49 research outputs found
Escherichia coli strains isolated from retail meat products: Evaluation of biofilm formation ability, antibiotic resistance, and phylogenetic group analysis
No full textEscherichia coli is a ubiquitous organism capable of forming a biofilm. This is an important virulence factor and is critical in certain diseases and in the development of antibiotic resistance, which is increased by biofilm synthesis. In the present study, the potential health risk associated with handling and consumption of foods of animal origin contaminated with E. coliproducing biofilm was evaluated. We analyzed the ability of 182 E. coli strains isolated from pork, poultry, and beef, purchased in three different supermarkets in the area of the "Italian Food Valley" (Parma, northern Italy), to form biofilms. Positive strains were also tested for the presence of 12 biofilm-associated genes. Moreover, the 182 E. coli were characterized for antibiotic resistance, presence of multidrug resistance, extended-spectrum beta-lactamase strains, and phylogenetic diversity through PCR. Twenty-five percent of the isolates produced biofilm. The majority showed weak adherence, five were moderate, and three were strong producers. E. coli with a strong adherence capability (three of three) harbored eight biofilm-associated genes, while weak and moderate producers harbored only five (frequencies ranging from 80 to 100%). Multidrug resistance was observed in 20 biofilm-producing E. coli, and 15 of these belonged to phylogenetic group D. Among nonbiofilm producers, the percentage of strains belonging to phylogenetic groups B2 and D was approximately 40%, highlighting a potential health risk for consumers and people handling contaminated products. The present study underlines the importance of monitoring the prevalence and characteristics of E. coli contaminating retail meat in relation to the potential virulence highlighted here
Dynamic computation offloading in multi-access edge computing via ultra-reliable and low-latency communications
No full textThe goal of this work is to propose an energy-efficient algorithm for dynamic computation offloading, in a multi-access edge computing scenario, where multiple mobile users compete for a common pool of radio and computational resources. We focus on delay-critical applications, incorporating an upper bound on the probability that the overall time required to send the data and process them exceeds a prescribed value. In a dynamic setting, the above constraint translates into preventing the sum of the communication and computation queues' lengths from exceeding a given value. Ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC) are also taken into account using finite blocklengths and reliability constraints. The proposed algorithm, based on stochastic optimization, strikes an optimal balance between the service delay and the energy spent at the mobile device, while guaranteeing a target out-of-service probability. Starting from a long-term average optimization problem, our algorithm is based on the solution of a convex problem in each time slot, which is provided with a very fast iterative strategy. Finally, we extend the approach to mobile devices having energy harvesting capabilities, typical of Internet of Things scenarios, thus devising an energy efficient dynamic offloading strategy that stabilizes the battery level of each device around a prescribed operating level
Truth, Meaning and the Analysis of Natural Language
No full textPaolo Casalegno (1952-2009) has been one of the best European philosophers working within the analytic tradition. His work was in formal logic, the semantics of natural language, and (mostly) the classical topics of meaning and truth. He was the author of excellent textbooks in both the philosophy of language and set theory. Though some of his papers were published in English in international journals such as dialectica and the Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, many others are in Italian, hence inaccessible to most scholars in the international community. The collection we propose includes what we regard as his best work on meaning, reference and truth, plus two important papers in the semantics of natural language and one in epistemology. In these papers, Casalegno discusses and criticizes philosophers such as Quine, Davidson, Fodor, Peacocke, Boghossian and others
Time-Sensitive Networking for Trajectory Tracking of an Unmanned Ground Vehicle over Wi-Fi
No full textThe demand for precise time synchronization is of great interest in contemporary networked systems, especially in the context of converged networks where seamless communication among devices, actuators, and sensors is imperative. This has led to the development and adoption of Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) and Wireless TSN (WTSN) technologies, with a particular attention to the IEEE 802.1AS Generalized Precision Time Protocol (gPTP) standard. In this work, we explore the role of time synchronization in a wireless network scenario involving an Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) that has to track a desired time dependent trajectory. The UGV receives trajectory waypoints from a secondary station, emphasizing the importance of precise timing in trajectory tracking. Utilizing the IEEE 802.1AS standard for wireless time synchronization, this study investigates the impact of clock synchronization errors and latency on trajectory tracking. Hence, it demonstrates the capability and benefits of IEEE 802.1AS in managing device clocks and facilitating time correction to ensure precise trajectory tracking despite synchronization errors and latency
An Enhanced POLIS Framework for Fast Exploration and Implementation of I/O Subsystems on CSoC Platforms
No full textAntibiotic Treatment Administered to Pigs and Antibiotic Resistance of Escherichia coli Isolated from Their Feces and Carcasses
No full textAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) in bacteria is a frequent and widespread phenomenon. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) reports that multidrug resistant (MDR) Escherichia coli is considered an important hazard to public health. The lack of data on the correlation between the administration of antibiotics to pigs and the diffusion of MDR E. coli necessitates an in-depth study. The aims of our study were first of all to determine the presence of MDR and/or extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESβL) E. coli isolated from feces and carcasses of pigs; and second, to evaluate the correlation between antibiotic resistance and the antibiotic treatment administrated to the animals considered. The examined E. coli was isolated from 100 fecal swabs and 100 carcass sponges taken from farms and slaughterhouses located in Reggio Emilia province in Italy. The MDR isolates were tested following the protocol defined by EUCAST (2015). Subsequently, a real-time PCR and an endpoint-PCR were used for the genomic analysis. Data highlighted 76.5% of MDR E. coli with a marked presence of the ampicillin (AMP)-streptomycin (STRE)-tetracycline (TETRA) pattern. Moreover, 13 isolates were ESβL producers, and the blaCTXM gene was the most frequently observed in genomic analysis. Results confirm the complexity of the AMR phenomenon showing a partial correlation between the administration of antibiotics and the resistance observed. Pigs destined to the production of Protected Designation of Origin items are colonized by bacteria resistant to a wide range of antibiotic classes even if data are encouraging for colistin and third generation cephalosporin. Furthermore, in-depth study focused on food production could be useful in a view of high safety standards for consumers
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF CHEMORESISTANCE IN ACUTE MYELOID LEUKEMIA
No full textAcute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) remains an incurable disease, with a 5-year survival rate below 30%. While the introduction of new therapeutic approaches, such as targeted therapies and immunotherapy, has had a modest impact on AML prognosis, the standard treatment of AML is still based on chemotherapy regimens (like "7+3") that have been in use for over 50 years. Approximately 20% of patients do not respond to standard chemotherapy, and even among those who initially respond, around 50% eventually relapse due to the development of chemotherapy resistance. Chemoresistance is the cause of death for over 90% of AML patients.
The mechanisms underlying chemoresistance in AML are not yet fully understood, and targeted therapies aimed at preventing chemoresistance are not currently available. Chemoresistance in AML is primarily driven by non-genetic mechanisms. While leukemic stem cells (LSCs) have been implicated, recent studies suggest that AML blasts that survive chemotherapy, known as Chemotherapy Persistent Blasts, enter a senescence-like and diapause state. Though they can contribute to disease recurrence, these Persistent Blasts are not inherently therapy-resistant as they revert to a drug-sensitive state upon drug withdrawal. However, a lack of robust in vivo models of clinical chemoresistance in human AML hinders our understanding of these mechanisms. To address this, I aimed to generate in vivo models of truly chemoresistant AML to investigate non-genetic mechanisms of chemotherapy resistance.
I utilized mouse models of human AML, specifically Patient-Derived Xenografts (PDXs), to establish treatment protocols mimicking the standard "7+3" chemotherapy regimen used clinically. One model (AML9) mirrored the behavior of most patients treated with standard chemotherapy, exhibiting clinical remission followed by relapse. In contrast, the other model (AML20) showed a modest response to chemotherapy with rapid leukemia re-expansion. Notably, relapsed leukemias in both models were completely resistant to retreatment with the same chemotherapy regimen, and this resistant phenotype persisted even after re-transplantation. Extensive genomic profiling revealed that chemoresistance in relapsed leukemias was not associated with the emergence of de novo DNA mutations. AML9 and AML20 represent the first two available AML models of true clinical chemoresistance, mirroring primary and secondary resistance, respectively.
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To investigate mechanisms of chemoresistance in these models, I characterized the cellular and molecular properties of Chemotherapy Persistent Blasts isolated at the end of the chemotherapy regimen. To monitor and isolate quiescent blasts during leukemia growth and after chemotherapy treatment, I incorporated a label-retaining (LR) assay into the PDX models, enabling cell division tracking through inducible expression of H2B-GFP. I found that: i) in vitro, Persistent Blasts from both models exhibited significantly higher IC50 values compared to non-treated blasts, suggesting the induction or selection of a stable and cell- autonomous chemoresistant phenotype; ii) Quiescent blasts were slightly enriched among Persistent Blasts, but a portion of leukemia cells continued to proliferate during treatment, generating a population of Persistent Blasts of both proliferating and quiescent cells; iii) Persistent Blasts retained regenerative potential in vivo, primarily attributed to persistent quiescent blasts, suggesting that quiescence, while not a specific trait of chemoresistance, is integral to the relapsing properties of these cells; iv) the AML clonal structure remained unchanged after chemotherapy treatment, as determined by lineage tracing of Persistent Blasts and relapsed leukemias, suggesting that chemotherapy does not select specific cellular lineages; v) Persistent Blasts exhibited distinct transcriptional features compared to untreated leukemias, characterized by stem-cell signatures and activation of the Interferon (IFN) signaling pathway. Notably, IFN signaling activation was a distinguishing feature of both quiescent and proliferating blasts and was predictive of clinical response to standard chemotherapy in AML patients.
To investigate the contribution of the activated IFN signaling pathway to chemoresistance, I examined the effect of silencing IFI6, the top upregulated gene in the IFN signature. IFI6 silencing prolonged latency and reduced engraftment frequency in AMLs, due to its detrimental effect on leukemia-initiating cells (LICs). However, IFI6 silencing did not impact leukemia outgrowth kinetics. Strikingly, IFI6 silencing completely reversed the chemoresistant phenotype in both AML models in vivo and increased the chemosensitivity of established AML cell lines in vitro.
To further explore mechanism of IFI6-mediated chemo-sensitization, I investigated the interaction between IFI6 and STING. I found that IFI6 is upregulated upon chemotherapy treatment and relocates to the ERGIC compartment in proximity to STING, where STING activation by chemotherapy-induced DNA damage initiates a cascade leading to IFN signaling and cell death. Based on these findings, I initiated experiments to determine
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whether IFI6-mediated chemoresistance is due to its ability to downregulate STING activation, thereby preventing the execution of IFN-induced cell death
Millimeter-waves, MEC, and network softwarization as enablers of new 5G business opportunities
No full textThis paper focuses on analyzing some key business aspects that arise during the deployment of key novel enabling technologies for 5G systems. Results are taken out of two EU-funded ongoing research projects, namely 5G-MiEdge and Superfluidity, which largely exploit mmWave communications and softwarization concepts for 5G networks. We initially provide a stakeholder analysis of the 5G ecosystem, as well as a Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats (SWOT) analysis of a couple of key and most promising 5G use cases. For one use case also a preliminary business model is provided. Then we detail an economic 5G cost model, which is able to provide indications on the profitability of 5G networks. Finally, we highlight the planned future works
