Seasonal patterns of myositis-specific and myositis-associated autoantibodies in Italy: Seasonal patterns of myositis autoantibodies.

Objective: Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) are a heterogeneous group of systemic autoimmune disorders affecting skeletal muscles but also other organs. There are different forms of IIM, each with peculiar clinical manifestations and prognosis. Accordingly, several autoantibodies have been described in IIM, with different prevalence in the different forms of the disease.

Dermal Substitute Integra for the Treatment of Mammalian Bite Injuries of Nose: a New Reconstructive Ladder.

Background: Bite injuries affecting the nose are uncommon occurrences characterized by their intricate nature and potential for severe complications. These injuries, inflicted by animals such as dogs and cats, and occasionally by humans, often result in traumatic nasal defects, with the lower third of the nose being the most affected area. Current reconstructive options for nasal defects include full-thickness skin grafts, local or regional flaps, and composite grafts.

An integrated microfluidic platform for on-site qPCR analysis: food allergen detection from sample to result.

Improving food safety is crucial in the context of a "One Health" approach. To guarantee product quality and safety, the food industry, which has a very high turnover rate, needs short time-to-result analyses. Therefore, user-friendly systems at the point-of-need are necessary, presenting relevant analytical information and fulfilling the current regulations.

Let's Twist Again: Nasolabial Turnover Flap for Full-thickness Aesthetical Nasal Ala Reconstruction.

Background: The nasal ala has always been considered a difficult anatomical structure to restore, particularly when full-thickness reconstruction is needed. Although the forehead flap is considered the flap of choice, the nasolabial turnover flap, despite being a one-step surgical procedure, has been largely ignored for nasal ala reconstruction. We present our experience performing nasal ala full-thickness reconstruction with the nasolabial turnover flap, reporting on its advantages and comparing it with the most commonly used alternative techniques.

Procoagulant phenotype of virus-infected pericytes is associated with portal thrombosis and intrapulmonary vascular dilations in fatal COVID-19.

Background & Aims: The underlying mechanisms and clinical impact of portal microthrombosis in severe COVID-19 are unknown. Intrapulmonary vascular dilation (IPVD)-related hypoxia has been described in severe liver diseases. We hypothesised that portal microthrombosis is associated with IPVD and fatal respiratory failure in COVID-19.

Graphene-coated sand for enhanced water reuse: Impact on water quality and chemicals of emerging concern.

This paper investigates the potential of graphene-coated sand (GCS) as an advanced filtration medium for improving water quality and mitigating chemicals of emerging concern (CECs) in treated municipal wastewater, aiming to enhance water reuse. The study utilizes three types of sand (Ottawa, masonry, and concrete) coated with graphene to assess the impact of surface morphology, particle shape, and chemical composition on coating and filtration efficiency. Additionally, sand coated with graphene and activated graphene coated sand were both tested to understand the effect of coating and activation on the filtration process.

Coupled-cluster treatment of complex open-shell systems: the case of single-molecule magnets.

We investigate the reliability of two cost-effective coupled-cluster methods for computing spin-state energetics and spin-related properties of a set of open-shell transition-metal complexes. Specifically, we employ the second-order approximate coupled-cluster singles and doubles (CC2) method and projection-based embedding that combines equation-of-motion coupled-cluster singles and doubles (EOM-CCSD) with density functional theory (DFT). The performance of CC2 and EOM-CCSD-in-DFT is assessed against EOM-CCSD.

Training in Vascular Microsurgery: The Ex Vivo Biological Model on Domestic Turkey Leg ().

There are various models for practicing microsurgical anastomoses, from synthetic to ex vivo and in vivo biological ones. In this study, we present the domestic turkey () as an ex vivo biological model in the practice of surgical anastomoses. In our opinion, it represents a model that is very similar to a human one, low cost, and easy to find.

New orphan disease therapies from the proteome of industrial plasma processing waste- a treatment for aceruloplasminemia.

Plasma-derived therapeutic proteins are produced through an industrial fractionation process where proteins are purified from individual intermediates, some of which remain unused and are discarded. Relatively few plasma-derived proteins are exploited clinically, with most of available plasma being directed towards the manufacture of immunoglobulin and albumin. Although the plasma proteome provides opportunities to develop novel protein replacement therapies, particularly for rare diseases, the high cost of plasma together with small patient populations impact negatively on the development of plasma-derived orphan drugs.

Synthesis, characterization, and environmental applications of graphene-coated sand: A review.

Global water quality has deteriorated, leaving over 844 million individuals without access to clean drinking water. While sand filters (SF) offer a solution, their limited surface area and adsorption capacity for emerging contaminants remain a challenge. This has prompted the development of new materials such as graphene-coated sand (GCS) to enhance the sand's adsorptive properties.

Clinical variables associated with late-onset thrombotic and cardiovascular events, after SARS-CoV-2 infection, in a cohort of patients from the first epidemic wave: an 18-month analysis on the "Surviving-COVID" cohort from Bergamo, Italy.

Importance: Population studies have recorded an increased, unexplained risk of post-acute cardiovascular and thrombotic events, up to 1 year after acute severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.

Objectives: To search for clinical variables and biomarkers associated with late post-acute thrombotic and cardiovascular events after SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

The application of biosecurity practices for preventing avian influenza in North-Eastern Italy turkey farms: An analysis of the point of view and perception of farmers.

Introduction: Italian and international outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), particularly in densely populated poultry areas (DPPAs), have increased over the past few decades. These emerging risks, which endanger both human and animal health and the entire poultry industry, can be effectively limited by biosecurity measures implemented at human-animal food chain interfaces. Some problems, however, persist in the application of these measures on the part of poultry farmers, prompting the need to explore those aspects and causes that limit their implementation.

Squamous Carcinoma of the Oral Cavity in Patient with Fanconi Anemia: A Challenging Reconstruction with Double-barrel Free Fibula Flap Case Report.

Fanconi anemia (FA) is a very rare form of aplastic anemia. Patients with FA have a higher risk of developing solid tumors such as head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, higher risk of local recurrence, and impaired resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments than the normal population. In this article, we describe the challenging clinical case of a patient with FA who underwent surgery for the removal of a large squamous cell carcinoma in the oral cavity.

Lipid dysmetabolism in ceruloplasmin-deficient mice revealed both in vivo and ex vivo by MRI, MRS and NMR analyses.

Ceruloplasmin (Cp) is a ferroxidase that plays a role in cellular iron homeostasis and is mainly expressed in the liver and secreted into the blood. Cp is also produced by adipose tissue, which releases it as an adipokine. Although a dysfunctional interaction of iron with the metabolism of lipids has been associated with several metabolic diseases, the role of Cp in adipose tissue metabolism and in the interplay between hepatocytes and adipocytes has been poorly investigated.

Perception and acceptance towards water reuse in the Southeast United States: A public survey.

The growing global water crisis has increased the need for alternative water sources. Among the potential solutions to mitigate the current challenging situation, water reuse has been considered and implemented, especially during the past decade. Public perception/acceptance represents one of the most common challenges related to the wide implementation of water reuse.

Advances in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Enthesitis-Related Arthritis.

Enthesitis-related arthritis (ERA) represents 5-30% of all cases of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and belongs to the spectrum of the disorders included in the group of juvenile spondyloarthritis. In the last decade, there have been considerable advances in the classification, diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment of ERA. New provisional criteria for ERA have been recently proposed by the Paediatric Rheumatology INternational Trials Organisation, as part of a wider revision of the International League of Associations for Rheumatology criteria for JIA.

Outcomes of MIS-C patients treated with anakinra: a retrospective multicenter national study.

Background: The treatment of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children unresponsive to first-line therapies (IVIG and/or steroids) is challenging. The effectiveness of IL-1 receptor antagonist, anakinra, is debated.

Patients And Methods: We conducted an anonymous retrospective multicenter study on MIS-C patients treated with anakinra in Italy from January 2020 to February 2021.

Interplay of legacy irrigation and nitrogen fertilizer inputs to spatial variability of arsenic and uranium within the deep vadose zone.

The vadose zone is a reservoir for geogenic and anthropogenic contaminants. Nitrogen and water infiltration can affect biogeochemical processes in this zone, ultimately affecting groundwater quality. In this large-scale field study, we evaluated the input and occurrence of water and nitrogen species in the vadose zone of a public water supply wellhead protection (WHP) area (defined by a 50-year travel time to groundwater for public supply wells) and potential transport of nitrate, ammonium, arsenic, and uranium.

Free light chains as a reliable biomarker of intrathecal synthesis in the diagnosis of CNS inflammatory diseases.

Objective: To address the diagnostic performances of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) free light chains (FLC) measurements compared to oligoclonal bands (OCB) to support multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis.

Results: kFLC index showed the highest diagnostic accuracy to detect MS patients with the highest AUC compared to OCB, IgG index, IF kFLC R, kFLC H, λFLC index and IF λFLC.

Conclusions: FLC indices are biomarkers of intrathecal Immunoglobulin synthesis and central nervous system (CNS) inflammation.

Influence of Transition Metal Electron Configuration on the Structure of Metal-EDTA Complexes.

The vibrational spectra of cold complexes of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) with transition metal dications in vacuo show how the electronic structure of the metal provides a geometric template for interaction with the functional groups of the binding pocket. The OCO stretching modes of the carboxylate groups of EDTA serve as structural probes, informing on the spin state of the ion as well as the coordination number in the complex. The results highlight the flexibility of EDTA in accepting a large range of metal cations in its binding site.

Patient-Reported Outcomes Among Patients Ages Two to Seventeen Years With Polyarticular-Course Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis Treated With Subcutaneous Abatacept: Two-Year Results From an International Phase III Study.

Objective: To describe longitudinal changes in patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in children with polyarticular-course juvenile idiopathic arthritis (pJIA) treated with subcutaneous abatacept.

Methods: Secondary analysis of a single-arm, open-label 24-month study of patients ages 6-17 years and 2-5 years. PROs included Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (CHAQ-DI), parent global assessment of child well-being (PaGA), pain assessment, and Activity Limitation Questionnaire (ALQ).

Serological proteome analysis identifies crustacean myosin heavy chain type 1 protein and house dust mite Der p 14 as cross-reacting allergens.

Background: Allergies to house dust mite (HDM) and to crustaceans are clinically and pathogenically linked. Several homologous allergenic proteins have been identified, among which tropomyosin is the prototype, expressing epitopes endowed with variable levels of immunoglobulin E (IgE) cross-reactivity. Component-resolved diagnosis (CRD) does not allow a thorough characterization of all relevant IgE reactivities to these allergen sources.

Ceruloplasmin-Deficient Mice Show Dysregulation of Lipid Metabolism in Liver and Adipose Tissue Reduced by a Protein Replacement.

Ceruloplasmin is a ferroxidase that plays a role in iron homeostasis; its deficiency fosters inter alia iron accumulation in the liver, which expresses the soluble form of the protein secreted into the bloodstream. Ceruloplasmin is also secreted by the adipose tissue, but its role in adipocytes has been poorly investigated. We hypothesized that ceruloplasmin might have a role in iron/lipid interplay.