Increased expression of interleukin-22 in patients with giant cell arteritis

GCA is characterized by arterial remodelling driven by inflammation. IL-22 is an attractive cytokine which acts at the crosstalk between immune and stromal cells. We hypothesized that IL-22 might be induced in GCA and might be involved in disease pathogenesis

Numerical comparison of the yearly performance of an indirect vapour compression heat pump working with R290 with R410A systems

In the last years, the environmental awareness is pushing the air-conditioning and refrigeration industry towards a massive use of low GWP refrigerants. Generally, despite being environmentally friendly, these new working fluids are mildly flammable, or even flammable, and therefore safety concerns arise. One possible way to cope with the flammability hazard is the reduction of the charge of the refrigerant inside the system. In this scenario, indirect systems, i.e. brine-to-water system with a remote air-to-brine heat exchanger, seem to be a viable solution since they may be built with low internal volume which, in turn, leads to a low refrigerant charge. However, the use of heat transfer fluid between the air and the refrigerant results in an increase in the energy consumption of the system, making this solution less attractive. In the present paper, a numerical assessment of the use of R290 in an indirect expansion vapour compression system is presented. The analysed system consists of a reversible brine-to-water heat pump able to supply space heating or space cooling depending on the season. The results are compared with those of a baseline R410A system, both in direct and indirect configurations. Although the refrigerant charge is well below the maximum value currently allowed, the indirect systems show a reduction in the energy performance by around 20% with respect to the direct one

Vaccines against human HER2 prevent mammary carcinoma in mice transgenic for human HER2

INTRODUCTION: The availability of mice transgenic for the human HER2 gene (huHER2) and prone to the development of HER2-driven mammary carcinogenesis (referred to as FVB-huHER2 mice) prompted us to study active immunopreventive strategies targeting the human HER2 molecule in a tolerant host. METHODS: FVB-huHER2 were vaccinated with either IL-12-adjuvanted human HER2-positive cancer cells or DNA vaccine carrying chimeric human-rat HER2 sequences. Onset and number of mammary tumors were recorded to evaluate vaccine potency. Mice sera were collected and passively transferred to xenograft-bearing mice to assess their antitumor efficacy. RESULTS: Both cell and DNA vaccines significantly delayed tumor onset, leading to about 65% tumor-free mice at 70 weeks, whereas mock-vaccinated FVB-huHER2 controls developed mammary tumors at a median age of 45 weeks. In the DNA vaccinated group, 65% of mice were still tumor-free at about 90 weeks of age. The number of mammary tumors per mouse was also significantly reduced in vaccinated mice. Vaccines broke the immunological tolerance to the huHER2 transgene, inducing both humoral and cytokine responses. The DNA vaccine mainly induced a high and sustained level of anti-huHER2 antibodies, the cell vaccine also elicited interferon (IFN)-gamma production. Sera of DNA-vaccinated mice transferred to xenograft-carrying mice significantly inhibited the growth of human HER2-positive cancer cells. CONCLUSIONS: Anti-huHER2 antibodies elicited in the tolerant host exert antitumoral activity

An overview of the design, construction and performance of large area triple-GEM prototypes for future upgrades of the CMS forward muon system

GEM detectors are used in high energy physics experiments given their good spatial resolution, high rate capability and radiation hardness. An international collaboration is investigating the possibility of covering the 1.6 < vertical bar eta vertical bar < 2.4 region of the CMS muon endcaps with large-area triple-GEM detectors. The CMS high-eta area is actually not fully instrumented, only Cathode Strip Chamber (CSC) are installed. The vacant area presents an opportunity for a detector technology able to to cope with the harsh radiation environment; these micropattern gas detectors are an appealing option to simultaneously enhance muon tracking and triggering capabilities in a future upgrade of the CMS detector. A general overview of this feasibility study is presented. Design and construction of small (10cm x 10cm) and full-size trapezoidal (1m x 0.5m) triple-GEM prototypes is described. Results from measurements with x-rays and from test beam campaigns at the CERN SPS is shown for the small and large prototypes. Preliminary simulation studies on the expected muon reconstruction and trigger performances of this proposed upgraded muon system are reported

CFD simulation of the effect of membrane thickness and reactants flow rate on water management in PEM fuel cells

Polymeric Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) are receiving a higher-than-ever interest to maximize their specific performance and reach the industrial maturity for large-scale application. One of the most promising development directions consists in using ultra-thin electrolytes, which are known to lower the ohmic overpotential. However, thin membranes effects extend largely beyond the mere internal resistance reduction, encompassing the often-overlooked full spectrum of water-related processes and of species crossover. In this study a three-dimensional multi-phase computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation model is presented and used to characterize the coupled current/water transport for two membrane thicknesses (30 and 6 μm), using experimental data from literature at high stoichiometry for model validation and extending the simulations to low flow rates corresponding to realistic stoichiometry. The simulation results highlight the complexity of the transport processes involved, resulting in a promoted self-humidification for thin membranes and under low stoichiometry. Two original figures of merit are introduced to (i) quantify the dominant water transport mode, and (ii) to attribute a self-humidification quality to the produced electric power, innovatively identifying which transport mode prevails and how a given power density is produced in terms of external water need, thus proposing a new method to design highly-efficient and self-humidified PEM fuel cells

Effects of Concurrent Neuromuscular Training on Body Composition, Muscular Fitness, and Quality of Life in Outpatients With Obesity: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: The aim is to investigate whether integrating a therapeutic program, focused on concurrent training combined with neuromuscular exercises (CNET), within a multidisciplinary approach can positively impact body composition, muscular fitness, and quality of life in adults with obesity compared with a single-mode intervention. Methods: Three-arm randomized controlled trial design. Ninety-one outpatients (54.7 [7.6] y) were randomly assigned into CNET, resistance training, or aerobic training groups. The interventions lasted 10 weeks with a frequency of 2 days per week. Pre-post assessments were conducted in body mass index, waist circumference, fat mass (FM%), fat-free mass, functional movement screen, modified version of the Balance Error Scoring System, handgrip strength test, handgrip strength test asymmetry, five-repetition sit-to-stand power, and quality of life (EuroQol Five-dimensional Visual Analog Scale). Results: A significant time × group interaction, main effect of group and time were detected in all outcomes. CNET exhibited significant ameliorations compared with resistance training in functional movement screen (56%), modified version of the Balance Error Scoring System (86%), and FM% (70%), respectively. When compared with the aerobic training group, CNET showed enhancements in functional movement screen (62%), modified version of the Balance Error Scoring System (59%), five-repetition sit-to-stand power (4%), handgrip strength test (73%), handgrip strength test asymmetry (99%), FM% (60%), and fat-free mass (84%). Finally, resistance training outperformed aerobic training only in five-repetition sit-to-stand power (24%), handgrip strength test (73%), FM% (32%), and fat-free mass (79%) outcomes. Conclusion: CNET showed positive responses across all measured outcomes over 10 weeks compared to the other interventions, except for body mass index, waist circumference, and EuroQol Five-dimensional Visual Analog Scale. This exercise mode could be a feasible option to adopt when prescribing physical exercise to counteract obesity

Behavior of Aeromonas hydrophila in Bottled Mineral Waters

The growth and survival of Aeromonas hydrophila in three types of natural mineral waters were investigated. Mineral waters with different levels of mineral content (low, medium, and high) were experimentally contaminated with A. hydrophila, stored at different temperatures (10 degrees C and 20 degrees C), and analyzed at intervals over a 60-day period. Water samples that were not experimentally contaminated were investigated for indigenous A. hydrophila. The results confirmed that A. hydrophila may occur naturally in mineral waters and showed that the level of mineral content, temperature, length of storage, and, in some cases, the type of container used may favor the growth of A. hydrophila. The greatest proliferation was observed in water with a low mineral content stored in PET bottles at 10 degrees C, in which A. hydrophila peaked at day 28 (4.47 +/- 0.01 log CFU/100 ml). At 20 degrees C, the same load was observed at day 60. The presence of high densities of A. hydrophila in bottled mineral water can constitute a risk for some groups of consumers, such as elderly and immunocompromised persons

SYBR Green Real-Time PCR for Salmonella detection in meat products

The objective of this study was to develop a SYBR Green Real-Time PCR method for detecting salmonellae in meat samples. The study was conducted both on S. Typhimurium experimentally and naturally contaminated meat samples analyzed in parallel with the standard cultural method (ISO 6579/2001). After the pre-enrichment phase, a boiling DNA extraction procedure combined wity SYBR-Green I Real Time PCR, using primers Styinva-JHO-2, was developed