Noise Removal from Remote Sensed Images by NonLocal Means with OpenCL Algorithm

We introduce a multi-platform portable implementation of the NonLocal Means methodology aimed at noise removal from remotely sensed images. It is particularly suited for hyperspectral sensors for which real-time applications are not possible with only CPU based algorithms. In the last decades computational devices have usually been a compound of cross-vendor sets of specifications (heterogeneous system architecture) that bring together integrated central processing (CPUs) and graphics processor (GPUs) units. However, the lack of standardization resulted in most implementations being too specific to a given architecture, eliminating (or making extremely difficult) code re-usability across different platforms. In order to address this issue, we implement a multi option NonLocal Means algorithm developed using the Open Computing Language (OpenCL) applied to Hyperion hyperspectral images. Experimental results demonstrate the dramatic speed-up reached by the algorithm on GPU with respect to conventional serial algorithms on CPU and portability across different platforms. This makes accurate real time denoising of hyperspectral images feasible

Toxicological Aspects Associated with Consumption from Electronic Nicotine Delivery System (ENDS): Focus on Heavy Metals Exposure and Cancer Risk

Tobacco smoking remains one of the leading causes of premature death worldwide. Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDSs) are proposed as a tool for smoking cessation. In the last few years, a growing number of different types of ENDSs were launched onto the market. Despite the manufacturing differences, ENDSs can be classified as “liquid e-cigarettes” (e-cigs) equipped with an atomizer that vaporizes a liquid composed of vegetable glycerin (VG), polypropylene glycol (PG), and nicotine, with the possible addition of flavorings; otherwise, the “heated tobacco products” (HTPs) heat tobacco sticks through contact with an electronic heating metal element. The presence of some metals in the heating systems, as well as in solder joints, involves the possibility that heavy metal ions can move from these components to the liquid, or they can be adsorbed into the tobacco stick from the heating blade in the case of HTPs. Recent evidence has indicated the presence of heavy metals in the refill liquids and in the mainstream such as arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), and lead (Pb). The present review discusses the toxicological aspects associated with the exposition of heavy metals by consumption from ENDSs, focusing on metal carcinogenesis risk

Potential Harm of IQOS Smoke to Rat Liver

The Food and Drug Administration has recently classified the IQOS electronic cigarette as a modified-risk tobacco product. However, IQOS cigarettes still release various harmful constituents typical of conventional cigarettes (CCs), although the concentrations are markedly lower. Here, we investigated the damaging effects of IQOS smoking on the liver. Male Sprague Dawley rats were exposed, whole body, 5 days/week for 4 weeks to IQOS smoke (4 sticks/day), and hepatic xenobiotic metabolism, redox homeostasis and lipidomic profile were investigated. IQOS boosted reactive radicals and generated oxidative stress. Exposure decreased cellular reserves of total glutathione (GSH) but not GSH-dependent antioxidant enzymes. Catalase and xanthine oxidase were greater in the exposed group, as were various hepatic CYP-dependent monooxygenases (CYP2B1/2, CYP1A1, CYP2A1, CYP2E1-linked). Respiratory chain activity was unaltered, while the number of liver mitochondria was increased. IQOS exposure had an impact on the hepatic lipid profile. With regard to the expression of some MAP kinases commonly activated by CC smoking, IQOS increased the p-p38/p38 ratio, while erythroid nuclear transcription factor 2 (Nrf2) was negatively affected. Our data suggest that IQOS significantly impairs liver function, supporting the precautionary stance taken by the WHO toward the use of these devices, especially by young people and pregnant women

On the toxicity of e-cigarettes consumption: Focus on pathological cellular mechanisms

Tobacco smoking remains without a doubt one of the leading causes of premature death worldwide. In combination with conventional protocols for smoking cessation, e-cigarettes have been proposed as a useful tool to quit smoking. Advertised as almost free of toxic effects, e-cigarettes have rapidly increased their popularity, becoming a sought-after device, especially among young people. Recently some health concerns about e-cigarette consumption are being raised. It is well known that they can release several toxic compounds, some of which are carcinogenic to humans, and emerging results are now outlining the risks related to the onset of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and even cancer. The present review shows the emerging evidence about the role of technical components of the devices, the e-liquid composition as well as customization by consumers. The primary topics we discuss are the main toxicological aspects associated with e-cigarette consumption, focusing on the molecular pathways involved. Here it will be shown how exposure to e-cigarette aerosol induces stress/mitochondrial toxicity, DNA breaks/fragmentation following the same pathological pathways triggered by tobacco smoke, including the deregulation of molecular signalling axis associated with cancer progression and cell migration. Risk to fertility and pregnancy, as well as cardiovascular risk associated with e-cigarette use, have also been reported.This work was supported by a grant from the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research. S.G., PhD fellowship grants were awarded from the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research. L.R. and F.V. postdoctoral fellowship grant was cofounded by D.C., M.P., S.C., and P.R.; I.C-C. was supported by a postdoctoral fellowship from the Andalusian Government Ministry of Economy, Knowledge, Business, and University (DOC_00587/2020).Peer reviewe

The genetic architecture of membranous nephropathy and its potential to improve non-invasive diagnosis

Membranous Nephropathy (MN) is a rare autoimmune cause of kidney failure. Here we report a genome-wide association study (GWAS) for primary MN in 3,782 cases and 9,038 controls of East Asian and European ancestries. We discover two previously unreported loci, NFKB1 (rs230540, OR = 1.25, P = 3.4 × 10-12) and IRF4 (rs9405192, OR = 1.29, P = 1.4 × 10-14), fine-map the PLA2R1 locus (rs17831251, OR = 2.25, P = 4.7 × 10-103) and report ancestry-specific effects of three classical HLA alleles: DRB1*1501 in East Asians (OR = 3.81, P = 2.0 × 10-49), DQA1*0501 in Europeans (OR = 2.88, P = 5.7 × 10-93), and DRB1*0301 in both ethnicities (OR = 3.50, P = 9.2 × 10-23 and OR = 3.39, P = 5.2 × 10-82, respectively). GWAS loci explain 32% of disease risk in East Asians and 25% in Europeans, and correctly re-classify 20-37% of the cases in validation cohorts that are antibody-negative by the serum anti-PLA2R ELISA diagnostic test. Our findings highlight an unusual genetic architecture of MN, with four loci and their interactions accounting for nearly one-third of the disease risk

Noise Removal from Remote Sensed Images by NonLocal Means with OpenCL Algorithm

We introduce a multi-platform portable implementation of the NonLocal Means methodology aimed at noise removal from remotely sensed images. It is particularly suited for hyperspectral sensors for which real-time applications are not possible with only CPU based algorithms. In the last decades computational devices have usually been a compound of cross-vendor sets of specifications (heterogeneous system architecture) that bring together integrated central processing (CPUs) and graphics processor (GPUs) units. However, the lack of standardization resulted in most implementations being too specific to a given architecture, eliminating (or making extremely difficult) code re-usability across different platforms. In order to address this issue, we implement a multi option NonLocal Means algorithm developed using the Open Computing Language (OpenCL) applied to Hyperion hyperspectral images. Experimental results demonstrate the dramatic speed-up reached by the algorithm on GPU with respect to conventional serial algorithms on CPU and portability across different platforms. This makes accurate real time denoising of hyperspectral images feasible

Perturbazione dell’omeostasi redox, del metabolismo degli xenobiotici ed effetti cocancerogeni della vitamina E

In virtù delle sue eccellenti proprietà antiossidanti negli studi di laboratorio, la vitamina E (VE) è stata per lungo tempo considerata come un dei più promettenti agenti chemiopreventivi di origine naturale. Tuttavia, le evidenze epidemiologiche più recenti non confermano tale beneficio su larga scala. Inoltre, alcuni trial randomizzati su pazienti sani al momento dell’arruolamento, hanno addirittura evidenziato un rischio d’incidenza di cancro alla prostata (CP) maggiore nel gruppo d’intervento in cui la VE è stata somministrata. È noto come la VE possa indurre alcune isoforme del CYP450 (CYP’s) sia in modelli in vitro che in vivo. L’up-regulation del sistema monoosigenasico P450 dipendente è associato ad un aumento significativo di specie reattive dell’ossigeno (ROS). Si è ipotizzato quindi che la VE potesse agire, in determinate condizioni, come un agente proossidante mediante l’induzione di alcune isoforme CYP’s. Somministrando VE a ratti Sprague-Dawley giornalmente per 7 o 14 giorni consecutivi ai dosaggi di 100 o 200 mg/kg p.c., è stato osservato una significativa induzione di alcuni CYP’s, a livello epatico. I livelli aumentati di ROS, di marcatori di stress ossidativo congiuntamente alla riduzione dell’attività di alcuni enzimi antiossidanti come catalasi (CAT) e NADPH:chinone reduttasi (NQ01), indicano come la VE possa compromettere l’omeostasi redox epatica. Anche a livello prostatico si osserva un incremento marcato dell’espressione genica di alcuni CYP’s, quindi dell’attività catalitica associata. L’aumento della concentrazione di ROS, in linea con marcatori di danno ossidativo proteico e lipidico, è stato infine confermato anche nella prostata. Utilizzando un modello in vitro basato sull’esposizione di cellule di prostata umana RWPE-1, è stato osservato, ancora una volta, una marcata induzione di alcuni CYP’s, incluse le isoforme responsabili dell’attivazione degli Idrocarburi Policiclici Aromatici (IPA), accompagnata da un significativo aumento di ROS. Inoltre, il pathway pro-infiammatorio COX-2-dipendente risulta incrementato, caratteristica che si osserva in diverse forme di CP. In vitro, i test di genotossicià hanno rilevato un’aumentata frequenza dei micronuclei (MN), inoltre lo studio della trasformazione cellulare mediante l’uso di cellule BALB/c 3T3 preincubate con VE e successivamente esposte a benzo[a]pirene, ha mostrato un significativo incremento della frequenza di trasformazione. Il presente studio dimostra come la VE possa, in determinate condizioni, agire come cocancerogeno tramite un meccanismo CYP-dipendente, causando un aumento della bioattivazione e dei ROS con conseguente effetto pro-infiammatorio, danno al DNA e promozione della trasformazione cellulare. Tali risultati possono contribuire a spiegare l’aumento dell’incidenza del CP in pazienti che hanno assunto VE a scopo chemiopreventivo

Toxicological Aspects Associated with Consumption from Electronic Nicotine Delivery System (ENDS): Focus on Heavy Metals Exposure and Cancer Risk

Tobacco smoking remains one of the leading causes of premature death worldwide. Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDSs) are proposed as a tool for smoking cessation. In the last few years, a growing number of different types of ENDSs were launched onto the market. Despite the manufacturing differences, ENDSs can be classified as “liquid e-cigarettes” (e-cigs) equipped with an atomizer that vaporizes a liquid composed of vegetable glycerin (VG), polypropylene glycol (PG), and nicotine, with the possible addition of flavorings; otherwise, the “heated tobacco products” (HTPs) heat tobacco sticks through contact with an electronic heating metal element. The presence of some metals in the heating systems, as well as in solder joints, involves the possibility that heavy metal ions can move from these components to the liquid, or they can be adsorbed into the tobacco stick from the heating blade in the case of HTPs. Recent evidence has indicated the presence of heavy metals in the refill liquids and in the mainstream such as arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), and lead (Pb). The present review discusses the toxicological aspects associated with the exposition of heavy metals by consumption from ENDSs, focusing on metal carcinogenesis risk

Effects of heated tobacco products on the liver

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently classified the electronic cigarette (e-cig) with heat-not-burn technology IQOS as a modified risk tobacco product (MRTP), thus increasing the perception of its safety. To date, independent studies do not outline a clear toxicological profile of these devices and the World Health Organization (WHO) considers new electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDSs) as potentially harmful. Furthermore, the “aerosol” generated by IQOS contains a large number of harmful substances such as tobacco specific nitrosamines (TSNA), toxic aldehydes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and carbon monoxide, although in a lower concentration than conventional cigarettes (CCs). This study aimed to investigate the putative impact of IQOS aerosol on the liver, a secondary target, in an in vivo model. Male Sprague Dawley rats were exposed, whole body, for 4 weeks to IQOS aerosol and free radicals’ production, oxidative damage and antioxidant activity were analysed. Additionally, drug metabolism and mitochondrial enzymatic activity as well as lipidic profile were investigated. The results obtained indicates that IQOS devices may not only be harmful to primary target organs, such as the the lungs, but also affect liver function. The results, even if preliminary, support the precautionary attitude imposed by WHO towards these devices