Antimicrobial susceptibility and epidemiological types of Legionella pneumophila human isolates from Italy (1987-2020).

Background: Although antimicrobial resistance has not yet emerged as an overarching problem for Legionella pneumophila (Lp) infection, the description of clinical and environmental strains resistant to fluoroquinolones and macrolides is a cause of concern. This study aimed to investigate the antimicrobial susceptibility of Lp human isolates in Italy.

Methods: A total of 204 Lp clinical isolates were tested for sensitivity to nine antibiotics using the broth microdilution assay (BMD).

Discovery of a DNA methylation profile in individuals with Sifrim-Hitz-Weiss syndrome.

Pathogenic heterozygous variants in CHD4 cause Sifrim-Hitz-Weiss syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder associated with brain anomalies, heart defects, macrocephaly, hypogonadism, and additional features with variable expressivity. Most individuals have non-recurrent missense variants, complicating variant interpretation. A few were reported with truncating variants, and their role in disease is unclear.

Targeted and untargeted discovery of UV filters and emerging contaminants with environmental risk assessment on the Northwestern Mediterranean coast.

Marine ecosystems, particularly coastal areas, are becoming increasingly vulnerable to pollution from human activities. Persistent organic pollutants and contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) are recognized as significant threats to both human and environmental health. Our study aimed to identify the molecules present in the seawater of two bathing areas in the Western Mediterranean Sea.

Characterisation of the submarine disposal of a Bayer effluent (Gardanne alumina plant, southern France): III: Trace metals in the seawater column in the vicinity of the discharge area in the Mediterranean Sea.

In the context of evaluating the environmental impact of deep-sea tailing practices, we conducted a case study on the Bayer effluent released into the Mediterranean Sea by the French Gardanne alumina plant. This effluent results from the filtration of red mud, which has previously been discharged into the Cassidaigne canyon for 55 years. In 2015, regulatory changes permitted the released of a filtered effluent instead of the slurry.

Spatial variability and context-dependence of fouling communities in recreational marinas: A study in the Western Mediterranean with a focus on non-indigenous species (NIS).

Fouling communities were studied in twenty-six recreational marinas located along the continental and island coasts of Tuscany as well as Corsica (Western Mediterranean), focusing on the occurrence of non-indigenous species (NIS), in order to assess the variability of these assemblages at different spatial scales. Among the 560 taxa identified, 32 were alien or cryptogenic, with six new records for the study area. Results of this survey showed remarkable spatial variability of fouling community structure and NIS assemblage i) between marinas located on the mainland with respect to those on the islands (sectors), ii) among marinas within the same sector, and iii) among areas within the most of marinas.

Sulfides as environmental stressors in Paracas Bay, Peru.

Paracas Bay, located in the Humboldt Current system, is a highly variable coastal environment where hypoxia (dissolved oxygen concentrations <2 mg L) has been reported as a persistent feature of bottom conditions. In addition to hypoxia, milky water events have been reported in the bay, most likely associated with the presence of sulfides (i.e.

Volcanic aerosols captured by plants: A study of nanoparticles and their chemical composition.

Nanoparticles (NPs) exhibit high reactivity and mobility in the environment, and a significant capacity to penetrate living organisms, potentially leading to harmful effects. Volcanoes are the second major source of natural NPs emitted into the atmosphere, with an estimated flux of 342 Tg/year. Few studies have focused on their fate.

Lanternfish as bioindicator of microplastics in the deep sea: A spatiotemporal analysis using museum specimens.

We investigated MP ingestion in lanternfishes (Myctophidae), one of the most abundant vertebrates in the world, using archived specimens from museum collections from 1999 to 2017. Microplastics were detected in 55 % of the 1167 specimens analysed (0.95 ± 1.

Optimized assessment of physical rehabilitation exercises using spatiotemporal, sequential graph-convolutional networks.

Rehabilitation is the process of helping people regain or improve lost or impaired function due to injury, illness, or disease. To assist in tracking the progress of patients undergoing rehabilitation, this paper proposes a lightweight graph-based deep-learning model for the automatic assessment of physical rehabilitation exercises. The model takes as input the 3D skeleton sequence of a patient performing a movement and outputs a continuous quality score, as a means for patient supervision that could complement or even substitute the need for ordinary clinical exams.

Decreased opioid receptor availability and impaired neurometabolic coupling as signatures of morphine tolerance in male rats: A positron emission tomography study.

Translational neuroimaging techniques are needed to address the impact of opioid tolerance on brain function and quantitatively monitor the impaired neuropharmacological response to opioids at the CNS level. A multiparametric PET study was conducted in rats. Rats received morphine daily to induce tolerance (15 mg/kg/day for 5 days), followed by 2-day withdrawal.

Unraveling the diversity of protein-carbohydrate interfaces: Insights from a multi-scale study.

Protein-carbohydrate interactions play a crucial role in numerous fundamental biological processes. Thus, description and comparison of the carbohydrate binding site (CBS) architecture is of great importance for understanding of the underlying biological mechanisms. However, traditional approaches for carbohydrate-binding protein analysis and annotation rely primarily on the sequence-based methods applied to specific protein classes.

Peroxycarbenium-Mediated Asymmetric Synthesis of 1,2-Dioxanes and 1,2-Dioxolanes.

The endoperoxide scaffold is found in numerous natural products and synthetic substances of pharmaceutical interest. The main challenge to their synthetic access remains the preparation of chiral compounds due to the weakness of the peroxide bond, which limits the scope of available or applicable methods. Here, we demonstrate how peroxycarbenium species can be trapped by silylated nucleophiles with high enantioselectivities and diastereoselectivities when applicable, using a chiral imidophosphorimidate (IDPi) as a catalyst.

Beyond the Dailey-Townes Model: Chemical Information from the Electric Field Gradient.

In this work, we reexamine the Dailey-Townes model by systematically investigating the electric field gradient (EFG) in various chlorine compounds, dihalogens, and the uranyl ion (). Through the use of relativistic molecular calculations and projection analysis, we decompose the EFG expectation value in terms of atomic reference orbitals. We show how the Dailey-Townes model can be seen as an approximation to our projection analysis.

Breast Cancer Specificities of Patients With Anti-Ri Paraneoplastic Neurologic Syndromes.

Background And Objectives: Breast cancers (BCs) of patients with paraneoplastic neurologic syndromes and anti-Yo antibodies (Yo-PNS) overexpress human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) and display genetic alterations and overexpression of the Yo-onconeural antigens. They are infiltrated by an unusual proportion of B cells. We investigated whether these features were also observed in patients with PNS and anti-Ri antibodies (Ri-PNS).

High coverage and equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccine uptake in two vulnerable areas in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh completed a primary series of COVID-19 vaccinations for about 86 individuals per 100 population as of 5 July 2023. However, ensuring higher coverage in vulnerable areas is challenging. We report on the COVID-19 vaccine uptake and associated factors among adults in two vulnerable areas in Bangladesh.

Quality Diversity under Sparse Interaction and Sparse Reward: Application to Grasping in Robotics.

Quality-Diversity (QD) methods are algorithms that aim to generate a set of diverse and highperforming solutions to a given problem. Originally developed for evolutionary robotics, most QD studies are conducted on a limited set of domains'mainly applied to locomotion, where the fitness and the behavior signal are dense. Grasping is a crucial task for manipulation in robotics.

Walking or hanging: the role of habitat use for body shape evolution in lacertid lizards.

Differences in habitat use impose ecological constraints which in turn lead to functional and morphological differences through adaptation. In fact, a convergent evolutionary pattern is evident when species exhibit similar responses to similar environments. In this study we examine how habitat use influences the evolution of body shape in lizards from the family Lacertidae.

The Novel HLA-DPB1*1617:01 Allele Characterised by Two Different Sequencing-Based Typing Techniques.

The novel allele HLA-DPB1*1617:01 differs from HLA-DPB1*05:01:01:01 by one non-synonymous nucleotide substitution in exon 2.

The Novel HLA-B*40:02:39 Allele Characterised by Two Different Sequencing-Based Typing Techniques.

The novel allele HLA-HLA-B*40:02:39 differs from HLA-B*40:02:01:01 by one synonymous nucleotide substitution in exon 2.

Enlightening the invisible: Applications, limits and perspectives of intraoperative fluorescence in neurosurgery.

Introduction: The introduction of intraoperative fluorophores represented a significant advancement in neurosurgical practice. Nowadays they found different applications: in oncology to improve the visualization of tumoral tissue and optimize resection rates and in vascular neurosurgery to assess the exclusion of vascular malformations or the permeability of bypasses, with real-time intraoperative evaluations.

Research Question: A comprehensive knowledge of how fluorophores work is crucial to maximize their benefits and to incorporate them into daily neurosurgical practice.

synthesis of degradable polymer prodrug nanoparticles.

The synthesis of degradable polymer prodrug nanoparticles is still a challenge to be met, which would make it possible to remedy both the shortcomings of traditional formulation of preformed polymers (, low nanoparticle concentrations) and those of the physical encapsulation of drugs (, burst release and poor drug loadings). Herein, through the combination of radical ring-opening polymerization (rROP) and polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) under appropriate experimental conditions, we report the successful preparation of high-solid content, degradable polymer prodrug nanoparticles, exhibiting multiple drug moieties covalently linked to a degradable vinyl copolymer backbone. Such a rROPISA process relied on the chain extension of a biocompatible poly(ethylene glycol)-based solvophilic block with a mixture of lauryl methacrylate (LMA), cyclic ketene acetal (CKA) and drug-bearing methacrylic esters by reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) copolymerization at 20 wt% solid content.

Fine-Scale Genetic Structure of Small Fish Populations in Islands: The Case of Brook Charr (Mitchill, 1814) in Saint-Pierre and Miquelon (France).

Island ecosystems, particularly vulnerable to environmental challenges, host many endangered native species. Diadromous fish, in particular, are threatened throughout their marine and freshwater habitats. The conservation of these species requires an in-depth understanding of their genetic diversity and structure, to better understand their adaptive potential.

Homologous In-Radiolabeled Platelet Survival and Sequestration Exploration for Refractory Immunologic Thrombocytopenic purpura in Children: A Strategy to Avoid Unnecessary Splenectomy.

Immunologic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is a condition that affects four to 18 per 100 000 children every year. In most cases, spontaneous remission occurs, but splenectomy may be proposed. Exploring the site of platelet sequestration can help to better predict potential poor responders to splenectomy, but In-radiolabeled platelet scintigraphy (IPS) can be difficult to perform in children with very few platelets.

STRAIGHTMORPH: A Voice Morphing Tool for Research in Voice Communication Sciences.

The purpose of this paper is to make easily available to the scientific community an efficient voice morphing tool called STRAIGHTMORPH and provide a short tutorial on its use with examples. STRAIGHTMORPH consists of a set of Matlab functions allowing the generation of high-quality, parametrically-controlled morphs of an arbitrary number of voice samples. A first step consists in extracting an 'mObject' for each voice sample, with accurate tracking of the fundamental frequency contour and manual definition of Time and Frequency anchors corresponding across samples to be morphed.