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Objective: Li-Fraumeni Syndrome (LFS) is a rare autosomal-dominant syndrome caused by a heterozygous germline mutation of the TP53 gene. It is characterized by early-onset malignancies and high penetrance. Non-bacterial thrombotic endocarditis (NBTE) is an uncommon condition for which cancer is a significant risk factor. Here we present a complex case of LFS unveiled by a NBTE-related ischemic stroke. Case presentation: A 41-year-old woman was admitted following a syncopal episode, preceded by a history of ischemic stroke. She had a notable family history of cancers. Imaging studies revealed ischemic damage and hemorrhagic infarcts, indicating a possible embolic origin or neoplastic involvement. Subsequent examinations revealed a NBTE on the aortic valve as well as multiple primary malignancies including high-grade invasive ductal carcinoma in the breast and primary lung adenocarcinoma. Genetic testing confirmed the presence of a pathogenic variant in TP53. Conclusion: This case underscores the intricate interplay between LFS, oncological manifestations, and thrombotic complications leading to ischemic stroke through NBTE embolization.

At the core of facade design is the concept of interdisciplinarity, a bridge between concept and materialization apt to relay a built form effectively responding to a wide and diverse spectrum of parameters and aspirations. This paper presents a case study where a facade design approach has been successfully applied to the design and development of a highly complex artwork constituted of structural glass elements. C-010106 by Sarah Oppenheimer—commissioned by the University of Texas’ public art program, Landmarks—is comprised of two structural glass systems acting like periscopes to generate novel views and perspectives from both above and below the footbridge where it is installed.

s Kyrgyzstan undergoes significant demographic transitions, with an increasing aging population, the intersection of healthy aging and cardiovascular health emerges as a critical aspect of public health. We explore the relationship of healthy aging and cardiovascular health, underlining both the opportunities and challenges inherent in this demographic shift. Applying the World Health Organization's concept of "intrinsic capacity" and the "Integrated Care for Older People" (ICOPE) approach, we suggest strategies for addressing these crucial public health issues.

Abstract Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) of the breast is an extremely rare salivary gland‐type tumor characterized by epidermoid, basaloid, intermediate, and/or mucinous cells arranged in solid and cystic patterns. Despite their triple‐negative phenotype, breast MECs are generally considered low‐risk malignancies but their biology is largely unexplored; therefore, guidelines for clinical management are lacking. Here, we sought to characterize the molecular landscape of breast MECs. Thirteen cases were histologically reviewed, characterized for tumor‐infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), and were subjected to immunohistochemistry for programmed death‐ligand 1 (PD‐L1, clone 22C3), EGFR, and amphiregulin (AREG). Rearrangements in MAML2 and EWSR1 were investigated by fluorescent in situ hybridization. Targeted next‐generation sequencing of 161 genes was performed on eight cases. Most MECs had low histological grade (n = 10, 77%), with the presence of TILs (n = 9/12; 75%) and PD‐L1 combined positive score ranging from 10 to 20 (n = 4/6; 67%). All cases showed EGFR and AREG overexpression and were fusion negative. Enrichment of genetic alterations was observed in PI3K/AKT/mTOR and cell cycle regulation pathways, while only one case harbored TP53 mutations. This is the first study providing extensive molecular data on breast MECs and the largest collection of cases available to date in the literature. Breast MECs lack TP53 mutations found in high‐grade forms of triple‐negative breast cancers and MAML2 or EWSR1 rearrangements pathognomonic of salivary MECs. Triple‐negativity and PD‐L1 positivity suggest a window of opportunity for immunotherapy in these patients. The EGFR/AREG axis activation, coupled with the mutational patterns in PI3K/AKT/mTOR and cell cycle pathways warrants caution in considering MECs as low‐risk neoplasms.

Vaccines prevent a significant number of deaths annually. However, certain populations do not respond adequately to vaccination due to impaired immune systems. Cirrhosis, a condition marked by a profound disruption of immunity, impairs the normal immunization process. Critical vaccines for cirrhotic patients, such as the hepatitis A virus (HAV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), influenza, pneumococcal, and coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19), often elicit suboptimal responses in these individuals. The humoral response, essential for immunization, is less effective in cirrhosis due to a decline in B memory cells and an increase in plasma blasts, which interfere with the creation of a long-lasting response to antigen vaccination. Additionally, some T cell subtypes exhibit reduced activation in cirrhosis. Nonetheless, the persistence of memory T cell activity, while not preventing infections, may help to attenuate the severity of diseases in these patients. Alongside that, the impairment of innate immunity, particularly in dendritic cells (DCs), prevents the normal priming of adaptive immunity, interrupting the immunization process at its onset. Furthermore, cirrhosis disrupts the gut–liver axis balance, causing dysbiosis, reduced production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), increased intestinal permeability, and bacterial translocation. Undermining the physiological activity of the immune system, these alterations could impact the vaccine response. Enhancing the understanding of the molecular and cellular factors contributing to impaired vaccination responses in cirrhotic patients is crucial for improving vaccine efficacy in this population and developing better prevention strategies.

IntroductionShallow hydrothermal vents are considered natural laboratories to study the effects of acidification on biota, due to the consistent CO2 emissions with a consequent decrease in the local pH.MethodsHere the microbial communities of water and sediment samples from Levante Bay (Vulcano Island) with different pH and redox conditions were explored by Next Generation Sequencing techniques. The taxonomic structure was elucidated and compared with previous studies from the same area in the last decades.Results and discussionThe results revealed substantial shifts in the taxonomic structure of both bacterial and archaeal communities, with special relevance in the sediment samples, where the effects of external parameters probably act for a long time. The study demonstrates that microbial communities could be used as indicators of acidification processes, by shaping the entire biogeochemical balance of the ecosystem in response to stress factors. The study contributes to understanding how much these communities can tell us about future changes in marine ecosystems.

The occurrence, relative abundance and bathymetric distribution of the deep Mediterranean heterobranch fauna were evaluated as a result of an extensive visual census down to 1825 m depth, carried out along the western Italian coasts, covering a latitudinal range of about 600 nautical miles. Observations were conducted using Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) in 551 sites, focusing on the deepest part of the continental shelf, the shelf edge and the upper bathyal zone. The analysis of over 508 hours of video footage and more than 27,000 high-resolution photographs allowed to explore about 594,000 m2 of rocky outcrops and nearby soft seafloors in four main coastal areas (Ligurian Sea, north-central Tyrrhenian Sea, southern Tyrrhenian Sea, and Sicily Channel) and twelve offshore seamounts. Thirty-six species of heterobranchs, for a total of 559 records, were identified. Sixteen were only sporadically spotted (

High-definition bathymetry mapping, combined with the measurement of dissolved benthic fluxes and water column biogeochemical properties, allows for a description of new biogeochemical processes around the Panarea Volcanic island. Investigations focused on the CO2 releases from the bottom sea on the east of the Panarea volcanic complex provided insights into the geological setup of the marine area east and south of the Panarea Island. Between the Panarea Island and the Basiluzzo Islet lies a SW-NE-stretching graben structure where a central depression, the Smoking Land Valley, is bounded by extensional faults. Abundant acidic fluids rich in dissolved inorganic Carbon are released on the edges of the graben, along the extensional faults, either diffusely from the seafloor, from hydrothermal chimneys, or at the center of craters of different sizes. The precipitation of iron dissolved in the acidic fluids forms Fe-oxyhydroxides bottom sea crusts that act as a plug, thus preventing the release of the underlying gases until their mounting pressure generates a bursting release. This process is cyclic and results in intermittent gas release from the bottom, leaving extinct craters and quiescent chimneys. The measurement of dissolved benthic fluxes allowed us to estimate the volcanic DIC venting at 15 Mt of CO2 over the past 10,000 years. The fluxes are not distributed homogeneously but rather concentrate along fractures and fault planes, which facilitate their rise to the seafloor. The acidic fluids released affect the chemical properties and structure of the water column through the formation of layers with a lower pH under the pycnocline, which can limit volcanic CO2 release to the atmosphere. Further and continuous monitoring and investigation of the area are needed in order to complete a thorough picture of the variations in fluid releases through time and space. The importance of such monitoring lies in the development of a new method for detecting and quantifying the diffusive dissolved benthic fluxes on a volcanic sea bottom affected by hydrothermal seeps.

The emission reductions mandated by International Maritime Regulations present an opportunity to implement full electric and hybrid vessels using large-scale battery energy storage systems (BESSs). lithium-ionion batteries (LIB), due to their high power and specific energy, which allows for scalability and adaptability to large transportation systems, are currently the most widely used electrochemical storage system. Hence, BESSs are the focus of this review proposing a comprehensive discussion on the commercial LIB chemistries that are currently available for marine applications and their potential role in ship services. This work outlines key elements that are necessary for designing a BESS for ships, including an overview of the regulatory framework for large-scale onboard LIB installations. The basic technical information about system integration has been summarized from various research projects, white papers, and test cases mentioned in available studies. The aim is to provide state-of-the-art information about the installation of BESSs on ships, in accordance with the latest applicable rules for ships. The goal of this study is to facilitate and promote the widespread use of batteries in the marine industry.

Although alcohol is one of the most important etiologic agents in the development of chronic liver disease worldwide, also recognized as a promoter of carcinogenesis, several studies have shown a beneficial effect of moderate consumption in terms of reduced cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Whether this benefit is also present in patients with liver disease due to other causes (viral, metabolic, and others) is still debated. Although there is no clear evidence emerging from guidelines and scientific literature, total abstention from drinking is usually prescribed in clinical practice. In this review, we highlight the results of the most recent evidence on this controversial topic, in order to understand the effect of mild alcohol use in this category of individuals. The quantification of alcohol intake, the composition of the tested populations, and the discrepancy between different works in relation to the outcomes represent important limitations emerging from the scientific literature. In patients with NAFLD, a beneficial effect is demonstrated only in a few works. Even if there is limited evidence in patients affected by chronic viral hepatitis, a clear deleterious effect of drinking in determining disease progression in a dose-dependent manner emerges. Poor data are available about more uncommon pathologies such as hemochromatosis. Overall, based on available data, it is not possible to establish a safe threshold for alcohol intake in patients with liver disease.

Background Hydrothermal vents, cold seeps, pockmarks and seamounts are widely distributed on the ocean floor. Over the last fifty years, the knowledge about these volcanic-associated marine ecosystems has notably increased, yet available information is still limited, scattered, and unsuitable to support decision-making processes for the conservation and management of the marine environment. Methods Here we searched the Scopus database and the platform Web of Science to collect the scientific information available for these ecosystems in the Mediterranean Sea. The collected literature and the bio-geographic and population variables extracted are provided into a systematic map as an online tool that includes an updated database searchable through a user-friendly R-shiny app. Results The 433 literature items with almost one thousand observations provided evidence of more than 100 different volcanic-associated marine ecosystem sites, mostly distributed in the shallow waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Less than 30% of these sites are currently included in protected or regulated areas. The updated database available in the R-shiny app is a tool that could guide the implementation of more effective protection measures for volcanic-associated marine ecosystems in the Mediterranean Sea within existing management instruments under the EU Habitats Directive. Moreover, the information provided in this study could aid policymakers in defining the priorities for the future protection measures needed to achieve the targets of the UN Agenda 2030.

Current knowledge of the microbial diversity of shallow-water hydrothermal vents is still limited. Recent evidence suggests that these peculiar and heterogeneous systems might host highly diversified microbial assemblages with novel or poorly characterized lineages. In the present work, we used 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding to provide novel insights into the diversity of the bacterial and archaeal assemblages in seawater and sediments of three shallow-water hydrothermal systems of Panarea Island (Tyrrhenian Sea). The three areas were characterized by hot, cold, or intermediate temperatures and related venting activities. Microbial biodiversity in seawater largely differed from the benthic one, both in α-diversity (i.e., richness of amplicon sequence variants—ASVs) and in prokaryotic assemblage composition. Furthermore, at the class level, the pelagic prokaryotic assemblages were very similar among sites, whereas the benthic microbial assemblages differed markedly, reflecting the distinct features of the hydrothermal activities at the three sites we investigated. Our results show that ongoing high-temperature emissions can influence prokaryotic α-diversity at the seafloor, increasing turnover (β-)diversity, and that the intermediate-temperature-venting spot that experienced a violent gas explosion 20 years ago now displays the highest benthic prokaryotic diversity. Overall, our results suggest that hydrothermal vent dynamics around Panarea Island can contribute to an increase in the local heterogeneity of physical–chemical conditions, especially at the seafloor, in turn boosting the overall microbial (γ-)diversity of this peculiar hydrothermal system.

New sources of clean water are currently being researched and implemented, to face global water shortage. Techniques such as desalination or cloud seeding can have a high yield but present problems such as excessive energy consumption or consistent environmental impacts. Fog harvesting stands out for being considerably simpler and inexpensive compared to the previous. In the last decades researchers have developed detailed studies and numerical models, supported by a number of successful examples located mainly in arid or seasonally arid climates. This study surveys existing methods to collect water from fog, such as drop coalescence on vertically placed meshes, chemical absorption and desorption and radiative condensers. Yields from different collectors are compared and some considerations on influencing climatic factors are discussed, suggesting that radiative systems may be applied on building envelopes as collection devices. A follow-up paper will present experimental results on applying radiative collection systems in buildings.

Management of marine fisheries and ecosystems is constrained by knowledge based on datasets with limited temporal coverage. Many populations and ecosystems were perturbed long before scientific investigations began. This situation is particularly acute for the largest and commercially most valuable species. We hypothesized that historical trap fishery records for bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus Linnaeus, 1758) could contain catch data and information for other, bycatch species, such as swordfish (Xiphias gladius Linnaeus, 1758). This species has a long history of exploitation and is presently overexploited, yet indicators of its status (biomass) used in fishery management only start in 1950. Here we examine historical fishery records and logbooks from some of these traps and recovered ca. 110 years of bycatch data (1896–2010). These previously neglected, but now recovered, data include catch dates and amounts in numbers and/or weights (including individual weights) for the time period before and after major expansion of swordfish fisheries in the Mediterranean Sea. New historical datasets such as these could help understand how human activities and natural variability interact to affect the long-term dynamics of this species. The datasets are online and available with open access via three DOIs, as described in the “Data availability” section of the article.

The health emergency due to the spread of COVID-19 has required a methodological and technological adaptation to the entire world of teaching and researching, in order to define in a brief time new methods for designing and teaching. In consideration of this, Campus Asia1 decided to organize one of the key events of its educational offer in a distance learning form, an international winter school with overn eighty participants and five international guest universities. Together with Kyushu University (China), Tongji University (Japan) and Pusan National University (South Korea), the edition held between 15 and 26 February 2021 saw the participation of two European partner universities, the Università degli Studi di Palermo2 and the Vienna University of Technology (Austria)

The present social and environmental challenges, the impact of climate change and the pandemic, revealed the urgency and the opportunity to rethink urban design through its renewed spaces and temporalities. The pandemic offered a ‘natural experiment’ to explore and develop new perspectives, making public spaces more resilient. Contributing towards a rethink of these spaces, the present paper explores adaptive architecture with responsive technologies and their capability of shaping public spaces to constitute a conversation piece with the surrounding environment. This approach combines and reflects different disciplinary fields: architecture, civic interaction and urban design. The exploration works around a speculative design case – produced as part of broader research at the Amsterdam University of Applied Science in collaboration with the Master in Digital Design.

The precious coral Corallium rubrum (Linnaeus, 1758) is a charismatic Mediterranean species. A recent large-scale investigation along the Italian coast highlighted its widespread occurrence at mesophotic and upper bathyal depths, especially on coralligenous and bathyal vertical hardgrounds. The lack of morphometric data limited the considerations on the structure and health status of the populations, fundamental to identify the most vulnerable sites and the correct management actions. For this reason, a ROV dataset, consisting of 624 dives carried out between 40 m and 1825 m in the Ligurian Sea, Tyrrhenian Sea, and Sicily Channel, was analysed to extrapolate quantitative data to describe the populations. Ten random frames were obtained from each of the 170 sites hosting red coral. Density, height, and entanglement were evaluated for about 15700 colonies counted in the frames. The densest populations were mainly found between 40 m and 80 m, with a clear latitudinal density decrease. The mesophotic populations were characterized by both scattered and densely aggregated colonies, while the bathyal ones were dominated by sparse colonies. This study identified 17 major coral areas based on the geographic proximity of the sites hosting red coral and their topographic and oceanographic affinity. The size-frequency distribution of the heights was skewed towards the smaller classes in almost all populations, with a modal class between 2 cm and 4 cm. This study depicted a stress situation of the populations throughout the entire study area, which could be correlated also to the long-term harvesting pressure carried out in the basins. Two additional sources of direct mortality were pointed out in this study. Entanglement to artisanal and recreational fishing gear interested about 18% of the recorded colonies, mainly at mesophotic depths. Almost all populations suffered from mechanical entanglement, with the highest percentages in the Ligurian Sea and Sicilian areas. This study also highlighted a massive occurrence of recent deep mortality events, mainly along the eastern and southern coast of Sardinia and in the Campanian Archipelago. Thirty sites with extensive patches of dead colonies still in place were reported from 70 m to around 200 m, but their formation remains unclear.

SUMMARY: Background: This retrospective study aimed to assess whether the use of natural foods, also in combination with enteral nutrition, improves rehabilitative recovery in patients severe acquired brain injuries. Methods: 40 severe acquired brain injuries patients (75% males, aged 50.2 ± 16.6) were selected. The study population was divided into three groups based on the type of nutrition administered (enteral, oral, and mixed). Mini Nutritional Assessment and Level of Cognitive Functioning scales were used to assess changes from admission to discharge in each group. Multiple logistic regression model was performed to assess the association between the feeding typology and nutritional recovery. Results: At admission, about 97.5% of patients were malnourished. We found significant score changes from baseline to follow-up for both test used and in each subgroup, except for the subgroup that includes patients fed with enteral nutrition. There were significant differences in biochemical indicators, including levels of albumin (p

The purpose of this commentary is to investigate the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying hypersexuality and its manifestation in neurological diseases through a meta-analysis. Studies were identified by searching on PubMed, Web of Science and Cochrane databases. All results of each database between 2014 and 2020 were evaluated for possible inclusion. After an accurate revision of complete manuscripts, forty articles satisfied the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Data from our meta-analysis indicated hypersexuality to be a frequent sexual disorder in patients with neurological disorders, especially neurodegenerative ones. Hypersexuality could negatively affect a patient’s management and outcomes. This commentary discusses studies that are often incomplete for evaluation measures or sample selection. In our opinion, it is necessary to consider hypersexuality with particular attention, so more extensive sample studies are needed to find the most appropriate treatment to improve the quality of life for both the patient and the caregiver.