Superhydrophobicity Due to the Hierarchical Scale Roughness of PDMS Surfaces

Wettability control has been widely investigated in the last decades for technological applications such as microfluidic devices and self-cleaning surfaces by modifying both the chemical composition and the geometric structure of the surfaces. Inspired by the typical morphology of superhydrophobic leaves (such as lotus leaves), we have developed a dual-scale roughness, micro- and nanosized, on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surfaces. By combining different geometric parameters and plasma treatment conditions, the structures were controlled hierarchically, at different independent length scales. Both the microsized replicated pillars and the nanosized etched posts tuned the wettability of the PDMS surfaces in a very simple way, up to contact angles of 170°. Furthermore, changes in the influence of micro- and nanoscale geometrical structures were investigated. Hysteresis and contact angles of water droplets are evaluated as a combined effect of micropillars and a superimposed roughness, resulting in high advan..

Engineering transfer of micro- and nanometer-scale features by surface energy modification.

Micropatterning of surfaces is gaining importance in various applications ranging from biosensors to microfluidic and lab-on-a-chip devices, where the control of the surface chemistry is of great importance for the application. In this paper, we introduce a patterning technique of topographical features, which is applicable on different substrates by modifying their surface energy. The textured surface is obtained via polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) transfer, and the topographical parameters can be systematically tailored by selective treatment with oxygen plasma of either the PDMS stamp, the substrate, or both. Our approach is an alternative technique to create micro- and nanopatterns of various height and shape over a large area on different substrates. The possibility to control cell behavior on different surfaces tailored with this microtransfer patterning approach was also evaluated. The cell culture on patterned surfaces showed the possibility of modulating cell adhesion. Our method is based on simple transfer of silicone elastomeric patterns to the surface, and therefore, it is very simple and fast compared to other complex techniques. These observations could have implications for tissue-scaffold engineering science in areas such as microfluidic devices and control of cell adhesion

The glycoside oleandrin reduces glioma growth with direct and indirect effects on tumor cells

Oleandrin is a glycoside that inhibits the ubiquitous enzyme Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase. In addition to its known effects on cardiac muscle, recent in vitro and in vivo evidence highlighted its potential for anticancer properties. Here, we evaluated for the first time the effect of oleandrin on brain tumors. To this aim, mice were transplanted with human or murine glioma and analyzed for tumor progression upon oleandrin treatment. In both systems, oleandrin impaired glioma development, reduced tumor size, and inhibited cell proliferation. We demonstrated that oleandrin does the following: (1) enhances the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) level in the brain; (2) reduces both microglia/macrophage infiltration and CD68 immunoreactivity in the tumor mass; (3) decreases astrogliosis in peritumoral area; and (4) reduces glioma cell infiltration in healthy parenchyma. In BDNF-deficient mice (bdnftm1Jae/J) and in glioma cells silenced for TrkB receptor expression, oleandrin was not effective, indicating a crucial role for BDNF in oleandrin's protective and antitumor functions. In addition, we found that oleandrin increases survival of temozolomide-treated mice. These results encourage the development of oleandrin as possible coadjuvant agent in clinical trials of glioma treatment.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT In this work, we paved the road for a new therapeutic approach for the treatment of brain tumors, demonstrating the potential of using the cardioactive glycoside oleandrin as a coadjuvant drug to standard chemotherapeutics such as temozolomide. In murine models of glioma, we demonstrated that oleandrin significantly increased mouse survival and reduced tumor growth both directly on tumor cells and indirectly by promoting an antitumor brain microenvironment with a key protective role played by the neurotrophin brain-derived neurotrophic factor

Burnout and engagement dimensions in the reception system of illegal immigration in the Mediterranean Sea. A qualitative study on a sample of italian practitioners

The present study describes the semantic nature of burnout and engagement in the operators involved in the management of illegal immigration. Semi-structured interviews were conducted on a sample of Italian practitioners (n = 62) of the two levels of the reception system considered: (1) rescue and first aid and (2) reception and integration. Within the framework of the job demands–resources model (JD-R), the interviews deepened the analysis of the positive and negative dimensions of burnout and engagement: exhaustion versus energy, relational deterioration versus relational involvement, professional inefficacy versus professional efficacy and disillusion versus trust. The interviews were analysed using the T-Lab software, through a cluster analysis (bisecting K-means algorithm), which emphasised noteworthy themes. The results show that, in the vast majority of the dimensions considered (for both levels of reception), the same dimensions of engagement of the operators (energy, relational involvement, professional efficacy and trust) are able to lead them into a condition of burnout, with experiences, conversely, of exhaustion, relational deterioration, professional inefficacy and disillusion. These findings expand the knowledge on burnout and engagement in practitioners of illegal immigration, a context characterised by the value of help and welcome

Prospective phase II single-center study of the safety of a single very high dose of liposomal amphotericin B for antifungal prophylaxis in patients with acute myeloid leukemia.

Some preclinical and pharmacokinetic studies suggested the variable safety and the potential efficacy of an antifungal prophylaxis with a single high dose of liposomal amphotericin B (L-AmB) in high-risk patients. An open-label, prospective study was conducted with 48 adults receiving induction chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Patients received a single infusion of 15 mg/kg of body weight L-AmB and, eventually, a second dose after 15 days of persistent neutropenia. The primary objective was tolerability and safety. Efficacy was also evaluated as a secondary endpoint. A pharmacokinetic study was performed with 34 patients in order to evaluate any association of plasma L-AmB levels with toxicity and efficacy. Overall, only 6 patients (12.5%) reported Common Toxicity Criteria (CTC) grade 3 hypokalemia, which was corrected with potassium supplementation in all cases, and no patient developed clinically relevant nephrotoxicity. Mild infusion-related adverse events occurred after 6 of 53 (11.3%) total infusions, with permanent drug discontinuation in only one case. Proven invasive fungal disease (IFD) was diagnosed in 4 (8.3%) patients. The mean AmB plasma levels at 6 h, 24 h, and 7 days after L-AmB administration were 160, 49.5, and 1 mg/liter, respectively. The plasma AmB levels were higher than the mean values of the overall population in 3 patients who developed CTC grade 3 hypokalemia and did not significantly differ from the mean values of the overall population in 3 patients who developed IFD. Our experience demonstrates the feasibility and safety of a single 15-mg/kg L-AmB dose as antifungal prophylaxis in AML patients undergoing induction chemotherapy

Anionic polysaccharides for stabilization and sustained release of antimicrobial peptides

Chemical and enzymatic in vivo degradation of antimicrobial peptides represents a major challenge for their therapeutic use to treat bacterial infections. In this work, anionic polysaccharides were investigated for their ability to increase the chemical stability and achieve sustained release of such peptides. The investigated formulations comprised a combination of antimicrobial peptides (vancomycin (VAN) and daptomycin (DAP)) and anionic polysaccharides (xanthan gum (XA), hyaluronic acid (HA), propylene glycol alginate (PGA) and alginic acid (ALG)). VAN dissolved in buffer of pH 7.4 and incubated at 37 °C showed first order degradation kinetics with a reaction rate constant k obs of 5.5 × 10 -2 day -1 corresponding with a half-life of 13.9 days. However, once VAN was present in a XA, HA or PGA-based hydrogel, k obs decreased to (2.1-2.3) × 10 -2 day -1 while k obs was not affected in an alginate hydrogel and a dextran solution (5.4 × 10 -2 and 4.4 × 10 -2 day -1). Under the same conditions, XA and PGA also effectively decreased k obs for DAP (5.6 × 10 -2 day -1), whereas ALG had no effect and HA even increased the degradation rate. These results demonstrate that the investigated polysaccharides (except ALG for both peptides and HA for DAP) slowed down the degradation of VAN and DAP. DSC analysis was used to investigate on polysaccharide ability to bind water molecules. Rheological analysis highlighted that the polysaccharides containing VAN displayed an increase in G' of their formulations, pointing that the peptides interaction act as crosslinker of the polymer chains. The obtained results suggest that the mechanism of stabilization of VAN and DAP against hydrolytic degradation is conferred by electrostatic interactions between the ionizable amine groups of the drugs and the anionic carboxylate groups of the polysaccharides. This, in turn, results in a close proximity of the drugs to the polysaccharide chain, where the water molecules have a lower mobility and, therefore, a lower thermodynamic activity

The SAMI Galaxy Survey: Decomposed Stellar Kinematics of Galaxy Bulges and Disks

We investigate the stellar kinematics of the bulge and disk components in 826 galaxies with a wide range of morphology from the Sydney-AAO Multi-object Integral-field spectroscopy (SAMI) Galaxy Survey. The spatially-resolved rotation velocity (V) and velocity dispersion ($\sigma$) of bulge and disk components have been simultaneously estimated using the penalized pixel fitting (pPXF) method with photometrically defined weights for the two components. We introduce a new subroutine of pPXF for dealing with degeneracy in the solutions. We show that the V and $\sigma$ distributions in each galaxy can be reconstructed using the kinematics and weights of the bulge and disk components. The combination of two distinct components provides a consistent description of the major kinematic features of galaxies over a wide range of morphological types. We present Tully-Fisher and Faber-Jackson relations showing that the galaxy stellar mass scales with both V and $\sigma$ for both components of all galaxy types. We find a tight Faber-Jackson relation even for the disk component. We show that the bulge and disk components are kinematically distinct: (1) the two components show scaling relations with similar slopes, but different intercepts; (2) the spin parameter $\lambda_R$ indicates bulges are pressure-dominated systems and disks are supported by rotation; (3) the bulge and disk components have, respectively, low and high values in intrinsic ellipticity. Our findings suggest that the relative contributions of the two components explain, at least to first order, the complex kinematic behaviour of galaxies.Comment: 22 pages, 21 figures; Accepted for publication in MNRA

Normal and pathogenic variation of RFC1 repeat expansions: implications for clinical diagnosis

Cerebellar Ataxia, Neuropathy and Vestibular Areflexia Syndrome (CANVAS) is an autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disease, usually caused by biallelic AAGGG repeat expansions in RFC1. In this study, we leveraged whole genome sequencing (WGS) data from nearly 10,000 individuals recruited within the Genomics England sequencing project to investigate the normal and pathogenic variation of the RFC1 repeat. We identified three novel repeat motifs, AGGGC (n=6 from 5 families), AAGGC (n=2 from 1 family), AGAGG (n=1), associated with CANVAS in the homozygous or compound heterozygous state with the common pathogenic AAGGG expansion. While AAAAG, AAAGGG and AAGAG expansions appear to be benign, here we show a pathogenic role for large AAAGG repeat configuration expansions (n=5). Long read sequencing was used to fully characterise the entire repeat sequence and revealed a pure AGGGC expansion in six patients, whereas the other patients presented complex motifs with AAGGG or AAAGG interruptions. All pathogenic motifs seem to have arisen from a common haplotype and are predicted to form highly stable G quadruplexes, which have been previously demonstrated to affect gene transcription in other conditions. The assessment of these novel configurations is warranted in CANVAS patients with negative or inconclusive genetic testing. Particular attention should be paid to carriers of compound AAGGG/AAAGG expansions, since the AAAGG motif when very large (>500 repeats) or in the presence of AAGGG interruptions. Accurate sizing and full sequencing of the satellite repeat with long read is recommended in clinically selected cases, in order to achieve an accurate molecular diagnosis and counsel patients and their families

Structured reporting for fibrosing lung disease: a model shared by radiologist and pulmonologist

Objectives: To apply the Delphi exercise with iterative involvement of radiologists and pulmonologists with the aim of defining a structured reporting template for high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) of patients with fibrosing lung disease (FLD). Methods: The writing committee selected the HRCT criteria\ue2\u80\u94the Delphi items\ue2\u80\u94for rating from both radiology panelists (RP) and pulmonology panelists (PP). The Delphi items were first rated by RPs as \ue2\u80\u9cessential\ue2\u80\u9d, \ue2\u80\u9coptional\ue2\u80\u9d, or \ue2\u80\u9cnot relevant\ue2\u80\u9d. The items rated \ue2\u80\u9cessential\ue2\u80\u9d by < 80% of the RP were selected for the PP rating. The format of reporting was rated by both RP and PP. Results: A total of 42 RPs and 12 PPs participated to the survey. In both Delphi round 1 and 2, 10/27 (37.7%) items were rated \ue2\u80\u9cessential\ue2\u80\u9d by more than 80% of RP. The remaining 17/27 (63.3%) items were rated by the PP in round 3, with 2/17 items (11.7%) rated \ue2\u80\u9cessential\ue2\u80\u9d by the PP. PP proposed additional items for conclusion domain, which were rated by RPs in the fourth round. Poor consensus was observed for the format of reporting. Conclusions: This study provides a template for structured report of FLD that features essential items as agreed by expert thoracic radiologists and pulmonologists