Collisions of low-energy antiprotons with molecular hydrogen: ionization, excitation and stopping power

A time-dependent coupled-channel approach was used to calculate ionization, excitation, and energy-loss cross sections as well as energy spectra for antiproton and proton collisions with molecular hydrogen for impact energies 8 keV < E < 4000 keV.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, conference LEAP0

Initial Experimental Tests of an ANN-Based Microwave Imaging Technique for Neck Diagnostics

In this letter, a microwave imaging strategy based on an artificial neural network (ANN) is applied, for the first time, to experimental data gathered from simplified neck phantoms. The ANN is used for solving the underlying inverse scattering problem, with the aim of retrieving the dielectric properties of the neck for monitoring and diagnostic purposes. The ANN is trained using simulated phantoms, to overcome the limited availability of experimental data. First, a simple configuration with a liquid-filled glass beaker is tested. Then, simplified 3-D-printed models of the human neck are considered. The preliminary findings indicate the possibility of training the network with numerical simulations and testing it against experimental measurements

Numerical Study of the Optical Response of ITO-In2O3 Core-Shell Nanocrystals for Multispectral Electromagnetic Shielding

Nowadays materials to protect equipment from unwanted multispectral electromagnetic waves are needed in a broad range of applications including electronics, medical, military and aerospace. However, the shielding materials currently in use are bulky and work effectively only in a limited frequency range. Therefore, nanostructured materials are under investigation by the relevant scientific community. In this framework, the design of multispectral shielding nanomaterials must be supplemented with proper numerical models that allow dealing with non-linearities and being effective in predicting their absorption spectra. In this study, the electromagnetic response of metal-oxide nanocrystals with multispectral electromagnetic shielding capability has been investigated. A numerical framework was developed to predict energy bands and electron density profiles of a core-shell nanocrystal and to evaluate its optical response at different wavelengths. To this aim, a finite element method software is used to solve a non-linear Poisson's equation. The numerical simulations allowed to model the optical response of ITO-In2O3 core-shell nanocrystals and can be effectively applied to different nanotopologies to support an enhanced design of nanomaterials with multispectral shielding capabilities

Design and Characterization of Modified Comb Patch Antennas

This work deals with the proposal of a novel type of microstrip antenna, called MCPA the modified comb patch antenna. The proposed antennas is composed of n parallel conductors, fed by a common microstrip. A dedicated mathematical framework, based on the multiconductors transmission line formalism, is proposed for antenna analysis and design. The analytical model is numerically validated with full-wave simulations, resulting in a 5% error in the predicted resonant patch length. A numerical study of antenna matching, size, radiation performance is carried out. The matching increases as the number of conductors increases, whilst gain of comb antennas made of n conductors are about half dB higher than the equivalent full patch counterpart. Then, an eighty conductors was realized and measured to assess the frequency response of the antenna, as well as its radiation performances. An error of 1% between the predicted and measured value resonance frequency was observed. A difference of about 0.67 dB was found for the measured maximum antenna gain, with respect to the simulated one. The proposed antenna design is appealing for printed electronics and wearable, on-textile applications

Microwaves as Diagnostic Tool for Pituitary Tumors: Preliminary Investigations

To date, tumors, the second cause of death worldwide, are a modern medicine plight. The development of rapid, cost-effective and reliable prevention and diagnostics tools is mandatory to support clinicians and ensure patients' adequate intervention. Pituitary tumors are a class of neoplasm, which calls for suitable and ad hoc diagnostic tools. Recently, microwaves have gained interest as a non-ionizing, non-invasive valuable diagnostic approach for identifying pathologic tissues according to their dielectric properties. This work deals with the preliminary investigation of the feasibility of using microwaves to diagnose pituitary tumors. In particular, it focuses on benign tumors of the adenohypophysis, e.g., the pituitary adenomas. It is assumed to access the region of interest of the pituitary region by following a trans-sphenoidal approach. The problem was modeled by developing an equivalent transmission line model of the multi-layered, lossy tissues (front bone of sphenoid sinuses, air in the sinuses, posterior bone of sphenoid sinuses, the pituitary gland and the tumor). The forward problem was developed to investigate the transmission coefficient for identifying the most favorable propagation conditions. Then, it was analyzed if, by the solution of an inverse problem, it is possible to reconstruct the permittivity and electrical conductivity profiles and identify the tumor presence. The results are promising since a maximum reconstruction error of 8% is found, in the worst case, thus paving the way for the use of microwaves for the diagnosis of pituitary tumors

Lentivirus-meditated frataxin gene delivery reverses genome instability in Friedreich ataxia patient and mouse model fibroblasts

Friedreich ataxia (FRDA) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease caused by deficiency of frataxin protein, with the primary sites of pathology being the large sensory neurons of the dorsal root ganglia and the cerebellum. FRDA is also often accompanied by severe cardiomyopathy and diabetes mellitus. Frataxin is important in mitochondrial iron–sulfur cluster (ISC) biogenesis and low-frataxin expression is due to a GAA repeat expansion in intron 1 of the FXN gene. FRDA cells are genomically unstable, with increased levels of reactive oxygen species and sensitivity to oxidative stress. Here we report the identification of elevated levels of DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) in FRDA patient and YG8sR FRDA mouse model fibroblasts compared to normal fibroblasts. Using lentivirus FXN gene delivery to FRDA patient and YG8sR cells, we obtained long-term overexpression of FXN mRNA and frataxin protein levels with reduced DSB levels towards normal. Furthermore, γ-irradiation of FRDA patient and YG8sR cells revealed impaired DSB repair that was recovered on FXN gene transfer. This suggests that frataxin may be involved in DSB repair, either directly by an unknown mechanism, or indirectly via ISC biogenesis for DNA repair enzymes, which may be essential for the prevention of neurodegeneration.Ataxia UK, FARA Australasia and FARA US

Estrogen Prevents Oxidative Damage to the Mitochondria in Friedreich's Ataxia Skin Fibroblasts

Estrogen and estrogen-related compounds have been shown to have very potent cytoprotective properties in a wide range of disease models, including an in vitro model of Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA). This study describes a potential estrogen receptor (ER)-independent mechanism by which estrogens act to protect human FRDA skin fibroblasts from a BSO-induced oxidative insult resulting from inhibition of de novo glutathione (GSH) synthesis. We demonstrate that phenolic estrogens, independent of any known ER, are able to prevent lipid peroxidation and mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) collapse, maintain ATP at near control levels, increase oxidative phosphorylation and maintain activity of aconitase. Estrogens did not, however, prevent BSO from depleting GSH or induce an increased expression level of GSH. The cytoprotective effects of estrogen appear to be due to a direct overall reduction in oxidative damage to the mitochondria, enabling the FRDA fibroblast mitochondria to generate sufficient ATP for energy requirements and better survive oxidative stress. These data support the hypothesis that phenol ring containing estrogens are possible candidate drugs for the delay and/or prevention of FRDA symptoms

Altered gene expression and DNA damage in peripheral blood cells from Friedreich's ataxia patients: Cellular model of pathology

The neurodegenerative disease Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA) is the most common autosomal-recessively inherited ataxia and is caused by a GAA triplet repeat expansion in the first intron of the frataxin gene. In this disease, transcription of frataxin, a mitochondrial protein involved in iron homeostasis, is impaired, resulting in a significant reduction in mRNA and protein levels. Global gene expression analysis was performed in peripheral blood samples from FRDA patients as compared to controls, which suggested altered expression patterns pertaining to genotoxic stress. We then confirmed the presence of genotoxic DNA damage by using a gene-specific quantitative PCR assay and discovered an increase in both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA damage in the blood of these patients (p<0.0001, respectively). Additionally, frataxin mRNA levels correlated with age of onset of disease and displayed unique sets of gene alterations involved in immune response, oxidative phosphorylation, and protein synthesis. Many of the key pathways observed by transcription profiling were downregulated, and we believe these data suggest that patients with prolonged frataxin deficiency undergo a systemic survival response to chronic genotoxic stress and consequent DNA damage detectable in blood. In conclusion, our results yield insight into the nature and progression of FRDA, as well as possible therapeutic approaches. Furthermore, the identification of potential biomarkers, including the DNA damage found in peripheral blood, may have predictive value in future clinical trials

Quantitative In Vivo Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Using Synthetic Signal Injection

Accurate conversion of magnetic resonance spectra to quantitative units of concentration generally requires compensation for differences in coil loading conditions, the gains of the various receiver amplifiers, and rescaling that occurs during post-processing manipulations. This can be efficiently achieved by injecting a precalibrated, artificial reference signal, or pseudo-signal into the data. We have previously demonstrated, using in vitro measurements, that robust pseudo-signal injection can be accomplished using a second coil, called the injector coil, properly designed and oriented so that it couples inductively with the receive coil used to acquire the data. In this work, we acquired nonlocalized phosphorous magnetic resonance spectroscopy measurements from resting human tibialis anterior muscles and used pseudo-signal injection to calculate the Pi, PCr, and ATP concentrations. We compared these results to parallel estimates of concentrations obtained using the more established phantom replacement method. Our results demonstrate that pseudo-signal injection using inductive coupling provides a robust calibration factor that is immune to coil loading conditions and suitable for use in human measurements. Having benefits in terms of ease of use and quantitative accuracy, this method is feasible for clinical use. The protocol we describe could be readily translated for use in patients with mitochondrial disease, where sensitive assessment of metabolite content could improve diagnosis and treatment

Autosomal recessive cerebellar ataxias

Autosomal recessive cerebellar ataxias (ARCA) are a heterogeneous group of rare neurological disorders involving both central and peripheral nervous system, and in some case other systems and organs, and characterized by degeneration or abnormal development of cerebellum and spinal cord, autosomal recessive inheritance and, in most cases, early onset occurring before the age of 20 years. This group encompasses a large number of rare diseases, the most frequent in Caucasian population being Friedreich ataxia (estimated prevalence 2–4/100,000), ataxia-telangiectasia (1–2.5/100,000) and early onset cerebellar ataxia with retained tendon reflexes (1/100,000). Other forms ARCA are much less common. Based on clinicogenetic criteria, five main types ARCA can be distinguished: congenital ataxias (developmental disorder), ataxias associated with metabolic disorders, ataxias with a DNA repair defect, degenerative ataxias, and ataxia associated with other features. These diseases are due to mutations in specific genes, some of which have been identified, such as frataxin in Friedreich ataxia, α-tocopherol transfer protein in ataxia with vitamin E deficiency (AVED), aprataxin in ataxia with oculomotor apraxia (AOA1), and senataxin in ataxia with oculomotor apraxia (AOA2). Clinical diagnosis is confirmed by ancillary tests such as neuroimaging (magnetic resonance imaging, scanning), electrophysiological examination, and mutation analysis when the causative gene is identified. Correct clinical and genetic diagnosis is important for appropriate genetic counseling and prognosis and, in some instances, pharmacological treatment. Due to autosomal recessive inheritance, previous familial history of affected individuals is unlikely. For most ARCA there is no specific drug treatment except for coenzyme Q10 deficiency and abetalipoproteinemia