Physiological modeling of isoprene dynamics in exhaled breath

Human breath contains a myriad of endogenous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which are reflective of ongoing metabolic or physiological processes. While research into the diagnostic potential and general medical relevance of these trace gases is conducted on a considerable scale, little focus has been given so far to a sound analysis of the quantitative relationships between breath levels and the underlying systemic concentrations. This paper is devoted to a thorough modeling study of the end-tidal breath dynamics associated with isoprene, which serves as a paradigmatic example for the class of low-soluble, blood-borne VOCs. Real-time measurements of exhaled breath under an ergometer challenge reveal characteristic changes of isoprene output in response to variations in ventilation and perfusion. Here, a valid compartmental description of these profiles is developed. By comparison with experimental data it is inferred that the major part of breath isoprene variability during exercise conditions can be attributed to an increased fractional perfusion of potential storage and production sites, leading to higher levels of mixed venous blood concentrations at the onset of physical activity. In this context, various lines of supportive evidence for an extrahepatic tissue source of isoprene are presented. Our model is a first step towards new guidelines for the breath gas analysis of isoprene and is expected to aid further investigations regarding the exhalation, storage, transport and biotransformation processes associated with this important compound.Comment: 14 page

Characterization of the complex locus of bean encoding polygalacturonase-inhibiting proteins reveals subfunctionalization for defense against fungi and insects.

Polygalacturonase-inhibiting proteins (PGIPs) are extracellular plant inhibitors of fungal endopolygalacturonases (PGs) that belong to the superfamily of Leu-rich repeat proteins. We have characterized the full complement of pgip genes in the bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) genotype BAT93. This comprises four clustered members that span a 50-kb region and, based on their similarity, form two pairs (Pvpgip1/Pvpgip2 and Pvpgip3/Pvpgip4). Characterization of the encoded products revealed both partial redundancy and subfunctionalization against fungal-derived PGs. Notably, the pair PvPGIP3/PvPGIP4 also inhibited PGs of two mirid bugs (Lygus rugulipennis and Adelphocoris lineolatus). Characterization of Pvpgip genes of Pinto bean showed variations limited to single synonymous substitutions or small deletions. A three-amino acid deletion encompassing a residue previously identified as crucial for recognition of PG of Fusarium moniliforme was responsible for the inability of BAT93 PvPGIP2 to inhibit this enzyme. Consistent with the large variations observed in the promoter sequences, reverse transcription-PCR expression analysis revealed that the different family members differentially respond to elicitors, wounding, and salicylic acid. We conclude that both biochemical and regulatory redundancy and subfunctionalization of pgip genes are important for the adaptation of plants to pathogenic fungi and phytophagous insects

Forecasting Li-ion battery State of Charge using Long-Short-Term-Memory network

Estimating the state of charge (SOC) for lithium-ion batteries (LIB) has become a highly desirable task, but also critical, especially as electrified vehicles become more common. However, due to the non-linear behaviour of these batteries, accurately estimating SOC remains a challenge. As a result, traditional theory-based methods are often being replaced by data-driven approaches, thanks to the greater availability of battery data and advances in artificial intelligence. Recurrent neural networks (RNNs), in particular, are promising methods to be exploited, because they can capture temporal dependencies and predict SOC without a battery model. Long short term memory (LSTM), a specific type of RNN, can accurately predict SOC values in real-time and forecast future SOC values within different time horizons

Isoenzyme A and Urinary N-Acetyl-β-D-Glucosaminidase Activity in Normal Pregnancy

Urinary N-acetyl-β-d-glucosaminidase (NAG) activity has been found to increase during normal uncomplicated pregnancy and such behavior could limit the diagnostic value of this enzyme for detection of subclinical tubular injury. The aim of this study was to evaluate urinary NAG activity and isoenzyme A in normal pregnant women at 30th week of pregnancy and in healthy women, to discriminate between physiological and lesional enzymuria.Enzyme activities in first morning fasting urine samples from 20 nonpregnant control and 20 normal pregnant women at 30th gestational week were evaluated by fluorometric methods.Both total and isoenzyme A activity was significantly higher ( p0.01) in urines of normal pregnant women compared with control urines, whereas ratio between these two parameters was significantly lower ( p0.001).The increase of urinary NAG activity during normal uncomplicated pregnancy appears to be characterized by a prevalent increase in isoenzyme A form, a finding associated with functional (not lesional) enzymuria. The fluorometric assays may represent a simple and rapid method to evaluate whether increase in urinary NAG activity represents a renal physiological adaptation during pregnancy

Carcinoma sieroso ovarico: correlazione tra andamento clinico, prognosi, espressione di p53, MDM2, p21, APE/Ref1 e NPM1 e possibili implicazioni terapeutiche

Il tumore ovarico \ue8 la sesta neoplasia pi\uf9 frequente nelle donne in Nord America e in Europa. Il carcinoma ovarico rappresenta il 60% dei tumori ovarici e il 90% di tutte le neoplasie ovariche maligne. Le donne affette da carcinoma ovarico hanno a tutt\u2019oggi una prognosi negativa. Nel 75% dei casi il carcinoma ovarico \ue8 diagnosticato quando ormai si \ue8 gi\ue0 diffuso oltre la pelvi. I fattori prognostici noti sono l\u2019et\ue0 delle pazienti, la malattia minima residua dopo l\u2019intervento chirurgico, il grado, lo stadio e l\u2019istotipo del tumore. Tali parametri clinicopatologici risultano per\uf2 insufficienti e si rende necessario lo studio approfondito dei biomarcatori che caratterizzano questa neoplasia, al fine di identificare nuovi bersagli per terapie mirate. In considerazione dell\u2019assenza di un pannello di marcatori utili per il patologo, lo scopo del lavoro in analisi \ue8 stato quello di testare numerosi biomarcatori, nell\u2019intento di stabilire una correlazione statisticamente significativa tra la loro espressione e l\u2019andamento clinico della malattia. L\u2019eterogeneo insieme di proteine esaminate comprende i prodotti di oncogeni e di oncosoppressori, proteine coinvolte nell\u2019apoptosi, nella regolazione del ciclo cellulare, nella proliferazione, nel differenziamento, nell\u2019adesione cellulare, nella degradazione della matrice extracellulare, attivatori e repressori trascrizionali, chaperones molecolari ed enzimi che catalizzano specifiche reazioni; una volta ottenuti i dati preliminari, l\u2019attenzione \ue8 stata concentrata sull\u2019espressione di APE1 e NPM1, per le quali non vi sono ancora molti dati in Letteratura sul carcinoma ovarico

Disamina analitica de L'amore di Galatea, libretto 'mitopoietico' di Salvatore Quasimodo scritto per la musica di Michele Lizzi

Il mito di Galatea aveva ispirato Teocrito nell’Idillio XI ed altre riscritture seguenti ne hanno via via rigenerato il senso, da Ovidio a Luis de Góngora. In pieno Novecento, il mito in tre atti di Salvatore Quasimodo, L’amore di Galatea (1964), appositamente scritto per la musica di Michele Lizzi (1915-1972), rappresenta un traguardo non poco significativo, dopo le pregresse esperienze librettistiche di Orfeo e Billy Budd. L’incrocio fra il mito di Ulisse e Polifemo con quello dell’amore di Aci per Galatea trovano la loro significazione simbolica nello sfondo suggestivo della Sicilia classica per una nuova ripresa del mito nel pieno di uno scientismo dilagante. Quasimodo umanizzerà, attualizzandola, l’immagine di Polifemo, emblema dell’amore sofferto, mai risolto, ma poi compreso in ritardo, da Galatea. L’opera musicale, germinata su questo lavoro mitopoietico, grazie alla sapiente arte compositiva di Lizzi, il musicista-umanista, nasce dal bisogno di “poggiare l’orecchio sulla propria terra” ed auscultare i suoni del mare che accoglie, suoni liberi e nativi, custoditi dal tempo e dai millenni. La fusione simbolica della Parola quasimodiana con il Suono e il melos greco della scrittura lizziana consentì un risultato finalmente completo e multiprospettico di una leggenda che riaffermava la sua forza vitale, al di là di ogni possibile traduzione ermeneutica, davanti al farsi della scena musicale

Nuove tendenze del settore cosmetico: la cosmesi naturale. Risultati di un'indagine empirica

Questo lavoro nasce dalla passione per il mondo della cosmesi ecobiologica, dalla quale è scaturito un interesse nel chiedersi quali siano i fattori che orientano le scelte dei consumatori oggi e se essi cambino a seconda che una persona utilizzi cosmetici naturali o tradizionali. Si è scelto di intervistare ragazzi e ragazze fra i 18-30 anni per vedere il pensiero di quelle che sono le “nuove generazioni”, oltre che per la maggior semplicità nell’ottenere risposte. Il primo capitolo presenta il quadro di riferimento del settore cosmetico, partendo dalle varie definizioni, percorrendo poi alcuni tratti di storia e facendo accenno alle nuove tendenze del settore. Il secondo capitolo affronta il tema del green marketing e il problema del greenwashing, fenomeno che comprende la pubblicità ingannevole. Il terzo capitolo illustra la metodologia utilizzata per svolgere l’indagine e i risultati ottenuti. Il quarto riguarda un’analisi statistica dei risultati attraverso l’utilizzo dell’analisi delle componenti principali, del clustering e della regressione logistica

The Hepato-Pulmonary-Cutaneous Syndrome: Description of a Case and Suggestion of a Unifying Hypothesis

We report a 54-year-old patient with the association of hepatic dysfunction with cyanosis, severe hypoxemia, platypnea-orthodeoxia, diffuse cutaneous spider nevi, telangiectasia, palmar erythema, digital clubbing and findings of marked intrapulmonary vascular dilation and arterovenous shunt. The diagnosis of hepato-pulmonary-cutaneous syndrome, a term we think more appropriate and inclusive than that of hepato-pulmonary syndrome for this clinicopathological picture, is proposed. The putative underlying mechanism for these connected pulmonary and extrapulmonary syndromic features is discussed

Support for the upregulation of serum thyrotropin by estrogens coming from the increased requirement of levothyroxine in one gynecomastic patient with excess of thyroxine-binding globulin secondary to exposure to exogenous estrogens

Thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG) is the liver-synthesized and estrogen-upregulated major plasma carrier of thyroid hormones with an affinity binding greater for T4 than T3. It is known that pregnancy, a physiologic state of estrogen-driven elevation of serum TBG, raises the requirement of L-T4 dose in hypothyroid women, especially those with no residual thyroid function. Similar increased requirement was reported for postmenopausal women during estrogen therapy. One known cause of relative hyperestrogenemia, gynecomastia and acquired TBG excess is liver disease, but very rarely chronic liver disease is mentioned as a cause of increased L-T4 requirement. One hypothyroid man with cirrhosis-associated gynecomastia and increased serum levels of both estradiol and TBG was reported recently. His requirement of L-T4 was no longer increased after liver transplantation. We now report the case of a man with primary hypothyroidism under stable replacement therapy with L-T4 until exposure to an exogenous cause of hyperestrogenemia caused increased L-T4 requirement associated to TBG excess. In addition to increased TBG, the high levels of estrogens had caused the appearance of gynecomastia. We fully corrected primary hypothyroidism upon eliminating his exposure to the source of estrogens. Hyperestrogenism can be a cause of increased L-T4 requirement through the rise of circulating levels of TBG also in man with no residual thyroid function. Keywords: Thyroxine-binding globulin, Estrogens, Thyrotropin, Levothyroxine therapy, Refractory hypothyroidis