Publications by authors named "Bellis G"

This review aimed at summarizing the literature evidence on clinical, cognitive, and neurobiological correlates of impaired timing abilities in schizophrenia (SCZ). Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, a systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, and PsycInfo by looking at correlates between timing abilities and either symptom severity, cognition, and neurobiological data (imaging and electroencephalography) in individuals with SCZ, without restrictions on study design. A total of 45 articles were selected: associations were identified between impaired timing performance and positive, negative, and disorganization symptoms, as well as with executive functioning, working memory, and attention.

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  • - Culicoides spp., small biting midges, are important vectors of viruses like African horse sickness and bluetongue that affect livestock; a study in Yunnan Province, China examined their diversity and abundance on two cattle farms from March 2022 to March 2023.
  • - Light traps collected 19 species of Culicoides, with C. oxystoma being the most prevalent, making up over 63% of the total 8,343 specimens; 10 species were screened for several viruses using RT-qPCR.
  • - Notably, one strain of Yunnan Orbivirus was isolated from cattle blood, and the first connection between a totivirus (YSToV) and Culicoides was found
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  • Iron homeostasis is crucial for organisms as it facilitates essential biochemical functions but can be toxic in excess, which is regulated by the protein Fur in bacteria.
  • The HpFur protein in Helicobacter pylori uniquely acts as a transcriptional commutator, with its apo- and holo- forms serving as different repressors that bind DNA in distinct ways for various target genes.
  • The study proposes a comprehensive redefinition of holo-HpFur regulatory targets using RNA-seq and ChIP-seq data, uncovering new coding sequences and non-coding RNAs influenced by iron availability, thereby enriching the understanding of this protein's regulatory roles.
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Background: Virtual reality (VR) technology has become increasingly used for assessment and intervention in the neuroscience field.

Objective: We aimed to investigate the effects of a VR Training System, named VRADA (VR Exercise App for Dementia and Alzheimer's Patients), on the cognitive functioning of older people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Methods: In this intervention study, 122 older adults with MCI were randomly assigned to five groups (the VRADA group ( = 28), a bike group ( = 11), a physical exercise group ( = 24), a mixed group (physical and cognitive exercise) ( = 31), and a non-contact control group ( = 28).

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As an additive manufacturing process, material jetting techniques allow to selectively deposit droplets of materials in liquid or powder form through a small-diameter aperture, such as a nozzle of a print head. For the fabrication of printed electronics, a variety of inks and dispersions of functional materials can be deposited by drop-on-demand printing on rigid and flexible substrates. In this work, zero-dimensional multi-layer shell-structured fullerene material, also known as carbon nano-onion (CNO) or onion-like carbon, is printed on polyethylene terephthalate substrates using drop-on-demand inkjet printing.

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Recent focus on Culicoides species diversity in Thailand was prompted by a need to identify vectors responsible for the transmission of African Horse Sickness in that country. To assist rapid genetic identification of species, we sampled mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) DNA barcodes (N = 78) from 40 species of Culicoides biting midge from Thailand, including 17 species for which DNA barcodes were previously unavailable. The DNA barcodes were assigned to 39 Barcode Identification Numbers (BINs) representing terminal genetic clusters at the Barcode of Life Data systems (BOLD).

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is a family of viruses belonging to the order and comprises six genera, two of which, and , contain arboviruses that cause disease in humans and livestock. Areas such as Yunnan Province in southwestern China, have high arboviral activity due in part to warm and wet summers, which support high populations of biting flies such as mosquitoes and . Three viral isolates previously obtained from collected at cattle farms in Shizong County of Yunnan Province, China, between 2019 and 2020 were completely sequenced and identified as Banna virus (BAV) genotype A of and serotypes 1 and 7 of epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV) of .

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Background: Over 200 genetic loci have been associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) explaining ~ 50% of its heritability, suggesting that additional mechanisms may account for the "missing heritability" phenomenon.

Objective: To analyze a large cohort of Italian individuals to identify markers associated with MS with potential functional impact in the disease.

Methods: We studied 2571 MS and 3234 healthy controls (HC) of continental Italian origin.

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  • Culicoides are small biting midges that can transmit viruses like bluetongue and Akabane, which are harmful to livestock.
  • A study in Shizong County, Yunnan Province, China, collected over 21,000 Culicoides specimens over a year to analyze their abundance and species related to these viruses.
  • The findings showed that C. tainanus, C. jacobsoni, and C. oxystoma are the primary midge pests affecting livestock and should be included in future disease assessments.
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The liquid phase exfoliation (LPE) of graphite has allowed to produce graphene materials on a large scale and at a reasonable cost. By this method, stable dispersions, inks and liquid suspensions containing atomic-thick graphene flakes with tailored concentrations can be produced, opening up applications in a wide range of cutting-edge technologies such as functional coatings, printed and flexible electronics, and composites. However, currently established LPE techniques raise several health and environmental risks, since unsafe and toxic solvents (such as NMP, DMF, and DMSO) are often regarded as the most effective liquid media for the process.

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  • SARS-CoV-2 caused a global epidemic with varying mortality rates across countries, prompting an analysis of factors influencing death rates using data from over 4 million confirmed cases in Italy.
  • The study found that age was the biggest risk factor for COVID-19 mortality, particularly for individuals over 65, while males had double the risk of death compared to females.
  • Additionally, those infected after the initial pandemic wave had a significantly lower risk of death, reinforcing the need to prioritize the protection of elderly individuals in pandemic strategies.
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  • Recent research highlights the important yet unclear role of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) in gene expression regulation, particularly in the organism Streptomyces ambofaciens, which produces spiramycin.
  • The study identified 45 small RNAs (sRNAs) and 119 antisense RNAs (asRNAs), many of which are new to Streptomyces, that target mRNAs linked to crucial cellular processes like transcription and differentiation.
  • By comparing ncRNA expression across different strains, the findings revealed a correlation between ncRNA levels and the strains' metabolic states, indicating potential new mechanisms related to the stringent response.
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Genome-wide association studies identified over 200 risk loci for multiple sclerosis (MS) focusing on common variants, which account for about 50% of disease heritability. The goal of this study was to investigate whether low-frequency and rare functional variants, located in MS-established associated loci, may contribute to disease risk in a relatively homogeneous population, testing their cumulative effect (burden) with gene-wise tests. We sequenced 98 genes in 588 Italian patients with MS and 408 matched healthy controls (HCs).

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Biting midges of genus Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) are the vectors of several pathogenic arboviruses and parasites of humans and animals. Several reports have suggested that biting midges might be a potential vector of Leishmania parasites. In this study, we screened for Leishmania and Trypanosoma DNA in biting midges collected from near the home of a leishmaniasis patient in Lamphun province, northern Thailand by using UV-CDC light traps.

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Background: Tibet Orbivirus (TIBOV) is a recently discovered Orbivirus known to infect cattle, Asian buffalo and goats in south-western China. It was first isolated from mosquitoes and subsequently from biting midges (Culicoides spp.) in Yunnan, China, indicating that it is an arbovirus.

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In this work, new highly sensitive graphene-based flexible strain sensors are produced. In particular, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nanocomposite films filled with different amounts of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) are produced and their application as wearable sensors for strain and movement detection is assessed. The produced nanocomposite films are morphologically characterized and their waterproofness, electrical and mechanical properties are measured.

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  • * Researchers found that these ncRNAs may target mRNAs related to key processes like transcription, translation, and ribosomal structure, indicating their potential importance in cellular functions.
  • * By comparing ncRNA expression among different strains, they discovered that the expression levels are linked to the phenotypes of the strains, suggesting new mechanisms related to the stringent response affecting antibiotic production.
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  • * The MS risk allele for rs1077667 correlates with reduced TNFSF14 mRNA levels in blood cells, highlighting a potential mechanism by which it may influence MS risk.
  • * Patients with MS show lower TNFSF14 expression compared to healthy controls, and those carrying the MS risk allele have a higher count of LIGHT-positive immune cells, suggesting that altered TNFSF14 expression could contribute to MS development.
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  • Biting midges (Culicoides) were studied from 2010-2017 at two locations in South Korea—urban Yongsan US Army Garrison and rural Camp Humphreys—to understand their species diversity and seasonal patterns.
  • A total of 9,958 female and 8,533 male midges were collected, identifying 16 different species, with Culicoides arakawae being the most prevalent at 74.3%.
  • Seasonal trends showed peaks in abundance for C. arakawae in August-September and C. circumscriptus in June-July, but variations were noted across different years and locations, including an unusually high male-to-female ratio possibly influenced by the trapping
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Background: Therapeutic virtual reality (VR) has emerged as an effective treatment modality for cognitive and physical training in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). However, to replace existing nonpharmaceutical treatment training protocols, VR platforms need significant improvement if they are to appeal to older people with symptoms of cognitive decline and meet their specific needs.

Objective: This study aims to design and test the acceptability, usability, and tolerability of an immersive VR platform that allows older people with MCI symptoms to simultaneously practice physical and cognitive skills on a dual task.

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Background: Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) are vectors for many arboviruses. At least 20 species are considered as vectors or potential vectors of bluetongue virus (BTV) which cause bluetongue disease in ruminants. A BTV prevalence of 30-50% among cattle and goats in tropical southern Yunnan Province, China, prompted an investigation of the potential BTV vectors in this area.

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  • A new Y-STR multiplex called CombYplex was developed, along with a machine learning program named PredYMaLe, to predict haplogroups while meeting forensic standards.
  • The CombYplex consists of two sub-panels (M1 and M2) focused on different mutation rates, and testing showed it effectively distinguishes haplogroup classes from a sample of 996 individuals.
  • The machine learning models SVM and Random Forest achieved high prediction accuracy (around 97%), although some haplogroups had lower scores due to small sample sizes, highlighting the importance of a large and diverse training dataset for improving classification accuracy.
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  • High-Throughput Sequencing technologies are revolutionizing research, especially in analyzing phage display libraries, by replacing tedious methods with automated sequencing.
  • The InteractomeSeq web server provides a specialized tool for analyzing raw sequencing data, allowing users to define parameters for characterizing protein domains or epitopes effectively.
  • This tool is significant for advancing large-scale biomarker profiling, vaccine development, and gene annotation, offering valuable resources for both scientific and clinical communities.
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  • An amendment to the original paper has been released.
  • The amendment contains updates or changes to the information originally presented.
  • A link to access this amendment is available at the top of the paper.
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