Hodge theory on Cheeger spaces

We extend the study of the de Rham operator with ideal boundary conditions from the case of isolated conic singularities, as analyzed by Cheeger, to the case of arbitrary stratified pseudomanifolds. We introduce a class of ideal boundary operators and the notion of mezzoperversity, which intermediates between the standard lower and upper middle perversities in intersection theory, as interpreted in this de Rham setting, and show that the de Rham operator with these boundary conditions is Fredholm and has compact resolvent. We also prove an isomorphism between the resulting Hodge and L2 de Rham cohomology groups, and that these are independent of the choice of iterated edge metric. On spaces which admit ideal boundary conditions of this type which are also self-dual, which we call ‘Cheeger spaces’, we show that these Hodge/de Rham cohomology groups satisfy Poincare' Duality

Exploiting the Reducing Properties of Lignin for the Development of an Effective Lignin@Cu2O Pesticide

Lignin is a natural polymer produced in huge amounts by the paper industry. Innovative applications of lignin, especially in agriculture, represent a valuable way to develop a more sustainable economy. Its antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, combined with its biodegradability, make it particularly attractive for the development of plant protection products. Copper is an element that has long been used as a pesticide in agriculture. Despite its recognized antimicrobial activity, the concerns derived from its negative environmental impact is forcing research to move toward the development of more effective and sustainable copper-based pesticides. Here a simple and sustainable way of synthesizing a new hybrid material composed of Cu2O nanocrystals embedded into lignin, named Lignin@Cu2O is presented. The formation of cuprite nanocrystals leaves the biopolymer intact, as evidenced by infrared spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography, and Pyrolysis-GC analysis. The combined activity of lignin and cuprite make Lignin@Cu2O effective against Listeria monocytogenes and Rhizoctonia solani at low copper dosage, as evidenced by in vitro and in vivo tests conducted on tomato plants

Overcoming the Drawbacks of Sulpiride by Means of New Crystal Forms

This study aims at developing new multicomponent crystal forms of sulpiride, an antipsychotic drug. The main goal was to improve its solubility since it belongs to class IV of the BCS. Nine new adducts were obtained by combining the active pharmaceutical ingredient with acid coformers: a salt cocrystal and eight molecular salts. In addition, three novel co-drugs, of which two are molecular salts and one is a cocrystal, were also achieved. All samples were characterized in the solid state by complementary techniques (i.e., infrared spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction and solid-state NMR). For systems for which it was possible to obtain good-quality single crystals, the structure was solved by single crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD). SCXRD combined with solid-state NMR were used to evaluate the ionic or neutral character of the adducts. In vitro dissolution tests of the new crystal forms were performed and all the adducts display remarkable dissolution properties with respect to pure sulpiride

Synthesis of Imidazolidin-2-ones and Imidazol-2-ones via Base-Catalyzed Intramolecular Hydroamidation of Propargylic Ureas under Ambient Conditions

The first organo-catalyzed synthesis of imidazolidin-2-ones and imidazol-2-ones via intramolecular hydroamidation of propargylic ureas is reported. The phosphazene base BEMP turned out to be the most active organo-catalyst compared with guanidine and amidine bases. Excellent chemo- and regioselectivities to five-membered cyclic ureas have been achieved under ambient conditions, with a wide substrate scope and exceptionally short reaction times (down to 1 min). A base-mediated isomerization step to an allenamide intermediate is the most feasible reaction pathway to give imidazol-2-ones, as suggested by DFT studies

Chemometric-assisted cocrystallization: Supervised pattern recognition for predicting the formation of new functional cocrystals

Owing to the antimicrobial and insecticide properties, the use of natural compounds like essential oils and their active components has proven to be an effective alternative to synthetic chemicals in different fields ranging from drug delivery to agriculture and from nutrition to food preservation. Their limited application due to the high volatility and scarce water solubility can be expanded by using crystal engineering approaches to tune some properties of the active molecule by combining it with a suitable partner molecule (coformer). However, the selection of coformers and the experimental effort required for discovering cocrystals are the bottleneck of cocrystal engineering. This study explores the use of chemometrics to aid the discovery of cocrystals of active ingredients suitable for various applications. Partial Least Squares–Discriminant Analysis is used to discern cocrystals from binary mixtures based on the molecular features of the coformers. For the first time, by including failed cocrystallization data and considering a variety of chemically diverse compounds, the proposed method resulted in a successful prediction rate of 85% for the test set in the model validation phase and of 74% for the external test set

Changing the game of time resolved X-ray diffraction on the mechanochemistry playground by downsizing.

Time resolved in situ (TRIS) monitoring has revolutionised the study of mechanochemical transformations but has been limited by available data quality. Here we report how a combination of miniaturised grinding jars together with innovations in X-ray powder diffraction data collection and state-of-the-art analysis strategies transform the power of TRIS synchrotron mechanochemical experiments. Accurate phase compositions, comparable to those obtained by ex situ measurements, can be obtained with small sample loadings. Moreover, microstructural parameters (crystal size and microstrain) can be also determined with high confidence. This strategy applies to all chemistries, is readily implemented, and yields high-quality diffraction data even using a low energy synchrotron source. This offers a direct avenue towards the mechanochemical investigation of reactions comprising scarce, expensive, or toxic compounds. Our strategy is applied to model systems, including inorganic, metal-organic, and organic mechanosyntheses, resolves previously misinterpreted mechanisms in mechanochemical syntheses, and promises broad, new directions for mechanochemical research

Impact of safety-related dose reductions or discontinuations on sustained virologic response in HCV-infected patients: Results from the GUARD-C Cohort

BACKGROUND: Despite the introduction of direct-acting antiviral agents for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, peginterferon alfa/ribavirin remains relevant in many resource-constrained settings. The non-randomized GUARD-C cohort investigated baseline predictors of safety-related dose reductions or discontinuations (sr-RD) and their impact on sustained virologic response (SVR) in patients receiving peginterferon alfa/ribavirin in routine practice. METHODS: A total of 3181 HCV-mono-infected treatment-naive patients were assigned to 24 or 48 weeks of peginterferon alfa/ribavirin by their physician. Patients were categorized by time-to-first sr-RD (Week 4/12). Detailed analyses of the impact of sr-RD on SVR24 (HCV RNA <50 IU/mL) were conducted in 951 Caucasian, noncirrhotic genotype (G)1 patients assigned to peginterferon alfa-2a/ribavirin for 48 weeks. The probability of SVR24 was identified by a baseline scoring system (range: 0-9 points) on which scores of 5 to 9 and <5 represent high and low probability of SVR24, respectively. RESULTS: SVR24 rates were 46.1% (754/1634), 77.1% (279/362), 68.0% (514/756), and 51.3% (203/396), respectively, in G1, 2, 3, and 4 patients. Overall, 16.9% and 21.8% patients experienced 651 sr-RD for peginterferon alfa and ribavirin, respectively. Among Caucasian noncirrhotic G1 patients: female sex, lower body mass index, pre-existing cardiovascular/pulmonary disease, and low hematological indices were prognostic factors of sr-RD; SVR24 was lower in patients with 651 vs. no sr-RD by Week 4 (37.9% vs. 54.4%; P = 0.0046) and Week 12 (41.7% vs. 55.3%; P = 0.0016); sr-RD by Week 4/12 significantly reduced SVR24 in patients with scores <5 but not 655. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, sr-RD to peginterferon alfa-2a/ribavirin significantly impacts on SVR24 rates in treatment-naive G1 noncirrhotic Caucasian patients. Baseline characteristics can help select patients with a high probability of SVR24 and a low probability of sr-RD with peginterferon alfa-2a/ribavirin

Disease-specific and general health-related quality of life in newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients: The Pros-IT CNR study

Background: The National Research Council (CNR) prostate cancer monitoring project in Italy (Pros-IT CNR) is an observational, prospective, ongoing, multicentre study aiming to monitor a sample of Italian males diagnosed as new cases of prostate cancer. The present study aims to present data on the quality of life at time prostate cancer is diagnosed. Methods: One thousand seven hundred five patients were enrolled. Quality of life is evaluated at the time cancer was diagnosed and at subsequent assessments via the Italian version of the University of California Los Angeles-Prostate Cancer Index (UCLA-PCI) and the Short Form Health Survey (SF-12). Results: At diagnosis, lower scores on the physical component of the SF-12 were associated to older ages, obesity and the presence of 3+ moderate/severe comorbidities. Lower scores on the mental component were associated to younger ages, the presence of 3+ moderate/severe comorbidities and a T-score higher than one. Urinary and bowel functions according to UCLA-PCI were generally good. Almost 5% of the sample reported using at least one safety pad daily to control urinary loss; less than 3% reported moderate/severe problems attributable to bowel functions, and sexual function was a moderate/severe problem for 26.7%. Diabetes, 3+ moderate/severe comorbidities, T2 or T3-T4 categories and a Gleason score of eight or more were significantly associated with lower sexual function scores at diagnosis. Conclusions: Data collected by the Pros-IT CNR study have clarified the baseline status of newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients. A comprehensive assessment of quality of life will allow to objectively evaluate outcomes of different profile of care

Colorectal Cancer Stage at Diagnosis Before vs During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy

IMPORTANCE Delays in screening programs and the reluctance of patients to seek medical attention because of the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 could be associated with the risk of more advanced colorectal cancers at diagnosis. OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was associated with more advanced oncologic stage and change in clinical presentation for patients with colorectal cancer. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This retrospective, multicenter cohort study included all 17 938 adult patients who underwent surgery for colorectal cancer from March 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021 (pandemic period), and from January 1, 2018, to February 29, 2020 (prepandemic period), in 81 participating centers in Italy, including tertiary centers and community hospitals. Follow-up was 30 days from surgery. EXPOSURES Any type of surgical procedure for colorectal cancer, including explorative surgery, palliative procedures, and atypical or segmental resections. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was advanced stage of colorectal cancer at diagnosis. Secondary outcomes were distant metastasis, T4 stage, aggressive biology (defined as cancer with at least 1 of the following characteristics: signet ring cells, mucinous tumor, budding, lymphovascular invasion, perineural invasion, and lymphangitis), stenotic lesion, emergency surgery, and palliative surgery. The independent association between the pandemic period and the outcomes was assessed using multivariate random-effects logistic regression, with hospital as the cluster variable. RESULTS A total of 17 938 patients (10 007 men [55.8%]; mean [SD] age, 70.6 [12.2] years) underwent surgery for colorectal cancer: 7796 (43.5%) during the pandemic period and 10 142 (56.5%) during the prepandemic period. Logistic regression indicated that the pandemic period was significantly associated with an increased rate of advanced-stage colorectal cancer (odds ratio [OR], 1.07; 95%CI, 1.01-1.13; P = .03), aggressive biology (OR, 1.32; 95%CI, 1.15-1.53; P &lt; .001), and stenotic lesions (OR, 1.15; 95%CI, 1.01-1.31; P = .03). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE This cohort study suggests a significant association between the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and the risk of a more advanced oncologic stage at diagnosis among patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer and might indicate a potential reduction of survival for these patients