09/2021 - A look at the spatio-temporal mortality patterns in Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of mortality densities
With the tools and perspective of Object Oriented Spatial Statistics, we analyze official daily data on mortality from all causes in the provinces and municipalities of Italy for the year 2020, the first of the COVID-19 pandemic. By comparison with mortality data from 2011 to 2019, we assess the local impact of the pandemic as […]
09/2021 - Inheritance and flexibility of cell polarity: a clue for understanding human brain development and evolution
Cell polarity is fundamentally important for understanding brain development. Here, we hypothesize that the inheritance and flexibility of cell polarity during neocortex development could be implicated in neocortical evolutionary expansion. Molecular and morphological features of cell polarity may be inherited from one type of progenitor cell to the other and finally transmitted to neurons. Furthermore, […]
09/2021 - Functional impact of genomic complexity on the transcriptome of Multiple Myeloma
Purpose: Multiple Myeloma (MM) is a biologically heterogenous plasma-cell disorder. In this study we aimed at dissecting the functional impact on transcriptome of gene mutations, copy-number abnormalities (CNAs), and chromosomal rearrangements (CRs). Moreover, we applied a geno-transcriptomic approach to identify specific biomarkers for personalized treatments. Methods: We analyzed 514 newly-diagnosed patients from the IA12 release […]
09/2021 - A small nucleosome from a weird virus with a fat genome
Valencia-Sánchez et al. (2021) and Liu et al. (2021) provide structural and biological insights about the existence and importance of a nucleosome-like particle in a family of giant viruses.
08/2021 - Social and material vulnerability in the face of seismic hazard: An analysis of the Italian case
The assessment of the vulnerability of a community endangerd by seismic hazard is of paramount importance for planning a precision policy aimed at the prevention and reduction of its seismic risk. We aim at measuring the vulnerability of the Italian municipalities exposed to seismic hazard, by analysing the open data offered by the Mappa dei […]