Luminescent Copolymer‐Rhenium(I) Hybrid Materials via Picolylamine‐Modified Poly(pentafluorophenyl acrylate)

The synthesis and photophysical properties of well‐defined polymer‐rhenium(I) hybrid materials is described. Reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer polymerization of pentafluorophenyl acrylate yields a parent homopolymer that serves as a reactive scaffold for the preparation of a series of new statistical copolymers containing pendent pyridyl functional groups in conjunction with various other repeat unit species. Attachment of [Re(CO)₃(phen)]⁺ fragments via coordination through the pendent pyridyl groups yields the hybrid metal‐copolymer materials. Photophysical studies confirm successful rhenium coordination as judged from the absorption and emission profiles of the hybrid materials and further verify that the polymeric scaffold has no discernable effect on the luminescent properties of the coordinated rhenium species.     

Autosomal Recessive Agammaglobulinemia: The Third Case of Igβ Deficiency Due to a Novel Non-sense Mutation

This study describes the third case worldwide of autosomal recessive agammaglobulinemia due to a novel non-sense mutation in Igβ presenting with neutropenia, ecthyma and mild respiratory infections.     

Disease Reactivation after Fingolimod Discontinuation in Pregnant Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Recent studies estimated an incidence of 4–25% of disease rebound after withdrawal of fingolimod (FTY) for any reason, but specific data on disease reactivation after FTY withdrawal due to pregnancy are limited. The aim of the study was to evaluate the frequency and predictors of disease reactivation in patients who stopped FTY for pregnancy. A multicentre retrospective cohort study was conducted in four Italian MS centres in 2013–2019. Both planned and unplanned pregnancies were included. The annualized relapse rate (ARR) was calculated before FTY treatment, during FTY treatment, during pregnancy and during the year after delivery. In total, 27 patients (mean age 29 years) were included. The ARR 1 year before FTY treatment was 1.3. Patients were exposed to FTY for a median of 2.9 years. The ARR was 0.04 during the last year before conception (p < 0.001 compared with the ARR before FTY treatment). Eleven patients became pregnant after a mean of 88 days following FTY discontinuation, whereas 16 patients stopped FTY after pregnancy confirmation. Relapses were observed in 22% of patients during pregnancy and in 44% in the postpartum period. ARR increased both during pregnancy (0.49; p = 0.027) and in the first year after delivery (0.67; p < 0.001) compared to the last year before pregnancy. Compared with radiological assessment before pregnancy, more patients showed new or enlarging T2 lesions (63% vs 30%; p = 0.02) and gadolinium-enhancing lesions (44% vs 0; p = 0.0001) on brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Relapses during pregnancy were the only significant predictor for postpartum relapses (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.11–3.1). One case of spontaneous abortion and no cases of abnormal foetal development were observed. Despite adequate and prolonged control of disease activity, women who discontinue FTY because of pregnancy are at risk for disease reactivation. In patients who relapsed during pregnancy, the initiation of high-efficacy disease modifying drugs (DMDs) soon after delivery is advisable to prevent postpartum relapses.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13311-021-01106-6.     

Current Advances in the Regeneration of Degenerated Articular Cartilage: A Literature Review on Tissue Engineering and Its Recent Clinical Translation

Functional ability is the basis of healthy aging. Articular cartilage degeneration is amongst the most prevalent degenerative conditions that cause adverse impacts on the quality of life; moreover, it represents a key predisposing factor to osteoarthritis (OA). Both the poor capacity of articular cartilage for self-repair and the unsatisfactory outcomes of available clinical interventions make innovative tissue engineering a promising therapeutic strategy for articular cartilage repair. Significant progress was made in this field; however, a marked heterogeneity in the applied biomaterials, biofabrication, and assessments is nowadays evident by the huge number of research studies published to date. Accordingly, this literature review assimilates the most recent advances in cell-based and cell-free tissue engineering of articular cartilage and also focuses on the assessments performed via various in vitro studies, ex vivo models, preclinical in vivo animal models, and clinical studies in order to provide a broad overview of the latest findings and clinical translation in the context of degenerated articular cartilage and OA.     

Vibration Fatigue of FDM 3D Printed Structures: The Use of Frequency Domain Approach

Additive manufactured structures are replacing the corresponding ones realized with classical manufacturing technique. As for metallic structures, 3D printed components are generally subjected to dynamic loading conditions which can lead to fatigue failure. In this context, it is useful, and sometimes mandatory, to determine the fatigue life of such components through numerical simulation. The methods currently available in literature for the estimation of fatigue life were originally developed for metallic structures and, therefore, it is now necessary to verify their applicability also for components fabricated with different materials. To this end, in the current activity three of the most used spectral methods for the estimation of fatigue life were used to determine the fatigue life of a 3D printed Y-shaped specimen realized in polylactic acid subjected to random loads with the aim of determining their adaptability also for this kind of materials. To certify the accuracy of the numerical prediction, a set of experimental tests were conducted in order to obtain the real fatigue life of the component and to compare the experimental results with those numerically obtained. The obtained outcomes showed there is an excellent match between the numerical and the experimental data, thus certifying the possibility of using the investigated spectral methods to predict the fatigue life of additive manufactured components.