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Obesity and its co-morbidities, including atherosclerosis, insulin resistance and diabetes, are a world-wide epidemic. Inflammatory immune responses in metabolic tissues have emerged as a universal feature of these metabolic disorders. While initial work highlighted the contribution of macrophages to tissue inflammation and insulin resistance, recent studies demonstrate that cells of the adaptive immune compartment, including T and B lymphocytes and dendritic cells also participate in obesity-induced pathogenesis of these conditions. However, the molecular and cellular pathways by which the innate and adaptive branches of immunity control tissue and systemic metabolism remain poorly understood. To engage in growth and activation, cells need to increase their biomass and replicate their genome. This process presents a substantial bioenergetic challenge: growing and activated cells must increase ATP production and acquire or synthesize raw materials, including lipids, proteins and nucleic acids. To do so, they actively reprogram their intracellular metabolism from catabolic mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation to glycolysis and other anabolic pathways. This metabolic reprogramming is under the control of specific signal transduction pathways whose underlying molecular mechanisms and relevance to physiology and disease are subject of considerable current interest and under intense study. Recent reports have elucidated the physiological role of metabolic reprogramming in macrophage and T cell activation and differentiation, B- and dendritic cell biology, as well as in the crosstalk of immune cells with endothelial and stem cells. It is also becoming increasingly evident that alterations of metabolic pathways play a major role in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory disorders. Due to the scientific distance between immunologists and experts in metabolism (e.g., clinicians and biochemists), however, there has been limited cross-talk between these communities. This collection of articles aims at promoting such cross-talk and accelerating discoveries in the emerging field of immunometabolism.

metabolic syndrome --- Obesity --- Immunometabolism --- TCA cycle --- Glycolysis --- macrophage --- Inflammation --- fatty acid oxidation --- Pentose Phosphate Pathway --- lymphocyte

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Although sphingolipids are ubiquitous components of cellular membranes, their abundance in cells is generally lower than glycerolipids or cholesterol, representing less than 20% of total lipid mass. Following their discovery in the brain—which contains the largest amounts of sphingolipids in the body—and first description in 1884 by J.L.W. Thudichum, sphingolipids have been overlooked for almost a century, perhaps due to their complexity and enigmatic nature. When sphingolipidoses were discovered, a series of inherited diseases caused by enzyme mutations involved in sphingolipid degradation returned to the limelight. The essential breakthrough came decades later, in the 1990s, with the discovery that sphingolipids were not just structural elements of cellular membranes but intra- and extracellular signaling molecules. It turned out that their lipid backbones, including ceramide and sphingosine-1-phosphate, had selective physiological functions. Thus, sphingolipids emerged as essential players in several pathologies including cancer, diabetes, neurodegenerative disorders, and autoimmune diseases. The present volume reflects upon the unexpectedly eclectic functions of sphingolipids in health, disease, and therapy. This fascinating lipid class will continue to be the subject of up-and-coming future discoveries, especially with regard to new therapeutic strategies.

S1P receptor --- inflammation --- S1P transporter --- spinster homolog 2 --- barrier dysfunction --- anxiety --- depression --- sphingolipids --- sphingomyelinase --- ceramidase --- Smpd1 --- acid sphingomyelinase --- forebrain --- depressive-like behavior --- anxiety-like behavior --- ceramide --- ceramides --- ceramidases --- neurodegenerative diseases --- infectious diseases --- sphingosine 1-phoshate --- sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor --- S1P1–5 --- sphingosine 1-phosphate metabolism --- sphingosine 1-phosphate antagonistst/inhibitors --- sphingosine 1-phosphate signaling --- stroke --- multiple sclerosis --- neurodegeneration --- fingolimod --- Sphingosine-1-phosphate --- obesity --- type 2 diabetes --- insulin resistance --- pancreatic β cell fate --- hypothalamus --- sphingosine-1-phosphate --- ischemia/reperfusion --- cardioprotection --- vasoconstriction --- coronary flow --- myocardial function --- myocardial infarct --- albumin --- type 1 diabetes --- beta-cells --- islets --- insulin --- cytokines --- S1P --- animal models --- cystic fibrosis --- autophagy --- myriocin --- Aspergillus fumigatus --- CLN3 disease --- Cln3Δex7/8 mice --- flupirtine --- allyl carbamate derivative --- apoptosis --- cancer --- gangliosides --- immunotherapy --- metastasis --- phenotype switching --- sphingosine 1-phosphate --- Sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) --- S1P-lyase (SGPL1) --- tau --- calcium --- histone acetylation --- hippocampus --- cortex --- astrocytes --- neurons --- sphingosine kinase --- G-protein-coupled receptors --- Gαq/11 --- n/a --- sphingosine kinase 1 --- SK1 --- microRNA --- transcription factor --- hypoxia --- long non-coding RNA --- S1P1-5

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Coatings based on hydroxyapatite and calcium phosphates have a significant relevance in several research fields, such as biomaterials, cultural heritage, and water treatment, due to their characteristic properties. Hydroxyapatite can easily accommodate foreign ions, which can either be incorporated into the lattice, thanks to its specific lattice characteristics, or be adsorbed onto its surface. All these substitutions significantly alter the morphology, lattice parameters, and crystallinity of hydroxyapatite so they influence its main properties. These ion substitutions can be sought or can derive from substrate contaminations, which is an important aspect to be evaluated. Finally, this capability can be used to obtain hydroxyapatites with specific properties, such as antibacterial characteristics, among others. For these reasons, the aim of this Special Issue is to document current advances in the field of ion-substituted hydroxyapatites and highlight possible future perspectives regarding their use. Contributions in the form of original articles and review articles are presented, covering different areas of application.

calcium phosphates --- ion-substituted apatites --- bone regeneration --- plasma-assisted deposition --- solubility --- crystallinity --- composition --- lithium-doped hydroxyapatite coatings --- renewable resources for implant coatings --- pulsed laser deposition --- biocompatibility --- inhibition of microbial biofilms development --- zinc --- hydroxyapatite --- ultrasound measurement --- sol–gel spin coating --- layers --- C. albicans --- S. aureus --- calcium phosphate --- magnesium phosphate --- struvite --- dolomite --- consolidating treatment --- cultural heritage --- ammonium phosphate --- marble --- calcite --- dissolution --- electrodeposition --- protective coatings --- acid attack --- potential --- current --- RF magnetron sputtering --- GLAD --- carbonated hydroxyapatite --- nanomaterials --- coatings --- cave painting --- inorganic consolidant --- ethyl silicate --- TEOS --- non-thermal plasma --- wettability --- bone --- allograft --- autograft --- xenograft --- ion-substituted calcium phosphates --- nanostructured coatings

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Despite its limitation in terms of surface covered area, the PLD technique still gathers interest among researchers by offering endless possibilities for tuning thin film composition and enhancing their properties of interest due to: (i) the easiness of a stoichiometric transfer even for very complex target materials, (ii) high adherence of the deposited structures to the substrate, (iii) controlled degree of phase, crystallinity, and thickness of deposited coatings, (iv) versatility of the experimental set-up which allows for simultaneous ablation of multiple targets resulting in combinatorial maps or consecutive ablation of multiple targets producing multi-layered structures, and (v) adjustment of the number of laser pulses, resulting in either a spread of nanoparticles, islands of materials or a complete covering of a surface. Moreover, a variation of PLD, known as Matrix Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation, allows for deposition of organic materials, ranging from polymers to proteins and even living cells, otherwise difficult to transfer unaltered in the form of thin films by other techniques. Furthermore, the use of laser light as transfer agent ensures purity of films and pulse-to-pulse deposition allows for an unprecedented control of film thickness at the nm level. This Special Issue is a collection of state-of-the art research papers and reviews in which the topics of interest are devoted to thin film synthesis by PLD and MAPLE, for numerous research and industry field applications, such as bio-active coatings for medical implants and hard, protective coatings for cutting and drilling tools withstanding high friction and elevated temperatures, sensors, solar cells, lithography, magnetic devices, energy-storage and conversion devices, controlled drug delivery and in situ microstructuring for boosting of surface properties.

thin films --- matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation --- shellac --- enteric coatings --- PLD --- ITO --- nanoimprint lithography --- coatings --- nanostructure --- iron oxide --- pulsed laser deposition --- aluminum nitride --- nanoindentation testing --- TEM imaging --- FTIR spectroscopy --- ellipsometry --- complex refractive index --- composite coatings --- MAPLE --- Lactoferrin --- macrophage interactions --- animal-origin calcium phosphate coatings --- natural hydroxyapatite --- doping --- high adherence --- pulsed laser deposition technique --- biomimetic applications --- target preparation --- room temperature ferromagnetism --- dilute magnetic semiconductor --- Indium oxide --- (InFe)2O3 --- PLD films --- energy storage --- thin-film electrodes --- thin-film solid electrolyte --- lithium microbatteries --- calcium phosphate-based coatings --- synthetic and natural hydroxyapatite --- in vivo testing --- biomedical applications --- n/a

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The book represents a collection of papers from Special Issue “Formation of Advanced Nanomaterials by Gas-Phase Aggregation” published in journal Applied Nano. It contains review and original articles covering a range of topics on the growth of clusters/nanoparticles using gas-phase aggregation approaches, the application of cluster beams for the formation of nanomaterials with advanced properties and specific nanostructures as well as providing new fundamental insights on nanoscale properties of materials.

silver nanoparticles --- nano-PALDI MS --- SALDI MS --- laser desorption --- gas-phase synthesis of nanoparticles --- cluster sources --- nanomaterials prepared by gas aggregation --- polymer/metal nanocomposites --- electroactive actuators --- soft robotics --- biosensors --- chemical sensors --- gas phase --- gas sensors --- nanoparticles --- sputtering --- strain sensors --- core@shell nanoparticles --- CoCr nanoparticles --- cluster ion beam --- nanostructures --- potassium titanyl phosphate --- atomic force microscopy --- power spectral density function --- n/a