Analysis of Four New Enterococcus faecalis Phages and Modeling of a Hyaluronidase Catalytic Domain from Saphexavirus

Background: Phage therapy (PT), as a method to treat bacterial infections, needs identification of bacteriophages targeting specific pathogenic host. Enterococcus faecalis, a Gram-positive coccus resident in the human gastrointestinal tract, may become pathogenic in hospitalized patients showing acquired resistance to vancomycin and thus representing a possible target for PT. Materials and Methods: We isolated four phages that infect E. faecalis and characterized them by host range screening, transmission electron microscopy, and genome sequencing. We also identified and three-dimensional modeled a new hyaluronidase enzyme. Results: The four phages belong to Siphoviridae family: three Efquatrovirus (namely vB_EfaS_TV51, vB_EfaS_TV54, and vB_EfaS_TV217) and one Saphexavirus (vB_EfaS_TV16). All of them are compatible with lytic cycle. vB_EfaS_TV16 moreover presents a gene encoding for a hyaluronidase enzyme. Conclusions: The identified phages show features suggesting their useful application in PT, particularly the Saphexavirus that may be of enhanced relevance in PT because of its potential biofilm-digestion capability

Carbon nanotube film/silicon heterojunction photodetector for new cutting-edge technological devices

Photodetector (PD) devices based on carbon nanotube/n-silicon heterojunction (NSH) have been realized, with a linear response in a large optical power range, proving competitive performances with respect to a recent nanostructure-based detector and those currently available on the market. The core of these devices is a thin semi-transparent and conductive single-walled carbon nanotubes film with a multitask role: junction element, light absorber and transmitter, photocarrier transporting layer, and charge collector. The PD exhibits rise times of some nanoseconds, detecting light from ultraviolet (240 nm) to infrared (1600 nm), and external quantum efficiency reaching 300% in the VIS spectra region

Lessons learned during the development of LEDSAT from the students of the S5Lab

The LEDSAT 1U Cubesat, a satellite roughly 10x10x11cm, was developed between late 2016 and 2021 by students of Sapienza University of Rome. The project was conceived with the help of the University of Michigan and started being developed by space engineering master students of Sapienza in a class context. The team of the S5Lab (Sapienza Space System and Space Surveillance Laboratory) continued the project and applied for the Fly Your Satellite! Programme of ESA Education, which has followed the development of the CubeSat, providing important expert support and periodic reviews. The approach brought to the students an invaluable educational experience as they participated actively in the development of a spacecraft with the typical milestones of satellite projects. The mission objectives of LEDSAT include the use of onboard LEDs for improved orbit determination, experimental attitude determination and backup light communication. Each of the six sides of the CubeSat houses an LED board of a different color (red, green, and blue) with opposite sides with paired color. The LEDs can flash a pattern predefined by radio telecommand and the light is observed using ground telescopes. The design of the spacecraft started in late 2016 and was presented at the selection workshop of the Fly Your Satellite! Programme in May 2017. Final assembly took place in mid-2020 after which the team performed functional and environmental testing between October and December 2020, with the objective of ensuring the survivability of the spacecraft in the space environment and characterization of its behavior. After successful testing, the spacecraft was integrated inside the deployer in July 2021 in Brno, Czech Republic and was launched from Kourou, French Guiana on August 17th, 2021, aboard the Vega VV19 launcher. The spacecraft is now in orbit and operating nominally, with the LED flashes having been observed several times. The development of the spacecraft was not without difficulty, with preventable issues arising through testing that imposed design changes and further analysis - the paper will walk through the project since its conception, throughout the development, the functional and environmental testing of the payload and at system level, emphasizing the lessons learned by the students

Exploratory Study on Chemosensory Event-Related Potentials in Long COVID-19 and Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Common Pathway?

People affected by the Long COVID-19 (LC) syndrome often show clinical manifestations that are similar to those observed in patients with mild cognitive impairments (MCI), such as olfactory dysfunction (OD), brain fog, and cognitive and attentional diseases. This study aimed to investigate the chemosensory-evoked related potentials (CSERP) in LC and MCI to understand if there is a common pathway for the similarity of symptoms associated with these disorders. Eighteen LC patients (mean age 53; s.d. = 7), 12 patients diagnosed with MCI (mean age 67; s.d. = 6), and 10 healthy control subjects (mean age 66; s.d. = 5, 7) were recruited for this exploratory study. All of them performed a chemosensory event-related potentials (CSERP) task with the administration of trigeminal stimulations (e.g., the odorants cinnamaldehyde and eucalyptus). Study results highlighted that MCI and LC showed reduced N1 amplitude, particularly in the left frontoparietal network, involved in working memory and attentional deficits, and a reduction of P3 latency in LC. This study lays the foundations for evaluating aspects of LC as a process that could trigger long-term functional alterations, and CSERPs could be considered valid biomarkers for assessing the progress of OD and an indicator of other impairments (e.g., attentional and cognitive impairments), as they occur in MCI

Composition of the Essential Oil of Coristospermum cuneifolium and Antimicrobial Activity Evaluation

AbstractFor the first time, the chemical composition and antimicrobial evaluation of Coristospermum cuneifolium (previously named Ligusticum lucidum subsp. cuneifolium) essential oil obtained from the aerial parts are reported in this work. Approximately 85% of the total constituents were identified by GC-MS analysis, evidencing the presence of 12 chemical components which belong to several classes of natural compounds. Most of them are reported for the first time in the Ligusticum genus (s.l.) and in the Apiaceae family. Their presence was able to provide a rationale for essential oil use in the field similar to those obtained from other species of the Ligusticum genus (s.l.). Moreover, the huge presence of aromatizing and flavoring components, accounting for 44.4% of the essential oil composition, might make C. cuneifolium a useful natural source of aromatic components for the food and cosmetic fields. In addition to this, a deep comparison of the essential oil of this species with that of other entities within the Ligusticum genus (s.l.) was performed and discussed on a chemotaxonomic basis.The essential oil was tested for its antimicrobial activity at both high and low inoculum (~5×105 and ~ 5×103 cfu/mL, respectively) against several bacterial and fungal strains, including methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 29213), Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), Candida albicans (ATCC 14053), methicillin-resistant S. aureus (clinical strain), carbapenem-susceptible Klebsiella pneumoniae (clinical strain), carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae (clinical strain), and carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (clinical strain).A high potency against C. albicans was shown, with an absence of growth at the concentration of 3.01 mg/mL; similarly, for methicillin-susceptible S. aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus, a reduction of 1.73 and 2 log10 cfu/mL at the concentration of 3.01 mg/mL was observed. With regard to gram-negative microorganisms, only slight potency against A. baumannii was shown, whereas no activity was found against E. coli and K. pneumoniae

Synthesis of a mesoscale ordered 2D-conjugated polymer with semiconducting properties

2D materials with high charge carrier mobility and tunable electronic band gaps have attracted intense research effort for their potential use as active components in nanoelectronics. 2D-conjugated polymers (2DCP) constitute a promising sub-class due to the fact that the electronic band structure can be manipulated by varying the molecular building blocks, while at the same time preserving the key features of 2D materials such as Dirac cones and high charge mobility. The major challenge for their use in technological applications is to fabricate mesoscale ordered 2DCP networks since current synthetic routes yield only small domains with a high density of defects. Here we demonstrate the synthesis of a mesoscale ordered 2DCP with semiconducting properties and Dirac cone structures via Ullmann coupling on Au(111). This material has been obtained by combining rigid azatriangulene precursors and a hot dosing approach which favours molecular diffusion and reduces the formation of voids in the network. These results open opportunities for the synthesis of 2DCP Dirac cone materials and their integration into devices.Comment: 21 pages, 3 figure

From BEXUS to HEMERA: The application of lessons learned on the development and manufacturing of stratospheric payloads at S5Lab

In the last years the S5Lab (Sapienza Space Systems and Space Surveillance Laboratory) from Sapienza University of Rome has given to the students the opportunity to gather knowledge on stratospheric payloads by supporting the design and development of two experiments selected for the participation in the REXUS/BEXUS educational Programme, managed by three european space institutions. The insights and lessons learned gathered during the participations in the REXUS/BEXUS educational programme gave the possibility to the student to take part in the development of a third experiment in the frame of the professional research programme HEMERA and complete it successfully. STRATONAV (STRATOspheric NAVigation experiment) was a stratospheric experiment based on Software Defined Radios (SDRs) technology whose aim was the testing of the VOR (VHF Omnidirectional Range) navigation system, evaluating its performance above the standard service volume, which was launched on BEXUS 22 in October 2016. TARDIS (Tracking and Attitude Radio-based Determination In Stratosphere) was developed as a follow up of STRATONAV between 2018 and 2019. Similarly to its predecessor TARDIS was a stratospheric experiment aimed at exploiting the VOR signal, with the aid of SDRs, to perform in-flight attitude and position determination, and was launched on BEXUS 28 in October 2019. After the launch of TARDIS, a team composed both by former STRATONAV and TARDIS students was formed for the development of a third stratospheric experiment going by the name of STRAINS (Stratospheric Tracking Innovative Systems), conceived by Sapienza University of Rome and ALTEC and supported by ASI. STRAINS main objective was the proof of concept of the possibility of achieving the Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) and the Frequency Difference of Arrival (FDOA) for navigation purposes with the aid of SDRs. The experiment was developed between 2020 and 2021 exploiting the lessons learned from the former team members of the two BEXUS campaigns and was launched on board of the Hemera H2020 stratospheric balloon in September 2021 from Esrange Space Center, Kiruna, Sweden. After a brief description of the stratospheric payloads design and manufacturing, the paper will present the major lessons learned from the previous stratospheric experiments, STRATONAV and TARDIS, and their application to the development and manufacturing of the latest launched stratospheric experiment STRAINS, as well as their educational return to the students involved in the projects

Physical activity practiced at a young age is associated with a less severe subsequent clinical presentation in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy

Background: In facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), it is not known whether physical activity (PA) practiced at young age is associated with the clinical presentation of disease. To assess this issue, we performed a retrospective cohort study concerning the previous practice of sports and, among them, those with medium-high cardiovascular commitment in clinically categorized carriers of a D4Z4 reduced allele (DRA). Methods: People aged between 18 and 60 were recruited as being DRA carriers. Subcategory (classical phenotype, A; incomplete phenotype, B; asymptomatic carriers, C; complex phenotype, D) and FSHD score, which measures muscle functional impairment, were assessed for all participants. Information on PAs was retrieved by using an online survey dealing with the practice of sports at a young age. Results: 368 participants were included in the study, average age 36.6 years (SD = 9.4), 47.6% male. The FSHD subcategory A was observed in 157 (42.7%) participants with average (± SD) FSHD score of 5.8 ± 3.0; the incomplete phenotype (category B) in 46 (12.5%) participants (average score 2.2 ± 1.7) and the D phenotype in 61 (16.6%, average score 6.5 ± 3.8). Asymptomatic carriers were 104 (subcategory C, 28.3%, score 0.0 ± 0.2). Time from symptoms onset was higher for patients with A (15.8 ± 11.1 years) and D phenotype (13.3 ± 11.9) than for patients with B phenotype (7.3 ± 9.0). The practice of sports was associated with lower FSHD score (-17%) in participants with A phenotype (MR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.73-0.95, p = 0.007) and by 33% in participants with D phenotype (MR = 0.67, 95% CI = 0.51-0.89, p = 0.006). Conversely, no improvement was observed in participants with incomplete phenotype with mild severity (B). Conclusions: PAs at a young age are associated with a lower clinical score in the adult A and D FSHD subcategories. These results corroborate the need to consider PAs at the young age as a fundamental indicator for the correct clinical stratification of the disease and its possible evolution