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Objective. In the last decades, the number of foreigners in Tuscany has considerably increased with a multiethnic distribution. We reviewed the main rheumatic diseases in the foreign population resident in Tuscany and also reported the experience at the Rheumatology Division of the University Hospital of Careggi, Florence, in order to identify the areas of origin of these patients and the main rheumatic diseases observed in them. Methods. The collaboration with the Tuscan Region provided data about foreign patients residing in Tuscany on January 1, 2021 (country of origin, chronic diseases). Moreover, we conducted a retrospective review of the clinical charts of our Rheumatologic Division from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2020. Results. In Tuscany, on January 1, 2021, there were 61,373 patients with chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases, and 3994 of them (6.51%) were foreigners. Most patients were born in Europe (39.03%), followed by the Balkans (15%), South America (11.27%), and North Africa (10.31%). Inflammatory joint diseases, Sjögren syndrome, and systemic lupus erythematosus were the most frequent diseases. In the period 2019-2020, 511 foreign patients visited our Rheumatology Division and mainly originated from the Balkans (34.64%), South America (18%), and European countries (16.44%). In these patients, chronic inflammatory joint diseases and connective tissue diseases (systemic sclerosis, Sjögren syndrome, and systemic lupus erythematosus) were the most prevalent diseases. Conclusions. This study provides a picture of the rheumatic diseases affecting foreign patients residing in Tuscany that are in agreement with the epidemiological data previously provided.

O artigo apresenta discussões sobre a origem, especificidades e finalidades das mini-histórias, documento pedagógico, que auxilia os professores a evidenciar e compreender as aprendizagens, no dia a dia escolar das crianças. Assim, o objetivo geral é investigar as práticas pedagógicas realizadas pelos professores, tendo a documentação pedagógica como suporte para dar visibilidade às aprendizagens realizadas pelas crianças. A partir das atividades das crianças em diálogo com autores, procurou-se analisar as observações, registros fotográficos e vídeo gravações. Os estudos estabeleceram diálogos com Fochi (2019), Vecchi (2013), Altimir (2010) e Galvani (2016). O debate sobre o papel da documentação pedagógica, em especial das mini-histórias, ultrapassa o mero registro das atividades para demonstrar as aprendizagens nas exposições escolares e nos álbuns enviados para as famílias, pois subsidia o planejamento do professor nas atividades prospectadas.

Over the past two decades, zoonotic sporotrichosis transmitted by naturally infected cats has become hyperendemic in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Sporothrix brasiliensis is the main agent involved. However, there are other forms of transmission of sporotrichosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate and associate the epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic data and the susceptibility of Sporothrix spp. to antifungal drugs in 43 non-zoonotic sporotrichosis cases. Forty-three clinical strains of Sporothrix were identified by partial sequencing of the calmodulin gene. An antifungal susceptibility test of amphotericin B, terbinafine, itraconazole, posaconazole and isavuconazole was performed according to the broth microdilution method. Most patients were male (55.8%). Regarding the source of infection, 21 patients (48.8%) reported trauma involving plants and/or contact with soil. Sporothrix brasiliensis was the predominant species (n = 39), followed by S. globosa (n = 3) and S. schenckii (n = 1). Sporothrix brasiliensis was associated with all the sources of infection, reinforcing previous data showing the presence of this species in environmental sources, as well as with all the clinical forms, including severe cases. One clinical strain of Sporothrix brasiliensis was classified as a non-wild-type strain for amphotericin B and another for itraconazole. S. schenckii was classified as non-WT for all the antifungals tested. In this context, it is important to emphasize that non-zoonotic sporotrichosis still occurs in the state of Rio de Janeiro, with S. brasiliensis as the main etiological agent, primarily associated with infections acquired after traumatic inoculation with plants and/or soil contact, followed by S. globosa and S. schenckii. In addition, non-WT strains were found, indicating the need to monitor the antifungal susceptibility profile of these species. It is crucial to investigate other natural sources of S. brasiliensis to better understand this fungal pathogen and its environment and host cycle.

The limited range of available flu treatments due to virus mutations and drug resistance have prompted the search for new therapies. RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) is a heterotrimeric complex of three subunits, i.e., polymerase acidic protein (PA) and polymerase basic proteins 1 and 2 (PB1 and PB2). It is widely recognized as one of the most promising anti-flu targets because of its critical role in influenza infection and high amino acid conservation. In particular, the disruption of RdRp complex assembly through protein–protein interaction (PPI) inhibition has emerged as a valuable strategy for discovering a new therapy. Our group previously identified the 3-cyano-4,6-diphenyl-pyridine core as a privileged scaffold for developing PA–PB1 PPI inhibitors. Encouraged by these findings, we synthesized a small library of pyridine and pyrimidine derivatives decorated with a thio-N-(m-tolyl)acetamide side chain (compounds 2a–n) or several amino acid groups (compounds 3a–n) at the C2 position. Interestingly, derivative 2d, characterized by a pyrimidine core and a phenyl and 4-chloro phenyl ring at the C4 and C6 positions, respectively, showed an IC50 value of 90.1 μM in PA–PB1 ELISA, an EC50 value of 2.8 μM in PRA, and a favorable cytotoxic profile, emerging as a significant breakthrough in the pursuit of new PPI inhibitors. A molecular modeling study was also completed as part of this project, allowing us to clarify the biological profile of these compounds.

Electromagnetic tethers of hundreds or thousands of meters have been proposed for maneuvring spacecraft in Low Earth Orbit, and in particular, for post-mission disposals. The debate on tether survivability to debris impact is still influencing further advances in the implementation of such technology because of the large area they expose to the debris environment; thin tape geometries have been proposed instead of round ones to increase the survivability to hypervelocity impacts. In this context, this paper introduces a new Ballistic Limit Equation (BLE) for thin tape tethers, derived from experimental results, numerical simulations, and literature data. The resulting equation is non-monotonic with respect to impact angle, presenting a minimum depending on the debris velocity and size; for high obliquities, the debris fragmentation triggered by shock waves propagating into the material reduces the damage. This feature allows to set a minimum particle diameter for risk assessment, excluding a significant part of the debris flux. The proposed BLE confirms the performance of thin tape tethers, with respect to round wires, due to their better ballistic response as well as their reduced cross-section at high-obliquity impacts.

During a research work about stress integration schemes for large-deformation finite element analysis many datasets are collected from both numerical and analytical models. The corresponding numerical data (stress and displacements) are computed by means of different finite element formulations including the well-established stress update schemes employed by the major commercial software packages. To this purpose a suitable finite element code, capable of easily switching the different methods, is implemented. Accordingly, the data computed for three stress integration tests allowing analytical solution in the case of linear material are presented. The comparison of all the predictions from the various methods allows the choice of the most accurate model in predicting displacement and related stress. In addition, the data may be reused as starting point in the development of new stress integration strategies, as a reference comparison to understand the behaviour of the standard methods.

Introduction: Charged Particle Therapy plays a key role in the treatment of deep-seated tumours, because of the advantageous energy deposition culminating in the Bragg peak. However, knowledge of the dose delivered in the entrance channel is limited by the lack of data on the beam and fragmentation of the target.Methods: The FOOT experiment has been designed to measure the cross sections of the nuclear fragmentation of projectile and target with two different detectors: an electronic setup for the identification of Z ≥ 3 fragments and a nuclear emulsion spectrometer for Z ≤ 3 fragments. In this paper, we analyze the data taken by exposing four nuclear emulsion spectrometers, with C and C2H4 targets, to 200 MeV/n and 400 MeV/n oxygen beams at GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung (Darmstadt, Germany), and we report the charge identification of produced fragments based on the controlled fading induced on nuclear emulsion films.Results: The goal of identifying fragments as heavy as lithium has been achieved.Discussion: The results will contribute to a better understanding of the nuclear fragmentation process in charged particle therapy and have implications for refining treatment planning in the presence of deep-seated tumors.

BackgroundChronic exposure to arsenic (As), a human toxicant and carcinogen, remains a global public health problem. Health risks persist after As exposure has ended, suggesting epigenetic dysregulation as a mechanistic link between exposure and health outcomes.ObjectivesWe investigated the association between total urinary As and locus-specific DNA methylation in the Strong Heart Study, a cohort of American Indian adults with low-to-moderate As exposure [total urinary As, mean (±SD) μg/g creatinine: 11.7 (10.6)].MethodsDNA methylation was measured in 2,325 participants using the Illumina MethylationEPIC array. We implemented linear models to test differentially methylated positions (DMPs) and the DMRcate method to identify regions (DMRs) and conducted gene ontology enrichment analysis. Models were adjusted for estimated cell type proportions, age, sex, body mass index, smoking, education, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and study center. Arsenic was measured in urine as the sum of inorganic and methylated species.ResultsIn adjusted models, methylation at 20 CpGs was associated with urinary As after false discovery rate (FDR) correction (FDR

Technetium-99 (half-life of 2.1 × 105 yrs, βmax = 0.29 MeV) is a hazardous radiological contaminant, which, in its predominant form of pertechnetate (TcO4–), is highly mobile in the environment. Most strategies for the removal of pertechnetate from the environment involve uptake and/or absorption of pertechnetate using resins, clays, cationic metal-organic frameworks and even thorium borate ceramic like materials. Alternative approaches have involved the reduction and subsequent sequestration of lower valent technetium species using iron, sulfides, or iron sulfides. Our lab has explored this strategy using the lacunary alpha-2 Wells–Dawson polyoxometalate (α2-[P2W17O61]10–) to both reduce and sequester lower valent technetium, and we have reported on the ligand features that stabilize the reduced species. In this work we investigate the potential of “plenary” Keggin POMs (XW12O40n–) (X = P, Si, Al, n = 3, 4, 5, respectively) to both reduce TcO4– and stabilize the reduced Tc species. Specifically, we report on the mechanism by which the reduction of technetium occurs and find that PW12, SiW12, and AlW12 promote the reduction of TcO4– to lower valent states. X-ray absorption spectroscopy was used to confirm a combination of TcIV {in the form of TcO2·2H2O and Tc2(µ-O)24+} and TcV, which is subsequently complexed into a POM defect as a TcV=O species.

Technetium-99 (half-life of 2.1 × 105 yrs, βmax = 0.29 MeV) is a hazardous radiological contaminant, which, in its predominant form of pertechnetate (TcO4–), is highly mobile in the environment. Most strategies for the removal of pertechnetate from the environment involve uptake and/or absorption of pertechnetate using resins, clays, cationic metal-organic frameworks and even thorium borate ceramic like materials. Alternative approaches have involved the reduction and subsequent sequestration of lower valent technetium species using iron, sulfides, or iron sulfides. Our lab has explored this strategy using the lacunary alpha-2 Wells–Dawson polyoxometalate (α2-[P2W17O61]10–) to both reduce and sequester lower valent technetium, and we have reported on the ligand features that stabilize the reduced species. In this work we investigate the potential of “plenary” Keggin POMs (XW12O40n–) (X = P, Si, Al, n = 3, 4, 5, respectively) to both reduce TcO4– and stabilize the reduced Tc species. Specifically, we report on the mechanism by which the reduction of technetium occurs and find that PW12, SiW12, and AlW12 promote the reduction of TcO4– to lower valent states. X-ray absorption spectroscopy was used to confirm a combination of TcIV {in the form of TcO2·2H2O and Tc2(µ-O)24+} and TcV, which is subsequently complexed into a POM defect as a TcV=O species.