Extracorporeal Shock Wave Treatment (ESWT) enhances the in vitro-induced differentiation of human tendon-derived stem/progenitor cells (hTSPCs)

Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) is a non-invasive and innovative technology for the management of specific tendinopathies. In order to elucidate the ESWT-mediated clinical benefits, human Tendon-derived Stem/Progenitor cells (hTSPCs) explanted from 5 healthy semitendinosus (ST) and 5 ruptured Achilles (AT) tendons were established. While hTSPCs from the two groups showed similar proliferation rates and stem cell surface marker profiles, we found that the clonogenic potential was maintained only in cells derived from healthy donors. Interestingly, ESWT significantly accelerated hTSPCs differentiation, suggesting that the clinical benefits of ESWT may be ascribed to increased efficiency of tendon repair after injury

I doni di Poseidon. Taranto e le risorse dei suoi mari

Un'ampia sintesi sui vari aspetti delle risorse marine (porpora, sale, pesce, bisso) e del rapporto tra Taranto e il mare nel corso del temp

Shipwrecks stories in a “trap bay”: Research and valorization in Torre S. Sabina (Brindisi, Italy)

The 2020 underwater archaeological research in the inlet of Torre Santa Sabina - Baia dei Camerini (Municipality of Carovigno, Brindisi, Italy ) represented the first phase of the pilot intervention of the Interreg Italia-Croatia UnderwaterMuse project, which aims to enhance and make accessible the huge underwater heritage of the areas involved through the creation of submerged archaeological parks and the narrative and communicative use of the virtual reality. The Puglia Region - Department of Tourism, Economics of Culture and Valorization of the Territory, partner of the UnderwaterMuse project, launching these researches aimed at valorisation, has involved the three regional Universities thanks to an agreement. The fruitful synergy between the various actors involved and the support of the territory and the community have allowed the achievement of the objectives of this campaign, preliminary to the broader and more articulated intervention foreseen for the next year. Thanks to the collaboration with the Polytechnic of Turin, the entire stretch of coast was mapped with drone flights, in order to reconstruct the coastal landscape in the various phases, starting from the Bronze Age. Targeted interventions were carried out on the Roman wreck of the imperial age, beached and abandoned at the ancient shore and now submerged due to the relative rise in sea level, and on the remains of on-board equipment of a ship of the Serenissima, the Galea Magna (1598). Another important focus was represented by the stratigraphy of cargos resulting from the various shipwreck episodes, accumulated at the foot of the western cliff

La necropoli di Campo della Fiera (Orvieto) tra VI e XV sec. d.C.: dati archeoantropologici e pratiche funerarie

Multi-year field research at Campo della Fiera, which is located just south-west of the city of Orvieto, has indicated an unbro- ken occupation of the site from the 6th century BC to the 15th century A.D. The earliest building at the site, which has been recognised as the Federal Etruscan Sanctuary, that is the Fanum Voltumnae, experienced a severe destruction in the 264 BC during the devastation of Orvieto. A rural residence was built between the late 1st century BC and the early 1st century A.D. Furthermore, between the 6th and the 8th centuries A.D. this residential complex underwent significant transformations, as it was probably turned into a church. Finally, at the end of the 12th - beginning of the 13th centuries A.D. a new church was built in the same eastern area of the site. Some clust

Inundaciones y anegamientos en el noreste de La Pampa: obra hidraúlica de mitigación

Frente a los diferentes problemas causados por las inundaciones en el 2017, en el Noreste de la provincia de La Pampa, y dado que en otoño de 1999 se registró una situación hídrica extrema, como consecuencia de precipitaciones extraordinarias y elevados excesos hídricos, el gobierno de la provincia de La Pampa propuso, para mitigar el efecto de este fenómeno natural, realizar una obra de ingeniería hidráulica. El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar las áreas inundadas y anegadas del NE de la provincia estableciendo comparaciones temporales de la situación de la obra de ingeniería hidráulica construida por el gobierno de La Pampa, para mitigar los efectos de las inundaciones utilizando imágenes satelitales de 1999 y 2017. Se pretende exponer una metodología simple para analizar y estudiar, en la actualidad, en qué situación (limitaciones de la obra, tierras efectivamente expropiadas para su realización, entre otras) se encuentra la obra de ingeniería hidráulica propuesta por el gobierno de La Pampa para mitigar esta problemática. Para lo cual se utilizaron diferentes herramientas de análisis: recopilación de material bibliográfico; imágenes satelitales del satélite Landsat 5 TM y Landsat 8 OLI para determinar las áreas inundadas del año 1999 y 2017; Sistema de Información Geográfica (SIG) para almacenar y analizar la información recolectada, así como para presentar los distintos resultados a través de la elaboración de mapas temáticos.Evento realizado junto con el VII Congreso Nacional de Geografía de Universidades PúblicasFacultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educació

Single nucleotide polymorphisms of ABCC5 and ABCG1 transporter genes correlate to irinotecan-associated gastrointestinal toxicity in colorectal cancer patients: a DMET microarray profiling study.

Abstract Recent findings have disclosed the role of UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) 1A1*28 on the haematological toxicity induced by irinotecan (CPT-11), a drug commonly used in the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). We investigated the pharmacogenomic profile of irinotecan-induced gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity by the novel drug-metabolizing enzyme and transporter (DMET) microarray genotyping platform. Twenty-six mCRC patients who had undergone to irinotecan-based chemotherapy were enrolled in a case (patients experiencing > grade 3 gastrointestinal, (GI) toxicity) - control (matched patients without GI toxicity) study. A statistically significant difference of SNP genotype distribution was found in the case versus control group. The homozygous genotype C/C in the (rs562) ABCC5 gene occurred in 6/9 patients with GI toxicity versus 1/17 patients without GI toxicity (P=0.0022). The homozygous genotype G/G in the (rs425215) ABCG1 was found in 7/9 patients with GI toxicity versus 4/17 patients without GI toxicity (P=0.0135). The heterozygous genotype G/A in the 388G>A (rs2306283) OATP1B1/SLCO1B1 was found in 3/9 patients with grade > 3 GI toxicity versus 14/17 patients without GI toxicity (P=0.0277). DNA extracted from peripheral blood cells was genotyped by DMET Plus chip on Affymetrix array system. Genotype association was calculated by Fisher's exact test (two tailed) and relevant SNPs were further analyzed by direct sequencing. We have identified 3 SNPs mapping in ABCG1, ABCC5 and OATP1B1/SLCO1B1 transporter genes associated with GI toxicity induced by irinotecan in mCRC patients expanding the available knowledge of irinogenomics. The DMET microarray platform is an emerging technology for easy identification of new genetic variants for personalized medicine

Propuesta de una interfaz de comunicación para la atención a las personas con discapacidad

This work discusses an experience with the development of a computer interface prototype for the provision of information to the user, including the person with disabilities. The versions of the prototype (which is underway) are described. Through tests, it widened the understanding of users’ needs of information. For the design of an accessible interface one must understand the forms of interaction of the different users, be it visual, auditory or tactile. The proposal was funded by the innovation project and participated two undergraduate students in computer science from the Federal Institute of Brasilia (IFB). The results show that different interaction options allow for user autonomy and accessibility.Este trabajo discurre sobre una experiencia en el desarrollo de un prototipo de interfaz computacional para el suministro de información al usuario, incluida la persona con discapacidad. Se describen las versiones del prototipo, que se encuentra en marcha y posibilitó conocer mejor las necesidades de información de los usuarios por medio de pruebas. Para el diseño de una interfaz accesible, se deben comprender las formas de interacción de los diferentes usuarios, sean visuales, auditivas o táctiles. La propuesta fue financiada a través de un proyecto de innovación y contó con la participación de dos estudiantes de graduación en Ciencia de la computación del Instituto Federal de Brasilia (IFB). Los resultados muestran que las diferentes opciones de interacción posibilitan la autonomía del usuario y la accesibilidad

Feedlot diets containing different starch levels and additives change the cecal proteome involved in cattle’s energy metabolism and inflammatory response

Diets for feedlot cattle must be a higher energy density, entailing high fermentable carbohydrate content. Feed additives are needed to reduce possible metabolic disorders. This study aimed to analyze the post-rumen effects of different levels of starch (25%, 35%, and 45%) and additives (monensin or a blend of essential oils and exogenous α-amylase) in diets for Nellore feedlot cattle. The cecum tissue proteome was analyzed via two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE) and then differentially expressed protein spots were identified with liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). The use of blends of essential oils associated with α-amylase as a feed additive promoted the upregulation of enzymes such as triosephosphate isomerase, phosphoglycerate mutase, alpha-enolase, beta-enolase, fructosebisphosphate aldolase, pyruvate kinase, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), l-lactate dehydrogenase B, l-lactate dehydrogenase A chain, l-lactate dehydrogenase, and ATP synthase subunit beta, which promote the degradation of carbohydrates in the glycolysis and gluconeogenesis pathways and oxidative phosphorylation, support pyruvate metabolism through the synthesis of lactate from pyruvate, and participate in the electron transport chain, producing ATP from ADP in the presence of a proton gradient across the membrane. The absence of proteins related to inflammation processes (leukocyte elastase inhibitors) in the cecum tissues of animals fed essential oils and amylase may be because feed enzymes can remain active in the intestine and aid in the digestion of nutrients that escape rumen fermentation; conversely, the effect of monensin is more evident in the rumen and less than 10% results in post-ruminal action, corroborating the hypothesis that ionophore antibiotics have a limited effect on the microbiota and intestinal fermentation of ruminants. However, the increase in starch in these diets promoted a downregulation of enzymes linked to carbohydrate degradation, probably caused by damage to the cecum epithelium due to increased responses linked to inflammatory injuries

Silane-Mediated Expansion of Domains in Si-Doped κ-Ga2O3 Epitaxy and its Impact on the In-Plane Electronic Conduction

Unintentionally doped (001)-oriented orthorhombic κ-Ga2O3 epitaxial films on c-plane sapphire substrates are characterized by the presence of ≈ 10 nm wide columnar rotational domains that can severely inhibit in-plane electronic conduction. Comparing the in- and out-of-plane resistance on well-defined sample geometries, it is experimentally proved that the in-plane resistivity is at least ten times higher than the out-of-plane one. The introduction of silane during metal-organic vapor phase epitaxial growth not only allows for n-type Si extrinsic doping, but also results in the increase of more than one order of magnitude in the domain size (up to ≈ 300 nm) and mobility (highest µ ≈ 10 cm2V−1s−1, with corresponding lowest ρ ≈ 0.2 Ωcm). To qualitatively compare the mean domain dimension in κ-Ga2O3 epitaxial films, non-destructive experimental procedures are provided based on X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. The results of this study pave the way to significantly improved in-plane conduction in κ-Ga2O3 and its possible breakthrough in new generation electronics. The set of cross-linked experimental techniques and corresponding interpretation here proposed can apply to a wide range of material systems that suffer/benefit from domain-related functional properties