On the stability of solutions of semilinear elliptic equations with Robin boundary conditions on Riemannian manifolds

We investigate existence and nonexistence of stationary stable nonconstant solutions, i.e. patterns, of semilinear parabolic problems in bounded domains of Riemannian manifolds satisfying Robin boundary conditions. These problems arise in several models in applications, in particular in Mathematical Biology. We point out the role both of the nonlinearity and of geometric objects such as the Ricci curvature of the manifold, the second fundamental form of the boundary of the domain and its mean curvature. Special attention is devoted to surfaces of revolution and to spherically symmetric manifolds, where we prove refined results

Early anti IL-1 treatment replaces steroids in refractory Kawasaki disease: clinical experience from two case reports

Refractory Kawasaki disease (KD) is related to a major risk of coronary arteries abnormalities and its treatment is not standardized. In this regard, anakinra (ANA), an interleukin (IL)-1 receptor antagonist, represents an emerging therapeutic option. We report two cases of children, diagnosed with KD, nonresponsive to two doses of intravenous immunoglobulins, successfully treated with ANA, without a prior use of steroids. Patient 2 developed a coronary dilatation, that improved significantly after ANA therapy. Our experience highlights IL-1 blockade effectiveness in reducing KD inflammation and suggests ANA adoption as second-line therapy, with a timesaving and steroid-sparing strategy. Our results, combined with the evidence of the IL-1 key role in KD and coronary arteritis pathogenesis and to the recent clinical evidence reported by the KAWAKINRA trial, encourage an earlier recourse to ANA in patients with refractory KD, in order to fight inflammation, and to treat and prevent the development of coronary artery aneurysms. Further studies are needed to better define the place of IL-1 blockade in KD step-up treatment

Human mesenchymal stem cell combined with a new strontium-enriched bioactive glass: An ex-vivo model for Bone Regeneration

A 3D cellular model that mimics the potential clinical application of a biomaterial is here applied for the first time to a bioactive glass, in order to assess its biological potential. A recently developed bioactive glass (BGMS10), whose composition contained strontium and magnesium, was produced in the form of granules and fully investigated in terms of biocompatibility in vitro. Apart from standard biological characterization (Simulated Body Fluid (SBF) testing and biocompatibility as per ISO10993), human bone marrow mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (BM-MSCs) were used to investigate the performance of the bioactive glass granules in an innovative 3D cellular model. The results showed that BGMS10 supported human BM-MSCs adhesion, colonization, and bone differentiation. Thus, bioactive glass granules seem to drive osteogenic differentiation and thus look particularly promising for orthopedic applications, bone tissue engineering and regenerative medicine

Challenges in Clinical Development of Mesenchymal Stromal/Stem Cells: Concise Review

Identified 50 years ago, mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) immediately generated a substantial interest among the scientific community because of their differentiation plasticity and hematopoietic supportive function. Early investigations provided evidence of a relatively low engraftment rate and a transient benefit for challenging congenital and acquired diseases. The reasons for these poor therapeutic benefits forced the entire field to reconsider MSC mechanisms of action together with their ex vivo manipulation procedures. This phase resulted in advances in MSCs processing and the hypothesis that MSC-tissue supportive functions may be prevailing their differentiation plasticity, broadening the spectrum of MSCs therapeutic potential far beyond their lineage-restricted commitments. Consequently, an increasing number of studies have been conducted for a variety of clinical indications, revealing additional challenges and suggesting that MSCs are still lagging behind for a solid clinical translation. For this reason, our aim was to dissect the current challenges in the development of still promising cell types that, after more than half a century, still need to reach their maturity. Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2019;8:1135–1148

Two-Loop Self-Energy Corrections to the Fine-Structure

We investigate two-loop higher-order binding corrections to the fine structure, which contribute to the spin-dependent part of the Lamb shift. Our calculation focuses on the so-called ``two-loop self-energy'' involving two virtual closed photon loops. For bound states, this correction has proven to be notoriously difficult to evaluate. The calculation of the binding corrections to the bound-state two-loop self-energy is simplified by a separate treatment of hard and soft virtual photons. The two photon-energy scales are matched at the end of the calculation. We explain the significance of the mathematical methods employed in the calculation in a more general context, and present results for the fine-structure difference of the two-loop self-energy through the order of $\alpha^8$.Comment: 19 pages, LaTeX, 2 figures; J. Phys. A (in press); added analytic results for two-loop form-factor slopes (by P. Mastrolia and E. Remiddi

Impact of HOXB7 overexpression on human adipose-derived mesenchymal progenitors

Background: The ex vivo expansion potential of mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSC) together with their differentiation and secretion properties makes these cells an attractive tool for transplantation and tissue engineering. Although the use of MSC is currently being tested in a growing number of clinical trials, it is still desirable to identify molecular markers that may help improve their performance both in vitro and after transplantation. Methods: Recently, HOXB7 was identified as a master player driving the proliferation and differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal progenitors. In this study, we investigated the effect of HOXB7 overexpression on the ex vivo features of adipose mesenchymal progenitors (AD-MSC). Results: HOXB7 increased AD-MSC proliferation potential, reduced senescence, and improved chondrogenesis together with a significant increase of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) secretion. Conclusion: While further investigations and in vivo models shall be applied for better understanding, these data suggest that modulation of HOXB7 may be a strategy for innovative tissue regeneration applications

Feynman Diagrams and Differential Equations

We review in a pedagogical way the method of differential equations for the evaluation of D-dimensionally regulated Feynman integrals. After dealing with the general features of the technique, we discuss its application in the context of one- and two-loop corrections to the photon propagator in QED, by computing the Vacuum Polarization tensor exactly in D. Finally, we treat two cases of less trivial differential equations, respectively associated to a two-loop three-point, and a four-loop two-point integral. These two examples are the playgrounds for showing more technical aspects about: Laurent expansion of the differential equations in D (around D=4); the choice of the boundary conditions; and the link among differential and difference equations for Feynman integrals.Comment: invited review article from Int. J. Mod. Phys.