Stability inequalities for Lebesgue constants via Markov-like inequalities

We prove that L^infty-norming sets for finite-dimensional multivariatefunction spaces on compact sets are stable under small perturbations. This implies stability of interpolation operator norms (Lebesgue constants), in spaces of algebraic and trigonometric polynomials

The Extremal Function for the Complex Ball for Generalized Notions of Degree and Multivariate Polynomial Approximation

We discuss the Siciak-Zaharjuta extremal function of pluripotential theory for the unit ball in C^d for spaces of polynomials with the notion of degree determined by a convex body P. We then use it to analyze the approximation properties of such polynomial spaces, and how these may differ depending on the function f to be approximated

Evaluating GaN Doherty architectures for 4G Picocells, WiMax and microwave backhaul links

This paper evaluates the Doherty power amplifier architecture in terms of linearity, efficiency and design solutions. As case study four different prototypes are presented, one for 4G Picocells at 2.1 GHz, one for WiMax applications at 3.5 GHz and two for point-to-point microwave backhaul radiolinks at 7 GHz. Experimental results together with design guidelines are discussed addressing strengths and weaknesses of the Doherty architectur

The effects of nisin-producing Lactococcus lactis strain used as probiotic on Gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) growth, gut microbiota, and transcriptional response.

The present research tested the effects of dietary nisin-producing Lactococcus lactis on growth performance, feed utilization, intestinal morphology, transcriptional response, and microbiota in gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata). A feeding trial was conducted with fish weighting 70-90 g. Fish were tagged with passive, integrated transponders and distributed in nine 500-L tanks with 40 fish each. Fish were fed for 12 weeks with either a control (diet A) or experimental diets (diets B and C) in triplicate (3 tanks/diet). Extruded pellets of diets B and C were supplemented with a low (2 x 109 CFU/kg) and a high (5 x 109 CFU/kg) dose of probiotic, respectively. No significant differences were found between groups for the feed conversion ratio or specific growth rates. However, the final body weight of fish fed diet C was significantly higher than the control group with intermediate values for fish fed diet B. Histological analysis conducted using a semi-quantitative scoring system showed that probiotic did not alter the morphology of the intestine and did not trigger inflammation. With regard to the transcriptomic response, a customized PCR array layout was designed to simultaneously profile a panel of 44 selected genes. Significant differences in the expression of key genes involved in innate and acquired immunity were detected between fish fed probiotic and control diets. To analyze the microbiota associated to the feeds and the gut autochthonous microbial communities, we used the Illumina MiSeq platform for sequencing the 16S rRNA gene and a metagenomics pipeline based on VSEARCH and RDP databases. The analysis of gut microbiota revealed a lack of colonization of the probiotic in the host\u2019s intestinal mucosa. However, probiotic did modulate the fish gut microbiota, confirming that colonization is not always necessary to induce host modification. In fact, diets B and C were enriched with Actinomycetales, as compared to diet A, which instead showed a higher percentage of Pseudomonas, Sphyngomonas, and Lactobacillus genera. These results were confirmed by the clear separation of gut bacterial community of fish fed with the probiotic from the bacterial community of control fish group in the beta-diversity and PLS-DA (supervised partial least-squares discriminant analysis) analyses

Microfluidic-based immunohistochemistry for breast cancer diagnosis: a comparative clinical study.

Breast cancer is a highly heterogeneous disease. The efficacy of tailored therapeutic strategies relies on the precise detection of diagnostic biomarkers by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Therefore, considering the increasing incidence of breast cancer cases, a concomitantly time-efficient and accurate diagnosis is clinically highly relevant. Microfluidics is a promising innovative technology in the field of tissue diagnostic, enabling for rapid, reliable, and automated immunostaining. We previously reported the microfluidic-based HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) detection in breast carcinomas to greatly correlate with the HER2 gene amplification level. Here, we aimed to develop a panel of microfluidic-based IHC protocols for prognostic and therapeutic markers routinely assessed for breast cancer diagnosis, namely HER2, estrogen/progesterone receptor (ER/PR), and Ki67 proliferation factor. The microfluidic IHC protocol for each marker was optimized to reach high staining quality comparable to the standard procedure, while concomitantly shortening the staining time to 16 min-excluding deparaffinization and antigen retrieval step-with a turnaround time reduction up to 7 folds. Comparison of the diagnostic score on 50 formaldehyde-fixed paraffin-embedded breast tumor resections by microfluidic versus standard staining showed high concordance (overall agreement: HER2 94%, ER 95.9%, PR 93.6%, Ki67 93.7%) and strong correlation (ρ coefficient: ER 0.89, PR 0.88, Ki67 0.87; p < 0.0001) for all the analyzed markers. Importantly, HER2 genetic reflex test for all discordant cases confirmed the scores obtained by the microfluidic technique. Overall, the microfluidic-based IHC represents a clinically validated equivalent approach to the standard chromogenic staining for rapid, accurate, and automated breast cancer diagnosis

A comprehensive overview on Kratom

Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa Korth) is a tropical tree, indigenous to South East Asia. Historically, the plant is locally used as a stimulant, a remedy in traditional medicine and in social context. Imported to Western countries, Kratom is classified as a novel psychoactive substance (NPS). A systematic review of the literature on Mitragyna speciosa and its main constituents was carried by our international multidisciplinary group. Results were qualitatively analysed in three main areas of interest: in-vitro and preclinical data on pharmacology and behavioral effects, laboratoristic techniques for identification/characterization, epidemiological/toxicological reports on humans. At present, there is no systematic data on the prevalence of Kratom use in all the native countries, but it seems to be considerable. In South-East Asia, Kratom, even if banned, might be still considered a better option than other illicit drugs, an alternative opioid treatment, a “natural” remedy with no real social stigma attached to its consumption. In parallel, this ethno-drug seems to be popular in Western countries, largely unregulated, easily available on the Internet. Kratom pharmacology appears to be complex, with many alkaloids involved. The subjective effects in humans are very peculiar and seem to be dose-dependent, ranging from psycho-stimulant to sedative-narcotic. Available data on Kratom suggest caution: this psychoactive plant could exhibit a serious harmful potential. Kratom use seems to be associated with drug dependency, development of withdrawal symptoms, craving, serious adverse effects and life-threatening effects in a multidrug-intoxicating scenario. On the other hand, its anxyiolitic, antidepressant and analgesic properties deserve to be further studied

Evidence of language-related left hypofrontality in Major Depression: An EEG Beta band study

Major depression (MDD) has been associated with an altered EEG frontal asymmetry measured in resting state; nevertheless, this association has showed a weak consistency across studies. In the present study, which starts from an evolutionistic view of psychiatric disorders, we investigated frontal asymmetry in MDD, using language as a probe to test the integrity of large inter- and intra-hemispheric networks and processes. Thirty MDD patients (22 women) and 32 matched controls (HC) were recruited for an EEG recording in resting state and during two linguistic tasks, phonological and semantic. Normalized alpha and beta EEG spectral bands were measured across all three conditions in the two groups. EEG alpha amplitude showed no hemispheric asymmetry, regardless of group, both at rest and during linguistic tasks. During resting state, analysis of EEG beta revealed a lack of hemispheric asymmetry in both groups, but during linguistic tasks, HC exhibited the typical greater left frontal beta activation, whereas MDD patients showed a lack of frontal asymmetry and a significantly lower activation of left frontal sites. In depressed patients, positive affect was negatively correlated with depression levels and positively correlated with left frontal EEG beta amplitude. Language represents the human process that requires the largest level of integration between and within the hemispheres; thus, language asymmetry was a valid probe to test the left frontal alteration encompassing highly impairing psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia and MDD. Indeed, these severe diseases are marked by delusions, ruminations, thought disorders, and hallucinations, all of which have a clear linguistic or metalinguistic basis

Urine Fetuin-A is a biomarker of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease progression.

BACKGROUND: Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is a genetic disorder characterized by numerous fluid-filled cysts that frequently result in end-stage renal disease. While promising treatment options are in advanced clinical development, early diagnosis and follow-up remain a major challenge. We therefore evaluated the diagnostic value of Fetuin-A as a new biomarker of ADPKD in human urine. RESULTS: We found that renal Fetuin-A levels are upregulated in both Pkd1 and Bicc1 mouse models of ADPKD. Measurement by ELISA revealed that urinary Fetuin-A levels were significantly higher in 66 ADPKD patients (17.5 ± 12.5 μg/mmol creatinine) compared to 17 healthy volunteers (8.5 ± 3.8 μg/mmol creatinine) or 50 control patients with renal diseases of other causes (6.2 ± 2.9 μg/mmol creatinine). Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis of urinary Fetuin-A levels for ADPKD rendered an optimum cut-off value of 12.2 μg/mmol creatinine, corresponding to 94% of sensitivity and 60% of specificity (area under the curve 0.74 ; p = 0.0019). Furthermore, urinary Fetuin-A levels in ADPKD patients correlated with the degree of renal insufficiency and showed a significant increase in patients with preserved renal function followed for two years. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings establish urinary Fetuin-A as a sensitive biomarker of the progression of ADPKD. Further studies are required to examine the pathogenic mechanisms of elevated renal and urinary Fetuin-A in ADPKD

Serum metabolomics tells the story of disease degree in a fish enteritis model

Comunicación presentada en la 19th International Conference on Diseases of Fish and Shellfish, celebrada en Oporto (Portugal) del 9 al 12 de septiembre de 2019.[Introduction]: In animal production, enteritis is responsible for serious economic losses, being intestinal parasitism a major stress factor leading to malnutrition and lowered performance and production efficiency. The intestinal myxozoan parasite Enteromyxum leei dwells between gut epithelial cells and causes severe desquamative enteritis in gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) that impairs nutrient absorption causing anorexia, cachexia, growth impairment, reduced marketability and increased mortality. This study aimed to outline the gut failure produced in this fish-parasite model using a multifaceted approach and to find and validate serum non-lethal markers of gut barrier dysfunction.[Methodology]: Intestinal integrity was studied in parasitized and non-parasitized fish by immunohistochemistry with specific markers for cellular adhesion (E-cadherin) and tight junctions (Tjp-1 and Cldn3) and by functional studies of permeability (oral administration of FITC-dextran) and electrophysiology (Ussing chambers). Serum samples from parasitized and non-parasitized fish were analyzed using non-targeted metabolomics and some significantly altered metabolites were selected to be validated using commercial kits.[Results]: The expression of the tight junction proteins Tjp-1 and Cldn3 was significantly lower in parasitized fish along all the intestine, while no differences were found in E-cadherin labeling. Some parasitized fish showed a significant increase in paracellular uptake measured by FITC-dextran detection in serum. Electrophysiology studies showed a decrease in transepithelial resistance in infected animals, which showed a diarrheic profile when compared to the normal absorptive profile of the control animals. Serum metabolomics revealed 3702 ions, from which the differential expression of 20 identified compounds significantly separated control from infected groups in multivariate analyses (PLS-DA), and even separated groups by intensity of infection. Of these compounds, inosine and creatine were identified as relevant and tested with commercial kits in serum samples.[Conclusion]: This study demonstrates the loss of barrier function induced by the enteric parasite E. leei and underlines key markers to differentiate control and infected fish. The untargeted serum metabolomics approach did not reveal specific effects by the parasite, but more a profile typical of absorption dysfunction and anorexia, which are, of course, part of the disease signs.Funding: ParaFishControl H2020 project (634429), Aquaexcel2020 (652831, TNA AE10004-INTEBREAM), AGL2013-48560-R