Vanadium-catalyzed, microwave-assisted oxidations with H 2 O 2 in ionic liquids*

Abstract: The application of vanadium(V) catalysts in selective oxidation with peroxides offers an efficient procedure that is compatible with different functional groups and leads to good yields and selectivities. However, the search for more efficient and sustainable procedures that employ H 2 O 2 as oxidant remains an important topic. In the last few years, striking results have been obtained by applying microwave (MW) activation in metal-catalyzed reactions carried out in ionic liquids (ILs). In the present study, results achieved with vanadiumbased catalysts in oxidations of various substrates with H 2 O 2 are presented; in particular, epoxidation of alkenes and sulfoxidation of thioethers have been investigated. Notably, in the latter oxidation, a significant improvement in the rate of reaction and an increase in selectivity have been observed in the case of hydrophobic ILs in combination with MW activation

Cross-sectional analysis of the humoral response after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in Sardinian multiple sclerosis patients, a follow-up study

Monitoring immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and its clinical efficacy over time in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients treated with disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) help to establish the optimal strategies to ensure adequate COVID-19 protection without compromising disease control offered by DMTs. Following our previous observations on the humoral response one month after two doses of BNT162b2 vaccine (T1) in MS patients differently treated, here we present a cross-sectional and longitudinal follow-up analysis six months following vaccination (T2, n=662) and one month following the first booster (T3, n=185). Consistent with results at T1, humoral responses were decreased in MS patients treated with fingolimod and anti-CD20 therapies compared with untreated patients also at the time points considered here (T2 and T3). Interestingly, a strong upregulation one month after the booster was observed in patients under every DMTs analyzed, including those treated with fingolimod and anti-CD20 therapies. Although patients taking these latter therapies had a higher rate of COVID-19 infection five months after the first booster, only mild symptoms that did not require hospitalization were reported for all the DMTs analyzed here. Based on these findings we anticipate that additional vaccine booster shots will likely further improve immune responses and COVID-19 protection in MS patients treated with any DMT

Association of Variants in the SPTLC1 Gene With Juvenile Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Importance: Juvenile amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rare form of ALS characterized by age of symptom onset less than 25 years and a variable presentation.Objective: To identify the genetic variants associated with juvenile ALS.Design, Setting, and Participants: In this multicenter family-based genetic study, trio whole-exome sequencing was performed to identify the disease-associated gene in a case series of unrelated patients diagnosed with juvenile ALS and severe growth retardation. The patients and their family members were enrolled at academic hospitals and a government research facility between March 1, 2016, and March 13, 2020, and were observed until October 1, 2020. Whole-exome sequencing was also performed in a series of patients with juvenile ALS. A total of 66 patients with juvenile ALS and 6258 adult patients with ALS participated in the study. Patients were selected for the study based on their diagnosis, and all eligible participants were enrolled in the study. None of the participants had a family history of neurological disorders, suggesting de novo variants as the underlying genetic mechanism.Main Outcomes and Measures: De novo variants present only in the index case and not in unaffected family members.Results: Trio whole-exome sequencing was performed in 3 patients diagnosed with juvenile ALS and their parents. An additional 63 patients with juvenile ALS and 6258 adult patients with ALS were subsequently screened for variants in the SPTLC1 gene. De novo variants in SPTLC1 (p.Ala20Ser in 2 patients and p.Ser331Tyr in 1 patient) were identified in 3 unrelated patients diagnosed with juvenile ALS and failure to thrive. A fourth variant (p.Leu39del) was identified in a patient with juvenile ALS where parental DNA was unavailable. Variants in this gene have been previously shown to be associated with autosomal-dominant hereditary sensory autonomic neuropathy, type 1A, by disrupting an essential enzyme complex in the sphingolipid synthesis pathway.Conclusions and Relevance: These data broaden the phenotype associated with SPTLC1 and suggest that patients presenting with juvenile ALS should be screened for variants in this gene.</p

Genome-wide Analyses Identify KIF5A as a Novel ALS Gene

To identify novel genes associated with ALS, we undertook two lines of investigation. We carried out a genome-wide association study comparing 20,806 ALS cases and 59,804 controls. Independently, we performed a rare variant burden analysis comparing 1,138 index familial ALS cases and 19,494 controls. Through both approaches, we identified kinesin family member 5A (KIF5A) as a novel gene associated with ALS. Interestingly, mutations predominantly in the N-terminal motor domain of KIF5A are causative for two neurodegenerative diseases: hereditary spastic paraplegia (SPG10) and Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 2 (CMT2). In contrast, ALS-associated mutations are primarily located at the C-terminal cargo-binding tail domain and patients harboring loss-of-function mutations displayed an extended survival relative to typical ALS cases. Taken together, these results broaden the phenotype spectrum resulting from mutations in KIF5A and strengthen the role of cytoskeletal defects in the pathogenesis of ALS.Peer reviewe

L’adattamento al contesto come predittore del successo accademico : quale ruolo per le risorse individuali? = Academic Adjustment as a Predictor of Academic Success : What Role Do Personal Resources Have?

L’Italia è tra i Paesi dell’UE con il minor numero di laureati. La prevenzione dei tassi di abbandono e il miglioramento del benessere della popolazione adulta possono essere raggiunti attraverso il potenziamento dei fattori che promuovono un maggiore successo accademico. L’obiettivo del presente studio è quindi quello di indagare le risorse personali e le percezioni del contesto che possono avere un impatto sul rendimento accademico (in termini di esami superati). Il presente studio è stato condotto presso il Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agroalimentari dell’Università di Bologna. Un campione di 571 studenti (60.4% maschi; età media = 20.66 anni) ha compilato un questionario online. Le ipotesi sono state testate attraverso la macro PROCESS in SPSS, versione 23. I risultati ottenuti hanno supportato gli effetti indiretti ipotizzati, in quanto la relazione tra adattamento accademico e rendimento è mediata in serie dall’autoefficacia accademica e dalla presenza di un’attribuzione di causalità interna. Gli esiti della ricerca possono essere utilizzati per progettare azioni specifiche per promuovere il successo accademico degli studenti universitari, ad esempio programmi di orientamento in itinere incentrati sul rafforzamento delle risorse e competenze personali degli studenti e azioni di sostegno individualizzate

Larval development of <i>Lightiella magdalenina</i> (<i>Crustacea</i>, <i>Cephalocarida</i>)

The larval development of the newly discovered cephalocarid from Mediterranean sea, Lightiella magdalenina, was analysed using light and scanning electron microscopy. Twenty-nine larval specimens, divided into 15 metanaupliar and 2 juvenile stages of development, were found. The first six metanaupliar stages had an even number (6, 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16) of trunk segments including telson. The condition of 20 trunk segments, typical of the adult, was reached after another 4 stages by the addition of a single segment per stage. At this tenth stage, the larvae had an incomplete number of trunk limbs. Another five stages were needed to complete the cephalic appendage development, passing from the metanaupliar to the juvenile stage, characterized by loss of the naupliar enditic process of the second antenna. Trunk limbs development was completed during the last two juvenile stages. According to the ontogenetic data reported for Hutchinsoniella macracantha and Lightiella incisa, these seventeen stages probably do not represent the complete developmental series. Nevertheless, they allow us to clarify the main features of cephalocarid ontogeny and show specific differences in the development of both the trunk segments and appendages

A New species of the genus <i>Lightiella</i>: the first record of <i>Cephalocarida</i> (<i>Crustacea</i>) in Europe

A new species of Cephalocarida belonging to the genus Lightiella is described. Like all known species of Lightiella, the new species is characterized by reduction of trunk segment 8, which also lacks both pleura and thoracopods. The diagnostic characters of the species are: (1) one seta on the inner distal corner of the penultimate endopodal segment of second maxilla and thoracopods 1-5; (2) only one claw on the distal segment of the endopod of thoracopod 6. A cladistic analysis of 27 morphological characters was used to estimate the phylogeny of all species of Lightiella, with all other cephalocarid species used as outgroups. The discovery of this species in the Mediterranean fills a gap in the distribution of the genus and of the entire class

Male gonads morphology, spermatogenesis and sperm ultrastructure of the seahorse <i>Hippocampus guttulatus</i> (Syngnathidae)

Testes morphology, spermatogenetic process and mature sperm ultrastructure were analysed in Hippocampus guttulatus, using both light and transmission electron microscopy. Both testes were organized in a single large germinal compartment, with a central lumen. Spermatocysts only contained spermatogonia and primary spermatocytes. Inside the testis lumen, together with mature sperm, two types of large mono-nucleate cells, flagellate and aflagellate, were present. Both types of cells were interpreted as developing germ cells precociously released inside the testis lumen, where their maturation was completed. According to the different morphological features of the nuclei, such as chromatin condensation degree, aspect of the nuclear fossa and others, the flagellate cells were unquestionably developing spermatids. On the contrary, the developmental stage of the aflagellate was more difficult to interpreted. They could be secondary spermatocytes or young spermatids. No dimorphic sperm were recognizable, the only sperm type observed have features typical of the intro-sperm reports in other syngnathids species. They had a cylindrical head, a short midpiece, characterized by two mitochondrial rings housed inside a cytoplasmic collar, and a long flagellum. These and previous data about the same topic reported on other syngnathids species were compared and discussed