GENIO italiano Giuseppe Cotellessa

Protein Structure at the "Heart" of SARS-CoV-2 Sized Up With X-rays /   Struttura proteica nel "cuore" della SARS-CoV-2 dimensionata con raggi X. Segnalato dal Dott. Giuseppe Cotellessa / Reported by Dr. Giuseppe Cotellessa Overlapping X-ray data of the SARS-CoV-2 main protease shows structural differences between the protein at room temperature (orange) and the cryogenically frozen structure (white). /  I dati a raggi X sovrapposti della proteasi principale SARS-CoV-2 mostrano differenze strutturali tra la proteina a temperatura ambiente (arancione) e la struttura criogenicamente congelata (bianco). Credit: Jill Hemman/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy. A team of researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge and Argonne national laboratories has performed the first room-temperature X-ray measurements on the SARS-CoV-2 main protease — the enzyme that enables the virus to reproduce. The X-ray measurements mark an important first step in the researchers’ ultimate goal

Common Cancer Treatments Don’t Appear To Exacerbate Coronavirus Infection /   I trattamenti antitumorali comuni non sembrano esacerbare l'infezione da coronavirus Segnalato dal Dott. Giuseppe Cotellessa /  Reported by Dr. Giuseppe Cotellessa Background:   The characterization of COVID-19 in patients with cancer remains limited in published studies and nationwide surveillance analyses. Reports from China and Italy have raised the possibility that patients with cancer on active therapy have a higher risk of COVID-19 related severe events, although there is a knowledge gap as to which aspects of cancer and its treatment increase the risk of severe COVID-19 disease. A team of researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) reported on the epidemiology of COVID-19 illness experienced at an NCI-designated cancer center during the height of pandemic in New York City. Bottom Line:  According to a new study from Memorial Sloan Kettering published June 24 in  Nature Medicine , p

Specific Antibody Targets on SARS-CoV-2 Identified /  Identificati target anticorpali specifici su SARS-CoV-2 Segnalato dal Dott. Giuseppe Cotellessa /  Reported by Dr. Giuseppe Cotellessa Serological tests can be used to ascertain whether an individual has developed antibodies against the coronavirus responsible for COVID- 19. These tests, however, do not provide information about the precise part of the virus that the antibodies bind onto – an essential piece of information that determines the ability of the human immune system to neutralise the pathogen and stamp out the infection. Scientists from the University of Geneva and Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) have identified three of the targets (linear epitopes) most often selected by the antibodies from a group of patients who have had COVID-19. As the scientists report in an article deposited on MedRxiv (an archive for preprints devoted to medical research), two of these epitopes are involved in the process used by the virus to

Evaluation of Chilblains as a Manifestation of the COVID-19 Pandemic /  Valutazione di geloni come manifestazione della pandemia COVID-19 Segnalato dal Dott. Giuseppe Cotellessa /  Reported by Dr. Giuseppe Cotellessa Introduction Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is mainly characterized by fever and respiratory symptoms. During this pandemic, several cases of unusual purplish red lesions on the feet and/or hands, mimicking chilblains, have been reported in the literature and on social media. Some researchers have suspected that these lesions are associated with asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic COVID-19. However, to our knowledge, no study has proved a pathologic link between these skin lesions and COVID-19. This observational prospective case series aimed to investigate the possible association between chilblains and COVID-19. Methods Between April 10 and April 17, 2020, we enrolled 31 patients who visited the Department of Dermatology at Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc, Brusse

New strong super steel is fracture-resistant /  Il nuovo super acciaio super resistente alle fratture Segnalato dal Dott. Giuseppe Cotellessa /  Reported by Dr. Giuseppe Cotellessa The high-strength steel is also ductile and fracture-resistant. /    L'acciaio ad alta resistenza è anche duttile e resistente alle fratture.   Source: University of Hong Kong A high strength ductile steel that is also fracture resistant has been developed by researchers from the University of Hong Kong and U.S. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. A  deformed and partitioned method  of manufacture was applied to realize improvements in steel properties. The material features a yield strength resistance against deformation of around 2 gigapascals (GPa), a fracture toughness of 102 megapascal (MPa) / half-meter and a uniform elongation of 19%. In comparison, the high  strength steel in bridge cables has a yield strength lower than 1.7 GPa and a fracture toughness lower than 65 MPa/half-meter. The enhan

US daily infections smash records, with 40,000 new cases of coronavirus /   Le infezioni quotidiane statunitensi superano i record, con 40.000 nuovi casi di coronavirus Segnalato dal Dott. Giuseppe Cotellessa /  Reported by Dr. Giuseppe Cotellessa America’s new infections have reached an all-time high, with at least 40,870 people in a day testing positive to the coronavirus as the White House reaffirmed its mission to revive the economy. Southern states like Texas, which had been leading a push to reopen, have experienced a huge resurgence in COVID-19, as the USA’s tally surpassed its previous highest record of 36,400 confirmed daily infections, set on April 24. Eleven states – including Texas, Florida and Arizona – have reported a spike of 50 per cent or more in the past week, while 32 states have seen their numbers rise, according to data from John Hopkins University. US vice-president Mike Pence held the first coronavirus taskforce briefing in almost two months, saying the country