Graphene glial-interfaces: challenges and perspectives

Graphene nanosheets are mechanically strong but flexible, electrically conductive and bio-compatible. Thus, due to these unique properties, they are being intensively studied as materials for the next generation of neural interfaces. Most of the literature focused on optimizing the interface between these materials and neurons. However, one of the most common causes of implant failure is the adverse inflammatory reaction of glial cells. These cells are not, as previously considered, just passive and supportive cells, but play a crucial role in the physiology and pathology of the nervous system, and in the interaction with implanted electrodes. Besides providing structural support to neurons, glia are responsible for the modulation of synaptic transmission and control of central and peripheral homeostasis. Accordingly, knowledge on the interaction between glia and biomaterials is essential to develop new implant-based therapies for the treatment of neurological disorders, such as epilepsy, brain tumours, and Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. This work provides an overview of the emerging literature on the interaction of graphene-based materials with glial cells, together with a complete description of the different types of glial cells and problems associated with them. We believe that this description will be important for researchers working in materials science and nanotechnology to develop new active materials to interface, measure and stimulate these cells

Short-Term Variations in Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte and Urea-to-Creatinine Ratios Anticipate Intensive Care Unit Admission of COVID-19 Patients in the Emergency Department

Background: Timely assessment of COVID-19 severity is crucial for the rapid provision of appropriate treatments. Definitive criteria for the early identification of severe COVID-19 cases that require intensive care unit admission are lacking. Methods: This was a single-center, retrospective case-control study of 95 consecutive adults admitted to the intensive care unit (cases) or a medical ward (controls) for laboratory-confirmed COVID-19. Clinical data were collected and changes in laboratory test results were calculated between presentation at the emergency department and admission. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression was performed to calculate odds ratios for intensive care unit admission according to changes in laboratory variables. Results: Of the 95 adults with COVID-19, 25 were admitted to intensive care and 70 to a medical ward after a median 6 h stay in the emergency department. During this interval, neutrophil counts increased in cases and decreased in controls (median, 934 vs. −295 × 106/L; P = 0.006), while lymphocyte counts decreased in cases and increased in controls (median, −184 vs. 109 × 106/L; P < 0.001). In cases, the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio increased 6-fold and the urea-to-creatinine ratio increased 20-fold during the emergency department stay, but these ratios did not change in controls (P < 0.001 for both comparisons). By multivariable logistic regression, short-term increases in the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (OR = 1.43; 95% CI, 1.16–1.76) and urea-to-creatinine ratio (OR = 1.72; 95% CI, 1.20–2.66) were independent predictors of intensive care unit admission. Conclusion: Short-time changes in neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and urea-to-creatinine ratio emerged as stand-alone parameters able to identify patients with aggressive disease at an early stage

Rare ATG7 genetic variants predispose patients to severe fatty liver disease

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the leading cause of liver disorders and has a strong heritable component. The aim of this study was to identify new loci that contribute to severe NAFLD by examining rare variants

Malaria, HIV and Malnutrition among Internally Displaced People in Mozambique During COVID-19 Pandemic: Results from a Community-Based Intervention

Background: The spread of COVID-19 poses an unprecedented challenge to care delivery in post-disaster and conflict situations. In Mozambique, the 2019 cyclone Idai and the violence by Non-State-Armed-Groups devastated the province of Sofala and Cabo Delgado respectively and led to the displacement of thousands of people living in poor and overcrowded conditions. The pandemic has further aggravated the situation. Doctors with Africa CUAMM (University college for aspiring missionary doctors) implemented surveillance activities in these regions between October 2020 and September 2021. The aim of this study is to give an overview of the prevalence of malaria, malnutrition, COVID-19 related symptoms and access to HIV testing. Methods: Data were collected in targeted internally displaced people (IDP) sites in Sofala and Cabo Delgado province between 31st January and 25th September 2021. The tool used enabled to assess COVID-19 symptoms, risk of HIV infection, malaria cases and malnutrition in children under five. Results: The project reached 93 503 people. During the study period, 13.6% people reported at least one symptom suggestive of COVID-19 infection. Malaria Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDT) were administered to 86% of the recruited people (n = ?), with a positive diagnosis in the 4.5% of them (n = ?). Among the recruited Internally Displaced Persons (IDP), 23.1% were considered eligible for HIV screening, but only 1.4% were referred for testing. Acute malnutrition was found in 6.3% of children screened and, among these, a higher prevalence of concurrent COVID-19 symptoms was reported. Discussion: Our study highlights the importance of mass clinical screening for COVID-19 infection in this target population to enact prevention behavior, although this may not be enough, due to the pivotal role played by asymptomatic transmissions. Considering the overlap of the symptoms of COVID-19 and malaria, a combined diagnostic algorithm is urgently needed to avoid underdiagnosing malaria. Moreover, the high prevalence of respiratory symptoms in malnourished children confirmed the known correlation between malnutrition and respiratory infection. Finally, access to HIV screening needs to be implemented, given the high prevalence of people with HIV risk factors to avoid diagnostic delay. Conclusions: Population-specific needs make necessary to develop new screening methods that respond to the specific characteristics of the target population

Search for heavy neutral lepton production in K+ decays

A search for heavy neutral lepton production in K + decays using a data sample collected with a minimum bias trigger by the NA62 experiment at CERN in 2015 is reported. Upper limits at the 10−7 to 10−6 level are established on the elements of the extended neutrino mixing matrix |Ue4| 2 and |Uμ4| 2 for heavy neutral lepton mass in the ranges 170–448 MeV/c2 and 250–373 MeV/c2, respectively. This improves on the previous limits from HNL production searches over the whole mass range considered for |Ue4|2 and above 300 MeV/c2 for |Uμ4|2

Stool Xpert MTB/RIF as a possible diagnostic alternative to sputum in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis

IntroductionWorldwide, COVID-19 pandemic lead to a large fall in the number of newly reported TB cases. In sub-Saharan Africa, microbiological diagnosis of TB is generally based on smear microscopy and Xpert MTB/RIF on sputum samples, but good quality sputum samples are often difficult to obtain, leading clinicians to rely on more invasive procedures for diagnosis. Aim of this study was to investigate pooled sensitivity and specificity of Xpert MTB/RIF on stool samples compared to respiratory microbiological reference standards in African countries.MethodsFour investigators independently searched PubMed, SCOPUS, and Web of Science until 12th October 2022, then screened titles and abstracts of all potentially eligible articles. The authors applied the eligibility criteria, considered the full texts. All the studies reported the data regarding true positive (TP), true negative (TN), false positive (FP) and false negative (FN). Risk of bias and applicability concerns were assessed with the Quadas-2 tool.Resultsoverall, among 130 papers initially screened, we evaluated 47 works, finally including 13 papers for a total of 2,352 participants, mainly children. The mean percentage of females was 49.6%, whilst the mean percentage of patients reporting HIV was 27.7%. Pooled sensitivity for Xpert MTB/RIF assay for detecting pulmonary tuberculosis was 68.2% (95%CI: 61.1–74.7%) even if characterized by a high heterogeneity (I2=53.7%). Specificity was almost 100% (99%, 95%CI: 97–100%; I2 = 45.7%). When divided for reference standard, in the six studies using sputum and nasogastric aspirate the accuracy was optimal (AUC = 0.99, SE = 0.02), whilst in the studies using only sputum for tuberculosis detection the AUC was 0.85 (with a SE = 0.16). The most common source of bias was exclusion of enrolled patients in the analysis.ConclusionsOur study confirms that, in Africa, stool Xpert MTB/RIF may be a useful rule-in test for children above and below 5 years of age under evaluation for pulmonary tuberculosis. Sensitivity increased substantially when using both sputum and nasogastric aspirate as reference samples

Acute Delta Hepatitis in Italy spanning three decades (1991–2019): Evidence for the effectiveness of the hepatitis B vaccination campaign

Updated incidence data of acute Delta virus hepatitis (HDV) are lacking worldwide. Our aim was to evaluate incidence of and risk factors for acute HDV in Italy after the introduction of the compulsory vaccination against hepatitis B virus (HBV) in 1991. Data were obtained from the National Surveillance System of acute viral hepatitis (SEIEVA). Independent predictors of HDV were assessed by logistic-regression analysis. The incidence of acute HDV per 1-million population declined from 3.2 cases in 1987 to 0.04 in 2019, parallel to that of acute HBV per 100,000 from 10.0 to 0.39 cases during the same period. The median age of cases increased from 27 years in the decade 1991-1999 to 44 years in the decade 2010-2019 (p < .001). Over the same period, the male/female ratio decreased from 3.8 to 2.1, the proportion of coinfections increased from 55% to 75% (p = .003) and that of HBsAg positive acute hepatitis tested for by IgM anti-HDV linearly decreased from 50.1% to 34.1% (p < .001). People born abroad accounted for 24.6% of cases in 2004-2010 and 32.1% in 2011-2019. In the period 2010-2019, risky sexual behaviour (O.R. 4.2; 95%CI: 1.4-12.8) was the sole independent predictor of acute HDV; conversely intravenous drug use was no longer associated (O.R. 1.25; 95%CI: 0.15-10.22) with this. In conclusion, HBV vaccination was an effective measure to control acute HDV. Intravenous drug use is no longer an efficient mode of HDV spread. Testing for IgM-anti HDV is a grey area requiring alert. Acute HDV in foreigners should be monitored in the years to come

Review of Kaon Physics at CERN and in Europe

The Kaon physics program at CERN and in Europe will be presented. I will first give a short review of recent results form the NA48/2 and NA62 experiments, with special emphasis to the measurement of RK , the ratio of Kaon leptonic decays rates, K → eν and K → μν, using the full minimum bias data sample collected in 2007-2008. The main subject of the talk will be the study of the highly suppressed decay K → πνν. While its rate can be predicted with minimal theoretical uncertainty in the Standard Model (BR ∼ 8 × 10−11), the smallness of BR and the challenging experimental signature make it very difficult to measure. The branching ratio for this decay is thus a sensitive probe of the flavour sector of the SM. The aim of NA62 is the measurement of the K → πνν BR with ∼ 10% precision in two years of data taking. This will require the observation of 10K decays in the experiment's fiducial volume, as well as the use of high-performance systems for precision tracking, particle identification, and photon vetoing. These aspects of the experiment will also allow NA62 to carry out a rich program of searches for lepton flavour and/or number violating K decays. Data taking will start in October 2014. The physics prospects and the status of the construction and commissioning of the NA62 experiment will be presented. In the last part of the talk I will report on Kaon physics results and prospects from other experiments at CERN (e.g. LHCb) and in Europe (e.g. KLOE and KLOE-2) and briefly mention the status in US

Measurement of the very rare K+→π+ννˉK^+ \to \pi^+ \nu \bar\nu decay

The decay K+→π+νν¯ , with a very precisely predicted branching ratio of less than 10−10 , is among the best processes to reveal indirect effects of new physics. The NA62 experiment at CERN SPS is designed to study the K+→π+νν¯ decay and to measure its branching ratio using a decay-in-flight technique. NA62 took data in 2016, 2017 and 2018, reaching the sensitivity of the Standard Model for the K+→π+νν¯ decay by the analysis of the 2016 and 2017 data, and providing the most precise measurement of the branching ratio to date by the analysis of the 2018 data. This measurement is also used to set limits on BR(K+→π+X ), where X is a scalar or pseudo-scalar particle. The final result of the BR(K+→π+νν¯ ) measurement and its interpretation in terms of the K+→π+X decay from the analysis of the full 2016-2018 data set is presented, and future plans and prospects are reviewed

Evidence for using the CCC(Cash Conversion Cycle) to test the relationship with the corporate profitability: an empirical analysis on a sample of textile Italian SMEs

The Cash Conversion Cycle (CCC) is a financial index with increasing importance in recent years since analysts and investors consider it effective for financial analyses. The index provides a correct and truthful situation of the company\u2019s ability to cope with its liabilities and allows the company to monitor the cash cycle with reference to purchase operations, production, and sales of products. The CCC is an index expressed by days, so it is necessary to know the Days Inventory Outstanding, the Days Sales Outstanding, and the Days Payable Outstanding to calculate it. The purpose of this research is to analyze characteristics of the CCC and differences with respect to the other liquidity ratios and its relationship with the most relevant financial ratios through empirical applications to verify if it is a reliable index for making decisions regarding a company\u2019s cash flow strategy