Congenital cytomegalovirus infection: the state of the art and future perspectives

Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) infection is the most common congenital infection, with an estimated incidence of approximately one in 200 infants in high-income settings. Approximately one in four children may experience life-long consequences, including sensorineural hearing loss and neurodisability. Knowledge regarding prevention, diagnosis, and treatment increased in the recent years, but some challenges remain. In this review, we tried to summarize the current knowledge on both the obstetrical and pediatric areas, while also highlighting controversial aspects and future perspectives. There is a need to enhance awareness among the general population and pregnant women through specific information programs. Further research is needed to better define the classification of individuals at birth and to have a deeper understanding of the long-term outcomes for so defined children. Finally, the availability of valaciclovir medication throughout pregnancy, where appropriate, has prompted the assessment of a universal serological antenatal screening. It is recommended to establish a dedicated unit for better evaluation and management of both mothers and children

PLATONE: a payload for climate monitoring and telecommunication experiments through millimetric waves

Considering the convergence of research activities in the field of telecommunications and weather-climate observations toward the use of millimetre wavelengths, ARES (Advanced Research and Engineering for Space), a consortium constituted both by the University of Rome Tor Vergata and industrial partners (Rheinmetall Italy, TECS/TEchnological Consulting Services), has recently submitted a proposal for a feasibility study to investigate an innovative payload devoted both to Earth remote sensing and to high frequency telecommunications. Both the payload applications are based on the common use of millimetric band to capitalize on the favorable characteristics of such high frequencies. The study is called PLATONE (PayLoad ad Alta tecnologia per Telecomunicazioni ed Osservazione integrato con ricevitore software radio di NavigazionE, Italian acronym standing for the greek word PLATON, PayLoad for Advanced Telecommunication, Observation and Navigation). This paper aims at presenting the preliminary results of PLATONE study and its main objectives, outlining the main trade-offs that will be considered, waiting for the start of Phase A. ©2010 IEEE

PLATON: Satellite Remote Sensing, Navigation and Telecommunication by using Millimetre Waves

Nowadays, climate and meteorology assumed a fundamental role in manifold domains with the aim to understand how they affect life in modern society. Such a new sensitivity is the result of a major awareness of the Earth health and the need of better understanding the increasing climatic and meteorological changes recently observed. Actually, in the last years several satellite missions, single and cooperative, have been proposed and realised by NASA, ESA and JAXA. They aim at studying the overall atmosphere, its main elements and their close relations. On the other hand, in a different domain such as telecommunications, the low frequency bands crowding and the increase of broadband services diffusion has created the premises for the development of studies on the characterisation and the development of telecommunications in the millimetric band not yet explored for this purpose (Q-V bands-35-75 GHz, W band-75-110 GHz). Actually, nowadays satellite telecommunications at Ka band can be considered a standard for broadband services. Higher frequencies such as Q-V bands are currently employed for military applications (SICRAL satellite of the Italian Defence Ministry) and soon for scientific applications (TDP#5 payload on-board the ESA Alphabus platform [1]). W band can be considered as the most important scientific frontier within the broadband satellite communications, since no satellite system operating at such a frequency has been developed, just studies such as DAVID and WAVE [2][3][4]. In the last years these fields registered a convergence of research activities towards the use of electromagnetic radiation at millimetre wavelengths, i.e. the EHF band (Extremely High Frequency, 30-300 GHz). In telecommunications the use of carriers at higher frequency implies theoretically the possibility of using wide bandwidth and hence greater data rate in down link. In the field of weather and climate satellite observations, the technology advancements of the last 10 years make available several sensors (radar, lidar, radiometers, etc.) in the 30-300 GHz band. They allow, by means of observations unpredictable some years ago, for broadening the knowledge of meteorological and climatological phenomena and the improvement of predictive models. However, the capability of collecting large data volumes leads to a related capability of transmitting the data to ground within reduced visibility windows. An integrated TeLeCommunication-Earth Observation approach (TLC-EO) could satisfy both needs. ARES (Advanced Research and Engineering for Space), a consortium constituted both by scientific institutions (the University of Rome Tor Vergata) and industrial partners (Rheinmetall Italy and TECS, TEchnological Consulting Services) carried out a feasibility study to investigate an innovative satellite devoted both to Earth remote sensing and to high frequency telecommunications. Both payloads are based on the common use of millimetric band to exploit the favourable characteristics of such high frequencies. The study is called PLATON (PayLoad for Advanced Telecommunication, Observation and Navigation) [5]

The presence of C/EBPα and its degradation are both required for TRIB2-mediated leukaemia

C/EBPα (p42 and p30 isoforms) is commonly dysregulated in cancer via the action of oncogenes, and specifically in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) by mutation. Elevated TRIB2 leads to the degradation of C/EBPα p42, leaving p30 intact in AML. Whether this relationship is a cooperative event in AML transformation is not known and the molecular mechanism involved remains elusive. Using mouse genetics, our data reveal that in the complete absence of C/EBPα, TRIB2 was unable to induce AML. Only in the presence of C/EBPα p42 and p30, were TRIB2 and p30 able to cooperate to decrease the latency of disease. We demonstrate that the molecular mechanism involved in the degradation of C/EBPα p42 requires site-specific direct interaction between TRIB2 and C/EBPα p42 for the K48-specific ubiquitin-dependent proteasomal degradation of C/EBPα p42. This interaction and ubiquitination is dependent on a critical C terminal lysine residue on C/EBPα. We show effective targeting of this pathway pharmacologically using proteasome inhibitors in TRIB2-positive AML cells. Together, our data show that excess p30 cooperated with TRIB2 only in the presence of p42 to accelerate AML, and the direct interaction and degradation of C/EBPα p42 is required for TRIB2-mediated AML