Habitat selection of European pine marten in Central Italy: from a tree dependent to a generalist species

Studies at small spatial scale are often fundamental to highlight the behavioural plasticity of a species and thus have important implications for conservation planning, in particular for species usually considered as habitat specialists. We investigated second-order habitat selection of the European pine marten in an area dominated by deciduous oak forest and open fields in central Italy, by radio-tracking 16 pine martens (eight males, eight females). Pine martens placed home ranges in areas with more open field than in the study area, whereas woodland (oak and conifer forests) comprised a smaller portion of the home range than predominant forest character of the studied area. Although the presence of the species in the open habitats has been documented, to our knowledge, our results provide the first evidence of home range establishment in this cover type by pine marten at population level. The combination of low predation risk and high availability of resources could allow pine martens to occupy open fields in our study area. We highlighted different individual strategies of habitat selection, with some individuals placing home ranges in areas with high forest coverage while others occupying open areas. We found no effects of sex and body condition on habitat selection, and this could indicate that in the study area, both forested and non-forested cover types, such as open fields, shrub and anthropic areas, can provide adequate food, overhead cover and resting sites for all individuals. Pine marten ability to occupy open fields seems thus more related to the behavioural flexibility of the species, rather than to the need to supplement dens and forage from complementary lower quality habitat. The high quality of the Mediterranean continental area studied could also explain the selection of open areas by the pine marten. Our results offer useful information on pine marten ecology and may be helpful for conservation management of this species in southern Europe

TALKING ABOUT TO SUPPORT SCREENING IN POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a mood disorder that affects up to 1/5 of new mothers. It manifests itself with the typical symptoms of major depression and typically occurs within 6 months of delivery. The consequences of this pathology affect both the health of the mother and that of the child, which could undergo alteration of the affective, behavioral and social development, but also on the relationship with the partner (including the paternal postpartum depression). An early diagnosis that allows for the timely establishment of an adequate therapy is therefore essential. Talking About (TA) is a Speech Emotion Recognition project (SER) made by G.P.I. (Trento, Italy) which consists of a series of artificial intelligence algorithms that have the purpose of reliably recognizing emotions and/or stress through audio streams of the human voice (e.g. telephone calls, telemedicine). Voice acquisition takes place by recording an audio while the mother describes an image chosen from a series. The study aims to compare the results obtained through TA and the score obtained with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) which is the most widely used tool for screening for PPD, in order to evaluate the possible correspondence of the results. Both tests (EPDS and TA) are administered 1-2 months after delivery through the Haumea platform, created by G.P.I. specifically for this purpose, which allows the administration of the tests both in presence, through the use of a tablet, and remotely via video call. In total, 64 women were recruited: 53 in the puerperium, close to childbirth, and 11 by telephone. Consequently, postnatal recruitment proved to be slightly more effective. To date, 30 of these 64 patients have performed the test (46.8%). Only 4 of these 30 patients (13.3%) were able to carry out the test in presence, the remaining 26 (86.7%) chose, for convenience, to carry out the remote test via video call. The test was on average 52 days after delivery. The administration of the test through Haumea is divided into 3 phases: 1. collection of statistical data (age of the mother, gestational age, weight of the newborn at birth, etc.) and more specific data relating to any risk factors for PPD (family history of depression, complications in the peripartum, health problems of the newborn, etc.) in order to stratify the cases examined; 2. EPDS administration; 3. administration of the TA test. A preliminary analysis of the data obtained so far shows how TA is able to provide a specific profile for each new mother. These profiles are presented as a specific combination of 5 different categories that describe the emotional state of each patient: “I feel good”, “It is a good day”, “I do not agree”, “I am tired”, “I am pessimistic”. Specifically, each of these categories is expressed as a percentage, thus highlighting different aspects of the same mother. Examples of profiles obtained are presented hereafter. Example 1: “I feel good” 24.10%; “It is a good day” 32.3%; “I do not agree” 40.8%; “I am tired” 0.1%; “I am pessimistic” 2.7%. Example 2 (patient who did not sleep the whole night): “I feel good” 9%; “It is a good day” 0%; “I do not agree” 0.7%; “I am tired” 90.3%; “I am pessimistic” 0%. Thus, it is interesting to note how with TA it is possible to highlight different emotional facets of a subject through a single test, unlike the single score obtained with the EPDS which inevitably, being a screening tool, is based on specific cut-offs useful for stratifying the risk of PPD. In fact, from the administered tests, it emerges that women who obtained the same score on the EPDS presented more or less different profiles at the TA, precisely because this test investigates different aspects compared to the EPDS. Therefore, it remains to be investigated whether, once the results obtained with TA have been standardized, there is a good overlap of the different profiles belonging to patients who have scored the same score on the EPDS and a correlation between the 2 tests can therefore be identified. This could be of interest in order to further improve the screening process and hypothetically allow for an ever earlier diagnosis of PPD