Zeolite protects mice from iron-induced damage in a mouse model trial

© 2018 The Authors. Published by FEBS Press and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. For centuries, zeolites have been used for their utility in binding metals, and they feature in a multitude of agricultural and industrial applications in which the honeycombed zeolite structures form ideal ion exchangers, catalysts and binding agents. Zeolites are currently in a transition period, moving towards implementation in human ailments and diseases. Here, we postulated that zeolites may be able to counter the effects of excess iron and conducted a mouse model trial to gauge the utility of this notion. We used the transgenic mouse strain MexTAg299 for a thirty-week pilot trial in which iron polymaltose and/or the zeolite clinoptilolite was injected into the peritoneum twice weekly. Mice were sacrificed at the end of the trial period and examined by postmortem and histology for significant physiological differences between mouse subgroups. In this study, we demonstrated that a common zeolite, clinoptilolite, is able to maintain the general health and well-being of mice and prevent iron-induced deleterious effects following iron overload. When zeolites are given with iron biweekly as intraperitoneal injections, mice showed far less macroscopic visual organ discoloration, along with near normal histology, under iron overload conditions when compared to mice injected with iron only. The purpose of the present pilot study was to examine potential alternatives to current iron chelation treatments, and the results indicate an advantage to using zeolites in conditions of iron excess. Zeolites may have translational potential for use in cases of human iron overload

Zeolites ameliorate asbestos toxicity in a transgenic model of malignant mesothelioma.

Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is an almost invariably fatal cancer caused by asbestos exposure. The toxicity of asbestos fibers is related to their physicochemical properties and the generation of free radicals. We set up a pilot study to investigate the potential of the zeolite clinoptilolite to counteract the asbestos carcinogenesis by preventing the generation of reactive nitrogen and oxygen radicals. In cell culture experiments, clinoptilolite prevented asbestos-induced cell death, reactive oxygen species production, DNA degradation, and overexpression of genes known to be up-regulated by asbestos. In an asbestos-induced transgenic mouse model of MM, mice were injected intraperitoneal injections with blue asbestos, with or without clinoptilolite, and monitored for 30 weeks. By the end of the trial all 13 mice injected with asbestos alone had reached humane end points, whereas only 7 of 29 mice receiving crocidolite and clinoptilolite reached a similar stage of disease. Post-mortem examination revealed pinpoint mesothelioma-like tumors in affected mice, and the absence of tumor formation in surviving mice. Interestingly, the macrophage clearance system, which was largely suppressed in asbestos-treated mice, exhibited evidence of increased phagocytosis in mice treated with asbestos and clinoptilolite. Our study suggests that inhibiting the asbestos-induced generation of reactive oxygen species and stimulating the macrophage system may represent a pathway to amelioration of asbestos-induced toxicity. Additional studies are warranted to explore the underlying mechanisms responsible for our observations

Uso dei mini-impianti in protesi rimovibile e fissa \u2013 applicazioni cliniche

In this article possible applications of mini-dental implants for removable and fixed prosthetic treatments are shown together with their characteristics, advantages and limitations. Many clinical cases of fixed, removable and mixed prosthesis both in the lower and upper jaw are reported. The use of mini implants as temporary and definitive abutment is shown. The mini implants may be inserted by a standard surgical approach (muco-periostal incision and flap opening) or by a "transmucosal approach", without any incision. Their main indication is between mental foramina by transmucosal approach where 4 mini implants may be inserted. Easiness, flexibility and low cost should convince the clinician about the strategic importance of mini implants

Emotional autonomy and loneliness in adolescent substance abusers.

Emotional autonomy is a complex construct that concerns separation and detachment from parents. The literature about the relationship between these dimensions and psychological adjustment is controversial. In particular, emotional autonomy is associated with substance use and in general with maladjustment. The present study examined differences between typical adolescents (N=1,223) and substances abusers (N=24) with regards separation, detachment, loneliness towards parents and peers and attitude towards aloneness. Abusers had higher detachment and higher loneliness towards peer scores, while typical adolescents had higher separation and higher affinity for aloneness scores. Furthermore, as shown by ROC analysis, the most distinctive dimensions were separation and loneliness towards peers. The results supported the hypothesis that the dimension of emotional autonomy called “Separation” by Beyers et al. (2003) was associated with better psychological adjustment. On the other hand, the dimension of emotional autonomy called “Detachment” was less clear and seems to be more problematic with respect to social relationships rather than in a familiar context

Applicazione clinica di un nuovo impianto corto.

L’utilizzo di impianti corti, in presenza di una cresta ossea residua d’insufficiente altezza per gli impianti convenzionali ma spessore adeguato, è una valida alternativa alle tecniche di “bone augmentation”, qualora il ricorso ad un’implantoprotesi rappresenti la prima scelta riabilitativa. Questo articolo descrive l’impiego clinico di un nuovo tipo di impianto corto, dalle peculiari caratteristiche morfologiche, illustrate attraverso la riabilitazione di un caso

Separazione e solitudine in adolescenti con abuso di sostanze

Il presente studio indaga il rapporto tra le dimensioni dell\u2019autonomia emotiva (Separazione e Distacco) e della solitudine (Sentimento e Affinit\ue0/Avversione) in un gruppo di adolescenti che abusano di sostanze. A 24 ragazzi che abusano di sostanze (et\ue0 media = 18.46; DS = 1.14) e ad un gruppo con sviluppo tipico appaiato per genere ed et\ue0 (et\ue0 media = 18.78; DS = 1.39) sono stati proposti l\u2019Emotional Autonomy Scale (Steinberg e Silverberg, 1986) e il Louvain Loneliness Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (Marcoen, Goossens e Caes, 1987). I ragazzi con sviluppo tipico appaiono pi\uf9 separati e disponibili verso la solitudine, mentre i ragazzi che abusano di sostanze sono pi\uf9 distaccati dai genitori e si sentono pi\uf9 soli nei confronti dei pari. I risultati vengono discussi rispetto ai processi di separazione e individuazione

Vitrified beads as aggregate replacement for sustainable cementitious materials

This work aims at the experimental investigation of innovative cementitious materials that in-corporate recycled waste, in order to boost the transition of the building industry towards a sus-tainable path and for the development of a circular economy. More in detail, vitrified beads, which represent the by-products obtained by an innovative industrial plant that produces low-cost energy (steam and electricity), are used as partial aggregate replacement in mortars. Vitri-fied beads are inserted in the mixes in two different forms: “as they are”, i.e. without any pre-treatment, and after grinding, by replacing in both cases 15% of natural aggregates. The per-formance of the developed mortars with the vitrified beads is assessed both on fresh and hard-ened samples, by means of density and consistence measurements, as well as by performing compressive and three-point bending tests. The obtained experimental results show that this by-product could be a promising waste to be recycled into construction cementitious materials

Sequence Read Depth Analysis of a Monophyletic Cluster of Y Chromosomes Characterized by Structural Rearrangements in the AZFc Region Resulting in DYS448 Deletion and DYF387S1 Duplication

The azoospermia factor c region (AZFc), located in the long arm of the human Y chromosome, is frequently involved in chromosome rearrangements, mainly due to non-allelic homologous recombination events that occur between the nearly identical sequences (amplicon) that comprises it. These rearrangements may have major phenotypic effects like spermatogenic failure or other pathologies linked to male infertility. Moreover, they may also be relevant in forensic genetics, since some of the Y chromosome short tandem repeats (Y-STRs) commonly used in forensic analysis are located in amplicons or in inter-amplicon sequences of the AZFc. In a previous study, we identified four phylogenetically related samples with a null allele at DYS448 and a tetrallelic pattern at DYF387S1, two Y-STRs located in the AZFc. Through NGS read depth analysis, we found that the unusual Y-STR pattern may be due to a 1.6 Mb deletion arising concurrently or after a 3.5 Mb duplication event. The observed large genomic rearrangement results in copy number reduction for the RBMY gene family as well as duplication of other AZFc genes. Based on the diversity of 16 additional Y-STRs, we estimated that the duplication/deletion event occurred at least twenty generations ago, suggesting that it has not been affected by negative selection