The future of Cybersecurity in Italy: Strategic focus area

This volume has been created as a continuation of the previous one, with the aim of outlining a set of focus areas and actions that the Italian Nation research community considers essential. The book touches many aspects of cyber security, ranging from the definition of the infrastructure and controls needed to organize cyberdefence to the actions and technologies to be developed to be better protected, from the identification of the main technologies to be defended to the proposal of a set of horizontal actions for training, awareness raising, and risk management

Grain endogenous selenium and moderate salt stress work as synergic elicitors in the enrichment of bioactive compounds in maize sprouts

Salt stress and selenium are known to elicitate the production of plant secondary metabolites with antioxidant properties. On this basis, maize grains obtained from mother plants fertilized or not fertilized with selenium were sprouted at different levels of salinity (0, 25, and 50 mM NaCl) to evaluate the effects on the sprout yield, inorganic and organic Se species, minerals, and secondary metabolites, as revealed by a metabolomics analysis. Grain endogenous selenium (135 mg kg-1 vs. 0.19 mg kg-1 of the non-enriched grain) and salinity affected the sprout yield and composition, with salinity having the greatest effect on secondary metabolites. Most of the Se in sprouts was in an inorganic form, despite Se-enriched grains only containing organic Se. Some synergic effect was observed between Se and salinity. The best combination was obtained with Se-enriched grains sprouted at 25 mM NaCl, since this provided a good yield (not lower than in the untreated control), while sprout shoots were enriched in selenocystine and pro-nutritional semipolar compounds with antioxidant properties. Therefore, using grains from Se-fertilized crops and sprouting them under mild salt stress might represent a promising technique for improving the nutritional value of sprouts

Hyperglycemia-Induced Platelet Activation in Type 2 Diabetes Is Resistant to Aspirin but Not to a Nitric Oxide–Donating Agent

OBJECTIVE: Acute, short-term hyperglycemia enhances high shear stress-induced platelet activation in type 2 diabetes. Several observations suggest that platelets in type 2 diabetes are resistant to inhibition by aspirin. Our aim was to assess comparatively the effect of aspirin, a nitric oxide-donating agent (NCX 4016), their combination, or placebo on platelet activation induced by acute hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial, 40 type 2 diabetic patients were allocated to 100 mg aspirin once daily, 800 mg NCX 4016 b.i.d., both of them, or placebo for 15 days. On day 15, 1 h after the morning dose, a 4-h hyperglycemic clamp (plasma glucose 13.9 mmol/l) was performed, and blood samples were collected before and immediately after it for platelet activation and cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) inhibition studies. RESULTS Acute hyperglycemia enhanced shear stress-induced platelet activation in placebo-treated patients (basal closure time 63 +/- 7.1 s, after hyperglycemia 49.5 +/- 1.4 s, -13.5 +/- 6.3 s, P < 0.048). Pretreatment with aspirin, despite full inhibition of platelet COX-1, did not prevent it (-12.7 +/- 6.9 s, NS vs. placebo). On the contrary, pretreatment with the NO donor NCX 4016, alone or in combination with aspirin, suppressed platelet activation induced by acute hyperglycemia (NCX 4016 +10.5 +/- 8.3 s; NCX 4016 plus aspirin: +12.0 +/- 10.7 s, P < 0.05 vs. placebo for both). Other parameters of shear stress-dependent platelet activation were also more inhibited by NCX 4016 than by aspirin, despite lesser inhibition of COX-1. CONCLUSIONS: Acute hyperglycemia-induced enhancement of platelet activation is resistant to aspirin; a NO-donating agent suppresses it. Therapeutic approaches aiming at a wider platelet inhibitory action than that exerted by aspirin may prove useful in patients with type 2 diabetes

Prospective, International, Multisite Comparison of Platelet Isolation Techniques for Genome-Wide Transcriptomics: Communication from the SSC of the ISTH

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available on open access from Elsevier via the DOI in this recordGenome-wide platelet transcriptomics is increasingly used to uncover new aspects of platelet biology and as a diagnostic and prognostic tool. Nevertheless, platelet isolation methods for transcriptomic studies are not standardized, introducing challenges for cross-study comparisons, data integration, and replication. In this prospective multicenter study, called “Standardizing Platelet Transcriptomics for Discovery, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics in the Thrombosis and Hemostasis Community (STRIDE)” by the ISTH SSCs, we assessed how three of the most commonly used platelet isolation protocols influence metrics from next-generation bulk RNA sequencing and functional assays. Compared with washing alone, more stringent removal of leukocytes by anti-CD45 beads or PALLTM filters resulted in a sufficient quantity of RNA for next-generation sequencing and similar quality of RNA sequencing metrics. Importantly, stringent removal of leukocytes resulted in the lower relative expression of known leukocyte-specific genes and the higher relative expression of known platelet-specific genes. The results were consistent across enrolling sites, suggesting the techniques are transferrable and reproducible. Moreover, all three isolation techniques did not influence basal platelet reactivity, but agonist-induced integrin αIIbβ3 activation is reduced by anti-CD45 bead isolation compared to washing alone. In conclusion, the isolation technique chosen influences genome-wide transcriptional and functional assays in platelets. These results should help the research community make informed choices about platelet isolation techniques in their own platelet studies.British Heart FoundationNational Institutes of Health (NIH)KU LeuvenFWOLowy FoundationNational Research, Development and Innovation OfficeVeteran Affairs CSR&DAmerican Heart AssociationRURAL and Underserved Utah Training Experience (RUUTE), University of Utah School of Medicin

Impact of Biological Sex on Immune Activation and Frequency of the Latent HIV Reservoir during Suppressive Antiretroviral Therapy

Background: Persistent HIV infection of long-lived resting CD4 T cells, despite antiretroviral therapy (ART), remains a barrier to HIV cure. Women have a more robust type 1 interferon response during HIV infection relative to men, contributing to lower initial plasma viremia. As lower viremia during acute infection is associated with reduced frequency of latent HIV infection, we hypothesized that women on ART would have a lower frequency of latent HIV compared to men. Methods: ART-suppressed, HIV seropositive women (n = 22) were matched 1:1 to 22 of 39 ART-suppressed men. We also compared the 22 women to all 39 men, adjusting for age and race as covariates. We measured the frequency of latent HIV using the quantitative viral outgrowth assay, the intact proviral DNA assay, and total HIV gag DNA. We also performed activation/exhaustion immunophenotyping on peripheral blood mononuclear cells and quantified interferon-stimulated gene (ISG) expression in CD4 T cells. Results: We did not observe evident sex differences in the frequency of persistent HIV in resting CD4 T cells. Immunophenotyping and CD4 T-cell ISG expression analysis revealed marginal differences across the sexes. Conclusions: Differences in HIV reservoir frequency and immune activation appear to be small across sexes during long-term suppressive therapy

Assessing the impact of AGS-004, a dendritic cell-based immunotherapy, and vorinostat on persistent HIV-1 Infection

Approaches to deplete persistent HIV infection are needed. We investigated the combined impact of the latency reversing agent vorinostat (VOR) and AGS-004, an autologous dendritic cell immunotherapeutic, on the HIV reservoir. HIV+, stably treated participants in whom resting CD4+ T cell-associated HIV RNA (rca-RNA) increased after VOR exposure ex vivo and in vivo received 4 doses of AGS-004 every 3 weeks, followed by VOR every 72 hours for 30 days, and then the cycle repeated. Change in VOR-responsive host gene expression, HIV-specific T cell responses, low-level HIV viremia, rca-RNA, and the frequency of resting CD4+ T-cell infection (RCI) was measured at baseline and after each cycle. No serious treatment-related adverse events were observed among five participants. As predicted, VOR-responsive host genes responded uniformly to VOR dosing. Following cycles of AGS-004 and VOR, rca-RNA decreased significantly in only two participants, with a significant decrease in SCA observed in one of these participants. However, unlike other cohorts dosed with AGS-004, no uniform increase in HIV-specific immune responses following vaccination was observed. Finally, no reproducible decline of RCI, defined as a decrease of &gt;50%, was observed. AGS-004 and VOR were safe and well-tolerated, but no substantial impact on RCI was measured. In contrast to previous clinical data, AGS-004 did not induce HIV-specific immune responses greater than those measured at baseline. More efficacious antiviral immune interventions, perhaps paired with more effective latency reversal, must be developed to clear persistent HIV infection

CTLA-4 and PD-1 dual blockade induces SIV reactivation without control of rebound after antiretroviral therapy interruption

The primary human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) reservoir is composed of resting memory CD4+ T cells, which often express the immune checkpoint receptors programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4), which limit T cell activation via synergistic mechanisms. Using simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-infected, long-term antiretroviral therapy (ART)-treated rhesus macaques, we demonstrate that PD-1, CTLA-4 and dual CTLA-4/PD-1 immune checkpoint blockade using monoclonal antibodies is well tolerated, with evidence of bioactivity in blood and lymph nodes. Dual blockade was remarkably more effective than PD-1 blockade alone in enhancing T cell cycling and differentiation, expanding effector-memory T cells and inducing robust viral reactivation in plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells. In lymph nodes, dual CTLA-4/PD-1 blockade, but not PD-1 alone, decreased the total and intact SIV-DNA in CD4+ T cells, and SIV-DNA and SIV-RNA in B cell follicles, a major site of viral persistence during ART. None of the tested interventions enhanced SIV-specific CD8+ T cell responses during ART or viral control after ART interruption. Thus, despite CTLA-4/PD-1 blockade inducing robust latency reversal and reducing total levels of integrated virus, the degree of reservoir clearance was still insufficient to achieve viral control. These results suggest that immune checkpoint blockade regimens targeting PD-1 and/or CTLA-4, if performed in people living with HIV with sustained aviremia, are unlikely to induce HIV remission in the absence of additional interventions

Stable Latent HIV Infection and Low-level Viremia Despite Treatment With the Broadly Neutralizing Antibody VRC07-523LS and the Latency Reversal Agent Vorinostat

We tested the combination of a broadly neutralizing HIV antibody with the latency reversal agent vorinostat (VOR). Eight participants received 2 month-long cycles of VRC07-523LS with VOR. Low-level viremia, resting CD4+ T-cell-associated HIV RNA (rca-RNA) was measured, and intact proviral DNA assay (IPDA) and quantitative viral outgrowth assay (QVOA) were performed at baseline and posttreatment. In 3 participants, IPDA and QVOA declines were accompanied by significant declines of rca-RNA. However, no IPDA or QVOA declines clearly exceeded assay variance or natural decay. Increased resistance to VRC07-523LS was not observed. This combination therapy did not reduce viremia or the HIV reservoir. Clinical Trials Registration. NCT03803605