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Orsini D, Megna M, Assorgi C, Balato A, Balestri R, Bernardini N, Bettacchi A, Bianchelli T, Bianchi L, Buggiani G, Burlando M, Brunasso A, Caldarola G, Cameli N, Campanati A, Campione E, Carugno A, Chersi K, Conti A, Costanzo A, Cozzani E, Cuccia A, D'Amico D, Dal Bello G, Dall'Olio EG, Dapavo P, De Simone C, Di Brizzi EV, Di Cesare A, Dini V, Esposito M, Errichetti E, Fargnoli MC, Fiorella CS, Foti A, Fratton Z, Gaiani FM, Gisondi P, Giuffrida R, Giunta A, Guarneri C, Legori A, Loconsole F, Malagoli P, Narcisi A, Paolinelli M, Potestio L, Prignano F, Rech G, Rossi A, Skroza N, Trovato F, Venturini M, Richetta AG, Pellacani G, Dattola A. Efficacy and Safety of bimekizumab in elderly patients: real-world multicenter retrospective study - IL PSO (Italian Landscape Psoriasis). J DERMATOL TREAT 2024; 35:2393376. [PMID: 39164008 DOI: 10.1080/09546634.2024.2393376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/22/2024]
Abstract
Purpose of the article: The aim of this multicenter observational study is to report data from real world on the use of bimekizumab in patients aged ≥ 65 years with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. Elderly patients are poorly represented in clinical trials on bimekizumab for plaque psoriasis, and real-world studies are important to guide clinical choices. Materials and methods: A retrospective multicenter study was conducted in 33 dermatological outpatient clinics in Italy. Patients aged ≥ 65 years, with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis and treated with bimekizumab were enrolled. No exclusion criteria were applied. Bimekizumab was administered following the Italian Guidelines for the management of plaque psoriasis and according to the summary of product characteristics, in adult patients who were candidates for systemic treatments. Overall, 98 subjects were included, and received bimekizumab up to week 36. Clinical and demographic data were collected before the initiation of treatment with bimekizumab. At baseline and each dermatological examination (4, 16, and 36 weeks), clinical outcomes were measured by the following parameters: (1) PASI score; (2) site-specific (scalp, palmoplantar, genital, nail) Psoriasis Global Assessment (PGA). At each visit, the occurrence of any adverse events (AEs) was recorded, including serious AEs and AEs leading to bimekizumab discontinuation. Results: The mean PASI score was 16.6 ± 9.4 at baseline and significantly decreased to 4.3 ± 5.2 after 4 weeks (p < 0.001), and 1.1 ± 1.7 after 16 week (p < 0.001). This level of improvement was maintained after 36 weeks (p < 0.001). PASI ≤2 was recorded in 36 (36.7%) at week 4, 68% and 69.4% at week 16 and 36, respectively. By week 16, 86/98 (87.8%) patients reached PASI75, 71/98 (72.4%) obtained PASI90, and 52/98 (53.1%) PASI100. Binary logistic regression tests showed a significant association of PASI100 by week 4 with lower PASI at baseline. PASI 100 at 16 or 36 weeks was not associated with baseline PASI, obesity, age, gender, previously naïve state, and presence of psoriatic arthritis. Patients naïve to biologics at baseline had similar response to bimekizumab as non-naïve subjects. Conclusions: Bimekizumab is a suitable option for elder patients as it is effective, tolerated and has a convenient schedule.
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Paolino G, Carugno A, Frontera A, Rongioletti F, Malagoli P, Foti A, Brianti P, Guida S, Germiniasi F, Bianchi VG, Raponi F, Sena P, Narcisi A, Costanzo A, Mercuri SR, Valenti M. Arrhythmias and other cardiovascular diseases in young patients (<40 years) with moderate/severe atopic dermatitis: A multicentric study in northern Italy. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 2024. [PMID: 38940515 DOI: 10.1111/jdv.20184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 06/29/2024]
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Foti A, Ware R, Tiddens H, Sly P, Stick S. 577: Outcomes from COMBAT CF: A phase 3 multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of azithromycin in primary prevention of radiologically defined bronchiectasis in infants with cystic fibrosis. J Cyst Fibros 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/s1569-1993(21)02000-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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4
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Paolino G, Sernicola A, Di Nicola MR, Foti A, Brianti P, Vaira F, Grieco T, Mercuri SR. Successful use of dupilumab for the treatment of atopic dermatitis on the genitals, a neglected anatomical site. Clin Exp Dermatol 2021; 47:176-178. [PMID: 34398987 DOI: 10.1111/ced.14894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory disease that may involve any cutaneous site; involvement of the genital area may greatly impair patients' quality of life but, as the inspection of genitals is not usually conducted during the routine physical examination of patients with AD, the genital presentation of AD is frequently neglected and under-reported. We decided to evaluate the incidence of genital AD in patients with moderate-severe AD and the relative response to anti-interleukin (IL)-4/IL-13 dupilumab. In our study, a high incidence of genital AD emerged but the use of dupilumab allowed a generalized improvement.
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Burn GL, Foti A, Marsman G, Patel DF, Zychlinsky A. The Neutrophil. Immunity 2021; 54:1377-1391. [PMID: 34260886 DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2021.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 247] [Impact Index Per Article: 82.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Revised: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Neutrophils are immune cells with unusual biological features that furnish potent antimicrobial properties. These cells phagocytose and subsequently kill prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms very efficiently. Importantly, it is not only their ability to attack microbes within a constrained intracellular compartment that endows neutrophils with antimicrobial function. They can unleash their effectors into the extracellular space, where, even post-mortem, their killing machinery can endure and remain functional. The antimicrobial activity of neutrophils must not be misconstrued as being microbe specific and should be viewed more generally as biotoxic. Outside of fighting infections, neutrophils can harness their noxious machinery in other contexts, like cancer. Inappropriate or dysregulated neutrophil activation damages the host and contributes to autoimmune and inflammatory disease. Here we review a number of topics related to neutrophil biology based on contemporary findings.
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Sgouros O, Cavallaro M, Cappuzzello F, Carbone D, Agodi C, Altana C, Brischetto GA, Burrello S, Calabrese S, Calvo D, Capirossi V, Chávez Lomelí ER, Ciraldo I, Cutuli M, De Gregorio G, Delaunay F, Djapo H, Eke C, Finocchiaro P, Fisichella M, Foti A, Gargano A, Hacisalihoglu A, Iazzi F, La Fauci L, Linares R, Lubian J, Medina NH, Moralles M, Oliveira JRB, Pakou A, Pandola L, Pinna F, Russo G, Guazzelli MA, Soukeras V, Souliotis G, Spatafora A, Torresi D, Yildirim A, Zagatto VB. Recent results for the one-proton transfer reaction in the 18O+ 48Ti collision at 275 MeV. EPJ WEB OF CONFERENCES 2021. [DOI: 10.1051/epjconf/202125204002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The 18O+48Ti reaction was studied at the energy of 275 MeV for the first time under the NUMEN and NURE experimental campaigns with the aim to investigate the complete net of reaction channels potentially involved in the 48Ca→48Ti double charge exchange transition. Such a transition is of great interest because of its relevance to the extraction of 48Ca→48Ti double beta decay nuclear matrix element. The relevant experiment was carried out at the MAGNEX facility of INFN-LNS in Catania. Angular distribution measurements for the various reaction products were performed by using the MAGNEX large acceptance magnetic spectrometer. The present contribution is focused on the analysis of the one-proton transfer channel with emphasis on the particle identification technique and the estimation of background contaminations.
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Mota C, Esmaeeli M, Coelho C, Santos-Silva T, Wolff M, Foti A, Leimkühler S, Romão MJ. Human aldehyde oxidase (hAOX1): structure determination of the Moco-free form of the natural variant G1269R and biophysical studies of single nucleotide polymorphisms. FEBS Open Bio 2019; 9:925-934. [PMID: 30985987 PMCID: PMC6487702 DOI: 10.1002/2211-5463.12617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2019] [Accepted: 02/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Human aldehyde oxidase (hAOX1) is a molybdenum enzyme with high toxicological importance, but its physiological role is still unknown. hAOX1 metabolizes different classes of xenobiotics and is one of the main drug‐metabolizing enzymes in the liver, along with cytochrome P450. hAOX1 oxidizes and inactivates a large number of drug molecules and has been responsible for the failure of several phase I clinical trials. The interindividual variability of drug‐metabolizing enzymes caused by single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) is highly relevant in pharmaceutical treatments. In this study, we present the crystal structure of the inactive variant G1269R, revealing the first structure of a molybdenum cofactor (Moco)‐free form of hAOX1. These data allowed to model, for the first time, the flexible Gate 1 that controls access to the active site. Furthermore, we inspected the thermostability of wild‐type hAOX1 and hAOX1 with various SNPs (L438V, R1231H, G1269R or S1271L) by CD spectroscopy and ThermoFAD, revealing that amino acid exchanges close to the Moco site can impact protein stability up to 10 °C. These results correlated with biochemical and structural data and enhance our understanding of hAOX1 and the effect of SNPs in the gene encoding this enzyme in the human population. Enzymes Aldehyde oxidase (EC1.2.3.1); xanthine dehydrogenase (EC1.17.1.4); xanthine oxidase (EC1.1.3.2). Databases Structural data are available in the Protein Data Bank under the accession number 6Q6Q.
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Sgouros O, Soukeras V, Pakou A, Cappuzzello F, Acosta L, Agodi C, Alamanos N, Calabrese S, Carbone D, Cavallaro M, Foti A, Keeley N, Martel I, Rusek K, Torresi D. Study of continuum excitation by light weakly bound projectiles on proton
target. EPJ WEB OF CONFERENCES 2019. [DOI: 10.1051/epjconf/201922301058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Elastic scattering and breakup angular distribution measurements for the systems 6,7Li + p were performed at the MAGNEX facility of the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica
Nucleare-Laboratori Nazionali del Sud (INFN-LNS) in Catania, in the energy range of (2.3–5.4)AMeV. The breakup channel was identified and quantified adopting the algorithm MULTIP.Within this algorithm which is a Monte Carlo simulation code, the history of the breakup fragments can be tagged from the rest frame of the decay nucleus itself to the laboratory frame. Angular distribution data of both elastic scattering and breakup were analyzed under the same theoretical model and the influence of continuum on the elastic channel was investigated.
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Carbone D, Cappuzzello F, Agodi C, Cavallaro M, Acosta L, Bonanno D, Bongiovanni D, Boztosun I, Calabrese S, Calvo D, Chávez Lomelí E, Delaunay F, Deshmukh N, Finocchiaro P, Fisichella M, Foti A, Gallo G, Hacisalihoglu A, Iazzi F, Introzzi R, Lanzalone G, Linares R, Longhitano F, Lo Presti D, Medina N, Muoio A, Oliveira J, Pakou A, Pandola L, Pinna F, Reito S, Russo G, Santagati G, Sgouros O, Solakcı S, Soukeras V, Souliotis G, Spatafora A, Torresi D, Tudisco S, Yildirim A, Zagatto V. The nuclear matrix elements of 0νββ decay and the NUMEN project at INFN-LNS. EPJ WEB OF CONFERENCES 2018. [DOI: 10.1051/epjconf/201819402001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The goal of NUMEN project is to access experimentally driven information on Nuclear Matrix Elements (NME) involved in the neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ), by high-accuracy measurements of the cross sections of Heavy Ion (HI) induced Double Charge Exchange (DCE) reactions. The knowledge of the nuclear matrix elements is crucial to infer the neutrino average masses from the possible measurement of the half-life of 00νββ decay and to compare experiments on different isotopes. In particular, the (18O, 18Ne) and (20Ne, 20O) reactions are performed as tools for β+β+ and β-β- decays, respectively. The experiments are performed at INFN - Laboratory Nazionali del Sud (LNS) in Catania using the Superconducting Cyclotron (CS) to accelerate the beams and the MAGNEX magnetic spectrometer to detect the reaction products. The measured cross sections are very low, limiting the present exploration to few selected isotopes of interest in the context of typically low-yield experimental runs. In order to make feasible a systematic study of all the candidate nuclei, a major upgrade of the LNS facility is foreseen to increase the experimental yield of about two orders of magnitude. To this purpose, frontier technologies are going to be developed for both the accelerator and the detection systems. In parallel, advanced theoretical models will be developed to extract the nuclear structure information from the measured cross sections.
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Donato MG, Rajamanickam VP, Foti A, Gucciardi PG, Liberale C, Maragò OM. Optical force decoration of 3D microstructures with plasmonic particles. OPTICS LETTERS 2018; 43:5170-5173. [PMID: 30320847 DOI: 10.1364/ol.43.005170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2018] [Accepted: 09/27/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Optical forces are used to push and aggregate gold nanorods onto several substrates creating surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) active hot spots for Raman-based identification of proteins. By monitoring the increase of the protein SERS signal, we observe different aggregation times for different curvatures of the substrates. The slower aggregation dynamics on curved surfaces is justified by a simple geometrical model. In particular, this technique is used to decorate three-dimensional microstructures and to quickly realize hybrid micro/nanosensors for highly sensitive detection of biological material directly in a liquid environment.
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Donato MG, Messina E, Foti A, Smart TJ, Jones PH, Iatì MA, Saija R, Gucciardi PG, Maragò OM. Optical trapping and optical force positioning of two-dimensional materials. NANOSCALE 2018; 10:1245-1255. [PMID: 29292452 DOI: 10.1039/c7nr06465a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, considerable effort has been devoted to the synthesis and characterization of two-dimensional materials. Liquid phase exfoliation (LPE) represents a simple, large-scale method to exfoliate layered materials down to mono- and few-layer flakes. In this context, the contactless trapping, characterization, and manipulation of individual nanosheets hold perspectives for increased accuracy in flake metrology and the assembly of novel functional materials. Here, we use optical forces for high-resolution structural characterization and precise mechanical positioning of nanosheets of hexagonal boron nitride, molybdenum disulfide, and tungsten disulfide obtained by LPE. Weakly optically absorbing nanosheets of boron nitride are trapped in optical tweezers. The analysis of the thermal fluctuations allows a direct measurement of optical forces and the mean flake size in a liquid environment. Measured optical trapping constants are compared with T-matrix light scattering calculations to show a quadratic size scaling for small size, as expected for a bidimensional system. In contrast, strongly absorbing nanosheets of molybdenum disulfide and tungsten disulfide are not stably trapped due to the dominance of radiation pressure over the optical trapping force. Thus, optical forces are used to pattern a substrate by selectively depositing nanosheets in short times (minutes) and without any preparation of the surface. This study will be useful for improving ink-jet printing and for a better engineering of optoelectronic devices based on two-dimensional materials.
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Foti A, Dorendorf F, Leimkühler S. A single nucleotide polymorphism causes enhanced radical oxygen species production by human aldehyde oxidase. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0182061. [PMID: 28750088 PMCID: PMC5531472 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0182061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2017] [Accepted: 07/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Aldehyde oxidases (AOXs) are molybdo-flavoenzymes characterized by broad substrate specificity, oxidizing aromatic/aliphatic aldehydes into the corresponding carboxylic acids and hydroxylating various heteroaromatic rings. The enzymes use oxygen as the terminal electron acceptor and produce reduced oxygen species during turnover. The physiological function of mammalian AOX isoenzymes is still unclear, however, human AOX (hAOX1) is an emerging enzyme in phase-I drug metabolism. Indeed, the number of xenobiotics acting as hAOX1 substrates is increasing. Further, numerous single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been identified within the hAOX1 gene. SNPs are a major source of inter-individual variability in the human population, and SNP-based amino acid exchanges in hAOX1 reportedly modulate the catalytic function of the enzyme in either a positive or negative fashion. In this report we selected ten novel SNPs resulting in amino acid exchanges in proximity to the FAD site of hAOX1 and characterized the purified enzymes after heterologous expression in Escherichia coli. The hAOX1 variants were characterized carefully by quantitative differences in their ability to produce superoxide radical. ROS represent prominent key molecules in physiological and pathological conditions in the cell. Our data reveal significant alterations in superoxide anion production among the variants. In particular the SNP-based amino acid exchange L438V in proximity to the isoalloxanzine ring of the FAD cofactor resulted in increased rate of superoxide radical production of 75%. Considering the high toxicity of the superoxide in the cell, the hAOX1-L438V SNP variant is an eventual candidate for critical or pathological roles of this natural variant within the human population.
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Romão MJ, Coelho C, Santos-Silva T, Foti A, Terao M, Garattini E, Leimkühler S. Structural basis for the role of mammalian aldehyde oxidases in the metabolism of drugs and xenobiotics. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2017; 37:39-47. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2017.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2016] [Revised: 01/05/2017] [Accepted: 01/06/2017] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Cavallaro M, De Napoli M, Cappuzzello F, Orrigo SEA, Agodi C, Bondí M, Carbone D, Cunsolo A, Davids B, Davinson T, Foti A, Galinski N, Kanungo R, Lenske H, Ruiz C, Sanetullaev A. Investigation of the ^{10}Li shell inversion by neutron continuum transfer reaction. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2017; 118:012701. [PMID: 28106447 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.118.012701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
This Letter reports a study of the highly debated ^{10}Li structure through the d(^{9}Li,p)^{10}Li one-neutron transfer reaction at 100 MeV. The ^{10}Li energy spectrum is measured up to 4.6 MeV and angular distributions corresponding to different excitation energy regions are reported for the first time. The comparison between data and theoretical predictions, including pairing correlation effects, shows the existence of a p_{1/2} resonance at 0.45±0.03 MeV excitation energy, while no evidence for a significant s-wave contribution close to the threshold energy is observed. Moreover, two high-lying structures are populated at 1.5 and 2.9 MeV. The corresponding angular distributions suggest a significant s_{1/2} partial-wave contribution for the 1.5 MeV structure and a mixing of configurations at higher energy, with the d_{5/2} partial-wave contributing the most to the cross section.
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Muoio A, Agodi C, Bonanno D, Bongiovanni D, Calabrese S, Calcagno L, Carbone D, Cavallaro M, Cappuzzello F, Foti A, Finocchiaro P, Lanzalone G, La Via F, Longhitano F, Lo Presti D, Pandola L, Privitera S, Tudisco S. Silicon carbide detectors study for NUMEN project. EPJ WEB OF CONFERENCES 2016. [DOI: 10.1051/epjconf/201611710006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
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Foti A, Hartmann T, Coelho C, Santos-Silva T, Romao MJ, Leimkuhler S. Optimization of the Expression of Human Aldehyde Oxidase for Investigations of Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms. Drug Metab Dispos 2016; 44:1277-85. [DOI: 10.1124/dmd.115.068395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2015] [Accepted: 02/01/2016] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
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Carbone D, Agodi C, Cappuzzello F, Cavallaro M, Foti A, Linares R. Extracting the cross section angular distributions for 15C high-energy resonance excited via the ( 18O, 16O) two-neutron transfer reaction. EPJ WEB OF CONFERENCES 2016. [DOI: 10.1051/epjconf/201611704004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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Cappuzzello F, Agodi C, Balestra F, Bijker R, Bonanno D, Bongiovanni D, Branchina V, Calabrese S, Calabretta L, Calanna A, Calvo D, Carbone D, Cavallaro M, Colonna M, Ferrero S, Foti A, Finocchiaro P, Giraudo G, Greco V, Iazzi F, Introzzi R, Lanzalone G, Lavagno A, Lo Presti D, Longhitano F, Muoio A, Pandola L, Rifuggiato D, Ruslan M, Santopinto E, Scaltrito L, Tudisco S, Zagatto V. The nuclear matrix elements of 0 νββdecay and the NUMEN project at INFN-LNS. EPJ WEB OF CONFERENCES 2016. [DOI: 10.1051/epjconf/201611710003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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Cavallaro M, De Napoli M, Cappuzzello F, Agodi C, Bondí M, Carbone D, Cunsolo A, Davids B, Davinson T, Foti A, Galinski N, Kanungo R, Lenske H, Orrigo S, Ruiz C, Sanetullaev A. Preliminary study of the 10Li nucleus via one-neutron transfer. EPJ WEB OF CONFERENCES 2016. [DOI: 10.1051/epjconf/201611706009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
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Messina E, Donato MG, Zimbone M, Saija R, Iatì MA, Calcagno L, Fragalà ME, Compagnini G, D'Andrea C, Foti A, Gucciardi PG, Maragò OM. Optical trapping of silver nanoplatelets. OPTICS EXPRESS 2015; 23:8720-8730. [PMID: 25968710 DOI: 10.1364/oe.23.008720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Optical trapping of silver nanoplatelets obtained with a simple room temperature chemical synthesis technique is reported. Trap spring constants are measured for platelets with different diameters to investigate the size-scaling behaviour. Experimental data are compared with models of optical forces based on the dipole approximation and on electromagnetic scattering within a T-matrix framework. Finally, we discuss applications of these nanoplatelets for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy.
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Magazzú A, Spadaro D, Donato MG, Sayed R, Messina E, D’Andrea C, Foti A, Fazio B, Iatí MA, Irrera A, Saija R, Gucciardi PG, Maragó OM. Optical tweezers: a non-destructive tool for soft and biomaterial investigations. RENDICONTI LINCEI-SCIENZE FISICHE E NATURALI 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s12210-015-0395-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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Coelho C, Hartmann T, Foti A, Santos-Silva T, Leimkühler S, Romao MJ. The crystal structure of human Aldehyde Oxidase in native and inhibited forms. Acta Crystallogr A Found Adv 2014. [DOI: 10.1107/s2053273314081728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Aldehyde oxidases (AOX; E.C. 1.2.3.1) are molybdo-flavoenzymes with broad substrate specificity, oxidizing aldehydes and N-heterocycles. AOX belongs to the xanthine oxidase (XO) family of Mo-containing enzymes. The true physiological function of AOX is still unknown, although it is recognized to play a role in the metabolism of compounds with medicinal and toxicological relevance [1]. AOX importance has increased in recent years since it is substituting Cyt-P450 as the central drug-metabolizing system in humans. We have solved the 3D structure of mouse AOX3 to 2.9 Å resolution [2] that was the first structure of an aldehyde oxidase, providing important evidences on substrate and inhibitor specificities between AOX and XO. The complement of AOX proteins in mammals varies from one in humans (hAOX1) to four in rodents (mAOX1, mAOX3, mAOX4 and mAOX3L1) as a result of evolutionary genetic events. Due to this unusual complement of AOX genes in different animal species, conclusions regarding protein metabolism in humans cannot be taken exclusively from the mouse model. Using the human aldehyde oxidase (hAOX1) purified after heterologous expression in Escherichia coli we were able to crystallize it and solve its 3D structure to 2.7 Å resolution (submitted). In addition to the native protein we also solved the structure of an inhibited form of the enzyme to 2.6Å resolution. Analysis of the protein active site and comparison with the structure of the mouse isoform (mAOX3) allowed us to identity, for the first time, the unique features that characterize hAOX1 as an important drug-metabolizing enzyme. In spite of the similarities of both enzymes, they show marked and relevant differences at the Mo active site, substrate tunnel as well as at the FAD site. The ensemble of these structures provides important insights into the role of aldehyde oxidases, contributing to elucidate the clinical metabolism implications of hAOX1 in humans which has particular relevance for novel drug design studies.
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Foti A, Fenzi GA, Di Pippo F, Gravina MF, Magni P. Testing the saprobity hypothesis in a Mediterranean lagoon: effects of confinement and organic enrichment on benthic communities. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2014; 99:85-94. [PMID: 24838081 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2014.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2013] [Revised: 03/17/2014] [Accepted: 04/11/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The macrobenthic community was compared at four sites characterized by varying degrees of freshwater input, organic enrichment and confinement in the Cabras lagoon (Sardinia, Italy). Three sites, riverine (C1), confined (C2) and seaward (C3), were studied on two dates of summer 2010 and on two dates of winter 2011. A fourth site (C12), representative of the central sector of the Cabras lagoon, was included in this study using the extensive historical datasets at our disposal from previously published work. We aimed to test the hypothesis that (1) the benthos is distributed according to the recently proposed concept of habitat saprobity for coastal lagoons that unifies the Pearson-Rosenberg (sensu organic enrichment) and Guélorget-Perthuisot (sensu confinement) models, and (2) indicator species of different saprobic levels can be identified among dominant species occurring along the saprobity gradient. Salinity was also considered as an additional agent of selection in brackish environments. Irrespective of significant seasonal changes within each site, our results highlighted major environmental and biotic differences between sites. At the northward riverine site (C1), most affected by freshwater input and with limited organic matter (OM) enrichment, Corophium orientale was the single dominant species. The most confined site (C2) was characterized by the highest levels of sedimentary OM and benthic Chlorophyll-a and by mesohaline conditions; the site was inhabited mainly by the halolimnobic Hediste diversicolor and Hydrobia spp. Site C12, characterized by a high OM load and high residence time, was dominated by the opportunistic detritivorous Alitta succinea and Polydora ciliata. At the southernmost seaward site (C3) the considerable seawater renewal, resulting in high salinity (only in summer) and limited OM load, favored a much more diverse macrobenthic assemblage, essentially composed of both marine species, such as Corophium insidiosum, Gammarus aequicauda, and brackish-water species, such as Lekanesphaera hookeri and Idotea chelipes. We conclude that the biotic and abiotic characteristics of the Cabras lagoon can be represented by a succession of spatial zones along two main gradients determined by salinity and saprobity. The salinity gradient proved to be the main structural feature in the oligohaline pole, while in the range of variable salinity, saprobity appeared to be the main selection factor. To illustrate our findings, we provide a graphical representation summarizing the changes in environmental parameters and indicator species along the salinity and saprobity gradients.
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Cavallaro M, Cappuzzello F, Bondì M, Carbone D, Garcia VN, Gargano A, Lenzi S, Lubian J, Agodi C, Azaiez F, De Napoli M, Foti A, Franchoo S, Linares R, Nicolosi D, Niikura M, Scarpaci JA, Tropea S. Interference effects between direct and sequential processes in the (18O,16O) reaction. EPJ WEB OF CONFERENCES 2014. [DOI: 10.1051/epjconf/20146603017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
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Carbone D, Bonaccorso A, Cappuzzello F, Agodi C, Bondì M, Cavallaro M, Cunsolo A, De Napoli M, Foti A, Linares R, Nicolosi D, Tropea S. New structures in the continuum of light nuclei populated by two-neutron transfer reactions. EPJ WEB OF CONFERENCES 2014. [DOI: 10.1051/epjconf/20146603015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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