Meditation and Compassion Therapy in Psychiatric Disorders: A Pilot Study.

Introduction Our study aimed to compare meditation and compassion-based group therapy with the standard of care in patients with eating disorders, drug addiction, alcohol addiction, and depression, concerning acceptance, mindfulness awareness, self-compassion, and psychological distress. Methods A controlled designed study was performed, comparing meditation and compassion-focused group therapy added to the standard of care with the standard of care alone, on patients with eating disorders, drug addiction, alcohol addiction, and mood disorders. Four validated questionnaires were administered: the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II), which assesses the ability to be fully in touch with the present moment; the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), which assesses the ability to experience consciously what is happening in the present moment; the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS), which assesses self-compassion characteristics, including loving-kindness; and the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90), which measures psychological distress (anxiety, depression, psychotic behavior, etc.

Extracellular vesicles at the crossroad between cancer progression and immunotherapy: focus on dendritic cells.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nanosized heat-stable vesicles released by virtually all cells in the body, including tumor cells and tumor-infiltrating dendritic cells (DCs). By carrying molecules from originating cells, EVs work as cell-to-cell communicators in both homeostasis and cancer but may also represent valuable therapeutic and diagnostic tools. This review focuses on the role of tumor-derived EVs (TEVs) in the modulation of DC functions and on the therapeutic potential of both tumor- and DC-derived EVs in the context of immunotherapy and DC-based vaccine design.

Inhibitory receptors of plasmacytoid dendritic cells as possible targets for checkpoint blockade in cancer.

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) are the major producers of type I interferons (IFNs), which are essential to mount antiviral and antitumoral immune responses. To avoid exaggerated levels of type I IFNs, which pave the way to immune dysregulation and autoimmunity, pDC activation is strictly regulated by a variety of inhibitory receptors (IRs). In tumors, pDCs display an exhausted phenotype and correlate with an unfavorable prognosis, which largely depends on the accumulation of immunosuppressive cytokines and oncometabolites.

Extracellular microRNAs induce dendritic cell-dependent joint inflammation and potentiate osteoclast differentiation via TLR7/8 engagement.

Objectives: Monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DCs) are key players in the induction of inflammation, autoreactive T cell activation and loss of tolerance in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but the precise mechanisms underlying their activation remain elusive. Here, we hypothesized that extracellular microRNAs released in RA synovial fluids may represent a novel, physiological stimulus triggering unwanted immune response via TLR8-expressing DC stimulation.

Methods: Human monocyte-derived DCs were stimulated with a mixture of GU-rich miRNAs upregulated in RA tissues and released in synovial fluids (Ex-miRNAs).

Comparing Commercial Metal-Coated AFM Tips and Home-Made Bulk Gold Tips for Tip-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy of Polymer Functionalized Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes.

Tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) combines the high specificity and sensitivity of plasmon-enhanced Raman spectroscopy with the high spatial resolution of scanning probe microscopy. TERS has gained a lot of attention from many nanoscience fields, since this technique can provide chemical and structural information of surfaces and interfaces with nanometric spatial resolution. Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are very versatile nanostructures that can be dispersed in organic solvents or polymeric matrices, giving rise to new nanocomposite materials, showing improved mechanical, electrical and thermal properties.

Electrical and Electrochemical Sensors Based on Carbon Nanotubes for the Monitoring of Chemicals in Water-A Review.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) combine high electrical conductivity with high surface area and chemical stability, which makes them very promising for chemical sensing. While water quality monitoring has particularly strong societal and environmental impacts, a lot of critical sensing needs remain unmet by commercial technologies. In the present review, we show across 20 water monitoring analytes and 90 references that carbon nanotube-based electrochemical sensors, chemistors and field-effect transistors (chemFET) can meet these needs.

Personnel scheduling during Covid-19 pandemic.

This paper addresses a real-life personnel scheduling problem in the context of Covid-19 pandemic, arising in a large Italian pharmaceutical distribution warehouse. In this case study, the challenge is to determine a schedule that attempts to meet the contractual working time of the employees, considering the fact that they must be divided into mutually exclusive groups to reduce the risk of contagion. To solve the problem, we propose a mixed integer linear programming formulation (MILP).

Insights into the π - π interaction driven non-covalent functionalization of carbon nanotubes of various diameters by conjugated fluorene and carbazole copolymers.

We investigate the interaction of polyfluorene and fluorene/carbazole copolymers bearing various functional groups and side chains with small to large diameter-from 1.7 nm to 9 nm-carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in vacuo. We use variable-charge molecular dynamics simulations based on the reactive force field ReaxFF.

Prevalence of Polysubstance Abuse and Dual Diagnosis in Patients Admitted to Alcohol Rehabilitation Units for Alcohol-Related Problems in Italy: Changes in 15 Years.

Aims: Alcohol abuse has long been known as a disease with social and economic burden to society. Given the complex nature of alcohol treatment, it is worthwhile to examine the change over time of patients admitted to residential alcohol abuse rehabilitation units.

Methods: The data were collected from two Italian projects on alcoholics performed in the mid-1990s (ASSALT) and in 2009 (CORRAL), respectively.

[Alcohol-addiction inpatient: characteristics of patients and rehabilitation program].

Aim: The treatment of alcohol addiction in Italy has had a progressive evolution of therapeutic structures for in-and outpatients. During the last 20 years there had been a crescent presence of short residential treatment facilities (1-6 months) characterized by a high level of medical and psychotherapeutic intervention. About two years ago 12 of them jointed together in an association called CORRAL (COordinamento of Residenzialità Riabilitive Alcologiche).

Solution, solid state, and film properties of a structurally characterized highly luminescent molecular europium plastic material excitable with visible light.

The synthesis and X-ray crystal structure of the ligand L (4,7-dicarbazol-9-yl-[1,10]-phenanthroline) are reported, as well as those of the molecular complex, [Eu(tta)(3)(L)] (1), (tta = 2-thenoyl trifluoroacetylacetonate). Their photophysical properties have been investigated both in solution and in the solid state. It was shown that the ligands used for designing 1 are well-suited for sensitizing the Eu(III) ion emission, thanks to a favorable position of the triplet state as investigated in the Gd(III) complex [Gd(tta)(3)(L)], (2).

Automatic adjustment of stimulation output in resynchronization therapy: impact and effectiveness in clinical practice.

Background: Algorithms for automatic pacing output adjustment have been implemented in pacemakers and implantable defibrillators (ICD) and recently in cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators (CRT-D). We assessed the impact and effectiveness of these automatic features.

Method And Results: We prospectively enrolled patients successfully implanted with the following Medtronic CRT-Ds: Concerto [with automatic left ventricular (LV) output management algorithm], Consulta [automatic management of atrial, right ventricular (RV) and LV voltage], and Sentry (only manual voltage adjustments).

Europium(II) compounds: simple synthesis of a molecular complex in water and coordination polymers with 2,2'-bipyrimidine-mediated ferromagnetic interactions.

Reaction between EuCl(2) and 2,2'-bipyrimidine (bpm) in de-oxygenated water afforded a cationic molecular complex [EuCl(bpm)(2)(H(2)O)(4)][Cl]·H(2)O (1). When performed in an organic solvent such as THF or methanol, the same reaction yielded a 3-dimensional coordination polymer of formula [EuCl(2)(bpm)(MeOH)(0.5)](∞) (2) in which both bpm and the chloride ions act as linkers between the Eu(II) ions.

2,2'-Bipyrimidine as efficient sensitizer of the solid-state luminescence of lanthanide and uranyl ions from visible to near-infrared.

Treatment of Ln(NO(3))(3)nH(2)O with 1 or 2 equiv 2,2'-bipyrimidine (BPM) in dry THF readily afforded the monometallic complexes [Ln(NO(3))(3)(bpm)(2)] (Ln=Eu, Gd, Dy, Tm) or [Ln(NO(3))(3)(bpm)(2)]THF (Ln=Eu, Tb, Er, Yb) after recrystallization from MeOH or THF, respectively. Reactions with nitrate salts of the larger lanthanide ions (Ln=Ce, Nd, Sm) yielded one of two distinct monometallic complexes, depending on the recrystallization solvent: [Ln(NO(3))(3)(bpm)(2)]THF (Ln=Nd, Sm) from THF, or [Ln(NO(3))(3)(bpm)(MeOH)(2)]MeOH (Ln=Ce, Nd, Sm) from MeOH. Treatment of UO(2)(NO(3))(2)6H(2)O with 1 equiv BPM in THF afforded the monoadduct [UO(2)(NO(3))(2)(bpm)] after recrystallization from MeOH.

Isolation of dysprosium and yttrium complexes of a three-electron reduction product in the activation of dinitrogen, the (N2)3- radical.

DyI(2) reacts with 2 equiv of KOAr (OAr = OC(6)H(3)(CMe(3))(2)-2,6) under nitrogen to form not only the (N(2))(2-) complex, [(ArO)(2)(THF)(2)Dy](2)(mu-eta(2):eta(2)-N(2)), 1, but also complexes of similar formula with an added potassium ion, [(ArO)(2)(THF)Dy](2)(mu-eta(2):eta(2)-N(2))[K(THF)(6)], 2, and [(ArO)(2)(THF)Dy](2)(mu(3)-eta(2):eta(2):eta(2)-N(2))K(THF), 3. The 1.396(7) and 1.

Human kin recognition is self- rather than family-referential.

Inclusive fitness theory predicts that organisms will tend to help close kin more than less related individuals. In a variety of birds and mammals, relatives are recognized by comparing their phenotype to an internal representation or template, which might be learned through either repeated exposure to family members or self-inspection. Mirrors are ubiquitous now, but were absent during our evolutionary history; hence it is hard to predict, and empirically unknown, whether human kin recognition is family- or self-referential.

Miscibility between differently shaped mesogens: structural and morphological study of a phthalocyanine-perylene binary system.

The thermotropic, structural, and morphological properties of blends of a disk-like liquid crystalline phthalocyanine derivative and a lath-shaped perylenetetracarboxidiimide mesogen derivative have been studied by combining differential scanning calorimetry, thermal polarized optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance, and atomic force microscopy. The two compounds are fully miscible for blends containing at least 60 mol % of the disk-like molecule. In such composition range, the homogeneous blends form a columnar hexagonal (Col(h)) mesophase for which the thermal stability is enhanced compared to that of the corresponding mesophase of the pure phthalocyanine.

Structural diversity in neodymium bipyrimidine compounds with near infrared luminescence: from mono- and binuclear complexes to metal-organic frameworks.

Treatment of Nd(NO 3) 3 with 2,2'-bipyrimidine (bpm) afforded the mononuclear adduct [Nd(NO 3) 3(bpm)(MeOH) 2] ( 1) after recrystallization from MeOH, while reactions of hydrated NdCl 3 and various beta-diketonates in the presence of bpm gave the binuclear compounds [{Nd(dbm) 3(THF)} 2(mu-bpm)] ( 2) and [{Nd(bta) 3(MeOH)} 2(mu-bpm)].bpm ( 3.bpm) (Hdbm = dibenzoylmethane, Hbta = 4,4,4-trifluoro-1-phenyl-1,3-butanedione) and the one-dimensional coordination polymer [Nd(tta) 3(mu-bpm).

Liquid crystalline metal-free phthalocyanines designed for charge and exciton transport.

A joint theoretical and experimental study of the electronic and structural properties of liquid crystalline metal-free phthalocyanines bearing a strong potential for charge and exciton transport has been performed. The synthesis of such compounds has been triggered by quantum chemical calculations showing that: (i) hole transport is favored in metal-free phthalocyanines by their extremely low reorganization energy (0.045 eV) and large electronic splittings; and (ii) the efficiency of energy transfer along the one-dimensional discotic stacks is weakly affected by rotational disorder due to the two-dimensional character of the molecules.

Dinitrogen reduction by TmII, DyII, and NdII with simple amide and aryloxide ligands.

Dinitrogen can be reduced to the planar M2(mu-eta2:eta2-N2) structure without employing cyclopentadienyl or complicated polydentate ligands using the recently discovered divalent oxidation states of Tm(II), Dy(II), and Nd(II). Complexes of these ions with common monodentate amide and aryloxide ligands can effect N2 reduction. THF solutions of LnI2 (Ln = Tm, Dy) in the presence of 2 equiv of NaN(SiMe3)2 reduce dinitrogen to form {[(Me3Si)2N]2(THF)Ln}2(mu-eta2:eta2-N2) complexes that have planar Ln2N2 units and 1.

Highly luminescent, visible-emitting lanthanide macrocyclic chelates stable in water and derived from the cyclen framework.

Two new tetraazamacrocyclic ligands are designed with the aim of sensitizing the luminescence of Tb(III) and Eu(III) ions in water: L5 [1,4,7,10-tetrakis[N-(phenacyl)carbamoylmethyl]-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane] and L6 [1,4,7,10-tetrakis[N-(4-phenylphenacyl)carbamoylmethyl]-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane]. These ligands react with lanthanide trifluoromethanesulfonates to yield stable 1:1 complexes in water (log K = 12.89 +/- 0.

Stable isotope characterization of raspberry ketone extracted from Taxus baccata and obtained by oxidation of the accompanying alcohol (Betuligenol).

The natural abundance (2)H NMR characterization of raspberry ketone 1 extracted from himalayan Taxus baccata and of the accompanying (R) carbinol 2 is performed and compared with that of samples of 1 obtained from 2 by oxidation with Candida boidinii and CrO(3), respectively. The determination of the delta((13)C) and/or delta((18)O) values of the above extractive products and of benzoic acid (6) and 4-butylphenol (10), obtained from natural of synthetic 1, and of 4-phenylbutan-2-ol (8), prepared from extractive 2, allows a description of the labeling pattern of this set of products. A graph of (D/H)(3)/(D/H)(2) vs (D/H)(5)/(D/H)(4) (Figure 3) of the presently examined samples and of those previously characterized in the laboratory, including three commercial samples sold as natural, defines three areas, containing (a) the material of botanical origin and that produced from extractive 2 by biooxidation, (b) those produced by bioreduction of the unsaturated ketone 3, and (c) the synthetic samples.

[Tracheobronchial ruptures in closed thoracic trauma].

Authors refer about their experience on five cases of thoracic trauma. Following a review of international literature, they analyze the clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of this kind of injuries.

[Traumatic tearing of the mesentery: immediate or deferred emergency surgery].

We have considered a 1 year first-aid survey and focused a 6 checked mesentery vascular traumatic tearing cases. We have valued some hypotheses on pathogenic mechanism assumptions about these vascular injuries in abdomen trauma. Among these, we have focused our attention on the relationship between visceral stretching from alimentary bolus and abdominal vascular trauma.