Planetary parameters, XUV environments and mass-loss rates for nearby gaseous planets with X-ray detected host-stars

We leverage Gaia DR2 parallactic distances to deliver new or revised estimates of planetary parameters and X-ray irradiation for a distance-limited ($\lesssim 100$ pc) sample of 27 gaseous planets (from super-Earths to hot Jupiters) with publicly available Chandra and/or XMM observations, for which we carry out a homogeneous data reduction. For 20 planets with X-ray detected host stars we make use of the photoionization hydrodynamics code ATES to derive updated atmospheric mass outflow rates. The newly derived masses/radii are not consistent with the $\verb|exoplanet.eu|$ values for five systems; HD 149026b and WASP-38, for mass; and Au Mic b, HAT-P-20 and HAT-P-2 for radii. Notably, the lower mass implies a (Saturn-like) density of $0.86\pm 0.09$ g cm$^{-3}$) for HD 149026 b. This independent estimate is consistent with the lowest values reported in the literature. Separately, we report on the X-ray detection of GJ 9827, HD 219134 and LHS 1140 for the first time. The inferred stellar X-ray luminosity of LHS 1140 ($1.34^{+0.19}_{-0.21} \times 10^{26}$ erg sec$^{-1}$) implies that LHS 1140 b is the least irradiated transiting super-Earth known to orbit within the habitable zone of a nearby M-dwarf.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figures; accepted for publication in Ap

Age at Onset and Social Cognitive Impairment in Clinically Stabilized Patients with Schizophrenia : An Ecological Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: Purposes of the present study were to assess the social cognitive impairment in schizophrenia and to detect if some clinical variables (particularly age at onset) are predictive of general/social cognitive deficit in schizophrenia patients. Method: Thirty-five clinically stabilized schizophrenia outpatients were assessed by the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS) and by Torralva\u2019s social cognition battery. Binary logistic models were performed to find an eventual association between continuous clinical variables and cognitive test failures. The total sample was divided in groups according to dichotomous variables (gender, diagnostic subtypes and type of abuse) and the presence of cognitive deficits was compared between groups by \u3c72 tests. Results: An earlier age at onset was found to be predictive of frontal cognitive impairment (Tower of London p=0.038, OR=0.702). Female gender was more probably associated with mistakes at MET-HV (\u3c72= 4.80, p=0.05, phi=0.40) and HOTEL tests (\u3c72= 5.25, p=0.04, phi=0.4) than male one. Cannabis abusers showed more frequently deficits on verbal fluency (\u3c72= 9.35, p=0.04, phi=0.52) and executive functioning (Tower of London) (\u3c72= 11.67, p=0.02, phi=0.58) than alcohol/cocaine ones. Conclusion: Female patients with an early age at onset and cannabis abuse seem to have the worst general and social cognitive profile among patients suffering from schizophrenia

Hybrid fibroin/polyurethane small-diameter vascular grafts: from fabrication to in vivo preliminary assessment

To address the need of alternatives to autologous vessels for small-calibre vascular applications (e.g. cardiac surgery), a bio-hybrid semi-degradable material composed of silk fibroin (SF) and polyurethane (Silkothane (R)) was herein used to fabricate very small-calibre grafts (o(in) = 1.5 mm) via electrospinning. Bio-hybrid grafts were in vitro characterized in terms of morphology and mechanical behaviour, and compared to similar grafts of pure SF. Similarly, two native vessels from a rodent model (abdominal aorta and vena cava) were harvested and characterized. Preliminary implants were performed on Lewis rats to confirm the suitability of Silkothane (R) grafts for small-calibre applications, specifically as aortic insertion and femoral shunt. The manufacturing process generated pliable grafts consisting of a randomized fibrous mesh and exhibiting similar geometrical features to rat aortas. Both Silkothane (R) and pure SF grafts showed radial compliances in the range from 1.37 +/- 0.86 to 1.88 +/- 1.01% 10(-2) mmHg(-1), lower than that of native vessels. The Silkothane (R) small-calibre devices were also implanted in rats demonstrating to be adequate for vascular applications; all the treated rats survived the surgery for three months after implantation, and 16 rats out of 17 (94%) still showed blood flow inside the graft at sacrifice. The obtained results lay the basis for a deeper investigation of the interaction between the Silkothane (R) graft and the implant site, which may deal with further analysis on the potentialities in terms of degradability and tissue formation, on longer time-points

Anthropometric indices of sarcopenia in patients with Chronic Kidney Disease

The Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a kidney dysfunction for which the estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) result

Naloxone inhibits immune cell function by suppressing superoxide production through a direct interaction with gp91phox subunit of NADPH oxidase

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Both (-) and (+)-naloxone attenuate inflammation-mediated neurodegeneration by inhibition of microglial activation through superoxide reduction in an opioid receptor-independent manner. Multiple lines of evidence have documented a pivotal role of overactivated NADPH oxidase (NOX2) in inflammation-mediated neurodegeneration. We hypothesized that NOX2 might be a novel action site of naloxone to mediate its anti-inflammatory actions.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Inhibition of NOX-2-derived superoxide by (-) and (+)-naloxone was measured in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated midbrain neuron-glia cultures and phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)-stimulated neutrophil membranes by measuring the superoxide dismutase (SOD)-inhibitable reduction of tetrazolium salt (WST-1) or ferricytochrome c. Further, various ligand (³H-naloxone) binding assays were performed in wild type and gp91<it>^phox-/-</it>neutrophils and transfected COS-7 and HEK293 cells. The translocation of cytosolic subunit p47<it>^phox</it>to plasma membrane was assessed by western blot.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Both (-) and (+)-naloxone equally inhibited LPS- and PMA-induced superoxide production with an IC50 of 1.96 and 2.52 μM, respectively. Competitive binding of ³H-naloxone with cold (-) and (+)-naloxone in microglia showed equal potency with an IC50 of 2.73 and 1.57 μM, respectively. ³H-Naloxone binding was elevated in COS-7 and HEK293 cells transfected with gp91^{<it>phox</it>}; in contrast, reduced ³H-naloxone binding was found in neutrophils deficient in gp91^{<it>phox </it>}or in the presence of a NOX2 inhibitor. The specificity and an increase in binding capacity of ³H-naloxone were further demonstrated by 1) an immunoprecipitation study using gp91^{<it>phox </it>}antibody, and 2) activation of NOX2 by PMA. Finally, western blot studies showed that naloxone suppressed translocation of the cytosolic subunit p47^{<it>phox </it>}to the membrane, leading to NOX2 inactivation.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Strong evidence is provided indicating that NOX2 is a non-opioid novel binding site for naloxone, which is critical in mediating its inhibitory effect on microglia overactivation and superoxide production.</p

Risk of hospitalization for heart failure in patients with type 2 diabetes newly treated with DPP-4 inhibitors or other oral glucose-lowering medications: A retrospective registry study on 127,555 patients from the Nationwide OsMed Health-DB Database

Aims Oral glucose-lowering medications are associated with excess risk of heart failure (HF). Given the absence of comparative data among drug classes, we performed a retrospective study in 32 Health Services of 16 Italian regions accounting for a population of 18 million individuals, to assess the association between HF risk and use of sulphonylureas, DPP-4i, and glitazones. Methods and results We extracted data on patients with type 2 diabetes who initiated treatment with DPP-4i, thiazolidinediones, or sulphonylureas alone or in combination with metformin during an accrual time of 2 years. The endpoint was hospitalization for HF (HHF) occurring after the first 6 months of therapy, and the observation was extended for up to 4 years. A total of 127 555 patients were included, of whom 14.3% were on DPP-4i, 72.5% on sulphonylurea, 13.2% on thiazolidinediones, with average 70.7% being on metformin as combination therapy. Patients in the three groups differed significantly for baseline characteristics: age, sex, Charlson index, concurrent medications, and previous cardiovascular events. During an average 2.6-year follow-up, after adjusting for measured confounders, use of DPP-4i was associated with a reduced risk of HHF compared with sulphonylureas [hazard ratio (HR) 0.78; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.62-0.97; P = 0.026]. After propensity matching, the analysis was restricted to 39 465 patients, and the use of DPP-4i was still associated with a lower risk of HHF (HR 0.70; 95% CI 0.52-0.94; P = 0.018). Conclusion In a very large observational study, the use of DPP-4i was associated with a reduced risk of HHF when compared with sulphonylureas

Impact of gastrointestinal side effects on patients’ reported quality of life trajectories after radiotherapy for prostate cancer: Data from the prospective, observational pros-it CNR study

Radiotherapy (RT) represents an important therapeutic option for the treatment of localized prostate cancer. The aim of the current study is to examine trajectories in patients’ reported quality of life (QoL) aspects related to bowel function and bother, considering data from the PROState cancer monitoring in ITaly from the National Research Council (Pros-IT CNR) study, analyzed with growth mixture models. Data for patients who underwent RT, either associated or not associated with androgen deprivation therapy, were considered. QoL outcomes were assessed over a 2-year period from the diagnosis, using the Italian version of the University of California Los Angeles-Prostate Cancer Index (Italian-UCLA-PCI). Three trajectories were identified for the bowel function; having three or more comorbidities and the use of 3D-CRT technique for RT were associated with the worst trajectory (OR = 3.80, 95% CI 2.04–7.08; OR = 2.17, 95% CI 1.22–3.87, respectively). Two trajectories were identified for the bowel bother scores; diabetes and the non-Image guided RT method were associated with being in the worst bowel bother trajectory group (OR = 1.69, 95% CI 1.06–2.67; OR = 2.57, 95% CI 1.70–3.86, respectively). The findings from this study suggest that the absence of comorbidities and the use of intensity modulated RT techniques with image guidance are related with a better tolerance to RT in terms of bowel side effects

The impact of mood episodes and duration of illness on cognition in bipolar disorder

Objective: A number of studies showed cognitive impairment in bipolar patients but few researches have studied the impact of mood episodes or duration of illness on neuropsychological functioning. Methods: Cognitive functioning was examined in 110 bipolar 1 outpatients with different mood state (mania, major depression, mixed episode and euthymia). The neuropsychological battery included The Visual Search Test, Trail Making Test, Corsi Test, Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB), Cognitive Estimation Task (CET) and Tower of London and it assessed attention, memory and executive/planning functions. Failures in the different cognitive tests were compared between groups using chi(2) tests with Bonferroni's corrections. Finally a binary logistic regression was performed in order to find an eventual association between age and duration of illness and CET bizarreness. Results: All the symptomatic patients (manic, depressed, mixed) failed more frequently The Visual Search Test in comparison with euthymics (chi(2) = 9.882, df = 3, p = 0.017, phi = 0.30; rate of failures: manic patients 32.2%, depressed patients 30.6%, euthymics 0%, mixed patients 18.2%). CET was performed worse by manic and euthymic patients (chi(2) = 10.086, df = 3, p 0.015, phi = 0.31; rate of failures: manic patients 46.4%, depressed patients 22.9%, euthymics 52.1%, mixed patients 18.2%). Finally, a longer duration of illness was found to be predictive of more bizarreness at CET (OR = 1.06, p = 0.01). Conclusions: Bipolar patients present impairment in different cognitive domains even in euthymic phases. Frontal dysfunction might be associated with a long duration of illness as shown by number of bizarreness at CET in chronic bipolar patients