Rap2, but not Rap1 GTPase is expressed in human red blood cells and is involved in vesiculation

AbstractRecent studies have suggested that Rap1 and Rap2 small GTP-binding proteins are both expressed in human red blood cells (RBCs). In this work, we carefully examined the expression of Rap proteins in leukocytes- and platelets-depleted RBCs, whose purity was established on the basis of the selective expression of the β2 subunit of the Na+/K+-ATPase, as verified according to the recently proposed “β-profiling test” [J.F. Hoffman, A. Wickrema, O. Potapova, M. Milanick, D.R. Yingst, Na pump isoforms in human erythroid progenitor cells and mature erythrocytes, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 99 (2002) 14572-14577]. In pure RBCs preparations, Rap2, but not Rap1 was detected immunologically. RT-PCR analysis of mRNA extracted from highly purified reticulocytes confirmed the expression of Rap2b, but not Rap2a, Rap2c, Rap1a or Rap1b. In RBCs, Rap2 was membrane-associated and was rapidly activated upon treatment with Ca2+/Ca2+-ionophore. In addition, Rap2 segregated and was selectively enriched into microvesicles released by Ca2+-activated RBCs, suggesting a possible role for this GTPase in membrane shedding

Outer Membrane Vesicles Derived from Klebsiella pneumoniae Influence the miRNA Expression Profile in Human Bronchial Epithelial BEAS-2B Cells

: Klebsiella pneumoniae is an opportunistic pathogen that causes nosocomial and community-acquired infections. The spread of resistant strains of K. pneumoniae represents a growing threat to human health, due to the exhaustion of effective treatments. K. pneumoniae releases outer membrane vesicles (OMVs). OMVs are a vehicle for the transport of virulence factors to host cells, causing cell injury. Previous studies have shown changes of gene expression in human bronchial epithelial cells after treatment with K. pneumoniae OMVs. These variations in gene expression could be regulated through microRNAs (miRNAs), which participate in several biological mechanisms. Thereafter, miRNA expression profiles in human bronchial epithelial cells were evaluated during infection with standard and clinical K. pneumoniae strains. Microarray analysis and RT-qPCR identified the dysregulation of miR-223, hsa-miR-21, hsa-miR-25 and hsa-let-7g miRNA sequences. Target gene prediction revealed the essential role of these miRNAs in the regulation of host immune responses involving NF-ĸB (miR-223), TLR4 (hsa-miR-21), cytokine (hsa-miR-25) and IL-6 (hsa-let-7g miRNA) signalling pathways. The current study provides the first large scale expression profile of miRNAs from lung cells and predicted gene targets, following exposure to K. pneumoniae OMVs. Our results suggest the importance of OMVs in the inflammatory response

Psychological impact of Covid-19 pandemic on oncological patients: a survey in Northern Italy

The psychological impact of the Covid 19 pandemic on cancer patients, a population at higher risk of fatal consequences if infected, has been only rarely evaluated. This study was conducted at the Departments of Oncology of four hospitals located in the Verona area in Italy to investigate the psychological consequences of the pandemic on cancer patients under active anticancer treatments. A 13-item ad hoc questionnaire to evaluate the psychological status of patients before and during the pandemic was administered to 474 consecutive subjects in the time frame between April 27th and June 7th 2020. Among the 13 questions, 7 were considered appropriate to elaborate an Emotional Vulnerability Index (EVI) that allows to separate the population in two groups (low versus high emotional vulnerability) according to observed median values. During the emergency period, the feeling of high vulnerability was found in 246 patients (53%) and was significantly associated with the following clinical variables: female gender, being under chemotherapy treatment, age 64 65 years. Compared to the pre-pandemic phase, the feeling of vulnerability was increased in 41 patients (9%), remained stably high in 196 (42%) and, surprisingly, was reduced in 10 patients (2%). Overall, in a population characterized by an high level of emotional vulnerability the pandemic had a marginal impact and only a small proportion of patients reported an increase of their emotional vulnerability

Obstructive sleep apnoea patients vs laryngopharyngeal reflux disease: Non-invasive evaluation with NBI and pepsin detection in tears

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and laryngopharyngeal reflux disease (LPR) are two common diseases that lower patients' quality of life. OSA is defined by cyclic events of airflow obstruction that occur during sleep, while LPR is characterized by upper airway inflammatory signs and symptoms due to the return of gastroduodenal gaseous and liquid elements. pH-metry is the gold standard in LPR diagnosis, but considering its invasiveness among other negative traits, questionnaires that catalog symptoms and signs of the disease such as Reflux Symptoms Index (RSI) and Reflux Finding Score (RFS) are preferred. Moreover, LPR can be evaluated by testing the presence of pepsin in tears, and Narrow Band Imaging (NBI) has been introduced for the early diagnosis of larynx oncological disease. This paper aims to test whether LPR is more frequent in OSA patients than in control ones, performing a non-invasive protocol composed of RSI, RFS test (with light vs. NBI techniques), followed by pepsin detection in tears. 68 LPR patients were enrolled in the study (45 with OSA and 23 without OSA). A strong linear relationship between Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI) and Oxygen Desaturation Index (ODI) was found, and patients who presented pepsin in tears had higher values of AHI and ODI in comparison to patients without it. Pathological RFS and NBI showed higher values of AHI and ODI in comparison to the control group. Furthermore, pathological RSI showed higher values of AHI and ODI in comparison to the control group. In conclusion, this diagnostic combined non-invasive protocol may be a good method to perform an early diagnosis of LPR

A machine-learning based bio-psycho-social model for the prediction of non-obstructive and obstructive coronary artery disease

Background: Mechanisms of myocardial ischemia in obstructive and non-obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD), and the interplay between clinical, functional, biological and psycho-social features, are still far to be fully elucidated. Objectives: To develop a machine-learning (ML) model for the supervised prediction of obstructive versus non-obstructive CAD. Methods: From the EVA study, we analysed adults hospitalized for IHD undergoing conventional coronary angiography (CCA). Non-obstructive CAD was defined by a stenosis < 50% in one or more vessels. Baseline clinical and psycho-socio-cultural characteristics were used for computing a Rockwood and Mitnitski frailty index, and a gender score according to GENESIS-PRAXY methodology. Serum concentration of inflammatory cytokines was measured with a multiplex flow cytometry assay. Through an XGBoost classifier combined with an explainable artificial intelligence tool (SHAP), we identified the most influential features in discriminating obstructive versus non-obstructive CAD. Results: Among the overall EVA cohort (n = 509), 311 individuals (mean age 67 ± 11 years, 38% females; 67% obstructive CAD) with complete data were analysed. The ML-based model (83% accuracy and 87% precision) showed that while obstructive CAD was associated with higher frailty index, older age and a cytokine signature characterized by IL-1β, IL-12p70 and IL-33, non-obstructive CAD was associated with a higher gender score (i.e., social characteristics traditionally ascribed to women) and with a cytokine signature characterized by IL-18, IL-8, IL-23. Conclusions: Integrating clinical, biological, and psycho-social features, we have optimized a sex- and gender-unbiased model that discriminates obstructive and non-obstructive CAD. Further mechanistic studies will shed light on the biological plausibility of these associations. Clinical trial registration: NCT02737982

Attività antifungina e antibiofilm dell’olio essenziale di Origanum vulgare, del carvacrolo e del timolo in Candida spp.

L’olio essenziale di Origanum vulgare e due principi attivi che lo caratterizzano, il carvacrolo e il timolo, possiedono proprietà antimicotiche e antibiofilm in particolare nei confronti dei funghi appartenenti al genere Candida. Queste interessanti attività potrebbero essere utilizzate come coadiuvante e/o in alternativa alle convezionali terapie farmacologiche

Using time-driven activity-based costing to establish a tariff system for home health care services

The most important societal challenge is aging, often associated with chronic disease and increased multimorbidity; nevertheless, the costs of an aging society will not be sustainable in terms of healthcare and social services. In late 2011, the regional government of Campania, Italy, launched a study with the aim of implementing a tariff system for the provision of home and palliative care services. To create the tariff system, the regional government set up two working groups: one to identify home and palliative care profiles and the other to propose a tariff system for home and palliative care based on the profiles identified. The second group analyzed the average resources absorbed by each of the care profiles identified using a time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) system. This study has two distinguishing features: (1) its use to establish a system of tariffs related to services provided over a particular time frame in an individualized care plan, and (2) the method of calculating the daily cost of care (i.e., the cost of a standard day, including access to all healthcare professionals required to care for the patient at home). The authors identified a prospective tariff system based on the average amount of total resources absorbed according to the different levels of care complexity rather than on historical costs. Although the study pertains to an Italian region, it highlights a methodology that can be applied in other countries

All-Polymer Printed Low-Cost Regenerative Nerve Cuff Electrodes

Neural regeneration after lesions is still limited by several factors and new technologies are developed to address this issue. Here, we present and test in animal models a new regenerative nerve cuff electrode (RnCE). It is based on a novel low-cost fabrication strategy, called "Print and Shrink", which combines the inkjet printing of a conducting polymer with a heat-shrinkable polymer substrate for the development of a bioelectronic interface. This method allows to produce miniaturized regenerative cuff electrodes without the use of cleanroom facilities and vacuum based deposition methods, thus highly reducing the production costs. To fully proof the electrodes performance in vivo we assessed functional recovery and adequacy to support axonal regeneration after section of rat sciatic nerves and repair with RnCE. We investigated the possibility to stimulate the nerve to activate different muscles, both in acute and chronic scenarios. Three months after implantation, RnCEs were able to stimulate regenerated motor axons and induce a muscular response. The capability to produce fully-transparent nerve interfaces provided with polymeric microelectrodes through a cost-effective manufacturing process is an unexplored approach in neuroprosthesis field. Our findings pave the way to the development of new and more usable technologies for nerve regeneration and neuromodulation

Obstructive sleep apnoea patients vs laryngopharyngeal reflux disease: non-invasive evaluation with NBI and pepsin detection in tears

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and laryngopharyngeal reflux disease (LPR) are two common diseases that lower patients' quality of life. OSA is defined by cyclic events of airflow obstruction that occur during sleep, while LPR is characterized by upper airway inflammatory signs and symptoms due to the return of gastroduodenal gaseous and liquid elements. pH-metry is the gold standard in LPR diagnosis, but considering its invasiveness among other negative traits, questionnaires that catalog symptoms and signs of the disease such as Reflux Symptoms Index (RSI) and Reflux Finding Score (RFS) are preferred. Moreover, LPR can be evaluated by testing the presence of pepsin in tears, and Narrow Band Imaging (NBI) has been introduced for the early diagnosis of larynx oncological disease. This paper aims to test whether LPR is more frequent in OSA patients than in control ones, performing a non-invasive protocol composed of RSI, RFS test (with light vs. NBI techniques), followed by pepsin detection in tears. 68 LPR patients were enrolled in the study (45 with OSA and 23 without OSA). A strong linear relationship between Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI) and Oxygen Desaturation Index (ODI) was found, and patients who presented pepsin in tears had higher values of AHI and ODI in comparison to patients without it. Pathological RFS and NBI showed higher values of AHI and ODI in comparison to the control group. Furthermore, pathological RSI showed higher values of AHI and ODI in comparison to the control group. In conclusion, this diagnostic combined non-invasive protocol may be a good method to perform an early diagnosis of LPR