1,547 research outputs found
Hepatotoxicity induced by greater celandine (Chelidonium majus L.): a review of the literature
The available literature assessing Chelidonium majus L. (CM) hepatotoxicity potential, and its risk to benefit assessment has been reviewed in this paper. Identification of significant scientific literature was performed via the following research databases: Cochrane Central, Google Scholar, EMBASE, Medline, Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science, using the following keywords: "Chelidonium majus", "greater celandine", "Hepatotoxicity", "Liver" "Injury", "Toxicity" individually investigated and then again in association. CM named also greater celandine, swallow-wort, or bai-qu-cai (Chinese), has been used for a long time in traditional Chinese medicine and phytotherapy. Its extracts have been claimed to display a wide variety of biological activities: antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, spasmolytic, antineoplastic, hepatoprotective, and analgesic. Moreover, herbal medicine suggests this plant have numerous additional effects which have not yet been scientifically evaluated, such as antitussive, diuretic, and eye-regenerative. However, despite its claimed hepatoprotective effects, several hepatotoxicity cases have been reported to be probably or highly probably connected with CM exposure, after their evaluation through liver-targeted causality assessment methods. CM hepatotoxicity has been defined as a distinct form of herb-induced liver injury (HILI), due to an idiosyncratic reaction of the metabolic type. This evidence has to be considered in relationship with the absence of considerable benefits of CM therapy. Therefore, the risk to benefit ratio of the use of herbal products containing greater celandine can actually be considered as negative
A Role for Bottom-Up Synthetic Cells in the Internet of Bio-Nano Things?
he potential role of bottom-up Synthetic Cells (SCs) in the Internet of Bio-Nano Things (IoBNT) is discussed. In particular, this perspective paper focuses on the growing interest in networks of biological and/or artificial objects at the micro- and nanoscale (cells and subcellular parts, microelectrodes, microvessels, etc.), whereby communication takes place in an unconventional manner, i.e., via chemical signaling. The resulting “molecular communication” (MC) scenario paves the way to the development of innovative technologies that have the potential to impact biotechnology, nanomedicine, and related fields. The scenario that relies on the interconnection of natural and artificial entities is briefly introduced, highlighting how Synthetic Biology (SB) plays a central role. SB allows the construction of various types of SCs that can be designed, tailored, and programmed according to specific predefined requirements. In particular, “bottom-up” SCs are briefly described by commenting on the principles of their design and fabrication and their features (in particular, the capacity to exchange chemicals with other SCs or with natural biological cells). Although bottom-up SCs still have low complexity and thus basic functionalities, here, we introduce their potential role in the IoBNT. This perspective paper aims to stimulate interest in and discussion on the presented topics. The article also includes commentaries on MC, semantic information, minimal cognition, wetware neuromorphic engineering, and chemical social robotics, with the specific potential they can bring to the IoBNT
Shear-driven solidification of dilute colloidal suspensions
We show that the shear-induced solidification of dilute charge-stabilized
(DLVO) colloids is due to the interplay between the shear-induced formation and
breakage of large non-Brownian clusters. While their size is limited by
breakage, their number density increases with the shearing-time. Upon flow
cessation, the dense packing of clusters interconnects into a rigid state by
means of grainy bonds, each involving a large number of primary colloidal
bonds. The emerging picture of shear-driven solidification in dilute colloidal
suspensions combines the gelation of Brownian systems with the jamming of
athermal systems
Shear-induced reaction-limited aggregation kinetics of Brownian particles at arbitrary concentrations
The aggregation of interacting Brownian particles in sheared concentrated
suspensions is an important issue in colloid and soft matter science per se.
Also, it serves as a model to understand biochemical reactions occurring in
vivo where both crowding and shear play an important role. We present an
effective medium approach within the Smoluchowski equation with shear which
allows one to calculate the encounter kinetics through a potential barrier
under shear at arbitrary colloid concentrations. Experiments on a model
colloidal system in simple shear flow support the validity of the model in the
range considered. By generalizing Kramers' rate theory to the presence of
collective hydrodynamics, our model explains the significant increase in the
shear-induced reaction-limited aggregation kinetics upon increasing the colloid
concentration
Molecular characterization of ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma prunorum’ in Cacopsilla pruni insect vector
Recent investigations on molecular characterization of the ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma prunorum’ (16SrX-B subgroup), causal agent of the European Stone Fruit Yellows (ESFY) syndrome, on the non ribosomal tuf gene resulted in the finding of two groups of isolates, named ‘type a’ and ‘type b’, both with a distinctive geographical distribution in Italian stone fruit growing areas (Ferretti et al., 2007 and 2008). Considering the role of Cacopsylla pruni (Scopoli) in the epidemiological cycle of the disease, the presence of the two groups of isolates has also been investigated in infected psyllid individuals from different Italian areas. Both types have been identified in C. pruni specimens collected on apricot, plum and wild Prunus species, confirming the geographical distribution and the percentages of spread of the two isolates.Keywords: ESFY, phytoplasma, characterization, tuf gene, insect vecto
Massive pulmonary embolism as a rare complication of a stab in the inguinal region in a HIV-positive patient: a case report
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a severe preventable disease; HIV-infection represents a prothrombotic condition, because of specific factors due to the virus itself, the host response and the antiretroviral therapy. Our aim is to raise awareness of thromboembolic risk when dealing with HIV-positive patients presenting to the Emergency Department for treatment of injuries, even though small
Rimozione di sedimenti per fluitazione dal serbatoio di Sernio (SO)
Il presente lavoro descrive la rimozione di un ingente quantitativo di sedimenti
(circa 100'000 tonnellate) dal serbatoio di Sernio, in provincia di Sondrio, effettuata
tra maggio e luglio del 2009. Il sedimento \ue8 stato evacuato per fluitazione
(flushing), nel sostanziale rispetto dei vincoli preventivamente stabiliti sulla
concentrazione di solidi sospesi (CSS) delle acque scaricate. Tali limitazioni hanno
lo scopo di contenere l\u2019impatto delle operazioni sugli ecosistemi acquatici coinvolti.
La CSS \ue8 stata controllata regolando il livello nel serbatoio, la portata in uscita e,
in un secondo tempo, mediante l\u2019utilizzo di escavatori meccanici. La gestione delle
operazioni si \ue8 basata sul costante monitoraggio della CSS poco a valle dell\u2019area di
intervento. La campagna di misura \ue8 stata ulteriormente estesa a valle, per un tratto
di circa 40 km lungo l\u2019asta dell\u2019Adda, al fine di quantificare la riduzione della CSS
per effetto combinato di diluizione e deposizione
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