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In this work we computed the phase diagram as a function of temperature and doping for a system of lead adatoms allocated periodically on a silicon (111) surface. This Si(111):Pb material is characterized by a strong and long-ranged Coulomb interaction, a relatively large value of the spin-orbit coupling, and a structural phase transition that occurs at low temperature. In order to describe the collective electronic behavior in the system, we perform many-body calculations consistently taking all these important features into account. We find that charge- and spin-density wave orderings coexist with each other in several regions of the phase diagram. This result is in agreement with the recent experimental observation of a chiral spin texture in the charge density wave phase in this material. We also find that the geometries of the charge and spin textures strongly depend on the doping level. The formation of such a rich phase diagram in the Si(111):Pb material can be explained by a combined effect of the lattice distortion and electronic correlations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) makes extremely difficult to develop efficacious strategies for targeting contrast agents and delivering drugs inside the Central Nervous System (CNS). To overcome this drawback, several kinds of CNS-targeted nanoparticles (NPs) have been developed. In particular, we proposed poly-lactide- co-glycolide (PLGA) NPs engineered with a simil-opioid glycopeptide ( g7), which have already proved to be a promising tool for achieving a successful brain targeting after i.v. administration in rats. In order to obtain CNS-targeted NPs to use for in vivo imaging, we synthesized and administrated in mice PLGA NPs with double coverage: near-infrared (NIR) probe (DY-675) and g 7. The optical imaging clearly showed a brain localization of these novel NPs. Thus, a novel kind of NIR-labeled NPs were obtained, providing a new, in vivo detectable nanotechnology tool. Besides, the confocal and fluorescence microscopy evidences allowed to further confirm the ability of g 7 to promote not only the rat, but also the mouse BBB crossing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lipodystrophy (LD) includes morphologic changes that are distressing to patients with HIV. We tested the validity of an Italian version of the Assessment of Body Change and Distress (ABCD) questionnaire and analysed its relationship to physical and mental aspects of Health-Related Quality of Life. Two hundred and fifty-two patients completed the questionnaires. Construct validity of the ABCD was tested against the MOS-HIV Health Survey, body mass-index (BMI) and CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts. Cronbach's alpha for the ABCD total score was 0.94. The ABCD showed the hypothesized moderate correlations to MOS-HIV scales and clinical variables. Preliminary evidence supports the reliability and validity of the Italian version of the ABCD in people with HIV and LD. This questionnaire may be useful to identify people experiencing greater impact of LD, or to evaluate the impact of interventions to treat LD such as plastic surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]