The Cauchy problem for a class of two-dimensional nonlocal nonlinear wave equations governing anti-plane shear motions in elastic materials

This paper is concerned with the analysis of the Cauchy problem of a general class of two-dimensional nonlinear nonlocal wave equations governing anti-plane shear motions in nonlocal elasticity. The nonlocal nature of the problem is reflected by a convolution integral in the space variables. The Fourier transform of the convolution kernel is nonnegative and satisfies a certain growth condition at infinity. For initial data in $L^{2}$ Sobolev spaces, conditions for global existence or finite time blow-up of the solutions of the Cauchy problem are established.Comment: 15 pages. "Section 6 The Anisotropic Case" added and minor changes. Accepted for publication in Nonlinearit

Mother-child histocompatibility and risk of rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus among mothers.

The study objective was to test the hypothesis that having histocompatible children increases the risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), possibly by contributing to the persistence of fetal cells acquired during pregnancy. We conducted a case control study using data from the UC San Francisco Mother Child Immunogenetic Study and studies at the Inova Translational Medicine Institute. We imputed human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles and minor histocompatibility antigens (mHags). We created a variable of exposure to histocompatible children. We estimated an average sequence similarity matching (SSM) score for each mother based on discordant mother-child alleles as a measure of histocompatibility. We used logistic regression models to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals. A total of 138 RA, 117 SLE, and 913 control mothers were analyzed. Increased risk of RA was associated with having any child compatible at HLA-B (OR 1.9; 1.2-3.1), DPB1 (OR 1.8; 1.2-2.6) or DQB1 (OR 1.8; 1.2-2.7). Compatibility at mHag ZAPHIR was associated with reduced risk of SLE among mothers carrying the HLA-restriction allele B*07:02 (n = 262; OR 0.4; 0.2-0.8). Our findings support the hypothesis that mother-child histocompatibility is associated with risk of RA and SLE

Tear fluid biomarkers in ocular and systemic disease: potential use for predictive, preventive and personalised medicine

In the field of predictive, preventive and personalised medicine, researchers are keen to identify novel and reliable ways to predict and diagnose disease, as well as to monitor patient response to therapeutic agents. In the last decade alone, the sensitivity of profiling technologies has undergone huge improvements in detection sensitivity, thus allowing quantification of minute samples, for example body fluids that were previously difficult to assay. As a consequence, there has been a huge increase in tear fluid investigation, predominantly in the field of ocular surface disease. As tears are a more accessible and less complex body fluid (than serum or plasma) and sampling is much less invasive, research is starting to focus on how disease processes affect the proteomic, lipidomic and metabolomic composition of the tear film. By determining compositional changes to tear profiles, crucial pathways in disease progression may be identified, allowing for more predictive and personalised therapy of the individual. This article will provide an overview of the various putative tear fluid biomarkers that have been identified to date, ranging from ocular surface disease and retinopathies to cancer and multiple sclerosis. Putative tear fluid biomarkers of ocular disorders, as well as the more recent field of systemic disease biomarkers, will be shown

Properties of field functionals and characterization of local functionals

Functionals (i.e. functions of functions) are widely used in quantum field theory and solid-state physics. In this paper, functionals are given a rigorous mathematical framework and their main properties are described. The choice of the proper space of test functions (smooth functions) and of the relevant concept of differential (Bastiani differential) are discussed. The relation between the multiple derivatives of a functional and the corresponding distributions is described in detail. It is proved that, in a neighborhood of every test function, the support of a smooth functional is uniformly compactly supported and the order of the corresponding distribution is uniformly bounded. Relying on a recent work by Yoann Dabrowski, several spaces of functionals are furnished with a complete and nuclear topology. In view of physical applications, it is shown that most formal manipulations can be given a rigorous meaning. A new concept of local functionals is proposed and two characterizations of them are given: the first one uses the additivity (or Hammerstein) property, the second one is a variant of Peetre's theorem. Finally, the first step of a cohomological approach to quantum field theory is carried out by proving a global Poincar\'e lemma and defining multi-vector fields and graded functionals within our framework.Comment: 32 pages, no figur

Intellectual Property, Open Science and Research Biobanks

In biomedical research and translational medicine, the ancient war between exclusivity (private control over information) and access to information is proposing again on a new battlefield: research biobanks. The latter are becoming increasingly important (one of the ten ideas changing the world, according to Time magazine) since they allow to collect, store and distribute in a secure and professional way a critical mass of human biological samples for research purposes. Tissues and related data are fundamental for the development of the biomedical research and the emerging field of translational medicine: they represent the “raw material” for every kind of biomedical study. For this reason, it is crucial to understand the boundaries of Intellectual Property (IP) in this prickly context. In fact, both data sharing and collaborative research have become an imperative in contemporary open science, whose development depends inextricably on: the opportunities to access and use data, the possibility of sharing practices between communities, the cross-checking of information and results and, chiefly, interactions with experts in different fields of knowledge. Data sharing allows both to spread the costs of analytical results that researchers cannot achieve working individually and, if properly managed, to avoid the duplication of research. These advantages are crucial: access to a common pool of pre-competitive data and the possibility to endorse follow-on research projects are fundamental for the progress of biomedicine. This is why the "open movement" is also spreading in the biobank's field. After an overview of the complex interactions among the different stakeholders involved in the process of information and data production, as well as of the main obstacles to the promotion of data sharing (i.e., the appropriability of biological samples and information, the privacy of participants, the lack of interoperability), we will firstly clarify some blurring in language, in particular concerning concepts often mixed up, such as “open source” and “open access”. The aim is to understand whether and to what extent we can apply these concepts to the biomedical field. Afterwards, adopting a comparative perspective, we will analyze the main features of the open models – in particular, the Open Research Data model – which have been proposed in literature for the promotion of data sharing in the field of research biobanks. After such an analysis, we will suggest some recommendations in order to rebalance the clash between exclusivity - the paradigm characterizing the evolution of intellectual property over the last three centuries - and the actual needs for access to knowledge. We argue that the key factor in this balance may come from the right interaction between IP, social norms and contracts. In particular, we need to combine the incentives and the reward mechanisms characterizing scientific communities with data sharing imperative

Feasibility of a Cardio-Oncology Tele-Rehabilitiation Program in Pediatric Patients with Cancer

Childhood cancer survivors are eight times more likely to die of heart disease than people who have never had cancer. Exercise during treatment has been found to help protect the heart against the harmful effects of treatment and reduce the risk of developing heart disease in early adulthood. There is insufficient data on the feasibility of delivering cardio- oncology rehabilitation (CORE) in an outpatient telehealth setting. PURPOSE: This study aims to pilot the feasibility and safety of tele- CORE in children ages 10-15 years old. METHODS: Pediatric cancer survivors who underwent cancer treatment participated in this study. Participants performed a 12-week tele-CORE program. A cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) was administered prior to intervention to generate an exercise prescription (with heart rate zones) and screen for exercise contraindications. A stationary bike with modifiable resistance levels, resistance bands, dumbbells, and FitBit were provided. Supervised 45-60 min virtual exercise sessions were held twice weekly consisting of cardio, strength training, stretching, and plyometrics. RESULTS: The study is actively enrolling. Preliminary findings of the first 4 participants (Ages 12.5 ± 2.5; Female 25%; BMI 35.8 ± 3.3) are as follows. Baseline peak VO2 values were 22.0 ± 5.4 ml/kg/min. Average attendance was 16 out of 24 sessions (95%CI 9-22). There has been one minor adverse event where a patient expressed chest discomfort during cycling. Exercise was terminated, patient rested, then resumed at a lower intensity. Chest discomfort did not persist. The clinical team was notified, the patient was cleared to resume exercise, but a repeat echocardiogram was ordered to investigate possible cardiotoxicity from cancer therapy. CONCLUSION: Our pilot data demonstrates good compliance of tele-CORE in pediatric cancer patients receiving treatment. The team was able to successfully intervene during a minor adverse event. Preliminary findings show tele-CORE to be feasible and safe in children and adolescents undergoing cancer treatment

Nutritional status, body composition and chemotherapy dosing in children and young people with cancer: a systematic review by the SIOP nutrition network

\ua9 The Author(s) 2025.Abstract: Malnutrition (undernutrition or overweight/obesity) might significantly impact the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of antineoplastic drugs in children and adolescents (<21 years). A comprehensive systematic literature search was performed on MEDLINE (PubMed), EMBASE, Web of Science, Scopus, ProQuest, Cochrane Trials, and Cochrane Reviews. Databases were searched up to 30 September 2024. Of 4186 articles identified, 150 full texts were evaluated and 12 selected for inclusion. Eight additional articles were identified following a panel review and 6 included, resulting in a total of 18 articles for data extraction. Relevant pharmacokinetic parameters were described for mercaptopurine, vincristine, anthracyclines, methotrexate, busulfan, bevacizumab, and crizotinib. Due to the heterogeneity and limited number of studies per antineoplastic drug, formal statistical analysis or meta-analysis was not appropriate. Variations in the definition of nutritional status, dosing strategies, and type of pharmacokinetic analyses were observed; therefore, no dosing recommendations could be made. With the increasing childhood cancer burden in LMIC, high prevalence of undernutrition, and the global burden of childhood obesity, there is an urgent need for more research in this area. Prospective studies should incorporate uniform definitions and standardised pharmacological approaches to optimise treatment options for children with cancer globally. Systematic literature review registration: PROSPERO: (reference: CRD42023435261