Elevated soluble receptor for advanced glycation end product levels in patients with acute coronary syndrome and positive cardiac troponin I

Objectives High levels of soluble receptor for advanced glycation end products (sRAGE) have been shown to have an atheroprotective role; however, no data are available on this molecule in acute coronary syndromes (ACS). We evaluated sRAGE levels in patients with non-ST segment elevation ACS (NSTE-ACS) or with chronic stable angina. Methods We studied 265 patients, 190 of whom had NSTE-ACS and 75 had chronic stable angina. Results Plasma sRAGE values were comparable in the two groups (P= 0.19). However, in the patients with NSTEACS,sRAGE levels were significantly higher in patients with cardiac troponin-I (cTnI) of more than or equal to 0.04 lg/l compared with those with cTnI of less than 0.04 lg/l [758 pg/ml (493-1536 pg/ml) vs. 454 pg/ml (167-899 pg/ml); P = 0.0037]. A significant correlation(r= 0.323, P = 0.0045) was found between sRAGE and cTnI levels in patients with NSTE-ACS.Conclusion Plasma sRAGE levels are elevated in patients with NSTE-ACS with positive cTnI, suggesting that they could be related to myocardial cell damage

Providing pediatric well-care and sick visits in the COVID-19 pandemic era: the recommendations of the Italian pediatric society

Pediatricians have observed a significant decrease in in-person child health visits during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the post lockdown period, the coronavirus trend remains positive in Italy but fears of a second wave have recently grown in Italy due to active hotbeds of contagion. The pandemic may negatively affect the care of pediatric patients and overall children welfare as it may present with severe signs and symptoms or it may complicate. The Italian Pediatric Society recommend to separate well visits from sick ones, to educate families and to promote hygienic strategies to provide an adequate pediatric assistance in case of a second pandemic wave

Pharmacologic or Genetic Targeting of Glutamine Synthetase Skews Macrophages toward an M1-like Phenotype and Inhibits Tumor Metastasis.

Glutamine-synthetase (GS), the glutamine-synthesizing enzyme from glutamate, controls important events, including the release of inflammatory mediators, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) activation, and autophagy. However, its role in macrophages remains elusive. We report that pharmacologic inhibition of GS skews M2-polarized macrophages toward the M1-like phenotype, characterized by reduced intracellular glutamine and increased succinate with enhanced glucose flux through glycolysis, which could be partly related to HIF1α activation. As a result of these metabolic changes and HIF1α accumulation, GS-inhibited macrophages display an increased capacity to induce T cell recruitment, reduced T cell suppressive potential, and an impaired ability to foster endothelial cell branching or cancer cell motility. Genetic deletion of macrophagic GS in tumor-bearing mice promotes tumor vessel pruning, vascular normalization, accumulation of cytotoxic T cells, and metastasis inhibition. These data identify GS activity as mediator of the proangiogenic, immunosuppressive, and pro-metastatic function of M2-like macrophages and highlight the possibility of targeting this enzyme in the treatment of cancer metastasis

Ascending aortic aneurysm in a patient with bicuspid aortic valve, positive history of systemic autoimmune diseases and common genetic factors: a case report

The bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) and specific systemic autoimmune diseases are associated with cardiovascular manifestation, including aortic aneurysm. We reported a case of 64 year-old patient with BAV and a history of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and who developed ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm. The patient presented also the homozygosity for genetic variants of MMP9, ACE, MTHFR and PAI-1 genes. Gene-environmental interactions may represent an additional pathogenetic dimension in the still challenging management of the abnormalities of the aortic wall, including dilatation, aneurysm and dissection

C-reactive protein in degenerative aortic valve stenosis

Degenerative aortic valve stenosis includes a range of disorder severity from mild leaflet thickening without valve obstruction, "aortic sclerosis", to severe calcified aortic stenosis. It is a slowly progressive active process of valve modification similar to atherosclerosis for cardiovascular risk factors, lipoprotein deposition, chronic inflammation, and calcification. Systemic signs of inflammation, as wall and serum C-reactive protein, similar to those found in atherosclerosis, are present in patients with degenerative aortic valve stenosis and may be expression of a common disease, useful in monitoring of stenosis progression

First Results of the 140^{140}Ce(n,γ)141^{141}Ce Cross-Section Measurement at n_TOF

An accurate measurement of the $^{140}$Ce(n,γ) energy-dependent cross-section was performed at the n_TOF facility at CERN. This cross-section is of great importance because it represents a bottleneck for the s-process nucleosynthesis and determines to a large extent the cerium abundance in stars. The measurement was motivated by the significant difference between the cerium abundance measured in globular clusters and the value predicted by theoretical stellar models. This discrepancy can be ascribed to an overestimation of the $^{140}$Ce capture cross-section due to a lack of accurate nuclear data. For this measurement, we used a sample of cerium oxide enriched in $^{140}$Ce to 99.4%. The experimental apparatus consisted of four deuterated benzene liquid scintillator detectors, which allowed us to overcome the difficulties present in the previous measurements, thanks to their very low neutron sensitivity. The accurate analysis of the p-wave resonances and the calculation of their average parameters are fundamental to improve the evaluation of the $^{140}$Ce Maxwellian-averaged cross-section

First Results of the 140^{140}Ce(n,γ)141^{141}Ce Cross-Section Measurement at n_TOF

An accurate measurement of the $^{140}$Ce(n,γ) energy-dependent cross-section was performed at the n_TOF facility at CERN. This cross-section is of great importance because it represents a bottleneck for the s-process nucleosynthesis and determines to a large extent the cerium abundance in stars. The measurement was motivated by the significant difference between the cerium abundance measured in globular clusters and the value predicted by theoretical stellar models. This discrepancy can be ascribed to an overestimation of the $^{140}$Ce capture cross-section due to a lack of accurate nuclear data. For this measurement, we used a sample of cerium oxide enriched in $^{140}$Ce to 99.4%. The experimental apparatus consisted of four deuterated benzene liquid scintillator detectors, which allowed us to overcome the difficulties present in the previous measurements, thanks to their very low neutron sensitivity. The accurate analysis of the p-wave resonances and the calculation of their average parameters are fundamental to improve the evaluation of the $^{140}$Ce Maxwellian-averaged cross-section