Carbon Quantum Dots from Lemon Waste Enable Communication among Biodevices

A bioinspired method of communication among biodevices based on fluorescent nanoparticles is herein presented. This approach does not use electromagnetic waves but rather the exchange of chemical systems—a method known as molecular communication. The example outlined was based on the fluorescence properties of carbon dots and follows a circular economy approach as the method involves preparation from the juice of lemon waste. The synthesis is herein presented, and the fluorescence properties and diffusion coefficient are evaluated. The application of carbon dots to molecular communication was studied from a theoretical point of view by numerically solving the differential equation that governs the phenomenon. The theoretical results were used to develop a prototype molecular communication platform that enables the communication of simple messages via aqueous fluids to a fluorescence-detecting biodevice receiver

Modeling microevolution in a changing environment: The evolving quasispecies and the Diluted Champion Process

Several pathogens use evolvability as a survival strategy against acquired immunity of the host. Despite their high variability in time, some of them exhibit quite low variability within the population at any given time, a somehow paradoxical behavior often called the evolving quasispecies. In this paper we introduce a simplified model of an evolving viral population in which the effects of the acquired immunity of the host are represented by the decrease of the fitness of the corresponding viral strains, depending on the frequency of the strain in the viral population. The model exhibits evolving quasispecies behavior in a certain range of its parameters, ans suggests how punctuated evolution can be induced by a simple feedback mechanism.Comment: 15 pages, 12 figures. Figures redrawn, some additional clarifications in the text. To appear in Journal of Statistical Mechanics: Theory and Experimen

Assessing the Origin of Phosphonic Acid Residues in Organic Vegetable and Fruit Crops: The Biofosf Project Multi-Actor Approach

Recently, on the EU market, phosphonic acid residues were detected in many organic goods, although fosetyl-derivates and phosphite salts are not allowed by Reg. EC n. 889/2009. The BIOFOSF project "Solving phosphite issue in organic fruit and horticultural crops" aimed at verifying whether the phosphonic acid contamination could be due to unproper use of fertilizers/plant protection products by organic farmers, or to the plant's ability to self-produce it spontaneously. Applying a participative approach, field case-studies on potato, rocket lettuce, and pears were carried out (organic vs. integrated systems). The ethyl-phosphonic acid and phosphonic acid were determined in soil, tubers, leaves, fruits, tree woody organs, used fertilizers, and plant protection products to correlate them to the applied farming management. Tested crops were not able to self-synthetize phosphonic acid, being its detection due to: (i) external inputs not allowed in organic farming; (ii) fertilizers/plant protection products allowed in organic farming, contaminated by fosetyl or phosphite. In addition, it was found that tree crops can stock the phosphite in their woody organs, then translocate it from branches to leaves and fruits over time. Regression models applied to field data showed that fruit trees decontamination could take more than 5 years, depending on the starting value of phosphonic acid contamination, useful to define the phosphite maximum residue limit in organic fruit crops

Carbon Quantum Dots as Fluorescence Nanochemosensors for Selective Detection of Amino Acids

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Longitudinal changes of SARA scale in Friedreich ataxia: Strong influence of baseline score and age at onset

BACKGROUND: The Scale for Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA) is widely used in different types of ataxias and has been chosen as the primary outcome measure in the European natural history study for Friedreich ataxia (FA). METHODS: To assess distribution and longitudinal changes of SARA scores and its single items, we analyzed SARA scores of 502 patients with typical-onset FA (<25 years) participating in the 4-year prospective European FA Consortium for Translational Studies (EFACTS). Pattern of disease progression was determined using linear mixed-effects regression models. The chosen statistical model was re-fitted in order to estimate parameters and predict disease progression. Median time-to-change and rate of score progression were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and weighted linear regression models, respectively. RESULTS: SARA score at study enrollment and age at onset were the major predictive factors of total score progression during the 4-year follow-up. To a less extent, age at evaluation also influenced the speed of SARA progression, while disease duration did not improve the prediction of the statistical model. Temporal dynamics of total SARA and items showed a great variability in the speed of score increase during disease progression. Gait item had the highest annual progression rate, with median time for one-point score increase of 1 to 2 years. INTERPRETATION: Analyses of statistical properties of SARA suggest a variable sensitivity of the scale at different disease stages, and provide important information for population selection and result interpretation in future clinical trials

The Clinical Impact of Methotrexate-Induced Stroke-Like Neurotoxicity in Paediatric Departments: An Italian Multi-Centre Case-Series

IntroductionStroke-like syndrome (SLS) is a rare subacute neurological complication of intrathecal or high-dose (&gt;= 500 mg) Methotrexate (MTX) administration. Its clinical features, evoking acute cerebral ischaemia with fluctuating course symptoms and a possible spontaneous resolution, have elicited interest among the scientific community. However, many issues are still open on the underlying pathogenesis, clinical, and therapeutic management and long-term outcome. Materials and MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed clinical, radiological and laboratory records of all patients diagnosed with SLS between 2011 and 2021 at 4 National referral centers for Pediatric Onco-Hematology. Patients with a latency period that was longer than 3 weeks between the last MTX administration of MTX and SLS onset were excluded from the analysis, as were those with unclear etiologies. We assessed symptom severity using a dedicated arbitrary scoring system. Eleven patients were included in the study. ResultsThe underlying disease was acute lymphoblastic leukemia type B in 10/11 patients, while fibroblastic osteosarcoma was present in a single subject. The median age at diagnosis was 11 years (range 4-34), and 64% of the patients were women. Symptoms occurred after a mean of 9.45 days (+/- 0.75) since the last MTX administration and lasted between 1 and 96 h. Clinical features included hemiplegia and/or cranial nerves palsy, paraesthesia, movement or speech disorders, and seizure. All patients underwent neuroimaging studies (CT and/or MRI) and EEG. The scoring system revealed an average of 4.9 points (+/- 2.3), with a median of 5 points (maximum 20 points). We detected a linear correlation between the severity of the disease and age in male patients. ConclusionsSLS is a rare, well-characterized complication of MTX administration. Despite the small sample, we have been able to confirm some of the previous findings in literature. We also identified a linear correlation between age and severity of the disease, which could improve the future clinical management

Test of GET Electronics for the CHIMERA and FARCOS multi-detectors

open30openDe Luca, S.; Acosta, L.; Auditore, L.; Boiano, C.; Cardella, G.; Castoldi, A.; D'Andrea, M.; De Filippo, E.; Dell'Aquila, D.; Fichera, F.; Gnoffo, B.; Guazzoni, C.; Lanzalone, G.; Lombardo, I.; Martorana, N. S.; Minniti, T.; Norella, S.; Pagano, A.; Pagano, E. V.; Papa, M.; Pirrone, S.; Politi, G.; Quattrocchi, L.; Rizzo, F.; Russotto, P.; Sacca', G.; Trifiro', A.; Trimarchi, M.; Verde, G.; Vigilante, M.De Luca, S.; Acosta, L.; Auditore, L.; Boiano, C.; Cardella, GIUSEPPE MICHELE OSVALDO; Castoldi, Andrea; D'Andrea, M.; De Filippo, E.; Dell'Aquila, D.; Fichera, F.; Gnoffo, B.; Guazzoni, Chiara; Lanzalone, G.; Lombardo, I.; Martorana, N. S.; Minniti, T.; Norella, S.; Pagano, A.; Pagano, E. V.; Papa, M.; Pirrone, S.; Politi, G.; Quattrocchi, L.; Rizzo, F.; Russotto, P.; Sacca', G.; Trifiro', A.; Trimarchi, M.; Verde, G.; Vigilante, M

Inter-rater agreement of CDC criteria and ASEPSIS score in assessing surgical site infections after cesarean section: a prospective observational study

ObjectiveTo assess and compare the inter-rater agreement of the CDC criteria and the ASEPSIS score in identifying surgical site infections after cesarean section.MethodsProspective observational study including 110 patients subjected to a cesarean section at our institution. Surgical wounds were managed according to standard care and were photographed on the third, seventh, and thirtieth postoperative day or during any evaluation in case of complications. Three expert surgeons reviewed the prospectively gathered data and photographs and classified each wound using CDC criteria and the ASEPSIS score. The inter-rater agreements of CDC criteria and ASEPSIS score were determined with Krippendorff's Alpha with linear weights and compared with a confidence interval approach.ResultsThe weighted α coefficient for CDC criteria was 0.587 (95%CI, 0.411–0.763, p &lt; 0.001, “moderate” agreement according to Altman's interpretation of weighted agreement coefficient), while the weighted α coefficient for the ASEPSIS score was 0.856 (95%CI, 0.733–0.980, p &lt; 0.001, “very good” agreement).ConclusionASEPSIS score presents a “very good” inter-rater agreement for surgical site infections identification after cesarean, resulting in a more objective method than CDC criteria (“moderate” inter-rater agreement). ASEPSIS score could represent an objective tool for managing and monitoring surgical site infections after cesarean section, also by photographic evaluation

Mitogenomes from Egyptian Cattle Breeds: New Clues on the Origin of Haplogroup Q and the Early Spread of Bos taurus from the Near East

Background Genetic studies support the scenario that Bos taurus domestication occurred in the Near East during the Neolithic transition about 10 thousand years (ky) ago, with the likely exception of a minor secondary event in Italy. However, despite the proven effectiveness of whole mitochondrial genome data in providing valuable information concerning the origin of taurine cattle, until now no population surveys have been carried out at the level of mitogenomes in local breeds from the Near East or surrounding areas. Egypt is in close geographic and cultural proximity to the Near East, in particular the Nile Delta region, and was one of the first neighboring areas to adopt the Neolithic package. Thus, a survey of mitogenome variation of autochthonous taurine breeds from the Nile Delta region might provide new insights on the early spread of cattle rearing outside the Near East. Methodology Using Illumina high-throughput sequencing we characterized the mitogenomes from two cattle breeds, Menofi (N = 17) and Domiaty (N = 14), from the Nile Delta region. Phylogenetic and Bayesian analyses were subsequently performed. Conclusions Phylogenetic analyses of the 31 mitogenomes confirmed the prevalence of haplogroup T1, similar to most African cattle breeds, but showed also high frequencies for haplogroups T2, T3 and Q1, and an extremely high haplotype diversity, while Bayesian skyline plots pointed to a main episode of population growth ~12.5 ky ago. Comparisons of Nile Delta mitogenomes with those from other geographic areas revealed that (i) most Egyptian mtDNAs are probably direct local derivatives from the founder domestic herds which first arrived from the Near East and the extent of gene flow from and towards the Nile Delta region was limited after the initial founding event(s); (ii) haplogroup Q1 was among these founders, thus proving that it underwent domestication in the Near East together with the founders of the T clades

Practice patterns and 90-day treatment-related morbidity in early-stage cervical cancer

To evaluate the impact of the Laparoscopic Approach to Cervical Cancer (LACC) Trial on patterns of care and surgery-related morbidity in early-stage cervical cancer