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Disruptions in the gut epithelial barrier can lead to the development of chronic indications such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Historically, barrier function has been assessed in cancer cell lines, which do not contain all human intestinal cell types, leading to poor translatability. To bridge this gap, we adapted human primary gut organoids grown as monolayers to assess barrier function. In this work we describe and characterize a novel 96-well human gut organoid-derived monolayer system that enables medium/high-throughput quantitative assessment of candidate therapeutics. Normal human intestine differentiation patterns and barrier function were characterized and confirmed to recapitulate key aspects ofin vivobiology. Next, cellular response to TNF-α (a central driver of IBD) was determined using a diverse cadre of readouts.These outputs included transcription factor phosphorylation, target gene expression, cytokine/chemokine production, and barrier function. Additionally, we showed that TNF-α pathway antagonists rescued damage caused by TNF-α in a dose-dependent manner, indicating that this system is suitable for quantitative assessment of barrier modulating factors. Taken together, we have established a robust primary cell-based 96-well system capable of interrogating questions around mucosal response. This system is well suited to provide pivotal functional data to support translational target and drug discovery efforts.

A method was developed to obtain YPO4:Eu dispersions of PVA as a luminescent inks. YPO4:Eu nanoparticles were prepared by precipitation followed by hydrothermal treatment. The dispersion preparation included systematic studies to prepare a stable colloidal system and to investigate the role of parameters affecting its stability and UV-excited YPO4:Eu emission intensity. The effect of PVA concentration was studied in detail for two different PVAs to determine the optimal parameters for its use as ink with specific luminescent properties. The type of interactions responsible for the dispersion stability was also investigated.

This article highlights the multianalytical study of exuded liquid from an ancient Egyptian sealed alabaster vase by Master's students in an applied chemistry for cultural heritage course. Master students are introduced to the field of Archaeometry that see the collaboration of experts in different areas of research such as conservators, curators of museums, physicists, chemists, etc. The sample is a residue exuded on the linen strip sealing an ancient Egyptian alabaster vase (inventory number S.8448) from the collection of the Museo Egizio in Turin (Italy). The students start to plan the noninvasive investigation by X-ray fluorescence (XRF), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) for the inorganic compounds characterization, followed by the extraction of the organic components (such as oils, fats, and waxes) to be analyzed by high-resolution 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and 2D NMR correlation spectroscopy (COSY), heteronuclear single quantum coherence (HSQC), and long-range heteronuclear correlation (HMBC) techniques and by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Reference standards, spectral databases, and published data on similar artifacts served as the basis for the interpretation of the instrumental results. The approach was introduced in the course of Applied Chemistry for Cultural Heritage for Master students in Archaeology (University of Palermo, Italy), where the need is to know how to approach the scientific investigation together with the conservation scientists and how to manage with a very low amount of sample. Pedagogically, the approach introduces students to the main techniques currently used in the field of Archaeometry while reinforcing fundamental concepts in sample collecting and multicomponent microsample analysis. This interdisciplinary approach provides a unique experience that demonstrates chemistry's broad applicability outside of the traditional laboratory. Students are guided to identify the inorganic and organic components of the exudate liquid: the first one is ascribable to clay minerals iron oxides, which could impart the brown color to the sample; the second one is ascribed to triglycerides of various kinds, which probably comes from vegetable oil.

Identification of low-dose, low-molecular-weight, drug-like inhibitors of protein-protein interactions (PPIs) is a challenging area of research. Despite the challenges, the therapeutic potential of PPI inhibition has driven significant efforts toward this goal. Adding to recent success in this area, we describe herein our efforts to optimize a novel purine carboxylic acid-derived inhibitor of the HDM2-p53 PPI into a series of low-projected dose inhibitors with overall favorable pharmacokinetic and physical properties. Ultimately, a strategy focused on leveraging known binding hot spots coupled with biostructural information to guide the design of conformationally constrained analogs and a focus on efficiency metrics led to the discovery of MK-4688 (compound 56), a highly potent, selective, and low-molecular-weight inhibitor suitable for clinical investigation.

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Decades of technological advances in instrumental analysis have transformed many techniques from laboratory in portable analytical tools with increasing their applicability in situ to the study of cultural heritage. It is known that the painting realisation varies from artist to artist, and the identification of the pigments provides a decisive contribution to trace their authenticity and to support an appropriate restoration work. However, in some cases, due to the complexity of painting composition, it is difficult to distinguish between pigments having a similar chemical composition and colour. Here, a systematic study through combined use of portable non-invasive spectroscopic techniques such as Raman, Total Reflectance FT-IR spectroscopy, Fiber Optical Reflectance spectroscopy and X-Ray Fluorescence was carried out on two yellow pigments, the Naples Yellow (Pb2Sb2O7) and the Giallorino (Pb2SnO4 or PbSnO3 or PbSn1-xSixO3), which sometimes are difficult to distinguish. The results emphasize the techniques’ main advantages and drawbacks as well as their limits and the importance of their combination for the discrimination of such pigments.

Introduction Blood coagulation constituents might exert immunomodulatory functions in the CNS and may trigger neuroinflammation and demyelination. We evaluated whether particular single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), thought to be involved in fibrinogen-mediated hemostatic pathways, are overrepresented in patients with MS compared with controls. Methods The case–control study consisted of 119 MS patients recruited consecutively at our clinic, and 68 healthy controls. Afterwards, we created a cumulative genetic risk score (CGRS) which included the 5 selected hemostatic risk alleles (Beta-Fibrinogen 455G/A, Glycoprotein IIIa P1A2, Factor V Leiden, Factor V H2R, and Prothrombin 20210G/A). Multivariate ordinal logistic regression and multivariate multinomial logistic regression were applied to evaluate the effect of CGRS on MS susceptibility. Results The FGB 455 G/A and Factor V H1299R variants might be associated with MS status, in the recessive and dominant model, respectively. A cumulative association of the five SNPs investigated with the disease was observed. Discussion We found that MS patients carried more pro-hemostatic variants than healthy controls. An increasing number of unfavorable alleles might increase the likelihood of being in the MS group, in the cumulative analysis. Our findings encourage to evaluating these variants in a larger population-based cohort.

Purpose Depression is a common and serious medical illness, considered as a public health issue because it interferes with the interpersonal, social and professional functioning of the individual, and its frequency is constantly increasing. According to a recent review, approximately 34 per cent of nursing students had experienced depression worldwide. The university period may represent a moment in which the mental well-being of students is subjected to stress with a relative predisposition to the development of diseases related to mood disorders. The purpose of this study is to estimate the prevalence and examine the socio-demographic correlates of depressive symptomatology. Design/methodology/approach In April 2019, a questionnaire was administered to all the nursing students of University of Palermo of the three years of course, accompanied by informed consent. Multivariable logistic regression was performed. The statistical significance level chosen for all analyses was 0.05. The results were analyzed using the STATA statistical software version 14. Results are expressed as adjusted odds ratio (aOR) with 95 per cent confidence intervals. Findings The sample consists of 493 students who completed the questionnaire, and the average age of the sample participants is 21.88 years. The multivariable logistic regression model shows that the risk to have depressive symptomatology is significantly associated with the following independent variables: female gender (aOR 1.91), being single (aOR 1.87), second year of study (aOR 1.94), third year of study (aOR 1.92), not performing regular physical activity (aOR 1.78) and perceived low health status (aOR 3.08). Originality/value This study shows that belonging to the female gender, being further along in the years of study, having a chronic illness and perceiving a low state of health are all factors that can increase the risk of developing the symptoms of depression; rather, regular physical activity, friendship and romantic relationships can be considered factors protecting them from the risk of falling into depression that can undermine both the study and work performance. Certainly, it is important to analyze all the involved variables to improve the global health not only of the nursing students but of all the students.

The conservation of ancient paintings sited in humid environments is an actual challenge for restorers, because it needs the knowledge of the materials the paintings are made up and of their interaction with a peculiar surrounding environment; thus, tailored procedures and strategies aimed at restoring and preserving paintings are necessary. The Santa Margherita’s cave in Castellammare del Golfo (Trapani, Italy) is a natural cave, containing the remains of paintings, in a poor state of conservation, belonging to an ancient church dated back to the Middle Age. The present manuscript reports the monitoring of environmental conditions (i.e., temperature and humidity) in a full year as well as a study on the materials constituting the stone support and the paintings together with a survey of the microbial community. The findings allow us to define the causes which mainly involve the degradation of the paintings. In detail, the degradation of the east and the west wall occurred differently because of the exposure to the sea aerosol, which influenced the salt composition, also contributing to diversifying the bacterial community. Some specific actions to plan the conservation and restoration of paintings and to preserve the site are suggested.

Two Monterfortino helmets, recovered in the Mediterranean seabed, show unusual features with respect to the more common helmets of the same period and found in underwater environments. Hence, they were investigated by a multi-analytical approach, which allowed us to identify the compounds constituting the helmets and to make some considerations about their metallurgy, although all the metal was converted to degradation products. The helmets, originally made in bronze, have maintained their original shape because of copper sulphides formation. The observed differences in composition between the two helmets were attributed to the position modification, of one of them, into the seabed along centuries. For the first time, a microstructural investigation permits to reconstruct the history of the aging processes involved in the total oxidation of roman bronze helmet metal.

Introduction: The aim of the study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practices towards Sars-CoV-2 among nursing students of University of Palermo during the rapid rise period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: This is cross-sectional study. A survey was provided to all nursing students and consisted of two parts: demographics and Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) survey. A multivariate linear regression model was used and adjusted Odds Ratios (aOR) are presented. Results: 575 students were interviewed and their mean age was 22.3. The overall score indicates good knowledge (p=0.046) and good practices among the four courses of study (p=0.038). Multivariate linear regression showed that Attitude score (ẞ=-0.29; p=0.024) and Knowledge score (ẞ=0.10; p=0.026) adjusted for age, gender, year of study, perceived economic status, perceived health status were significantly associated with Practice score. Conclusion: Our results suggest that proper health education is useful for encouraging optimistic attitudes and maintaining safe practices among future category of nurses., Journal of Preventive Medicine and Hygiene, Vol. 62 No. 2 (2021): 2021622

Aims. Evaluation of (hc knowledge and behavioral risks relatcd lo sexually transmiltcd infections (STIs) among the student population of the degree course in nursing at the University of Palermo. Materials and Methods. An anonymous online a survey was provided to students that investigate to socio-demographic information. sexual habits and the level of knowledge of the STIs. Multivariable logistic regression was performed. considering it as a dependent variable "Do you permanently have unprotected sex (without a condom)? Yes", in order to evaluate the role of the variables of the questionnaire. Results are expressed as adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR). Results. The sample size consists of 405. The average age of the sample is 21.65 years (standard deviation±3.24). The analysis shows that the risk of having permanently unprotected sex (without condom) is significantly associatcd with the following variables: "Are you engaged or single? Engagcd" (aOR 3.24,95% CI 1.66 - 6.33); "Sexual orientation. Homosexual or Bisexual (aOR4.45, 95% CI 1.30-15.29); "Have you occasionally had unprotected sex (without a condom)? Yes" (aOR 5.09, 95% CI 2.69 - 9.62); "How would you define your knowledge of sexually transmitted discases? Good" (aOR 2.07, 95% CI 1.05 -4.08); "How would you define your knowledge about contraceptive methods? Good" (aOR 2.51, 95% CI 1.23 - 5.15); "Have you or have you ever had a sexually transmitted discase? Yes (aOR 4.43,95% CI 1.71 - 11.53); "Do you know that men can also undergo HPV vaccination? Yes" (aOR 2.57,95% CI 1.03 -6.40); "Age. As the unit inercase" (aOR 1.14,95% CI 1.02- 1.26). Conclusions. These results highlight the importance of involving university students in programs aimed at improving the knowledge in terms of STIs and inercase of Sexual and reproductive health. Further. because STIs prevention is based mainly on human behavior. tailored intervention is needed especially because behavior change remains a complex challenge.

Background: COVID-19 and the policies to contain it have been a social problem and public health emer-gency for people in Italy in 2020. The aim of the study is assessing the prevalence of depression symptoms among nursing students from the University of Palermo during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and methods: The study employed a cross-sectional study design. On April 2020, a survey was performed including all the nursing students of the University of Palermo. The survey was structured into two parts. The first part consisted in the collection of socio-demographic information, the second in the administration of the QIDS-SR16 questionnaire. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to elaborate the results and adjusted Odds Ratios are presented. Results: The sample consisted of 525 students (70.3% female). The probability to have a moderate/severe/very severe depressive symptomatology is significantly associated with the following variables: "Female gender" (aOR 1.96), "Low perceived economic status" (aOR 2.32), "Low perceived health status" (aOR 2.30) and "To be a smoker" (aOR 2.24). Conclusions: The global pandemic and the efforts to contain it represent a unique event and offer the oppor-tunity to advance our understanding of how to provide mental health care focused on online psychoeducation and psychotherapy programs for young students.

Hydrophobic treatment is one of the most important interventions usually carried out for the conservation of stone artefacts and monuments. The study here reported aims to answer a general question about how two polymers confer different protective performance. Two fluorinated-based polymer formulates applied on samples of Cusa’s stone confer a different level of water repellence and water vapour permeability. The observed protection action is here explained on the basis of chemico-physical interactions. The distribution of the polymer in the pore network was investigated using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray microscopy. The interactions between the stone substrate and the protective agents were investigated by means of solid state NMR spectroscopy. The ss-NMR findings reveal no significant changes in the chemical neighbourhood of the observed nuclei of each protective agent when applied onto the stone surface and provide information on the changes in the organization and dynamics of the studied systems, as well as on the mobility of polymer chains. This allowed us to explain the different macroscopic behaviours provided by each protective agent to the stone substrate.

Background: The restrictions taken to control the rapid spread of COVID-19 resulted in a sudden, unprecedented change in people’s lifestyle, leading to negative consequences on general health. This study aimed to estimate the impact of such changes on migraine severity during 2020 March–May lockdown. Methods: Patients affected by migraine with or without aura, diagnosed by expert physicians, completed a detailed interview comprehensive of: assessment of migraine characteristics, measure of physical activity (PA) levels, measure of the intake frequency of main Italian foods, the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) questionnaire investigating sleep disorders. Results: We included 261 patients with a mean age of 44.5 ± 12.3 years. During social distancing, 72 patients (28%) reported a headache worsening, 86 (33%) an improvement, and 103 (39%) a stable headache frequency. A significant decrease of the PA levels during COVID-19 quarantine in the whole study sample was observed (median total metabolic equivalent task (METs) decreased from 1170 to 510, p &lt, 0.001). Additionally, a significant difference was reported on median ISI scores (from 7 to 8, 0.001), which were increased in patients who presented a stable or worsening headache. Conclusions: Our study confirmed that the restrictions taken during the pandemic have affected the practice of PA levels and sleep quality in migraine. Hence, PA and sleep quality should be assessed to find strategies for an improvement in quality of life.

The Temple G of the Archaeological Park of Selinunte (Italy), the largest in Europe, is one of the most impressive temples in the Magna Grecia. Today, it is completely destroyed due to a strong earthquake occurred in the Middle Ages. The used stone is a calcarenite coming from the ancient and renowned quarries of Cusa near the acropolis. This work comes from the today’s proposal of Temple G anastylosis. The goal of the work is to provide the results relating the protective effectiveness of three polymer formulations, appropriately selected, on stone samples taken from the “Capitello” quarry, part of “Cusa quarries”. The formulations functionality was deployed by adding TiO2 nanoparticles to provide a self-cleaning property that was evaluated by methylene blue photo-degradation test. Water absorption by capillarity and water vapour permeability tests as well as colorimetric measurements, were performed according with UNI EN regulations to evaluate the performances of the protective treatments, also in presence of TiO2 nanoparticles. The effect of TiO2 nanoparticles on the polymer stability was investigated by Infrared Spectroscopy. The study highlighted the pros and consof the changes caused by the protective agents on the stone surface providing useful information for a conscious choice of products to be used for an efficacious conservation treatment of Cusa stone.

In February 2016, 47 ingots were found in the seabed of Contrada Bulala (Gela, CL, Italy) near the site where 40 ingots had previously been recovered. The ingots composition was determined to be a Cu - Zn alloy, dated by the archaeologist to the VI century B.C. This specific alloy was then known as Orichalcum. From an archaeological point of view, the first question raised about the new discovery was whether the ingots of the first and the second excavations belonged to the same shipwreck. Following the previous study, an elemental analysis was performed on the ingots from the second finding by using ICP-OS and ICP-MS techniques. The chemometric treatment of the analytical results obtained on both sets, i.e. ingots from first and second discovery, confirms their similarity. Therefore, the two findings can be considered to belong to the same naval load. The lead isotopic ratios were determined on selected/representative ingots to improve the knowledge about this treasure. Results can provide information about probable location of the lead sources, that could be very useful for the reconstruction of the ancient trade routes in the Mediterranean Sea.

Archaeological ceramics are considered one of the most important sources of both technological and chronological information. Here, the investigation of some archaeological underwater amphorae from the Egadi’s Battle, that decided the end of the First Punic War (241 B.C.), is reported. X-ray Diffraction (XRD), X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), petrography, and Thermoluminescence (TL) were used to determine the composition of the amphorae and to evaluate the compatibly of their age with the above Battle. Considering the historical importance of the act and the well-defined historical collocation these amphorae represent an interesting archaeometric case study.

In this work, three different functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) were synthesized through the co-condensation synthesis in oil/water emulsion. Hexadecyltrimethoxysilane, triethoxy-3-(2-imidazolin-1-yl)propylsilane and (3-mercaptopropyl)triethoxysilane were used as organo-substituted silica precursors with variable molar ratio with respect to tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS, 1:4, 1:9, 1:19). The occurred functionalization was investigated by Infrared Spectroscopy and FT-Raman and 29Si {1H} CP-MAS-NMR spectroscopy. Results show that the three materials were successfully functionalized. The influence of the different pendant groups and their concentration on the mesostructured pore organization of the obtained nanoparticles respect to the non-functionalized mesoporous silica was evaluated by means of Transmission Electron Microscopy and N2 sorption measurements. Bulky aliphatic C16 chains, especially in higher concentration, causes severe changes in mesoporous structure, leading to a more heterogeneous material. The imidazoline groups, instead, change the mesostructured morphology of the pores to an irregular but more interconnected one, while the presence of mercaptopropyl groups does not bring significant modifications. The different structural modifications in pore morphology observed between the samples is due to the different interactions between derivatized silica precursors and the components of the emulsion.