Role of α-Tocopherol Acetate on Nasal Respiratory Functions: Mucociliary Clearance and Rhinomanometric Evaluations in Primary Atrophic Rhinitis.

Primary atrophic rhinitis is a disease of the nose and of paranasalsinuses characterized by a progressive loss of function of nasal and paranasal mucosa caused by a gradual destruction of ciliary mucosalepithelium with atrophy of serous–mucous glands and loss of bonestructures.The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic effects of topic α-tochopherol acetate (vitamin E) in patients with primary atrophicrhinitis based on subjective and objective data.We analyzed 44 patients with dry nose sensation and endoscopic evidence of atrophic nasal mucosa. We analyzed endoscopic mucosascore, anterior rhinomanometry, and nasal mucociliary clearance before and after 6 months of topic treatment with α-tochopherol acetate. For statistical analysis, we used paired samples t test (95% confidence interval [CI], P < .05) for rhinomanometric and muciliary transit time evaluations and analysis of variance 1-way test (95% CI, P < .05) for endoscopic evaluation. All patients showed an improvement in "dry nose" sensation and inperception of nasal airflow. Rhinomanometric examination showed increase of nasal airflow at follow-up ( P < .05); nasal mucociliaryclearance showed a reduction in mean transit time ( P < .05); and endoscopic evaluation showed significative improvement of hydration of nasalmucosa and significative decreasing nasal crusts and mucusaccumulation ( P < .05). Medical treatment for primary atrophic rhinitis is not clearly documented in the literature; in this research, it was demonstrated that α-ochopherol acetate could be a possible treatment for atrophic rhinitis

Molecular mechanisms of helicobacter pylori pathogenesis

Helicobacter pylori infects 50% of mankind. The vast majority of H. pylori infection occurs in the developing countries where up to 80% of the middle-aged adults may be infected. Bacterial infection causes an inflammatory response that proceeds through a series of intermediated stages of precancerous lesions (gastritis, atrophy, intestinal metaplasia, and dysplasia). Among infected individuals, approximately 10% develops severe gastric lesions such as peptic ulcer disease, 1-3% progresses to gastric cancer (GC) with a low 5-year survival rate, and 0.1% develops mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT). GC is one of the most common cancer and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. In this review, we have summarized the most recent papers about molecular mechanisms of H. pylori pathogenesis. The main important steps of H. pylori infection such as adhesion, entry in epithelial gastric cells, activation of intracellular pathways until epigenetic modifications have been described

Handgrip strength and health related quality of life in individuals with copd

In individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), skeletal muscle wasting and changes in muscle fiber composition limit the muscle strength with consequences on daily physical activities. In the present study we aimed to investigate about the interconnection among upper limb strength, body composition and health related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with COPD to verify the impact of muscle mass loss on HRQoL. Twenty-six consecutive patients (69.2% male; age: 69.7±7.29 years) with COPD were included. Patients underwent pulmonary function tests. Body composition was evaluated through Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA); handgrip test was used for measure upper limb strength. St George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) was used to evaluate patients’ HRQoL. Upper limb muscle strength was negatively correlated with SGRQ (Pearson=-0.571; p=0.002) in particular with activity and impact domains (Pearson=-0.668; p&lt;0.001 and Pearson =-0.461; p=0.02). Multivariate linear regression confirm that poor handgrip strength is a predictor of worse SGRQ after adjusting for gender, age, fat free mass index and inhaled corticosteroids use (p=0.012). Upper limb muscle strength and body composition are two essential tools in the multisystemic assessment of patients with COPD. © 2020, Segretariato Italiano Giovani Medici - Associazione Italiana Medici. All rights reserved

Liposomes as a Putative Tool to Investigate NAADP Signaling in Vasculogenesis

none8noNicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP) is the newest discovered intracellular second messengers, which is able to release Ca(2+) stored within endolysosomal (EL) vesicles. NAADP-induced Ca(2+) signals mediate a growing number of cellular functions, ranging from proliferation to muscle contraction and differentiation. Recently, NAADP has recently been shown to regulate angiogenesis by promoting endothelial cell growth. It is, however, still unknown whether NAADP stimulates proliferation also in endothelial progenitor cells, which are mobilized in circulation after an ischemic insult to induce tissue revascularization. Herein, we described a novel approach to prepare NAADP-containing liposomes, which are highly cell membrane permeable and are therefore amenable for stimulating cell activity. Accordingly, NAADP-containing liposomes evoked an increase in intracellular Ca(2+) concentration, which was inhibited by NED-19, a selective inhibitor of NAADP-induced Ca(2+) release. Furthermore, NAADP-containing liposomes promoted EPC proliferation, a process which was inhibited by NED-19 and BAPTA, a membrane permeable intracellular Ca(2+) buffer. Therefore, NAADP-containing liposomes stand out as a promising tool to promote revascularization of hypoxic/ischemic tissues by favoring EPC proliferation. J. Cell. Biochem. 9999: 1-8, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.openDi Nezza, Francesca; Zuccolo, Estella; Poletto, Valentina; Rosti, Vittorio; De Luca, Antonio; Moccia, Francesco; Guerra, Germano; Ambrosone, LuigiDi Nezza, Francesca; Zuccolo, Estella; Poletto, Valentina; Rosti, Vittorio; De Luca, Antonio; Moccia, Francesco; Guerra, Germano; Ambrosone, Luig

Expression of Matrix Metalloproteinases and Their Tissue Inhibitors in Chronic Rhinosinusitis With Nasal Polyps: Etiopathogenesis and Recurrence:

Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps is a multifactorial disease of the nasal and paranasal sinus mucosa and it includes, as comorbidities, anatomic and morphologic alterations, allergic rhinitis, and immunologic diseases. We investigated matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-2, MMP-7, and MMP-9) and their tissue inhibitors (TIMP-1 and TIMP-2) concentration in different etiopathogenetical groups of patients with nasal polyposis (NP) in relation to recurrence after sinonasal surgery. The study group consisted of 45 patients with NP (those with allergic rhinitis, nonallergic rhinitis and asthma or nonallergic rhinitis, and obstruction of osteomeatal complex [OMC]) who underwent endonasal sinus surgery. We also collected 10 patients who underwent septoplasty as control. Immunohistochemistry of nasal mucosa fragments, Western blotting, and polymerase chain reaction analysis showed increased MMPs levels (MMP-9 more than MMP-2 and MMP-7) and decreased tissue inhibitors of MMPs levels (TIMP-1 less than TIMP-2), in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps compared with control group, in particular in patients with nonallergic rhinitis and asthma compared to those with allergic rhinitis and nonallergic rhinitis and obstruction of OMC. We observed a higher risk of recurrence in patients with nonallergic rhinitis and asthma than in those with allergic rhinitis and nonallergic rhinitis and obstruction of OMC after 36 months from surgery. In this research, we evaluated pathogenesis of NP related to MMPs and their inhibitors concentrations in polypoid tissue

Clinical characteristics, exercise capacity and pulmonary function in post-COVID-19 competitive athletes

Background: Limited evidence exists regarding adverse modifications affecting cardiovascular and pulmonary function in physical active adults affected by COVID-19, especially in athletic populations. We aimed to describe the clinical presentation of COVID-19 in a cohort of competitive athletes, as well as spirometry and echocardiography findings and cardio-respiratory performance during exercise. Methods: Twenty-four competitive athletes with COVID-19 were recruited for this study after ending self-isolation and confirmation of negative laboratory results. All athletes underwent clinical evaluation, spirometry, echocardiography and cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET). These data were compared to a group of healthy control athletes. Results: Anosmia was the most frequent symptom present in 70.83% patients, followed by myalgia, fatigue and ageusia. The most frequent persisting symptoms were anosmia 11 (45.83%) and ageusia 8 (33.33%). Compared to controls, COVID-19 patients presented lower FEV1%: 97.5 (91.5–108) vs. 109 (106–116) p = 0.007. Peak Oxygen Uptake (VO(2)) in COVID-19 patients was 50.1 (47.7–51.65) vs. 49 (44.2–52.6) in controls (p = 0.618). Conclusions: Reduced exercise capacity was not identified and pulmonary and cardiovascular function are not impaired during early recovery phase in a population of physical active adults except FEV1 reduction

The role of body composition on cardio-respiratory fitness in futsal competitive athletes

Futsal is an intermittent high intensity sport which has become popular worldwide. Body composition and physical fitness have been studied in different sports disciplines. However, little is known regarding body composition and cardio-respiratory performance in competitive futsal players. Body composition parameters were analyzed by electrical impedance body composition analyzer in 31 competitive male futsal players. All participants performed spirometry, handgrip strength and cardiopulmonary exercise testing. Significant correlations were observed between muscle mass and spirometry parameters and peak VO2 (p≤0.05). Fat mass resulted inversely correlated with peak VO2% predicted and hand grip strength (p≤0.05). Regression analysis showed that muscle mass significantly predicts respiratory parameters (p<0.01) and reduced fat mass is associated with increased peak VO2 % predicted and handgrip strength (p<0.01). In futsal competitive athletes increased muscle mass is associated with higher spirometry parameters and fat mass is inversely associated with lower cardiorespiratory fitness

Ballistic differences in professional soccer players with and without visual impairment

Vision is considered the most important sensory input modality for sport performance (1). Recent studies have shown the existence of developmental delays in motor and sport skills in individuals with visual impairment (2). The purpose of the current study is to examine the kinematic and ballistic differences during football match between professional players with visual impairment and players without visual impairment. During athletic preseason, all soccer players of Delfino Pescara 1936 were evaluated on the basis of visual and orthotic parameters. The sample was composed of 18 professional players including 8 with visual impairment (age -yrs- 23.5 ± 2,50 SD; height -cm- 181.75 ± 9.08 SD ; mass -kg- 78 ± 8.58 SD)and 10 with no visual impairment (age -yrs- 26.6 ± 5.29 SD; height -cm- 177.1 ± 5.95 SD; mass -kg-74.3 ± 6.78 SD). All players were subjected to Natural and Corrected Visual Acuity, Refractive Examination during Miosis and Cycloplegia, Intraocular Pressure (IOP), Extrinsic Ocular Motility, Examination of Convergence and Cover Tests. During all regular season (September 2015/ May 2016, 42 matches, 3780 minutes) for each player it was reported the number of passing under 10 meters, errors of passing under 10 meters (expressed in centimeters), number of passing over 10 meters, errors of passing over 10 meters (expressed in centimeters) and shots in the target and out the target. The results suggest that the players with visually impairment miss passing with a higher percentage than in the control group in both conditions (under the 10 meters and over 10 meters). No significance emerged on the parameter shots on target in both groups. Results showed that the vision is a fundamental proprioceptive channel for the performance in elite soccer players but the small samples analyzed and the lack of prior research studies on the topic subject suggest that further studies will be needed