The therapeutic management of gut barrier leaking: the emerging role for mucosal barrier protectors

OBJECTIVE: Gut barrier is a functional unit organized as a multi-layer system and its multiple functions are crucial for maintaining gut homeostasis. Numerous scientific evidences showed a significant association between gut barrier leaking and gastro-intestinal/extra-intestinal diseases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this review we focus on the relationship between gut barrier leaking and human health. At the same time we speculate on the possible new role of gut barrier protectors in enhancing and restoring gut barrier physiology with the final goal of promoting gut health. RESULTS: The alteration of the equilibrium in gut barrier leads to the passage of the luminal contents to the underlying tissues and thus into the bloodstream, resulting in the activation of the immune response and in the induction of gut inflammation. This permeability alteration is the basis for the pathogenesis of many diseases, including infectious enterocolitis, inflammatory bowel diseases, irritable bowel syndrome, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, celiac disease, hepatic fibrosis, food intolerances and also atopic manifestations. Many drugs or compounds used in the treatment of gastrointestinal disease are able to alter the permeability of the intestinal barrier. Recent data highlighted and introduced the possibility of using gelatin tannate, a mucosal barrier protector, for an innovative approach in the management of intestinal diseases, allowing an original therapeutic orientation with the aim of enhancing mucus barrier activity and restoring gut barrier. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest how the mucus layer recovering, beside the gut microbiota modulation, exerted by gut barrier protectors could be a useful weapon to re-establish the physiological intestinal homeostasis after an acute and chronic injury

Ab initio study of mirages and magnetic interactions in quantum corrals

The state of the art ab initio calculations of quantum mirages,the spin-polarization of surface-state electrons and the exchange interaction between magnetic adatoms in Cu and Co corrals on Cu(111) are presented. We find that the spin-polarization of the surface-state electrons caused by magnetic adatoms can be projected to a remote location and can be strongly enhanced in corrals compared to an open surface.Our studies give a clear evidence that quantum corrals could permit to tailor the exchange interaction between magnetic adatoms at large separations. The spin-polarization of surface-state electrons at the empty focus in the Co corral used in the experimental setup of Manoharan et al., (Nature 403, 512 (2000)) is revealed.Comment: Submitted to Physical Review Letter

On the probability distribution function of small scale interplanetary magnetic field fluctuations

In spite of a large number of papers dedicated to study MHD turbulence in the solar wind there are still some simple questions which have never been sufficiently addressed like: a)do we really know how the magnetic field vector orientation fluctuates in space? b) what is the statistics followed by the orientation of the vector itself? c) does the statistics change as the wind expands into the interplanetary space? A better understanding of these points can help us to better characterize the nature of interplanetary fluctuations and can provide useful hints to investigators who try to numerically simulate MHD turbulence. This work follows a recent paper presented by the same authors. This work follows a recent paper presented by some of the authors which shows that these fluctuations might resemble a sort of random walk governed by a Truncated Leevy Flight statistics. However, the limited statistics used in that paper did not allow final conclusions but only speculative hypotheses. In this work we aim to address the same problem using a more robust statistics which on one hand forces us not to consider velocity fluctuations but, on the other hand allows us to establish the nature of the governing statistics of magnetic fluctuations with more confidence. In addition, we show how features similar to those found in the present statistical analysis for the fast speed streams of solar wind, are qualitatively recovered in numerical simulations of the parametric instability. This might offer an alternative viewpoint for interpreting the questions raised above.Comment: 25pag, 20 jpg small size figures. In press on "ANnales Geophysicae" (September 2004

Coupling of Transport and Chemical Processes in Catalytic Combustion

Catalytic combustors have demonstrated the ability to operate efficiently over a much wider range of fuel air ratios than are imposed by the flammability limits of conventional combustors. Extensive commercial use however needs the following: (1) the design of a catalyst with low ignition temperature and high temperature stability, (2) reducing fatigue due to thermal stresses during transient operation, and (3) the development of mathematical models that can be used as design optimization tools to isolate promising operating ranges for the numerous operating parameters. The current program of research involves the development of a two dimensional transient catalytic combustion model and the development of a new catalyst with low temperature light-off and high temperature stablity characteristics

Evidences of a contractional pattern along the northern rim of the Hyblean Plateau (Sicily, Italy) from GPS data

In this paper we present the main results inferred from GPS data collected between 1998.00 and 2009.78 along the northern rim of the Hyblean Plateau from 9 continuous and 23 survey-mode sites. From a geological point of view, this area is of great interest because 1) it represents an important piece of the collision front between Nubia and Eurasia 2) it is very close to the biggest European volcano Mount Etna and 3) it has been hit by strong earthquakes in the past (1169 and 1693) that struggled the cities of Catania, Siracusa and Ragusa provoking tens of thousands of casualties. We have found that the ground deformation pattern clearly defines an area of prevailing contraction along the northern rim of the Hyblean Plateau with a maximum negative strain-rate of about 0.14µstrain/yr in agreement with both geological and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) data. In addition, a transition to extensional regime is acting toward the central sector of the plateau. The velocity field referred to the Eurasian frame indicates that a large part of the plateau is dominated by a 5.4mm/yr northward motion

Observation of inertial energy cascade in interplanetary space plasma

We show in this article direct evidence for the presence of an inertial energy cascade, the most characteristic signature of hydromagnetic turbulence (MHD), in the solar wind as observed by the Ulysses spacecraft. After a brief rederivation of the equivalent of Yaglom's law for MHD turbulence, we show that a linear relation is indeed observed for the scaling of mixed third order structure functions involving Els\"asser variables. This experimental result, confirming the prescription stemming from a theorem for MHD turbulence, firmly establishes the turbulent character of low-frequency velocity and magnetic field fluctuations in the solar wind plasma

Crustal motion along the Calabro-Peloritano Arc as imaged by twelve years of measurements on a dense GPS network

In this work, we show the results of 12 years of continuous and survey-mode GPS measurements carried out along the western part of the Calabro-Peloritano Arc, from 1996 until the more recent acquisitions in 2008. The results highlight that a NW-SE-oriented similar to 0.15 mu strain/yr extension across the Messina Strait and the Aeolia Tindari-Letojanni fault system is active. Moreover, a N-S compressive strain-rate (similar to 0.65 mu strain/yr) is active across Vulcano and Lipari Islands coupled with an extensional strain-rate of similar to 0.15 mu strain/yr in the E-direction. Finally, taking into account the observed horizontal velocity field, an analytical inversion was performed to obtain a reliable model of deformation of the investigated area. The main results are consistent both with focal mechanism solutions and the current structural setting of the investigated area. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved