Recent Advances on Anilato-Based Molecular Materials with Magnetic and/or Conducting Properties

The aim of the present work is to highlight the unique role of anilato-ligands, derivatives of the 2,5-dioxy-1,4-benzoquinone framework containing various substituents at the 3 and 6 positions (X = H, Cl, Br, I, CN, etc.), in engineering a great variety of new materials showing peculiar magnetic and/or conducting properties. Homoleptic anilato-based molecular building blocks and related materials will be discussed. Selected examples of such materials, spanning from graphene-related layered magnetic materials to intercalated supramolecular arrays, ferromagnetic 3D monometallic lanthanoid assemblies, multifunctional materials with coexistence of magnetic/conducting properties and/or chirality and multifunctional metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) will be discussed herein. The influence of (i) the electronic nature of the X substituents and (ii) intermolecular interactions i.e., H-Bonding, Halogen-Bonding, π-π stacking and dipolar interactions, on the physical properties of the resulting material will be also highlighted. A combined structural/physical properties analysis will be reported to provide an effective tool for designing novel anilate-based supramolecular architectures showing improved and/or novel physical properties. The role of the molecular approach in this context is pointed out as well, since it enables the chemical design of the molecular building blocks being suitable for self-assembly to form supramolecular structures with the desired interactions and physical propertie

Benzothiazolium-functionalized NU-1000 : a versatile material for carbon dioxide adsorption and cyanide luminescence sensing

The benzothiazolium-decorated NU-1000-BzTz MOF is a versatile material for carbon dioxide storage and cyanide luminescence sensing in aqueous solutions

d aspartate exerts an opposing role upon age dependent nmdar related synaptic plasticity and memory decay

In the present study, we demonstrated that D-aspartate acts as an _in vitro_ and _in vivo_ neuromodulatory molecule upon hippocampal NMDAR transmission. Accordingly, we showed that this D-amino acid, widely expressed during embryonic phase, was able to strongly influence hippocampus-related functions at adulthood. Thus, while up-regulated levels of D-aspartate increased LTP and spatial memory in four-month old adult mice, the prolonged deregulation of this molecule in thirteen-month old animals induced a substantial acceleration of age-dependent decay of synaptic plasticity and cognitive functions. Moreover, we highlighted a role for D-aspartate in enhancing NMDAR-dependent synaptic plasticity through an inducible "turn-on/turn-off-like mechanism". Strikingly, we also showed that D-aspartate, when administered to aged mice, strongly rescued their physiological synaptic decay and attenuated their cognitive deterioration. In conclusion, our data suggest a tantalizing hypothesis for which this in-embryo-occurring D-amino acid, might disclose plasticity windows in the aging brain

Real-time evaluation of longitudinal peak systolic strain (speckle tracking measurement) in left and right ventricles of athletes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Strain, and particularly Longitudinal Peak Systolic Strain (LPSS), plays a role in investigating the segmental and overall contractility of the heart which is a particularly interesting feature in athletes in whom regular training determines several morphological and functional modifications in both the ventricles, that normally work at different loads. Speckle tracking techniques assess the LPSS of LV and RV from B-mode imaging in real time, with uniform accuracy in all segments, and can verify the possible dissimilar segmental contributions of the two chambers to overall myocardial contraction. The aim of the study is to quantify the LPSS in real time in both the ventricles in order to estimate any possible different deformation properties in them during a systolic period.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>32 subjects (20 athletes and 18 controls) were submitted to a standard echocardiographic examination at rest and after a Hand Grip (HG) stress. From a four-chamber-view image, the LPSS parameter was measured with Speckle Tracking analysis in the basal and medium-apical segments of the two ventricles, at rest and after HG.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In both athletes and controls, LPSS values were significantly higher in the RV of athletes (RV LPSS ^{medium-apical}-23.87 ± 4.94; ^{basalfreewall}-25.04 ± 4.12 at rest) and controls (RV LPSS^{medium-apical}-25.21 ± 4.97; ^{basalfreewall}-28.69 ± 4.62 at rest) than in the LV of both (athletes LV LPSS ^{medium-apical}-18.14 ± 4.16; ^{basallateralwall}-16.05 ± 12.32; controls ^{medium-apical}-18.81 ± 2.64; ^{basallateralwall}-19.74 ± 3.84) With the HG test a significant enhancement of the LPSS(with P < .05) in the medium-apical segments of LV and RV was evident, but only in athletes; there was no modification of the standard echo-parameters in either group.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>ST analysis is an easy method for investigating the contractility of the RV through deformation parameters, showing greater involvement of the RV than LV at rest. In athletes only, after isometric stress the two ventricles show particular myocardial deformation properties of the regions around the apex where the curvature of the wall is more marked. The clinical application of this new approach in athletes and normal subjects requires further investigation.</p

GINGER

In this paper, we outline the scientific objectives, the experimental layout, and the collaborations envisaged for the GINGER (Gyroscopes IN GEneral Relativity) project. The GINGER project brings together different scientific disciplines aiming at building an array of Ring Laser Gyroscopes (RLGs), exploiting the Sagnac effect, to measure continuously, with sensitivity better than picorad/ s, large bandwidth (ca. 1 kHz), and high dynamic range, the absolute angular rotation rate of the Earth. In the paper, we address the feasibility of the apparatus with respect to the ambitious specifications above, as well as prove how such an apparatus, which will be able to detect strong Earthquakes, very weak geodetic signals, as well as general relativity effects like Lense-Thirring and De Sitter, will help scientific advancements in Theoretical Physics, Geophysics, and Geodesy, among other scientific fields.Comment: 21 pages, 9 figure

Different Molecular Signatures in Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Staged Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy Muscles

Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is one of the most common muscular dystrophies and is characterized by a non-conventional genetic mechanism activated by pathogenic D4Z4 repeat contractions. By muscle Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) we observed that T2-short tau inversion recovery (T2-STIR) sequences identify two different conditions in which each muscle can be found before the irreversible dystrophic alteration, marked as T1-weighted sequence hyperintensity, takes place. We studied these conditions in order to obtain further information on the molecular mechanisms involved in the selective wasting of single muscles or muscle groups in this disease

Carriers of ADAMTS13 Rare Variants Are at High Risk of Life-Threatening COVID-19

Thrombosis of small and large vessels is reported as a key player in COVID-19 severity. However, host genetic determinants of this susceptibility are still unclear. Congenital Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura is a severe autosomal recessive disorder characterized by uncleaved ultra-large vWF and thrombotic microangiopathy, frequently triggered by infections. Carriers are reported to be asymptomatic. Exome analysis of about 3000 SARS-CoV-2 infected subjects of different severities, belonging to the GEN-COVID cohort, revealed the specific role of vWF cleaving enzyme ADAMTS13 (A disintegrin-like and metalloprotease with thrombospondin type 1 motif, 13). We report here that ultra-rare variants in a heterozygous state lead to a rare form of COVID-19 characterized by hyper-inflammation signs, which segregates in families as an autosomal dominant disorder conditioned by SARS-CoV-2 infection, sex, and age. This has clinical relevance due to the availability of drugs such as Caplacizumab, which inhibits vWF-platelet interaction, and Crizanlizumab, which, by inhibiting P-selectin binding to its ligands, prevents leukocyte recruitment and platelet aggregation at the site of vascular damage