Bgee in 2024: focus on curated single-cell RNA-seq datasets, and query tools.

Bgee (https://www.bgee.org/) is a database to retrieve and compare gene expression patterns in multiple animal species.

Care manager role for older multimorbid heart failure patients' needs in relation to psychological distress and quality of life: a cross-sectional study.

Background: There are few studies investigating patients' needs in healthcare focusing on disease severity and psychological characteristics of elderly heart failure (HF) patients with multimorbidity, specifically addressed by a care manager (CM).

Aims: To explore the role of a CM dealing with elderly multimorbid HF patients' needs/preferences according to NYHA class, ejection fraction, psychological/psychosomatic distress and quality of life (QoL), utilizing a Blended Collaborative Care (BCC) approach (ESCAPE; Grant agreement No 945377).

Methods: Cue cards, self-reported questionnaires, and a semi-structured interview were used to collect data.

Integrating Newton's equations of motion in the reciprocal space.

We here present the normal dynamics technique, which recasts the Newton's equations of motion in terms of phonon normal modes by exploiting a proper sampling of the reciprocal space. After introducing the theoretical background, we discuss how the reciprocal space sampling enables us to (i) obtain a computational speedup by selecting which and how many wave vectors of the Brillouin zone will be considered and (ii) account for distortions realized across large atomic distances without the use of large simulation cells. We implemented the approach into an open-source code, which we used to present three case studies: in the first one, we elucidate the general strategy for the sampling of the reciprocal space; in the second one, we illustrate the potential of the approach by studying the stabilization effect of temperature in α-uranium; and in the last one, we investigate the characterization of Raman spectra at different temperatures in MoS2/MX2 transition metal dichalcogenide heterostructures.

First-principles guidelines to select promising van der Waals materials for hybrid photovoltaic-triboelectric nanogenerators.

Photovoltaic (PV) devices play a key role in solar-to-electricity energy conversion at small and large scales; unfortunately, their efficiency heavily depends on optimal weather and environmental conditions. The optimal scenario would be to extend the capabilities of PV devices so that they are also able to harvest energy from environmental sources other than light. An optimal solution is represented by hybrid photovoltaic-triboelectric (PV-TENG) devices which have both photovoltaic and triboelectric capabilities for electric power generation.

A first principles study of structural and optoelectronic properties and photocatalytic performance of GeC-MX (M = Mo and W; X = S and Se) van der Waals heterostructures.

Two-dimensional (2D) materials have received enormous attention as photocatalysts for hydrogen production to address the worldwide energy crisis. In this study, we employed first-principles computations to systematically investigate the structural, opto-electronic, and photocatalytic properties of novel GeC-MX (M = Mo, W, X = S, Se) van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures for photocatalysis applications. Our results reveal that the GeC-MX heterostructures can absorb visible light.

Editorial for the Special Issue on Flexible Micromanipulators and Micromanipulation.

The field of micromanipulation is rapidly growing and evolving thanks to advancements in microfabrication technologies and the increased demand for precise and accurate manipulation of microscale objects [...

Antibody-mediated protection against symptomatic COVID-19 can be achieved at low serum neutralizing titers.

Multiple studies of vaccinated and convalescent cohorts have demonstrated that serum neutralizing antibody (nAb) titers correlate with protection against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, the induction of multiple layers of immunity after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) exposure has complicated the establishment of nAbs as a mechanistic correlate of protection (CoP) and hindered the definition of a protective nAb threshold. Here, we show that a half-life-extended monoclonal antibody (adintrevimab) provides about 50% protection against symptomatic COVID-19 in SARS-CoV-2-naïve adults at serum nAb titers on the order of 1:30.

Antibody-mediated protection against symptomatic COVID-19 can be achieved at low serum neutralizing titers.

Multiple studies of vaccinated and convalescent cohorts have demonstrated that serum neutralizing antibody (nAb) titers correlate with protection against COVID-19. However, the induction of multiple layers of immunity following SARS-CoV-2 exposure has complicated the establishment of nAbs as a mechanistic correlate of protection (CoP) and hindered the definition of a protective nAb threshold. Here, we show that a half-life extended monoclonal antibody (adintrevimab) provides approximately 50% protection against symptomatic COVID-19 in SARS-CoV-2-naive adults at low serum nAb titers on the order of 1:30.

Dynamic Model of a Conjugate-Surface Flexure Hinge Considering Impacts between Cylinders.

A dynamic model of a Conjugate-Surface Flexure Hinge (CSFH) has been proposed as a component for MEMS/NEMS Technology-based devices with lumped compliance. However, impacts between the conjugate surfaces have not been studied yet and, therefore, this paper attempts to fill this gap by proposing a detailed multibody system (MBS) model that includes not only rigid-body dynamics but also elastic forces, friction, and impacts. Two models based on the Lankarani-Nikravesh constitutive law are first recalled and a new model based on the contact of cylinders is proposed.

Efficient targeting of NY-ESO-1 tumor antigen to human cDC1s by lymphotactin results in cross-presentation and antigen-specific T cell expansion.

Background: Type 1 conventional dendritic cells (cDC1s) are characterized by their ability to induce potent CD8 T cell responses. In efforts to generate novel vaccination strategies, notably against cancer, human cDC1s emerge as an ideal target to deliver antigens. cDC1s uniquely express XCR1, a seven transmembrane G protein-coupled receptor.

Phototribology: Control of Friction by Light.

In dry sliding, the coefficient of friction depends on the material pair and contact conditions. If the material and operating conditions remain unchanged, the coefficient of friction is constant. Obviously, we can tune friction by surface treatments, but it is a nonreversible process.

Antineoplastic activity of products derived from cellulose-containing materials: levoglucosenone and structurally-related derivatives as new alternatives for breast cancer treatment.

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women worldwide. For this reason, the development of new therapies is still essential. In this work we have analyzed the antitumor potential of levoglucosenone, a chiral building block derived from the pyrolysis of cellulose-containing materials such as soybean hulls, and three structurally related analogues.

Model-Based Approach for Optimizing Ceftobiprole Dosage in Pediatric Patients.

Ceftobiprole is an advanced-generation cephalosporin for intravenous administration with activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative organisms. A population pharmacokinetic (PK) model characterizing the disposition of ceftobiprole in plasma using data from patients in three pediatric studies was developed. Model-based simulations were subsequently performed to assist in dose optimization for the treatment of pediatric patients with hospital-acquired or community-acquired pneumonia.

Dynamic assessment of the risk of airborne viral infection.

This paper applies the Rudnick and Milton method through the dynamic evaluation of the probability of airborne contagion, redefining all parameters and variables in discretized form. To adapt the calculation of the risk of contagion to real needs, scenarios are used to define the presence of people, infected subjects, the hourly production of the quanta of infection, and the calculation of the concentration of CO produced by exhalation in the air. Three case studies are discussed: a school, an office, a commercial activity.

Dual Site-Specific Chemoenzymatic Antibody Fragment Conjugation Using CRISPR-Based Hybridoma Engineering.

Functionalized antibodies and antibody fragments have found applications in the fields of biomedical imaging, theranostics, and antibody-drug conjugates (ADC). In addition, therapeutic and theranostic approaches benefit from the possibility to deliver more than one type of cargo to target cells, further challenging stochastic labeling strategies. Thus, bioconjugation methods to reproducibly obtain defined homogeneous conjugates bearing multiple different cargo molecules, without compromising target affinity, are in demand.

A Novel Platform to Test In Vivo Single Gene Dependencies in t(8,21) and t(15,17) AML Confirms Zeb2 as Leukemia Target.

The increased usage of high-throughput technologies in cancer research, including genetic and drug screens, generates large sets of candidate targets that need to be functionally validated for their roles in tumor development. Thus, reliable and robust in vivo model systems are needed to perform reverse genetic experiments. Ideally, these models should allow for a conditional silencing of the target and an unambiguous identification of engineered cancer cells.

Quantification of mitochondrial membrane potential in the isolated rat lung using rhodamine 6G.

Mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψ) plays a key role in vital mitochondrial functions, and its dissipation is a hallmark of mitochondrial dysfunction. The objective of this study was to develop an experimental and computational approach for estimating Δψ in intact rat lungs using the lipophilic fluorescent cationic dye rhodamine 6G (R6G). Rat lungs were excised and connected to a ventilation-perfusion system.

Phonon-phonon scattering selection rules and control: an application to nanofriction and thermal transport.

Phonon-phonon scattering processes are the crucial phenomena which account for phonon decay, thermal expansion, heat transfer, protein dynamics, spin relaxation and related quantities. In this work, we show how the symmetries of the system determine which scattering processes are allowed at any order of anharmonic approximation, irrespective of the chemical composition. We also discuss how to control the system symmetries to switch on and off any single scattering process.

Viewpoint: Atomic-Scale Design Protocols toward Energy, Electronic, Catalysis, and Sensing Applications.

Nanostructured materials are essential building blocks for the fabrication of new devices for energy harvesting/storage, sensing, catalysis, magnetic, and optoelectronic applications. However, because of the increase of technological needs, it is essential to identify new functional materials and improve the properties of existing ones. The objective of this Viewpoint is to examine the state of the art of atomic-scale simulative and experimental protocols aimed to the design of novel functional nanostructured materials, and to present new perspectives in the relative fields.

Thyroid hemiagenesis associated with multinodular goiter and Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

Thyroid hemiagenesis is a rare congenital abnormality in which one of the thyroid lobes is not developed. It can be associated with various thyroid diseases, such as Grave's disease, nodular goiter and thyroid neoplasm, rarely with hyperparathyroidism. We report a case of a 50-year old woman with left thyroid lobe agenesis diagnosed by ultrasonography and scintigraphy.

Vibrational contributions to intrinsic friction in charged transition metal dichalcogenides.

Vibrational contributions to intrinsic friction in layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have been studied at different charge contents. We find that any deviation from charge neutrality produces complex rearrangements of atomic positions and electronic distributions, and consequent phase transitions. Upon charge injection, cell volume expansion is observed, due to charge accumulation along an axis orthogonal to the layer planes.