Acta Orientalia Vilnensia
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Differentiation of human hyalocytes from induced pluripotent stem cells through ascorbic acid treatment
No full textHyalocytes are macrophage-like cells residing in the eye vitreous cortex. Even though hyalocytes have been firstly described in the mid-Nineteenth century, they have been poorly explored. Recent researches highlighted hyalocyte involvement in both physiological and pathological processes of the vitreoretinal interface. Nonetheless, the majority of works involving hyalocyte cultures were carried out in animals, while fewer studies were performed on humans because their isolation requires vitrectomy. The aim of this study was to differentiate human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into hyalocytes as a non-invasive method to continuously obtain cells. iPSCs were first differentiated into hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) and then into macrophages. Macrophages were either left untreated (NT) or treated with ascorbic acid (AA) alone or combined with bFGF and/or TGF-β1. Additionally, macrophages were cultured in the presence of a pool of vitreous bodies from vitrectomies. Cells were analyzed for morphology and then for gene and protein expression through qRT-PCR, immunofluorescence, Western Blot, and flow cytometry. Similar to cells treated with the vitreous body, macrophages treated with AA alone or in combination with bFGF exhibited a more elongated shape compared to NT or cells treated with TGF-β1. Additionally, these treatments resulted in gene expression downregulation for S100A4, S100A10, S100B, and CX3CR1, while upregulating COL6A1, HLA-DRA, and CD74. At the protein level, S100B, CD14, and CD49d were downregulated with all treatments, while collagen VI and HLA-DR were upregulated. This work demonstrates that hyalocytes can be differentiated by treatment of iPSC-derived macrophages with ascorbic acid for a period of 21 days
Spiking Networked System for Anomaly Detection in Vision-Guided Robots
No full textIn the field of robotics, ensuring reliable and efficient performance is crucial, especially when robots are entrusted with critical tasks. Anomaly detection systems play a crucial role in maintaining this reliability by detecting deviations from normal behavior and taking timely interventions. Traditional model-and knowledge-based approaches, while effective in controlled environments, reach their limits in dynamic and resource-constrained settings due to their reliance on predefined models, expert knowledge and high computational requirements. While data-driven methods, especially those using deep learning, offer better adaptability, they also bring challenges in terms of energy consumption and hardware limitations. To address these issues, this paper proposes a hybrid anomaly detection system that utilizes Spiking Neural Networks (SNNs) and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). The SNN provides low-power processing of input features for anomaly detection, while the CNN efficiently extracts spatial features from high-resolution images to realize an accurate, high-performance classifier that can be used to perform an online fine-tuning of the SNN. A large dataset for robot navigation is used as a testbed. The obtained results show that this hybrid approach increases the speed and accuracy of anomaly detection while significantly reducing energy consumption, making it well-suited for applications in resource-constrained robotic systems
Contaminanti Organici nei Prodotti per la Cura Personale: bioaccumulo ed effetti in vivo e in vitro su organismi acquatici e sull’uomo
No full textQuesto progetto di dottorato, nell'ambito del Programma Operativo Nazionale Ricerca e Innovazione 2014-2020 (CCI 2014IT16M2OP005), risorse FSE REACT-EU, Azione IV.4 “Dottorati e contratti di ricerca su tematiche dell’innovazione”, mira a valutare gli effetti dei contaminanti organici presenti nei prodotti per la cura della persona su modelli sperimentali acquatici invertebrati, come il Mytilus galloprovincialis, e su altre specie acquatiche, come il Sander lucioperca. I contaminanti organici sono una vasta categoria di composti che attualmente sono onnipresenti nei nostri ecosistemi acquatici e terrestri. Esiste pertanto il rischio che questi inquinanti subiscano un processo di biomagnificazione, cioè l'accumulo di sostanze tossiche negli esseri viventi che aumenta
lungo la catena trofica, risultando in una concentrazione maggiore nei predatori rispetto
alle prede. L'accumulo di questi inquinanti nei tessuti può causare un abbassamento delle difese immunitarie, squilibri ormonali e altre patologie che compromettono la sopravvivenza degli organismi marini e l'equilibrio dell'intero ecosistema. Inoltre, questi composti possono influenzare direttamente e indirettamente l'uomo, non solo attraverso l'esposizione diretta ma anche tramite l'alimentazione di queste specie ittiche.
I molluschi bivalvi sono tra le specie più abbondanti negli ecosistemi acquatici di tutto il
mondo e hanno un'importanza sia ecologica che economica. Questi organismi filtratori
si nutrono di alghe, plancton e limo e, tramite la filtrazione dell'acqua, aiutano a purificare il sistema acquatico in cui vivono. Grazie alle loro caratteristiche uniche, sono utilizzati come bioindicatori della salute delle acque, poiché la loro abbondanza e capacità riproduttiva indicano un sistema idrico sano. Accumulando nel loro organismo sostanze di varia natura, comprese quelle tossiche, contribuiscono così a monitorare la qualità dell'acqua. Per la loro elevata sensibilità alle alterazioni dell'habitat, sono utilizzati come specie target per la determinazione e l'aggiornamento delle soglie legislative. Per quanto riguarda l'assunzione tramite la dieta, sappiamo che il pesce e i frutti di mare sono i principali responsabili dell'esposizione ai contaminanti organici, in particolare ai PFAS. In generale, i benefici per la salute associati al consumo di pesce sono ritenuti superiori ai rischi legati alla potenziale esposizione a determinati inquinanti ambientali. La maggior parte degli studi che valutano questi rischi si basa su analisi di specie ittiche marine e le sostanze PFAS non sono tra i contaminanti comunemente trattati. Dal punto di vista della sicurezza alimentare, i PFAS possono quindi essere considerati contaminanti di interesse emergente, anche se l'uso di alcuni PFAS è stato limitato nel corso degli anni. Inoltre, i frutti di mare tra cui rientrano i mitili e i pesci d’acqua dolce, come il luccioperca, rappresentano una parte importante nell’economia e nella alimentazione. Il progetto, nel suo insieme, mira a studiare e valutare, attraverso un approccio multidisciplinare, le risposte di questi organismi a diversi contaminanti organici, spesso presenti e di conseguenza rilasciati dai prodotti per la cura personale, presenti così nelle acque. Questo sarà fatto mediante studi sia in vivo che in vitro. La valutazione considera i livelli di contaminazione ambientale attualmente presenti a livello globale e in particolare europeo e la loro conseguente influenza all'interno della catena alimentare. Dai dati ottenuti emerge la necessità di un monitoraggio continuo dei livelli di contaminazione, attraverso la valutazione del grado di bioaccumulo e delle risposte fisiologiche di questi organismi esposti. Alla luce di quanto appena espresso, lo scopo di questo lavoro è stato quello di valutare diversi contaminanti organici (plastificanti, bisfenoli, sostanze poli- e per-fluoroalchiliche, pesticidi, farmaci, tensioattivi, conservanti ad attività antimicrobica) negli organismi acquati, e di conseguenza sull’uomo, in quanto essere in cima alla catena alimentare e direttamente coinvolto negli effetti potenzialmente nocivi di queste sostanze. E cercare inoltre di trovare alternative e composti che in co-presenza alle sostanze potenzialmente dannose per gli organismi ne riducano il loro potere tossico. Ciò è stato possibile tramite l’utilizzo di differenti tecniche:
➢ Gascromatografia accoppiata ad uno spettrometro di massa (GC-MS) per la
determinazione della quantità nominale nell’organismo target e nelle acque dei
contaminanti.
➢ Cromatografia liquida ad alte prestazioni accoppiata ad uno spettrometro di massa (HPLC-MS) per la determinazione della quantità nominale nell’organismo target e nelle acque dei contaminanti.
➢ Valutazione della vitalità cellulare in Mytilus galloprovincialis tramite test colorimetrici, quali il saggio di ritenzione del Rosso Neutro e il metodo di esclusione del Trypan Blue.
➢ Valutazione della attività fagocitaria in Mytilus galloprovincialis tramite test colorimetrico con Gimsa.
➢ Valutazione della capacità di Regolazione del Volume cellulare in Mytilus galloprovincialis tramite microscopia ottica.
➢ Analisi delle placche abissali in Mytilus galloprovincialis.
➢ Determinazione dei valori nutrizionali, tramite valutazione del contenuto lipidico e
della composizione in acidi grassi, delle proteine totali, contenuto di carotenoidi e
tocoferoli in Mytilus galloprovincialis.
➢ Valutazione del grado di Bioaccumulo del contaminante in Mytilus galloprovincialis
The Frontier of Biosensors: The Polymerase Chain Reaction-Free Approach for Point-of-Care Devices
No full textThe nucleic acids (NA) analysis is spread out by the invention of polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Even though the method has proven to be a disruptively innovation in the medical field, by creating a new of sector of molecular diagnostics, it however remains the prerogative of analysis of laboratories, due to its complexity and cost. To further make progresses in this sector, the development of point-of-care (POC) genetic testing technologies is crucial by offering the advantages to be fast, sensitive and specific, low cost, and, above all, able to be used onsite by nonspecialized people. In this context, the PCR-free approaches are very relevant since they do not need amplification processes and, therefore, they simplify significantly the experimental set up aimed to detect the NA. In this perspective, an overview of most innovative approaches for genetic point care technologies rapid test is presented and discussed particularly appealing to be integrated in portable and easy-to-use POC devices
An innovative and sustainable methodology for fatigue characterization and design
No full textMost failures in engineering components and structures are determined by the fatigue phenomenon, known for being lengthy to be experimentally investigated and challenging to be properly accounted in design. These aspects can represent a barrier for companies working on the edge of new technologies due to the duty and need to ensure reliability for their products. This study aims to propose a methodology to couple the economic and sustainability advantages of Thermographic Methods in investigating the fatigue behaviour of materials with those of local approaches to provide a simple, yet reliable, fatigue design tool. To pursue this aim we intentionally conducted in the present paper the minimum required experimental campaign needed by Thermographic Methods to achieve the basic information to calibrate a local approach, the Strain Energy Density one. The proposed methodology has been satisfactorily validated by applying the calibrated local approach to foresee the fatigue behaviour of a vast experimental database, characterized by a variety of notched geometries, retrieved from literature
Disparities in Brain Death Certification Knowledge among Indian Physicians Involved in Organ Donation
No full textBackground: Brainstem death certification (BDC) is a fundamental process in the organ donation workflow, serving as a prerequisite for the ethical and legal procurement of organs from deceased donors.
Aims/objectives: This survey studies the current practices and knowledge gaps in BDC among the physicians involved in organ donation in India.
Methods: An online survey was performed using the application 'Google Forms'. The link to the questionnaire was distributed to physicians involved in organ donation in India via personal email and social media platforms.
Results: We received 177 responses out of 500 (35.4%). The majority of respondents were neurosurgeons (63.8%), predominantly male (82.2%), aged 30-40 years (35.1%), and employed in teaching hospitals (74.5%). Less than half (41.8%) received BDC training during MBBS; only 10% of respondents frequently trained residents in BDC. Lack of public awareness (62.1%) and family refusal (62.1%) were major barriers to organ donation; 43.5% cited an absence of transplant facilities for low organ donation rates. Over 80% followed an observation period during brain death examination; 48% did not screen for drugs/toxins; 40% considered elevated body temperature a contraindication to BDC. 96% were aware of apnea tests, and 40.7% identified the need for ancillary tests; 18.1% routinely performed them. No correlation existed between specialty/gender and BDC cases; seniority influenced higher caseloads (over 20 annually). Most physicians (58.20%) believe 2-3 doctors are sufficient for BDC.
Conclusions: It is crucial to address gaps in the knowledge and practices of BDC among physicians to enhance organ donation rates in India
An insect brain inspired neural network for visual navigation in unstructured environments
No full textIn this work, a spiking neural network is developed that acts as a path encoder and processes a sequence of visual scenes of a realistic, highly unstructured environment. It is able to memorize a simulated four-legged robot and then guide it to a given goal. The overall structure, which exploits the functional roles of specific parts of the fruit fly brain, makes it possible to reproduce the same results as other existing structures while largely reducing the overall complexity of the network. This enables the real-time implementation of real robot navigation. The simulation results confirm the performance of the proposed spiking neural network in controlling a four-legged robot Unitree Go2 simulated in Gazebo
Dal "Primato" a "Dare e Avere": scritture quasimodiane dell'(anti)fascismo
No full textAttraverso la lettura critica di lettere e di riscontri testuali nelle opere quasimodiane, il saggio si propone di studiare le particolari forme dell'(anti)fascismo di Salvatore Quasimodo, non scevre di contraddizioni e di scelte di occasione, pur restituendo pagine letterarie di intensa militanza negli scritti del secondo dopoguerra
Alexithymia and Quality of Life: Clinical Psychological Phenomena related to Psoriasis
No full textIntroduction: Psoriasis is a significant, long-lasting dermatological disease representing a major source of discomfort for patients. Often accompanied by other invalidating phenomena such as arthritis, its impact on the mental functioning of patients is particularly relevant. In addition, it is known that psychological phenomena may represent a risk factor for the onset of the disease. In particular, psychosomatics has long studied psychological phenomena that represent consistent etiological factors. Alexithymia is recognized as a condition particularly interesting on the psychosomatic level, so that several studies tend to identify it as a predictive factor. In the light of the state of the art, this contribution aims to consider the role of alexithymia in a population of psoriatic subjects.
Methods: Through a cross-sectional design and the administration of standardized psychological instruments, it was possible to appreciate the predictive role of alexithymia in relation to the patients’ perceived quality of life. The Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and the SF-36 were administered to patients in order to assess alexithymia and perceived quality of life. Descriptive, correlational and regression analyses were performed.
Results: Through correlational analyses higher levels of alexithymia corresponded to a decrease in various domains related to perceived quality of life. Thus, linear regression analyses allowed us to understand how alexithymia constitutes a significant predictor of decreased quality of life.
Discussion: The findings provide a significant basis for future action. Given the role of alexithymia and its impact on life of the involved individuals, it is necessary to implement studies that clearly and significantly demonstrate the need for evidence-based interventions