Listening to patients, for the patients: The COVAD Study-Vision, organizational structure, and challenges.

Background: The pandemic presented unique challenges for individuals with autoimmune and rheumatic diseases (AIRDs) due to their underlying condition, the effects of immunosuppressive treatments, and increased vaccine hesitancy.

Objectives: The COVID-19 vaccination in autoimmune diseases (COVAD) study, a series of ongoing, patient self-reported surveys were conceived with the vision of being a unique tool to gather patient perspectives on AIRDs. It involved a multinational, multicenter collaborative effort amidst a global lockdown.

No Evidence Was Found for the Presence of Terreolides, Terreumols or Saponaceolides H-S in the Fruiting Bodies of (Basidiomycota, Agaricales).

Two different collections of the gilled wild fungus , collected in Italy, were subjected to phytochemical analysis. The fungal material was confidently identified by analysis of the ITS genomic sequences. Using both HR-LC-MS and NMR techniques, no evidence was found for the presence in the fruiting bodies of terreolides, terreumols or saponaceolides H-S, in striking contrast with the isolation of these terpenoids by Chinese authors from a mushroom collected in France and identified as .

Quantum Algorithmic Approach to Multiconfigurational Valence Bond Theory: Insights from Interpretable Circuit Design.

Efficient ways to prepare Fermionic ground states on quantum computers are in high demand, and different techniques have been developed over the past few years. Despite having a vast set of methods, it is still unclear which method performs well for which system. In this work, we combine interpretable circuit designs with an effective basis approach in order to optimize a multiconfigurational valence bond wave function.

Severity of Disorganization of Retinal Layers and Visual Function Impairment in Diabetic Retinopathy.

Purpose: To evaluate best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), retina sensitivity (RS), and fixation impairment by microperimetry (MP) due to the presence and severity of disorganization of retinal inner and outer layers (DRIL/DROL) and ischemia in OCT/OCT angiography (OCTA) in diabetic retinopathy (DR).

Design: Retrospective case-control study.

Subjects: Seventy-six eyes (65 patients) with DR were analyzed.

Exploiting Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to reveal temperature, buffer and metal ions' role in neuromelanin (NM) synthesis by dopamine (DA) oxidative polymerization.

Neuromelanin (NM) plays a well-established role in neurological disorders pathogenesis; the mechanism of action is still discussed and the investigations in this field are limited by NM's complex and heterogeneous composition, insolubility, and low availability from human brains. An alternative can be offered by synthetic NM obtained from dopamine (DA) oxidative polymerization; however, a deep knowledge of the influence of both physicochemical parameters (T, pH, ionic strength) and other compounds in the reaction media (buffer, metal ions, other catecholamines) on DA oxidation process and, consequently, on synthetic NM features is mandatory to develop reliable NM preparation methodologies. To partially fulfill this aim, the present work focuses on defining the role of temperature, buffer and metal ions on both DA oxidation rate and DA oligomer size.

Dynamics of viral DNA shedding and culture viral DNA positivity in different clinical samples collected during the 2022 mpox outbreak in Lombardy, Italy.

Background: Mpox virus (MPXV) has recently spread outside of sub-Saharan Africa. This large multicentre study was conducted in Lombardy, the most densely populated Italian region accounting for more than 40% of Italian cases. The present study aims to: i) evaluate the presence and the shedding duration of MPXV DNA in different body compartments correlating the MPXV viability with the time to onset of symptoms; ii) provide evidence of MPXV persistence in different body compartment as a source of infection and iii) characterize the MPXV evolution by whole genome sequencing (WGS) during the outbreak occurred in Italy.

Long-Term Follow-Up Outcomes in Women with In Situ/Microinvasive Adenocarcinoma of the Uterine Cervix Undergoing Conservative Treatment-Cervical Adenocarcinoma Study Group Italian Society of Colposcopy and Cervico-Vaginal Pathology.

Objective: The present study aimed to assess long-term follow-up outcomes in women with in situ/microinvasive adenocarcinoma (AC) of the uterine cervix treated conservatively.

Methods: Retrospective multi-institutional study including women with early glandular lesions and 5-year follow-up undergoing fertility-sparing treatment. Independent variables associated with recurrence were evaluated.

Impaired health-related quality of life in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies: a cross-sectional analysis from the COVAD-2 e-survey.

Objectives: To investigate health-related quality of life in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) compared with those with non-IIM autoimmune rheumatic diseases (AIRDs), non-rheumatic autoimmune diseases (nrAIDs) and without autoimmune diseases (controls) using Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) instrument data obtained from the second COVID-19 vaccination in autoimmune disease (COVAD-2) e-survey database.

Methods: Demographics, diagnosis, comorbidities, disease activity, treatments and PROMIS instrument data were analysed. Primary outcomes were PROMIS Global Physical Health (GPH) and Global Mental Health (GMH) scores.

Structure of prolylrapamycin: confirmation through a revised and detailed NMR assignment study.

A complete and detailed characterization of Rapamycin (1) and Prolylrapamycin (2) has been conducted by homo- and hetero-nuclear NMR experiments in DMSO-d along with HRMS and FT-IR spectra and DSCs analyses. The NMR experiments allowed the assignment of every single proton and carbon atom belonging to the two structures and the definitive confirm of the presence of a pyrrolidine ring in Prolylrapamycin (2) in place of the piperidine ring that characterizes the structure of Sirolimus.

Electrofermentation increases concentration of poly γ-glutamic acid in Bacillus subtilis biofilms.

Fluctuations in redox conditions in bioprocesses can alter the end-products, reduce their concentration, and lengthen the process time. Electrofermentation enables rapid metabolic modulation of biosynthesis and allows control of redox imbalances in biofilm-based fermentation processes. In this study, electrofermentation is used to boost the production of the bacterial biopolymer poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) from Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6051.

Clinical Features Related to OCT Angiography Artifacts in Patients with Diabetic Macular Edema.

Purpose: To investigate the frequency and type of artifacts on OCT angiography (OCTA) images and the relationship with clinical features in eyes with diabetic macular edema (DME).

Design: Retrospective, cross-sectional comparative study.

Subjects: One hundred ninety-two eyes of 140 patients with DME were included.

Characteristics and risk factors of COVID-19 breakthrough infections in Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies: Results from the COVAD study.

Objectives: To explore prevalence, characteristics and risk factors of COVID-19 breakthrough infections (BIs) in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) using data from the COVID-19 Vaccination in Autoimmune Diseases (COVAD) study.

Methods: A validated patient self-reporting e-survey was circulated by the COVAD study group to collect data on COVID-19 infection and vaccination in 2022. BIs were defined as COVID-19 occurring ≥14 days after 2 vaccine doses.

Type III aortic arch angulation increases aortic stiffness: Analysis from an ex vivo porcine model.

Objective: The relationship among increased aortic arch angulation, aortic flow dynamics, and vessel wall stiffness remains unclear. This experimental ex vivo study investigated how increased aortic arch angulation affects aortic stiffness and stent-graft induced aortic stiffening, assessed by pulse wave velocity (PWV).

Methods: Porcine thoracic aortas were connected to a circulatory mock loop in a Type I and Type III aortic arch configuration.

A morphometric medial compartment-specific unicompartmental knee system: 5 years follow up results from a pilot center.

Background: Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty (UKA) is a valuable solution for the treatment of medial osteoarthritis of the knee. New implants feature designs for the elective substitution of a specific compartment. Aim of this study was to assess the survivorship and functional outcomes at minimum 4 years of the first 60 implanted patients in a pilot center of a new medial UKA as the evolution of a well performing long lasting fixed bearing implant.

Psoriasis and biological drugs at the time of SARS-CoV-2 infection: a mini review outlining risk of infection, seroprevalence, and safety and efficacy of the BNT162b2 vaccine.

Objective: The aim of this study is to review the life of patients with psoriasis on biologic therapy during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and the relevance of frailty within this context, reviewing studies that describe the course and severity of infection in patients with psoriasis on biologics, the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2, and the safety and efficacy of the BNT162b2 vaccine in these patients.

Materials And Methods: The keywords "Psoriasis," "Biologics," "SARS-CoV-2," "COVID-19," and "BNT162b2 Vaccine" were used in various combinations on database engines to find relevant articles on this topic.

Results: A total of 36 articles were found, with 20 concerning the course, severity, and seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in patients with psoriasis on biologic therapy and 16 concerning safety and efficacy of BNT162b2 in these patients.

Lipschütz ulcers due to SARS-CoV-2 infection: a neglected diagnosis in emergency room.

Background: Primary acute genital ulcers, or Lipschütz ulcers (LU), are nonsexually transmitted, painful, self-limiting, nonrecurrent vulvar ulcers with unclear pathogenesis, representing a challenging diagnosis in emergency setting. LU have recently been described in association with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronaVirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and vaccination.

Objective: The aim of this study is to describe 2 cases of LU due to SARS-CoV-2 infection, highlighting the diagnostic process, differential diagnosis, disease course, and management options.

Pervasiveness of inorganic gunshot residue (IGSR) in handguns after cleaning and conditioning procedures.

Memory effect in firearms that is, the possibility for a weapon to release inorganic particles whose elemental composition depends on its entire shooting history, is responsible for most of the interpretation difficulties encountered in forensic gunshot residue analysis. The presence of residues chemically inconsistent with the last discharged round, the creation of particles having unusual elemental profiles, and the dependence of residue population composition on the collection point are all manifestations of memory effect. The experimental results reported in this paper highlight the ineffectiveness of a wide number of gun cleaning procedures in reducing memory effect.

2023 EULAR recommendations on imaging in diagnosis and management of crystal-induced arthropathies in clinical practice.

Objective: To formulate evidence-based recommendations and overarching principles on the use of imaging in the clinical management of crystal-induced arthropathies (CiAs).

Methods: An international task force of 25 rheumatologists, radiologists, methodologists, healthcare professionals and patient research partners from 11 countries was formed according to the EULAR standard operating procedures. Fourteen key questions on the role of imaging in the most common forms of CiA were generated.

One-year surveillance for hypervirulent detected carbapenem-resistant superbugs.

Hypervirulent (hvKp) can cause infections in clinically healthy people, such as young and immunocompetent patients. Genes involved in the capsule synthesis or those encoding the siderophores have been adopted as predictors of hvKp. Certain sequence types, such as ST23 and ST86, have been associated with hvKp strains, too.

MOG-IgG testing strategies in accordance with the 2023 MOGAD criteria: a clinical-laboratory assessment.

Background: Live cell-based assay (LCBA) is the gold standard for MOG-IgG detection, and fixed CBA (FCBA) is a widely used commercial alternative. Recent criteria attributed a diagnostic value to MOG-IgG titration with both LCBA and FCBA, with low-titre samples requiring additional supporting features for MOGAD diagnosis. However, FCBA titration is not validated.

Solid State Machinery of Multiple Dynamic Elements in a Metal-Organic Framework.

Engineering coordinated rotational motion in porous architectures enables the fabrication of molecular machines in solids. A flexible two-fold interpenetrated pillared Metal-Organic Framework precisely organizes fast mobile elements such as bicyclopentane (BCP) (10  Hz regime at 85 K), two distinct pyridyl rotors and E-azo group involved in pedal-like motion. Reciprocal sliding of the two sub-networks, switched by chemical stimuli, modulated the sizes of the channels and finally the overall dynamical machinery.