Enabling Visible Light Sensitization of Yb, Nd and Er in Dimeric Ln/Ga Metallacrowns through Functionalization with Ru Complexes for NIR-II Multiplex Imaging.

Multiplex imaging in the second near-infrared window (NIR-II, 1000-1700 nm) provides exciting opportunities for more precise understanding of biological processes and more accurate diagnosis of diseases by enabling real-time acquisition of images with improved contrast and spatial resolution in deeper tissues. Today, the number of imaging agents suitable for this modality remains very scarce. In this work, we have synthesized and fully characterized, including theoretical calculations, a series of dimeric Ln/Ga metallacrowns bearing Ru polypyridyl complexes, LnRu-3 (Ln=Y, Yb, Nd, Er).

Revving up a Designed Copper Nitrite Reductase Using Non-Coded Active Site Ligands.

Herein, we report a three stranded coiled-coil (3SCC) protein containing a type II copper center (CuT2) composed of 6-membered ring N-heterocycles. This design yields the most active homogenous copper nitrite reductase (CuNiR) mimic in water. We achieved this result by controlling three factors.

Functional seizures and binge eating disorder: A cross-sectional study.

Objective: Functional seizures (FS) are brief, involuntary changes in behaviour or consciousness, distinct from epileptic seizures, potentially associated with psychological dissociation. Binge eating disorder (BED) was linked to psychological and somatic dissociation also. However, any connection between FS and BED is insufficiently explored.

A novel multistep approach to standardize the reported risk factors for in-hospital falls: a proof-of-concept study.

Background: Uncertainty and inconsistency in terminology regarding the risk factors (RFs) for in-hospital falls are present in the literature.

Objective: (1) To perform a literature review to identify the fall RFs among hospitalized adults; (2) to link the found RFs to the corresponding categories of international health classifications to reduce the heterogeneity of their definitions; (3) to perform a meta-analysis on the risk categories to identify the significant RFs; (4) to refine the final list of significant categories to avoid redundancies.

Methods: Four databases were investigated.

Subacute thyroiditis in the SARS-CoV-2 era: a multicentre prospective study.

Objective: Many cases of subacute thyroiditis (SAT) have been described related to SARS-CoV-2 infection, but no prospective data about follow-up are known. This prospective, longitudinal, 3-year, multicentre study aims to explore the clinical peculiarities and outcome of SAT in relation to SARS-CoV-2 infection, ascertained with antibody dosage.

Methods: All patients receiving SAT diagnosis from November 2020 to May 2022 were enrolled.

Tuning white light emission using single-component tetrachroic Dy metallacrowns: the role of chromophoric building blocks.

White light production is of major importance for ambient lighting and technological displays. White light can be obtained by several types of materials and their combinations, but single component emitters remain rare and desirable towards thinner devices that are, therefore, easier to control and that require fewer manufacturing steps. We have designed a series of dysprosium(iii)-based luminescent metallacrowns (MCs) to achieve this goal.

SSRIs in the course of COVID-19 pneumonia: Evidence of effectiveness of antidepressants on acute inflammation. A retrospective study.

Introduction: Relationships between inflammation and mood have been observed in terms of pro-inflammatory effects induced by depressive conditions and, in parallel, by an antidepressant-induced favorable effect on the recovery of inflammatory states. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) drugs were hypothesized to improve the prognosis of COVID-19 pneumonia, a typical acute inflammation, in terms of decreased mortality rate and pro-inflammatory cytokine serum levels.

Methods: The medical records of COVID-19 pneumonia inpatients at Careggi University Hospital (Florence) were analyzed for prognosis and Interleukin 6 (IL-6) after admission for over a period of 22 months.

The role of laboratory medicine in a value-based healthcare system: the example of heart failure patient management in the Italian context.

Objective: As of today, healthcare systems worldwide face severe challenges that undermine their sustainability. The value-based healthcare (VBHC) approach has been proposed as a strategic and methodological framework to ensure the delivery of the best patient outcomes with economic efficiency. Through the illustrative example of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal proBNP (NT-proBNP) for heart failure (HF) patient management in the context of the Italian National Healthcare system, this article explores the role that in vitro diagnostics (IVDs) can play in enabling value-based care models.

Pregorexia: a systematic review and meta-analysis on the constructs of body image dissatisfaction and eating disturbances by gestational age in the peripartum.

Purpose: Pregorexia is a phenomenon posited to occur in the peripartum, characterized by an attempt to counter pregnancy's physiological changes in body shape through reduced calorie intake or increased physical activity.

Methods: In this pre-registered systematic review and meta-analysis, body image dissatisfaction and eating psychopathology in the peripartum according to gestational age were formally assessed. PubMed was searched up to May 2023.

Insights on the Structure in Solution of Paramagnetic Ln/Ga 12-Metallacrown-4 Complexes Using 1D H NMR and Model Structures.

The solution structure of LnNa(OBz)[12-MC-4] complexes was studied through paramagnetic H NMR and DFT models. Although isostructural in the solid state, their H NMR spectra in DMSO- are extremely different from one another due to the magnetic anisotropy of the lanthanide(III) ions. NMR data were analyzed by the "all-lanthanide" method that were compared to X-ray structures and model structures, allowing to establish the extent of the structural changes that occur from the solid state to the solution phase.

Aberrant Salience Inventory: A meta-analysis to investigate its psychometric properties and identify screening cutoff scores.

Introduction: The Aberrant Salience Inventory (ASI) is a useful tool to measure salience abnormalities among the general population. There is strong clinical and scientific evidence that salience alteration is linked to psychosis. To the present day, no meta-analysis evaluating ASI's psychometric properties and screening potential has been published.

Genetic polymorphisms of ACE1, ACE2, IFTM3, TMPRSS2 and TNFα genes associated with susceptibility and severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Some human polymorphisms of ACE1, ACE2, IFITM3, TMPRSS2 and TNFα genes may have an effect on the susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection and increase the risk to develop severe COVID-19. We conducted a systematic review of current evidence to investigate the association of genetic variants of these genes with the susceptibility to virus infection and patient prognosis.

Methods: We systematically searched Medline, Embase and The Cochrane Library for articles published until May 2022, and included observational studies covering genetic association of ACE1, ACE2, IFITM3, TMPRSS2 and TNFα genes with COVID-19 susceptibility or prognosis.

Lower Energy Excitation of Water Soluble Near-Infrared Emitting Mixed-Ligand Metallacrowns.

By combining advantages of two series of lanthanide(III)/zinc(II) metallacrowns (MCs) assembled using pyrazine- (pyzHA ) and quinoxaline- (quinoHA ) hydroximate building blocks ligands, we created here water-soluble mixed-ligand MCs with extended absorption to the visible range. The Yb analogue demonstrated improved photophysical properties in the near-infrared (NIR) range in cell culture media, facilitating its application for NIR optical imaging in living HeLa cells.

Incorporation of a molybdenum atom in a Rubredoxin-type Centre of a de novo-designed αDIV-L21C three-helical bundle peptide.

The rational design and functionalization of small, simple, and stable peptides scaffolds is an attractive avenue to mimic catalytic metal-centres of complex proteins, relevant for the design of metalloenzymes with environmental, biotechnological and health impacts. The de novo designed αDIV-L21C framework has a rubredoxin-like metal binding site and was used in this work to incorporate a Mo-atom. Thermostability studies using differential scanning calorimetry showed an increase of 4 °C in the melting temperature of the Mo-αDIV-L21C when compared to the apo-αDIV-L21C.

Molecular Rotational Correlation Times and Nanoviscosity Determined by Cd Perturbed Angular Correlation (PAC) of γ-rays Spectroscopy.

The nanoviscosity experienced by molecules in solution may be determined through measurement of the molecular rotational correlation time, τ , for example, by fluorescence and NMR spectroscopy. With this work, we apply PAC spectroscopy to determine the rate of rotational diffusion, λ=1/τ , of a de novo designed protein, TRIL12AL16C, in solutions with viscosities, ξ, from 1.7 to 88 mPa⋅s.

Evidence of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection: analysis of 35,000 subjects and overview of systematic reviews.

Background: Reinfection by SARS-CoV-2 is a rare but possible event. We evaluated the prevalence of reinfections in the Province of Modena and performed an overview of systematic reviews to summarize the current knowledge.

Methods: We applied big data analysis and retrospectively analysed the results of oro- or naso-pharyngeal swab results tested for molecular research of viral RNA of SARS-CoV-2 between 1 January 2021 and 30 June 2021 at a single center.

Tunable Optical Molecular Thermometers Based on Metallacrowns.

The effect of ligands' energy levels on thermal dependence of lanthanide emission was examined to create new molecular nanothermometers. A series of LnGaLL metallacrowns (shorthand LnL), where Ln = Gd, Tb, or Sm (HL' = salicylhydroxamic acid (Hshi), 5-methylsalicylhydroxamic acid (Hmshi), 5-methoxysalicylhydroxamic acid (Hmoshi), and 3-hydroxy-2-naphthohydroxamic acid (Hnha)) and HL″ = isophthalic acid (Hiph), was synthesized and characterized. Within the series, ligand-centered singlet state (S) energy levels ranged from 23,300 to 27,800 cm, while triplet (T) energy levels ranged from 18,150 to 21,980 cm.

Catalysis and Electron Transfer in Designed Metalloproteins.

One of the hallmark advances in our understanding of metalloprotein function is showcased in our ability to design new, non-native, catalytically active protein scaffolds. This review highlights progress and milestone achievements in the field of metalloprotein design focused on reports from the past decade with special emphasis on designs couched within common subfields of bioinorganic study: heme binding proteins, monometal- and dimetal-containing catalytic sites, and metal-containing electron transfer sites. Within each subfield, we highlight several of what we have identified as significant and important contributions to either our understanding of that subfield or metalloprotein design as a discipline.

Real-World Data and Budget Impact Analysis (BIA): Evaluation of a Targeted Next-Generation Sequencing Diagnostic Approach in Two Orthopedic Rare Diseases.

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology, changing the diagnostic approach, has become essential in clinical settings, and its adoption by public health laboratories is now the practice. Despite this, as technological innovations, its intake requires an evaluation of both the clinical utility and the economic investment, especially considering the rare disease scenario. This study evaluated the analytical validity and the budget impact of an NGS-Ion Torrent™ approach for the molecular germline diagnosis of two musculoskeletal rare diseases.

Tuning the photophysical properties of lanthanide(iii)/zinc(ii) 'encapsulated sandwich' metallacrowns emitting in the near-infrared range.

A family of ZnLn(HA) metallacrowns (MCs; Ln = Yb, Er, and Nd; HA = picoline- (picHA), pyrazine- (pyzHA), and quinaldine- (quinHA) hydroximates) with an 'encapsulated sandwich' structure possesses outstanding luminescence properties in the near-infrared (NIR) and suitability for cell imaging. Here, to decipher which parameters affect their functional and photophysical properties and how the nature of the hydroximate ligands can allow their fine tuning, we have completed this ZnLn(HA) family by synthesizing MCs with two new ligands, naphthyridine- (napHA) and quinoxaline- (quinoHA) hydroximates. ZnLn(napHA) and ZnLn(quinoHA) exhibit absorption bands extended into the visible range and efficiently sensitize the NIR emissions of Yb, Er, and Nd upon excitation up to 630 nm.

Ribosome-Associated ncRNAs (rancRNAs) Adjust Translation and Shape Proteomes.

The regulation of protein synthesis is of extreme importance for cell survival in challenging environmental conditions. Modulating gene expression at the level of translation allows a swift and low-energy-cost response to external stimuli. In the last decade, an emerging class of regulatory ncRNAs, namely ribosome-associated non-coding RNAs (rancRNAs), has been discovered.

Cu(I) Binding to Designed Proteins Reveals a Putative Copper Binding Site of the Human Line1 Retrotransposon Protein ORF1p.

Long interspersed nuclear elements-1 (L1) are autonomous retrotransposons that encode two proteins in different open reading frames (ORF1 and ORF2). The ORF1p, which may be an RNA binding and chaperone protein, contains a three-stranded coiled coil (3SCC) domain that facilitates the formation of the biologically active homotrimer. This 3SCC domain is composed of seven amino acid (heptad) repeats as found in native and designed peptides and a stammer that modifies the helical structure.

Mammalian In Vitro Translation Systems.

Under cellular stress, tight and coordinated regulation of the gene expression allows to minimize cellular damage, maintains cellular homeostasis, and ensures cell survival. Among stress-induced cellular responses, alteration of translation rates represents one of the most effective and rapid regulatory mechanisms available for cells. Here we report on detailed protocols of mammalian in vitro translation systems.