Pinofuranoxins A and B, Bioactive Trisubstituted Furanones Produced by the Invasive Pathogen Diplodia sapinea

Two new bioactive trisubstituted furanones, named pinofuranoxins A and B (1 and 2), were isolated from Diplodia sapinea, a worldwide conifer pathogen causing severe disease. Pinofuranoxins A and B were characterized essentially by NMR and HRESIMS spectra, and their relative and absolute configurations were assigned by NOESY experiments and computational analyses of electronic circular dichroism spectra. They induced necrotic lesions on Hedera helix L., Phaseolus vulgaris L., and Quercus ilex L. Compound 1 completely inhibited the growth of Athelia rolfsii and Phytophthora cambivora, while 2 showed antioomycetes activity against P. cambivora. In the Artemia salina assay both toxins showed activity inducing larval mortality

Cohort Profile: A European Multidisciplinary Network for the Fight against HIV Drug Resistance (EuResist Network)

: The EuResist cohort was established in 2006 with the purpose of developing a clinical decision-support tool predicting the most effective antiretroviral therapy (ART) for persons living with HIV (PLWH), based on their clinical and virological data. Further to continuous extensive data collection from several European countries, the EuResist cohort later widened its activity to the more general area of antiretroviral treatment resistance with a focus on virus evolution. The EuResist cohort has retrospectively enrolled PLWH, both treatment-naïve and treatment-experienced, under clinical follow-up from 1998, in nine national cohorts across Europe and beyond, and this article is an overview of its achievement. A clinically oriented treatment-response prediction system was released and made available online in 2008. Clinical and virological data have been collected from more than one hundred thousand PLWH, allowing for a number of studies on the response to treatment, selection and spread of resistance-associated mutations and the circulation of viral subtypes. Drawing from its interdisciplinary vocation, EuResist will continue to investigate clinical response to antiretroviral treatment against HIV and monitor the development and circulation of HIV drug resistance in clinical settings, along with the development of novel drugs and the introduction of new treatment strategies. The support of artificial intelligence in these activities is essential

Da Baco a Farfalla: storia di una metamorfosi

Nel corso degli anni, di necessità in necessità, nella biblioteca dell’Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise “G.Caporale”(IZSAM) sono state create e gestite attività per soddisfare bisogni conoscitivi e formativi impellenti legati all’evoluzione del contesto (società digitale e della conoscenza) e dei compiti istituzionali. Dalla conservazione fisica di libri e riviste a quella virtuale, dalla catalogazione home made all’esperienza SBN e ACNP, dall’indicizzazione e spoglio dei periodici all’indicizzazione delle risorse; dalle cartoline postali per le richieste di articoli scientifici all’universo NILDE: una manciata di anni per copernicane rivoluzioni della galassia Biblioteca. Allo stesso tempo l’aumento e la differenziazione degli utenti, conseguenza della pervasività e diffusione della rete hanno determinato la comparsa di nuovi scenari e candidato la Biblioteca a protagonista di molteplici variegati fronti: formazione, produzione di ricerca scientifica, valutazione della ricerca scientifica, creazione di repository istituzionale, informazione normativa e giornalistica. La Biblioteca dell’IZSAM ha fatto scelte coraggiose, come l’accesso aperto:la rivista open access Veterinaria Italiana, corredata di impact factor; il repository istituzionale - vetrina e archivio (a breve auto implementato); la fornitura degli articoli direttamente ai ricercatori. I risultati conseguiti riguardano due aspetti essenziali: −− il rafforzamento del valore sociale in termini di diffusione della conoscenza, di formazione e informazione degli utenti, di raccolta e conservazione della documentazione scientifica, di interlocutore privilegiato aperto al territorio locale soprattutto per le tematiche sanitarie; −− l’incremento del valore economico, vale a dire l’utile realizzato sugli investimenti di funzionamento (abbonamenti alle banche dati, gold road, personale), in termini di produzione e pubblicazione di risultati della ricerca scientifica, valutazione della produzione scientifica, realizzazione di risparmi attraverso la partecipazione a consorzi, contributo dato alla presentazione o rendicontazione di progetti di ricerca, twinning, opportunità di incontro tra ricercatori, ritorno d’immagine e “fiducia” per l’intera organizzazione.During the past years, so to address the different needs of our users, the library of the dell’Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise “G.Caporale”(IZSAM) has fostered several activities to support the pressing scientific and educational necessities arising from both the emergence of the socalled information society – data-driven societies, which are dependant of the use of information and communication technologies, and the evolution of the institutional role of the library itself. The past decade has been characterised by radical changes in the library science and management. We went from the physical to the digital archiving of books and journals, from an artisanal archiving procedure to the with SBN and ACNP, from the use of indexing paper-based publications to online indexing and search engines, from postcards sent to request scientific articles to the NILDE universe At the same time, our users grew in number and became a heterogeneous group, assigning to the library a leading role in a all new set of scenarios prompted by the information-revolution: education; scientific research production; scientific research evaluation; creation of an institutional repository; circulation of news, both media-oriented and governance-related. The IZASAM library made brave decisions, like fostering an open access policy with respect to the scientific, peer-reviewed journal Veterinaria Italiana, which is indexed in some of the major scientific repositories and has an impact factor; as well as with the creation of an institutional repository – an (auto-implemented) archive, and the supporting of the IZASAM research staff by providing them directly with the research articles and books that they may need.The obtained results concerns two pivotal aspects: the strengthening of the social value of the library; re: the sharing of information and knowledge, the fostering users’ education, the collection and archiving of scientific publications, and the crucial role that the library acquired in its territory for the sharing of scientific information concerning health-related topics; the growing of the economic value; i.e. the profit made on the investments made to improve the library’s activities (subscription to repositories, gold road, and staff), along with the production and publication of scientific research, evaluation of the scientific output, the participation in consortia, the collaboration in research projects, i.e. focusing on the budgeting and circulation of news relevant to the considered research projects, twinning, as well as organisation of networking opportunities for the IZASAM researchers; and eventually the support to the reputation of the whole IZASAM and of the public trust in it

AI-based Data Preparation and Data Analytics in Healthcare: The Case of Diabetes

The Associazione Medici Diabetologi (AMD) collects and manages one of the largest worldwide-available collections of diabetic patient records, also known as the AMD database. This paper presents the initial results of an ongoing project whose focus is the application of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning techniques for conceptualizing, cleaning, and analyzing such an important and valuable dataset, with the goal of providing predictive insights to better support diabetologists in their diagnostic and therapeutic choices.Comment: The work has been presented at the conference Ital-IA 2022 (https://www.ital-ia2022.it/

Su alcuni punti nodali della questione ucraina (XIX-XXI secolo)

The chapter analyses the \u201cUkrainian Question\u201d, through examples of old and new analyses on Ukrainian identity, starting from an essay written by the British historian A.J. Toynbee in 1916, when the result of the WW1 and the future of Ukraine was still uncertain. Toynbee\u2019s assumptions are compared with interpretations given by various authors from 19th up to 21st centuries, showing that the crux of the matter is still debated by conteporary analysts. In conclusion, it is expressed the hope that the new presidency could take significant steps in order to consolidate the Ukrainian sovereignity in a peaceful perspective of democratic development

Management of Germ Cell Tumors During the Outbreak of the Novel Coronavirus Disease-19 Pandemic:A Survey of International Expertise Centers

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has become a public health emergency affecting frail populations, including patients with cancer. This poses the question of whether cancer treatments can be postponed or modified without compromising their efficacy, especially for highly curable cancers such as germ cell tumors (GCTs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: To depict the state-of-the-art management of GCTs during the COVID-19 pandemic, a survey including 26 questions was circulated by e-mail among the physicians belonging to three cooperative groups: (a) Italian Germ Cell Cancer Group; (b) European Reference Network-Rare Adult Solid Cancers, Domain G3 (rare male genitourinary cancers); and (c) Genitourinary Medical Oncologists of Canada. Percentages of agreement between Italian respondents (I) versus Canadian respondents (C), I versus European respondents (E), and E versus C were compared by using Fisher's exact tests for dichotomous answers and chi square test for trends for the questions with three or more options. RESULTS: Fifty-three GCT experts responded to the survey: 20 Italian, 6 in other European countries, and 27 from Canada. Telemedicine was broadly used; there was high consensus to interrupt chemotherapy in COVID-19-positive patients (I = 75%, C = 55%, and E = 83.3%) and for use of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor primary prophylaxis for neutropenia (I = 65%, C = 62.9%, and E = 50%). The main differences emerged regarding the management of stage I and stage IIA disease, likely because of cultural and geographical differences. CONCLUSION: Our study highlights the common efforts of GCT experts in Europe and Canada to maintain high standards of treatment for patients with GCT with few changes in their management during the COVID-19 pandemic. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Despite the chaos, disruptions, and fears fomented by the COVID-19 illness, oncology care teams in Italy, other European countries, and Canada are delivering the enormous promise of curative management strategies for patients with testicular cancer and other germ cell tumors. At the same time, these teams are applying safe and innovative solutions and sharing best practices to minimize frequency and intensity of patient contacts with thinly stretched health care capacity

A machine-learning based bio-psycho-social model for the prediction of non-obstructive and obstructive coronary artery disease

Background: Mechanisms of myocardial ischemia in obstructive and non-obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD), and the interplay between clinical, functional, biological and psycho-social features, are still far to be fully elucidated. Objectives: To develop a machine-learning (ML) model for the supervised prediction of obstructive versus non-obstructive CAD. Methods: From the EVA study, we analysed adults hospitalized for IHD undergoing conventional coronary angiography (CCA). Non-obstructive CAD was defined by a stenosis < 50% in one or more vessels. Baseline clinical and psycho-socio-cultural characteristics were used for computing a Rockwood and Mitnitski frailty index, and a gender score according to GENESIS-PRAXY methodology. Serum concentration of inflammatory cytokines was measured with a multiplex flow cytometry assay. Through an XGBoost classifier combined with an explainable artificial intelligence tool (SHAP), we identified the most influential features in discriminating obstructive versus non-obstructive CAD. Results: Among the overall EVA cohort (n = 509), 311 individuals (mean age 67 ± 11 years, 38% females; 67% obstructive CAD) with complete data were analysed. The ML-based model (83% accuracy and 87% precision) showed that while obstructive CAD was associated with higher frailty index, older age and a cytokine signature characterized by IL-1β, IL-12p70 and IL-33, non-obstructive CAD was associated with a higher gender score (i.e., social characteristics traditionally ascribed to women) and with a cytokine signature characterized by IL-18, IL-8, IL-23. Conclusions: Integrating clinical, biological, and psycho-social features, we have optimized a sex- and gender-unbiased model that discriminates obstructive and non-obstructive CAD. Further mechanistic studies will shed light on the biological plausibility of these associations. Clinical trial registration: NCT02737982

Proceedings of LOAIT '07 : II Workshop on Legal Ontologies and Artificial Intelligence Techniques

Proceedings of the 2nd Workshop on Legal Ontologies and Artificial Intelligence Techniques June 4th, 2007, Stanford Universit

Quantum-centric Supercomputing for Materials Science: A Perspective on Challenges and Future Directions

Computational models are an essential tool for the design, characterization, and discovery of novel materials. Hard computational tasks in materials science stretch the limits of existing high-performance supercomputing centers, consuming much of their simulation, analysis, and data resources. Quantum computing, on the other hand, is an emerging technology with the potential to accelerate many of the computational tasks needed for materials science. In order to do that, the quantum technology must interact with conventional high-performance computing in several ways: approximate results validation, identification of hard problems, and synergies in quantum-centric supercomputing. In this paper, we provide a perspective on how quantum-centric supercomputing can help address critical computational problems in materials science, the challenges to face in order to solve representative use cases, and new suggested directions.Comment: 60 pages, 14 figures; comments welcom