Synthesis and biological evaluation of imidazo[1,2-a]pyrimidines and imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines as new inhibitors of the Wnt/\u3b2-catenin signaling.

Wnt/\u3b2-catenin signaling plays an important role in the regulation of embryonic development and tumorigenesis. Since its deregulation results in severe human diseases, especially cancer, the Wnt signaling pathway constitutes a promising platform for pharmacological targeting of cancer. In this study we synthesized a series of imidazo[1,2-a]pyrimidines and imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines and identified some derivatives that were able to inhibit the Wnt/\u3b2-catenin signaling pathway in a luciferase reporter assay and cell proliferation in selected cancer cell lines, endowed with APC or \u3b2-catenin gene mutations. The most active compounds significantly downregulate the expression of Wnt target genes such as c-myc and cyclin D1. Further studies indicated that these compounds function independently of GSK-3\u3b2 activity. More importantly, in vivo experiments, carried out on a Wnt-reporter zebrafish model indicate, in particular for compounds 4c and 4i as the most active compounds, an activity comparable to that of the reference compound IWR1, suggesting their potential use not only as small molecule inhibitors of the Wnt/\u3b2-catenin signal in Wnt driven cancers, but also in other Wnt-related diseases

How to get the best from low-cost particulate matter sensors: Guidelines and practical recommendations

Low-cost sensors based on the optical particle counter (OPC) are increasingly being used to collect particulate matter (PM) data at high space and time resolution. In spite of their huge explorative potential, practical guidelines and recommendations for their use are still limited. In this work, we outline a few best practices for the optimal use of PM low-cost sensors based on the results of an intensive field campaign performed in Bologna (44\u25e6 30\u2032 N, 11\u25e6 21\u2032 E; Italy) under different weather conditions. Briefly, the performances of a series of sensors were evaluated against a calibrated mainstream OPC with a heated inlet, using a robust approach based on a suite of statistical indexes capable of evaluating both correlations and biases in respect to the reference sensor. Our results show that the sensor performance is sensibly affected by both time resolution and weather with biases maximized at high time resolution and high relative humidity. Optimization of PM data obtained is therefore achievable by lowering time resolution and applying suitable correction factors for hygroscopic growth based on the inherent particle size distribution

Stopshock Project

Il Progetto si propone di indentificare e validare principi attivi salvavita di pronto impiego per uso civile (medicina delle catastrofi) e militare (missioni peace keeping) - Il Progetto \ue8 promosso dal Ministero della Difesa e prevede la partecipazione di esperti di altri paesi