Uno studio congiunto del Cnr-Iac e dell’Ingv prevede un possibile terremoto di magnitudo 6 tra poco più di tre anni presso la cittadina di Parkfield in California, grazie all’analisi dell'evoluzione dell'attività sismica di un segmento della faglia di San Andreas. La metodologia proposta ha permesso di prevedere (retrospettivamente) con accuratezza il tempo di occorrenza del terremoto avvenuto nel sito nel 2004. La predittività del metodo esposto nello studio diventa sempre maggiore all’avvicinarsi del momento in cui accadrà il terremoto di cui si sta tentando di prevedere il tempo di occorrenza

La collaborazione scientifica tra l'Istituto per le applicazioni del calcolo "Mauro Picone" del Consiglio nazionale delle ricerche (Cnr-Iac) e l'Istituto nazionale di geofisica e vulcanologia (Ingv), tramite rispettivamente i ricercatori Giovanni Sebastiani e Luca Malagnini, ha permesso di realizzare uno studio, pubblicato su Journal of Ecology & Natural Resources, che prevede nel 2024 un terremoto di magnitudo circa 6 presso la cittadina di Parkfield, situata lungo la faglia di San Andreas in California. In questo luogo, dal 1857 al 1966, sono avvenuti sei terremoti di magnitudo 6, ad intervalli di tempo quasi regolari, da 12 a 32 anni, con una media di circa 22 anni. Dal 1985 i geologi americani hanno installato nella zona una rete di strumenti molto avanzata, allo scopo di rilevare cosa accade prima di un evento sismico, al fine di prevedere futuri terremoti.

Abstract

The global spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and the associated disease COVID-19, requires therapeutic interventions that can be rapidly translated to clinical care. Unfortunately, traditional drug discovery methods have a >90% failure rate and can take 10-15 years from target identification to clinical use. In contrast, drug repurposing can significantly accelerate translation. We developed a quantitative high-throughput screen to identify efficacious single agents and combination therapies against SARS-CoV-2. Quantitative high-content morphological profiling was coupled with an AI-based machine learning strategy to classify features of cells for infection and stress. This assay detected multiple antiviral mechanisms of action (MOA), including inhibition of viral entry, propagation, and modulation of host cellular responses.

Two conundrums puzzle COVID‐19 investigators: 1) morbidity and mortality is rare among infants and young children and 2) rates of morbidity and mortality exhibit large variances across nations, locales, and even within cities. It is found that the higher the rate of pneumococcal vaccination in a nation (or city) the lower the COVID‐19 morbidity and mortality. Vaccination rates with Bacillus Calmette–Guerin, poliovirus, and other vaccines do not correlate with COVID‐19 risks, nor do COVID‐19 case or death rates correlate with number of people in the population with diabetes, obesity, or adults over 65.

Infant protection may be due to maternal antibodies and antiviral proteins in milk such as lactoferrin that are known to protect against coronavirus infections. Subsequent protection might then be conferred (and correlate with) rates of Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) (universal in infants) and pneumococcal vaccination, the latter varying widely by geography among infants, at‐risk adults, and the elderly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GODBYRbPL00&feature=youtu.be

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/bies.202000076

More about lactoferrin:

Lactoferrin as potential preventative and treatment for COVID-19

Lactoferrin as Protective Natural Barrier of Respiratory and Intestinal Mucosa against Coronavirus Infection and Inflammation

Una risposta contro il Covid-19: la glicoproteina lattoferrina, una componente dell’immunità innata

COVID-19 during Pregnancy and Postpartum: Antiviral Spectrum of Maternal Lactoferrin in Fetal and Neonatal Defense

Microscopic slide image of the eriophyoid mite Aculops lycopersici, a global pest on tomato. The genome of A. lycopersici was sequenced and revealed mechanisms that underlie metazoan genome reduction. Scale bar represents 0.05 mm. Picture: Jan van Arkel.

Scientists have unraveled the complete genome of the tomato russet mite, which is considered one of the smallest animals on our planet and known as a destructive agricultural pest. The genome is the smallest reported to date for an arthropod and offers intriguing new insights into the organization of the tiniest lifeforms on Earth. The international consortium of European and American researchers, including UvA biologist Merijn Kant, now published their findings in the scientific journal eLife.

A tiny animal living in a huge world

The tomato russet mite (Aculops lycopersici) is a free-living herbivore that has the size of a human egg cell. In addition to miniscule proportions, this worm-like mite has a highly derived morphology with only two pairs of legs, as opposed to the four pairs of most other adult arachnids. Though the mite’s small size restricts it to feeding on the nutrient-poor upper cell layers of plants, it nevertheless possesses the notable ability to block the natural resistance of its host, on which it can proliferate rapidly and reach enormous population sizes. Due to its minute size, the tomato russet mite is often overlooked by growers and is now a major global pest on tomato. The genomic underpinnings of this mite’s tiny size, derived morphology, and ability to grow on tomato plants that are toxic to many herbivores has until now remained unknown.

Abstract
COVID-19 is currently considered as a life-threatening pandemic viral infection. Finding an antiviral drug or a vaccine is the only route for humans’ survival against it. To date, no specific antiviral treatment has been confirmed. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been widely regarded as a promising solution to combat harmful microorganisms. They are biologically active molecules produced by different organisms as an essential component of their innate immune response against invading pathogens. Lactoferrin (LF), one of the AMPs, is an iron-binding glycoprotein that is present in several mucosal secretions.

First interim analysis included 95 participants with confirmed cases of COVID-19

Phase 3 study met statistical criteria with a vaccine efficacy of 94.5% (p <0.0001)

Moderna intends to submit for an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) with U.S. FDA in the coming weeks and expects the EUA to be based on the final analysis of 151 cases and a median follow-up of more than 2 months

Moderna, Inc. (Nasdaq: MRNA), a biotechnology company pioneering messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines to create a new generation of transformative medicines for patients, today announced that the independent, NIH-appointed Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) for the Phase 3 study of mRNA-1273, its vaccine candidate against COVID-19, has informed Moderna that the trial has met the statistical criteria pre-specified in the study protocol for efficacy, with a vaccine efficacy of 94.5%. This study, known as the COVE study, enrolled more than 30,000 participants in the U.S. and is being conducted in collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

An international group led by Dr Banafshe Larijani, an Ikerbasque researcher seconded to the Biofisika Institute (UPV/EHU-University of the Basque Country, CSIC), has developed a new diagnostic method making it possible to accurately predict which cancer patients will respond positively to immunotherapy. This method will allow oncologists to tailor treatment to each patient and avoid therapies that are not going to be successful.

Immunotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that helps the patient’s immunological system to combat it and has a hugely positive impact in cancer treatments, even though it does not work in all cases: it is highly successful in some patients whereas in others it has little or no effect. Given the risks inherent in these procedures, a growing need has emerged to specify which patients are more likely to benefit from them, thus avoiding unnecessary exposure of those who will not benefit.

Beni culturali: come preservare il patrimonio attraverso l’impiego di nanotecnologie avanzate prodotte nei laboratori di ricerca. Una risposta viene dalla ricerca pubblicata su Nanomaterials e condotta dall’Istituto officina dei materiali del Cnr e dall’Università degli Studi dell’Aquila

Nanoparticelle di idrossido di magnesio e di calcio per la conservazione dei beni culturali e in particolare per il restauro dei relitti di barche d’epoca. Questo l’oggetto dello studio pubblicato su Nanomaterials e condotto dall’Istituto officina materiali del Consiglio nazionale delle ricerche (Cnr-Iom), in collaborazione con l’Università degli Studi dell’Aquila. Lo studio è stato condotto su campioni provenienti dal relitto di una barca antica galloromana, la Lyon Saint George 4, ritrovata nei pressi di Lione. I campioni per l’analisi sono stati forniti da ARC Nucleart, un istituto della commissione di energia atomica francese che si occupa specificatamente della prevenzione del legno.

Greenpeace diffonde oggi una guida all’acquisto dei detergenti per permettere di scegliere prodotti privi di materie plastiche, usate spesso come ingredienti in detersivi e saponi per il bucato, le superfici e le stoviglie e destinate a finire nell’ambiente.

Lo scorso luglio l’organizzazione ambientalista, con il rapporto “Plastica liquida: l’ultimo trucco per avvelenare il nostro mare”, aveva già denunciato la presenza di materie plastiche in forma solida (note come microplastiche), liquida, semisolida o solubile in numerosi detergenti presenti sul mercato italiano. “Nelle prossime settimane, a causa delle nuove restrizioni dovute alla pandemia, passeremo molto più tempo in casa che probabilmente impiegheremo per prendercene cura. Cerchiamo dunque di acquistare prodotti privi di ingredienti in plastica, in qualsiasi forma essa si presenti, per non aggravare la contaminazione globale” dichiara Giuseppe Ungherese, responsabile campagna inquinamento di Greenpeace.

Leggi il rapporto!

Taking omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D3 supplements does not neither increase nor decrease the risk of developingatrial fibrillation, according to late-breaking research presented today at the American Heart Association’sScientific Sessions 2020. The virtual meeting is Friday, November 13 – Tuesday, November 17, 2020, and is a premier global exchange of the latest scientific advancements, research and evidence-based clinical practice updates in cardiovascular science for health care worldwide.

Atrial fibrillation is a rapid, irregular heartbeat caused by chaotic electrical signals in the top chambers of the heart. Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm disturbance, and it can lead to blood clots, strokes, heart failure and other heart-related complications. Atrial fibrillation risk increases with age, high blood pressure and heavy drinking and can be common among multiple, biologically related family members.