The Impact of MIS Software on IT Energy Consumption

The energy consumption of IT has a great impact on operational costs, in addition to being important for social responsibility and system scalability issues. Research on IT energy efficiency has always focused on hardware, whereas within the software domain it has mainly focused on embedded systems. In this paper we present the preliminary results of some experiments that we conducted to evaluate MIS applications from an energy efficiency point of view. We analyze in details some selected case studies, including 2 ERPs, 2 CRMs and 4 DBMS. Our evidence suggests i) that not only the infrastructural layers, but also the MIS applications layer does impact on the energy consumption; ii) that different MIS applications satisfying the same functional requirements consume significantly different amounts of energy; and iii) that in some scenarios energy efficiency cannot be increased simply by improving time performance

Implementing a perioperative efficiency initiative for orthopedic surgery instrumentation at an academic center: A comparative before-and-after study.

Optimizing surgical instrumentation may contribute to value-based care, particularly in commonly performed procedures. We report our experience in implementing a perioperative efficiency program in 2 types of orthopedic surgery (primary total-knee arthroplasty, TKA, and total-hip arthroplasty, THA).A comparative before-and-after study with 2 participating surgeons, each performing both THA and TKA, was conducted. Our objective was to evaluate the effect of surgical tray optimization on operating and processing time, cost, and waste associated with preparation, delivery, and staging of sterile surgical instruments. The study was designed as a prospective quality improvement initiative with pre- and postimplementation operational measures and a provider satisfaction survey.A total of 96 procedures (38 preimplementation and 58 postimplementation) were assessed using time-stamped performance endpoints. The number and weight of trays and instruments processed were reduced substantially after the optimization intervention, particularly for TKA. Setup time was reduced by 23% (6 minutes, P = .01) for TKA procedures but did not differ for THA. The number of survey respondents was small, but satisfaction was high overall among personnel involved in implementation.Optimizing instrumentation trays for orthopedic procedures yielded reduction in processing time and cost. Future research should evaluate patient outcomes and incremental/additive impact on institutional quality measures

Sensitive Detection and Quantification of Anisakid Parasite Residues in Food Products

Anisakids are nematodes whose larval stages are often present in fish, molluscs, and crustaceans. Members of the family Anisakidae belonging to the genera Anisakis and Pseudoterranova are implicated in human infections caused by the consumption of raw or undercooked fish. Adequate cooking will kill anisakid larvae, however, killed or inactivated larvae can still cause sensitization and immunoglobulin E-dependent hypersensitivity in human. This work describes the development of DNA-based tests to detect and quantify the presence of Anisakis spp. and Pseudoterranova spp. larvae in fish and fish-derived products, including fish fillets, surimi, fish sticks, canned fish, and baby food. Primers and TaqMan MGB probes recognizing only Anisakis spp. and Pseudoterranova spp. were designed on the first internal transcribed spacer 1 regions of rDNA for a real-time polymerase chain reaction assay. A commercial probe for 18S rDNA was used to detect and quantify the total eukaryotic DNA of the samples. The specificity and sensitivity of the assays were tested using reference samples prepared from mixtures made of Anisakis larvae in different quantity of codfish, and subsequent dilutions. Studies were performed to assess the ability of the test to detect and quantify anisakids in various products. Results showed that this test is able to detect anisakid DNA contained in a proportion of 1:10(5) in 1 ng of total DNA. The high prevalence of anisakids reported in main fishery species was confirmed by frequently detecting anisakids DNA in fish muscle and fish-derived products. A partial correlation was found between the number of larvae present in the viscera and the level of contamination of fish fillets. In conclusion, this molecular test is useful to detect the presence of Anisakis spp. and Pseudoterranova spp. in fish and fish-derived products and to quantify the level of contamination along the food chain, with potential applications for fish farms, fish markets, and food producers

An Atlas of Altered Expression of Deubiquitinating Enzymes in Human Cancer

BACKGROUND: Deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) are proteases that process ubiquitin (Ub) or ubiquitin-like gene products, remodel polyubiquitin(-like) chains on target proteins, and counteract protein ubiquitination exerted by E3 ubiquitin-ligases. A wealth of studies has established the relevance of DUBs to the control of physiological processes whose subversion is known to cause cellular transformation, including cell cycle progression, DNA repair, endocytosis and signal transduction. Altered expression of DUBs might, therefore, subvert both the proteolytic and signaling functions of the Ub system. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In this study, we report the first comprehensive screening of DUB dysregulation in human cancers by in situ hybridization on tissue microarrays (ISH-TMA). ISH-TMA has proven to be a reliable methodology to conduct this kind of study, particularly because it allows the precise identification of the cellular origin of the signals. Thus, signals associated with the tumor component can be distinguished from those associated with the tumor microenvironment. Specimens derived from various normal and malignant tumor tissues were analyzed, and the "normal" samples were derived, whenever possible, from the same patients from whom tumors were obtained. Of the ∼90 DUBs encoded by the human genome, 33 were found to be expressed in at least one of the analyzed tissues, of which 22 were altered in cancers. Selected DUBs were subjected to further validation, by analyzing their expression in large cohorts of tumor samples. This analysis unveiled significant correlations between DUB expression and relevant clinical and pathological parameters, which were in some cases indicative of aggressive disease. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The results presented here demonstrate that DUB dysregulation is a frequent event in cancer, and have implications for therapeutic approaches based on DUB inhibition

Loss of negative regulation by Numb over Notch is relevant to human breast carcinogenesis

The biological antagonism between Notch and Numb controls the proliferative/differentiative balance in development and homeostasis. Although altered Notch signaling has been linked to human diseases, including cancer, evidence for a substantial involvement of Notch in human tumors has remained elusive. Here, we show that Numb-mediated control on Notch signaling is lost in ∼50% of human mammary carcinomas, due to specific Numb ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. Mechanistically, Numb operates as an oncosuppressor, as its ectopic expression in Numb-negative, but not in Numb-positive, tumor cells inhibits proliferation. Increased Notch signaling is observed in Numb-negative tumors, but reverts to basal levels after enforced expression of Numb. Conversely, Numb silencing increases Notch signaling in normal breast cells and in Numb-positive breast tumors. Finally, growth suppression of Numb-negative, but not Numb-positive, breast tumors can be achieved by pharmacological inhibition of Notch. Thus, the Numb/Notch biological antagonism is relevant to the homeostasis of the normal mammary parenchyma and its subversion contributes to human mammary carcinogenesis

A new method for spatial mode shifting of stabilized optical cavities for the generation of dual-color X-rays

We propose an innovative method to shift the transversal position of the focal point of an optical cavity keeping it actively frequency stabilized. Our cavity is a 4 mirrors bow-tie cavity and the spatial shift of the resonant mode is obtained by properly rotating the two curved mirrors by piezo actuators. This method allows us to move the transversal position of the cavity focal point of 135 µm in a time of 50 ms, keeping the resonance condition of the cavity by means of the Pound–Drever–Hall technique. We propose to use this technique for the generation of 2-color X-rays via Inverse Compton Scattering (ICS). This technique exploits the large average power stored in the high finesse cavity by shifting the laser beam with respect to the electron beam trajectory, hence controlling the spatial superposition of the electron and photon beams in the interaction region. Arranging two cavities assembled one on top of the other, with different collision angle with the electron beam, allows the generation of X-ray bursts of different energies just by swiftly moving the two cavities, switching the two focal points onto the electron beam trajectory, thus activating in sequence two different ICS spectral lines

Antibodies Responses to SARS-CoV-2 in a Large Cohort of Vaccinated Subjects and Seropositive Patients

COVID-19 is a current global threat, and the characterization of antibody response is vitally important to update vaccine development and strategies. In this study we assessed SARS-CoV-2 antibody concentrations in SARS-CoV-2 positive patients (N = 272) and subjects vaccinated with the BNT162b2 m-RNA COVID-19 vaccine (N = 1256). For each participant, socio-demographic data, COVID-19 vaccination records, serological analyses, and SARS-CoV-2 infection status were collected. IgG antibodies against S1/S2 antigens of SARS-CoV-2 were detected. Almost all vaccinated subjects (99.8%) showed a seropositivity to anti-SARS-COV-2 IgG and more than 80% of vaccinated subjects had IgG concentrations > 200 AU/mL. In a Tobit multivariable regression analysis, SARS-CoV-2 vaccination was statistically significantly associated with increased IgG concentrations (β coef = 266.4; p < 0.001). A statistically significant reduction in SARS-CoV-2 IgG concentrations was found with older age (β coef = -1.96 per year increase; p < 0.001), male sex (β coef = -22.3; p < 0.001), and days after immunization (β coef = -1.67 per day increase; p < 0.001). Our findings could support the vaccination campaigns confirming the high immunogenicity of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine under investigation with respect to the natural infection. Further studies will be required for evaluating the role of age and days after immunization in the persistence of vaccine antibodies and protection from the disease

Molecular typing and differences in biofilm formation and antibiotic susceptibilities among Prototheca strains isolated in Italy and Brazil.

Bovine mastitis caused by Prototheca is a serious and complex problem that accounts for high economic losses in the dairy industry. The main objective of this study was to identify and characterize at genetic level different Prototheca strains and provide the most complete data about protothecal antibiotic resistance. The study involves 46 isolates from Italian (13 strains) and Brazilian (33 strains) mastitic milk. These strains were identified by multiplex PCR and single strand conformation polymorphism analysis and characterized by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD)-PCR. Moreover, biofilm production and antibiotic susceptibility were evaluated. Forty-two strains resulted as Prototheca zopfii genotype 2, whereas 4 isolates could belong to a potential new Prototheca species. The RAPD-PCR, performed with 3 primers (M13, OPA-4, and OPA-18), showed a notable heterogeneity among isolates and grouped the strains according to the species and geographical origin. Biofilm production was species-dependent and P. zopfii genotype 2 strains were classified as strong biofilm producers. In vitro antibiotic susceptibility tests indicated that Prototheca strains were susceptible to antibacterial drugs belonging to aminoglycosides group; the highest activity against Prototheca strains was observed in the case of colistin sulfate, gentamicin, and netilmicin (100% of susceptible strains). It is interesting to note that all the Italian P. zopfii genotype 2 strains showed lower minimum inhibitory concentration values than the Brazilian ones. Nisin showed more efficacy than lysozyme and potassium sorbate, inhibiting 31% of the strains. Results obtained in this study confirmed that RAPD-PCR is a rapid, inexpensive, and highly discriminating tool for Prototheca strains characterization and could give a good scientific contribution for better understanding the protothecal mastitis in dairy herd

Liver disease in chelated transfusion-dependent thalassemics: the role of iron overload and chronic hepatitis C.

Abstract Iron overload and hepatitis virus C infection cause liver fibrosis in thalassemics. In a monocentric retrospective analysis of liver disease in a cohort of 191 transfusion-dependent thalassemics, in 126 patients who had undergone liver biopsy (mean age 17.2 years; 58 hepatitis virus C-RNA positive and 68 hepatitis virus C-RNA negative) the liver iron concentration (median 2.4 mg/gr dry liver weight) was closely related to serum ferritin levels (R = 0.58; p<0.0001). Male gender (OR 4.12) and serum hepatitis virus C-RNA positivity (OR 11.04) were independent risk factors for advanced liver fibrosis. The majority of hepatitis virus C-RNA negative patients with low iron load did not develop liver fibrosis, while hepatitis virus C-RNA positive patients infected with genotype 1 or 4 and iron overload more frequently developed advanced fibrosis. Hepatitis virus C infection is the main risk factor for liver fibrosis in transfusion-dependent thalassemics. Adequate chelation therapy usually prevents the development of liver fibrosis in thalassemics free of hepatitis virus C-infection and reduces the risk of developing severe fibrosis in thalassemics with chronic hepatitis C