Reproducibility of the heat/capsaicin skin sensitization model in healthy volunteers

INTRODUCTION: Heat/capsaicin skin sensitization is a well-characterized human experimental model to induce hyperalgesia and allodynia. Using this model, gabapentin, among other drugs, was shown to significantly reduce cutaneous hyperalgesia compared to placebo. Since the larger thermal probes used in the original studies to produce heat sensitization are now commercially unavailable, we decided to assess whether previous findings could be replicated with a currently available smaller probe (heated area 9 cm(2) versus 12.5–15.7 cm(2)). STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: After Institutional Review Board approval, 15 adult healthy volunteers participated in two study sessions, scheduled 1 week apart (Part A). In both sessions, subjects were exposed to the heat/capsaicin cutaneous sensitization model. Areas of hypersensitivity to brush stroke and von Frey (VF) filament stimulation were measured at baseline and after rekindling of skin sensitization. Another group of 15 volunteers was exposed to an identical schedule and set of sensitization procedures, but, in each session, received either gabapentin or placebo (Part B). RESULTS: Unlike previous reports, a similar reduction of areas of hyperalgesia was observed in all groups/sessions. Fading of areas of hyperalgesia over time was observed in Part A. In Part B, there was no difference in area reduction after gabapentin compared to placebo. CONCLUSION: When using smaller thermal probes than originally proposed, modifications of other parameters of sensitization and/or rekindling process may be needed to allow the heat/capsaicin sensitization protocol to be used as initially intended. Standardization and validation of experimental pain models is critical to the advancement of translational pain research

Postoperative Delirium after elective and emergency surgery: analysis and checking of risk factors. A study protocol

BACKGROUND: Delirum is common in hospitalized elderly patients and may be associated with increased morbidity, length of stay and patient care costs. Delirium (acute confusional state) is defined as an acute disorder of attention and cognition. In elderly patients, delirium is often an early indicator of patho-physiological disturbances. Despite landmark studies dating back to the 1940s, the pathogenesis of Delirium remains poorly understood. Early investigators noted that Delirium was characterized by global cortical dysfunction that was associated predominantly with specific electroencephalographic changes. It's important to understand the risk factors and incidence of Delirium. Some of the risk factors are already identified in literature and can be summarized in the word "VINDICATE" which stands for: Vascular, Infections, Nutrition, Drugs, Injury, Cardiac, Autoimmune, Tumors, Endocrine. Aims of this study are: to re-evaluate the above mentioned clinical risk factors, adding some others selected from literature, and to test, as risk factors, a pattern of some genes associated to cognitive dysfunction and inflammation possibly related to postoperative Delirium. DESIGN: All patients admitted to our Emergency Unit who are meet our inclusion/exclusion criteria will be recruited. The arising of postoperative Delirium will select incidentally two groups (Delirium/non Delirium) and the forward analysis of correlate risk factors will be performed. As in a typical observational case/control study we will consider all the exposure factors to which our population are submitted towards the outcome (presence of Delirium). Our exposures are the following: ASA, Pain (SVS; VAS), Blood gas analysis (pH; Hb; pO2; pCO2), Residence pharmacological therapy (BDZ; hypnotics; narcotic drugs; alcohol; nitrous derivates), Body temperature, Arterial pressure, Heart frequency, Breath frequency, Na, K, Creatinin, Glicemia, Albumin, Hct, White blood cells, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), Cognitive state (SPMSQ), Functional state (ADL and IADL), Psychological Distress (HADS), Cumulative Illness Rating Scale (CIRS), Hypotension (classified in: light; moderate and severe and duration), Blood loss (classified in: < 2 lt and > 2 lt), Blood transfusions (< 2 lt and > 2 lt), Quantity of red cells and plasma transfusions, Visual VAS / SVS (timing: I-II-III post-operative day), Red cells and Plasma transfusions, Blood count evaluation and Saturation (O(2)%), Postoperative analgesia (Emilia-Romagna protocol), Presence of malignant tumoral disease, APACHE Score II. Moreover the presence of some relevant genetic polymorphisms will be studied in different genes such as IL-6, IL-10, TNF-alpha, and IL-1 cluster

Circulating Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Particles Carry Hepatocellular microRNAs

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) produces high quantities of subviral surface antigen particles (HBsAg) which circulate in the blood outnumbering virions of about 1\103–6 times. In individuals coinfected with the defective hepatitis Delta virus (HDV) the small HDV-RNA-genome and Delta antigen circulate as ribonucleoprotein complexes within HBsAg subviral particles. We addressed the question whether subviral HBsAg particles may carry in the same way cellular microRNAs (miRNAs) which are released into the bloodstream within different subcellular forms such as exosomes and microvescicles. Circulating HBsAg particles were isolated from sera of 11 HBsAg carriers by selective immunoprecipitation with monoclonal anti-HBs-IgG, total RNA was extracted and human miRNAs were screened by TaqMan real-time quantitative PCR Arrays. Thirty-nine human miRNAs were found to be significantly associated with the immunoprecipitated HBsAg, as determined by both comparative DDCT analysis and non-parametric tests (Mann-Whitney, p<0.05) with respect to controls. Moreover immunoprecipitated HBsAg particles contained Ago2 protein that could be revealed in ELISA only after 0.5% NP40. HBsAg associated miRNAs were liver-specific (most frequent = miR-27a, miR-30b, miR-122, miR-126 and miR-145) as well as immune regulatory (most frequent = miR-106b and miR-223). Computationally predicted target genes of HBsAg-associated miRNAs highlighted molecular pathways dealing with host-pathoge

Haplotype analysis of TP53 polymorphisms, Arg72Pro and Ins16, in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers of French Canadian descent

Research articl

Dynamics characterization of paquitop, a novel platform for robotized domestic applications

In the last decades, an unprecedented decrease in fertility and mortality rates in industrialized countries yielded a general ageing of the population. Such phenomenon affected the everyday life of individuals as well as organizations, either government or private, to the point that they are nowadays seeking the solution to the increasing demand of health care, housing, care-giving, and social security. In this scenario, this piece of research aims to fulfil a design task, specifically oriented towards the field of assistance machines. The functionalities which should be guaranteed are mainly two: to follow and monitor reduced mobility subjects, to maintain a constant view contact with its targets, and to accomplish such duties in a nonstructured and possibly peopled environment. In particular, the paper analyses the dynamics of Paquitop, a novel over-actuated mobile platform, aiming for a proper design strategy for its suspensions system. The main peculiarity of the robot is that of owning an innovative architecture expressly conceived to enhance the performance offered by the present-day solutions for omni-directional planar motions. Given its purpose, the robot architecture was thought for guaranteeing an effective fulfilment of its primary tasks. This arises a set of uncharted challenges, under both mechanical and control points of view