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A bstract In light of the improved sensitivities of cosmological observations, we examine the status of quasi-degenerate neutrino mass scenarios. Within the simplest extension of the standard cosmological model with massive neutrinos, we find that quasi-degenerate neutrinos are severely constrained by present cosmological data and neutrino oscillation experiments. We find that Planck 2018 observations of cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropies disfavour quasi-degenerate neutrino masses at 2 . 4 Gaussian σ ’s, while adding baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) data brings the rejection to 5.9 σ ’s. The highest statistical significance with which one would be able to rule out quasi-degeneracy would arise if the sum of neutrino masses is ∑ m v = 60 meV (the minimum allowed by neutrino oscillation experiments); indeed a sensitivity of 15 meV, as expected from a combination of future cosmological probes, would further improve the rejection level up to 17 σ . We discuss the robustness of these projections with respect to assumptions on the underlying cosmological model, and also compare them with bounds from β decay endpoint and neutrinoless double beta decay studies.

Background In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, drastic measures for social distancing have been introduced also in Italy, likely with a substantial impact in delicate conditions like pregnancy and puerperium. The study aimed to investigate the changes in lifestyle, access to health services, and mental wellbeing during the first Italian lockdown in a sample of Italian pregnant women and new mothers. Methods We carried out a web-based survey to evaluate how pregnant women and new mothers were coping with the lockdown. We collected data about healthy habits (physical exercise and dietary habits), access to health services (care access, delivery and obstetric care, neonatal care, and breastfeeding), and mental wellbeing (psychological well-being and emotive support). Descriptive analysis was performed for both groups of participants, whereas a Poisson analysis was used to measure the association between some structural variables (age, education, socio-economic data, partner support, contact, free time, previous children, and pregnancy trimester) and anxiety or depression, difficulties in healthy eating and reduction in physical activity after lockdown started. Chi2 and Adjusted Prevalence Ratios were estimated only for pregnant women. Results We included 739 respondents (response rate 85.8 %), 600 were pregnant (81.2 %), and 139 (18.8 %) had delivered during lockdown (new mothers). We found a high score for anxiety and depression in 62.8 % of pregnant women and 61.9 % of new mothers. During the lockdown, 61.8 % of pregnant women reduced their physical exercise, and 44.3 % reported eating in a healthier way. 94.0 % of new mothers reported to have breastfed their babies during the hospital stay. Regarding the perceived impact of restrictive measures on breastfeeding, no impact was reported by 56.1 % of new mothers, whereas a negative one by 36.7 %. Conclusions The high prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms in pregnant women and new mothers should be a public health issue. Clinicians might also recommend and encourage “home” physical exercise. On the other hand, about half of the sample improved their approach towards healthy eating and a very high breastfeeding rate was reported soon after birth: these data are an interesting starting point to develop new strategies for public health.

Background Reflux nephropathy is a common urinary tract malformation, and a substantial cause of morbidity in women of childbearing age. While recent studies provide further new information on pregnancy-related outcomes, their results are heterogeneous and a systematic meta-analysis may help the interpretation. The aim of this review was to analyze pregnancy-related outcomes in the recent literature on reflux nephropathy (2000–2016), to perfect the estimation of risks, and to identify specific research needs. Methods We searched Medline, EMBASE and the Cochrane review databases for the period 2000–2016 (PROSPERO registration no. 42016042713). Selection criteria: all case series and case reports dealing with reflux nephropathy and reporting on at least one pregnancy outcome. Data were extracted from eligible case series (≥ 6 cases). For the outcomes preeclampsia (PE), pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH), preterm birth, and newborns small for gestational age, we employed as a control group the low-risk pregnancies from a multicenter database including 1418 live-born singletons. Case reports were analyzed narratively. Results The search retrieved 2507 papers, of which 7 case series and 4 case reports were retained. The series report on 434 women with 879 pregnancies; no study reported controls. Compared to the low-risk controls, the meta-analysis showed an increased risk of PIH (odds ratio, OR 5.55; confidence interval, CI 3.56–8.66), PE (OR 6.04; CI 2.41–15.13), and all hypertensive disorders combined (OR 10.43; CI 6.90–15.75). No difference was observed in preterm delivery and caesarean sections. A higher incidence of stillbirth was reported in one paper. Conversely, the 4 case reports (on 10 pregnancies) alert us to a potentially severe complication, hydro(uretero)nephrosis with or without infection. Conclusion Reflux nephropathy is associated with an increased risk of PIH and PE, but not of preterm delivery, suggesting the occurrence of late ‘maternal’ PE. The finding of a higher incidence of stillbirths in one series requires further analysis. Strict follow-up of these women is needed, in particular in late pregnancy stages, to avoid and manage in particular hypertensive pregnancy complications.

Background Pregnancy in women with advanced CKD becoming increasingly common. However, experience with low-protein diets in CKD patients in pregnancy is still limited. Aim of this study is to review the results obtained over the last 15 years with moderately restricted low-protein diets in pregnant CKD women (combining: CKD stages 3-5, proteinuria: nephrotic at any time, or > =1 g/24 at start or referral; nephrotic in previous pregnancy). CKD patients on unrestricted diets were employed for comparison. Methods Study period: January, 2000 to September, 2015: 36 on-diet pregnancies (31 singleton deliveries, 3 twin deliveries, 1 pregnancy termination, 1 miscarriage); 47 controls (42 singleton deliveries, 5 miscarriages). The diet is basically vegan; since occasional milk and yoghurt are allowed, we defined it vegan-vegetarian; protein intake (0.6–0.8 g/Kg/day), keto-acid supplementation, protein-unrestricted meals (1–3/week) are prescribed according to CKD stage and nutritional status. Statistical analysis was performed as implemented on SPSS. Results Patients and controls were similar (p: ns) at baseline with regard to age (33 vs 33.5), referral week (7 vs 9), kidney function (CKD 3-5: 48.4 % vs 64.3 %); prevalence of hypertension (51.6 % vs 40.5 %) and proteinuria >3 g/24 h (16.1 % vs 12.2 %). There were more diabetic nephropathies in on-diet patients (on diet: 31.0 % vs controls 5.3 %; p 0.007 (Fisher)) while lupus nephropathies were non-significantly higher in controls (on diet: 10.3 % vs controls 23.7 %; p 0.28 (Fisher)). The incidence of preterm delivery was similar (<37 weeks: on-diet singletons 77.4 %; controls: 71.4 %). The incidence of other adverse pregnancy related outcomes was non-significantly lower in on-diet patients (early preterm delivery: on diet: 32.3 % vs controls 35.7 %; birth-weight = <1.500 g: on diet: 9.7 % vs controls 23.8 %). None of the singletons in the on-diet series died, while two perinatal deaths occurred among the controls ( p  = 0.505). The incidence of small for gestational age (SGA <10th centile) and/or extremely preterm babies (<28th week) was significantly lower in singletons from on-diet mothers than in controls (on diet: 12.9 % vs controls: 33.3 %; p: 0.04 (Fisher)). Conclusion Moderate protein restriction in the context of a vegan-vegetarian supplemented diet is confirmed as a safe option in the management of pregnant CKD patients.

A sizable magnetic moment for neutrinos would be evidence of exotic physics. In the early Universe, left-handed neutrinos with a magnetic moment would interact with electromagnetic fields in the primordial plasma, flipping their helicity and producing a population of right-handed (RH) neutrinos. In this work, we present a new calculation of the production rate of RH neutrinos in a multi-component primordial plasma and quantify their contribution to the total energy density of relativistic species at early times, stressing the implications of the dependence on the initial time for production. We find that current cosmological data exclude values of the magnetic moment \\(\\mu \\gtrsim 1.6\\times 10^{-11}~\\mu_B\\), while future cosmological experiments will be able to probe non-thermal production of RH neutrinos, becoming competitive with stellar limits.

We revise the cosmological phenomenology of Macroscopic Dark Matter (MDM) candidates, also commonly dubbed as Macros. A possible signature of MDM is the capture of baryons from the cosmological plasma in the pre-recombination epoch, with the consequent injection of high-energy photons in the baryon-photon plasma. By keeping a phenomenological approach, we consider two broad classes of MDM in which Macros are composed either of ordinary matter or antimatter. In both scenarios, we also analyze the impact of a non-vanishing electric charge carried by Macros. We derive constraints on the Macro parameter space from three cosmological processes: the change in the baryon density between the end of the Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) and the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) decoupling, the production of spectral distortions in the CMB and the kinetic coupling between charged MDM and baryons at the time of recombination. In the case of neutral Macros we find that the tightest constraints are set by the baryon density condition in most of the parameter space. For Macros composed of ordinary matter and with binding energy \\(I\\), this leads to the following bound on the reduced cross-section: \\(\\sigma_X/M_X \\lesssim 6.8 \\cdot 10^{-7} \\left(I/\\mathrm{MeV}\\right)^{-1.56} \\, \\text{cm}^2 \\, \\text{g}^{-1}\\). Charged Macros with surface potential \\(V_X\\), instead, are mainly constrained by the tight coupling with baryons, resulting in \\(\\sigma_X/M_X \\lesssim 2 \\cdot 10^{-11} \\left(|V_X|/\\mathrm{MeV}\\right)^{-2} \\text{cm}^2 \\, \\text{g}^{-1}\\). Finally, we show that future CMB spectral distortions experiments, like PIXIE and SuperPIXIE, would have the sensitivity to probe larger regions of the parameter space: this would allow either for a possible evidence or for an improvement of the current bounds on Macros as dark matter candidates.

We constrain the coupling of thermally-produced axion-like particles (here axions) with photons and gluons, using data from the cosmic microwave background (CMB) spectra and baryon acoustic oscillations. The axion possesses an explicit soft breaking mass term and it is produced thermally in the early Universe from either axion-photon or axion-gluon processes, accounting for the recent progresses in the field. We derive the most stringent bounds on the axion-gluon coupling to date on the mass range considered \\(10^{-4} \\lesssim m_a/{\\rm eV} \\lesssim 100\\), superseding the current bounds from SN1987A. The bounds on the axion-photon coupling are competitive with the results from the CAST collaboration for the axion mass \\(m_a \\gtrsim 3\\,\\)eV. We comment on the forecast reaches that will be available given the sensitivity of future CMB-S4 missions.

Precision cosmology enables to test fundamental physics, including neutrino properties, with unprecedented accuracy. In this work, I review the basics of neutrino cosmology. I briefly describe how neutrinos affect cosmological observables, such as anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background and fluctuations in the matter field. I show current constraints and projected sensitivities on the sum of the neutrino masses \\(\\Sigma m_\\nu\\) and on the number of relativistic species \\(N_\\mathrm{eff}\\) from a selection of cosmological data. I finally comment about the implications of those bounds for neutrino physics.

The weak gravity conjecture imposes severe constraints on natural inflation. A trans-Planckian axion decay constant can only be realized if the potential exhibits an additional (subdominant) modulation with sub-Planckian periodicity. The resulting wiggles in the axion potential generate a characteristic modulation in the scalar power spectrum of inflation which is logarithmic in the angular scale. The compatibility of this modulation is tested against the most recent Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) data by Planck and BICEP/Keck. Intriguingly, we find that the modulation completely resolves the tension of natural inflation with the CMB. A Bayesian model comparison reveals that natural inflation with modulations describes all existing data equally well as the cosmological standard model \\(\\Lambda\\)CDM. In addition, the bound of a tensor-to-scalar ratio r > 0.002 correlated with a striking small-scale suppression of the scalar power spectrum occurs. Future CMB experiments could directly probe the modulation through their improved sensitivity to smaller angular scales and possibly the measurement of spectral distortions. They could, thus, verify a key prediction of the weak gravity conjecture and provide dramatic new insights into the theory of quantum gravity.

We perform a comprehensive study of the signatures of Lorentz violation in electrodynamics on the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) anisotropies. In the framework of the minimal Standard Model Extension (SME), we consider effects generated by renormalizable operators, both CPT-odd and CPT-even. These operators are responsible for sourcing, respectively, cosmic birefringence and circular polarization. We propagate jointly the effects of all the relevant Lorentz-violating parameters to CMB observables and provide constraints with the most recent CMB datasets. We bound the CPT-even coefficient to \\(k_{F,E+B} < 2.31 \\times 10^{-31}\\) at 95\\% CL. This improves previous CMB bounds by one order of magnitude. The limits we obtain on the CPT-odd coefficients, i.e. \\(|k_{(V)00}^{(3)}| < 1.54 \\times 10^{-44} \\; {\\rm GeV}\\) and \\(|\\mathbf{k_{AF}}| < 0.74 \\times 10^{-44} \\; {\\rm GeV}\\) at 95\\% CL, are respectively one and two orders of magnitude stronger than previous CMB-based limits, superseding also bounds from non-CMB searches. This analysis provides the strongest constraints to date on CPT-violating coefficients in the minimal SME from CMB searches.