Testing mixing rules for structural and dynamical quantities in multi-component crowded protein solutions.

Crowding effects significantly influence the phase behavior and the structural and dynamic properties of the concentrated protein mixtures present in the cytoplasm of cells or in the blood serum. This poses enormous difficulties for our theoretical understanding and our ability to predict the behavior of these systems. While the use of course grained colloid-inspired models allows us to reproduce the key physical solution properties of concentrated monodisperse solutions of individual proteins, we lack corresponding theories for complex polydisperse mixtures.

Use of etonogestrel subcutaneous implant in Sardinia, Italy: women's compliance and satisfaction.

Purpose Of The Article: The main aim of the study was to analyze the population of women who used etonogestrel implant, the reason that led them to this type of contraception, and the degree of compliance with it. Materials and methods: We carried out a retrospective study on women who had etonogestrel subcutaneous implant placed (n°47) over a 6-year period (2015-2021). We submitted the women a series of questions by telephone questionnaire (range 10-72 months after placements, mean 40 months) that investigated the comorbidities and side effects related to etonogestrel implant.

Combining Scattering Experiments and Colloid Theory to Characterize Charge Effects in Concentrated Antibody Solutions.

Charges and their contribution to protein-protein interactions are essential for the key structural and dynamic properties of monoclonal antibody (mAb) solutions. In fact, they influence the apparent molecular weight, the static structure factor, the collective diffusion coefficient, or the relative viscosity, and their concentration dependence. Further, charges play an important role in the colloidal stability of mAbs.

A multi-scale numerical approach to study monoclonal antibodies in solution.

Developing efficient and robust computational models is essential to improve our understanding of protein solution behavior. This becomes particularly important to tackle the high-concentration regime. In this context, the main challenge is to put forward coarse-grained descriptions able to reduce the level of detail, while retaining key features and relevant information.

Higher Incidence of Cancer Therapy-Related Cardiac Dysfunction in the COVID-19 Era: A Single Cardio-Oncology Center Experience.

Aim: COVID-19 pandemic had a big impact on our life, it has revolutionized the practice of cardiology and the organization of hospital and outpatient activities. Thus the aim of our study was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the development of cancer therapy-related cardiac dysfunction (CTRCD).

Methods And Results: A single center retrospective study was carried out evaluating 96 cancer patients treated with anthracyclines and admitted to our Cardio-Oncology unit from June to August 2019 and 60 patients from June to August 2021.

Probing Cage Relaxation in Concentrated Protein Solutions by X-Ray Photon Correlation Spectroscopy.

Diffusion of proteins on length scales of their size is crucial for understanding the machinery of living cells. X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy (XPCS) is currently the only way to access long-time collective diffusion on these length scales, but radiation damage so far limits the use in biological systems. We apply a new approach to use XPCS to measure cage relaxation in crowded α-crystallin solutions.

Plastic and Placenta: Identification of Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) Compounds in the Human Placenta by HPLC-MS/MS System.

The placenta is a crucial interface between the fetus and the maternal environment. It allows for nutrient absorption, thermal regulation, waste elimination, and gas exchange through the mother's blood supply. Furthermore, the placenta determines important adjustments and epigenetic modifications that can change the phenotypic expression of the individual even long after birth.

Deeply in Plasticenta: Presence of Microplastics in the Intracellular Compartment of Human Placentas.

Microplastics (MPs) are defined as plastic particles smaller than 5 mm. They have been found almost everywhere they have been searched for and recent discoveries have also demonstrated their presence in human placenta, blood, meconium, and breastmilk, but their location and toxicity to humans have not been reported to date. The aim of this study was twofold: 1.

Fetal Growth and Neonatal Outcomes in Pregestational Diabetes Mellitus in a Population with a High Prevalence of Diabetes.

The aim of this retrospective study, conducted in an Italian tertiary care hospital, was to evaluate maternal-fetal and neonatal clinical outcomes in a group of patients with pregestational diabetes mellitus (PGDM), such as diabetes mellitus type 1 (DM1), diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2), and maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY). Overall, 174 pregnant women, nulliparous and multiparous, with a single pregnancy were enrolled. Data on pregnancy, childbirth, and newborns were collected from medical records.

Raman Microspectroscopy Detection and Characterisation of Microplastics in Human Breastmilk.

The widespread use of plastics determines the inevitable human exposure to its by-products, including microplastics (MPs), which enter the human organism mainly by ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact. Once internalised, MPs may pass across cell membranes and translocate to different body sites, triggering specific cellular mechanisms. Hence, the potential health impairment caused by the internalisation and accumulation of MPs is of prime concern, as confirmed by numerous studies reporting evident toxic effects in various animal models, marine organisms, and human cell lines.

Understanding the Development, Standardization, and Validation Process of Alternative In Vitro Test Methods for Regulatory Approval from a Researcher Perspective.

Due to economic, practical, ethical, and scientific reasons, researchers, among others, are pushing for alternative in vitro test methods to replace or reduce existing animal experiments. In order for these tests to be more broadly used by the industrial sector and regulatory bodies, orchestrated efforts are required to show the robustness and reliability of in vitro methods, which can accelerate the use for early screening testing. Another way of increasing the use of alternatives is to coordinate validation studies, that is, multi-laboratory trials, and to gain regulatory approval and instatement as test guidelines or standard method.

Crowding in the Eye Lens: Modeling the Multisubunit Protein β-Crystallin with a Colloidal Approach.

We present a multiscale characterization of aqueous solutions of the bovine eye lens protein β crystallin from dilute conditions up to dynamical arrest, combining dynamic light scattering, small-angle x-ray scattering, tracer-based microrheology, and neutron spin echo spectroscopy. We obtain a comprehensive explanation of the observed experimental signatures from a model of polydisperse hard spheres with additional weak attraction. In particular, the model predictions quantitatively describe the multiscale dynamical results from microscopic nanometer cage diffusion over mesoscopic micrometer gradient diffusion up to macroscopic viscosity.

Materno-Fetal and Neonatal Complications of Diabetes in Pregnancy: A Retrospective Study.

The aim of this case-control study was to evaluate maternal-fetal and neonatal clinical outcomes in a group of patients with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and pregestational diabetes such as diabetes mellitus type 1 (DM1) and diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2) and compare them with those of patients without diabetes. A total of 414 pregnant women, nulliparous and multiparous, with single pregnancy were recruited. The selected patients were divided into two groups.

A Novel Element Achieves the Same Solution as an Ancestral Element During Thiamine Starvation in .

Regulatory networks often converge on very similar sequences to drive transcriptional programs due to constraints on what transcription factors are present. To determine the role of constraint loss on element evolution, we examined the recent appearance of a thiamine starvation regulated promoter in This species lacks the ancestral transcription factor Thi2, but still has the transcription factor Pdc2, which regulates thiamine starvation genes, allowing us to determine the effect of constraint change on a new promoter. We identified two different elements in - one present in the evolutionarily recent gene called , and the other element present in the other thiamine (THI) regulated genes.

FARMAPRICE: A Pharmacogenetic Clinical Decision Support System for Precise and Cost-Effective Therapy.

Pharmacogenetic (PGx) guidelines for the precise dosing and selection of drugs remain poorly implemented in current clinical practice. Among the barriers to the implementation process is the lack of clinical decision support system (CDSS) tools to aid health providers in managing PGx information in the clinical context. The present study aimed to describe the first Italian endeavor to develop a PGx CDSS, called FARMAPRICE.

Controlled impact evaluation of a birth registration intervention, Burkina Faso.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of the introduction of secondary civil registration centres on birth registrations within 60 days of birth, in Burkina Faso.

Methods: The faith-based organization Sant'Egidio supported the inauguration of secondary birth registration centres within seven health centres in Réo from July 2015 and four health centres in Godyr from February 2015, at which delivery and vaccination services were available. We calculated the number of timely registrations per 1000 population before and after the launch of the intervention in both the intervention and control municipalities.

Primary extranodal vaginal non-hodgkin lymphoma: Diagnostic pitfalls and therapeutic challenges.

Introduction: Primary extranodal non-hodgkin vaginal lymphoma (PeNHVL) represents a rare entity, with few data published until now. We present here a series of patients with PeNHVL, analyzing our data as part of a detailed review of the available literature.

Methods: The study included a consecutive series of 6 patients with final diagnosis of PeNHVL admitted at our Institution between January 2000 and December 2017.

Aqueous Lubrication, Structure and Rheological Properties of Whey Protein Microgel Particles.

Aqueous lubrication has emerged as an active research area in recent years due to its prevalence in nature in biotribological contacts and its enormous technological soft-matter applications. In this study, we designed aqueous dispersions of biocompatible whey-protein microgel particles (WPM) (10-80 vol %) cross-linked via disulfide bonding and focused on understanding their rheological, structural and biotribological properties (smooth polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) contacts, R < 50 nm, ball-on-disk set up). The WPM particles (D = 380 nm) displayed shear-thinning behavior and good lubricating performance in the plateau boundary as well as the mixed lubrication regimes.

Umbilical intra-abdominal vein varix: a case report and review of the literature.

Fetal umbilical intra-abdominal vein varix (FIUV) is a rare congenital malformation characterized by focal dilatation of the umbilical vein. The authors report a case of pregnant woman at 32 weeks of gestation with a fetus affected by dilatation of an intra-abdominal portion of the umbilical vein. They performed continuous ultrasound and cardiotocographic monitoring, from admission to the delivery.

Nanoemulsion-based delivery systems for polyunsaturated (ω-3) oils: formation using a spontaneous emulsification method.

Nanoemulsion-based delivery systems are finding increasing utilization to encapsulate lipophilic bioactive components in food, personal care, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical applications. In this study, a spontaneous emulsification method was used to fabricate nanoemulsions from polyunsaturated (ω-3) oils, that is, fish oil. This low-energy method relies on formation of fine oil droplets when an oil/surfactant mixture is added to an aqueous solution.