Neurological adverse events of ICI therapy: A ten-year comprehensive management from a multidisciplinary team.

Background: The unique mechanism of action of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) can lead to auto-inflammatory events, potentially involving any organ. Among those, different rare immune related adverse events (irAEs) have also been identified, with Neurological irAEs (NirAEs) accounting for 1-5 %. In this scenario, we here report the 10-year experience of the multidisciplinary team at the University Hospital of Siena, Italy, in the diagnosis and clinical management of NirAEs.

Climate, diet, and nutrition drive gut microbiome variation in a fruit-specialist primate.

Much of what we know about drivers of mammalian gut microbiome (GM) variation focuses on limited seasonal data, or effects of dietary fiber, particularly in leaf-eating and grazing taxa. We know little about the synergistic relationships between climate, diet, nutrition, and GM dynamics in wild mammals-particularly in fruit-eating taxa. Here, we examined GM variation across 12 months in a fruit-specialist primate, the black-and-white ruffed lemur (Varecia variegata), which is known to experience substantial environmental variation in its rainforest habitat in Madagascar.

LRG1 Alters Pericyte Phenotype and Compromises Vascular Maturation.

Upregulation of leucine-rich alpha-2-glycoprotein-1 (LRG1) contributes to aberrant neovascularization in many different diseases. In contrast, LRG1 is not involved in developmental angiogenesis. Here, we investigated the vasculopathic properties of LRG1 by examining its effect on developing retinal blood vessels.

Quality of Assessment Tools for Aphasia: A Systematic Review.

: Aphasia is a neurological condition affecting the ability to understand and/or express language fluently and accurately, and can occur following stroke, traumatic injuries, or other brain pathologies. The aim of the following study was to provide clinicians and researchers information regarding the existing assessment tools to assess aphasia. : For this Systematic Review, PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched for articles published up to August 2024.

Physical determinants of nanoparticle-mediated lipid membrane fusion.

A wide range of fundamental cellular activities rely on lipid membrane fusion. Membrane fusion processes can be mimicked by synthetic approaches to understand fusion mechanisms and develop novel drug delivery systems and therapeutic agents. Recently, membrane-embedded amphiphilic gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been employed as artificial fusogens to induce finely tuned membrane fusion .

Diving on the Surface of a Functional Metal Oxide through a Multiscale Exploration of Drug-Nanocrystal Interactions.

While recent advances in nanotechnology offer significant possibilities for improving the development of targeted drug delivery systems (DDSs), the design of efficient nanocarriers remains challenging due to the complex interactions among nanoparticles, their surfaces, and therapeutic agents in biological environments. To shed light on such difficulties and provide an instrumental tool for the refinement of DDSs, this study presents a comprehensive computational and experimental approach for the development of zinc oxide nanocrystals (ZnO NCs), exploited as carriers for a hydrophobic drug used in the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM), namely, carfilzomib (CFZ). Oleic acid was adopted here as a stabilizing agent during the synthesis of iron-doped ZnO NCs, while aminopropyl groups were used as functionalizing moieties to improve drug adsorption.

What drives consumers' intention towards fairness-oriented products purchasing? An emotion-extended model of theory of planned behaviour.

Fairness-oriented products have attracted increased interest in the last few years, particularly within the context of agrifood systems. However, in scholarly literature, limited studies are available where researchers discuss what drives consumers' choices towards fair food. This study investigates consumers' purchasing intentions towards fairness-oriented food products by applying an emotion-extended model of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB).

Italian Vocal Fatigue Index: Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation.

Background: Vocal fatigue involves self-perceived vocal symptoms and reduced physiological capacity. This study aimed to adapt and validate the Vocal Fatigue Index (VFI), a tool originally designed to distinguish between patients with vocal fatigue and vocally healthy individuals, for Italian speakers.

Method: A four-step translation and validation process was employed.

In-House Fabrication and Validation of 3D-Printed Custom-Made Medical Devices for Planning and Simulation of Peripheral Endovascular Therapies.

This study aims to develop and validate a standardized methodology for creating high-fidelity, custom-made, patient-specific 3D-printed vascular models that serve as tools for preoperative planning and training in the endovascular treatment of peripheral artery disease (PAD). Ten custom-made 3D-printed vascular models were produced using computed tomography angiography (CTA) scans of ten patients diagnosed with PAD. CTA images were analyzed using Syngo.

Vampire bats rapidly fuel running with essential or non-essential amino acids from a blood meal.

In most mammals, running is fuelled by oxidization of endogenous carbohydrates and lipids while amino acids contribute little (< 5-10%). Common vampire bats (), however, specialize on a unique, protein-rich blood diet. Therefore, we hypothesized that (i) vampire bats would rapidly begin utilizing dietary amino acids to support running metabolism, and (ii) that relative reliance on essential and non-essential amino acids would be similar.

Mobility Gaps of Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon Related to Hydrogen Concentration and Its Influence on Electrical Performance.

This paper presents a comprehensive study of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si)-based detectors, utilizing electrical characterization, Raman spectroscopy, photoemission, and inverse photoemission techniques. The unique properties of a-Si have sparked interest in its application for radiation detection in both physics and medicine. Although amorphous silicon (a-Si) is inherently a highly defective material, hydrogenation significantly reduces defect density, enabling its use in radiation detector devices.

Evaluation of Psychometric Proprieties of Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability (MASA) in Italian Language: A Cross-Sectional Study.

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to translate, culturally adapt, and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability (MASA) in post-stroke individuals. The original MASA scale was translated and culturally adapted from English to Italian following the international guidelines. The internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the MASA-IT were assessed, and its concurrent validity was examined through Pearson correlation coefficients with the Italian versions of two established gold standard scales for dysphagia assessment: the Dysphagia Outcome Severity Scale (DOSS) and the De Pippo Test-Three Oz Water Swallow.

The surface tension of Martini 3 water mixtures.

The Martini model, a coarse-grained forcefield for biomolecular simulations, has experienced a vast increase in popularity in the past decade. Its building-block approach balances computational efficiency with high chemical specificity, enabling the simulation of organic and inorganic molecules. The modeling of coarse-grained beads as Lennard-Jones particles poses challenges for the accurate reproduction of liquid-vapor interfacial properties, which are crucial in various applications, especially in the case of water.

Daily Light Onset and Plasma Membrane Tethers Regulate Mitochondria Redistribution within the Retinal Pigment Epithelium.

The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is an essential component of the retina that plays multiple roles required to support visual function. These include light onset- and circadian rhythm-dependent tasks, such as daily phagocytosis of photoreceptor outer segments. Mitochondria provide energy to the highly specialized and energy-dependent RPE.

Reporting guidelines for terrestrial respirometry: Building openness, transparency of metabolic rate and evaporative water loss data.

Respirometry is an important tool for understanding whole-animal energy and water balance in relation to the environment. Consequently, the growing number of studies using respirometry over the last decade warrants reliable reporting and data sharing for effective dissemination and research synthesis. We provide a checklist guideline on five key sections to facilitate the transparency, reproducibility, and replicability of respirometry studies: 1) materials, set up, plumbing, 2) subject conditions/maintenance, 3) measurement conditions, 4) data processing, and 5) data reporting and statistics, each with explanations and example studies.

The Role of Narrow Aortic Bifurcation in Affecting EVAR Treatment and Outcomes.

Background: The narrow aortic bifurcation (NAB) is considered a risk factor for endograft thrombosis after aorto-biiliac endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) for aortic or iliac aneurysm. Nowadays, no consensus on the threshold diameter for the definition of NAB is reached and other aortic bifurcation features are rarely considered. The aim of the study is to assess the EVAR outcomes using bifurcated endograft according to anatomical characteristics of aortic bifurcation.

Heat exposure limits pentose phosphate pathway activity in bumblebees.

Bumblebee populations across the globe are experiencing substantial declines due to climate change, with major consequences for pollination services in both natural and agricultural settings. Using an economically important species, , we explored the physiological mechanisms that may cause susceptibility to extreme heat events. We tested the hypothesis that heat exposure limits the activity of the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP)-a parallel pathway to glycolysis that can use nectar sugar to generate antioxidant potential and combat oxidative stress.

Combined free-running four-dimensional anatomical and flow magnetic resonance imaging with native contrast using Synchronization of Neighboring Acquisitions by Physiological Signals.

Background: Four-dimensional (4D) flow magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) often relies on the injection of gadolinium- or iron-oxide-based contrast agents to improve vessel delineation. In this work, a novel technique is developed to acquire and reconstruct 4D flow data with excellent dynamic visualization of blood vessels but without the need for contrast injection. Synchronization of Neighboring Acquisitions by Physiological Signals (SyNAPS) uses pilot tone (PT) navigation to retrospectively synchronize the reconstruction of two free-running three-dimensional radial acquisitions, to create co-registered anatomy and flow images.

A microfluidic card-based electrochemical assay for the detection of sulfonamide resistance genes.

Most electroanalytical detection schemes for DNA markers require considerable time and effort from expert personnel to thoroughly follow the analysis and obtain reliable outcomes. This work aims to present an electrochemical assay performed inside a small card-based platform powered by microfluidic manipulation, requiring minimal human intervention and consumables. The assay couples a sample/signal dual amplification and DNA-modified magnetic particles for the detection of DNA amplification products.

Cortisol enhances aerobic metabolism and locomotor performance during the transition to land in an amphibious fish.

Amphibious fishes on land encounter higher oxygen (O) availability and novel energetic demands, which impacts metabolism. Previous work on the amphibious mangrove killifish (Kryptolebias marmoratus) has shown that cortisol becomes elevated in response to air exposure, suggesting a possible role in regulating metabolism as fish move into terrestrial environments. We tested the hypothesis that cortisol is the mechanism by which oxidative processes are upregulated during the transition to land in amphibious fishes.

Nanoparticle-induced biomembrane fusion: unraveling the effect of core size on stalk formation.

Membrane fusion is a strategy to load model or cell-derived vesicles with proteins, drugs, and genetic materials for theranostic applications. It is thus crucial to develop strategies to control the fusion process, also through synthetic fusogenic agents. Ligand-protected, membrane-penetrating gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) can facilitate membrane fusion, but the molecular mechanisms remain unresolved.