11/2021 - Integrative analysis of the plasma proteome and polygenic risk of cardiometabolic diseases
Cardiometabolic diseases are frequently polygenic in architecture, comprising a large number of risk alleles with small effects spread across the genome1,2,3. Polygenic scores (PGS) aggregate these into a metric representing an individual’s genetic predisposition to disease. PGS have shown promise for early risk prediction4,5,6,7 and there is an open question as to whether PGS can also […]
11/2021 - A WDR35-dependent coat protein complex transports ciliary membrane cargo vesicles to cilia
Intraflagellar transport (IFT) is a highly conserved mechanism for motor-driven transport of cargo within cilia, but how this cargo is selectively transported to cilia and across the diffusion barrier is unclear. WDR35/IFT121 is a component of the IFT-A complex best known for its role in ciliary retrograde transport. In the absence of WDR35, small mutant […]
10/2021 - Novel in vitro Experimental Approaches to Study Myelination and Remyelination in the Central Nervous System
Myelin is the lipidic insulating structure enwrapping axons and allowing fast saltatory nerve conduction. In the central nervous system, myelin sheath is the result of the complex packaging of multilamellar extensions of oligodendrocyte (OL) membranes. Before reaching myelinating capabilities, OLs undergo a very precise program of differentiation and maturation that starts from OL precursor cells […]
10/2021 - A Functional Data Analysis Approach to Left Ventricular Remodeling Assessment
Left ventricular remodeling is a mechanism common to various cardiovascular diseases affecting myocardial morphology. It can be often overlooked in clinical practice since the parameters routinely employed in the diagnostic process (e.g., the ejection fraction) mainly focus on evaluating volumetric aspects. Nevertheless, the integration of a quantitative assessment of structural modifications can be pivotal in […]
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 […]