Depressive Anxiety Symptoms in Hospitalized Children with Chronic Illness during the First Italian COVID-19 Lockdown.

COVID-19 is continuing to spread around the world, having a direct impact on people's daily lives and health. Although the knowledge of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in the general population is now well established, there is less information on its effect on specific and vulnerable populations, such as children with chronic illness (CI). We conducted a multi-centered cross-sectional study among pediatric patients in six public children's hospitals in Italy during the first lockdown, with the aim of assessing the proportion of children with CI presenting anxiety and depressive symptoms, and the clinical and demographic characteristics affecting such symptomatology.

Value of clinical tests in diagnosing anterior cruciate ligament injuries: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: This study compared 4 clinical tests with reference to magnetic resonance imaging and arthroscopic visualization to comprehensively evaluate their diagnostic value for anterior cruciate ligament injuries.

Methods: We systematically searched 10 electronic databases from January 1, 2010, to May 1, 2021. Two reviewers collected data in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Item for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 guidelines.

Actinidin reduces gluten-derived immunogenic peptides reaching the small intestine in an in vitro semi-dynamic gastrointestinal tract digestion model.

Actinidin, a cysteine protease in green kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa), has been identified as a potential enzyme to hydrolyse gluten within the lumen of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). The present study aimed to further evaluate the effect of purified actinidin sourced from green kiwifruit on the digestion of gluten and the release of immunogenic peptides during GIT digestion using an in vitro semi-dynamic GIT digestion model. Purified gluten was digested for 180 min with or without actinidin and subsequently analysed for free amino groups (o-phthaldialdehyde) to determine the degree of hydrolysis (DH), gluten R5 epitopes (ELISA), and peptide profiles (mass spectrometry).

Plasmodium infection suppresses colon cancer growth by inhibiting proliferation and promoting apoptosis associated with disrupting mitochondrial biogenesis and mitophagy in mice.

Background: Colon cancer is a common gastrointestinal tumor with a poor prognosis, and thus new therapeutic strategies are urgently needed. The antitumor effect of Plasmodium infection has been reported in some murine models, but it is not clear whether it has an anti-colon cancer effect. In this study, we investigated the anti-colon cancer effect of Plasmodium infection and its related mechanisms using a mouse model of colon cancer.

Coexistence of infinitely many patterns and their control in heterogeneous coupled neurons through a multistable memristive synapse.

The phenomenon of hidden heterogeneous extreme multistability is rarely reported in coupled neurons. This phenomenon is investigated in this contribution using a model of a 2D FitzHugh-Nagumo neuron coupled with a 3D Hindmarsh-Rose neuron through a multistable memristive synapse. The investigation of the equilibria revealed that the coupled neuron model is equilibrium free and, thus, displays a hidden dynamics.

Investigation of UV light treatment (254 nm) on the reduction of aflatoxin M1 in skim milk and degradation products after treatment.

This study investigates the reduction of aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in skim milk by using ultraviolet light at 254 nm and the effects of influencing factors on the efficacy including treatment time (min), depth of samples (mm), contamination level (μg L), stirring, temperature, and fat content in milk. The colour and pH of milk samples were measured to evaluate the influence of the treatment on these values. It was found that short-wave ultraviolet radiation (UVC) reduced up to 50% of AFM1 in milk after 20 min of treatment regardless of the initial AFM1 contamination level.

Multi-parametric MRI-based radiomics for the diagnosis of malignant soft-tissue tumor.

Purpose: To develop and validate a multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging-based radiomics nomogram for differentiating malignant and benign soft-tissue tumors.

Methods: A total of 91 patients with pathologically confirmed soft-tissue tumors were enrolled between January 2017 and October 2020. Forty-eight patients were consecutively enrolled between November 2020 and March 2022, as a time-independent cohort.

Rapid proteolysis of gluten-derived immunogenic peptides in bread by actinidin in a combined and oro-gastrointestinal digestion model.

This study aimed to determine the ability of actinidin, a cysteine protease in green kiwifruit (), to hydrolyse wheat proteins and gluten-derived immunogenic peptides from a commonly consumed food matrix (bread) using a combined an oro-gastrointestinal tract (GIT) model. A chewed and spat composite bolus of bread was digested with or without purified actinidin using a human gastric simulator (HGS). Gastric digestion was conducted for 150 min with gastric emptying occurring at different time points.

Tuning the Stereoselectivity of an Intramolecular Aldol Reaction by Precisely Modifying a Metal-Organic Framework Catalyst.

We report the catalysis of an enantioselective, intramolecular aldol reaction accelerated by an organocatalyst embedded in a series of multicomponent metal-organic frameworks. By precisely programming the pore microenvironment around the site of catalysis, we show how important features of an intramolecular aldol reaction can be tuned, such as the substrate consumption, enantioselectivity, and degree of dehydration of the products. This tunability arises from non-covalent interactions between the reaction participants and modulator groups that occupy positions in the framework remote from the catalytic site.

Interfacial colloidal assembly guided by optical tweezers and tuned via surface charge.

Hypothesis: The size, shape and dynamics of assemblies of colloidal particles optically-trapped at an air-water interface can be tuned by controlling the optical potential, particle concentration, surface charge density and wettability of the particles and the surface tension of the solution.

Experiments: The assembly dynamics of different colloidal particle types (silica, polystyrene and carboxyl coated polystyrene particles) at an air-water interface in an optical potential were systematically explored allowing the effect of surface charge on assembly dynamics to be investigated. Additionally, the pH of the solutions were varied in order to modulate surface charge in a controllable fashion.

Extensive epigenetic modification with large-scale chromosomal and plasmid recombination characterise the Legionella longbeachae serogroup 1 genome.

Legionella longbeachae is an environmental bacterium that is the most clinically significant Legionella species in New Zealand (NZ), causing around two-thirds of all notified cases of Legionnaires' disease. Here we report the sequencing and analysis of the geo-temporal genetic diversity of 54 L. longbeachae serogroup 1 (sg1) clinical isolates, derived from cases from around NZ over a 22-year period, including one complete genome and its associated methylome.

Electrochemical Biosensor for the Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease and Its Inhibitor Ebselen.

This work reported an electrochemical method for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 major protease (Mpro). Specifically, ferrocene (Fc)-labeled peptide substrates were immobilized on the gold nanoparticles (AuNPs)-modified electrode. Cleavage of the peptides by Mpro led to the release of Fc tags and the decrease of the electrochemical signals.

Multiparametric MRI-based radiomics for the prediction of microvascular invasion in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Preoperative prediction of microvascular invasion (MVI) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is essential in obtaining a successful surgical treatment, in decreasing recurrence, and in improving survival.

Purpose: To investigate the value of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based radiomics in the prediction of peritumoral MVI in HCC.

Material And Methods: A total of 102 patient with pathologically proven HCC after surgical resection from June 2014 to March 2018 were enrolled in this retrospective study.

Yersinia enterocolitica in wild and peridomestic rodents within Great Britain, a prevalence study.

Yersinia enterocolitica is a human pathogen transmitted via the faecal-oral route among animals and humans and is a major foodborne public health hazard. This study explores the role of Y. enterocolitica transmission at the livestock-wildlife interface and investigates the potential role wild and peridomestic rodents play as a source of this zoonotic pathogen.

How plants solubilise seed fats: revisiting oleosin structure and function to inform commercial applications.

Plants store triacylglycerides in organelles called oil bodies, which are important fuel sources for germination. Oil bodies consist of a lipid core surrounded by an interfacial single layer membrane of phospholipids and proteins. Oleosins are highly conserved plant proteins that are important for oil body formation, solubilising the triacylglycerides, stabilising oil bodies, and playing a role in mobilising the fuel during the germination process.

Kai-Xin-San Inhibits Tau Pathology and Neuronal Apoptosis in Aged SAMP8 Mice.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an age-related neurological disorder. Currently, there is no effective cure for AD due to its complexity in pathogenesis. In light of the complex pathogenesis of AD, the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula Kai-Xin-San (KXS), which was used for amnesia treatment, has been proved to improve cognitive function in AD animal models.

The regulators of soil organic carbon mineralization upon lime and/or phosphate addition vary with depth.

Knowledge of the key factors regulating soil organic carbon (OC) mineralization in response to fertilizers and lime application is essential to understanding the effects of agricultural land management on soil OC preservation. Microbial community composition and OC availability to microorganisms have been proposed as the two most imperative factors controlling soil OC mineralization, although their relative importance is still under debate. Here we performed a laboratory incubation in combination with high-throughput sequencing and structural equation modeling to examine the mechanisms underlying the responses of OC mineralization in the topsoil and the subsoil of a volcanic soil (an Andosol) to the additions of lime and/or phosphate.

Progress toward Plug-and-Play Polymer Strings for Optical Tweezers Experiments: Concatenation of DNA Using Streptavidin Linkers.

Streptavidin is a tetrameric protein that is renowned for its strong binding to biotin. The robustness and strength of this noncovalent coupling has led to multitudinous applications of the pairing. Within the streptavidin tetramer, each protein monomer has the potential to specifically bind one biotin-bearing moiety.

A mutation in Arabidopsis SAL1 alters its in vitro activity against IP and delays developmental leaf senescence in association with lower ROS levels.

Our manuscript is the first to find a link between activity of SAL1/OLD101 against IP and plant leaf senescence regulation and ROS levels assigning a potential biological role for IP. Leaf senescence is a genetically programmed process that limits the longevity of a leaf. We identified and analyzed the recessive Arabidopsis stay-green mutation onset of leaf death 101 (old101).

Localisation of phosphoinositides in the grass endophyte Epichloë festucae and genetic and functional analysis of key components of their biosynthetic pathway in E. festucae symbiosis and Fusarium oxysporum pathogenesis.

Phosphoinositides (PI) are essential components of eukaryotic membranes and function in a large number of signaling processes. While lipid second messengers are well studied in mammals and yeast, their role in filamentous fungi is poorly understood. We used fluorescent PI-binding molecular probes to localize the phosphorylated phosphatidylinositol species PI[3]P, PI[3,5]P, PI[4]P and PI[4,5]P in hyphae of the endophyte Epichloë festucae in axenic culture and during interaction with its grass host Lolium perenne.

Epichloë scottii sp. nov., a new endophyte isolated from Melica uniflora is the missing ancestor of Epichloë disjuncta.

Here we describe a new, haploid and stroma forming species within the genus Epichloë, as Epichloë scottii sp. nov. The fungus was isolated from Melica uniflora growing in Bad Harzburg, Germany.

The correlation between temperature and the incidence of COVID-19 in four first-tier cities of China: a time series study.

The COVID-19 outbreak emerged in Wuhan, China, and was declared a global pandemic in March 2020. This study aimed to explore the association of daily mean temperature with the daily counts of COVID-19 cases in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, China. Data on daily confirmed cases of COVID-19 and daily mean temperatures were retrieved from the 4 first-tier cities in China.

A longitudinal linkage study of occupation and ischaemic heart disease in the general and Māori populations of New Zealand.

Objectives: Occupation is a poorly characterised risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) with females and indigenous populations under-represented in most research. This study assessed associations between occupation and ischaemic heart disease (IHD) in males and females of the general and Māori (indigenous people of NZ) populations of New Zealand (NZ).

Methods: Two surveys of the NZ adult population (NZ Workforce Survey (NZWS); 2004-2006; n = 3003) and of the Māori population (NZWS Māori; 2009-2010; n = 2107) with detailed occupational histories were linked with routinely collected health data and followed-up until December 2018.