Explore the vast range of titles available.

In this paper, we use a Delphi approach to investigate whether, and to what extent, blockchain-based applications might affect firms’ organizations, innovations, and strategies by 2030, and, consequently, which societal areas may be mainly affected. We provide a deep understanding of how the adoption of this technology could lead to changes in Europe over multiple dimensions, ranging from business to culture and society, policy and regulation, economy, and technology. From the projections that reached a significant consensus and were given a high probability of occurrence by the experts, we derive four scenarios built around two main dimensions: the digitization of assets and the change in business models.

Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) clinical manifestations include the involvement of the gastrointestinal tract, affecting around 10% of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-infected children. In the present work, the consequence of a short time of viral absorption (5, 15, 30 and 60 min) was tested on the Caco-2 intestinal epithelial cell line. Our findings show that Caco-2 cells are highly permissive to SARS-CoV-2 infection, even after 5 min of viral inoculation at a multiplicity of infection of 0.1. No cytopathic effect was evident during the subsequent 7 days of monitoring; nevertheless, the immunofluorescence staining for the viral nucleocapsid confirmed the presence of intracellular SARS-CoV-2. Our findings highlight the very short time during which SARS-CoV-2 is able to infect these cells in vitro.

Curcumin, the bioactive compound of the spice , has already been reported as a potential COVID-19 adjuvant treatment due to its immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties. In this study, SARS-CoV-2 was challenged with curcumin; moreover, curcumin was also coupled with laser light at 445 nm in a photodynamic therapy approach. Curcumin at a concentration of 10 μM, delivered to the virus prior to inoculation on cell culture, inhibited SARS-CoV-2 replication (reduction >99%) in Vero E6 cells, possibly due to disruption of the virion structure, as observed using the RNase protection assay. However, curcumin was not effective as a prophylactic treatment on already-infected Vero E6 cells. Notably, when curcumin was employed as a photosensitizer and blue laser light at 445 nm was delivered to a mix of curcumin/virus prior to the inoculation on the cells, virus inactivation was observed (>99%) using doses of curcumin that were not antiviral by themselves. Photodynamic therapy employing crude curcumin can be suggested as an antiviral option against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The process of aging population will inevitably increase age-related comorbidities including chronic kidney disease (CKD). In light of this demographic transition, the lack of an age-adjusted CKD classification may enormously increase the number of new diagnoses of CKD in old subjects with an indolent decline in kidney function. Overdiagnosis of CKD will inevitably lead to important clinical consequences and pronounced negative effects on the health-related quality of life of these patients. Based on these data, an appropriate workup for the diagnosis of CKD is critical in reducing the burden of CKD worldwide. Optimal management of CKD should be based on prevention and reduction of risk factors associated with kidney injury. Once the diagnosis of CKD has been made, an appropriate staging of kidney disease and timely prescriptions of promising nephroprotective drugs (e.g., RAAS, SGLT-2 inhibitors, finerenone) appear crucial to slow down the progression toward end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). The management of elderly, comorbid and frail patients also opens new questions on the appropriate renal replacement therapy for this subset of the population. The non-dialytic management of CKD in old subjects with short life expectancy features as a valid option in patient-centered care programs. Considering the multiple implications of CKD for global public health, this review examines the prevalence, diagnosis and principles of treatment of kidney disease in the aging population.

The theme of microplastics (MP) emissions is one of the focuses of possible environmental concerns when using geosynthetic products in the civil engineering applications. For the construction of a new aircraft parking apron at the Ostend airport in Belgium, a relevant amount of gravel has been substituted with an appropriate woven geotextile for stabilizing the ground. The initial consideration for this decision was essentially due to the important economic and ecological advantages in terms of material savings, time needed for their installation and the overall construction costs. This paper reports the successive analyses showing a very relevant saving in CO 2 emissions (more than 77%), which would justify by itself the solution with geosynthetics, if compared with the use of gravel. The specificity and precision of the data available allowed the calculation of a dramatic saving (more than 97%) also in terms of MP emissions, due to the spare of trucks for the transport of materials, preventing also the MP formation connected to the truck’s tires wearing.

SARS-CoV-2 is a devastating virus that induces a range of immunopathological mechanisms including cytokine storm, apoptosis, inflammation and complement and coagulation pathway hyperactivation. However, how the infection impacts pregnant mothers is still being worked out due to evidence of vertical transmission of the SARS-CoV-2, and higher incidence of pre-eclampsia, preterm birth, caesarian section, and fetal mortality. In this study, we assessed the levels of the three main receptors of SARS-CoV-2 (ACE2, TMPRSS2 and CD147) in placentae derived from SARS-CoV-2 positive and negative mothers. Moreover, we measured the effects of Spike protein on placental cell lines, in addition to their susceptibility to infection. SARS-CoV-2 negative placentae showed elevated levels of CD147 and considerably low amount of TMPRSS2, making them non-permissive to infection. SARS-CoV-2 presence upregulated TMPRSS2 expression in syncytiotrophoblast and cytotrophoblast cells, thereby rendering them amenable to infection. The non-permissiveness of placental cells can be due to their less fusogenicity due to infection. We also found that Spike protein was capable of inducing pro-inflammatory cytokine production, syncytiotrophoblast apoptosis and increased vascular permeability. These events can elicit pre-eclampsia-like syndrome that marks a high percentage of pregnancies when mothers are infected with SARS-CoV-2. Our study raises important points relevant to SARS-CoV-2 mediated adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has significantly improved life expectancy of infected subjects, generating a new epidemiological setting of people aging withHuman Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). People living with HIV (PLWH), having longer life expectancy, now face several age-related conditions as well as side effects of long-term exposure of ART. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common comorbidity in this population. CKD is a relentlessly progressive disease that may evolve toward end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and significantly affect quality of life and risk of death. Herein, we review current understanding of renal involvement in PLWH, mechanisms and risk factors for CKD as well as strategies for early recognition of renal dysfunction and best care of CKD.

The spontaneous formation of RNA polymers is a fundamental yet challenging step for the origin of life. Here we show that 2′,3′-cyclic nucleotides of all four nucleobases efficiently polymerize without external activators when subjected to wet–dry cycling at room temperature in a mild alkaline pH range. We found conditions where oligomerization yields (Y) are enhanced by wet–dry cycling, reaching Y ≈ 70% for guanosine and Y ≥ 20% for other nucleobases. Microscopy monitoring during the drying process indicates that guanosine’s higher reactivity stems from its self-assembly propensity at pH ≤ 10. At pH 11, guanosine ordering is disfavored, leading to a nearly stoichiometrically balanced polymerization of the four nucleotides with Y = 36%. Only water is added at each cycle, mimicking humid nights and dry days on early Earth. This leads to a broad distribution of A, U, G, and C mixed sequence oligomers, up to 6% of 4-mer and 0.1% of 10-mer, paving the way for RNA replication and evolution through subsequent templated ligation under the same pH. The combination of simple boundary conditions and a pathway toward RNA evolution makes this process a compelling model for the prebiotic origin of RNA on early Earth.

The role of complement in the long-term renal survival of patients with lupus nephritis (LN) remains poorly understood. Recent studies suggest its potential impact; however, long-term data are lacking. This multicenter, observational, retrospective study aimed at investigating the influence of complement levels on long-term renal outcomes in LN patients. We evaluated whether isolated C3 hypocomplementemia (i-LowC3), defined as serum low C3 (≤80 mg/dL) and normal C4 (>10 mg/dL) six months after kidney biopsy is associated with subsequent risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD), End Stage Kidney Disease (ESKD) or death. 445 patients with LN were studied (median follow-up 4.9 years). Based on six-month C3/C4 levels, patients were categorized into i-LowC3 (91 patients) and controls (354 patients). Over the first six months, serum C3 and C4 levels increased by a median of 20 mg/dL and 5 mg/dL, respectively. i-LowC3 was significantly associated with twice the risk of a poor outcome, including CKD, ESKD, composite outcome of CKD or death and ESKD or death, with lower survival rates for all these outcomes compared to controls (P < 0.001). Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed a lower risk of CKD and CKD or death with increases in C3 levels during the first six months, while i-LowC3 was associated with an independent higher risk for these outcomes. The trajectory of serum C3 levels within the first six months appears to predict long-term renal prognosis of LN patients. These findings support the use of i-LowC3 as a low-cost, readily available biomarker to guide early treatment of LN patients.

Background Pirfenidone is an orally active drug used for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis to slow loss of lung function; it acts mainly through an antifibrotic effect but also possesses antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. We assessed the effect of prophylactic administration of pirfenidone on acute kidney injury due to bilateral renal ischemia. Methods Eighteen rats were included and divided in: 1) sham-operated rats (S), 2) rats underwent bilateral renal ischemia for 20 min (I/R), and 3) rats treated with pirfenidone 700 mg/kg/day 24 h before surgery and subjected to bilateral renal ischemia for 20 min (I/R + PFN). All the rats were euthanized and studied 24 h after renal reperfusion. Results As was expected, the I/R group exhibited a significant reduction in creatinine clearance, urinary output and renal blood flow, as well as extensive tubular injury. These alterations were associated with a significant decrease in urinary excretion of nitrites and nitrates (UNO 2 /NO 3 V). In the I/R + PFN group, recovery of renal function and UNO 2 /NO 3 V was observed, together with lesser histological signs of tubular injury compared to the I/R group. Conclusions This study shows that prophylactic administration of pirfenidone prevented acute kidney injury due to bilateral ischemia in the rat. Recovery of NO production appears to be one of the mechanism of pirfenidone renoprotective effect. Our findings suggest that pirfenidone is a promising drug to reduce renal injury induced by I/R.