Natural Killer cells responsiveness to physical esercise: a brief review

Natural killer cells (NK) are a group of peripheral blood lymphocytes which display cytotoxic ac- tivity against a wide range of tumour cells. They are a consistent part of the inflammatory re- sponse that is activated when either internal or external injuries occur as they are able to syn- thesize perforins. An important role is played by NK cells in the host defence against tumours without expressing any antigen-binding recap- tor in their membrane which, however, distin- guish T and B lymphocytes. NK activity appears early in the immune response, thus providing immediate protection during the time required for the activation and proliferation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes and for their differentiation into functional cells. Even though much research regarding the effects of aerobic training exercise on NK cell numbers and function, there appears to be much controversy regarding its effect. NK cells are rapidly mobilized into circulation in response to acute exercise, most likely by in- creased shear stress and catecholamine-in- duced down-regulation of adhesion molecule expression. However, tissue injury and inflam- mation which often accompanies strenuous ex- ercise have been associated to post-exercise NK cell suppression. Scientific evidence indicates exercise-induced changes in NK cell redistribu- tion and function should be strongly influenced by stress hormones including catecholamines, cortisol and prolactin as well as by soluble me- diators such as cytokines and prostaglandins. The role of exercise therapy in cancer patients and survivors rehabilitation is becoming increasingly important as it is thought to modulate immunity and inflammation. However, more knowledge about the effects of exercise on im-mune function in these patients is needed

Deflection and Friction Performance of Waste-Wooden Block Pavements

The use of waste wood for road light pavements is essential for environmental and economic sustainability.The paper investigates the mechanical performance of pavements built with waste wood elements discarded from Sardinia manufacture (Italy). Without structural value, mainly Sardinian wood is used for combustion and heating due to the characteristics of dimensional irregularity, non-homogeneity, and the presence of defects. Even small urban and forest furniture comes from foreign markets. Landscape reasons, emissions reduction, and environmental integration with the local context could encourage its use if reliable techniques are available.The study first analyzed the structural response of a portion of pavementmade with waste wood bricks (pine and Eucalyptus). Subsequently, a Finite Element simulation of the pavement has been validated with the tests' results. The experimental pavement was created with Interlocked Block Pavement (IBP) technique, using brick elements 13 x 6 x 10 cm. The behavior of the pavement was analyzed in situ with dynamic deflection tests using the Falling Weight Deflectometer test (FWD). Further tests performed in the laboratory investigated the friction of the wood pavement surface. The simulation results show that the wooden pavement elements do not differ substantially from the classic concrete IBP and HMA cracked pavement. The mean deflections are greater than 19%, while the vertical stress on the foundation layer is equivalent. As with the classic concrete IBP, the results largely depend on the bearing capacity of the substrate and the degree of interlocking.Friction tests show good values with mean values of 53 divided by 64 BPN. The most significant values were observed in the elements eucalyptus. The direction of the wood fibers also influences the results: about 3 points in the case of pine and over 7 points in the case of Eucalyptus. The study shows how the use of wood for the pavement with elements is sustainable and practicable due to the minor and low-traffic roads while also guaranteeing permeability and low-cost maintenance

Mechatronic face mask anti covid-19 to remotely record cardiorespiratory variables in farm’s workers engaged in jobs at high risk of infection

The most frequent prodromes of COVID-19 infection are fever, signs of respiratory diseases, cough and shortness of breath. Nevertheless, it is not infrequent that patients with COVID-19 also show cardiac symptoms. So, it is of importance to detect the prodromal symptoms of the COVID-19 infection in order to be able to make a diagnosis as quickly as possible to provide the immediate insertion of the infected people in isolation/therapy protocols. Here is presented a prototype of a smart face mask, named AG47-SmartMask that, in addition to the function of both an active and passive anti COVID-19 filter by an electro-heated filter brought to a minimum temperature of 38°C, it also allows the continuous monitoring of numerous cardio-pulmonary variables. Several specific sensors are incorporated into the mask to assess the inside mask temperature from which synchronous waving with the breathing was acquired the breath frequency, relative humidity, air pressure together and end tidal carbon dioxide percentage, and an auricular assessment of the body temperature, the heart rate and the percentage of oxygen saturation of haemoglobin. Sensors are embedded within an advanced ICT platform. To validate the AG47-SmartMask tool, were engaged twenty seven Farm’s workers of a vegetable packaging chain and they dressed the face mask device to simulate, while working, both tachypnea and cough, and the AG47-SmartMask faithfully quantified the simulated dyspnoic events

Possible Assessment of Calf Venous Pump Efficiency by Computational Fluid Dynamics Approach

Three-dimensional simulations of peripheral, deep venous flow during muscular exercise in limbs of healthy subjects and in those with venous dysfunction were carried out by a computational fluid-dynamics (CFD) approach using the STAR CCM + platform. The aim was to assess the effects of valvular incompetence on the venous calf pump efficiency. The model idealizes the lower limb circulation by a single artery, a capillary bed represented by a porous region and a single vein. The focus is on a segment of the circuit which mimics a typical deep vein at the level of the calf muscle, such as the right posterior tibial vein. Valves are idealized as ball valves, and periodic muscle contractions are given by imposing time-dependent boundary conditions to the calf segment wall. Flow measurements were performed in two cross-sections downstream and upstream of the calf pump. Model results demonstrate a reduced venous return for incompetent valves during calf exercise. Two different degrees of valvular incompetence are considered, by restricting the motion of one or both valves. Model results showed that only the proximal valve is critical, with a 30% reduction of venous return during calf exercise in case of valvular incompetence: the net flow volume ejected by the calf in central direction was 0.14 mL per working cycle, against 0.2 mL for simulated healthy limbs. This finding appeared to be consistent with a 25% reduction of the calf ejection fraction, experimentally observed in chronic venous disease limbs compared with healthy limbs

Imaging of the solar atmosphere in the centimetre-millimetre band through single-dish observations

Solar observations offer both a rich interdisciplinary laboratory on fundamental astrophysics and precious tools for Space Weather applications. The involved plasma processes determine a complex radio emission picture that could be efficiently explored through single-dish imaging at high frequencies. In particular, mapping the brightness temperature of the free-free radio emission in the centimetre and millimetre range is an effective tool to characterise the vertical structure of the solar atmosphere. We are performing continuum imaging of the solar chromosphere in K-band (18-26.5 GHz, spatial resolution ∼1 arcmin) with the 32-m diameter Medicina radio telescope and with the 64-m diameter Sardinia Radio Telescope (SRT), as a first scientific demonstration test for the potentialities of Italian single-dish antennas in this field. This will also be useful for the assessment of observation parameters aiming at studying in detail the chromospheric brightness temperature of the quiet Sun, the solar flares, active regions and the sunspots, at high radio frequencies. These early observations proved that our antennas and Kband receivers are stable during solar pointing and could provide full mapping of the solar disk in ∼1 hour exposure using state-of-the-art imaging techniques

Targeting Beta-Blocker Drug–Drug Interactions with Fibrinogen Blood Plasma Protein: A Computational and Experimental Study

In this work, one of the most prevalent polypharmacology drug–drug interaction events that occurs between two widely used beta-blocker drugs—i.e., acebutolol and propranolol—with the most abundant blood plasma fibrinogen protein was evaluated. Towards that end, molecular docking and Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations were used as complementary tools. A fibrinogen crystallographic validation for the three best ranked binding-sites shows 100% of conformationally favored residues with total absence of restricted flexibility. From those three sites, results on both the binding-site druggability and ligand transport analysis-based free energy trajectories pointed out the most preferred biophysical environment site for drug–drug interactions. Furthermore, the total affinity for the stabilization of the drug–drug complexes was mostly influenced by steric energy contributions, based mainly on multiple hydrophobic contacts with critical residues (THR22: P and SER50: Q) in such best-ranked site. Additionally, the DFT calculations revealed that the beta-blocker drug–drug complexes have a spontaneous thermodynamic stabilization following the same affinity order obtained in the docking simulations, without covalent-bond formation between both interacting beta-blockers in the best-ranked site. Lastly, experimental ultrasound density and velocity measurements were performed and allowed us to validate and corroborate the computational obtained resultsThis research was funded by FCT/MCTES through national funds (Michael González-Durruthy, Riccardo Concu, and M. Natália D.S. Cordeiro), grant UID/QUI/50006/2020, as well as by Xunta de Galicia (Juan M. Ruso), grant ED41E2018/08S

Assessing simulated arm lymphoedema by a prototype of bioimpedance spectroscopy device. Possible implication of its use in the follow up of patients who underwent extensive breast cancer surgery

The aim of this research was to enable women after breast cancer surgery, in which arms lymphoedema often occurs, to self-monitor this disease using in-home an easy-to-use-device which assesses the arm’s resistance ratio, considered an indirect, non-invasive index of increased extracellular water volume in those limbs. An homemade equipment based on the bioimpedance spectroscopy technique, was tested on 20 healthy volunteers which, by means of two ECG disposable electrodes, connected to the device both their dominant and auxiliary upper arms and changes in electrical resistance were assessed while an alternate current of low intensity and sweeping frequency from 15 to 75 kHz had be injected. In the same volunteers, an arm lymphoedema with about 100 ml excess of extracellular water was simulated by subtracting 0.8% from measured resistance values in each arm. The arms’ resistance ratio against the increasing frequency gave rise to a parabolic branch visible on a mobile phone screen and, when the arm lymphoedema was simulated, the corresponding curve appeared positioned below that of the one without oedema. The patient’s self-awareness, due to the device’s self-management, could allow these subjects to actively approach the disease while sharing their results remotely with clinical specialists by an internet connection

Sardinia Radio Telescope wide-band spectral-polarimetric observations of the galaxy cluster 3C 129

We present new observations of the galaxy cluster 3C 129 obtained with the Sardinia Radio Telescope in the frequency range 6000-7200 MHz, with the aim to image the large-angular-scale emission at high-frequency of the radio sources located in this cluster of galaxies. The data were acquired using the recently-commissioned ROACH2-based backend to produce full-Stokes image cubes of an area of 1 deg x 1 deg centered on the radio source 3C 129. We modeled and deconvolved the telescope beam pattern from the data. We also measured the instrumental polarization beam patterns to correct the polarization images for off-axis instrumental polarization. Total intensity images at an angular resolution of 2.9 arcmin were obtained for the tailed radio galaxy 3C 129 and for 13 more sources in the field, including 3C 129.1 at the galaxy cluster center. These data were used, in combination with literature data at lower frequencies, to derive the variation of the synchrotron spectrum of 3C 129 along the tail of the radio source. If the magnetic field is at the equipartition value, we showed that the lifetimes of radiating electrons result in a radiative age for 3C 129 of t_syn = 267 +/- 26 Myrs. Assuming a linear projected length of 488 kpc for the tail, we deduced that 3C 129 is moving supersonically with a Mach number of M=v_gal/c_s=1.47. Linearly polarized emission was clearly detected for both 3C 129 and 3C 129.1. The linear polarization measured for 3C 129 reaches levels as high as 70% in the faintest region of the source where the magnetic field is aligned with the direction of the tail.Comment: 19 pages, 17 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA