BMP-4 and fetuin A in systemic sclerosis patients with or without calcinosis.

Introduction: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a connective tissue disease at the interface between inflammation and autoimmunity progressively leading to diffuse microvascular and fibrotic involvement of the skin and of multiple internal organs. Approximately, 20-40% of SSc patients suffer from cutaneous calcinosis, a debilitating manifestation due to calcium salt deposition in soft connective tissues, causing pain, ulceration, infection, and deformities, responsible of severe functional limitations. Pathomechanisms are poorly understood as well as markers/molecules capable to predict the risk of patients to develop calcinosis.

Solar dermatitis in a cynomolgus macaque (Macaca fascicularis).

Chronic exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light can cause cutaneous damage, resulting in specific pathological changes such as actinic keratosis and dermatitis. Despite actinic dermatosis being well documented in both humans and animals, it has rarely been reported in non-human primates (NHPs). Here, we describe a case of chronic UV light exposure in cynomolgus macaque (Macaca fascicularis).

Breakdown or Personality Disorder? Psychiatric Characterization and Developmental Pathways Towards Young Adulthood in Adolescents with Pathological Personality Structure.

: Research is lacking about the development of personality disorders (PDs) from adolescence to early adulthood. This study aimed to characterize the profile of high-risk adolescents compared to adolescents with full-blown PDs and adolescents with other psychiatric disorders and to identify clinical markers that constitute a risk profile. : We evaluated 99 adolescents (12-17 years old) through DSM-5-based semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, cognitive tasks, and scales regarding functioning and disorder severity.

Gut microbiota in very early systemic sclerosis: the first case-control taxonomic and functional characterisation highlighting an altered butyric acid profile.

Objectives: In systemic sclerosis (SSc), gastrointestinal involvement is one of the earliest events. We compared the gut microbiota (GM), its short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and host-derived free fatty acids (FFAs) in patients with very early diagnosis of SSc (VEDOSS) and definite SSc.

Methods: Stool samples of 26 patients with SSc, 18 patients with VEDOSS and 20 healthy controls (HC) were collected.

Fever management in children and insights into fever of unknown origin: a survey among Italian pediatricians.

Background: Fever is a common symptom in children, but despite existing guidelines, pediatricians may not fully apply recommendations. Fever of Unknown Origin (FUO) is generally referred to as an unexplained prolonged fever. However, a standardized FUO definition and management is missing.

The importance of body image and aesthetic medicine in systemic sclerosis.

Systemic sclerosis is a progressive fibrotic autoimmune disease which mainly affects young women causing fibrosis of the skin and internal organs. In systemic sclerosis patients, facial and hand alterations are significant as these may have an impact on body image. In fact, systemic sclerosis could cause disfigurement of the most visible parts of the body, hindering self-confidence and quality of life.

Advancing solar wastewater treatment: A photocatalytic process via green ZnO/g-CN coatings and concentrated sunlight - Comprehensive insights into ciprofloxacin antibiotic inactivation.

In this study, a sustainable method employing concentrated sunlight to achieve environmental remediation of wastewater, contaminated by Ciprofloxacin antibiotic (CIP), is thoroughly investigated. A green ZnO/g-CN nanocomposite (NC) is used as a photocatalyst coating on glass to investigate the inactivation of CIP in water, in a flow-reactor configuration at small-prototype scale (10 liters/h, catalyst area 187.5 cm).

The predictive role of the TAPSE/sPAP ratio for cardiovascular events and mortality in systemic sclerosis with pulmonary hypertension.

Introduction: Reduced TAPSE/sPAP ratio has recently emerged as a predictive parameter risk factor for PH, however its role in SSc has been poorly investigated. The aim of the study was to investigate the prognostic value of the TAPSE/sPAP ratio for the prediction of mortality and cardiovascular events in patients with SSc complicated by PH. A comparison between SSc patients with PAH (SSc-PAH) and those with PH and significant ILD (SSc-PH) was also carried out.

Towards a comprehensive approach to the management and prognosis of systemic sclerosis's patients: The role of comorbidities in the SPRING-SIR registry.

Objectives: The current knowledge about the role of comorbidities in systemic sclerosis (SSc) is limited. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of comorbidities and their impact on disease activity and prognosis in the Systemic sclerosis PRogression INvestiGation (SPRING) registry.

Methods: SSc patients from the SPRING registry, fulfilling the ACR/EULAR 2013 classification criteria, with complete data on baseline comorbidities were enrolled.

sEMG-Driven Hand Dynamics Estimation With Incremental Online Learning on a Parallel Ultra-Low-Power Microcontroller.

Surface electromyography (sEMG) is a State-of-the-Art (SoA) sensing modality for non-invasive human-machine interfaces for consumer, industrial, and rehabilitation use cases. The main limitation of the current sEMG-driven control policies is the sEMG's inherent variability, especially cross-session due to sensor repositioning; this limits the generalization of the Machine/Deep Learning (ML/DL) in charge of the signal-to-command mapping. The other hot front on the ML/DL side of sEMG-driven control is the shift from the classification of fixed hand positions to the regression of hand kinematics and dynamics, promising a more versatile and fluid control.

Non-targeted identification of tianeptine photodegradation products in water samples by UHPLC-QTOF MS/MS.

This study aims the characterization of several tianeptine transformation products in ultrapure water by simulated sunlight irradiation. Tianeptine was completely degraded after 106 h of exposition following pseudo-first-order kinetics (half-life time = 12.0 ± 2.

Real-Time Motor Unit Tracking from sEMG Signals with Adaptive ICA on a Parallel Ultra-Low Power Processor.

Spike extraction by blind source separation (BSS) algorithms can successfully extract physiologically meaningful information from the sEMG signal, as they are able to identify motor unit (MU) discharges involved in muscle contractions. However, BSS approaches are currently restricted to isometric contractions, limiting their applicability in real-world scenarios. We present a strategy to track MUs across different dynamic hand gestures using adaptive independent component analysis (ICA): first, a pool of MUs is identified during isometric contractions, and the decomposition parameters are stored; during dynamic gestures, the decomposition parameters are updated online in an unsupervised fashion, yielding the refined MUs; then, a Pan-Tompkins-inspired algorithm detects the spikes in each MUs; finally, the identified spikes are fed to a classifier to recognize the gesture.

Solvothermally Grown Oriented WO Nanoflakes for the Photocatalytic Degradation of Pharmaceuticals in a Flow Reactor.

Contamination by pharmaceuticals adversely affects the quality of natural water, causing environmental and health concerns. In this study, target drugs (oxazepam, OZ, 17-α-ethinylestradiol, EE2, and drospirenone, DRO), which have been extensively detected in the effluents of WWTPs over the past decades, were selected. We report here a new photoactive system, operating under visible light, capable of degrading EE2, OZ and DRO in water.

Peri-implant diseases and systemic inflammation: A preliminary analysis from a cross-sectional survey of patients with hypertension.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between peri-implant diseases and systemic inflammation assessed by serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in a sample of patients with hypertension.

Methods: A total of 151 participants with hypertension were included in a cross-sectional study. The population was divided into six groups according to their peri-implant and periodontal status (healthy controls, mucositis, peri-implantitis, periodontitis, periodontitis and mucositis, periodontitis, and peri-implantitis).

Electrocatalytic Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) for Electrochemical Conversion of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural.

This study investigates the utilization of the conductive polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) as a catalytic material for the 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO)-mediated oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA). PEDOT films doped with different counterions were electrodeposited on graphite foil. In particular, the mobile anion perchlorate and the polymeric ionomers polystyrenesulfonate, Nafion, and Aquivion were used.

SOX-10 and TRP-1 expression in feline ocular and nonocular melanomas.

In felines, ocular and nonocular melanomas are uncommon tumors that represent a diagnostic challenge for pathologists, especially when amelanotic. To date, the immunohistochemical diagnostic panel in cats is based on specific melanocytic markers (Melan-A and PNL2) and a nonspecific but sensitive marker (S100). In human medicine, SOX-10 is reported to be a sensitive antibody for the detection of melanoma micrometastasis in the lymph node.

Cardiorespiratory Performance in Kidney and Liver Transplant Recipients: The Dilemma to Combine Lifestyle and Fitness.

It is widely demonstrated that moderate-intensity exercise is associated with improved fitness in non-communicable chronic diseases. However, there are no specific guidelines available for transplant recipients. Body composition is closely linked to exercise capacity, typically estimated by cardiopulmonary testing, but its potential correlation with cardiovascular health outcomes has not been investigated yet.

The role of lung biopsy for diagnosis and prognosis of interstitial lung disease in systemic sclerosis: a systematic literature review.

Background: The prognostic and theragnostic role of histopathological subsets in systemic sclerosis interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD) have been largely neglected due to the paucity of treatment options and the risks associated with surgical lung biopsy. The novel drugs for the treatment of ILDs and the availability of transbronchial cryobiopsy provide a new clinical scenario making lung biopsy more feasible and a pivotal guide for treatment. The aim of our study was to investigate the usefulness of lung biopsy in SSc ILD with a systematic literature review (SLR).

The Performance of Pulmonary Function Tests in Predicting Systemic Sclerosis-Interstitial Lung Disease in the European Scleroderma Trial and Research Database.

Background And Objectives: In SSc, ILD is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. We aimed to investigate the performance of DLCO (diffusing capacity of lung carbon monoxide) and FVC (forced vital capacity) delta change (Δ) and baseline values in predicting the development of SSc-ILD.

Methods: Longitudinal data of DLCO, FVC, and ILD on the HRCT of SSc patients from the EUSTAR database were evaluated at baseline (t) and after 12 (±4) (t) and 24 (±4) (t) months.

Impaired activation of plasmacytoid dendritic cells toll-like receptor 7/9 and STING is mediated by melanoma-derived immunosuppressive cytokines and metabolic drift.

Introduction: Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) infiltrate a large set of human cancers. Interferon alpha (IFN-α) produced by pDCs induces growth arrest and apoptosis in tumor cells and modulates innate and adaptive immune cells involved in anti-cancer immunity. Moreover, effector molecules exert tumor cell killing.

Modeling the Conduction Mechanism in Chemoresistive Gas Sensor Based on Single-Crystalline SnO Nanobelts: A Phenomenological In Operando Investigation.

Investigating the sensing mechanisms in semiconducting metal oxide (SMOx) gas sensors is essential for optimizing their performance across a wide range of potential applications. Despite significant progress in the field, there are still many gaps in comprehending the phenomenological processes occurring in one-dimensional (1D) nanostructures. This article presents the first insights into the conduction mechanism of chemoresistive gas sensors based on single-crystalline SnO nanobelts using the operando Kelvin Probe technique.

Sjögren's syndrome: one year in review 2023.

Primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) is a systemic autoimmune disorder characterised by the T-cell-mediated hyperactivation of B-cells and cytokine production. The condition may evolve from an asymptomatic, indolent course, with glandular involvement, to extra-glandular systemic manifestations up to lymphoma development. On tissue level, the typical feature is the lymphocytic infiltration of the salivary gland by B-, T- and antigen presenting cells, as mirrored by the diagnostic cornerstone role of minor salivary gland (MSG) biopsy.