664 research outputs found
4-Aminothiophenol Photodimerization Without Plasmons**
The photodimerization of 4-aminothiophenol (PATP) into 4,4 '-dimercaptobenzene (DMAB) has been extensively utilized as a paradigm reaction to probe the role of surface plasmons in nanoparticle-mediated light-driven processes. Here I report the first observation of the PATP-to-DMAB photoreaction in the absence of any plasmonic mediators. The reaction was observed to occur with different kinetics either for PATP adsorbed on non-plasmonic nanoparticles (TiO2, ZnO, SiO2) or deposited as macroscopic droplets. Confocal microRaman spectroscopy enabled to investigate the reaction progress in different plasmon-free contexts, either aerobic or anaerobic, suggesting a new interpretation of the photodimerization process, based on direct laser-induced activation of singlet oxygen species. These results provide new insights in light-driven redox processes, elucidating the role of sample morphology, light and oxygen
Effects of experimental insoles on body posture, mandibular kinematics and masticatory muscles activity. A pilot study in healthy volunteers
BACKGROUND:
It has been hypothesized that different plantar sensory inputs could influence the whole body posture and dental occlusion but there is a lack of evidence on this possible association.
OBJECTIVES:
To investigate the effects of experimental insoles redistributing plantar pressure on body posture, mandibular kinematics and electromyographic (EMG) activity of masticatory muscles on healthy subjects.
METHODS:
A pilot study was conducted on 19 healthy volunteers that wore custom-made insoles normalizing the plantar pressure distribution for 2 weeks. Body posture parameters were measured by means of an optoelectronic stereophotogrammetric analysis; mandibular kinematics was analyzed by means of gothic arch tracings; superficial EMG activity of head and neck muscles was performed. Measurements were carried out 10 days before the insertion of the insoles, immediately before the insertion, the day after, 7 and 14 days after, in four different exteroceptive conditions.
RESULTS:
The outcomes of the present study show that insoles do not modify significantly over time the parameters of body posture, SEMG activity of head and neck muscles and mandibular kinematics.
CONCLUSIONS:
In this pilot study the experimental insoles did not significantly influence the body posture, the mandibular kinematics and the activity of masticatory muscles during a 14-day follow up perio
A NEW BRANCH of the ANIO NOVUS AQUEDUCT (ROME, ITALY) REVEALED by ARCHAEOLOGY and GEOPHYSICS
The area south-east of Rome is characterised by the presence of several roman aqueducts which brought water to the eternal city from the Apennine and Alban Hills springs. In the last 40 years, several pieces of evidence about these aqueducts were acquired during the realisation of archaeological test trenches before building activities. In 2019, a small branch of a subterranean aqueduct unknown to the Latin sources was unearthed in Via dei Sette Metri. Here we show that this aqueduct is a lateral branch of the Anio Novus, a major imperial aqueduct built between 38 and 52 CE. To achieve this result, we employed detailed photogrammetric restitution of the new aqueduct and an integrated geophysical survey focused in the area where the Anio Novus was supposed to pass. Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) methods were used to reconstruct aqueduct paths and their relative heights. Different light conditions were tested during the picture acquisition step to determine the best practice in the photogrammetric restitution. The results obtained in this study confirmed the great effectiveness of the integration between geophysical investigation methods and the modern archaeology approach in detecting buried ancient structures
Recurrence and algorithmic information
In this paper we initiate a somewhat detailed investigation of the
relationships between quantitative recurrence indicators and algorithmic
complexity of orbits in weakly chaotic dynamical systems. We mainly focus on
examples.Comment: 26 pages, no figure
Autophagy modulation in lymphocytes from COVID-19 patients. new therapeutic target in SARS-COV-2 infection
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the novel coronavirus, causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). During virus infection, several pro-inflammatory cytokines are produced, leading to the âcytokine storm.â Among these, interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factorâα (TNFâα), and IL-1ÎČ seem to have a central role in the progression and exacerbation of the disease, leading to the recruitment of immune cells to infection sites. Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved lysosomal degradation pathway involved in different aspects of lymphocytes functionality. The involvement of IL-6, TNFâα, and IL-1ÎČ in autophagy modulation has recently been demonstrated. Moreover, preliminary studies showed that SARS-CoV-2 could infect lymphocytes, playing a role in the modulation of autophagy. Several anti-rheumatic drugs, now proposed for the treatment of COVID-19, could modulate autophagy in lymphocytes, highlighting the therapeutic potential of targeting autophagy in SARS-CoV-2 infection
Efficacy of coping mechanisms used during COVID-19 as reported by parents of children with autism
The COVID-19 pandemicâs alterations to daily life have been especially challenging for families with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), worsening the core features of ASD and overall mental health. With the increased need for effective coping, the current retrospective study used data from a survey regarding parent reports of how often their child with ASD used certain coping strategies (frequency), as well as the extent to which they felt their child benefitted from their use (efficacy) in mitigating stress during the pandemic. This retrospective study Repeated measures ANOVAs were conducted to evaluate whether there were significant differences in both frequency and efficacy ratings for each coping strategy, for the entire sample as well as for three childrenâs age groups. Using Spearmanâs rank-order correlations, correlation coefficients between the frequency and efficacy of each coping strategy were explored. Results revealed that maladaptive strategies were used more frequently than adaptive strategies, while parent routine as the most frequently used and efficacious for all age groups. Additionally, for adaptive strategies, humor and focusing on the positive had the strongest correlations between frequency and efficacy ratings amongst all age groups. Of the maladaptive strategies, repetitive behaviors, rumination, and isolation had the strongest correlations for the youngest, middle, and oldest age groups, respectively. Further, for each age group, the adaptive coping strategies had stronger correlations between frequency and efficacy than the maladaptive ones. It is our hope that the results of this study will lay the foundation for developing adaptive coping strategies to alleviate stress in children with ASD. Further investigations using a larger cohort are warranted to determine effective coping strategies for individuals with ASD across a range of situations, including acute stressors (such as future public health emergencies and natural disasters), as well as common daily stressors
Uptake-release by MSCs of a cationic platinum(II) complex active in vitro on human malignant cancer cell lines
In this study, the in vitro stability of cisplatin (CisPt) and cationic platinum(II)-complex (caPt(II)-complex) and
their in vitro activity (antiproliferative and anti-angiogenic properties) were investigated against three aggressive
human tumor cell lines. caPt(II)-complex shown a high stability until 9 days of treatment and displayed a
significant and higher activity than CisPt against both NCI-H28 mesothelioma (19.37 \ub1 9.57 \u3bcM versus
34.66 \ub1 7.65 \u3bcM for CisPt) and U87 MG glioblastoma (19.85 \ub1 0.97 \u3bcM versus 54.14 \ub1 3.19 for CisPt).
Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (AT-MSCs) showed a significant different sensitivity (IC50=71.9 \ub1 15.1 \u3bcM for
caPt(II)-complex and 8.7 \ub1 4.5 \u3bcM for CisPt) to the antiproliferative activity of caPt(II)-complex and CisPt. The
ability of MSCs to uptake both the drugs in a similar amount of 2.49 pM /cell, suggested a possible development
of new therapies based on cell mediated drug delivery
CD4 T lymphocyte autophagy is upregulated in the salivary glands of primary Sjögrenâs syndrome patients and correlates with focus score and disease activity
Background: Primary Sjögrenâs syndrome (pSS) is a common chronic autoimmune disease characterized by
lymphocytic infiltration of exocrine glands and peripheral lymphocyte perturbation. In the current study, we
aimed to investigate the possible pathogenic implication of autophagy in T lymphocytes in patients with pSS.
Methods: Thirty consecutive pSS patients were recruited together with 20 patients affected by sicca syndrome a
nd/or chronic sialoadenitis and 30 healthy controls. Disease activity and damage were evaluated according to SS
disease activity index, EULAR SS disease activity index, and SS disease damage index. T lymphocytes were analyzed
for the expression of autophagy-specific markers by biochemical, molecular, and histological assays in peripheral
blood and labial gland biopsies. Serum interleukin (IL)-23 and IL-21 levels were quantified by enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay.
Results: Our study provides evidence for the first time that autophagy is upregulated in CD4+ T lymphocyte salivary
glands from pSS patients. Furthermore, a statistically significant correlation was detected between lymphocyte
autophagy levels, disease activity, and damage indexes. We also found a positive correlation between autophagy
enhancement and the increased salivary gland expression of IL-21 and IL-23, providing a further link between innate
and adaptive immune responses in pSS.
Conclusions: These findings suggest that CD4+ T lymphocyte autophagy could play a key role in pSS pathogenesis.
Additionally, our data highlight the potential exploitation of T cell autophagy as a biomarker of disease activity and
provide new ground to verify the therapeutic implications of autophagy as an innovative drug target in pSS
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