339 research outputs found
UAV photogrammetric survey and image-Based elaborations for an Industrial Plant.
The proposed application of the HBIM methodology for digitising a productive-industrial structure is based on the integration of data from different sources. An aerial photogrammetric survey (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle - UAV) was considered the most appropriate technique for the case. Therefore, a Scan-to-BIM modelling was carried out, keeping in mind a subsequent texturisation of the smart objects employing the photogrammetric images obtained from the UAV survey. Currently, applying the BIM methodology to the built environment is still a challenge; indeed, three-dimensional modelling based on survey point clouds is not automatic. Any BIM software is designed for new constructions, whereas the existing Heritage is characterised by unique and distinctive shapes, where each element has a specific and variable inclination, shape and thickness; therefore, it is necessary to adapt the available tools. Creating intelligent parametric objects capable of representing the unique and singular shapes and geometries of historic architecture is a significant challenge of HBIM modelling. A workflow for the acquisition, processing and management of the survey data and the consequent modelling in a BIM environment of a disused industrial plant previously used as a tobacco factory was formalised. The aim was, therefore, to develop a model that is as close as possible to the real one and, at the same time, still keeps the informative aspects in order to promote the conservation and possible refurbishment of the cultural heritage through the use of photorealistic visualisation tools in real-time. The results confirm the proposed strategy hypotheses and seem to lead to promising future developments
High ATP production fuels cancer drug resistance and metastasis : implications for mitochondrial ATP depletion therapy
Recently, we presented evidence that high mitochondrial ATP production is a new therapeutic target for cancer treatment. Using ATP as a biomarker, we isolated the “metabolically fittest” cancer cells from the total cell population. Importantly, ATP-high cancer cells were phenotypically the most aggressive, with enhanced stem-like properties, showing multi-drug resistance and an increased capacity for cell migration, invasion and spontaneous metastasis. In support of these observations, ATP-high cells demonstrated the up-regulation of both mitochondrial proteins and other protein biomarkers, specifically associated with stemness and metastasis. Therefore, we propose that the “energetically fittest” cancer cells would be better able to resist the selection pressure provided by i) a hostile micro-environment and/or ii) conventional chemotherapy, allowing them to be naturally-selected for survival, based on their high ATP content, ultimately driving tumor recurrence and distant metastasis. In accordance with this energetic hypothesis, ATP-high MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells showed a dramatic increase in their ability to metastasize in a pre-clinical model in vivo. Conversely, metastasis was largely prevented by treatment with an FDA-approved drug (Bedaquiline), which binds to and inhibits the mitochondrial ATP-synthase, leading to ATP depletion. Clinically, these new therapeutic approaches could have important implications for preventing treatment failure and avoiding cancer cell dormancy, by employing ATP-depletion therapy, to target even the fittest cancer cells
MicroRNAs from saliva of anopheline mosquitoes mimic human endogenous miRNAs and may contribute to vector-host-pathogen interactions
During blood feeding haematophagous arthropods inject into their hosts a cocktail of salivary proteins whose main role is to counteract host haemostasis, inflammation and immunity. However, animal body fluids are known to also carry miRNAs. To get insights into saliva and salivary gland miRNA repertoires of the African malaria vector Anopheles coluzzii we used small RNA-Seq and identified 214 miRNAs, including tissue-enriched, sex-biased and putative novel anopheline miRNAs. Noteworthy, miRNAs were asymmetrically distributed between saliva and salivary glands, suggesting that selected miRNAs may be preferentially directed toward mosquito saliva. The evolutionary conservation of a subset of saliva miRNAs in Anopheles and Aedes mosquitoes, and in the tick Ixodes ricinus, supports the idea of a non-random occurrence pointing to their possible physiological role in blood feeding by arthropods. Strikingly, eleven of the most abundant An. coluzzi saliva miRNAs mimicked human miRNAs. Prediction analysis and search for experimentally validated targets indicated that miRNAs from An. coluzzii saliva may act on host mRNAs involved in immune and inflammatory responses. Overall, this study raises the intriguing hypothesis that miRNAs injected into vertebrates with vector saliva may contribute to host manipulation with possible implication for vector-host interaction and pathogen transmission
FEM and Von Mises analysis on prosthetic crowns structural elements: evaluation of different applied materials
The aim of this paper is to underline the mechanical properties of dental single crown prosthodontics materials in order to differentiate the possibility of using each material for typical clinical condition and masticatory load. Objective of the investigation is to highlight the stress distribution over different common dental crowns by using computer-aided design software and a three-dimensional virtual model. By using engineering systems of analyses like FEM and Von Mises investigations it has been highlighted the strength over simulated lower first premolar crowns made by chrome cobalt alloy, golden alloy, dental resin, and zirconia. The prosthodontics crown models have been created and put on simulated chewing stresses. The three-dimensional models were subjected to axial and oblique forces and both guaranteed expected results over simulated masticatory cycle. Dental resin presented the low value of fracture while high values have been recorded for the metal alloy and zirconia. Clinicians should choose the better prosthetic solution for the teeth they want to restore and replace. Both prosthetic dental crowns offer long-term success if applied following the manufacture guide limitations and suggestions
Could nearby star-forming galaxies light up the point-like neutrino sky?
Star-forming and starburst galaxies, which are well-known cosmic-rays
reservoirs, are expected to emit gamma-rays and neutrinos predominantly via
hadronic collisions. In this Letter, we analyze the 10-year Fermi-LAT spectral
energy distributions of 13 nearby galaxies by means of a physical model which
accounts for high-energy proton transport in starburst nuclei and includes the
contribution of primary and secondary electrons. In particular, we test the
hypothesis that the observed gamma-ray fluxes are mostly due to star-forming
activity, in agreement with the available star formation rates coming from IR
and UV observations. Through this observation-based approach, we determine the
most-likely neutrino counterpart from star-forming and starburst galaxies and
quantitatively assess the ability of current and upcoming neutrino telescopes
to detect them as point-like sources. Remarkably, we find that the cores of the
Small Magellanic Cloud and the Circinus galaxy are potentially observable by
KM3NeT/ARCA with 6 years of observation. Moreover, most of the nearby galaxies
are likely to be just a factor of a few below the KM3NeT and IceCube-Gen2
point-like sensitivities. After investigating the prospects for detection of
gamma-rays above TeV energies from these sources, we conclude that the joint
observations of high-energy neutrinos and gamma-rays with upcoming telescopes
will be an objective test for our emission model and may provide compelling
evidence of star-forming activity as a tracer of neutrino production.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figure
[4th European bi-annual conference on the Hydrogeology of Karst and Carbonate Reservoirs, Eurokarst2024]
[Article in Italian]
4° edizione della Conferenza EUROKARST: Conferenza Europea Biennale sull’idrogeologia degli acquiferi carsici e carbonatici, Eurokarst202
Starburst galaxies strike back: a multi-messenger analysis with Fermi-LAT and IceCube data
Starburst galaxies, which are known as "reservoirs" of high-energy
cosmic-rays, can represent an important high-energy neutrino "factory"
contributing to the diffuse neutrino flux observed by IceCube. In this paper,
we revisit the constraints affecting the neutrino and gamma-ray hadronuclear
emissions from this class of astrophysical objects. In particular, we go beyond
the standard prototype-based approach leading to a simple power-law neutrino
flux, and investigate a more realistic model based on a data-driven blending of
spectral indexes, thereby capturing the observed changes in the properties of
individual emitters. We then perform a multi-messenger analysis considering the
extragalactic gamma-ray background (EGB) measured by Fermi-LAT and different
IceCube data samples: the 7.5-year High-Energy Starting Events (HESE) and the
6-year high-energy cascade data. Along with starburst galaxies, we take into
account the contributions from blazars and radio galaxies as well as the
secondary gamma-rays from electromagnetic cascades. Remarkably, we find that,
differently from the highly-constrained prototype scenario, the spectral index
blending allows starburst galaxies to account for up to of the HESE
events at CL, while satisfying the limit on the non-blazar EGB
component. Moreover, values of for the maximal
energy of accelerated cosmic-rays by supernovae remnants inside the starburst
are disfavoured in our scenario. In broad terms, our analysis points out that a
better modeling of astrophysical sources could alleviate the tension between
neutrino and gamma-ray data interpretation.Comment: 20 pages, 15 figures. v2: updated to published versio
Porphyromonas gingivalis, Periodontal and Systemic Implications: A Systematic Review
In recent scientific literature, oral infections and systemic manifestations, or correlations between oral health and systemic diseases are a topic of discussion. Porphyromonas gingivalis is one of the bacteria implicated in the biofilm formation of bacterial plaque, and plays an important role in the progression of periodontal disease. In this systematic review authors have evaluated the literature of the last 10 years on P. gingivalis and all the systemic implications proven. This study therefore evaluates all the districts of the organism in which this bacterium may have implications. From the results it emerges that P. gingivalis has implications in the onset of different systemic pathologies, including rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular pathologies, and neurodegenerative pathologies. Surely, understanding the mechanisms of diffusion of this bacterium, it would be possible to prevent a series of pathologies. Thus, putting the dentist clinician at the center of prevention for these diseases
Effect of external PEEP in patients under controlled mechanical ventilation with an auto-PEEP of 5Â cmH2O or higher.
In some patients with auto-positive end-expiratory pressure (auto-PEEP), application of PEEP lower than auto-PEEP maintains a constant total PEEP, therefore reducing the inspiratory threshold load without detrimental cardiovascular or respiratory effects. We refer to these patients as complete PEEP-absorbers. Conversely, adverse effects of PEEP application could occur in patients with auto-PEEP when the total PEEP rises as a consequence. From a pathophysiological perspective, all subjects with flow limitation are expected to be complete PEEP-absorbers, whereas PEEP should increase total PEEP in all other patients. This study aimed to empirically assess the extent to which flow limitation alone explains a complete PEEP-absorber behavior (i.e., absence of further hyperinflation with PEEP), and to identify other factors associated with it.One hundred patients with auto-PEEP of at least 5 cmH2O at zero end-expiratory pressure (ZEEP) during controlled mechanical ventilation were enrolled. Total PEEP (i.e., end-expiratory plateau pressure) was measured both at ZEEP and after applied PEEP equal to 80 % of auto-PEEP measured at ZEEP. All measurements were repeated three times, and the average value was used for analysis.Forty-seven percent of the patients suffered from chronic pulmonary disease and 52 % from acute pulmonary disease; 61 % showed flow limitation at ZEEP, assessed by manual compression of the abdomen. The mean total PEEP was 7 ± 2 cmH2O at ZEEP and 9 ± 2 cmH2O after the application of PEEP (p < 0.001). Thirty-three percent of the patients were complete PEEP-absorbers. Multiple logistic regression was used to predict the behavior of complete PEEP-absorber. The best model included a respiratory rate lower than 20 breaths/min and the presence of flow limitation. The predictive ability of the model was excellent, with an overoptimism-corrected area under the receiver operating characteristics curve of 0.89 (95 % CI 0.80-0.97).Expiratory flow limitation was associated with both high and complete PEEP-absorber behavior, but setting a relatively high respiratory rate on the ventilator can prevent from observing complete PEEP-absorption. Therefore, the effect of PEEP application in patients with auto-PEEP can be accurately predicted at the bedside by measuring the respiratory rate and observing the flow-volume loop during manual compression of the abdomen
A mitochondrial based oncology platform for targeting cancer stem cells (CSCs) : MITO-ONC-RX
Here, we wish to propose a new systematic approach to cancer therapy, based on the targeting of mitochondrial metabolism, especially in cancer stem cells (CSCs). In the future, we envision that anti-mitochondrial therapy would ultimately be practiced as an add-on to more conventional therapy, largely for the prevention of tumor recurrence and cancer metastasis. This mitochondrial based oncology platform would require a panel of FDA-approved therapeutics (e.g. Doxycycline) that can safely be used to inhibit mitochondrial OXPHOS and/or biogenesis in CSCs. In addition, new therapeutics that target mitochondria could also be developed, to optimize their ability to eradicate CSCs. Finally, in this context, mitochondrial-based biomarkers (i.e. “Mito-signatures”) could be utilized as companion diagnostics, to identify high-risk cancer patients at diagnosis, facilitating the early detection of tumor recurrence and the prevention of treatment failure. In summary, we suggest that new clinical trials are warranted to test and possibly implement this emerging treatment strategy, in a variety of human cancer types. This general approach, using FDA-approved antibiotics to target mitochondria, was effective in killing CSCs originating from many different cancer types, including DCIS, breast (ER(+) and ER(-)), prostate, ovarian, lung and pancreatic cancers, as well as melanoma and glioblastoma, among others. Thus, we propose the term MITO-ONC-RX, to describe this anti-mitochondrial platform for targeting CSCs. The use of re-purposed FDA-approved drugs will undoubtedly help to accelerate the clinical evaluation of this approach, as these drugs can move directly into Phase II clinical trials, saving considerable amounts of time (10–15 y) and billions in financial resources
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