Advanced robotics for automated EV battery testing using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.

Introduction: The transition to electric vehicles (EVs) has highlighted the need for efficient diagnostic methods to assess the state of health (SoH) of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) at the end of their life cycle. Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) offers a non-invasive technique for determining battery degradation. However, automating this process in industrial settings remains a challenge.

The dilemma of X-linked agammaglobulinemia carriers.

Background: Many patients with X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) nowadays have reached adulthood, as well as their sisters, possibly carriers of a deleterious Bruton tyrosine kinase variant. Studies on motherhood outcomes in families with XLA are lacking.

Objective: We sought to investigate adherence to carrier status screening, interest in preconception and prenatal genetic counseling, and reproductive decisions in relatives with XLA.

The Influence of Temporomandibular Joint Disorders and Mandibular Position on Visual Capacities: A Case-Control Study.

Aims: To verify the possible association between the stomatognathic and the visual system by analyzing the effects that different mandibular postures may have on the accommodative capacity and ocular convergence and by assessing whether temporomandibular disorders (TMD) can influence visual abilities.

Materials And Methods: A case-control study was performed during a 1-year period on a sample of 100 subjects (50 cases and 50 controls). The subjects underwent a gnathological examination, and two visual tests were performed in three different jaw positions: maximum intercuspation, resting position, and open mouth.

Management of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: a review for clinicians.

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) is an aggressive liver malignancy that arises from second-order biliary epithelial cells. Its incidence is gradually increasing worldwide. Well-known risk factors have been described, although in many cases, they are not identifiable.

Transcatheter Tricuspid Valve Replacement: Current Options and Future Perspectives.

Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is a potentially lethal condition and represents a significant clinical challenge both for clinical and interventional cardiologists. Traditionally managed medically and surgically, transcatheter therapies are now an emerging option, especially in patients with prohibitive surgical risk due to age or comorbidities. Transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement (TTVR) is emerging as a potential solution for patients suffering from TR with positive clinical data supporting its use in a wide range of anatomies and clinical settings.

At the nucleus of cancer: how the nuclear envelope controls tumor progression.

Historically considered downstream effects of tumorigenesis-arising from changes in DNA content or chromatin organization-nuclear alterations have long been seen as mere prognostic markers within a genome-centric model of cancer. However, recent findings have placed the nuclear envelope (NE) at the forefront of tumor progression, highlighting its active role in mediating cellular responses to mechanical forces. Despite significant progress, the precise interplay between NE components and cancer progression remains under debate.

Melanoma extracellular vesicles membrane coated nanoparticles as targeted delivery carriers for tumor and lungs.

Targeting is the most challenging problem to solve for drug delivery systems. Despite the use of targeting units such as antibodies, peptides and proteins to increase their penetration in tumors the amount of therapeutics that reach the target is very small, even with the use of nanoparticles (NPs). Nature has solved the selectivity problem using a combination of proteins and lipids that are exposed on the cell membranes and are able to recognize specific tissues as demonstrated by cancer metastasis.

A luminous and young galaxy at = 12.33 revealed by a JWST/MIRI detection of Hα and [O iii].

The James Webb Space Telescope has discovered a surprising population of bright galaxies in the very early Universe (≲500 Myr after the Big Bang) that is hard to explain with conventional galaxy-formation models and whose physical properties are not fully understood. Insight into their internal physics is best captured through nebular lines, but at these early epochs, the brightest of these spectral features are redshifted into the mid-infrared and remain elusive. Using the mid-infrared instrument onboard the James Webb Space Telescope, here we present a detection of Hα and doubly ionized oxygen ([O iii] 4959,5007 Å) from the bright, ultra-high-redshift galaxy candidate GHZ2/GLASS-z12.

Economic Evaluations of Health Service Interventions Targeting Patients with Multimorbidities: A Scoping Literature Review.

Introduction: Multimorbid patients have been growing, leading to an exponential increase in healthcare costs and patterns of resource utilization. Despite the heightened interest toward integrated care programs as a response to the complex need of multimorbid patients, economic evaluations of these programs remain scarce. This work investigated the economic evaluations of service interventions targeting multimorbid patients, to identify the characteristics of these programs and the methods applied to their evaluation.

DNA Damage Repair in Glioblastoma: A Novel Approach to Combat Drug Resistance.

Due to the lack of effective therapeutic approach, glioblastoma (GBM) remains one of the most malignant brain tumour. By in vitro investigations on primary GBM stem cells, we highlighted one of the underlying mechanisms of drug resistance to alkylating agents, the DNA damage responses. Here, flow cytometric analysis and viability and repopulation assays were used to assess the long-term cytotoxic effect induced by the administration of a fourth-generation platinum prodrug, the (OC-6-44)-acetatodiamminedichlorido(2-(2-propynyl)octanoato) platinum(IV) named Pt(IV)Ac-POA, in comparison to the most widely used Cisplatin.

POLE mutations in endometrial carcinoma: Clinical and genomic landscape from a large prospective single-center cohort.

Background: To date, 11 DNA polymerase epsilon (POLE) pathogenic variants have been declared "hotspot" mutations. Patients with endometrial cancer (EC) characterized by POLE hotspot mutations (POLEmut) have exceptional survival outcomes. Whereas international guidelines encourage deescalation of adjuvant treatment in early-stage POLEmut EC, data regarding safety in POLEmut patients with unfavorable characteristics are still under investigation.

The Effect of Plaque Detectors on the Color Stability of Two Types of Restorative Materials.

Objective: To investigate the color stability of a one-shade resin-based composite material (RC) and a glass-ionomer cement (GIC) after staining with plaque detectors (PDs) with different formulations and delivery forms.

Materials And Methods: Rectangular-shaped specimens (7 × 3 × 2 mm) were produced with RC (Venus Diamond One, Kulzer) and GIC (Fujy IX GP, GC) (n = 30). Further, the following PDs were used on the specimens: (1) tablets (T; Plaq-Search, TePe); (2) mouthwash (M; Plaque Agent, Miradent); and (3) light-curing liquid (L; Plaque test, Ivoclar).

Clinical relevance of macromolecular complexes involving integrins, potassium and sodium ion channels and the sodium/proton antiporter in human breast cancer.

Background: Mounting evidence underline the relevance of macromolecular complexes in cancer. Integrins frequently recruit ion channels and transporters within complexes which behave as signaling hubs. A complex composed by β1 integrin, hERG1 K channel, the neonatal form of the Na channel Na 1.

Tubulin tyrosination/detyrosination regulate the affinity and sorting of intraflagellar transport trains on axonemal microtubule doublets.

Cilia assembly and function rely on the bidirectional transport of components between the cell body and ciliary tip via Intraflagellar Transport (IFT) trains. Anterograde and retrograde IFT trains travel along the B- and A-tubules of microtubule doublets, respectively, ensuring smooth traffic flow. However, the mechanism underlying this segregation remains unclear.

Impact of sleep deprivation on dynamic functional connectivity states.

Sleep deprivation (SD) is an experimental procedure to study the effects of sleep loss on the human brain. Neuroimaging techniques, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG), have been pivotal in studying these effects. The present chapter aims to retrace the state of the art regarding the literature that examines the SD effects on the brain through functional connectivity (FC) evaluated in fMRI and EEG settings, separately.

Exploiting agri-food residues for kombucha tea and bacterial cellulose production.

Bio-valorization of agri-food wastes lies in their possible conversion into fermented foodstuffs/beverages and/or biodegradable polymers such as bacterial cellulose. In this study, three different kombucha cultures were formulated using agri-food waste materials, citrus fruit residues and used coffee grounds, as alternative carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively. Over 21 days of fermentation, the kinetic profile was followed by monitoring cell number, pH variation, minerals, trace elements and production of bacterial cellulose.

Antioxidant capacity and athletic condition of endurance horses undergoing nutraceutical supplementation.

Endurance is an equestrian discipline that primarily relies on aerobic metabolism. Intense aerobic exercise produces reactive oxygen species due to an imbalance between oxidant and antioxidant substances, known as oxidative stress, which may reduce athletic performance. This study evaluated the effects of a feed supplement containing natural antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids on the blood antioxidant activity and the athletic condition of endurance horses undergoing an exercise test.

Integrating Nutritional Status and Hematological Biomarkers for Enhanced Prognosis Prediction in Glioma Patients: A Systematic Review.

Purpose: Multiple inflammatory and nutritional biomarkers have been established as independent prognostic factors across various solid tumors, but their role in outcomes prediction for glioma is still under investigation. Aim of the present systematic review is to report the available evidence regarding the impact of nutritional assessment and intervention for glioma prognosis and patients' quality of life (QoL).

Materials And Methods: Our systematic review conformed to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines.

Survival outcomes for patients with invasive lobular cancer by MammaPrint: Results from the MINDACT phase III trial.

Background: Evaluation of the prognostic performance and clinical utility of the MammaPrint 70-gene signature in early-stage invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) for whom such analyses in a randomized trial is awaited.

Patients And Methods: Exploratory subgroup analysis of MINDACT trial patients with centrally assessed histology (n = 5929) with invasive breast cancer of no-special-type (NST), or pure ILC. In the trial patients were categorized based on the 70-gene signature for genomic risk and modified Adjuvant!Online for clinical risk.

Computational modeling of cardiac hemodynamics including chordae tendineae, papillaries, and valves dynamics.

In the context of dynamic image-based computational fluid dynamics (DIB-CFD) modeling of cardiac system, the role of sub-valvular apparatus (chordae tendineae and papillary muscles) and the effects of different mitral valve (MV) opening/closure dynamics, have not been systemically determined. To provide a partial filling of this gap, in this study we performed DIB-CFD numerical experiments in the left ventricle, left atrium and aortic root, with the aim of highlighting the influence on the numerical results of two specific modeling scenarios: (i) the presence of the sub-valvular apparatus, consisting of chordae tendineae and papillary muscles; (ii) different MV dynamics models accounting for different use of leaflet reconstruction from imaging. This is performed for one healthy subject and one patient with mitral valve regurgitation.

Nursing staffing and skill mix in nursing homes in Italy: An observational cross-sectional study.

Introduction/objective: The relationship between staffing levels and skill mix in nursing homes is poorly documented in Italy. This study aimed to investigate nursing staffing levels and skill mix in Northern Italian nursing homes.

Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted using a questionnaire sent to several nursing homes.

Immunonutrition to improve the quality of life of upper gastrointestinal cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant treatment prior to surgery (NEOIMMUNE): double-blind randomized controlled multicenter clinical trial.

Background: Malnutrition is common with esophagogastric cancers and is associated with negative outcomes. We aimed to evaluate if immunonutrition during neoadjuvant treatment improves patient's health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and reduces postoperative morbidity and toxicities during neoadjuvant treatment.

Methods: A multicenter double-blind randomized controlled trial (RCT) was undertaken.