Photovoltaic characterization of di-branched organic sensitizers for DSSCs.

In this work, the data on the effect of peripheral functionalization of a series of triphenylamine based di-branched dyes used as sensitizers in dye-sensitized solar cells are presented. The effect of different alkyl functionalities on the donor moiety upon the optical and photovoltaics parameters have been investigated in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) using a 10-μm TiO2 active layer. The absorption spectra, output efficiency, and incident photon to conversion efficiency of the DSSCs have been collected. The data can be exploited for properly designing efficient, stable, and industrially viable dyes for third generation solar devices

Geomonumental routes: the granitic bridges over the Guadarrama river (Madrid, Spain) and the calcarenitic coastal towers from the Salento (Italy)

8 pages, 7 figures.-- Published in: Proceedings of the 11th International Congress on Deterioration and Conservation of Stone (Torun Poland, 15-20 September 2008), eds. Jadwiga W. Lukaszewicz and Piotr Niemcewicz.-- Presentation in PDF format available at: https://digital.csic.es/handle/10261/7648.This paper focuses on the new concept of GeoMonumental Routes, which mainly consists of the dissemination of architectural heritage with the added value of geology. Geology, so far, has not been considered in all its aspects in architectural heritage: i.e. geography, geomorphology, quarries provenance, building stones, and their relationship with historical and architectural aspects, constructive techniques and technological developments, as well as the connection of heritage structures to the settlement of historical routes. For this purpose, two scientific teams have gathered to develop two of this kind of routes following a common methodology, based on different geographical context, geological settlement, history, structure tipology and building stones.Thanks are given to both Ministries of Education from Spain and Italy for granting the CSIC-CNR bilateral cooperation project (2006IT0021).Peer reviewe

Endothelial cell-derived nidogen-1 inhibits migration of SK-BR-3 breast cancer cells

BACKGROUND: The tumour microenvironment is a critical regulator of malignant cancer progression. While endothelial cells have been widely studied in the context of tumour angiogenesis, their role as modulators of cancer cell invasion and migration is poorly understood. METHODS: We have investigated the influence of endothelial cells on the invasive and migratory behaviour of human cancer cells in vitro. RESULTS: Upon exposure to culture supernatants of endothelial cells, distinct cancer cells, such as SK-BR-3 cells, showed significantly increased invasion and cell migration concomitant with changes in cell morphology and gene expression reminiscent of an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Interestingly, the pro-migratory effect on SK-BR-3 cells was significantly enhanced by supernatants obtained from subconfluent, proliferative endothelial cells rather than from confluent, quiescent endothelial cells. Systematically comparing the supernatants of subconfluent and confluent endothelial cells by quantitative MS proteomics revealed eight candidate proteins that were secreted at significantly higher levels by confluent endothelial cells representing potential inhibitors of cancer cell migration. Among these proteins, nidogen-1 was exclusively expressed in confluent endothelial cells and was found to be necessary and sufficient for the inhibition of SK-BR-3 cell migration. Indeed, SK-BR-3 cells exposed to nidogen-1-depleted endothelial supernatants showed increased promigratory STAT3 phosphorylation along with increased cell migration. This reflects the situation of enhanced SK-BR-3 migration upon stimulation with conditioned medium from subconfluent endothelial cells with inherent absence of nidogen-1 expression. CONCLUSION: The identification of nidogen-1 as an endothelial-derived inhibitor of migration of distinct cancer cell types reveals a novel mechanism of endothelial control over cancer progression

Breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infections in MS patients on disease-modifying therapies

Background: Patients with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) treated with anti-CD20 or fingolimod showed a reduced humoral response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. Objective: In this study we aimed to monitor the risk of breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infection in pwMS on different disease-modifying therapies (DMTs). Methods: Data on the number of vaccinated patients and the number of patients with a breakthrough infection were retrospectively collected in 27 Italian MS centers. We estimated the rate of breakthrough infections and of infection requiring hospitalization per DMT. Results: 19,641 vaccinated pwMS were included in the database. After a median follow-up of 8 months, we observed 137 breakthrough infections. Compared with other DMTs, the rate of breakthrough infections was significantly higher on ocrelizumab (0.57% vs 2.00%, risk ratio (RR) = 3.55, 95% CI = 2.74-4.58, p < 0.001) and fingolimod (0.58% vs 1.62%, RR = 2.65, 95% CI = 1.75-4.00, p < 0.001), while there were no significant differences in any other DMT group. In the ocrelizumab group the hospitalization rate was 16.7% versus 19.4% in the pre-vaccination era (RR = 0.86, p = 0.74) and it was 3.9% in all the other DMT groups versus 11.9% in the pre-vaccination period (RR = 0.33, p = 0.02). Conclusions: The risk of breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infections is higher in patients treated with ocrelizumab and fingolimod, and the rate of severe infections was significantly reduced in all the DMTs excluding ocrelizumab