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Introduction The authors wish to thank the discussers for their interesting comments that allow us to further improve the paper under discussion. The method proposed by the authors (Moraci et [...]

The knowledge of the internal stability of granular soils is a key factor in the design of granular or geotextile filters. To evaluate the internal stability of granular soils, different semi-empirical methods are generally used. Nevertheless, the results of these methods, on the same soil, can lead to different internal stability evaluations. In this paper, to evaluate the reliability of the semi-empirical methods available in literature, the internal stability of different granular soils, reconstituted by the authors and by other researchers, has been studied by means of theoretical and experimental approaches. In particular, the theoretical analysis of the internal stability was performed using the Simulfiltr method, developed recently by the authors, while the experimental evaluation of the internal stability was carried out by means of long-term filtration tests. The comparison of the internal stability analysis performed by means of semi-empirical, theoretical, and experimental methods showed that the semi-empirical methods are not always reliable. Therefore, on the base of these results, a new chart, in terms of minimum slope [S.sub.min] (%) of the grain-size distribution and of average value of finer percentage F, has been proposed to evaluate the internal stability of granular soils. Key words: grain-size distribution, internal stability, evaluation method, internal stability chart. La connaissance de la stabilite interne de sols granulaires est un facteur cle dans la conception de filtres granulaires ou de geotextile. Afin d'evaluer la stabilite interne de sols granulaires, differentes methodes semi-empiriques sont generalement utilisees. Neanmoins, les resultats de ces methodes sur un meme sol peuvent generer des evaluations de la stabilite interne differentes. Pour evaluer la fiabilite des methodes semi-empiriques disponibles dans la litterature, cet article presente une etude avec des approches theoriques et experimentales de la stabilite interne de differents sols granulaires, reconstitues par les auteurs et par d'autres chercheurs. Plus particulierement, l'analyse theorique de la stabilite interne a ete realisee a l'aide de la methode Simulfiltr, developpee recemment par les auteurs, tandis que revaluation experimentale de la stabilite interne a ete realisee avec des essais de filtration de longue duree. La comparaison entre l'analyse de stabilite interne realisee par les methodes semiempirique, theorique et experimentale a demontre que les methodes semi-empiriques ne sont pas toujours fiables. Ainsi, selon les resultats obtenus, une nouvelle charte de la pente minimal [S.sub.min] (%) de la distribution granulometrique et de la valeur moyenne du pourcentage plus fin F a ete proposee afin d'evaluer la stabilite interne de sols granulaires. [Traduit par la Redaction] Mots-cles: distribution granulometrique, stabilite interne, methode devaluation, charte de stabilite interne., Introduction The knowledge of the internal stability of granular soils is a key factor in the design of granular or geotextile filters (Moraci and Mandaglio 2008; Moraci et al. 2010). [...]

Nowadays, data concerning the risk of autoimmune disease after SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) vaccination is controversial. The aim of this single centre prospective follow-up study was to evaluate whether healthcare workers (HCWs) vaccinated with BNT162b2 mRNA and mRNA-1273 will show a development and/or a persistence of autoantibodies, focussing on the detection of antibodies against nuclear antigens (antinuclear antibodies, ANA). We enrolled 155 HCWs, however only 108 of them received the third dose and were considered for further analysis. Blood samples were collected before vaccine inoculation (T0), at 3 (T1) and 12 months (T2) after the first dose. All samples were analysed for the presence of a) ANA using indirect Immunofluorescence [IIF] (dilutions of 1:80, 1:160. 1:320 and 1:640), and anti-smooth muscle antibodies (ASMA); b) anti-myeloperoxidase (anti-MPO), anti-proteinase 3 (anti-PR3) and anti-citrullinated peptide antibodies (aCCP) [FEIA]; c) anti-phospholipid antibodies (anticardiolipin [aCL], anti-beta-2- glycoprotein I [anti-ß-2GPI] (Chemiluminescence). Line-blot technology was performed using the following kit: EUROLINE ANA profile 3 plus DFS70 (IgG). Our research suggests that mRNA based anti-SARSCoV-2 vaccines can induce the production of de novo ANA in 22/77(28,57%) of subjects and that the percentage of positivity seems to be directly correlated to the number of vaccine expositions: 6/77 (7,79%) after 2 doses; 16/77 (20,78%) after 3 doses. Since it is known that hyperstimulation of the immune system could lead to autoimmunity, these preliminary results seem to further sustain the idea that the hyperstimulation of the immune system might lead to an autoinflammatory mechanism and eventually to autoimmune disorders. However, the link between SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and the development of autoimmune diseases needs to be further investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A response from the authors of the article "Analysis of the internal stability of granular soils using different methods" which appeared in the 2015 issue 52(3) issue of the journal is presented.

Diagnosis of autoimmune diseases is in most cases challenging for clinicians as there is not a single specific laboratory or histological marker to diagnose or exclude the presence of the conditions. This review focused on the current knowledge of the role of autoantibodies' testing in various diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, antiphospholipid syndrome, undifferentiated connective tissues disease, primary biliary cholangitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis. Similarly, the prognostic and diagnostic values of autoantibodies testing in patients with interstitial lung disease have been reviewed. In-depth research on the molecular action of these autoantibodies on immune regulation and diseases pathogenesis has been explored beyond their correlation with disease phenotypes, highlighting the impact of autoantibodies targeting on disease outcomes and etiopathogenesis., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Schizophrenia is a disabling mental disorder that is associated with impairments in both social and occupational functioning. Few studies, however, have explored functional domains of disability and its associations with age, sex, and length of care. As part of a hospital quality improvement initiative, data were collected on outpatients' age, sex, length of care, and levels of disability (using the WHODAS 2.0; N=180; M=45.72; 68% male). Mean disability summary and domain scores were compared with population norms from international samples and two published studies in schizophrenia. A series of three-way ANOVAs and post-hoc tests evaluated differences in levels of disability based on age, sex, and length of care categories. Sample mean summary scores were comparable to published studies in schizophrenia (M=24.81; SD=17.37; 85 th percentile). Statistically significant main effects of sex and age on summary and domain-specific scores were found, whereas length of care was not significant. A statistically significant three-way interaction of sex x length of care x age was found for summary and mobility scores. Findings provide support for the reliability and validity of the WHODAS 2.0 in outpatients with schizophrenia. Although causal inferences cannot be made, findings show that age and sex are important factors to consider in addressing disability., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Impaired fasting glucose and type 2 diabetes represent adverse events in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) treated with the second generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor nilotinib. An unweighted genetic risk score (uGRS) for the prediction of insulin resistance, consisting of 10 multiple single-nucleotide polymorphisms, has been proposed. We evaluated uGRS predictivity in 61 CML patients treated with nilotinib. Patients were genotyped for IRS1, GRB14, ARL15, PPARG, PEPD, ANKRD55/MAP3K1, PDGFC, LYPLAL1, RSPO3, and FAM13A1 genes. The uGRS was based on the sum of the risk alleles within the set of selected single-nucleotide polymorphisms. Molecular response (MR) 3.0 and MR 4.0 were achieved in 90% and 79% of patients, respectively. Before treatment, none of the patients had abnormal blood glucose. During treatment and subsequent follow-up at 80.2 months (range: 1-298), seven patients (11.5%) had developed diabetes that required oral treatment, a median of 14 months (range: 3-98) after starting nilotinib treatment. Twelve patients (19.7%) had developed prediabetes. Prediabetes/diabetes-free survival was significantly higher in patients with a uGRS <10 than in those with higher scores (100% vs. 22.8 ± 12.4%, p <0.001). Each increment of one unit in the uGRS caused a 42% increase in the prediabetes/diabetes risk (hazard ratio = 1.42, confidence interval: 1.04-1.94, p = 0.026). The presence of more than 10 allelic variants associated with insulin secretion, processing, sensitivity, and clearance is predictive of prediabetes/diabetes development in CML patients treated with nilotinib. In clinical practice, uGRS could help tailor the best tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy., (Copyright © 2017 ISEH – Society for Hematology and Stem Cells. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Mature dendritic cells (DCs) are established as unrivaled antigen-presenting cells (APCs) in the initiation of immune responses, whereas steady-state DCs induce peripheral T cell tolerance. Using various genetic approaches, we depleted CD11c(+) DCs in mice and induced autoimmune CNS inflammation. Unexpectedly, mice lacking DCs developed aggravated disease compared to control mice. Furthermore, when we engineered DCs to present a CNS-associated autoantigen in an induced manner, we found robust tolerance that prevented disease, which coincided with an upregulation of the PD-1 receptor on antigen-specific T cells. Additionally, we showed that PD-1 was necessary for DC-mediated induction of regulatory T cells. Our results show that a reduction of DCs interferes with tolerance, resulting in a stronger inflammatory response, and that other APC populations could compensate for the loss of immunogenic APC function in DC-depleted mice., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

IL-17-producing CD4(+) T cells (Th17) have been classified as a new T helper cell subset. Using an IL-17 fate mapping mouse strain, which genetically fixes the memory of IL-17 expression, we demonstrate that IL-17A/F-expressing T helper cells generated either in vitro or in vivo are not a stable T-cell subset. Upon adoptive transfer of IL-17F-reporter-positive Th17 cells to RAG-deficient or WT animals, encephalitogenic Th17 cells partially lose IL-17 expression and upregulate IFN-γ. Additionally, we show that Th1 cells can convert in vivo to IL-17A/IFN-γ-coexpressing cells in the mesenteric lymph nodes (mLN). Our data classify IL-17A and IL-17F as cytokines produced transiently in response to the local microenvironment, thus showing that IL-17 expression does not define an end-stage T helper cell subset.