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The incidence of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) in Sardinia is among the highest in the world (44.8 cases/100,000 person-years). Recommendations of the Immunology of Diabetes Society advise evaluating autoantibody positivity in first-degree relatives (FDRs) of patients with T1DM, for their higher risk to develop the disease. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of beta-cell autoimmunity in FDRs of T1DM patients in Sardinia.A total of 188 Sardinian families were recruited in collaboration between diabetes and pediatric units of university and district hospitals in Sardinia. The recruitment involved 188 patients with diagnosed T1DM and all their available FDRs (n = 447). Autoantibodies (Aabs) against GAD, IA2, insulin, and ZnT8 were measured in all subjects. Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) risk genotypes (HLA-DR and DQ loci) were analyzed in 43 Aabs-positive FDR.The prevalence of Aabs (any type of autoantibody, single or multiple) in FDR was 11.9% (53/447). Of those with autoantibodies, 62.3% (33/53) were positive to only 1 autoantibody, 22.6% (12/53) had 2 autoantibodies, 7.55% (4/53) had 3 autoantibodies, and 7.55% (4/53) had all 4 autoantibodies. Typing of HLA-DR and DQ loci showed that 89% of FDR carried moderate- to high-risk genotypes, with only 5 FDR with low-risk genotypes.The prevalence of T1DM autoantibodies in FDRs of T1DM patients was very high (11.9%) in the Sardinian population, higher than in other populations from the United States and Europe, and similar to that observed in Finland. Autoantibody positivity strongly associated with HLA risk. This study provides evidence of the high risk of T1DM in FDR of T1DM patients in Sardinia and warrants longitudinal follow-up to estimate the risk of progression to T1DM in high-risk populations.

Many research efforts are focused toward significant improvements of polymeric solar cells efficiency, energy harvesting range, time, and environmental stability. Particular attention is given to hybrid organic/inorganic composites constituted of polymer/lead chalcogenides (PbS and PbSe) nanocrystals (NCs) to extend the spectral sensitivity of cells to near-infrared wavelengths. In this work we report the synthesis and characterization of PbS nanocrystals with absorption edge at 984 nm. The nanocrystals have a cubic crystal structure and size of about 2 nmas found by X-ray diffraction analysis. They were combined with poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) polymer to obtain P3HT:PbS blends with different PbS loadings. A postdeposition ligand exchange on PbS NCs by 1,2-ethanedithiol (EDT) allowed a better interaction between polymer and nanocrystals as showed by fluorescence measurements. The P3HT:PbS blends were deposited and treated by a layer by layer spin coating process and used as active layer in solar cells having structure glass/ITO/PEDOT:PSS/blend/Al. The major result obtained for this hybrid system is an increase of PCE by about two orders of magnitude with respect to analogous reported cells where a post-deposition ligand exchange was performed. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

29th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition; 1588-1591, Polymer solar cells (PSCs) are typically fabricated with a transparent conductive anode covered by a thin hole conducting layer, such as poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), over which, the active layer and low-work-function metals (usually Ca/Al) are deposited. This configuration suffers from degradation in operative conditions due to the degradation of PEDOT:PSS and metal cathode. In order to avoid these issues, the inverted configuration (where the charge collection nature of the electrodes is reversed avoiding the use of not stable layers) can be used. In this work we realized standard and inverted PSCs based on poly[(4,8-bis-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-benzo[1,2-b;4,5-b']dithiophene)-2,6-diyl-alt-(4-(2-ethylhexanoyl)-thieno[3,4-b]thiopene)-2,6-diyl]/[6,6]-phenyl C71 butyric acid methyl ester (PBDTTT-C:[70]PCBM) blend films. In the standard architecture, the transparent indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode is coated with PEDOT:PSS and used as a hole collecting electrode, while in an inverted device configuration, the ITO electrode is turned into the electron collecting contact by surface modification with zinc oxide (ZnO). The standard cells sequence is ITO/PEDOT:PSS/PBDTTT-C:[70]PCBM/Ca/Al and the inverted cells one is ITO/ZnO/PBDTTT-C:[70]PCBM/MoO3/Ag. We studied the electrical behavior (by means of IV-light and external quantum efficiency measurements) of both kinds of devices in order to investigate the influence of the architecture (standard vs inverted) on the performance of the PSCs.

We must pay attention to character formation of Medical Doctors because it could build a good or bad relationship with colleagues and patients: it is not a merely "humanistic" goal but a necessary component of professional excellence. The first endpoint of this study is to identify how to improve the quality of the outpatient visit.We tested a user-friendly questionnaire, distributed to 100 patients.The most important behavioral characteristics desired by patients from physicians are: 1. to have the physician's attention without feeling hurried (such as without the physician answering a phone call during the office visit); 2. to have continuity of care even in the ambulatory setting; 3. to find a relationship of empathy, participation and sharing; 4. to have a peaceful relationship of collaboration with the nurses and other health care personnel; 5. to find the physician appropriately groomed and dressed; 6. to receive the full diagnosis with clarity and at the most appropriate moment of communication.