506 research outputs found
PREPARATION, IDENTIFICATION AND BIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF NEW FLUORIDE NANOCOMPOUNDS
Indexación: Web of Science; Scopus.Nanoparticles (NPs) of new fluoride (SrF2 and MgF2) nanocompounds were synthesized by the simple chemical method of precipitation in ethanol. Synthesis of the strontium fluoride (SrF2)-magnesium oxide (MgO) nanocomposite was achieved through the ultrasonic method. These prepared nanopowders were characterized through Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, Powder X-ray Diffraction (PXRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). FT-IR confirmed the purity of the synthesized fluoride NPs by evaluation of the vibrations, and UV-Visible showed the intense absorption peaks of NPs. PXRD analysis indicated the average of particle size, and SEM demonstrated a nearly spherical morphology of the NPs. The antibacterical properties of the nanopowders on Staphylococcus Aureus, Bacillus Subtilis and E. Aklay bacteria were studied, with the strongest effect by the magnesium fluoride (MgF2) NPs and the SrF2-MgO nanocomposite.http://ref.scielo.org/yfr3f
The clinical spectrum of primary Sjögren's syndrome: beyond exocrine glands
Although primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) is a mild indolent chronic disease mainly characterized by mucosal dryness in the majority of cases, a consistent subgroup of patients display extra-glandular manifestations. Virtually any organs and systems can be affected, leading to a more serious disease prognosis. Therefore, the prompt identification of patients at higher risk of extra-glandular manifestations is necessary to start a thorough follow up and an aggressive treatment. The aim of this review article is to provide an overview of epidemiological, clinical and serological features of extra-glandular manifestations in pSS as well as current knowledge about putative biomarkers useful in clinical practice
Testing the performance of an innovative markerless technique for quantitative and qualitative gait analysis
Gait abnormalities such as high stride and step frequency/cadence (SF-stride/second, CAD-step/second), stride variability (SV) and low harmony may increase the risk of injuries and be a sentinel of medical conditions. This research aims to present a new markerless video-based technology for quantitative and qualitative gait analysis. 86 healthy individuals (mead age 32 years) performed a 90 s test on treadmill at self-selected walking speed. We measured SF and CAD by a photoelectric sensors system; then, we calculated average \ub1 standard deviation (SD) and within-subject coefficient of variation (CV) of SF as an index of SV. We also recorded a 60 fps video of the patient. With a custom-designed web-based video analysis software, we performed a spectral analysis of the brightness over time for each pixel of the image, that reinstituted the frequency contents of the videos. The two main frequency contents (F1 and F2) from this analysis should reflect the forcing/dominant variables, i.e., SF and CAD. Then, a harmony index (HI) was calculated, that should reflect the proportion of the pixels of the image that move consistently with F1 or its supraharmonics. The higher the HI value, the less variable the gait. The correspondence SF-F1 and CAD-F2 was evaluated with both paired t-Test and correlation and the relationship between SV and HI with correlation. SF and CAD were not significantly different from and highly correlated with F1 (0.893 \ub1 0.080 Hz vs. 0.895 \ub1 0.084 Hz, p < 0.001, r2 = 0.99) and F2 (1.787 \ub1 0.163 Hz vs. 1.791 \ub1 0.165 Hz, p < 0.001, r2 = 0.97). The SV was 1.84% \ub1 0.66% and it was significantly and moderately correlated with HI (0.082 \ub1 0.028, p < 0.001, r2 = 0.13). The innovative video-based technique of global, markerless gait analysis proposed in our study accurately identifies the main frequency contents and the variability of gait in healthy individuals, thus providing a time-efficient, low-cost means to quantitatively and qualitatively study human locomotion
The onset site of rheumatoid arthritis: the joints or the lung?
The etiopathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is not yet fully elucidated and the site of inflammation onset is still a matter of debate. The presence of autoantibodies as well as clinical manifestations, such as interstitial lung disease, before the onset of arthritis seems to be in favour of the hypothesis that initial pathogenic events take place in tissues other than the joint. In this review article we summarize the most recent literature on extra-synovial autoimmunity triggers eventually leading to RA, with particular focus on the role of the lung. To date, anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies (ACPAs) are considered central players in RA pathogenesis and represent the gold-standard for disease diagnosis. Lungs and mucosae are exposed to environmental stimuli such as dusts and smoke which have been shown to foster citrullination of peptides in lungs thereby triggering the production of ACPA. In addition, other mechanisms of disease pathogenesis independent of citrullination play an important role. Deeper knowledge of these processes could represent a huge step forward in the management of RA, with dramatic impact on diagnosis, prevention, prognostic stratification and treatment of the disease
Volatile compared with total intravenous anaesthesia in patients undergoing high-risk cardiac surgery: a randomized multicentre study
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[Glucocorticoid induced TNFR-related protein (GITR) as marker of human regulatory T cells: expansion of the GITR(+)CD25⁻ cell subset in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus].
Objectives: Regulatory T cells (TREG) represent a T cell subset able to modulate immune response by suppressing autoreactive T-lymphocytes. The evidence of a reduced number and an impaired function of this cell population in autoimmune/ inflammatory chronic diseases led to the hypothesis of its involvement in the pathogenesis of these disorders. Glucocorticoid-induced TNFR-related protein (GITR) is a well known marker of murine TREG cells, but little is known in humans. The aim of this study was to investigate the characteristics of TREG cells in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and the potential role of GITR as marker of human TREG. Methods: Nineteen SLE patients and 15 sex- and age-matched normal controls (NC) were enrolled. CD4+ T cells were magnetic sorted from peripheral blood by negative selection. Cell phenotype was analyzed through flow-cytometry using primary and secondary antibodies and real time polymerase-chain reaction (PCR) using TaqMan probes. Results: The CD25highGITRhigh subset was significantly decreased in SLE patients with respect to NC (0.37±0.21% vs 0.72±0.19%; p<0.05). On the opposite, the CD25-GITRhigh cell population was expanded in the peripheral blood of SLE patients (3.5±2.25 vs 0.70±0.32%, p<0.01). Interestingly, FoxP3 at mRNA level was expressed in both CD25- GITRhigh and CD25highGITRhigh cells, suggesting that both cell subsets have regulatory activity. Conclusions: CD4+CD25-GITRhigh cells are increased in SLE as compared to NC. The expression of high level of GITR, but not CD25, on FoxP3+ cells appears to point to a regulatory phenotype of this peculiar T cell subset
Association between anti-citrullinated alpha enolase antibodies and clinical features in a cohort of patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a pilot study.
In recent years several antibodies against citrullinated peptides (ACPAs) have been identified in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and their pathogenic, diagnostic and prognostic significance is under intense investigation. Among ACPAs, those targeting citrullinated alpha enolase (anti-CEP1) have been identified in RA but data about their ability to predict the development of erosive disease are conflicting. Furthermore, no data are currently available concerning their possible association with extra-articular manifestations (EAMs) in RA. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and significance of anti-CEP1 from a prognostic point of view. In this pilot study we confirmed that anti-CEP1 Abs are associated with higher prevalence of bone erosions, but we also provided the first evidence of an association between anti-CEP1 Abs and RA interstitial lung disease (ILD). These results provide the basis to investigate the association between anti-CEP1 Abs and EAMs in larger cohorts of RA patients to possibly confirm its role as biomarker for RA-ILD
The RNA Helicase DDX6 Controls Cellular Plasticity by Modulating P-Body Homeostasis
Post-transcriptional mechanisms have the potential to influence complex changes in gene expression, yet their role in cell fate transitions remains largely unexplored. Here, we show that suppression of the RNA helicase DDX6 endows human and mouse primed embryonic stem cells (ESCs) with a differentiation-resistant, “hyper-pluripotent” state, which readily reprograms to a naive state resembling the preimplantation embryo. We further demonstrate that DDX6 plays a key role in adult progenitors where it controls the balance between self-renewal and differentiation in a context-dependent manner. Mechanistically, DDX6 mediates the translational suppression of target mRNAs in P-bodies. Upon loss of DDX6 activity, P-bodies dissolve and release mRNAs encoding fate-instructive transcription and chromatin factors that re-enter the ribosome pool. Increased translation of these targets impacts cell fate by rewiring the enhancer, heterochromatin, and DNA methylation landscapes of undifferentiated cell types. Collectively, our data establish a link between P-body homeostasis, chromatin organization, and stem cell potency
COVID-19 in Severe Asthma Network in Italy (SANI) patients: Clinical features, impact of comorbidities and treatments
none17noNo abstract availablenoneHeffler, Enrico; Detoraki, Aikaterini; Contoli, Marco; Papi, Alberto; Paoletti, Giovanni; Malipiero, Giacomo; Brussino, Luisa; Crimi, Claudia; Morrone, Daniela; Padovani, Marianna; Guida, Giuseppe; Gerli, Alberto Giovanni; Centanni, Stefano; Senna, Gianenrico; Paggiaro, Pierluigi; Blasi, Francesco; Canonica, Giorgio WalterHeffler, Enrico; Detoraki, Aikaterini; Contoli, Marco; Papi, Alberto; Paoletti, Giovanni; Malipiero, Giacomo; Brussino, Luisa; Crimi, Claudia; Morrone, Daniela; Padovani, Marianna; Guida, Giuseppe; Gerli, Alberto Giovanni; Centanni, Stefano; Senna, Gianenrico; Paggiaro, Pierluigi; Blasi, Francesco; Canonica, Giorgio Walte
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