Efficacy and safety of growth hormone treatment in children with short stature: the Italian cohort of the GeNeSIS clinical study

Purpose: We examined auxological changes in growth hormone (GH)-treated children in Italy using data from the Italian cohort of the multinational observational Genetics and Neuroendocrinology of Short Stature International Study (GeNeSIS) of pediatric patients requiring GH treatment. Methods: We studied 711 children (median baseline age 9.6 years). Diagnosis associated with short stature was as determined by the investigator. Height standard deviation score (SDS) was evaluated yearly until final or near-final height (n = 78). Adverse events were assessed in all GH-treated patients. Results: The diagnosis resulting in GH treatment was GH deficiency (GHD) in 85.5 % of patients, followed by Turner syndrome (TS 6.6 %). Median starting GH dose was higher in patients with TS (0.30 mg/kg/week) than patients with GHD (0.23 mg/kg/week). Median (interquartile range) GH treatment duration was 2.6 (0.6\u20133.7) years. Mean (95 % confidence interval) final height SDS gain was 2.00 (1.27\u20132.73) for patients with organic GHD (n = 18) and 1.19 (0.97\u20131.40) for patients with idiopathic GHD (n = 41), but lower for patients with TS, 0.37 ( 120.03 to 0.77, n = 13). Final height SDS was > 122 for 94 % of organic GHD, 88 % of idiopathic GHD and 62 % of TS patients. Mean age at GH start was lower for organic GHD patients, and treatment duration was longer than for other groups, resulting in greater mean final height gain. GH-related adverse events occurred mainly in patients diagnosed with idiopathic GHD. Conclusions: Data from the Italian cohort of GeNeSIS showed auxological changes and safety of GH therapy consistent with results from international surveillance databases

Live-cell observation of cytosolic HIV-1 assembly onset reveals RNA-interacting Gag oligomers

Assembly of the Gag polyprotein into new viral particles in infected cells is a crucial step in the retroviral replication cycle. Currently, little is known about the onset of assembly in the cytosol. In this paper, we analyzed the cytosolic HIV-1 Gag fraction in real time in live cells using advanced fluctuation imaging methods and thereby provide detailed insights into the complex relationship between cytosolic Gag mobility, stoichiometry, and interactions. We show that Gag diffuses as a monomer on the subsecond timescale with severely reduced mobility. Reduction of mobility is associated with basic residues in its nucleocapsid (NC) domain, whereas capsid (CA) and matrix (MA) domains do not contribute significantly. Strikingly, another diffusive Gag species was observed on the seconds timescale that oligomerized in a concentration-dependent manner. Both NC- and CA-mediated interactions strongly assist this process. Our results reveal potential nucleation steps of cytosolic Gag fractions before membrane-assisted Gag assembly

Preparazione di forme solubili di inibitori dell'istone deacetilasi mediante ciclodestrine

si comunica che l'ateneo ha autorizzato l'estensione del brevetto all'estero con procedura PCT/IT7200800004

Preparation of soluble forms of inclusion complexes of histone deacetylase inhibitors and cyclodextrins for use in pharmaceutical compositions

This invention relates to the prepn. of sol. forms of complexes of histone deacetylase inhibitors, such as I (X = CH, N), with cyclodextrins. The prepn. process involved the formation of inclusion complexes with cyclodextrins with the aid of microwaves. The prepd. complexes were claimed for therapeutic use in the treatment of diseases, such as leishmania, diseases related to aging, mental retardation, neurodegeneration, anxiety, osteoarthritis, psychoses, cancer, type I diabetes, epilepsy and spinal muscular atrophy. [on SciFinder(R)

Gas phase H/D exchange between arenium ions and selected bases. The site of protonation of simple aromatics

H/D exchange between arenium ions bearing various substituents (Y ) Et, Me2CH, CF3, CF3CO, NO2, Me3Si) on a perdeuterated ring and bases having at least one H atom at the active site are described. A radiolytic technique operating at atmospheric pressure and allowing the recovery of neutral end products was used. The exchange depends on features of both the base (structure, proton affinity) and the arenium ion. The elementary step for back proton transfer from the protonated base to the neutral arene has been studied by NMR analysis of the H distribution within YC6D4H. The protonation was found to involve the most basic ring positions: ortho/para for alkyl substituents (Y ) Et, Me2CH) and ortho/meta for electron-withdrawing substituents (Y ) CF3, CF3CO, NO2)