323 research outputs found
Silk reinforced with graphene or carbon nanotubes spun by spiders
Here, we report the production of silk incorporating graphene and carbon
nanotubes directly by spider spinning, after spraying spiders with the
corresponding aqueous dispersions. We observe a significant increment of the
mechanical properties with respect to the pristine silk, in terms of fracture
strength, Young's and toughness moduli. We measure a fracture strength up to
5.4 GPa, a Young's modulus up to 47.8 GPa and a toughness modulus up to 2.1
GPa, or 1567 J/g, which, to the best of our knowledge, is the highest reported
to date, even when compared to the current toughest knotted fibres. This
approach could be extended to other animals and plants and could lead to a new
class of bionic materials for ultimate applications
Effects of thiamine and fenofibrate on high glucose and hypoxia-induced damage in cell models of the inner blood-retinal barrier
Circulating extracellular vesicles from diabetic and healthy subjects show different miRNA patterns
Functional analysis of miRNAs shuttled by extracellular vesicles from diabetic subjects reveals their role in diabetic retinopathy
Unique Regulatory Properties of Mesangial Cells Are Genetically Determined in the Rat
Mesangial cells are glomerular cells of stromal origin. During immune complex mediated crescentic glomerulonephritis (Crgn), infiltrating and proliferating pro-inflammatory macrophages lead to crescent formation. Here we have hypothesised that mesangial cells, given their mesenchymal stromal origin, show similar immunomodulatory properties as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), by regulating macrophage function associated with glomerular crescent formation. We show that rat mesangial cells suppress conA-stimulated splenocyte proliferation in vitro, as previously shown for MSCs. We then investigated mesangial cell-macrophage interaction by using mesangial cells isolated from nephrotoxic nephritis (NTN)-susceptible Wistar Kyoto (WKY) and NTN-resistant Lewis (LEW) rats. We first determined the mesangial cell transcriptome in WKY and LEW rats and showed that this is under marked genetic control. Supernatant transfer results show that WKY mesangial cells shift bone marrow derived macrophage (BMDM) phenotype to M1 or M2 according to the genetic background (WKY or LEW) of the BMDMs. Interestingly, these effects were different when compared to those of MSCs suggesting that mesangial cells can have unique immunomodulatory effects in the kidney. These results demonstrate the importance of the genetic background in the immunosuppressive effects of cells of stromal origin and specifically of mesangial cell-macrophage interactions in the pathophysiology of crescentic glomerulonephritis
Quality of life, coping ability, and metabolic control in patients with type 1 diabetes managed by group care and a carbohydrate counting program.
Group care is a clinical-pedagogic model in which traditional routine visits are substituted by sessions of group education. This approach improves quality of life and metabolic control in patients with type 2 diabetes (1) but only quality of life in those with type 1 diabetes (2). The latter must match multiple daily insulin administrations with blood glucose monitoring, dietary intake, and energy expenditure (3). We hypothesized that to improve their coping strategies, patients with type 1 diabetes need more specific training in the technical aspects of day-to-day management of insulin therapy. To verify this, we studied the effects of embedding a carbohydrate counting program within group care on quality of life, knowledge
O FENÔMENO DA CRIMINALIDADE E OS MECANISMOS DE PROTEÇÃO DAS CRIANÇAS E DO ADOLESCENTE
O presente artigo tem por finalidade observar os índices de crimes cometidos por crianças e adolescentes no Brasil, tais infrações que obtiveram um ligeiro aumento em pouco mais de uma década. Quais delitos são mais frequentes, a etnia, faixa etária, quais as penalidades que estão sujeitas aos autores dos delitos tendo em vista que se tratando de menores existe legislação especifica, relacionando fatores como desestruturação familiar, e a situação socioeconômica onde vivem, pois esta contribui significativamente tendo em vista que mais de 58% dos jovens apreendidos são pobres e negros. Buscando alternativas para solucionar o significativo aumento de crianças e adolescentes envolvidos com crimes sendo esse assunto um dos maiores desafios para o governo manter a ordem, e nossas crianças e adolescentes longe da criminalidade
Early diagnosis of Gorlin-Goltz syndrome: case report
The Gorlin-Goltz syndrome, also known as nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome (NBCCS), is an infrequent multisystemic disease inherited in a dominant autosomal way, which shows a high level of penetrance and variable expressiveness. It is characterized by keratocystic odontogenic tumors (KCOT) in the jaw, multiple basal cell nevi carcinomas and skeletal abnormities. This syndrome may be diagnosed early by a dentist by routine radiographic exams in the first decade of life, since the KCOTs are usually one of the first manifestations of the syndrome. This article paper reports the case of a patient, a 10-year-old boy with NBCCS, emphasizing its clinical and radiographic manifestations. This study highlights the importance of health professionals in the early diagnosis of NBCCS and in a preventive multidisciplinary approach to provide a better prognosis for the patient
Sexual function in women with type 1 diabetes matched with a control group: depressive and psychosocial aspects
In the eye of the storm : the Italian economy and the eurozone crisis
The eurozone crisis had a more significant and longer-lasting impact on Italy than on virtually any other member state, with the effects still visible a decade after. The extent of the shock was surprising in view of progress Italy had apparently made in the 1990s in terms of enhancing its capacity to meet the demands of European Monetary Union. The explanation for this traumatic economic experience lies in Italy’s deep, long-term, structural tensions which were placed under severe pressure during the 1990s and which were cracked open by the 2011 sovereign debt crisis. These have had long-standing economic effects as well as political ramifications in terms of a significant change in the Italy–EU relationship
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