Coeliac Disease and Mast Cells

Over the last decades, there has been an impressive progress in our understanding of coeliac disease pathogenesis and it has become clear that the disorder is the final result of complex interactions of environmental, genetic, and immunological factors. Coeliac disease is now considered a prototype of T-cell-mediated disease characterized by loss of tolerance to dietary gluten and the targeted killing of enterocytes by T-cell receptor \u3b1\u3b2 intraepithelial lymphocytes. Accumulating evidence, however, indicates that the induction of a gluten-specific T helper-1 response must be preceded by the activation of the innate immune system. Mast cells are key players of the innate immune response and contribute to the pathogenesis of a multitude of diseases. Here, we review the results of studies aimed at investigating the role of mast cells in the pathogenesis of coeliac disease, showing that these cells increase in number during the progression of the disease and contribute to define a pro-inflammatory microenvironment

Postpneumonectomy-Like Syndrome in an Infant With Right Lung Agenesis and Left Main Bronchus Hypoplasia

We report a 1-year-old child born with agenesis of the right lung who sustained an episode of acute respiratory failure related to a postpneumonectomy-like syndrome, with severe mediastinal shift and subsequent stretching and stenosis of the left main bronchus. The insertion of an expandable prosthesis in the right empty pleural space markedly improved the patient's clinical condition

Mobile underwater sensor networks for protection and security: field experience at the UAN11 experiment

An underwater acoustic network (UAN) represents a communication infrastructure that canoffer the necessary flexibility for continuous monitoring and surveillance of critical infras-tructures located by the sea. Given the current limitation of acoustic-based communicationmethods, a robust implementation of UANs is still an open research field. The FP7 UANproject addressed such a problem, and it reached the integration of a mobile underwatersensor network within a wide-area network, which included above water and underwatersensors, for protection and security. This paper describes some of the main results achievedduring the project. In particular, this work addresses solutions for the upper-layers of theUAN, with focus on the integration of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) as mobilenodes of the network, and on the inclusion of network security mechanisms. The recent at-sea successes that have been demonstrated within the UAN framework are detailed. Resultsare given of the final UAN project demonstration, UAN11, held in the May of 2011, whenan underwater acoustic network composed by four fixed nodes, two autonomous underwa-ter vehicles (AUVs), and one mobile node mounted on the supporting research vessel, wascontinuously operated for one week, and integrated into a global protection system

The gliadin peptide 31-43 exacerbates kainate neurotoxicity in epilepsy models

Abstract Many neurological disorders of gluten-related diseases (GRD), not directly referable to the gastrointestinal tract, have been reported in association with celiac disease (CD), including ataxia, neuropathy and epilepsy. In particular, people with epilepsy diagnosed with CD seems to be characterized by intractable seizure. In these patients, gluten restriction diet has resulted in a reduction of both seizure frequency and antiepileptic medication. Many hypotheses have been suggested, however, molecular mechanisms that associates GRD and epileptogenesis are yet unknown. In this study, we examined the effects of the toxic gliadin peptide 31-43 in in vivo and in vitro models of kainate-induced-epilepsy. We observed that p31-43 exacerbates kainate neurotoxicity in epilepsy models, through the involvement of the enzymatic activity of transglutaminases. Moreover, electrophysiological recordings in CA3 pyramidal neurons of organotypic hippocampal slices show that p31-43 increases the inward current induced by kainate, the average sEPSC amplitude and the total number of evoked action potentials when applicated alone, thus suggesting that p31-43 is able to influence CA3-CA1 neurotransmission and can potentiate postsynaptic kainate receptors. Our results suggest a possible mechanism underlying the relationship between GRD and epilepsy through a potentiation of kainate-induced neurotoxicity and links the toxic effects of gluten to epilepsy

Prolonged remission of disseminated atypical adenomatous hyperplasia under gefitinib.

Abstract:Atypical adenomatous hyperplasia (AAH) is a putative precursor of bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (BAC) and adenocarcinoma of the lung, developing from terminal respiratory unit cells. AAH and BAC lesions typically present as ground-glass opacities at spiral chest computed tomography. Epidermal growth factor receptor polysomy/mutations, conferring higher sensitivity to Gefitinib, are frequent in BAC but less common in AAH. We describe an interesting case of disseminated AAH showing a sustained remission under Gefitinib therapy

In vitro characterization of iridoid and phenylethanoid glycosides from Cistanche phelypaea for nutraceutical and pharmacological applications

"Desert hyacinths" are a remarkable group of parasitic plants belonging to genus Cistanche, including more than 20 accepted species typically occurring in deserts or coastal dunes parasitizing roots of shrubs. Several Cistanche species have long been a source of traditional herbal medicine or food, being C. deserticola and C. tubulosa the most used in China. This manuscript reports the isolation and identification of some phenylethanoid and iridoid glycosides, obtained from the hydroalcoholic extract of C. phelypaea collected in Spain. The present study aims to characterize the antioxidant activity of C. phelypaea metabolites in the light of their application in nutraceutical and cosmeceutical industries and the effect of acetoside, the most abundant metabolite in C. phelypaea extract, on human keratinocyte and pluripotent stem cell proliferation and differentiation. Our study demonstrated that acetoside, besides its strong antioxidant potential, can preserve the proliferative potential of human basal keratinocytes and the stemness of mesenchymal progenitors necessary for tissue morphogenesis and renewal. Therefore, acetoside can be of practical relevance for the clinical application of human stem cell cultures in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine

A Local Signature of LTP-Like Plasticity Induced by Repetitive Paired Associative Stimulation

Repetitive paired associative stimulation (rPAS) repeatedly pairs electrical nerve stimulation (ENS) with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the contralateral motor hand area (M1) at 5 Hz frequency. So far, there are only few studies concerning the effects of PAS on the modulation of EEG power. Hence, aim of the present study was to investigate rPAS long term after-effects on cortical excitability looking at EEG power spectra. In four experimental sessions, separated by 2 weeks interval, 12 awake subjects received rPAS of the right median nerve and left M1 at a fixed interval (ISI) of 25 ms (real condition), 5 Hz-TMS on left M1, 5 Hz-ENS, of the right median nerve, and rPAS with changing ISI (sham condition). We measured peak-to-peak MEP amplitude, evoked from the target muscle (right abductor pollicis brevis muscle) at rest and the absolute power (POW) in four frequency bands: \u3b1 (8-12 Hz), \u3b2 (13-30), \u3b8 (4-7) and \u3b4 (1-3), under rest conditions. All these parameters were evaluated in three detection blocks: baseline, immediately after and after 30' from the end of the conditioning protocol. Real rPAS induced a long-lasting homotopic cortical excitability modulation, as indexed by MEP amplitude increase, that was paralleled by a long-lasting reduction of \u3b1/\u3b2-POW and by a widespread \u3b8-\u3b4-POW modulation. rPAS applied over the sensory-motor cortex induced an LTP-like plasticity, as indexed by a robust reduction in the \u3b1/\u3b2 POW positively correlated with the MEP amplitude increase. rPAS25ms may be a useful tool for motor neurorehabilitation promoting a sensory-motor coupling within \u3b2 oscillations