ABSTRACT
Two meteorite pieces have been recovered in Italy, near the town of Cavezzo (Modena), on 2020 January 4th. The associated fireball was observed on the evening of New Year’s Day 2020 by eight ...all-sky cameras of the PRISMA fireball network, a partner of FRIPON. The computed trajectory had an inclination angle of approximately 68° and a velocity at infinity of 12.8 km s−1. Together with the relatively low terminal height, estimated as 21.5 km, those values were indicating the significant possibility of a meteorite dropping event, as additionally confirmed by the non-zero residual total mass. The strewn-field was computed taking into account the presence of two bright light flashes, revealing that the meteoroid had been very likely subject to fragmentation. Three days after the event, two samples, weighing 3.1 and 52.2 g, were collected as a result of a dedicated field search and thanks to the involvement of the local people. The two pieces were immediately recognized as freshly fallen fragments of meteorite. The computed orbital elements, compared with the ones of known Near-Earth Asteroids from the NEODyS database, are compatible with one asteroid only; 2013 VC10. The estimated original mass of the meteoroid, 3.5 kg, and size, approximately 13 cm, is so far the smallest among the current 35 cases in which meteorites were recovered from precise strewn-field computation thanks to observational data. This result demonstrates the effectiveness of accurate processing of fireball network data even on challenging events generated by small size meteoroids.
Although there is still no clear definition of "adipose tissue dysfunction" or ATD, the identification of a clinical marker of altered fat distribution and function may provide the needed tools for ...early identification of a condition of cardiometabolic risk. Our aim was to evaluate the correlations among various anthropometric indices BMI, Waist Circumference (WC), Hip Circumference (HC), Waist/Hip ratio (WHR), Body Adiposity Index (BAI) and Visceral adiposity Index (VAI) and several adipocytokines Visfatin, Resistin, Leptin, Soluble leptin receptors (sOB-R), Adiponectin, Ghrelin, Adipsin, PAI-1, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) TNF-α, hs-CRP, IL-6, IL-18 in patients with type 2 diabetes (DM2).
Ninety-one DM2 patients (age: 65.25 ± 6.38 years; 42 men and 49 women) in stable treatment for the last six months with metformin in monotherapy (1.5-2 g/day) were cross-sectionally studied. Clinical, anthropometric, and metabolic parameters were evaluated. Serum adipocytokine levels were assayed with Luminex based kits.
At the Pearson's correlation, among all the indices investigated, VAI showed a significant correlation with almost all adipocytokines analyzed Visfatin, Resistin and hsCRP (all p<0.001); Adiponectin, sOb-R, IL-6, IL-18, HGF (all p<0.010); Ghrelin and VEGF (both p<0.05). Through a two-step cluster analysis, 55 patients were identified with the most altered adipocytokine profile (patients with ATD). At a ROC analysis, VAI showed the highest C-statistic 0.767 (95% CI 0.66-0.84) of all the indices.
Our study suggests that the VAI, among the most common indexes of adiposity assessment, shows the best correlation with the best known adipocytokines and cardiometabolic risk serum markers. Although to date we are still far from clearly identifying an ATD, the VAI would be an easy tool for clearly mirroring a condition of cardiometabolic risk, in the absence of an overt metabolic syndrome.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most common bacterial infections in postmenopausal women, and women with diabetes are possibly at a higher risk. The aim of this study is to evaluate the ...potential benefit on the prevention of UTI episodes, assessed by urinalysis and urine culture (primary outcome) after two, four and six months, of daily oral dietary supplement (120 mg highly standardized cranberry extract phytosome), compared to placebo, in diabetic postmenopausal women taking SGLT-2 inhibitors. Forty-six subjects (mean age 72.45 ± 1.76) completed the study (23 placebo/23 supplement). Considering UTI episodes, during the six-month supplementation period, an increase of 1.321 (95% CI: −0.322; 2.9650) was observed in the placebo group, while it remained at a steady value of 0.393 (95% CI: −4.230; 5.016) in the supplemented group. Regarding UTI episodes, in both groups, interaction between times for supplementation was statistically significant (p = 0.001). In particular, at follow-up 4, 9% of the placebo group showed infection versus only 3% with cranberry supplementation. Glycaemia and glycated hemoglobin values (secondary outcomes) were not modified at the end of six months with respect to the basal values in both groups, as expected. While in terms of quality of life per the SF-12 health questionnaire, there were no differences between the two groups, an improvement in SF-12 quality of life was observed in both groups (six months vs. basal). In conclusion, highly standardized cranberry extract phytosome supplementation reduced UTI recurrence.
Small dams are critical infrastructures, which provide different kinds of benefits, such as water supply, flood control, hydropower generation. Existing small dams are typically embankment ...structures, built without complying with the regulations of well-engineered large dams. Being often located near inhabited areas, the failure under earthquake loading of such types of structures would entail serious consequences for community safety. This paper aims at proposing a multi-scale methodology to assess the seismic risk of small dams. An application is illustrated with reference to the dams located in the Valle d’Aosta Region (Italy). State-of-the-art indices for large-scale risk-based prioritization are computed by convolving the seismic hazard with the vulnerability and the exposure. According to the methodology, for the dams to which the worst values of seismic risk indices are assigned, specific analyses based on Monte Carlo simulations are carried out to express the seismic response of embankment dams by addressing the associated uncertainties. The outcomes computed in the preparedness phase could be adopted to evaluate in near real-time the response of small dams in the immediate aftermath of an earthquake. Indeed, an algorithm was developed by using Geographic Information System for near real-time assessment of earthquake-related damage to small dams. The proposed multi-scale tool may support decision-makers, from civil protection organizations at the national level down to regional administrations, dam owners, first responders, infrastructure operators, and environmental protection agencies.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
In this paper, we propose a distributed model predictive control method with chance constraints for tracking reference signals. More specifically, considering a network of systems with independent ...dynamics, the proposed control scheme allows each subsystem to reach feasible setpoints, while respecting local and joint probabilistic constraints. Both a simulation example consisting of an academic temperature control problem and experimental results concerning the motion and coordination of moving agents are illustrated.
The innate immune response against various life cycle stages of the malaria parasite plays an important role in protection against the disease and regulation of its severity. Phagocytosis of asexual ...erythrocytic stages is well documented, but little and contrasting results are available about phagocytic clearance of sexual stages, the gametocytes, which are responsible for the transmission of the parasites from humans to mosquitoes. Similarly, activation of host macrophages by gametocytes has not yet been carefully addressed.
Phagocytosis of early or late Plasmodium falciparum gametocytes was evaluated through methanol fixed cytospin preparations of immortalized mouse C57Bl/6 bone marrow-derived macrophages treated for 2 h with P. falciparum and stained with Giemsa, and it was confirmed through a standardized bioluminescent method using the transgenic P. falciparum 3D7elo1-pfs16-CBG99 strain. Activation was evaluated by measuring nitric oxide or cytokine levels in the supernatants of immortalized mouse C57Bl/6 bone marrow-derived macrophages treated with early or late gametocytes.
The results showed that murine bone marrow-derived macrophages can phagocytose both early and late gametocytes, but only the latter were able to induce the production of inflammatory mediators, specifically nitric oxide and the cytokines tumour necrosis factor and macrophage inflammatory protein 2.
These results support the hypothesis that developing gametocytes interact in different ways with innate immune cells of the host. Moreover, the present study proposes that early and late gametocytes act differently as targets for innate immune responses.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
According to the precepts that C-10 amino-artemisinins display optimum biological activities for the artemisinin drug class, and that attachment of a sugar enhances specificity of drug delivery, ...polarity and solubility so as to attenuate toxicity, we assessed the effects of attaching sugars to N-4 of the dihydroartemisinin (DHA)-piperazine derivative prepared in one step from DHA and piperazine.
-Glycosylated DHA-piperazine derivatives were obtained according to the Kotchetkov reaction by heating the DHA-piperazine with the sugar in a polar solvent. Structure of the D-glucose derivative is secured by X-ray crystallography. The D-galactose, L-rhamnose and D-xylose derivatives displayed IC
values of 0.58⁻0.87 nM against different strains of
(
) and selectivity indices (SI) >195, on average, with respect to the mouse fibroblast WEHI-164 cell line. These activities are higher than those of the amino-artemisinin, artemisone (IC
0.9⁻1.1 nM). Notably, the D-glucose, D-maltose and D-ribose derivatives were the most active against the myelogenous leukemia K562 cell line with IC
values of 0.78⁻0.87 µM and SI > 380 with respect to the human dermal fibroblasts (HDF). In comparison, artemisone has an IC
of 0.26 µM, and a SI of 88 with the same cell lines. Overall, the
-glycosylated DHA-piperazine derivatives display antimalarial activities that are greatly superior to
-glycosides previously obtained from DHA.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Parallel artificial membrane permeability assay (PAMPA) is arising in ADMET screening as a powerful tool to determine the passive permeability of new potential chemical entities. In an attempt to set ...up a sensitive high throughput method to assess passive blood–brain barrier (BBB) penetration we focused our attention on the effect of solvent and the influence of phospholipids on the permeability in PAMPA. Moreover, the high throughput nature of the assay was maximized by decreasing the incubation time and performing the assay in a cassette mode. UPLC system coupled with a mass spectrometer enormously reduces the analytical time, contemporaneously increasing the sensitivity of the method.
P
app values obtained from PAMPA were compared to permeability values from MDCKII-MDR1 assay. Evaluation of the two
in vitro models with
in vivo data was performed to test the predicting capacity of the two methods. Their contemporary assessment was shown to be an helpful tool in understanding the prevalent mechanism of penetration through the BBB.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Recently, we introduced a new deposition method, based on Ion Plating Plasma Assisted technology, to coat titanium implants with a thin but hard nanostructured layer composed of titanium carbide and ...titanium oxides, clustered around graphitic carbon. The nanostructured layer has a double effect: protects the bulk titanium against the harsh conditions of biological tissues and in the same time has a stimulating action on osteoblasts.
The aim of this work is to describe the biological effects of this layer on osteoblasts cultured in vitro. We demonstrate that the nanostructured layer causes an overexpression of many early genes correlated to proteins involved in bone turnover and an increase in the number of surface receptors for α3β1 integrin, talin, paxillin. Analyses at single-cell level, by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and single cell force spectroscopy, show how the proliferation, adhesion and spreading of cells cultured on coated titanium samples are higher than on uncoated titanium ones. Finally, the chemistry of the layer induces a better formation of blood clots and a higher number of adhered platelets, compared to the uncoated cases, and these are useful features to improve the speed of implant osseointegration.
In summary, the nanostructured TiC film, due to its physical and chemical properties, can be used to protect the implants and to improve their acceptance by the bone.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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