Successful use of tralokinumab for the treatment of atopic dermatitis on the genitals.

BACKGROUND: Genital involvement in atopic dermatitis(AD) can have a significant impact on the patient's quality of life. However, inspection of genital areas is not usually conducted during routine examination and patients may be reluctant to inform the clinician or show this area. OBJECTIVE: to evaluate the efficacy of tralokinumab in AD patients with genital involvement. METHODS: Adult patients with moderate/severe AD and genital involvement receiving tralokinumab have been analyzed. Primary endpoints were EASI, DLQI, PP-NRS, genital-IGA (g-IGA) and genital itching (GI) at week 16. RESULTS: out of 48 patients with moderate/severe AD under treatment with tralokinumab, 12 patients (25%) showed a genital involvement. Seven patients reported itching in the genital area (58%), while none reported a positive history of genital infections. Median scores at T0 were EASI 17.5, PP-NRS 8 and DLQI 14. After 16 weeks of treatment, we observed a median EASI of 3, a median PP-NRS of 1 and a median DLQI of 1. Finally, concerning the genital response, after 16 weeks of treatment, we observed a statistically significant decrease in mean GI and g-IGA scores. CONCLUSION: despite the small size of our sample, tralokinumab can be considered as a valid treatment option for AD with genital involvement.

Fast current-induced skyrmion motion in synthetic antiferromagnets.

Magnetic skyrmions are topological magnetic textures that hold great promise as nanoscale bits of information in memory and logic devices. Although room-temperature ferromagnetic skyrmions and their current-induced manipulation have been demonstrated, their velocity has been limited to about 100 meters per second. In addition, their dynamics are perturbed by the skyrmion Hall effect, a motion transverse to the current direction caused by the skyrmion topological charge. Here, we show that skyrmions in compensated synthetic antiferromagnets can be moved by current along the current direction at velocities of up to 900 meters per second. This can be explained by the cancellation of the net topological charge leading to a vanishing skyrmion Hall effect. Our results open an important path toward the realization of logic and memory devices based on the fast manipulation of skyrmions in tracks.

Nonlinear asymmetric imaging with AlGaAs metasurface.

Nowadays, dielectric metasurfaces are a promising platform in many different research fields such as sensing, lasing, all-optical modulation and nonlinear optics. Among all the different kinds of such thin structures, asymmetric geometries are recently attracting increasing interest. In particular, nonlinear light-matter interaction in metasurfaces constitutes a valid approach for achieving miniaturized control over light. Here, we demonstrate nonlinear asymmetric generation of light in a dielectric metasurface via second harmonic generation. By inverting the illumination direction of the pump, the nonlinear emitted power is modulated by more than one order of magnitude. Moreover, we demonstrate how a properly designed metasurface can generate two completely different images at the second harmonic when the direction of illumination is reversed. Our results may pave the way to important opportunities for the realization of compact nanophotonic devices for imaging applications by densely integrating numerous nonlinear resonators.

Unidirectional Nano-modulated Binding and Electron Scattering in Epitaxial Borophene.

A complex interplay between the crystal structure and the electron behavior within borophene renders this material an intriguing 2D system, with many of its electronic properties still undiscovered. Experimental insight into those properties is additionally hampered by the limited capabilities of the established synthesis methods, which, in turn, inhibits the realization of potential borophene applications. In this multimethod study, photoemission spectroscopies and scanning probe techniques complemented by theoretical calculations have been used to investigate the electronic characteristics of a high-coverage, single-layer borophene on the Ir(111) substrate. Our results show that the binding of borophene to Ir(111) exhibits pronounced one-dimensional modulation and transforms borophene into a nanograting. The scattering of photoelectrons from this structural grating gives rise to the replication of the electronic bands. In addition, the binding modulation is reflected in the chemical reactivity of borophene and gives rise to its inhomogeneous aging effect. Such aging is easily reset by dissolving boron atoms in iridium at high temperature, followed by their reassembly into a fresh atomically thin borophene mesh. Besides proving electron-grating capabilities of the boron monolayer, our data provide comprehensive insight into the electronic properties of epitaxial borophene which is vital for further examination of other boron systems of reduced dimensionality.

COVID 19-associated chilblain-like acral lesions among children and adolescents: an Italian retrospective, multicenter study.

BACKGROUND: Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, great interest has been given to this disease, especially to its possible clinical presentations. Besides classical respiratory symptoms, dermatological manifestations occur quite often among infected and non-infected patients, particularly in children. A prominent IFN-I response, that is generally higher in children compared to adults, may not only cause chilblain lesions, but it could also prevent infection and viral replication, thus justifying the negative swab results, as well as the absence of relevant systemic symptoms in positive cases. Indeed, reports have emerged describing chilblain-like acral lesions in children and adolescents with either proven or suspected infection. METHODS: Patients aged from 1 to 18 years old were enrolled in this study from 23 Italian dermatological units and were observed for an overall period of 6 months. Clinical pictures were collected along with data on the location and duration of skin lesions, their association with concomitant local and systemic symptoms, presence of nail and/or mucosal involvement, as well as histological, laboratory and imaging findings. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-seven patients were included, of whom 56.9% were females. Mean age was 11.97±3.66 years. The most commonly affected sites were the feet (77 patients, 56.2%). Lesions (48.5%) featured cyanosis, chilblains, blisters, ecchymosis, bullae, erythema, edema, and papules. Concomitant skin manifestations included maculo-papular rashes (30%), unspecified rashes (25%), vesicular rashes (20%), erythema multiforme (10%), urticaria (10%) and erythema with desquamation (5%). Forty-one patients (29.9%) reported pruritus as the main symptom associated with chilblains, and 56 out of 137 patients also reported systemic symptoms such as respiratory symptoms (33.9%), fever (28%), intestinal (27%), headache (5.5%), asthenia (3.5%), and joint pain (2%). Associated comorbid conditions were observed in 9 patients presenting with skin lesions. Nasopharyngeal swabs turned out positive in 11 patients (8%), whereas the remainder were either negative (101, 73%) or unspecified (25, 18%). CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 has been credited as the etiology of the recent increase in acro-ischemic lesions. The present study provides a description of pediatric cutaneous manifestations deemed to be potentially associated with COVID-19, revealing a possible association between acral cyanosis and nasopharyngeal swab positivity in children and teenagers. The identification and characterization of newly recognized patterns of skin involvement may aid physicians in diagnosing cases of asymptomatic or pauci-symptomatic COVID patients.

Unraveling van der Waals epitaxy: A real-time in-situ study of MoSe2 growth on graphene/Ru(0001).

In the present work we investigate the growth of monolayer MoSe2 on selenium-intercalated graphene on Ru(0001), a model layered heterostructure combining a transition metal dichalcogenide with graphene, using low energy electron microscopy and micro-diffraction. Real-time observation of MoSe2 on graphene growth reveals the island nucleation dynamics at the nanoscale. Upon annealing, larger islands are formed by sliding and attachment of multiple nanometer-sized MoSe2 flakes. Local micro-spot angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy reveals the electronic structure of the heterostructure, indicating that no charge transfer occurs within adjacent layers. The observed behavior is attributed to intercalation of Se at the graphene/Ru(0001) interface. The unperturbed nature of the proposed heterostructure therefore renders it as a model system for investigations of graphene supported TMD nanostructures.

Versatile procedure for the correction of non-isochromatism in XPEEM spectroscopic imaging.

Non-isochromatism in X-ray PhotoEmission Electron Microscopy (XPEEM) may result in unwanted artifacts especially when working with large field of views. The lack of isochromatism of XPEEM images may result from multiple factors, for instance the energy dispersion of the X-rays on the sample or the effect of one or more dispersive elements in the electron optics of the microscope, or the combination of both. In practice, the photon energy or the electron kinetic energy may vary across the image, complicating image interpretation and analysis. The effect becomes severe when imaging at low magnification upon irradiation with high energy photons. Such imaging demands for a large X-ray illuminating spot size usually achieved by opening the exit slit of the X-ray monochromator while reducing the monochromaticity of the irradiating light. However, we show that the effect is linear and can be fully removed. A versatile correction procedure is presented which leads to true monochromatic photoelectron images at improved signal-to-noise ratio. XPEEM data recorded at the nanospectroscopy beamline of the Elettra synchrotron radiation facility illustrate the working principle of the procedure. Also, reciprocal space XPEEM data such as angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (ARPES) momentum plots suffer from linear energy dispersion artifacts which can be corrected in a similar way. Representative data acquired from graphene synthesized on copper by chemical vapor deposition prove the benefits of the correction procedure.

Black or red phosphorus yields the same blue phosphorus film.

After the discovery of graphene, many other 2D materials have been predicted theoretically and successfully prepared. In this context, single-sheet black phosphorus - phosphorene - is emerging as a viable contender in the field of (2D) semiconductors. Phosphorene offers high carrier mobility and an anisotropic structure that gives rise to a modulation of physical and chemical properties. This opens the way to many novel and fascinating applications related to field-effect transistors and optoelectronic devices. In previous studies, a single layer of blue phosphorene intermixed with Au atoms was grown using purified black phosphorus as a precursor. Starting from the observation that phosphorus vapor mainly consists of P clusters, in this work we aimed at obtaining blue phosphorus using much less expensive purified red phosphorus as an evaporant. By means of microscopy, spectroscopy and diffraction experiments, we show that black or red phosphorus deposition on Au(111) substrates yields the same blue phosphorus film.

Imaging Phase Segregation in Nanoscale LixCoO2 Single Particles.

LixCoO2 (LCO) is a common battery cathode material that has recently emerged as a promising material for other applications including electrocatalysis and as electrochemical random access memory (ECRAM). During charge-discharge cycling LCO exhibits phase transformations that are significantly complicated by electron correlation. While the bulk phase diagram for an ensemble of battery particles has been studied extensively, it remains unclear how these phases scale to nanometer dimensions and the effects of strain and diffusional anisotropy at the single-particle scale. Understanding these effects is critical to modeling battery performance and for predicting the scalability and performance of electrocatalysts and ECRAM. Here we investigate isolated, epitaxial LiCoO2 islands grown by pulsed laser deposition. After electrochemical cycling of the islands, conductive atomic force microscopy (c-AFM) is used to image the spatial distribution of conductive and insulating phases. Above 20 nm island thicknesses, we observe a kinetically arrested state in which the phase boundary is perpendicular to the Li-planes; we propose a model and present image analysis results that show smaller LCO islands have a higher conductive fraction than larger area islands, and the overall conductive fraction is consistent with the lithiation state. Thinner islands (14 nm), with a larger surface to volume ratio, are found to exhibit a striping pattern, which suggests surface energy can dominate below a critical dimension. When increasing force is applied through the AFM tip to strain the LCO islands, significant shifts in current flow are observed, and underlying mechanisms for this behavior are discussed. The c-AFM images are compared with photoemission electron microscopy images, which are used to acquire statistics across hundreds of particles. The results indicate that strain and morphology become more critical to electrochemical performance as particles approach nanometer dimensions.

NiSe and CoSe Topological Nodal-Line Semimetals: A Sustainable Platform for Efficient Thermoplasmonics and Solar-Driven Photothermal Membrane Distillation.

The control of heat at the nanoscale via the excitation of localized surface plasmons in nanoparticles (NPs) irradiated with light holds great potential in several fields (cancer therapy, catalysis, desalination). To date, most thermoplasmonic applications are based on Ag and Au NPs, whose cost of raw materials inevitably limits the scalability for industrial applications requiring large amounts of photothermal NPs, as in the case of desalination plants. On the other hand, alternative nanomaterials proposed so far exhibit severe restrictions associated with the insufficient photothermal efficacy in the visible, the poor chemical stability, and the challenging scalability. Here, it is demonstrated the outstanding potential of NiSe and CoSe topological nodal-line semimetals for thermoplasmonics. The anisotropic dielectric properties of NiSe and CoSe activate additional plasmonic resonances. Specifically, NiSe and CoSe NPs support multiple localized surface plasmons in the optical range, resulting in a broadband matching with sunlight radiation spectrum. Finally, it is validated the proposed NiSe and CoSe-based thermoplasmonic platform by implementing solar-driven membrane distillation by adopting NiSe and CoSe nanofillers embedded in a polymeric membrane for seawater desalination. Remarkably, replacing Ag with NiSe and CoSe for solar membrane distillation increases the transmembrane flux by 330% and 690%, respectively. Correspondingly, costs of raw materials are also reduced by 24 and 11 times, respectively. The results pave the way for the advent of NiSe and CoSe for efficient and sustainable thermoplasmonics and related applications exploiting sunlight within the paradigm of the circular blue economy.

Moiré Superlattice Effects and Band Structure Evolution in Near-30-Degree Twisted Bilayer Graphene.

In stacks of two-dimensional crystals, mismatch of their lattice constants and misalignment of crystallographic axes lead to formation of moiré patterns. We show that moiré superlattice effects persist in twisted bilayer graphene (tBLG) with large twists and short moiré periods. Using angle-resolved photoemission, we observe dramatic changes in valence band topology across large regions of the Brillouin zone, including the vicinity of the saddle point at M and across 3 eV from the Dirac points. In this energy range, we resolve several moiré minibands and detect signatures of secondary Dirac points in the reconstructed dispersions. For twists θ > 21.8°, the low-energy minigaps are not due to cone anticrossing as is the case at smaller twist angles but rather due to moiré scattering of electrons in one graphene layer on the potential of the other which generates intervalley coupling. Our work demonstrates the robustness of the mechanisms which enable engineering of electronic dispersions of stacks of two-dimensional crystals by tuning the interface twist angles. It also shows that large-angle tBLG hosts electronic minigaps and van Hove singularities of different origin which, given recent progress in extreme doping of graphene, could be explored experimentally.

RNAscope in situ hybridization and RT-PCR for detection of SARS-CoV-2 in chilblain-like lesions: A clinical, laboratory and histopathological study.

BACKGROUND: Since the beginning of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, an increasing number of chilblain-like lesions (ChLL) have been increasingly reported worldwide. To date, the causal link between ChLL and SARS-CoV-2 infection has not been unequivocally established. METHODS: In this case series, we present demographic, clinical, laboratory, and histopathological information regarding 27 young patients with a clinical diagnosis of ChLL who referred to the Dermatology Unit of Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital, Bergamo, Italy, from 1 April 2020 to 1 June 2020. RESULTS: The mean age was 14.2 years, and 21 patients (78%) experienced mild systemic symptoms a median of 28 days before the onset of cutaneous lesions. ChLL mostly involved the feet (20 patients - 74%). Among acral lesions, we identified three different clinical patterns: (i) chilblains in 20 patients (74%); (ii) fixed erythematous macules in 4 children (15%); (iii) erythrocyanosis in 3 female patients (11%). Blood examinations and viral serologies, including parvovirus B19, cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and coxsackievirus were normal in all. Three patients (11%) underwent nasopharyngeal swab for RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2 showing only 1 positive. Histopathological examinations of 7 skin biopsies confirmed the clinical diagnosis of chilblains; vessel thrombi were observed only in 1 case. Our findings failed to demonstrate the direct presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in skin biopsies, both with real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and RNAscope in situ hybridization (ISH). LIMITATIONS: Limited number of cases, unavailability of laboratory confirmation of COVID-19 in all patients, potential methodological weakness, and latency of skin biopsies in comparison to cutaneous lesions onset. CONCLUSIONS: These observations may support the hypothesis of an inflammatory pathogenesis rather than the presence of peripheral viral particles. Although, we could not exclude an early phase of viral endothelial damage followed by an IFN-I or complement-mediated inflammatory phase. Further observations on a large number of patients are needed to confirm this hypothesis.

Autophagy and longevity: Evolutionary hints from hyper-longevous mammals.

Autophagy is a fundamental multi-tasking adaptive cellular degradation and recycling strategy. Following its causal implication in age-related decline, autophagy is currently among the most broadly studied and challenged mechanisms within aging research. Thanks to these efforts, new cellular nodes interconnected with this phylogenetically ancestral pathway and unexpected roles of autophagy-associated genetic products are unveiled daily, yet the history of functional adaptations of autophagy along its evolutive trail is poorly understood and documented. Autophagy is traditionally studied in canonical and research-wise convenient model organisms such as yeast and mice. However, unconventional animal models endowed with extended longevity and exemption from age-related diseases offer a privileged perspective to inquire into the role of autophagy in the evolution of longevity. In this mini review we retrace the appearance and functions evolved by autophagy in eukaryotic cells and its protective contribution in the pathophysiology of aging.

Laparoscopic versus open resection for the treatment of gastric GIST: a retrospective 10-year single-center experience.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic resection (LR) is increasingly performed for gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). The aim of this study is to investigate the short-term outcomes and therapeutic effects of LR compared to Open Resection (OR) for gastric GISTs. METHODS: All 12 patients undergoing surgery (LR vs. OR) for gastric GISTs during 2012-2021 in a single center, were analyzed retrospectively. All outcomes were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: No statistical significant differences were observed between the two groups (LR vs. OR) as far as operative time (143 vs. 144.5 minutes, P=0.81 NS) blood loss (70 vs. 125 mL, P=0.2 NS), early postoperative complications (2 vs. 1, Fisher 1 P=NS), length of hospital stay (8.5 vs. 14.2 days, P=0.17 NS). CONCLUSIONS: LR for GISTs is safe and effective. The only limiting factor for the widespread application of Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) is surgeon expertise in challenging cases.

A UHV MOKE magnetometer complementing XMCD-PEEM at the Elettra Synchrotron.

We report on a custom-built UHV-compatible Magneto-Optical Kerr Effect (MOKE) magnetometer for applications in surface and materials sciences, operating in tandem with the PhotoEmission Electron Microscope (PEEM) endstation at the Nanospectroscopy beamline of the Elettra synchrotron. The magnetometer features a liquid-nitrogen-cooled electromagnet that is fully compatible with UHV operation and produces magnetic fields up to about 140 mT at the sample. Longitudinal and polar MOKE measurement geometries are realized. The magneto-optical detection is based on polarization analysis using a photoelastic modulator. The sample manipulation system is fully compatible with that of the PEEM, making it possible to exchange samples with the beamline endstation, where complementary X-ray imaging and spectroscopy techniques are available. The magnetometer performance is illustrated by experiments on cobalt ultra-thin films, demonstrating close to monolayer sensitivity. The advantages of combining in situ growth, X-ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism imaging (XMCD-PEEM) and MOKE magnetometry into a versatile multitechnique facility are highlighted.

Evolution of mammalian longevity: age-related increase in autophagy in bats compared to other mammals.

Autophagy maintains cellular homeostasis and its dysfunction has been implicated in aging. Bats are the longest-lived mammals for their size, but the molecular mechanisms underlying their extended healthspan are not well understood. Here, drawing on >8 years of mark-recapture field studies, we report the first longitudinal analysis of autophagy regulation in bats. Mining of published population level aging blood transcriptomes (M. myotis, mouse and human) highlighted a unique increase of autophagy related transcripts with age in bats, but not in other mammals. This bat-specific increase in autophagy transcripts was recapitulated by the western blot determination of the autophagy marker, LC3II/I ratio, in skin primary fibroblasts (Myotis myotis,Pipistrellus kuhlii, mouse), that also showed an increase with age in both bat species. Further phylogenomic selection pressure analyses across eutherian mammals (n=70 taxa; 274 genes) uncovered 10 autophagy-associated genes under selective pressure in bat lineages. These molecular adaptations potentially mediate the exceptional age-related increase of autophagy signalling in bats, which may contribute to their longer healthspans.

Pnictogens Allotropy and Phase Transformation during van der Waals Growth.

With their ns2 np3 valence electronic configuration, pnictogens are the only system to crystallize in layered van der Waals (vdW) and quasi-vdW structures throughout the group. Light pnictogens crystallize in the A17 phase, and bulk heavier elements prefer the A7 phase. Herein, we demonstrate that the A17 of heavy pnictogens can be stabilized in antimonene grown on weakly interacting surfaces and that it undergoes a spontaneous thickness-driven transformation to the stable A7 phase. At a critical thickness of ∼4 nm, A17 antimony transforms from AB- to AA-stacked α-antimonene by a diffusionless shuffle transition followed by a gradual relaxation to the A7 phase. Furthermore, the competition between A7- and A17-like bonding affects the electronic structure of the intermediate phase. These results highlight the critical role of the atomic structure and substrate-layer interactions in shaping the stability and properties of layered materials, thus enabling a new degree of freedom to engineer their performance.

Charge Redistribution Mechanisms in SnSe2 Surfaces Exposed to Oxidative and Humid Environments and Their Related Influence on Chemical Sensing.

Tin diselenide (SnSe2) is a van der Waals semiconductor, which spontaneously forms a subnanometric SnO2 skin once exposed to air. Here, by means of surface-science spectroscopies and density functional theory, we have investigated the charge redistribution at the SnO2-SnSe2 heterojunction in both oxidative and humid environments. Explicitly, we find that the work function of the pristine SnSe2 surface increases by 0.23 and 0.40 eV upon exposure to O2 and air, respectively, with a charge transfer reaching 0.56 e-/SnO2 between the underlying SnSe2 and the SnO2 skin. Remarkably, both pristine SnSe2 and defective SnSe2 display chemical inertness toward water, in contrast to other metal chalcogenides. Conversely, the SnO2-SnSe2 interface formed upon surface oxidation is highly reactive toward water, with subsequent implications for SnSe2-based devices working in ambient humidity, including chemical sensors. Our findings also imply that recent reports on humidity sensing with SnSe2 should be reinterpreted, considering the pivotal role of the oxide skin in the interaction with water molecules.

Six reference-quality genomes reveal evolution of bat adaptations.

Bats possess extraordinary adaptations, including flight, echolocation, extreme longevity and unique immunity. High-quality genomes are crucial for understanding the molecular basis and evolution of these traits. Here we incorporated long-read sequencing and state-of-the-art scaffolding protocols1 to generate, to our knowledge, the first reference-quality genomes of six bat species (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, Rousettus aegyptiacus, Phyllostomus discolor, Myotis myotis, Pipistrellus kuhlii and Molossus molossus). We integrated gene projections from our 'Tool to infer Orthologs from Genome Alignments' (TOGA) software with de novo and homology gene predictions as well as short- and long-read transcriptomics to generate highly complete gene annotations. To resolve the phylogenetic position of bats within Laurasiatheria, we applied several phylogenetic methods to comprehensive sets of orthologous protein-coding and noncoding regions of the genome, and identified a basal origin for bats within Scrotifera. Our genome-wide screens revealed positive selection on hearing-related genes in the ancestral branch of bats, which is indicative of laryngeal echolocation being an ancestral trait in this clade. We found selection and loss of immunity-related genes (including pro-inflammatory NF-κB regulators) and expansions of anti-viral APOBEC3 genes, which highlights molecular mechanisms that may contribute to the exceptional immunity of bats. Genomic integrations of diverse viruses provide a genomic record of historical tolerance to viral infection in bats. Finally, we found and experimentally validated bat-specific variation in microRNAs, which may regulate bat-specific gene-expression programs. Our reference-quality bat genomes provide the resources required to uncover and validate the genomic basis of adaptations of bats, and stimulate new avenues of research that are directly relevant to human health and disease1.