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In this work non-invasive reflection infrared spectroscopy was used to discriminate between different Cu-based green pigments (namely, malachite, verdigris, chrysocolla, emerald green and phthalo green). The pigments, chosen because of their historical widespread use in artworks, were investigated as pure powders and in situ on painted models by reflection FTIR spectroscopy. The distortion arising as a result of the specular and diffuse component of reflected radiation was evaluated as function of the optical and surface properties of the investigated mock-ups. Use of the Kramers–Kronig (KK) algorithm to correct for the distortion arising from the surface reflection gave k index maxima shifted by more than 20 cm −1 relative to those obtained in conventional transmission mode. These findings stress the need to carefully manage use of the KK algorithm on reflection spectra to avoid erroneous assignment. On the other hand, combination and overtone bands (which are enhanced by the diffuse reflection) were proved to enable reliable and sensitive identification of most of the pigments studied. Knowledge acquired by study of pure compounds and painted models was subsequently applied to interpret the spectra acquired from paintings and manuscripts.

In the present study, the analytical strengths and limitations of near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy to non-invasively characterize organic components in painting materials have been investigated. In spite of the increased amount of information available today from advanced modern analytical instrumentations dedicated to cultural heritage, the non-invasive identification of materials belonging to the wide class of organic compounds historically used in paintings is still a challenging task. Near-infrared spectroscopy offers several attractive features that make this technique particularly suitable to this purpose. In fact, it is non-invasive, allows for non-contact measurements in reflectance mode, gives molecular information on complex macromolecules, and can be performed on-site by means of portable devices. First-derivative transformation of reflectance spectroscopic data has been applied to provide a simple and fast way to deduce more information from NIR spectra. This approach has allowed spectral features to be identified that can be useful to distinguish different compounds belonging to the classes of lipids, proteins, and resins. To this purpose, at first, a spectral database of pure standard has been collected. Our analytical approach was then successfully validated on pictorial models reproducing the typical stratigraphy of an easel painting. As final step, the study of a real painting has been attempted and a drying oil, animal glue, and a terpenic natural resin, as well as an earth pigment were clearly identified, as cross-validated by GC-MS analysis.

The aim of this study is to develop a method for the non-invasive and in situ identification of organic binders in wall paintings by fiber optic mid-FTIR reflectance spectroscopy. The non-invasive point analysis methodology was set-up working on a wide set of wall painting replicas of known composition and using statistical multivariate methods, in particular principal component analysis (PCA), for the interpretation, understanding, and management of data acquired with reflectance mid-FTIR spectroscopy. Results show that PCA can be helpful in managing and preliminary sorting of the large amount of spectra typically collected during non-invasive measurement campaigns and highlight further avenues for research. The developed PCA model was finally applied to the case of a Renaissance wall painting by Perugino assessing it predictability as compared to the interpretation of the single spectrum.

Immunofluorescence microscopy offers a highly specific analytical tool for unambiguous recognition and mapping of proteins in complex matrices. In the present work, the analytical potentials of immunofluorescence microscopy have been exploited to provide recognition of proteinaceous binders in painting cross-sections. An optimised analytical protocol is proposed for the identification of ovalbumin and of bovine serum albumin as markers of egg white and casein, respectively. The study has been carried out on laboratory model samples simulating both easel and mural paintings. The obtained results demonstrated the effectiveness of the method, suggesting the potential future use of immunofluorescence microscopy as a routine diagnostic tool in conservation science. Possible developments of the proposed methodology in order to improve the specificity of the method and its detection sensitivity are presented and discussed. [graphic removed]

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2013 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, August 4 – August 8, 2013.

Background In sudden, unexpected, non-traumatic death in young individuals, structural abnormalities of the heart are frequently identified at autopsy. However, the findings may be unspecific and cause of death may remain unclear. A significant proportion of these cases are most likely caused by inherited cardiac diseases, and the cases are categorized as sudden cardiac death (SCD). The purpose of this study was to explore the added diagnostic value of genetic testing by next-generation sequencing (NGS) of a broad gene panel, as a supplement to the traditional forensic investigation in cases with non-diagnostic structural abnormalities of the heart. Methods and results We screened 72 suspected SCD cases (<50 years) using the HaloPlex Target Enrichment System (Agilent) and NGS (Illumina MiSeq) for 100 genes previously associated with inherited cardiomyopathies and channelopathies. Fifty-two cases had non-diagnostic structural cardiac abnormalities and 20 cases, diagnosed with a cardiomyopathy post-mortem (ARVC = 14, HCM = 6), served as comparators. Fifteen (29 %) of the deceased individuals with non-diagnostic findings had variants with likely functional effects based on conservation, computational prediction, allele-frequency and supportive literature. The corresponding frequency in deceased individuals with cardiomyopathies was 35 % ( p  = 0.8). Conclusion The broad genetic screening revealed variants with likely functional effects at similar high rates, i.e. in 29 and 35 % of the suspected SCD cases with non-diagnostic and diagnostic cardiac abnormalities, respectively. Although the interpretation of broad NGS screening is challenging, it can support the forensic investigation and help the cardiologist’s decision to offer counselling and clinical evaluation to relatives of young SCD victims.

In individuals severely affected with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), virtual reality has recently been used as a tool to enhance community interaction. Smartphones offer the exciting potential to improve communication, access, and participation, and present the unique opportunity to directly deliver functionality to people with disabilities. To verify whether individuals with DMD improve their motor performance when undertaking a visual motor task using a smartphone game. Fifty individuals with DMD and 50 healthy, typically developing (TD) controls, aged 10-34 years participated in the study. The functional characterization of the sample was determined through Vignos, Egen Klassifikation, and the Motor Function Measure scales. To complete the task, individuals moved a virtual ball around a virtual maze and the time in seconds was measured after every attempt in order to analyze improvement of performance after the practice trials. Motor performance (time to finish each maze) was measured in phases of acquisition, short-term retention, and transfer. Use of the smartphone maze game promoted improvement in performance during acquisition in both groups, which remained in the retention phase. At the transfer phases, with alternative maze tasks, the performance in DMD group was similar to the performance of TD group, with the exception of the transfer to the contralateral hand (nondominant). However, the group with DMD demonstrated longer movement time at all stages of learning, compared with the TD group. The practice of a visual motor task delivered via smartphone game promoted an improvement in performance with similar patterns of learning in both groups. Performance can be influenced by task difficulty, and for people with DMD, motor deficits are responsible for the lower speed of execution. This study indicates that individuals with DMD showed improved performance in a short-term motor learning protocol using a smartphone. We advocate that this technology could be used to promote function in this population.

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is responsible for a large proportion of sudden deaths in young individuals. In forensic medicine, many cases remain unexplained after routine postmortem autopsy and conventional investigations. These cases are called sudden unexplained deaths (SUD). Genetic testing has been suggested useful in forensic medicine, although in general with a significantly lower success rate compared to the clinical setting. The purpose of the study was to estimate the frequency of pathogenic variants in the genes most frequently associated with SCD in SUD cases and compare the frequency to that in patients with inherited cardiac channelopathies. Fifteen forensic SUD cases and 29 patients with channelopathies were investigated. DNA from 34 of the genes most frequently associated with SCD were captured using NimbleGen SeqCap EZ library build and were sequenced with next-generation sequencing (NGS) on an Illumina MiSeq. Likely pathogenic variants were identified in three out of 15 (20 %) forensic SUD cases compared to 12 out of 29 (41 %) patients with channelopathies. The difference was not statistically significant ( p  = 0.1). Additionally, two larger deletions of entire exons were identified in two of the patients (7 %). The frequency of likely pathogenic variants was >2-fold higher in the clinical setting as compared to SUD cases. However, the demonstration of likely pathogenic variants in three out of 15 forensic SUD cases indicates that NGS investigations will contribute to the clinical investigations. Hence, this has the potential to increase the diagnostic rate significantly in the forensic as well as in the clinical setting.

RefluxStop surgery aims to restore a functional anti-reflux barrier in gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) without encircling the esophagus, purportedly limiting dysphagia and gas-bloating. This report presents safety outcomes from 602 patients at 22 centers across six European countries and up to 6.75 years follow-up (mean [SD] 2 [1.25] years). Serious safety outcomes and reoperation occurred in 1.99% (12/602), all satisfactorily resolved. Thereof, two-thirds were reherniations (1.33%), which manifested from total disruption of crural repair, resolved by straightforward fundic repositioning and redo hiatal repair with RefluxStop unaffected in its pouch. Non-operative safety events included 4/602 (0.66%) cases of asymptomatic erosion (without action) in the early postoperative phase (4 weeks) as the learning curve of a new procedure. Dilatation for new-onset dysphagia was performed in one patient. This report presents an analysis focused on safety data from the largest independent RefluxStop study to date (n = 602). Despite inter-surgeon variability, the learning curve for a new procedure, and sizable proportions of large hernia and/or dysmotility patients, results show low rates of serious safety outcomes with reoperations occurring in <2%. The overall experience of the RefluxStop Evaluation Group demonstrated a consistent and favorable mid-to-long-term safety profile for RefluxStop in real-world surgical treatment of GERD.

Homemade manure tea (HMT) is commonly used in North Africa to enhance crop yields. Yet their physicochemical and biological characteristics remain poorly understood. This study evaluated oxygen and hydrobiological profiles of three types of HMT (bovine, ovine and poultry based, respectively noted HMTb, HMTo, HMTp) and compared them to control solutions of water and water supplemented with soluble NPK fertilizer. For these three types of HMT, oxygen and hydrobiological profiles were measured daily over a 7-day incubation period in three repeated, identical experiments, each comprising randomized treatments and five repetitions per treatment. Our results show that all HMT types rapidly transitioned to hypoxic conditions in the first 24h, shifting to anoxia between day 2 and day 7 depending on HMT type. This anoxic environment promoted denitrification and led to elevated NH 4 + concentrations, suggesting the presence of anammox and microaerobic processes. Particulate organic matter contents and bacterial densities were highest in HMTp, while ciliate densities were highest in HMTb. These findings underscore the bioactive potential of HMT as fertilizers, with HMTp showing a favorable nitrogen profile beneficial for agricultural applications. To maintain aerobic conditions longer and reduce nitrogen losses and greenhouse gas emissions, we recommend passive or mechanical aeration, applying HMT during cooler hours, and stabilizing the pH of HMT. This study offers valuable insights to refine HMT preparation protocols, enhancing their use as bioactive fertilizers.