An isothermal calorimetry assay for determining steady state kinetic and Ensitrelvir inhibition parameters for SARS-CoV-2 3CL-protease.

This manuscript details the application of Isothermal Titration Calorimetry (ITC) to characterize the kinetics of 3CL, the main protease from the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoronaVirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), and its inhibition by Ensitrelvir, a known non-covalent inhibitor. 3CL is essential for producing the proteins necessary for viral infection, which led to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ITC-based assay provided rapid and reliable measurements of 3CL activity, allowing for the direct derivation of the kinetic enzymatic constants K and k by monitoring the thermal power required to maintain a constant temperature as the substrate is consumed.

Gratitude and Social Generativity Among Young Adults: The Role of Sex and Age.

For a very long period of time gratitude has been mainly studied because of its positive link with personal psychological adaptation and well-being. However, gratitude does not simply enrich the individual, but it also plays a key role in the wider context where the person lives, by for example promoting prosocial behaviors and enhancing reciprocity. The current study considered the moderating role of sex and age in the association between gratitude and social generativity.

Overview on Hereditary Spherocytosis Diagnosis.

Introduction: Hereditary spherocytosis (HS) is a congenital haemolytic disorder, resulting from plasma membrane protein deficiency of red blood cells (RBCs). Typical pathological signs are anemia, jaundice, and splenomegaly; in newborns, jaundice is the main symptom.

Material And Methods: This study focused on the state of art about the HS diagnosis, from traditional to innovative methods, including diagnostic algorithms that can be applied for pediatric and adult patients, for different laboratory diagnostic levels.

First report of a -producing extensively drug resistant ST437 in Italy.

Carbapenemase-producing strains (CP-Kps) have recently been observed to spread rapidly worldwide. New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase (NDM) producing clones of cause a significant healthcare burden, particularly in Indian sub-continent, where this clone is circulating widely. However, in Italy, data on the incidence of these new clones is limited, and an ST437 NDM-producing strain has not been reported to date.

COVID-19-Related Stress and Resilience Resources: A Comparison Between Adoptive and non-Adoptive Mothers.

Despite an increasing interest in how adoptive parents deal with situations appraised as stressful, there is a lack of research regarding adoptive parents' adjustment to the challenges posed by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. The current study explores similarities and differences between adoptive and non-adoptive mothers in terms of risks (i.e.

An isothermal calorimetry assay for determining steady state kinetic and enzyme inhibition parameters for SARS-CoV-2 3CL-protease.

This manuscript describes the application of Isothermal Titration Calorimetry (ITC) to characterize the kinetics of 3CL from the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoronaVirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its inhibition by Ensitrelvir, a known non-covalent inhibitor. 3CL is the main protease that plays a crucial role of producing the whole array of proteins necessary for the viral infection that caused the spread of COVID-19, responsible for millions of deaths worldwide as well as global economic and healthcare crises in recent years. The proposed calorimetric method proved to have several advantages over the two types of enzymatic assays so far applied to this system, namely Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) and Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS).

School victimization and psychosocial adjustment among Eastern European adopted adolescents across Europe.

Background: Little is known about bullying experienced by internationally adopted teens residing in Europe.

Objectives: Within the framework of an international research effort involving several European countries, the main goal of this study was to explore the experiences of bullying victimization suffered by adopted adolescents, as well as its impact on their psychological adjustment.

Methods: The sample consisted of 199 adolescents born in Eastern European countries and adopted in France (n = 50), Italy (n = 59), Norway (n = 25) and Spain (n = 65).

The influence of mannose-based esters on the mesophase behaviour of lyotropic liquid crystalline nanosystems as drug delivery vectors.

Lyotropic Liquid Crystalline (LLC) nanoparticles represent an emerging class of smart, biocompatible, and biodegradable systems for the delivery of drugs. Among these, structures with complex 3D architectures such as cubosomes are of particular interest. These are non- lamellar assemblies having hydrophobic and hydrophilic portions able to carry drugs of different nature.

Multi-approach methods to predict cryptic carbapenem resistance mechanisms in detected in Central Italy.

The rapid emergence of carbapenem-resistant () strains in diverse environmental niches, even outside of the clinical setting, poses a challenge for the detection and the real-time monitoring of novel antimicrobial resistance trends using molecular and whole genome sequencing-based methods. The aim of our study was to understand cryptic resistance determinants responsible for the phenotypic carbapenem resistance observed in strains circulating in Italy by using a combined approach involving whole genome sequencing (WGS) and genome-wide association study (GWAS). In this study, we collected 303 strains from inside and outside clinical settings between 2018-2022 in the Abruzzo region of Italy.

The enduring role of sense of coherence in facing the pandemic.

Research has been focussing on protective and resistance-related factors that may help people face the long-lasting psychological challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sense of coherence allows to remain healthy and to recover after stressful or traumatic life experiences. We aimed at investigating whether, and the extent to which, social support, in terms of both family and friends support, mediated the well-established link between sense of coherence and mental health as well as that between sense of coherence and COVID-19-related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms.

Personal Values and Substance Use in Adolescence and Young Adulthood: Risk or Protective Factors?

: Personal values are desirable trans-situational goals that serve as guiding principles in people's lives and have been widely found to be related to people's behavior. : This study aimed at investigating the relation between personal values and youth involvement in frequency of alcohol and cannabis use and problems related to substance use, comparing two groups of adolescents and young adults: 237 adolescents (age 14-19 years; 58.2% females) and 236 young adults (age 20-30 years; 78.

3D CT-Inclusive Deep-Learning Model to Predict Mortality, ICU Admittance, and Intubation in COVID-19 Patients.

Chest CT is a useful initial exam in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) for assessing lung damage. AI-powered predictive models could be useful to better allocate resources in the midst of the pandemic. Our aim was to build a deep-learning (DL) model for COVID-19 outcome prediction inclusive of 3D chest CT images acquired at hospital admission.

Safety evaluation of the use of the non-genetically modified strain YIT 10047 as a source of β-galactosidase.

This assessment addresses the enzyme β-galactosidase which is not separated from the yeast cells used for its production. The β-galactosidase (β-D-galactoside galactohydrolase, EC 3.2.

Bullying victimization among internationally adopted adolescents: Psychosocial adjustment and moderating factors.

Bullying constitutes a serious risk factor for the psychosocial adjustment of young people in both the general population and minority groups. Among minorities, international adoptees are likely to show a specific vulnerability to the experience of being bullied, moderated by specific risk and protective factors. This study aimed to investigate the association between adoptees' experience of bullying victimization and their psychosocial adjustment, and to explore the moderating role of adoptive identity and reflected minority categorization.

Perceived Changes in Family Life During COVID-19: The Role of Family Size.

Objective: The current study was aimed at exploring Italian parents' perceived negative and positive changes in family life during the COVID-19 pandemic, taking into account the role of the stage of the family life and family size.

Background: During the emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of families drastically changed their daily life and routines. Little evidence exists on how family characteristics, such as family size or presence of children, are related to families' experience of family change.

Sense of Coherence and COVID-19: A Longitudinal Study.

The strong restrictive measures adopted in 2020 against the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy have deeply affected the general population's mental health. In the current longitudinal study, we specifically focus on sense of coherence (SOC), both in terms of comprehensibility/manageability and meaningfulness, among a large sample of Italian adults; SOC is a potential resource likely to foster the ability to cope with stressors. A total of 2,191 Italian participants (65.

The quiet migration of adopted adolescents in Italy: Ethnic identity, reflected minority categorization, and ethnic discrimination.

Internationally adopted adolescents face the crucial developmental task of shaping their ethnic identity by balancing their dual belongingness to the current cultural background and the birth country's ethnic background. This process does not depend exclusively on individual variables, but it is embedded within the social context. The present study was aimed at exploring the role of ethnic discrimination in moderating the association between reflected minority categorization, on the one hand, and ethnic identity, on the other.

Adoptees facing adolescence: What accounts for their psychological well-being?

Introduction: In accordance with the "resilience paradigm", this study was aimed at exploring the role of the parent-child relationship in supporting internationally adopted adolescents' ability to develop a strong adoptive identity and a feeling of satisfaction with their own life.

Methods: Participants were 105 Italian adopted adolescents (13-17 years) asked to complete a self-report questionnaire.

Results: Results showed that adolescents generally feel fairly comfortable discussing adoption-related issues (especially with their mothers), have a medium-high level of adoptive identity, and appear to be quite satisfied with their life.

Safety evaluation of the food enzyme α-amylase from the genetically modified strain NZYM-KE.

The food enzyme α-amylase (4-α-d-glucan glucanohydrolase; EC 3.2.1.

Facing the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Sense of Coherence.

The worldwide outbreak of COVID-19, the ensuing pandemic, and the related containment measures pose considerable challenges to psychological resilience and well-being. Researchers are now forced to look for resources to cope with negative experiences linked to this health emergency. According to the salutogenic approach proposed by Antonovsky, the sense of coherence (SOC) is a major source of resilience.

The Role of Personal Values in Gambling: A Preliminary Study with Italian Adolescents.

Values have been defined as trans-situational goals that serve as guiding principles in people's life to select modes, means, and actions. Despite values being relevant predictors of behaviors, their role in shaping adolescents' gambling ones has been under investigated. Specifically, the present study aimed at exploring whether and which values may be protective or risk factors for gambling behaviors, this also considering gender differences.

Early-Onset Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia in Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: is There a Relationship with Prehospital Airway Management?

Background: Prehospital airway management in severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is widely recommended by international guidelines for the management of trauma. Early-onset ventilator-associated pneumonia (EOVAP) is a common occurrence in this population and can worsen mortality and functional outcome.

Objectives: In this retrospective observational study, we aimed to evaluate the association between different prehospital airway management variables and the occurrence of EOVAP.

"What Makes Us Strong?": Dyadic Coping in Italian Prospective Adoptive Couples.

Becoming an adoptive parent is a particularly stressful transition, given the additional challenges couples have to face. Dyadic coping, an under-investigated dimension in the adoption literature, may play a relevant role for prospective adoptive couples' ability to better cope with the adoptive process. The general aim of the present study was to investigate the association between dyadic coping and relationship functioning, in terms of relationship satisfaction and couple generativity, among prospective adoptive couples.

Syntheses of 3,4- and 1,4-dihydroquinazolines from 2-aminobenzylamine.

A straightforward strategy for the synthesis of dihydroquinazolines is presented, which allows for the preparation of 3,4- and 1,4-dihydroquinazolines with different substitution patterns from 2-aminobenzylamine (2-ABA) as common precursor. The required functionalization of both amino groups present in 2-ABA was achieved by different routes involving selective acylation and cesium carbonate-mediated alkylation reactions, avoiding protection/deprotection steps. The heterocycles were efficiently synthesized in short reaction times by microwave-assisted ring closure of the corresponding aminoamides promoted by ethyl polyphosphate (PPE).