Aneurysmal bone cyst of the nasal bone: case report

The aneurysmal bone cyst (ABC) is a solitary, expansile, non-neoplastic bone lesion, described as a distinct clinicopathological entity by Jaffe and Lichtenstein. We report a case of an ABC arising from the nasal bone in a adult male patient treated with complete surgical excision

Chemical pavement modifications to reduce ice adhesion

The formation of ice and snow on road pavement surfaces is a recurring problem, creating hazardous driving conditions, restricting public mobility as well as having adverse economic effects. It would be desirable to develop new and improved ways of modifying the pavement surface, to prevent or at least delay the build-up of ice and to weaken the pavement–ice bond, and making the ice which forms easier to remove. This development could lead to economic, environmental and safety benefits for winter service providers and road users. This paper describes how environmental scanning electron microscopy was used to examine the mechanism by which de-icing chemicals, added as a filler replacement to bituminous materials, can be transferred to the pavement surface. The paper assesses the potential for chemical modifications to reduce the adhesion between ice and the pavement surface by means of work of adhesion calculations, based on surface energy parameters and a new physical ice bond test. The paper also examines the influence that the chemical modifications have on the durability of the pavement surface course

Efficacia terapeutica di un integratore alimentare durante la gravidanza e l'allattamento

Obiettivo: valutare l’efficacia del multivitaminico-multiminerale completo Matervit® come integratore alimentare della gravidanza e dell’allattamento. Disegno di studio: studio randomizzato, placebo-controllo. Risultati: il nostro studio ha evidenziato come il Matervit® sia in grado di garantire un apporto nutrizionale nel corso della gravidanza in accordo con quanto definito dalle Linee Dietetiche nazionali (LARN = Livelli di Assunzione giornaliera Raccomandati di Nutrienti per la popolazione italiana) ed internazionali (RDA = Recommended Daily Allowance) e abbia ridotto l’incidenza di spina bifida e anemia. Conclusioni: Matervit® cps è indicato come integratore multivitaminico e multiminerale sia in corso di gravidanza che di allattamento e, soprattutto, in caso di ridotto apporto di vitamine e minerali rispetto al fabbisogno specifico.Il prodotto rappresenta una formulazione innovativa ricca di sostanze utili per la salute della donna in gravidanza e del nascituro. Per novità formulativi spicca l’alto dosaggio del magnesio, del ferro, della vitamina C, dell’acido folico, del rame, dello zinco, del complesso B e della presenza del cromo quale oligoelemento che permette una migliore utilizzazione degli zuccheri al fine di garantire un migliore apporto energetico. La completezza della formula rende il Matervit® capsule utile nell’aumentato fabbisogno o diminuito apporto alimentare di minerali e vitamine e per l’ottimizzazione delle difese antiossidanti. Il Matervit®, in ragione di una capsula al giorno, è utile non solo in gravidanza ed allattamento ma in tutti quei casi in cui è necessario aiutare il nostro metabolismo energetico compromesso da patologie, da uso prolungato di farmaci, da convalescenza dopo interventi chirurgici e malattie

The "Normobaric Oxygen Paradox". a new tool for the anaesthetist?

Hypoxia is the natural trigger for endogenous EPO production but recently the use of intermittent hyperoxia to stimulate EPO has been postulated and this phenomenon has been called the "normobaric oxygen paradox" (NOP). The "NOP" is a mechanism by which oxygen regulates the expression of the Hypoxia Inducible Factor 1 alpha (HIF-1α). The HIF-1α-depending gene regulation is responsible for many different genetic expressions including EPO and VEGF. It has been proposed that relative changes of oxygen availability rather than steady state hypoxic or hyperoxic conditions, play an important role in HIF transcriptional effects. According to this hypothesis, the cell interprets the return to normoxia after a hyperoxic event as an oxygen shortage, and induces HIF-1-regulated gene synthesis, including EPO. Being both a hormone and a cytokine, the actual actions of EPO are complex; its clinical utility has been postulated for neuroprotection and cardioprotection. The precise level of inspired oxygen and the exact timeframe for its iterative administration are not totally known. N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine (NAC) supplementation has been shown to help. All the reported data demonstrate how hyperoxic and hypoxic states can potentially be manipulated if oxygen is been considered as a multifaceted molecule more than just a gas

Probing the high-affinity site of beef heart cytochrome c oxidase by cross-linking.

A covalent complex between cytochrome c oxidase and Saccharomyces cerevisiae iso-1-cytochrome c (called caa3) has been prepared at low ionic strength. Subunit III Cys-115 of beef heart cytochrome c oxidase cross-links by disulphide bond formation to thionitrobenzoate-modified yeast cytochrome c, a derivative shown to bind into the high-affinity site for substrate [Fuller, Darley-Usmar and Capaldi (1981) Biochemistry 20, 7046-7053]. Stopped-flow experiments show that (1) covalently bound yeast cytochrome c cannot donate electrons to cytochrome oxidase, whereas oxidation of exogenously added cytochrome c and electron transfer to cytochrome a are only slightly affected; (2) the steady-state reduction levels of cytochrome c and cytochrome a in the covalent complex caa3 are higher than those found in the native aa3 enzyme. However, (3) K(m) and Vmax values obtained from the non-linear Eadie-Hofstee plots are very similar in both caa3 and aa3. The results imply that cytochrome c bound to the high-affinity site is not in a configuration optimal for electron transfer

Esposizione a inquinamenti organoclorurati ed endometriosi:minireview

Endometriosis is a gynecological disease, which involves the growth of endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity, commonly in the pelvic region. The etiology of the disease is unclear, but multiple factors may contribute to its pathogenesis. Environmental organochlorinated pollutants, particularly dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), are thought to play a role in the development of this disease; however, the results of clinical trials are discordant, and it is not clear how the effect of exposure to these compounds is linked to endometriosis. Their effects on cytokines, immune system, hormones and growth factors are thought to increase the risk of endometriosi

Proton uptake upon anaerobic reduction of the P.DENITRIFICANS CCOX:a kinetic investigationof the K354M AND D124N mutants.

The kinetics and stoichiometry of the redox-linked protonation of the soluble Paracoccus denitrificans cytochrome c oxidase were investigated at pH = 7.2−7.5 by multiwavelength stopped-flow spectroscopy, using the pH indicator phenol red. We compared the wild-type enzyme with the K354M and the D124N subunit I mutants, in which the K- and D-proton-conducting pathways are impaired, respectively. Upon anaerobic reduction by Ru-II hexamine, the wild-type enzyme binds 3.3 ± 0.6 H+/aa3, i.e., approximately 1 H+ in excess over beef heart oxidase under similar conditions and the D124N mutant 3.2 ± 0.5 H+/aa3. In contrast, in the K354M mutant, in which the reduction of heme a3−CuB is severely impaired, 0.8 H+ is promptly bound synchronously with the reduction of heme a, followed by a much slower protonation associated with the retarded reduction of the heme a3−CuB site. These results indicate that complete reduction of heme a (and CuA) is coupled to the uptake of 0.8 H+, which is independent of both H+-pathways, whereas the subsequent reduction of the heme a3−CuB site is associated with the uptake of 2.5 H+ transferred (at least partially) through the K-pathway. On the basis of these results, the possible involvement of the D-pathway in the redox-linked protonation of cytochrome c oxidase is discussed