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L’articolo indaga le ragioni del profondo impatto che le “rivoluzioni colorate” dei primi anni Duemila hanno avuto sulle percezioni politico-strategiche della Russia. Lo scopo del lavoro è quello di mettere in evidenza alcuni aspetti delle “rivoluzioni colorate” suscettibili di rafforzare la tendenza della Russia ad attribuire alle potenze occidentali intenzioni ostili nei suoi confronti, in particolare l’attivismo in Georgia e Ucraina di ONG occidentali già coinvolte nel political warfare condotto dagli Stati Uniti in Polonia negli anni di Reagan (sostegno a Solidarnošc) e ancora in Serbia nel dopo-Guerra fredda (aiuti alle opposizioni attive nel rovesciamento di Slobodan Miloševic nel 2000). L’articolo mostra come le locuzioni “rivoluzione colorata” e “guerra ibrida” siano diventate sinonimi nel recente discorso strategico russo, e come il political warfare statunitense in Polonia e il rovesciamento di Miloševic in Serbia vengano considerati dai russi come dei precedenti delle “rivoluzioni colorate”.

Abstract A plethora of different electronic and optoelectronic devices have been developed lately, for biosensing applications (e.g., label‐free, fast, and easier to operate) based on a detecting interface accommodating the biorecognition elements, anchored by thiolate self‐assembled monolayers (SAMs) on a gold surface. Here, a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) characterization of anti‐p24 anchored on different SAMs is performed to investigate the effect of the SAM structure on the antibodies’ packing efficiency and the sensors’ analytical figures of merit. Notably, the mixed SAM deposited from a solution 10:1 of 3‐mercaptopropionic acid and 11‐mercaptoundecanoic acid (11MUA) is compared to that resulting from a solution 10:1 of ad hoc synthesized N‐(2‐hydroxyethyl)‐3‐mercaptopropanamide (NMPA)/11MUA. Despite the improvement in the anti‐p24 surface coverage registered using the 11MUA/NMPA SAM, the latter produces a significant decrease in the antibodies’ binding efficiency against human immunodeficiency virus p24 protein. To provide a molecular rationale behind the SPR data, density functional theory calculations are also undertaken. A comprehensive physical view of the main competing phenomena affecting the biorecognition events at a biofunctionalized gold detecting interface is represented here.

The coumarin core (i.e., 1-benzopyran-2 (2H)-one) is a structural motif highly recurrent in both natural products and bioactive molecules. Indeed, depending on the substituents and branching positions around the byciclic core, coumarin-containing compounds have shown diverse pharmacological activities, ranging from anticoagulant activities to anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-HIV and antitumor effects. In this survey, we have reported the main scientific results of the 20-years investigation on the coumarin core, exploited by the research group headed by Prof. Angelo Carotti (Bari, Italy) either as a scaffold or a pharmacophore moiety in designing novel biologically active small molecules.

Acute monoblastic/monocytic leukemia (AMoL), previously defined as M5 according to FAB classification, is one of the most common subtypes of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) in children, representing ~15–24% of all pediatric AMLs. Currently, the characterization of monocytic-lineage neoplasia at diagnosis includes cytomorphology, cytochemistry, immunophenotyping by multiparametric flow cytometry, cytogenetics, and molecular biology. Moreover, measurable residual disease (MRD) detection is critical in recognizing residual blasts refractory to chemotherapy. Nonetheless, diagnosis and MRD detection may still be challenging in pediatric AMoL since the morphological and immunophenotypic features of leukemic cells potentially overlap with those of normal mature monocytic compartment, as well as differential diagnosis can be troublesome, particularly with Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia and reactive monocytosis in infants and young children. A failure or delay in diagnosis and inaccuracy in MRD assessment may worsen the AMoL prognosis. Therefore, improving diagnosis and monitoring techniques is mandatory to stratify and tailor therapies to the risk profile. This Mini Review aims to provide an updated revision of the scientific evidence on pediatric AMoL diagnostic tools.

This comprehensive review, covering 2021-2023, explores the multifaceted chemical and pharmacological potential of coumarins, emphasizing their significance as versatile natural derivatives in medicinal chemistry. The synthesis and functionalization of coumarins have advanced with innovative strategies. This enabled the incorporation of diverse functional fragments or the construction of supplementary cyclic architectures, thereby the biological and physico-chemical properties of the compounds obtained were enhanced. The unique chemical structure of coumarine facilitates binding to various targets through hydrophobic interactions pi-stacking, hydrogen bonding, and dipole-dipole interactions. Therefore, this important scaffold exhibits promising applications in uncountable fields of medicinal chemistry (e.g., neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, inflammation). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fusion oncoprotein Bcr-Abl is an aberrant tyrosine kinase responsible for chronic myeloid leukemia and acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The auto-inhibition regulatory module observed in the progenitor kinase c-Abl is lost in the aberrant Bcr-Abl, because of the lack of the N-myristoylated cap able to bind the myristoyl binding pocket also conserved in the Bcr-Abl kinase domain. A way to overcome the occurrence of resistance phenomena frequently observed for Bcr-Abl orthosteric drugs is the rational design of allosteric ligands approaching the so-called myristoyl binding pocket. The discovery of these allosteric inhibitors although very difficult and extremely challenging, represents a valuable option to minimize drug resistance, mostly due to the occurrence of mutations more frequently affecting orthosteric pockets, and to enhance target selectivity with lower off-target effects. In this perspective, we will elucidate at a molecular level the structural bases behind the Bcr-Abl allosteric control and will show how artificial intelligence can be effective to drive the automated de novo design towards off-patent regions of the chemical space.

Objective: This study was aimed to test the agreement between a manual and an automatic technique in measuring fetal brain volume (FBV) from three‐dimensional (3D) fetal head datasets. Methods: FBV were acquired independently by two operators from low risk singleton pregnancies at a gestational age between 19 and 34 weeks. FBV measurements were obtained using an automatic software (Smart ICV™) and manually by Virtual Organ Computer‐aided AnaLysis (VOCAL™). Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were calculated to assess reliability, while bias and agreement were evaluate by examining Bland–Altman plots. The time spent in measuring volumes was calculated and values obtained compared. Results: Sixty‐three volumes were considered for the study. In all the included volumes successful volume analysis were obtained with both techniques. Smart ICV™ showed a high intra‐observer (0.996; 95% CI 0.994–0.998) and inter‐observer (ICC 0.995; 95% CI 0.991–0.997). An excellent degree of reliability was found when the two techniques were compared (ICC 0.995; 95% CI 0.987–0.998). The time required to perform FBV was significantly lower for Smart ICV™ than VOCAL™ (8.2 ± 4.5 vs. 121.3 ± 19.0 s; p < 0.0001). Conclusions: The measurement of FBV is feasible with both manual and automatic techniques. Smart ICV™ showed an excellent intra‐ and inter‐observer reliability associated with a valuable agreement with volume measurements obtained manually with VOCAL™. Volumes may be measured significantly faster with smart ICV™ than manually and this automatic software has the potential to become the preferred methods for the assessment of FBV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Atherosclerosis is an arterial inflammatory process which causes associated tissue ischemia of different degrees. It is not yet calculated an index of plaque vulnerability as a histological marker of acute cardiac event risk at these patients. Aim of the study This retrospective study aimed to answer the question of whether the index of plaque vulnerability can appreciate the risk of atherothrombosis of the erosive plaques using histological measurements. Material and methods 30 patients were included in the study. American Heart Association (AHA) classification was used for appreciating the histological degree of ATS lesions on endarterectomy pieces. In all patients, intima-media thickness (IMT), erosion depth, and parietal thrombosis area were assessed. Results The proposed vulnerability index showed that about 50% of patients have a medium risk of plaque vulnerability and of associated acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Conclusions The index of plaque vulnerability may be used as a reference in ATS assessment by using intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) methods.