Learning an unknown transformation via a genetic approach

Recent developments in integrated photonics technology are opening the way to the fabrication of complex linear optical interferometers. The application of this platform is ubiquitous in quantum information science, from quantum simulation to quantum metrology, including the quest for quantum supremacy via the boson sampling problem. Within these contexts, the capability to learn efficiently the unitary operation of the implemented interferometers becomes a crucial requirement. In this letter we develop a reconstruction algorithm based on a genetic approach, which can be adopted as a tool to characterize an unknown linear optical network. We report an experimental test of the described method by performing the reconstruction of a 7-mode interferometer implemented via the femtosecond laser writing technique. Further applications of genetic approaches can be found in other contexts, such as quantum metrology or learning unknown general Hamiltonian evolutions

IL-27, but not IL-35, inhibits neuroinflammation through modulating GM-CSF expression

IL-27 and IL-35 are heterodimeric cytokines, members of the IL-12 family and considered to have immunomodulatory properties. Their role during neuroinflammation had been investigated using mutant mice devoid of either one of their subunits or lacking components of their receptors, yielding conflicting results. We sought to understand the therapeutic potential of IL-27 and IL-35 delivered by gene therapy in neuroinflammation. We constructed lentiviral vectors expressing IL-27 and IL-35 from a single polypeptide chain, and we validated in vitro their biological activity. We injected IL-27 and IL-35-expressing lentiviral vectors into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of mice affected by experimental neuroinflammation (EAE), and performed clinical, neuropathological and immunological analyses. Both cytokines interfere with neuroinflammation, but only IL-27 significantly modulates disease development, both clinically and neuropathologically. IL-27 protects from autoimmune inflammation by inhibiting granulocyte macrophages colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) expression in CD4+ T cells and by inducing program death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in both CNS-resident and CNS-infiltrating myeloid cells. We demonstrate here that IL-27 holds therapeutic potential during neuroinflammation and that IL-27 inhibits GM-CSF and induces pd-l1 mRNA in vivo

MYELOID MICROVESICLES ARE A MARKER AND THERAPEUTIC TARGET FOR NEUROINFLAMMATION

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Orthorexia Nervosa and Diabetes: investigation of orthorexic behaviour in association to diabetes

reservedBackground: L’Ortoressia Nervosa, termine coniato da Steven Bratman, è stata definita come preoccupazione eccessiva e ricorrente circa l’alimentazione sana e la qualità del cibo. È caratterizzata da aspetti comportamentali, emotivi e credenze che portano ad una attenzione selettiva e pervasiva nella scelta e preparazione degli alimenti, ricorrenza a diete molto ristrette e ricerca dei cibi con i giusti valori nutrizionali e non contaminati. La ricerca di un’alimentazione sana è centrale soprattutto in soggetti che, in presenza di una malattia cronica, necessitano di escludere determinate categorie di cibi per poter vivere in salute. Tra questi vi è il diabete, malattia cronica caratterizzata da elevati livelli di glucosio nel sangue, causati dal malfunzionamento dell’insulina, ormone prodotto dal pancreas che permette l’utilizzo del glucosio come fonte energetica. Tra i suoi interventi terapeutici vi è la ricostituzione di uno stile di vita adeguato, partendo proprio dalle abitudini alimentari per mantenere i valori di glucosio e lipidi plasmatici nella norma. Il presente studio intende indagare se esiste un’associazione tra comportamento ortoressico e diabete (attraverso l'analisi della differenza tra le medie di GS e GC) e se dieta ed evitamento di cibi fungano da fattori di rischio dell'ortoressia nervosa. Metodo: Sono stati somministrati questionari online a 83 soggetti (GS=25, GC=58) di età compresa tra 18 e 50, con un numero di donne superiore al numero di uomini (donne = 83%; uomini = 14%). La prima parte dell’analisi dati si è focalizzata sui dati demografici; successivamente si è passati all’analisi dei risultati ottenuti ai questionari indaganti il comportamento ortoressico, sintomi di depressione, ansia e stress, la presenza del worry, ossessioni e/o compulsioni, sintomatologia di disturbo alimentare e ansia per la salute (statistica descrittiva e differenza tra le medie), prendendo in considerazione, oltre i due gruppi (GS e GC), anche soggetti a dieta e non a dieta (dieta SI= 60, dieta NO= 23) e coloro che evitano o non evitano cibi (Evitamento SI= 42, Evitamento NO= 41). Risultati: Si riscontrano risultati significativi tra GS e GC nell’HAI (ES = 0.6334 (medium)). Nella differenza tra medie di soggetti a dieta e non a dieta, punteggi significativi sono emersi nell’EHQ-21 (Totale ES = 1.5806 (large); Convinzioni ES = 0.8892 (large); Problemi ES = 1.3514 (large); Emozioni ES = 0.8682 (large)) e nell’EDI (DT ES = 0.7549 (medium); B ES = 0.4359 (small). Nella differenza tra medie di soggetti che evitano o non evitano cibi, si riscontrano valori significativi nell’EHQ-21 (Totale ES = 0.6082 (medium); Problemi ES = 0.5836 (medium)), nell’EDI (DT ES = 0.7435 (medium); BD ES = 0.5836 (medium), nell’OCI-R (Ordering ES = 0.4826 (small)) e nel DASS (Depressione ES = 0.4263 (small); Stress ES = 0.6079 (medium)). Conclusioni: non è stato possibile riscontrare un’associazione significativa tra comportamento ortoressico e presenza di diabete. I soggetti diabetici hanno però evidenziato alti livelli di ansia per la salute. D’altra parte, nell’estensione dell’indagine ai soggetti a dieta e tendenti all’evitamento di cibi, quanto emerso dall’analisi suggerisce un’associazione più forte tra tali fattori e il rischio di insorgenza di Ortoressia Nervosa

Robot-assisted re-do sacrohysteropexy after anterior abdominal wall hysteropexy

We report the case of a 49-year-old woman who came to our institution complaining of bowel constipation and bladder outlet obstruction due to the recurrence of a pelvic prolapse after anterior abdominal wall hysteropexy performed 1 year before

Learning an unknown transformation via a genetic approach

Abstract Recent developments in integrated photonics technology are opening the way to the fabrication of complex linear optical interferometers. The application of this platform is ubiquitous in quantum information science, from quantum simulation to quantum metrology, including the quest for quantum supremacy via the boson sampling problem. Within these contexts, the capability to learn efficiently the unitary operation of the implemented interferometers becomes a crucial requirement. In this letter we develop a reconstruction algorithm based on a genetic approach, which can be adopted as a tool to characterize an unknown linear optical network. We report an experimental test of the described method by performing the reconstruction of a 7-mode interferometer implemented via the femtosecond laser writing technique. Further applications of genetic approaches can be found in other contexts, such as quantum metrology or learning unknown general Hamiltonian evolutions

Genetic algorithms to learn an unknown linear transformation

Integrated photonics enabled the capability to implement complex interferometers with a large number of modes. The applications of this experimental toolbox can be found in different quantum information tasks, including quantum walks and simulation [1], quantum metrology [2], up to the implementation of Boson Sampling [3-6], one of the most promising candidates to reach experimentally the regime where a quantum device solves a computational problem faster than its classical counterpart. Both from a fundamental aspect and for characterization purposes, it becomes crucial to identify tools allowing to learn the action of an unknown transformation

Early upregulation of 18-kDa translocator protein in response to acute neurodegenerative damage in TREM2-deficient mice

Mutations in the TREM2 gene confer risk for Alzheimer's disease and susceptibility for Parkinson's disease (PD). We evaluated the effect of TREM2 deletion in a 1-methyl 4-phenyl 1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)–induced PD mouse model, measuring neurodegeneration and microglia activation using a combined in vivo imaging and postmortem molecular approach. In wild-type mice, MPTP administration induced a progressive decrease of [11C]FECIT uptake, culminating at day 7. Neuronal loss was accompanied by an increase of TREM2, IL-1β, and translocator protein (TSPO) transcript levels, [11C]PK11195 binding and GFAP staining (from day 2), and an early and transient increase of TNF-α, Galectin-3, and Iba-1 (from day 1). In TREM2 null (TREM2−/−) mice, MPTP similarly affected neuron viability and microglial cells, as shown by the lower level of Iba-1 staining in basal condition, and reduced increment of Iba-1, TNF-α, and IL-1β in response to MPTP. Likely to compensate for TREM2 absence, TREM2−/− mice showed an earlier increment of [11C]PK11195 binding and a significant increase of IL-4. Taken together, our data demonstrate a central role of TREM2 in the regulation of microglia response to acute neurotoxic insults and suggest a potential modulatory role of TSPO in response to immune system deficit