Pharmacological and clinical overview of cloperastine in treatment of cough

Cough constitutes an impressive expression of the normal defense mechanisms of the respiratory system. Productive cough associated with catarrh is an important protective system for the lung because it favors the upward movement of secretions and foreign bodies to the larynx and mouth. Cough may also appear without bronchial secretions, as dry cough, which may be persistent when inflammatory disease is chronic or when, in the early stages of respiratory disease, bronchial secretions are not yet fluid. Sometimes bronchitis-induced cough does not significantly affect quality of life, whilst in other cases cough may become so intense as to impair daily activities severely, resulting in permanent disability. This type of cough is one of the most frequent reasons for seeking medical advice. The use of cough suppressants may be appropriate for reaching a precise diagnosis and when dry cough is persistent. Cloperastine has been investigated in various types of cough and, unlike codeine, has been shown to possess dual activity. It also acts as a mild bronchorelaxant and has antihistaminic activity, without acting on the central nervous system or the respiratory center. Here we review the preclinical and clinical evidence of the efficacy and tolerability of cloperastine

Vitiligo and autoimmune thyroid disorders

Vitiligo represents the most common cause of acquired skin, hair and oral depigmentation, affecting 0.5-1% of the population worldwide. It is clinically characterized by the appearance of disfiguring circumscribed skin macules following melanocyte destruction by autoreactive cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Patients affected by vitiligo usually show a poorer quality of life and are more likely to suffer from depressive symptoms, particularly evident in dark-skinned individuals. Although vitiligo is a non-fatal disease, exposure of affected skin to UV light increases the chance of skin irritation and predisposes to skin cancer. In addition, vitiligo has been associated to other rare systemic disorders due to presence of melanocytes in other body districts, such as in the eyes, auditory, nervous and cardiac tissues, where melanocytes are thought to have roles different from that played in the skin. Several pathogenetic models have been proposed to explain vitiligo onset and progression, but clinical and experimental findings point mainly to the autoimmune hypothesis as the most qualified one. In this context, it is of relevance the strong association of vitiligo with other autoimmune diseases, in particular with autoimmune thyroid disorders, such as Hashimoto thyroiditis and Graves’ disease. In this review, after a brief overview of vitiligo and its pathogenesis, we will describe the clinical association between vitiligo and autoimmune thyroid disorders and discuss the possible underlying molecular mechanism(s)

CTLA-4 and PD-1 ligand gene expression in epithelial thyroid cancers

The dysregulation of PD-1 ligands (PD-L1 and PD-L2) and CTLA-4 ligands (CD80 and CD86) represents a tumor strategy to escape the immune surveillance. Here, the expression of PD-L1, PD-L2, CD80 and CD86 was evaluated at mRNA level in 94 patients affected by papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and 11 patients affected by anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC). Variations in the mRNAs in PTC patients were then correlated with clinicopathological features. The expression of all genes was deregulated in PTC and ATC tissues compared to normal tissues. In particular, the down-regulation of CD80 was observed in above all ATC. In addition, the increased expression of CD80 associated to longer disease-free survival in PTC. Higher expression of PD-L1 associated with the classical histological variant and with the presence of BRAFV600E mutation in PTC. The increased PD-L2 expression correlated with BRAFV600E mutation and lymph node metastasis, while its lower expression correlated with the follicular PTC variant. The latter was also associated with the CD80 down-regulation, which was also related to the absence of lymph node metastasis. In conclusion, we documented the overall dysregulation of PD-1 and CTLA-4 ligands in PTC and ATC tissues and a possible prognostic value for CD80 gene expression in PTC

Antifungal and anti-biofilm activity of the first cryptic antimicrobial peptide from an archaeal protein against Candida spp. clinical isolates

Candida species cause cutaneous and systemic infections with a high mortality rate, especially in immunocompromised patients. The emergence of resistance to the most common antifungal drugs, also due to bioflm formation, requires the development of alternative antifungal agents. The antimicrobial peptide VLL-28, isolated from an archaeal transcription factor, shows comparable antifungal activity against 10 clinical isolates of Candida spp. Using a fuoresceinated derivative of this peptide, we found that VLL-28 binds to the surface of planktonic cells. This observation suggested that it could exert its antifungal activity by damaging the cell wall. In addition, analyses performed on bioflms via confocal microscopy revealed that VLL-28 is diferentially active on all the strains tested, with C. albicans and C. parapsilosis being the most sensitive ones. Notably, VLL-28 is the frst example of an archaeal antimicrobial peptide that is active towards Candida spp. Thus, this points to archaeal microorganisms as a possible reservoir of novel antifungal agent

smARTworks: A Multi-sided Context-aware Platform for the Smart Museum

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Normal computed tomographic features and reference values for the coelomic cavity in pet parrots

BACKGROUND: The increasing popularity gained by pet birds over recent decades has highlighted the role of avian medicine and surgery in the global veterinary scenario; such a need for speciality avian medical practice reflects the rising expectation for high-standard diagnostic imaging procedures. The aim of this study is to provide an atlas of matched anatomical cross-sections and contrast-enhanced CT images of the coelomic cavity in three highly diffused psittacine species. RESULTS: Contrast-enhanced computed tomographic studies of the coelomic cavity were performed in 5 blue-and-gold macaws, 4 African grey parrots and 6 monk parakeets by means of a 4-multidetector-row CT scanner. Both pre- and post-contrast scans were acquired. Anatomical reference cross-sections were obtained from 5 blue-and-gold macaw, 7 African grey parrot, and 9 monk parakeet cadavers. The specimens were stored in a −20 °C freezer until completely frozen and then sliced at 5-mm intervals by means of a band saw. All the slices were photographed on both sides. Individual anatomical structures were identified by means of the available literature. Pre- and post-contrast attenuation reference values for the main coelomic organs are reported in Hounsfield units (HU). CONCLUSIONS: The results provide an atlas of matched anatomical cross-sections and contrast-enhanced CT images of the coelomic cavity in three highly diffused psittacine species

Impact of Users' Beliefs in Text-Based Linguistic Interaction

Linguistic interaction between humans and machines is one of the most challenging fields in the development of next-generation User Interfaces. In this work, we investigate the role of beliefs about the interlocutor in human-computer linguistic interaction. First, we introduced an experimental setup that makes use of filtered and post-processed web content to generate a realistic, generic linguistic interaction. Then, we collected dialogues from two different sets α and β, corresponding to users being unaware or aware of the artificial nature of the interlocutor, respectively. The results thus obtained, analyzed using a standard t-test procedure (N=30), demonstrate a statistically significant difference between the two sets in some of the linguistic features selected, i.e., sentence length and the number of adjectives, providing further insights to expand some of the evidence previously found in the literature

New or little-known bees from Sicily (Hymenoptera: Apoidea)

The authors report newly recorded species of bees (Hymenoptera, Apoidea) on the Volcan Etna (Sicily). A total of ten species belonging to three families are recorded: Halictidae (8 species), Megachilidae (1 species), and Apidae (1 species). Pseudapis valga (Gerstaecker), Lasioglossum convexiusculum (Schenck) (Halictidae), Hoplitis laevifrons (Morawitz) (Megachilidae) and Tarsalia ancyliformis Popov (Apidae), are reported for the first time for Sicily and the presence of other bee species is confirmed for the Island. Furthermore, this is the first record of the genus Tarsalia Morawitz for the fauna of Sicily. For each species data are given in relation to the altitudinal level, the plants visited, and the ecological quality of the sites where the specimens were found