A first assessment of genetic variability in the longhorn beetle Rosalia alpina (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) from the Italian Apennines

The Rosalia longicorn (Rosalia alpina) is a strictly protected saproxylic beetle, widely distributed in Central and Southern Europe and mainly associated with ancient beech forests. To improve knowledge about the conservation status of R. alpina in Italy, available molecular markers (microsatellites and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I(COI)) were tested for the first time on Italian populations. The study was performed in four sampling sites distributed in two areas placed in Northern (“Foreste Casentinesi” National Park) and Central Apennines (“Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise” National Park) where populational data about Rosalia longicorn were collected in the framework of the European LIFE MIPP Project. The genetic relationship among Apennine and Central/South-eastern European populations was explored by a comparison with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) data from literature. Microsatellite markers were only partially informative when applied to R. alpina Italian individuals, although providing some preliminary indication on an extensive gene flow among populations from the Apennines and local ongoing processes of genetic erosion. Genetic data are consistent with previous ecological data suggesting that the maintenance of variability in this species could be related to both habitat continuity and preservation of large senescent or standing dead trees in forests. Finally, a peculiar origin of the Apennine populations of R. alpina from a putative “Glacial Refugium” in Italy was inferred through COI data. The high genetic distance scored among the analysed populations and those from Central and South-eastern Europe indicates that the R. alpina deme from Apennine Mountains might represent a relevant conservation unit in Europe. Further genetic analyses will allow assessing other possible conservation units of R. alpina and, thus, defining large-scale conservation strategies to protect this endangered longhorn beetle in Europe

Progress and challenges of implantable neural interfaces based on nature-derived materials

Neural interfaces are bioelectronic devices capable of stimulating a population of neurons or nerve fascicles and recording electrical signals in a specific area. Despite their success in restoring sensory-motor functions in people with disabilities, their long-term exploitation is still limited by poor biocompatibility, mechanical mismatch between the device and neural tissue and the risk of a chronic inflammatory response upon implantation. In this context, the use of nature-derived materials can help address these issues. Examples of these materials, such as extracellular matrix proteins, peptides, lipids and polysaccharides, have been employed for decades in biomedical science. Their excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability in the absence of toxic compound release, physiochemical properties that are similar to those of human tissues and reduced immunogenicity make them outstanding candidates to improve neural interface biocompatibility and long-term implantation safety. The objective of this review is to highlight progress and challenges concerning the impact of nature-derived materials on neural interface design. The use of these materials as biocompatible coatings and as building blocks of insulation materials for use in implantable neural interfaces is discussed. Moreover, future perspectives are presented to show the increasingly important uses of these materials for neural interface fabrication and their possible use for other applications in the framework of neural engineering

Obesity and sleep disorders: A bidirectional relationship

Aims: Obesity and sleep disorders are highly prevalent conditions with profound implications for public health. Emerging evidence highlights a bidirectional relationship between these two conditions, with each exacerbating the other in a complex interplay of behavioral, physiological, and hormonal mechanisms. Sleep deprivation and poor sleep quality contribute to energy imbalance through dysregulation of appetite hormones (e.g., leptin and ghrelin), increased caloric intake, and reduced physical activity. Conversely, sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), insomnia, and restless leg syndrome (RLS) are significantly more common in individuals with obesity. Data synthesis: This review explores the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying this relationship, including the roles of inflammation, autonomic dysregulation, and neuroendocrine pathways. Sleep loss exacerbates metabolic syndrome components, including insulin resistance and dyslipidemia, further perpetuating weight gain. Similarly, obesity-induced sleep disorders lead to pro-inflammatory states, vascular dysfunction, and sympathetic overactivation, compounding cardiometabolic risks. Specific conditions like OSA and RLS are examined as models of this interdependence, emphasizing their shared pathways and clinical implications. Conclusions: The bidirectional link between obesity and sleep disorders underscores the importance of integrating sleep assessment and management into obesity treatment strategies. Addressing this relationship could mitigate the progression of cardiometabolic comorbidities and improve overall health outcomes. Moreover, the intertwined dynamics between obesity, sleep disorders, and mental health—mediated by inflammatory pathways, hormonal dysregulation, and neurobehavioral factors—highlight the critical need for integrated treatment approaches targeting physical, psychological, and sleep-related dimensions to enhance health and quality of life

Polysaccharide Layer-by-Layer Coating for Polyimide-Based Neural Interfaces

: Implantable flexible neural interfaces (IfNIs) are capable of directly modulating signals of the central and peripheral nervous system by stimulating or recording the action potential. Despite outstanding results in acute experiments on animals and humans, their long-term biocompatibility is hampered by the effects of foreign body reactions that worsen electrical performance and cause tissue damage. We report on the fabrication of a polysaccharide nanostructured thin film as a coating of polyimide (PI)-based IfNIs. The layer-by-layer technique was used to coat the PI surface due to its versatility and ease of manufacturing. Two different LbL deposition techniques were tested and compared: dip coating and spin coating. Morphological and physiochemical characterization showed the presence of a very smooth and nanostructured thin film coating on the PI surface that remarkably enhanced surface hydrophilicity with respect to the bare PI surface for both the deposition techniques. However, spin coating offered more control over the fabrication properties, with the possibility to tune the coating's physiochemical and morphological properties. Overall, the proposed coating strategies allowed the deposition of a biocompatible nanostructured film onto the PI surface and could represent a valid tool to enhance long-term IfNI biocompatibility by improving tissue/electrode integration

Reproducibility of hippocampal atrophy rates measured with manual, FreeSurfer, AdaBoost, FSL/FIRST and the MAPS-HBSI methods in Alzheimer's disease

The purpose of this study is to assess the reproducibility of hippocampal atrophy rate measurements of commonly used fully-automated algorithms in Alzheimer disease (AD). The reproducibility of hippocampal atrophy rate for FSL/FIRST, AdaBoost, FreeSurfer, MAPS independently and MAPS combined with the boundary shift integral (MAPS-HBSI) were calculated. Back-to-back (BTB) 3D T1-weighted MPRAGE MRI from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI1) study at baseline and year one were used. Analysis on 3 groups of subjects was performed – 562 subjects at 1.5 T, a 75 subject group that also had manual segmentation and 111 subjects at 3 T. A simple and novel statistical test based on the binomial distribution was used that handled outlying data points robustly. Median hippocampal atrophy rates were −1.1%/year for healthy controls, −3.0%/year for mildly cognitively impaired and −5.1%/year for AD subjects. The best reproducibility was observed for MAPS-HBSI (1.3%), while the other methods tested had reproducibilities at least 50% higher at 1.5 T and 3 T which was statistically significant. For a clinical trial, MAPS-HBSI should require less than half the subjects of the other methods tested. All methods had good accuracy versus manual segmentation. The MAPS-HBSI method has substantially better reproducibility than the other methods considered

Improved Physiochemical Properties of Chitosan@PCL Nerve Conduits by Natural Molecule Crosslinking

: Nerve conduits may represent a valuable alternative to autograft for the regeneration of long-gap damages. However, no NCs have currently reached market approval for the regeneration of limiting gap lesions, which still represents the very bottleneck of this technology. In recent years, a strong effort has been made to envision an engineered graft to tackle this issue. In our recent work, we presented a novel design of porous/3D-printed chitosan/poly-ε-caprolactone conduits, coupling freeze drying and additive manufacturing technologies to yield conduits with good structural properties. In this work, we studied genipin crosslinking as strategy to improve the physiochemical properties of our conduit. Genipin is a natural molecule with very low toxicity that has been used to crosslink chitosan porous matrix by binding the primary amino group of chitosan chains. Our characterization evidenced a stabilizing effect of genipin crosslinking towards the chitosan matrix, with reported modified porosity and ameliorated mechanical properties. Given the reported results, this method has the potential to improve the performance of our conduits for the regeneration of long-gap nerve injuries

Exploring sleep quality, depressive symptoms, and quality of life in adults with spinal muscular atrophy

Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) is a genetic neuromuscular disorder caused by the mutation of the survival motor neuron 1 (SMN1) gene. Sleep disturbances and their impact on mental health and quality of life in patients with SMA are being understudied, and most of the evidence comes from pediatric SMA patients. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of adult patients with SMA. The participants underwent questionnaires exploring sleep quality with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), depressive symptoms with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and quality of life with the Short-Form Health Survey 36 (SF-36). Fifty patients with SMA were enrolled in the study: 66 % were females with a median age of 41 years. Of them, 60 % had poor sleep quality, and 72 % had depressive symptoms. SMA 2 patients showed higher PSQI and PHQ-9 scores than SMA 3 patients (8 ± 3 vs 6 ± 1, p < 0.001 and 13±5 vs 7 ± 5, p < 0.001). PSQI total score correlated with the PHQ-9 (r = 0.32, p = 0.02), which was higher in patients with respiratory symptoms. Poor sleep is associated with depressive symptoms and respiratory dysfunction in adult SMA patients. Clinicians should consider sleep quality in SMA patients for optimal care; future studies are needed to understand this aspect better