Recent developments in the reduction of oxidative stress through antioxidant polymeric formulations

Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) are produced endogenously in our body, or introduced through external factors, such as pollution, cigarette smoke, and excessive sunlight exposure. In normal conditions, there is a physiological balance between pro-oxidant species and antioxidant molecules that are able to counteract the detrimental effect of the former. Nevertheless, when this homeostasis is disrupted, the resulting oxidative stress can lead to several pathological conditions, from inflammation to cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. In this review, we report on the recent developments of different polymeric formulations that are able to reduce the oxidative stress, from natural extracts, to films and hydrogels, and finally to nanoparticles (NPs)

Optical characterisation and study of ex vivo glioma tissue for hyperspectral imaging during neurosurgery

In recent years, hyperspectral imaging (HSI) has demonstrated the capacity to non-invasively differentiate tumours from healthy tissues and identify cancerous regions during surgery, particularly for glioma resection. This is thanks to the use of a relatively large number of adjacent wavelength bands, in order to reconstruct full reflectance spectra of each pixel in the acquired images of the target, thus providing information about its morpho-chemical composition. However, current HSI analysis approaches seem not to fully exploit such advantage, since they mostly tend to focus on tissue features recognition and cancer identification based on supervised algorithm trained upon diagnostic evaluations made by the neurosurgeons or from other diagnostic tools (e.g., histopathology). There is indeed a lack of proper broad-range, optical characterisation of tumour tissue, specifically gliomas, which could provide a more objective, comprehensive and quantitative insight in the spectro-chemistry of the tumour itself and help identifying novel biomarkers for cancer imaging via HSI. For this purpose, we present a fully optical characterisation of fresh ex vivo samples of glioma from surgical biopsies using both a laboratory spectrophotometer and an in-house, high-spectral density HSI system. The latter is based on spectral scanning of the samples via supercontinuum laser (SCL) illumination filtered with acousto-optic tunable filters (AOTF). The results of the spectral characterisation are analysed and compared to extract optical signatures for potential glioma biomarkers in order to further aid neuronavigation via HSI during glioma resection, in particular in the framework of our recently started HyperProbe project

Evaluation of Load transfer in rigid pavements by Rolling wheel deflectometer and Falling weight deflectometer

Rigid pavements have widespread use, e.g, in motorways and airports, due to their excellent properties such as high bearing capacity and long lifetime. However, when rigid pavements fail it is often due to bad load transfer efficiency (LTE) at its joints. Traditional methods of measuring LTE can be time consuming. Here, we study the possibility of measuring LTE using a moving load with the aim of achieving higher productivity. An experiment simulating Rolling Weight Deflectometer (RWD) measurements on a joint was carried out to gain understanding and confidence that can guide the analysis of real RWD data. Continuous data from measurements across a joint allows for determination of not only the LTE but also additional parameters characterizing the pavement and the joint. A semi-analytical model was implemented for simulating the pavement response next to a joint and used for interpretation and verification of the experimental data. The results show promise for the use of moving loads for rapid evaluation of joints

Synthesis of Specimen Preparation and Curing Processes for Cold Recycled Asphalt Mixes

The process of cold recycling (CR) is becoming method of choice for pavement rehabilitation due to significantly added environmental and economic benefits. Understanding and standardization of specimen preparation and curing processes are critical to replicate field conditions in lab. This paper presents an extensive synthesis of various specimen preparation and curing processes for cold recycled asphalt mixes. Topics synthesized include RAP, emulsion/bitumen and aggregate preparation, mixing processes, pre- and post- compaction curing, compaction and mechanical testing. This paper was developed through efforts of cold recycling task group (TG6) of RILEM Technical Committee on Testing and Characterization of Sustainable Innovative Bituminous Materials and Systems (TC-SIB)

Preparation and immunogenicity of gold glycol-nanoparticles as anti-pneumococcal vaccine model

Capsular polysaccharides (CPS) of encapsulated bacteria are critical determinants of bacterial virulence and have been used in the development of protective conjugate vaccines. Nanomaterials loaded with carbohydrate antigens are emerging as promising synthetic vaccine candidates, alternative to classic polysaccharide/protein conjugate vaccines. Repetitive antigen display, the ability to potentiate immune responses through enhanced antigen delivery to the immune system and the possibility to tune the loading of well-defined carbohydrates on different scaffolds are key factors supporting nanotechnology-based vaccines. Moreover, other structures can be incorporated onto the nanosystems as active mediators to increase vaccine efficacy. In this context, gold glyco-nanoparticles (GNPs) functionalized with the synthetic tetrasaccharide repeating unit of Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 14 (Pn14PS), and the peptide fragment OVA323-339, serving as a T-helper epitope, have been demonstrated as able to elicit in vivo specific and functional IgG antibodies against native Pn14PS, thus promoting uptake and killing of bacteria Pn14.[1] Herein, we report the preparation and immunological evaluation of new GNPs containing two synthetic CPS fragments related to serotypes 19F and 14 of Streptococcus pneumoniae (Tri-19F and Tetra-14) simultaneously displayed on nanoparticle surface, together with the T-helper peptide fragment OVA323-339. We aimed to explore the effect of these GNPs, coated with different antigen patterns, on the immunological response in mice and whether this response is affected by the presence of both saccharide antigens from diverse bacterial serotypes loaded onto the same nanoparticle. The main goal of this study was to determine whether these GNPs could induce specific antibodies against CPSs of both pneumococcal serotypes 14 and 19F or to affect the immune activity of either of them. Mice immunization showed that the concomitant presence of Tri-19F and Tetra-14 on the same nanoparticle critically enhanced the titers of specific IgG antibodies towards type 14 polysaccharide compared to GNP exclusively displaying Tetra-14. We also found that the bi-antigenic GNPs induced anti-Pn14PS IgG antibodies titers of the same order of magnitude as the currently used PCV13 human vaccine

Recent advances on smart glycoconjugate vaccines in infections and cancer

Vaccination is one of the greatest achievements in biomedical research preventing death and morbidity in many infectious diseases through the induction of pathogen-specific humoral and cellular immune responses. Currently, no effective vaccines are available for pathogens with a highly variable antigenic load, such as the human immunodeficiency virus or to induce cellular T-cell immunity in the fight against cancer. The recent SARS-CoV-2 outbreak has reinforced the relevance of designing smart therapeutic vaccine modalities to ensure public health. Indeed, academic and private companies have ongoing joint efforts to develop novel vaccine prototypes for this virus. Many pathogens are covered by a dense glycan-coat, which form an attractive target for vaccine development. Moreover, many tumor types are characterized by altered glycosylation profiles that are known as “tumor-associated carbohydrate antigens”. Unfortunately, glycans do not provoke a vigorous immune response and generally serve as T-cell-independent antigens, not eliciting protective immunoglobulin G responses nor inducing immunological memory. A close and continuous crosstalk between glycochemists and glycoimmunologists is essential for the successful development of efficient immune modulators. It is clear that this is a key point for the discovery of novel approaches, which could significantly improve our understanding of the immune system. In this review, we discuss the latest advancements in development of vaccines against glycan epitopes to gain selective immune responses and to provide an overview on the role of different immunogenic constructs in improving glycovaccine efficacy

Sicurezza e Resilienza delle Infrastrutture

Negli ultimi anni si sono manifestati eventi calamitosi che hanno causato collassi, completi o parziali nelle reti infrastrutturali in numerose aree nel mondo. A fronteggiare tali calamità intervengono la pubblica amministrazione e/o i gestori della rete che, collaborando a volte anche con associazioni e organizzazioni private e di volontariato, operano per ripristinare le prestazioni originarie del sistema. In particolar modo le infrastrutture critiche, cioè quei sistemi legati ai servizi di comunicazione, distribuzione dell’energia, sanità, tecnologia dell’informazione, sistemi finanziari/bancari, trasporti e sistemi idrici che forniscono i servizi essenziali per l’economia, la sicurezza e la stabilità di una Nazione, devono essere salvaguardate dai disastri. Il sistema di trasporto è essenziale per il benessere delle comunità, specialmente in condizioni avverse in quanto fornisce la possibilità di evacuazione, delle operazioni di salvataggio e facilita il ripristino dei servizi per la comunità, data la sua vasta interconnessione con tutte le altre infrastrutture critiche. Le caratteristiche e la capacità di un determinato territorio atte a fronteggiare gli eventi calamitosi dipendono da numerosi aspetti che possono essere riassunti nei concetti di sostenibilità, vulnerabilità e resilienza. Gli approcci definiti come disaster risk, climate change e quello basato sulla resilienza sono gli strumenti di valutazione maggiormente utilizzati e innovativi. La recente introduzione di questi concetti e degli approcci citati comporta un ventaglio di definizioni non univoche nella letteratura tecnica. Il presente lavoro ha lo scopo di: 1) Fornire una revisione critica e comparata della letteratura tecnica sull’argomento; 2) Analizzare gli attuali approcci che mirano ad incrementare la resilienza di una infrastruttura legata al trasporto, in particolar modo nei confronti di eventi rari (es. alluvioni, frane, ecc.); 3) Individuare i fattori e le azioni che influiscono sul ripristino delle performance del sistema; 4) Elaborare un metodo di valutazione della resilienza di tipo gerarchico

Synthesis, self-assembly, and immunological activity of α-galactose-functionalized dendron–lipid amphiphiles

Nanoassemblies presenting multivalent displays of biologically active carbohydrates are of significant interest for a wide array of biomedical applications ranging from drug delivery to immunotherapy. In this study, glycodendron–lipid hybrids were developed as a new and tunable class of dendritic amphiphiles. A modular synthesis was used to prepare dendron–lipid hybrids comprising distearylglycerol and 0 through 4th generation polyester dendrons with peripheral protected amines. Following deprotection of the amines, an isothiocyanate derivative of C-linked α-galactose (α-Gal) was conjugated to the dendron peripheries, affording amphiphiles with 1 to 16 α-Gal moieties. Self-assembly in water through a solvent exchange process resulted in vesicles for the 0 through 2nd generation systems and micelles for the 3rd and 4th generation systems. The critical aggregation concentrations decreased with increasing dendron generation, suggesting that the effects of increasing molar mass dominated over the effects of increasing the hydrophilic weight fraction. The binding of the assemblies to Griffonia simplicifolia Lectin I (GSL 1), a protein with specificity for α-Gal was studied by quantifying the binding of fluorescently labeled assemblies to GSL 1-coated beads. It was found that binding was enhanced for amphiphiles containing higher generation dendrons. Despite their substantial structural differences with the natural ligands for the CD1d receptor, the glycodendron–lipid hybrids were capable of stimulating invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells, a class of innate-like T cells that recognize lipid and glycolipid antigens presented by CD1d and that are implicated in a wide range of diseases and conditions including but not limited to infectious diseases, diabetes and cancer