Comparing P2PTV Traffic Classifiers

Peer-to-Peer IP Television (P2PTV) applications represent one of the fastest growing application classes on the Internet, both in terms of their popularity and in terms of the amount of traffic they generate. While network operators require monitoring tools that can effectively analyze the traffic produced by these systems, few techniques have been tested on these mostly closed-source, proprietary applications. In this paper we examine the properties of three traffic classifiers applied to the problem of identifying P2PTV traffic. We report on extensive experiments conducted on traffic traces with reliable ground truth information, highlighting the benefits and shortcomings of each approach. The results show that not only their performance in terms of accuracy can vary significantly, but also that their usability features suggest different effective aspects that can be integrate

Effects of hyaluronic acid injections on pain and functioning in patients affected by tendinopathies: a narrative review

BACKGROUND: Tendinopathies are overuse tendon injuries showing load-dependant pain, stiffness, weakness of movement in the affected area, and impairment in the movements. The scientific interest on the role of Hyaluronic Acid (HA) for the management of tendinopathies has been increased due to its anti-inflammatory and lubricative properties. OBJECTIVE: To collect evidence regarding the effectiveness and safety of HA injections in reducing pain in patients affected by tendinopathies. METHODS: A scientific literature search was conducted using the PubMed, Medline and PEDro electronic databases. The databases were searched since their inception until July 2021. The search was limited to English language articles. Different combinations of the terms and MeSH terms 'tendinopathy', 'tendinosis', 'tendinitis', 'hyaluronic acid', 'hyaluronate', 'infiltration', 'hyaluronic injections', 'viscosupplementation' connected with various boolean operators were used for other electronic databases. RESULTS: One hundred and one records were identified from the selected databases plus three additional papers identified by the authors through other sources. After removing duplicated papers and title/abstract screening, 19 studies were included in our review (eight papers on shoulder, three on elbow, four on hand, one on knee, and three on ankle). CONCLUSION: The results showed that none of the studies report severe adverse effects and most of them support the use of HA injections in tendinopathies, with a special attention to pain reduction and functional assessment. Further studies are warranted to better investigate effects and methods of administration of HA in tendinopathies

Anthraquinone Rhein Exhibits Antibacterial Activity against Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) represents an important pathogen of clinical relevance, causing a wide variety of symptoms. The broad distribution of multidrug-resistant strains necessarily demands new antibacterial agents for the treatment of S. aureus infections. The aim of this study was to assess the antibacterial activity of plant-derived compounds, pure 4,5″-dihydroxy-anthraquinone-2-carboxylic acid (Rhein), against standard and clinical isolated S. aureus strains. The hemolysis and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assays were used to determine the cytotoxicity on human erythrocytes and bronchial epithelial cells after treatment with Rhein. The antibacterial effect was assessed via disk diffusion test, broth microdilution methods, time-killing assays and live–dead evaluation (50–0.39 µg/mL). Rhein effect on the hemolytic activity of α-toxin and catalase were estimated. Moreover, crystal violet (CV) assay evaluated its impact on biofilm biomass. The compound exhibited 50% cytotoxic concentration (CC50) and 50% hemolysis concentration (EC50) of 43.6 and >50 µg/mL, respectively. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Rhein was 12.5 µg/mL for all tested strains, exerting bacteriostatic action. MIC and sub-MIC concentrations of Rhein significantly reduced hemolytic and catalase activities, impairing the major virulence factors of S. aureus strains. Rhein also reduced biofilm biomass in a dose-dependent manner, reaching rates of about 50% eradication at a dose of 50 µg/mL. These findings suggest that Rhein could represent a promising therapeutic option for the treatment of S. aureus infections

The efficacy of instrumental physical therapy through extracorporeal shock wave therapy in the treatment of plantar fasciitis: an umbrella review

(1) Background: Plantar fasciitis (PF) is the most common cause of heel pain in adults. Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) is a minimally invasive treatments commonly used for treating PF. Our aim is to provide a complete overview of which treatments have been compared to ESWT, with a focus on the modalities that have been used. (2) Methods: A thorough search of the literature was performed on Medline via Pubmed, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR) of the Cochrane Library and Physiotherapy Evidence Databases (PEDro) up to 18 November 2021. In the study were included only systematic reviews and meta-analysis in English language, published from 2010 to date. (3) Results: A total of 14 systematic reviews and meta-analysis were included in the umbrella review. A total of eight studies compared the efficacy of ESWT treatment with placebo, three studies compared ESWT with another therapy (two studies compared ESWT and corticosteroids, one study ESWT and ultrasound therapy), and three studies had more than one comparison. (4) Conclusions: When compared to placebo, ESWT demonstrated to be effective. More randomized trials with specific comparisons between different types and intensity of SW are needed to obtain more precise information on SW effectiveness

Hijacking SARS-CoV-2/ACE2 Receptor Interaction by Natural and Semi-synthetic Steroidal Agents Acting on Functional Pockets on the Receptor Binding Domain

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory tract infection caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS)-CoV-2. In light of the urgent need to identify novel approaches to be used in the emergency phase, we have embarked on an exploratory campaign aimed at repurposing natural substances and clinically available drugs as potential anti-SARS-CoV2-2 agents by targeting viral proteins. Here we report on a strategy based on the virtual screening of druggable pockets located in the central β-sheet core of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike's protein receptor binding domain (RBD). By combining an in silico approach and molecular in vitro testing we have been able to identify several triterpenoid/steroidal agents that inhibit interaction of the Spike RBD with the carboxypeptidase domain of the Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE2). In detail, we provide evidence that potential binding sites exist in the RBD of the SARS CoV-2 Spike protein and that occupancy of these pockets reduces the ability of the RBD to bind to the ACE2 consensus in vitro. Naturally occurring and clinically available triterpenoids such as glycyrrhetinic and oleanolic acids, as well as primary and secondary bile acids and their amidated derivatives such as glyco-ursodeoxycholic acid and semi-synthetic derivatives such as obeticholic acid reduces the RBD/ACE2 binding. In aggregate, these results might help to define novel approaches to COVID-19 based on SARS-CoV-2 entry inhibitors

Lipid biomarkers in statin users with coronary artery disease annotated by coronary computed tomography angiography

Molecular markers are suggested to improve the diagnostic and prognostic accuracy in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) beyond current clinical scores based on age, gender, symptoms and traditional risk factors. In this context, plasma lipids are emerging as predictors of both plaque composition and risk of future events. We aim to identify plasma lipid biomarkers associated to CAD indexes of stenosis severity, plaque lipid content and a comprensive score of CAD extent and its risk. We used a simple high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method to identify 69 plasma lipids in 132 subjects referred to Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography (CCTA) for suspected CAD, all under statin treatment. Patients were stratified in groups using three different CCTA-based annotations: CTA-risk score, lipid plaque prevalence (LPP) ratio and the coronary artery disease-reporting and data system (CAD-RADS). We identified a common set of lipid biomarkers composed of 7 sphingomyelins and 3 phosphatidylethanolamines, which discriminates between high risk CAD patients and controls regardless of the CAD annotations used (CTA score, LPP ratio, or CAD-RADS). These results highlight the potential of circulating lipids as biomarkers of stenosis severity, non calcified plaque composition and overall plaque risk of events.Cardiolog

Self-assembled or mixed peptide amphiphile micelles from herpes simplex virus glycoproteins as potential immunomodulatory treatment

The use of micelle aggregates formed from peptide amphiphiles (PAs) as potential synthetic self-adjuvant vaccines to treat Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection are reported here. The PAs were based on epitopes gB409-505 and gD301-309, selected from HSV envelope glycoprotein B (gB) and glycoprotein D (gD), that had their N-terminus modified with hydrophobic moieties containing two C18 hydrocarbon chains. Pure and mixed micelles of gB and/or gD peptide epitopes were easily prepared after starting with the synthesis of corresponding PAs by solid phase methods. Structural characterization of the aggregates confirmed that they were sufficiently stable and compatible with in vivo use: critical micelle concentration values around 4.0 · 10-7 mol · Kg-1; hydrodynamic radii (RH) between 50-80 nm, and a zeta potential (ζ) around -40 mV were found for all aggregates. The in vitro results indicate that both peptide epitopes and micelles, at 10 μM, triggered U937 and RAW 264.7 cells to release appreciable levels of cytokines. In particular, interleukin (IL)-23-, IL-6-, IL-8- or macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-2-, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α-release increased considerably when cells were treated with the gB-micelles or gD-micelles compared with the production of the same cytokines when the stimulus was the single gB or gD peptid

Can agricultural cultivation methods influence the healthfulness of crops for foods

The aim of the current study was to investigate if there are any health effects of long-term consumption of organically grown crops using a rat model. Crops were retrieved over two years from along-term field trial at three different locations in Denmark, using three different cultivation systems(OA, organic based on livestock manure; OB, organic based on green manure; and C, conventional with mineral fertilizers and pesticides)with two field replicates. The cultivation system had an impact on the nutritional quality, affecting γ-tocopherol, some amino acids, and fatty acid composition. Additionally, the nutritional quality was affected by harvest year and location. However, harvest year and location rather than cultivation system affected the measured health biomarkers. In conclusion, the differences in dietary treatments composed of ingredients from different cultivation systems did not lead to significant differences in the measured health biomarkers, except for a significant difference in plasma IgGl evels

The human diabetes proteome project (HDPP): The 2014 update

Diabetes is an increasing worldwide problem leading to major associated health issues and increased health care costs. In 2012, 9.3% of the American population was affected by diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association, with 1.7 million of new cases since during the year (www.diabetes.org). Proteome initiatives can provide a deeper understanding of the biology of this disease and help develop more effective treatments. The collaborative effort of the Human Diabetes Proteome Project (HDPP) brings together a wide variety of complementary resources to increase the existing knowledge about both type 1 and type 2 diabetes and their related complications. The goals are to identify proteins and protein isoforms associated with the pathology and to characterize underlying disease-related pathways and mechanisms. Moreover, a considerable effort is being made on data integration and network biology. Sharing these data with the scientific community will be an important part of the consortium. Here we report on: the content of the HDPP session held at the 12th HUPO meeting in Yokohama; recent achievements of the consortium; discussions of several HDPP workshops; as well as future HDPP directions as discussed at the 13th HUPO congress in Madrid, with a special attention given to the lists of prioritized, diabetes-related proteins and the proteomic means to study them.</p