The SandS Ecosystem, a True Instance of WEB4.0

We introduce a peculiar ecosystem aimed at ruling in remote the household appliances of the members of a special social network. The keen feature of the social network is a networked intelligence, equipped with cognitive tools that enable it to provide services fully compliant with the members\u2019 needs. The scheme is the following: The appliances are internet-connected through the home Wi-Fi router. The user asks the social network for a task to be executed by his appliance (for instance, washing three kilos of woollen coloured laundry), the network, in the role of an electronic super-mom, sends directly to the washing machine an optimal sequence of commands the recipes (such as: warm the water at 34\ub0, soak for 57 minutes, etc.) to execute the task in a way that matches the user preferences, possibly green goals included. Feedbacks are sent by user and appliances themselves to the network intelligence to close the permanent recipe optimization loop, with offline advice on the part of appliance manufacturers. A properly devised user interface allows a friendly and accurate management of all interactions between the user and the social network, constituting the user-centric support of the cognitive driven services representing a genuine instance of WEB 4.0

Impact of colorectal cancer screening on cancer-specific mortality in Europe: A systematic review

Background: Populations differ with respect to their cancer risk and screening preferences, which may influence the performance of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening programs. This review aims to

4th ESPT summer school: precision medicine and personalised health

In September 2018, the European Society of Pharmacogenomics and Personalised Therapy (ESPT), with the support of the Swiss Personalized Health Network (SPHN), organized its 4th biennial summer school, entitled 'Precision Medicine and Personalised Health' (Campus Biotech, Geneva, Switzerland; www.esptsummerschool.eu/ ). The school's comprehensive and innovative educational program aimed to address the fundamentals of pharmacogenomics, the latest knowledge on established and new concepts in the field of precision medicine, as well as its advanced clinical applications in personalized health. The school consisted of 31 lectures, eight interactive workshops, visits to genome center and poster presentations, involving 40 speakers from distinguished international faculties. The meeting was a resounding success by generating informal environments between more than 80 participants from 26 different countries

Development and Validation of Three Regional Microsimulation Models for Predicting Colorectal Cancer Screening Benefits in Europe

Background. Validated microsimulation models have been shown to be useful tools in providing support for colorec- tal cancer (CRC) screening decisions. Aiming to assist European countries in reducing CRC mortality, we developed and validated three regional models for evaluating CRC screening in Europe. Methods. Microsimulation Screening Analysis–Colon (MISCAN-Colon) model versions for Italy, Slovenia, and Finland were quantified using data from different national institutions. These models were validated against the best available evidence for the effectiveness of screening from their region (when available): the Screening for COlon REctum (SCORE) trial and the Florentine fecal immunochemical test (FIT) screening study for Italy; the Norwegian Colorectal Cancer Prevention (NORCCAP) trial and the guaiac fecal occult blood test (gFOBT) Finnish population-based study for Finland. When published evidenc

Low-Density Lipoprotein Has an Enormous Capacity To Bind (E)-4-Hydroxynon-2-enal (HNE): Detection and Characterization of Lysyl and Histidyl Adducts Containing Multiple Molecules of HNE

(E)-4-Hydroxynon-2-enal (HNE), an electrophilic bifunctional cytotoxic lipid peroxidation product, forms covalent adducts with nucleophilic side chains of amino acid residues. HNE-derived adducts have been implicated in many pathophysiological processes including atherosclerosis, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease. Tritium- and deuterium-labeled HNE (d4-HNE) were used orthogonally to study adduction with proteins and individual nucleophilic groups of histidyl, lysyl, and cysteine residues. Using tritium-labeled HNE, we detected the binding of 486 molecules of HNE per low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particle, significantly more than the total number of all reactive nucleophiles in the LDL particle. This suggests the formation of adducts that incorporate multiple molecules of HNE with some nucleophilic amino acid side chains. We also found that the reaction of a 1:1 mixture of d4-HNE and d0-HNE with N-acetylhistidine, N-acetyl-Gly-Lys-OMe, or N-acetyl cysteine generates 1:1, 2:1, and 3:1 adducts, which exhibit unique mass spectral signatures that aid in structural characterization. A domino-like reaction of initial 1:1 HNE Michael adducts of histidyl or lysyl nucleophiles with multiple additional HNE molecules forms 2:1 and 3:1 adducts that were structurally characterized by tandem mass spectrometry

Postoperative complications after procedure for prolapsed hemorrhoids (PPH) and stapled transanal rectal resection (STARR) procedures

Procedure for prolapsing hemorrhoids (PPH) and stapled transanal rectal resection for obstructed defecation (STARR) carry low postoperative pain, but may be followed by unusual and severe postoperative complications. This review deals with the pathogenesis, prevention and treatment of adverse events that may occasionally be life threatening. PPH and STARR carry the expected morbidity following anorectal surgery, such as bleeding, strictures and fecal incontinence. Complications that are particular to these stapled procedures are rectovaginal fistula, chronic proctalgia, total rectal obliteration, rectal wall hematoma and perforation with pelvic sepsis often requiring a diverting stoma. A higher complication rate and worse results are expected after PPH for fourth-degree piles. Enterocele and anismus are contraindications to PPH and STARR and both operations should be used with caution in patients with weak sphincters. In conclusion, complications after PPH and STARR are not infrequent and may be difficult to manage. However, if performed in selected cases by skilled specialists aware of the risks and associated diseases, some complications may be prevented

Building leaders for the UN Ocean Science Decade: a guide to supporting early career women researchers within academic marine research institutions

Diverse and inclusive marine research is paramount to addressing ocean sustainability challenges in the 21st century, as envisioned by the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. Despite increasing efforts to diversify ocean science, women continue to face barriers at various stages of their career, which inhibits their progression to leadership within academic institutions. In this perspective, we draw on the collective experiences of thirty-four global women leaders, bolstered by a narrative review, to identify practical strategies and actions that will help empower early career women researchers to become the leaders of tomorrow. We propose five strategies: (i) create a more inclusive culture, (ii) ensure early and equitable career development opportunities for women ECRs, (iii) ensure equitable access to funding for women ECRs, (iv) offer mentoring opportunities and, (v) create flexible, family-friendly environments. Transformational, meaningful, and lasting change will only be achieved through commitment and collaborative action across various scales and by multiple stakeholders

Illustrating and homology modeling the proteins of the Zika virus

The Zika virus (ZIKV) is a flavivirus of the family Flaviviridae, which is similar to dengue virus, yellow fever and West Nile virus. Recent outbreaks in South America, Latin America, the Caribbean and in particular Brazil have led to concern for the spread of the disease and potential to cause Guillain-Barré syndrome and microcephaly. Although ZIKV has been known of for over 60 years there is very little in the way of knowledge of the virus with few publications and no crystal structures. No antivirals have been tested against it either in vitro or in vivo. ZIKV therefore epitomizes a neglected disease. Several suggested steps have been proposed which could be taken to initiate ZIKV antiviral drug discovery using both high throughput screens as well as structure-based design based on homology models for the key proteins. We now describe preliminary homology models created for NS5, FtsJ, NS4B, NS4A, HELICc, DEXDc, peptidase S7, NS2B, NS2A, NS1, E stem, glycoprotein M, propeptide, capsid and glycoprotein E using SWISS-MODEL. Eleven out of 15 models pass our model quality criteria for their further use. While a ZIKV glycoprotein E homology model was initially described in the immature conformation as a trimer, we now describe the mature dimer conformer which allowed the construction of an illustration of the complete virion. By comparing illustrations of ZIKV based on this new homology model and the dengue virus crystal structure we propose potential differences that could be exploited for antiviral and vaccine design. The prediction of sites for glycosylation on this protein may also be useful in this regard. While we await a cryo-EM structure of ZIKV and eventual crystal structures of the individual proteins, these homology models provide the community with a starting point for structure-based design of drugs and vaccines as well as a for computational virtual screening