Surface chemical transformations of poly(ether ether ketone) ; Adsorption/migration of selectively-functionalized polystyrenes from a polystyrene matrix/

Several carbonyl-selective reactions were carried out with semicrystalline poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) film to assess the reactivity of the diaryl ketones at the film-solution interface. Surface analyses with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy (ATR IR) and contact angle measurement indicate that a thin layer of reagent-induced functionality results from these derivatizations in roughly 50% reaction yield. Data obtained indicate that derivatized surfaces can be functionalized further. Several PEEK-alcohol surfaces were prepared containing primary, secondary and tertiary alcohols, and the secondary and tertiary species were chain extended by reaction with lithium diisopropylamide and ethylene oxide. Primary alcohol groups were introduced by reacting PEEK with acetaldehyde lithiopropyl ethyl acetal and subsequent deprotection. Secondary alcohols were produced by reducing PEEK with Red-Al\circler reagent, and tertiary hydroxyls result from reaction with methyllithium. In general, the alcohol surfaces were reactive toward electrophiles. XPS and contact angle measurement were used to follow surface reconstruction in heat-treated samples containing specific concentrations of surface active polystyrenes (SAP) in a polystyrene matrix (Mn = 10 K). The objective was to determine how certain molecular and environmental parameters influence surface reconstruction. The SAPs were prepared with three different architectures: the first (SAP:E-1) (Mn = 1, 5, 10, 40 and 100 K) contained a single perfluoroalkyl endgroup, the second (SAP:E-2) (Mn = 10 K) contained two fluorinated endgroups and the third contained a single perfluoroalkyl group in the middle of the chain (SAP:M-1) (Mn = 10 K). SAP:E-1 samples were annealed at different temperatures (180, 150, 110\sp\circC and room temperature) for varied lengths of time (24, 48, 72, 96, 120 h and two weeks) to determine optimum annealing conditions to maximize surface fluorine enrichment (as detected by XPS). Comparison of these data indicate the effect of increasing polystyrene tail length on surface-activity of perfluoroalkyl groups. Optimum annealing conditions were used for heat treatment of SAP:E-2 and SAP:M-1 samples and comparisons were made on the basis of differences in architecture

Digital approach for the rehabilitation of the edentulous maxilla with pterygoid and standard implants: The static and dynamic computer-aided protocols

A full-arch rehabilitation of the edentulous upper jaw without grafting procedures exploits the residual alveolar or the basal bone, with the necessity of long implants placed with a particular orientation. The precision in planning and placing the fixtures is fundamental to avoid clinical problems and to allow an acceptable connection with the prosthesis. The computer-aided implantology resulted in more accuracy than the traditional one, with a high standard of correspondence between the virtual project and the real outcome. This paper reports about the two different digital protocols, static and dynamic, as support to implant-borne prosthetic rehabilitation of edentulous maxillae. Two pterygoid and two/four anterior standard implants were seated in both cases by two different operators, without flap raising, and immediately loaded. This approach avoided the posterior cantilever by-passing the maxillary sinus and was adequately planned and realized without any surgical or prosthetic error. The two digital flow-charts were described step by step, underlining each other’s advantages and drawbacks compared to a free-hand approach

Current Developments of Analytical Methodologies for Aflatoxins’ Determination in Food during the Last Decade (2013–2022), with a Particular Focus on Nuts and Nut Products

This review aims to provide a clear overview of the most important analytical development in aflatoxins analysis during the last decade (2013-2022) with a particular focus on nuts and nuts-related products. Aflatoxins (AFs), a group of mycotoxins produced mainly by certain strains of the genus Aspergillus fungi, are known to impose a serious threat to human health. Indeed, AFs are considered carcinogenic to humans, group 1, by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Since these toxins can be found in different food commodities, food control organizations worldwide impose maximum levels of AFs for commodities affected by this threat. Thus, they represent a cumbersome issue in terms of quality control, analytical result reliability, and economical losses. It is, therefore, mandatory for food industries to perform analysis on potentially contaminated commodities before the trade. A full perspective of the whole analytical workflow, considering each crucial step during AFs investigation, namely sampling, sample preparation, separation, and detection, will be presented to the reader, focusing on the main challenges related to the topic. A discussion will be primarily held regarding sample preparation methodologies such as partitioning, solid phase extraction (SPE), and immunoaffinity (IA) related methods. This will be followed by an overview of the leading analytical techniques for the detection of aflatoxins, in particular liquid chromatography (LC) coupled to a fluorescence detector (FLD) and/or mass spectrometry (MS). Moreover, the focus on the analytical procedure will not be specific only to traditional methodologies, such as LC, but also to new direct approaches based on imaging and the ability to detect AFs, reducing the need for sample preparation and separative techniques

Management of a Complex Case during COVID-19 Time Using One-day Digital Dentistry: A Case Report

Aim and objective: The aim of the present case report is to describe the digital management of an implant prosthetic rehabilitation performed by the use of different digital technologies, which allowed to successfully perform in 1 day both the surgical and the prosthetical stages with a minimally invasive approach and a high standard of care. Background: Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is affecting dental everyday practice. Clinicians have to reduce the number of patients per day and the time they spend in the dental office. Minimally invasive and digital approaches, with less possible exposure and interaction, are suggested to reduce the risk of infection. Case description: The failure of a short-span implant prosthetic rehabilitation combined with pain and mobility of the involved teeth was the main complaint reported by a 78-year-old male patient, who asked an urgent appointment to solve the problem. An intraoral scanner allowed the clinician to immediately take a preliminary digital impression of the arch to be treated. The resulting 3D files were sent by e-mail to the dental technician who provided a digital wax-up for the computerized workflow. Computer-aided implantology (CAI) performed using an in-office cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) allowed clinician to guide the surgical approach in a prosthetic manner. Such an integration inside a well-defined workflow was the key for a successful and rapid treatment. Conclusion: By using new innovative digital technology, the treatment was completed in 1 day, reducing the risk of COVID-19 by limiting the number of appointments and reducing contacts in confined environments like the dental office and public transportations. It also helped to reduce materials production and people movement in the treatment of dental emergency. Clinical significance: The possibility of performing an effective treatment saving time by using efficient technology and a minimally invasive procedure highlights the importance of digital planning in order to optimize every single step of the treatment. Digital workflow reduces also the movement of potentially infected materials from the office to the dental laboratory

Prevalence of toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis in an Australian adult population: A community-based study

Purpose: Toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis is the most common clinical manifestation of an infection with the protozoan parasite, Toxoplasma gondii. Up to 50 % of the human population is estimated to be infected with T. gondii; however, the epidemiology of toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis has not been widely reported. We sought to estimate the prevalence of toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis in Australia using data that were collected as part of the Busselton Healthy Ageing Study. Design: oss-sectional, community-based, prospective cohort study. Participants: 5020 Australian adults (2264 men and 2756 women; age range, 45–69 years, and median age, 58 years). Methods : Retinal color photographs, centered on the optic disc and macula, were captured using a digital retinal camera after the dilation of the pupils. Three uveitis-subspecialized ophthalmologists assessed each pigmented retinal lesion, and complete concordance of opinion was required to assign a toxoplasmic etiology. Serum T. gondii immunoglobulin (Ig)G levels were measured for those participants with retinal lesions judged to be toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis. Main Outcome Measures : Prevalence of toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis. Results: Eight participants (0.16 %) had retinal lesions that were considered to have the characteristic appearance of toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis, plus detectable serum T. gondii IgG, consistent with the diagnosis of toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis. On the assumption that 23.81 % of retinal lesions occur at the posterior pole, as reported in a community-based survey conducted in Brazil (Sci Rep. 2021;11:3420), the prevalence of toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis was estimated to be 0.67 % or 1 per 149 persons. Conclusions: Toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis is common in Australian adults. Efforts to quantify and address risk factors for human infection with T. gondii are justified

The comparison of outcomes from tyrosine kinase inhibitor monotherapy in second- or third-line for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer patients with wild-type or unknown EGFR status

Background: Second-line treatment for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients includes monotherapy with a third-generation cytotoxic drug (CT) or a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). These options are the actual standard for EGFR wild-type (WT) status, as patients with EGFR mutations achieve greater benefit by the use of TKI in first-line treatment. Some clinical trials and meta-analyses investigated the comparison between CT and TKI in second-line, but data are conflicting. Methods: We designed a retrospective trial to gather information about TKI sensitivity in comparison with CT. We selected from clinical records patients treated with at least 1 line of CT and at least 1 line of TKI. We collected data about age, sex, performance status, comorbidity, smoking status, histotype, metastatic sites, EGFR status, treatment schedule, better response and time-to-progression (TTP) for each line of treatment and overall survival (OS). Results: 93 patients met selection criteria. Mean age 66,7 (range: 46-84). M/F ratio is 3:1. 39 EGFR-WT and 54 EGFR-UK. All patients received erlotinib or gefitinib as second-line treatment or erlotinib as third-line treatment. No TTP differences were observed for both second-line (HR:0,91; p = 0,6333) and third-line (HR:1.1; p = 0,6951) treatment (TKI vs CT). A trend of a benefit in OS in favor of 3rd-line TKI (HR:0,68; p = 0,11). Conclusions: This study explores the role of TKIs in EGFR non-mutated NSCLC patients. OS analysis highlights a trend to a benefit in patients who received TKI in third-line, even if this result is statistically non-significant. Further analysis are needed to find an explanation for this observation

The comparison of outcomes from tyrosine kinase inhibitor monotherapy in second- or third-line for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer patients with wild-type or unknown EGFR status

none18noBackground: Second-line treatment for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients includes monotherapy with a third-generation cytotoxic drug (CT) or a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). These options are the actual standard for EGFR wild-type (WT) status, as patients with EGFR mutations achieve greater benefit by the use of TKI in first-line treatment. Some clinical trials and meta-analyses investigated the comparison between CT and TKI in second-line, but data are conflicting. Methods: We designed a retrospective trial to gather information about TKI sensitivity in comparison with CT. We selected from clinical records patients treated with at least 1 line of CT and at least 1 line of TKI. We collected data about age, sex, performance status, comorbidity, smoking status, histotype, metastatic sites, EGFR status, treatment schedule, better response and time-to-progression (TTP) for each line of treatment and overall survival (OS). Results: 93 patients met selection criteria. Mean age 66,7 (range: 46-84). M/F ratio is 3:1. 39 EGFR-WT and 54 EGFR-UK. All patients received erlotinib or gefitinib as second-line treatment or erlotinib as third-line treatment. No TTP differences were observed for both second-line (HR:0,91; p = 0,6333) and third-line (HR:1.1; p = 0,6951) treatment (TKI vs CT). A trend of a benefit in OS in favor of 3rd-line TKI (HR:0,68; p = 0,11). Conclusions: This study explores the role of TKIs in EGFR non-mutated NSCLC patients. OS analysis highlights a trend to a benefit in patients who received TKI in third-line, even if this result is statistically non-significant. Further analysis are needed to find an explanation for this observation.openBronte G.; Franchina T.; Alu M.; Sortino G.; Celesia C.; Passiglia F.; Savio G.; Laudani A.; Russo A.; Picone A.; Rizzo S.; De Tursi M.; Gambale E.; Bazan V.; Natoli C.; Blasi L.; Adamo V.; Russo A.Bronte, G.; Franchina, T.; Alu, M.; Sortino, G.; Celesia, C.; Passiglia, F.; Savio, G.; Laudani, A.; Russo, A.; Picone, A.; Rizzo, S.; De Tursi, M.; Gambale, E.; Bazan, V.; Natoli, C.; Blasi, L.; Adamo, V.; Russo, A

Hypomethylation of the IL17RC promoter in peripheral blood leukocytes is not a hallmark of age-related macular degeneration

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works License, which permits non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of visual impairment worldwide. Aberrant DNA methylation within the promoter of IL17RC in peripheral blood mononuclear cells has recently been reported in AMD. To validate this association, we examined DNA methylation of the IL17RC promoter in peripheral blood. First, we used Illumina Human Methylation450 Bead Arrays, a widely accepted platform for measuring global DNA methylation. Second, methylation status at multiple sites within the IL17RC promoter was determined by bisulfite pyrosequencing in two cohorts. Third, a methylation-sensitive quantitative PCR-based assay was performed on a subset of samples. In contrast to previous findings, we did not find evidence of differential methylation between AMD cases and age-matched controls. We conclude that hypomethylation within the IL17RC gene promoter in peripheral blood is not suitable for use as a clinical biomarker of AMD. This study highlights the need for considerable replication of epigenetic association studies prior to clinical application

The future of Cybersecurity in Italy: Strategic focus area

This volume has been created as a continuation of the previous one, with the aim of outlining a set of focus areas and actions that the Italian Nation research community considers essential. The book touches many aspects of cyber security, ranging from the definition of the infrastructure and controls needed to organize cyberdefence to the actions and technologies to be developed to be better protected, from the identification of the main technologies to be defended to the proposal of a set of horizontal actions for training, awareness raising, and risk management