Hierarchical Low Si/Al Ratio Ferrierite Zeolite by Sequential Postsynthesis Treatment: Catalytic Assessment in Dehydration Reaction of Methanol

In contrast to high silica zeolites, it is difficult to obtain mesoporosity in zeolites with low Si/Al ratio (e.g., <20) via conventional NaOH-based treatment, making the obtainment of hierarchical zeolites with high acidity a challenging target. In this paper, we report the preparation of hierarchical FER-type zeolite at low Si/Al molar ratio (about 10) by postsynthesis etching involving a sequence of three treatments with NaAlO2, HCl, and NaOH solutions and investigate the effect of both NaAlO2 solution concentration and time of treatment on the textural properties. The obtained materials exhibit a mesoporous volume higher than the parent ferrierite with no significant effect on the sample acidity. The catalytic activity of some samples was investigated in vapour-phase methanol dehydration to dimethyl ether, revealing the superiority of hierarchical zeolites in terms of methanol conversion, although the presence of mesopores causes formation of light hydrocarbons at high temperatures

Novel Variant in Exon 3 of the BMP4 Gene Resulted in Ectopic Posterior Pituitary, Craniocervical Junction Dysmorphism and Limb Anomaly

Introduction. Pituitary differentiation involves a large number of transcription factors. In particular, BMP4 expression is fundamental for pituitary gland commitment from the ventral diencephalon, suppressing Shh expression in Rathke's pouch. Pathogenic variants in BMP4 are reported in the literature with a broad phenotypic spectrum, including pituitary and brain malformations. Case Presentation. A five-year-old girl came to medical attention following a mild cervical trauma with onset of cervical pain. On clinical examination at birth, postaxial polydactyly type B of the left hand was observed and removed at 10 months of age. A cervical radiography was performed, and a suspicion of craniocervical junction malformation was made. A magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical spine was made, showing an ectopic posterior pituitary, associated with dysmorphism of the craniocervical junction. The anthropometric parameters were pubertal Tanner stage 1, weight 16 kg (z-score: -1.09), height 107 cm (z-score: -0.76), and BMI 14 kg/m(2) (z-score: -0.92). Normal hormonal assessment was detected. Genetic analysis via next generation sequencing showed a novel de novo heterozygous variant (c.277 G &gt; T, p.Glu93*) in exon 3 of BMP4. Discussion. We described a novel mutation in BMP4, resulting in ectopic posterior pituitary with normal hormonal assessment, associated to craniocervical junction dysmorphism and limb anomaly. It is important to monitor patient's growth and puberty and to screen the onset of symptoms related to the deficiency of one or more anterior as well as posterior pituitary hormones

Molecular targets and oxidative stress biomarkers in hepatocellular carcinoma: an overview

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a complex and heterogeneous tumor with multiple genetic aberrations. Several molecular pathways involved in the regulation of proliferation and cell death are implicated in the hepatocarcinogenesis. The major etiological factors for HCC are both hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus infection (HCV)

Acidic microenvironment plays a key role in human melanoma progression through a sustained exosome mediated transfer of clinically relevant metastatic molecules

Background: Microenvironment cues involved in melanoma progression are largely unknown. Melanoma is highly influenced in its aggressive phenotype by the changes it determinates in its microenvironment, such as pH decrease, in turn influencing cancer cell invasiveness, progression and tissue remodelling through an abundant secretion of exosomes, dictating cancer strategy to the whole host. A role of exosomes in driving melanoma progression under microenvironmental acidity was never described. Methods: We studied four differently staged human melanoma lines, reflecting melanoma progression, under microenvironmental acidic pHs pressure ranging between pH 6.0-6.7. To estimate exosome secretion as a function of tumor stage and environmental pH, we applied a technique to generate native fluorescent exosomes characterized by vesicles integrity, size, density, markers expression, and quantifiable by direct FACS analysis. Functional roles of exosomes were tested in migration and invasion tests. Then we performed a comparative proteomic analysis of acid versus control exosomes to elucidate a specific signature involved in melanoma progression. Results: We found that metastatic melanoma secretes a higher exosome amount than primary melanoma, and that acidic pH increases exosome secretion when melanoma is in an intermediate stage, i.e. metastatic non-invasive. We were thus able to show that acidic pH influences the intercellular cross-talk mediated by exosomes. In fact when exposed to exosomes produced in an acidic medium, pH naïve melanoma cells acquire migratory and invasive capacities likely due to transfer of metastatic exosomal proteins, favoring cell motility and angiogenesis. A Prognoscan-based meta-analysis study of proteins enriched in acidic exosomes, identified 11 genes (HRAS, GANAB, CFL2, HSP90B1, HSP90AB1, GSN, HSPA1L, NRAS, HSPA5, TIMP3, HYOU1), significantly correlating with poor prognosis, whose high expression was in part confirmed in bioptic samples of lymph node metastases. Conclusions: A crucial step of melanoma progression does occur at melanoma intermediate -stage, when extracellular acidic pH induces an abundant release and intra-tumoral uptake of exosomes. Such exosomes are endowed with pro-invasive molecules of clinical relevance, which may provide a signature of melanoma advancement

Acute Delta Hepatitis in Italy spanning three decades (1991–2019): Evidence for the effectiveness of the hepatitis B vaccination campaign

Updated incidence data of acute Delta virus hepatitis (HDV) are lacking worldwide. Our aim was to evaluate incidence of and risk factors for acute HDV in Italy after the introduction of the compulsory vaccination against hepatitis B virus (HBV) in 1991. Data were obtained from the National Surveillance System of acute viral hepatitis (SEIEVA). Independent predictors of HDV were assessed by logistic-regression analysis. The incidence of acute HDV per 1-million population declined from 3.2 cases in 1987 to 0.04 in 2019, parallel to that of acute HBV per 100,000 from 10.0 to 0.39 cases during the same period. The median age of cases increased from 27 years in the decade 1991-1999 to 44 years in the decade 2010-2019 (p &lt; .001). Over the same period, the male/female ratio decreased from 3.8 to 2.1, the proportion of coinfections increased from 55% to 75% (p = .003) and that of HBsAg positive acute hepatitis tested for by IgM anti-HDV linearly decreased from 50.1% to 34.1% (p &lt; .001). People born abroad accounted for 24.6% of cases in 2004-2010 and 32.1% in 2011-2019. In the period 2010-2019, risky sexual behaviour (O.R. 4.2; 95%CI: 1.4-12.8) was the sole independent predictor of acute HDV; conversely intravenous drug use was no longer associated (O.R. 1.25; 95%CI: 0.15-10.22) with this. In conclusion, HBV vaccination was an effective measure to control acute HDV. Intravenous drug use is no longer an efficient mode of HDV spread. Testing for IgM-anti HDV is a grey area requiring alert. Acute HDV in foreigners should be monitored in the years to come

The rheological and crystallization behavior of polyoxymethylene

In the polymer melt processing, the solidification has a huge importance on the properties of the resulting part. For a semi-crystalline resin, this phenomenon involves a complex interplay between crystallization and the material rheology. In this work, an investigation is carried out on the influence of thermal conditions on crystallization kinetics and rheology of two commercial polyoxymethylene (POM) copolymers. In particular, isothermal crystallization experiments using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and rotational rheometry to measure the dynamic viscosity are performed. The evolution of the relative crystallinity and Normalized Rheological Function (NRF) are correlated by a recent technique which allows simultaneous analysis of several measurements, even if they are not carried out at same temperatures. On this basis, a relationship between the crystallinity and the hardening, i.e. the sharp increase in the viscosity, is obtained

Combined epigastric hernia repair and mini-abdominoplasty. Case report

The objectives of abdominal hernia repair are to restore the structural integrity of the abdominal wall. Current techniques include primary closure, staged repair and the use of prosthetic materials. Techniques for mini-abdominoplasty include the use of the transverse lower abdominal incision and the resection of excess skin. We report a case of epigastric hernia repair through a transverse lower abdominal incision with the resection of excess of skin. Our purpose is to evaluate the results of the procedure by incorporating these aspects into an epigastric hernia repair, we found out that the procedures are made safer and the results are improved. Proper indication and details of the technique are described