Design of a LNA in the frequency band 1.8-2.2GHz in 0.13μm CMOS Technology

The subject of this work is a low noise amplifier (LNA), operating in the frequency range 1.8-2.1GHz. The CMOS 0.13μm technology is used in respect to the low cost of the final device. Among the specifications, a variable gain and an adjustable working frequency are required. In particular, four different working modes are provided: 1.8, 1.9 and 2.1GHz high gain and 2.1GHz low gain. The amplifier is designed to be used as first stage of a receiver for mobile telephony. For this reason low power consumption is taken into consideration (low supply voltage and low drain currents). A simple digital circuit, integrated on-chip, is used to select the operating mode of the LNA by means of two input pins. A Noise figure of 1dB is obtained with a supply voltage of 0.8V

Clinical significance of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in laryngeal carcinoma: Its role in the different subsites

Background: During epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, cancer cells lose adhesion capacity gaining migratory properties. The role of the process on prognosis has been evaluated in 50 cases of laryngeal carcinoma. Methods: E-cadherin, N-cadherin, β-catenin, α-catenin, γ-catenin, caveolin-1, and vimentin immunohistochemical expression were evaluated using a double score based on staining intensity and cellular localization. Results: Cytoplasmic E-cadherin and α/γ catenin staining were associated with a decrease in survival, cytoplasmic β-catenin was associated with advanced stage, and N-cadherin and vimentin expression were associated with poor differentiation and tumor relapse. On the basis of cancer cells, epithelial or mesenchymal morphological and immunophenotypic similarity we identified 4 main subgroups correlated with a transition to a more undifferentiated phenotype, which have a different pattern of relapse and survival. Conclusion: The negative prognostic role of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition has been confirmed and a predictive role in glottic tumors has been suggested, leading us to propose epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition as an additional adverse feature in laryngeal carcinoma

OP0086 GENDER INFLUENCE ON CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AND BRAIN-DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR (BDNF) SERUM LEVELS IN PATIENTS AFFECTED BY FIBROMYALGIA

Background:Fibromyalgia (FM) is a common rheumatic disease characterized by chronic widespread pain, sleep and mood disorders. A higher prevalence of FM in women compared with men is well known, although the specific differences in clinical manifestations related to gender are still poorly defined. Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) is an endogenous growth factor that gained attention for its potential as biomarker of several diseases, including FM and depression.Objectives:The aims of this study were to investigate gender-related difference among males and females affected by FM in clinical manifestations, depressive features and BDNF serum level, evaluating also the diagnostic potential of the latter.Methods:We consecutively enrolled adult patients affected by FM (ACR 2016) referring to our out-patient clinic. Each subject underwent clinical and answered to questionnaires for the severity of FM symptoms (Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, R-FIQ) and depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory-II, BDI-II). We collected blood samples from a subgroup of patients of both sexes, matched for age, for BDNF serum level dosage through ELISA. BDNF levels were assessed also in a control group, matched for sex and age.Results:The cohort was composed by 201 FM patients (172 F, 29 M), mean age 49.13. Females showed higher values of R-FIQ total score (p=0,0005) as well the specific items of the R-FIQ for pain (p=0,013), fatigue (p=0,014), memory problems (p=0,007), tenderness to touch (p<0,0001), balance problems (p<0,0001) and sensitivity to environmental stimuli (p=0,012) when compared with males (fig. 1). There was no difference in BDI-II between males and females, but notably male patients reported a significantly higher frequency of coexisting depressive disorder (p=0,038) (fig. 2). Serum BDNF levels were evaluated in 40 FM patients and 40 healthy controls (HC) (F:M 1:1). BDNF levels were significantly lower in FM patients compared with HC (p<0,0001). Among FM patients, BDNF levels were lower in males compared with females (p<0,0001) (fig.3). BDNF did not correlate with any clinical and clinimetric parameter. BDNF showed a good diagnostic performance (AUC=0,89, CI95%=0,82-0,9630, p<0,0001) (fig. 4). At a cut-off value <6,47 ng/dl, BDNF showed a specificity of 75% and a sensibility of 92,31%,(CI 95%=79,68-97.35) for FM identification (LR=3,692).Conclusion:FM clinical manifestations are strongly dependant from gender. While females present a more severe disease and a higher burden of symptoms, mood disorders tend to be a major characteristic of males with FM. Reduced BDNF serum levels have been reported as typical of depressive disorders. Our findings of lower BDNF levels in male FM patients compared to females support this hypothesis. BDNF have potential as biomarker of the disease and should be validated in larger cohorts.References:[1]Sarzi-Puttini et al. Nature Reviews 2020[2]Colucci-D'Amato et al. Int J Molecular Sciences 2020[3]Nugraha et al. Rheumatol Int 2012[4]Schmitt et al. Ann Med 2016[5]Melchior et al. Neuroscience 2016[6]Stefani et al. Neuroscience Letters 2012Disclosure of Interests:None declare

Dietary habits and nutrition in rheumatoid arthritis: can diet influence disease development and clinical manifestations?

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic, autoimmune disease characterized by joint involvement, with progressive cartilage and bone destruction. Genetic and environmental factors determine RA susceptibility. In recent years, an increasing number of studies suggested that diet has a central role in disease risk and progression. Several nutrients, such as polyunsaturated fatty acids, present anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, featuring a protective role for RA development, while others such as red meat and salt have a harmful effect. Gut microbiota alteration and body composition modifications are indirect mechanisms of how diet influences RA onset and progression. Possible protective effects of some dietary patterns and supplements, such as the Mediterranean Diet (MD), vitamin D and probiotics, could be a possible future adjunctive therapy to standard RA treatment. Therefore, a healthy lifestyle and nutrition have to be encouraged in patients with RA

Involvement of pro-inflammatory cytokines and growth factors in the pathogenesis of Dupuytren's contracture: a novel target for a possible future therapeutic strategy?

Dupuytren's contracture (DC) is a benign fibro-proliferative disease of the hand causing fibrotic nodules and fascial cords which determine debilitating contracture and deformities of fingers and hands. The present study was designed to characterize pro-inflammatory cytokines and growth factors involved in the pathogenesis, progression and recurrence of this disease, in order to find novel targets for alternative therapies and strategies in controlling DC. The expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and of growth factors was detected by immunohistochemistry in fibrotic nodules and normal palmar fascia resected respectively from patients affected by DC and carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS; as negative controls). Reverse transcription (RT)-PCR analysis and immunofluorescence were performed to quantify the expression of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, interleukin (IL)-1β and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) by primary cultures of myofibroblasts and fibroblasts isolated from Dupuytren's nodules. Histological analysis showed high cellularity and high proliferation rate in Dupuytren's tissue, together with the presence of myofibroblastic isotypes; immunohistochemical staining for macrophages was completely negative. In addition, a strong expression of TGF-β1, IL-1β and VEGF was evident in the extracellular matrix and in the cytoplasm of fibroblasts and myofibroblasts in Dupuytren's nodular tissues, as compared with control tissues. These results were confirmed by RT-PCR and by immunofluorescence in pathological and normal primary cell cultures. These preliminary observations suggest that TGF-β1, IL-1β and VEGF may be considered potential therapeutic targets in the treatment of Dupuytren's disease (DD)

Honeybees exposure to natural feed additives: How is the gut microbiota affected?

The role of a balanced gut microbiota to maintain health and prevent diseases is largely established in humans and livestock. Conversely, in honeybees, studies on gut microbiota perturbations by external factors have started only recently. Natural methods alternative to chemical products to preserve honeybee health have been proposed, but their effect on the gut microbiota has not been examined in detail. This study aims to investigate the effect of the administration of a bacterial mixture of bifidobacteria and Lactobacillaceae and a commercial product HiveAlive™ on honeybee gut microbiota. The study was developed in 18 hives of about 2500 bees, with six replicates for each experimental condition for a total of three experimental groups. The absolute abundance of main microbial taxa was studied using qPCR and NGS. The results showed that the majority of the administered strains were detected in the gut. On the whole, great perturbations upon the administration of the bacterial mixture and the plant-based commercial product were not observed in the gut microbiota. Significant variations with respect to the untreated control were only observed for Snodgrassella sp. for the bacterial mixture, Bartonella sp. in HiveAlive™ and Bombilactobacillus sp. for both. Therefore, the studied approaches are respectful of the honeybee microbiota composition, conceivably without compromising the bee nutritional, social and ecological functions

Mass accretion rates of clusters of galaxies: CIRS and HeCS

We use a new spherical accretion recipe tested on N-body simulations to measure the observed mass accretion rate (MAR) of 129 clusters in the Cluster Infall Regions in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (CIRS) and in the Hectospec Cluster Survey (HeCS). The observed clusters cover the redshift range of $0.01<z<0.30$ and the mass range of $\sim 10^{14}-10^{15} {h^{-1}~\rm{M_\odot}}$. Based on three-dimensional mass profiles of simulated clusters reaching beyond the virial radius, our recipe returns MARs that agree with MARs based on merger trees. We adopt this recipe to estimate the MAR of real clusters based on measurements of the mass profile out to $\sim 3R_{200}$. We use the caustic method to measure the mass profiles to these large radii. We demonstrate the validity of our estimates by applying the same approach to a set of mock redshift surveys of a sample of 2000 simulated clusters with a median mass of $M_{200}= 10^{14} {h^{-1}~\rm{M_{\odot}}}$ as well as a sample of 50 simulated clusters with a median mass of $M_{200}= 10^{15} {h^{-1}~\rm{M_{\odot}}}$: the median MARs based on the caustic mass profiles of the simulated clusters are unbiased and agree within $19\%$ with the median MARs based on the real mass profile of the clusters. The MAR of the CIRS and HeCS clusters increases with the mass and the redshift of the accreting cluster, which is in excellent agreement with the growth of clusters in the $\Lambda$CDM model.Comment: 25 pages, 19 figures, 7 table

Influence of pasture feeding on milk and meat products in terms of human health and product quality

Cows are fed either indoors on a diet of mixed ration or in areas with temperate climates, such as Ireland and New Zealand, the feeding regime of dairy and beef herds is almost entirely pasture-based. Animal feeding regimes and herd management practices are linked to differences in organoleptic and nutritional quality attributes of milk, dairy and meat/beef products, with pasture-based feeding systems being associated with superior quality produce. Consumers generally perceive that milk and meat products produced from outdoor grazing pastures are “healthier” than produce derived from indoor feeding systems, based on animals fed typical indoor rations and concentrates. However, while research has demonstrated differences in milk and meat quality, especially in terms of fatty acids, based on different feeding systems, data are limited on the impact of dairy and meat products produced from different feeding systems on human health

POS1464-HPR ASSESSMENT OF EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING IN RHEUMATIC PATIENTS DURING COVID-19 LOCKDOWN THROUGH A WEB-BASED SURVEY APPROACH

Background:The severe measures of lockdown imposed in Italy to limit the SARS coronavirus 2 disease (COVID-19) spread caused an increase of reported anxiety, depression and suicidal rate among general population. Patients affected by rheumatic disorders feature an increased risk of mood disorders for the chronic course of the disease itself and for the related disability.Objectives:Aim of this study was to investigate the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on emotional well-being of a large cohort of rheumatic patients through a telemedicine approach.Methods:Patients in follow-up in rheumatologic out-patient clinics of our hospital were invited to participate to an online survey. They were asked also to invite their best friend, matched for age and sex, to participate the survey, as control group. The online survey included demographic questions and validated, psychometric scales for stress vulnerability (Stress Vulnerability Scale-SVS), resilience (Resilience Scale-RS), depression (Zung's depression questionnaire-Zung-D) and anxiety (Zung's anxiety questionnaire-Zung-A) evaluation.Results:The cohort was composed by 484 subjects (84,1% F, 15,9% M). The number of subjects and the frequency of various diagnosis are shown in Table 1. According to the psychometric scales, 55,5% and 43,3% of subject showed respectively an increased stress vulnerability and a reduced resiliency. Moreover, 64% and 40,5% of the enrolled subjects reported respectively anxiety and depressive symptoms worthy of psychiatric attention. There was a significant different distribution of scores for SVS (p<0,0001), Zung-A (p<0,0001) and Zung-D (p<0,0001) among the various diagnosis. In comparison with controls, higher scores of SVS were present in connective tissue diseases (CTD) (p=0,007), Sjogren's Syndrome (SSJ) (p=0,0029) and fibromyalgia (FM) (p<0,0001) patients, higher scores of Zung-A were present in SSJ (p=0,006) and FM (p<0,0001) patients and higher scores of Zung-D were present in FM (p<0,0001) patients (Figure 1). Ordinal regression analysis showed that higher classes of anxiety were independently predicted by the Tension (β=0,32;CI=0,13-0,52;p=0,003) and Demoralization (β=0,22;CI=0,04-0,44;p=0,046) components of SVS and by the Zung-D score (β=0,09;CI=0,05-0,1;p<0,001), while higher classes of depression were independently predicted by SVS total (β=0,17;CI=0,03-0,30;p=0,012), by its subcomponent Demoralization (β=0,22;CI=0,01-0,43;p=0,038), by a lower absolute RS score (β=-0,083;CI=-0,1--0,06;p<0,001) and by the Zung-A score (β=0,11;CI=0,06-0,15;p<0,001). In both cases, a specific diagnosis was not associated to a higher risk of advanced anxiety and depression classes.Conclusion:Rheumatic patients developed a high frequency of anxiety and depressive symptoms following COVID-19 lockdown, of which a large part should be referred for specialist attention according to their severity. There was a large variability of the symptoms reported among the various diagnosis. CTD, SSJ and FM patients were the most susceptible to the development of anxiety, depression and stress vulnerability. The application of psycometric scales through a telemedicine approach represents a useful tool to identify patients with higher levels of anxiety and depression.Table 1.DIAGNOSISFrequencyPercentControls459,3RA8216,9PSA214,3UA40,8SPA71,4CTD7014,5FM7916,3Myositis81,7Behcet's112,3Vasculitis163,3APS61,2Other AID132,7SSJ12225,2Total484100RA: Rheumatoid Arthritis, PSA: Psoriatic Arthritis; UA: Undifferentiated Arthritis; SPA: Spondyloarthritis; CTD: Connective tissues diseases (including Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Scleroderma, Undifferentiated Connettivitis, Mixed Connettivitis); FM: Fibromyalgia; APS: Anti-phospholipid syndrome; Other AID: Other autoimmune/inflammatory disorders (including Adult-onset Still disease, IgG4 related disease); SSJ: Sjogren SyndromeFigure 1.Disclosure of Interests:None declare

From food waste to eco-friendly functionalized polymer composites: Investigation of orange peels as active filler

: The development of eco-friendly polymer composites with multifunctional properties aligns with the goals of the circular economy agenda, which aims to minimize waste and promote the sustainable use of resources by closing the loop of product life cycles. Eco-friendly polymer composites play a crucial role in achieving these objectives. The present work focuses on the preparation of fully biobased blends obtained by melt mixing a bio-polyester, poly(butylene succinate-co-adipate) (PBSA), with orange peels up to 20&nbsp;wt%, to yield active polymer composites. Orange peels, employed here as natural filler, are largely available from food wastes, they are rich in phenolic compounds and possess antioxidant activity as shown by the experimental tests carried out. The thermal stability of the formulated composites is almost unchanged by the filler addition, showing only a slight decrease of the crystallization temperatures and crystalline fraction within the composites. The mechanical properties of the compounds evidence an increase in the elastic modulus together with a decrease in the tensile strength, while the elongation at break remains almost constant. The incorporation of the natural filler enabled the integration of antioxidant and antibacterial properties, which were absent in the original pristine polymer