Emotional management and biological markers of dietetic regimen in chronic kidney disease patients

The aim of the study was to investigate the association between psychological characteristics and biological markers of adherence in chronic kidney disease patients receiving conservative therapy, hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis (PD), or kidney transplantation. Seventy-nine adult patients were asked to complete the following questionnaires: Toronto Alexithymia scale, Snaith–Hamilton Pleasure Scale, and Short Form Health Survey. Biological markers of adherence to treatment were measured. Peritoneal dialysis patients showed a lower capacity to feel pleasure from sensorial experience (p = .011) and a higher values of phosphorus compared to the other patients’ groups (p = .0001). The inability to communicate emotions was negatively correlated with hemoglobin levels (r = −(0).69; p = .001) and positively correlated with phosphorus values in the PD patients (r = .45; p = .050). Findings showed higher psychological impairments and a lower adherence to the treatment in PD patients and suggest the implication of emotional competence in adherence to treatment.The aim of the study was to investigate the association between psychological characteristics and biological markers of adherence in chronic kidney disease patients receiving conservative therapy, hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis (PD), or kidney transplantation. Seventy-nine adult patients were asked to complete the following questionnaires: Toronto Alexithymia scale, Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale, and Short Form Health Survey. Biological markers of adherence to treatment were measured. Peritoneal dialysis patients showed a lower capacity to feel pleasure from sensorial experience (p = .011) and a higher values of phosphorus compared to the other patients' groups (p = .0001). The inability to communicate emotions was negatively correlated with hemoglobin levels (r = -(0).69; p = .001) and positively correlated with phosphorus values in the PD patients (r = .45; p = .050). Findings showed higher psychological impairments and a lower adherence to the treatment in PD patients and suggest the implication of emotional competence in adherence to treatment

Synthesis of functionalized iron N-heterocyclic carbene complexes and their potential application as flame behavior modifier in cross linked epoxy resins

The design of new flame retardants (FR) that avoid the use of halogen and phosphorus additives is challenging and urgent. Herein we report on the synthesis of bis-amino functionalized N-heterocyclic carbene cyclopentadienone iron complexes aimed at promoting the production of iron containing epoxy resins. Iron complexes are successfully employed to obtain high Tg thermosets with as low as 5% hardener content. Moreover the obtained resins display an impressive charring ability that paves the way to the application of such systems for material with improved flame behavior

Mitochondrial DNA Regionalism and Historical Demography in the Extant Populations of Chirocephalus kerkyrensis (Branchiopoda: Anostraca)

Background: Mediterranean temporary water bodies are important reservoirs of biodiversity and host a unique assemblage of diapausing aquatic invertebrates. These environments are currently vanishing because of increasing human pressure. Chirocephalus kerkyrensis is a fairy shrimp typical of temporary water bodies in Mediterranean plain forests and has undergone a substantial decline in number of populations in recent years due to habitat loss. We assessed patterns of genetic connectivity and phylogeographic history in the seven extant populations of the species from Albania, Corfu Is. (Greece), Southern and Central Italy. Methodology/Principal Findings: We analyzed sequence variation at two mitochondrial DNA genes (Cytochrome Oxidase I and 16s rRNA) in all the known populations of C. kerkyrensis. We used multiple phylogenetic, phylogeographic and coalescence-based approaches to assess connectivity and historical demography across the whole distribution range of the species. C. kerkyrensis is genetically subdivided into three main mitochondrial lineages; two of them are geographically localized (Corfu Is. and Central Italy) and one encompasses a wide geographic area (Albania and Southern Italy). Most of the detected genetic variation (<81%) is apportioned among the aforementioned lineages. Conclusions/Significance: Multiple analyses of mismatch distributions consistently supported both past demographic and spatial expansions with the former predating the latter; demographic expansions were consistently placed during interglacial warm phases of the Pleistocene while spatial expansions were restricted to cold periods. Coalescence methods revealed a scenario of past isolation with low levels of gene flow in line with what is already known for other co-distributed fairy shrimps and suggest drift as the prevailing force in promoting local divergence. We recommend that these evolutionary trajectories should be taken in proper consideration in any effort aimed at protecting Mediterranean temporary water bodies

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements