Proprietà osteoinduttive di superfici micro e nano strutturate per l'implantologia ossea

Bone replacement procedures can be used to replace missing teeth, for repairing bone defects and restoring bone structures. To obtain a functional and long-term repair, bone substitutes, composed of metal or synthetic materials, must firmly join to natural bone. This process, named osseointegration, is a consequence of the migration of undifferentiated cells from the host surrounding tissues to the prosthesis and their differentiation towards mature bone cells producing bone tissue that firmly anchor the implant in place. When cells fail to do this, a soft capsule surrounds the implant resulting in the dislodgment of the prosthesis or low quality repair. In the biological environment, the most of cells must adhere to a substrate to live and proliferate. Moreover, they are able sense the features of the bonding surface (e.g., roughness, geometry) and this can affect the differentiation pathway of cells thus leading to a different phenotype. To achieve a stable anchorage, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) must differentiate toward mature osteoblasts rather than connective tissue cell types. In light of these considerations, the aim of this project is to develop the technology to produce potentially transplantable osteoinductive devices for the replacement and the repair of bone defects. To achieve this purpose, the injection molding process was optimized to realize cylindrical micro- or nano-pillars on the scaffold surface. This technique has allowed to obtain a high degree of feature replication thus making the micro imprinting an effective and efficient technique that is extremely interesting from a commercial point of view. Subsequently, the osteoinductive properties of micro- and nanostructured surfaces were tested in vitro using bone marrow derived MSCs. At different time points various assays were performed in order to assess cell adhesion, morphology and cell viability. The analysis of cell differentiation was carried out through the evaluation of calcium deposition and the quantification of osteocalcin expression. Collectively, our data show that both micro- and nano-structured surfaces possess osteoinductive properties, allowing MSC differentiation without any inductive growth factors. In particular, a relationship between dimensional features of surface topography and differentiative potential has been noted. Indeed, the increase in pillar diameters and interpilllar distances leads to an enhancement of calcium deposition and OC expression. On the contrary, both micro- and nano-structured surfaces and their features seem to be uneffective on cell adhesion and proliferation. Further in vivo studies will be necessary to confirm the osteoinductive properties of the selected surface geometries and verify their osteointegratio

Design a robot that is able to...: gender stereotypes in children’s imagination of robots

This study explores the perceptions of gender and anthropomorphism in robots as imagined and drawn by children. It was conducted in a lower secondary school in Siena with children aged 11-13. Participants were asked to draw a robot fit for one of two job roles: house decoration (stereotypically more feminine) or snow shovelling (stereotypically more masculine). Pupils were also asked to fill out a printed ques- tionnaire with the aim to collect some general personal information and descriptions of the robot that each of them had drawn. The findings show a tendency to ascribe male or gender-neutral traits to the robots. Notably, younger children more frequently drew colourful, anthropomorphic robots for the house decoration task, whereas older students predominantly designed black and white, machine-like robots suited for the snow shovelling task

How many cyberbullying(s)? A non-unitary perspective for offensive online behaviours

Research has usually considered cyberbullying as a unitary phenomenon. Thus, it has been neglected to explore whether the specific online aggressive behaviours relate differentially to demographic features of the perpetrators of online aggressive actions, their personality characteristics, or to the ways in which they interact with the Internet. To bridge this gap, a study was conducted through a questionnaire administered online to 1228 Italian high-school students (Female: 61.1%; 14-15 yo: 48.%; 16-17 yo: 29.1%; 18-20 yo: 20.4%, 21-25 yo: 1.6%; Northern Italy: 4.1%; Central Italy: 59.2%; Southern Italy: 36.4%). The questionnaire, in addition to items about the use of social media, mechanisms of Moral Disengagement and personality characteristics of the participants in the study, also included a scale for the measurement of cyberbullying through the reference to six aggressive behaviours. The results indicate that cyberbullying can be considered as a non-unitary phenomenon in which the different aggressive behaviours can be related to different individual characteristics such as gender, personality traits and the different ways of interacting with social media. Moreover, the existence of two components of cyberbullying has been highlighted, one related to virtual offensive actions directly aimed at a victim, the other to indirect actions, more likely conducted involving bystanders. These findings open important perspectives for understanding, preventing, and mitigating cyberbullying among adolescents

Emerging Risks in the European Seafood Chain: Molecular Identification of Toxic Lagocephalus spp. and Evaluation of the Public DNA Libraries Reliability in Supporting Species Identification

Pufferfish may cause human intoxications due to Tetrodotoxin accumulation and their sale is banned in EU. In the last decades, some pufferfish (e. g. Lagocpehalus spp.) spread in the Mediterranean Sea through Lessepsian migration, representing an emerging risk within the seafood chain. Their illegal presence in mislabelled products is also reported. The identification of Lagocephalus spp. is hindered by morphological similarities among co-generic species and DNA amplification, sequencing and comparison to public DNA libraries is often required. This process can be affected by the presence of wrongly deposited sequences in the libraries. This study first aimed at finding a suitable molecular target for identifying all Lagocephalus spp. in commercial products. Moreover, the reliability of two the public libraries in supporting the discrimination of L. spadiceus and L. guentheri was assessed. All cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and cytochrome b (cytb) genes sequences of Lagocephalus spp. were retrieved from official libraries and used to create phylogenetic trees depicting inter-species relationships. Given its higher inter-species variability, cytb was selected as target and 17 cytb sequences from 6 Lagocephalus spp. reference samples were produced. Then, a primer pair amplifying a 130bp cytb polymorphic fragment from all the Lagocephalus spp. was designed for identifying 16 mislabelled commercial products with degraded DNA. Also, 20 Mediterranean specimens of L. guentheri were collected; both COI and cytb sequences were ex-novo produced and phylogenetically analysed with the sequences from L. spadiceus and L. guentheri previously retrieved from official libraries. First, the presence of L. spadiceus in the commercial products was confirmed. Moreover, a scarce DNA libraries accuracy was observed since most sequences deposited as L. spadiceus of Mediterranean origin were instead misidentified L. guentheri, causing a significant underestimation of this species in the Mediterranean Sea. Overall, this study may provide a reliable tool to protect European consumers from the emerging risk associated to toxic pufferfish

Perception of Faces and Elaboration of Gender and Victim/Aggressor Stereotypes: The Influence of Internet Use and of the Perceiver’s Personality

The use of social media, particularly among youngsters, is characterized by simple and fast image exploration, mostly of people, particularly faces. The study presented here was conducted in order to investigate stereotypical judgments about men and women concerning past events of aggression—perpetrated or suffered—expressed on the basis of their faces, and gender-related differences in the judgments. To this aim, 185 participants answered a structured questionnaire online. The questionnaire contained 30 photos of young people’s faces, 15 men and 15 women (Ma et al., 2015), selected on the basis of the neutrality of their expression, and participants were asked to rate each face with respect to masculinity/femininity, strength/weakness, and having a past of aggression, as a victim or as a perpetrator. Information about the empathic abilities and personality traits of participants were also collected. The results indicate that the stereotypes—both of gender and those of victims and perpetrators—emerge as a consequence of the visual exploration of faces that present no facial emotion. Some characteristics of the personality of the observers, such as neuroticism, extraversion, openness, conscientiousness, and affective empathy, have a role in facilitating or hindering stereotype processing, in different ways for male and female faces by male and female observers. In particular, both genders attribute their positive stereotypical attributes to same-gender faces: men see male faces as stronger, masculine, and more aggressive than women do, and women see female faces as more feminine, less weak, and less as victims than men do. Intensive use of social media emerges as a factor that could facilitate the expression of some stereotypes of violent experiences and considering female subjects as more aggressive. Findings in this study can contribute to research on aggressive behavior on the Internet and improve our understanding of the multiple factors involved in the elaboration of gender stereotypes relative to violent or victim behavior

Sequential Combination of Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment and Well-Being Therapy in Depressed Patients with Acute Coronary Syndromes: A Randomized Controlled Trial (TREATED-ACS Study)

Introduction: Randomized controlled trials (RCT) of psychotherapeutic interventions have addressed depression and demoralization associated with acute coronary syndromes (ACS). The present trial introduces psychological well-being, an increasingly recognized factor in cardiovascular health, as a therapeutic target. Objective: This study was designed to determine whether the sequential combination of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and well-being therapy (WBT) may yield more favorable outcomes than an active control group (clinical management; CM) and to identify subgroups of patients at greater risk for cardiac negative outcomes. Methods: This multicenter RCT comparedCBT/WBT sequential combination versus CM, with up to 30 months of follow-up. One hundred consecutive depressed and/or demoralized patients (out of 740 initially screened by cardiologists after a first episode of ACS) were randomized to CBT/WBT associated with lifestyle suggestions (n = 50) and CM (n = 50). The main outcome measures included: severity of depressive symptoms according to the Clinical Interview for Depression, changes in subclinical psychological distress, well-being, and biomarkers, and medical complications and events. Results: CBT/WBT sequential combination was associated with a significant improvement in depressive symptoms compared to CM. In both groups, the benefits persisted at follow-up, even though the differences faded. Treatment was also related to a significant amelioration of biomarkers (platelet count, HDL, and D-dimer), whereas the 2 groups showed similar frequencies of adverse cardiac events. Conclusions: Addressing psychological well-being in the psychotherapeutic approach to ACS patients with depressive symptoms was found to entail important clinical benefits. It is argued that lifestyle changes geared toward cardiovascular health may be facilitated by a personalized approach that targets well-being

Effects of surface topography on growth and osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells

The clinical success of an endosseous artificial implant is related to the quality of its osseointegration with the surrounding living bone. To achieve a stable anchorage, mesenchymal cells, migrating to the implant surface from the surrounding tissue, must differentiate towards mature osteoblasts rather than connective tissue cell types. It is well known that the cell response is affected by the physicochemical parameters of the biomaterial surface, such as surface energy, surface charges or chemical composition. Topography seems to be one of the most crucial physical cues for cells (1). In particular, interactions between mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and surfaces with specific micro and nano patterns can stimulate MSCs to produce bone mineral in vitro (2). Herein, stamps reporting different micro and nano features were fabricated in order to obtain several corresponding replicas in a short time through microinjec- tion molding. Then, the effects of the substrate topography on human bone marrowderived MSC adhesion, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation were investigated in the absence of inductive growth factors. Collectively, our data show that both micro- and nano-structured surfaces possess osteoinductive properties. A relationship between dimensional feature of surface topography and differentiative potential was noted. On the contrary, cell adhesion and proliferation seemed to be unaffected. Further in vivo studies will be carried out to confirm the osteoinductive properties of selected surface geometries

Proprietà osteoinduttive di superfici micro e nano strutturate per l'implantologia ossea

Bone replacement procedures can be used to replace missing teeth, for repairing bone defects and restoring bone structures. To obtain a functional and long-term repair, bone substitutes, composed of metal or synthetic materials, must firmly join to natural bone. This process, named osseointegration, is a consequence of the migration of undifferentiated cells from the host surrounding tissues to the prosthesis and their differentiation towards mature bone cells producing bone tissue that firmly anchor the implant in place. When cells fail to do this, a soft capsule surrounds the implant resulting in the dislodgment of the prosthesis or low quality repair. In the biological environment, the most of cells must adhere to a substrate to live and proliferate. Moreover, they are able sense the features of the bonding surface (e.g., roughness, geometry) and this can affect the differentiation pathway of cells thus leading to a different phenotype. To achieve a stable anchorage, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) must differentiate toward mature osteoblasts rather than connective tissue cell types. In light of these considerations, the aim of this project is to develop the technology to produce potentially transplantable osteoinductive devices for the replacement and the repair of bone defects. To achieve this purpose, the injection molding process was optimized to realize cylindrical micro- or nano-pillars on the scaffold surface. This technique has allowed to obtain a high degree of feature replication thus making the micro imprinting an effective and efficient technique that is extremely interesting from a commercial point of view. Subsequently, the osteoinductive properties of micro- and nanostructured surfaces were tested in vitro using bone marrow derived MSCs. At different time points various assays were performed in order to assess cell adhesion, morphology and cell viability. The analysis of cell differentiation was carried out through the evaluation of calcium deposition and the quantification of osteocalcin expression. Collectively, our data show that both micro- and nano-structured surfaces possess osteoinductive properties, allowing MSC differentiation without any inductive growth factors. In particular, a relationship between dimensional features of surface topography and differentiative potential has been noted. Indeed, the increase in pillar diameters and interpilllar distances leads to an enhancement of calcium deposition and OC expression. On the contrary, both micro- and nano-structured surfaces and their features seem to be uneffective on cell adhesion and proliferation. Further in vivo studies will be necessary to confirm the osteoinductive properties of the selected surface geometries and verify their osteointegrationLe procedure di sostituzione ossea vengono usate per impianti dentali e per correggere difetti strutturali di vario tipo. Per ottenere un riparo funzionale a lungo termine, i sostituti ossei, composti da materiali metallici o polimerici, devono unirsi in modo stabile al tessuto del paziente. Questo processo, chiamato osteointegrazione, è una conseguenza della migrazione di cellule indifferenziate dal tessuto circostante all'impianto e della loro differenziazione in cellule mature (osteoblasti) che, producendo tessuto osseo, ancorano l'impianto in modo duraturo. Se questo non accade, si ottiene un riparo di bassa qualità funzionale con possibilità di spostamento della protesi. Nel nostro organismo, la maggior parte delle cellule deve aderire ad un substrato per vivere e proliferare ed è noto che le cellule sono, inoltre, in grado di rispondere alle caratteristiche delle superfici di adesione (per es. rugosità, geometria), attivando al loro interno programmi differenti che determinano il tipo cellulare. A partire da queste considerazioni, questo lavoro si è proposto di realizzare bioprotesi tridimensionali, utilizzabili nell'implantologia ossea. A tal fine, è stato ottimizzato il processo di stampaggio ad iniezione con formazione di pillar cilindrici di dimensioni micro o nano. Tale processo ha permesso di ottenere un elevato grado di replicazione delle caratteristche di superficie rendendo il microstampaggio, una tecnica efficace, efficiente ed estremamente interessante da un punto di vista commerciale. Le proprietà osteoinduttive delle superfici micro e nanostrutturate sono state, successivamente, verificate in vitro utilizzando cellule staminali mesenchimali da midollo osseo umano. A diversi intervalli di tempo, sono stati valutati l'adesione e la crescita cellulare e il differenziamento osteogenico attraverso la determinazione della deposizione di sali di calcio e l'espressione dell'osteocalcina. Collettivamente, i dati raccolti dalla sperimentazione in vitro, hanno evidenziato che le superfici sia micro che nanostrutturate posseggono proprietà osteoinduttive, permettendo la differenziazione delle MSC in assenza di fattori di crescita induttivi. In particolare, è stata evidenziata una relazione tra caratteristiche dimensionali della geometria superficiale e potenziale differenziativo. Infatti, l'aumento del diametro dei pillar e dell'interasse si traduce in un incremento della deposizione di sali calcio e dell'espressione di OC, marker tardivo della differenziazione osteogenica. Al contrario, le superfici nano e microstrutturate e le loro caratteristiche dimensionali non sembrano avere effetti sull'adesione e proliferazione cellulare. Ulteriori studi in vivo saranno necessari per confermare le proprietà osteoinduttive delle geometrie selezionate con il presente lavoro e verificarne l'osteointegrazion