Targeted nanoparticles for the delivery of novel bioactive molecules to pancreatic cancer cells

Pancreatic cancer (PaCa) is a multifaceted disorder with an extremely poor prognosis. There is an urgent need to identify new and safe drugs as well as to develop novel tumor-targeted controlled release systems for effective treatment of late stage and resistant PaCa. Active targeting via the inclusion of specific ligands on the nanoparticles (NPs) is envisioned to provide a powerful therapeutic strategy. Herein, we present a study on the design and the development of novel DFCencapsulated biocompatible polymeric NPs, functionalized with peptides to selectively bind to Plec-1 (PTP), or densely decorated by low molecular weight organic molecules as alternative targeting ligands (2-ABA), and evaluated a) the impact on ligand binding and b) the in vitro antiproliferative efficacy against a panel of PaCa cells

Resveratrol-loaded nanoparticles based on polymeric blend for prostsate cancer treatment

The trans-resveratrol (RSV) has been reported to act as an antiproliferative and chemopreventive agent against a wide variety of tumors, including prostate cancer (PCa)I,2. Nanoencapsulation of RSV represents a powerful strategy to provide protection of degradation, enhancement of bioavailability, improvement of intracellular penetration and control delivery,4. We developed novel polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) encapsulating RSV (nano-RSV), based on a polymeric blend, as effective prototypes for PCa treatment. Our results support the potential use of these prototypes for the controlled delivery ofRSV for PCa treatment

Associazione adenocarcinoma polmonare ovino-maedi in polmoni ovini naturalmente infetti: topologia di Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus

L'Adenocarcinoma Polmonare Ovino (OPAC) o Adenomatosi Polmonare, è un tumore contagioso dei piccoli ruminanti a lento sviluppo e basso indice di metastatizzazione, il cui agente eziologico è un retrovirus tipo-D denominato Jaagsiekte Sheep Retrovirus (JSRV). Nel il 10% circa dei casi, la patologia risulta associata a pneumopatie interstiziali croniche causate da Maedi Visna Virus (MVV), lentivirus tipo-B responsabile anche di lesioni encefaliche, mammarie e articolari (1). L'esistenza e la qualità di eventuali sinergie fra i due virus è stata più volte sospettata ma non ha ancora trovato convincenti conferme sperimentali. Con l'obiettivo di verificare la distribuzione cellulare di JSRV in corso di OPAC associato a Maedi, abbiamo condotto prove ibridocitochimiche ed immunoistochimiche su polmoni ovini naturalmente infetti dai due virus e su controlli negativi e di reagente. Sono stati utilizzati a tal scopo: i) un protocollo di PCR-in situ specifico per DNA provirale di JSRV esogeno (Sanna et al, 2001); ii) un anticorpo policlonale sviluppato contro il major capsid antigen (MCA) di JSRV e gentilmente messo a disposizione dal Dr. Chris Cousens del Moredun Research Institute, Edinburgh (UK)

Il Seminoma nel cavallo. Studio retrospettivo ed esperienza clinica

Clinical, echographic and histopathological aspects of monolateral seminoma in a horse are reported. The subject showed reduced libido and abnormal spermatogram, the affected testicle was smaller compared with the controlateral and hypoechoic areas were present in the parenchima. Histological examination confirmed the presumptive diagnosis of seminoma

Eating Disorders: Assessment of Knowledge on a Dentist’s Sample

Aim: To analyze the knowledge and experience of dentists with private practices in the Sassari district with regard to eating disorders and clinical stomatology manifestations. Methods: A questionnaire to investigate dentists’ knowledge and experience was created and submitted to a random sample of dentists. Data were collected and analysed using the Stata SE 10 software. Results: In total, 150 dentists were enrolled (a representative sample). After questionnaire evaluation, the following results were obtained: 80.7% (121) of the participants had a degree in dentistry and 19.3% (29) had degrees in medicine with a dentistry master of science diploma, 46% (69) were males and 54% (81) were females, their age range was 25-62 (mean, 36.1) years, and the average work experience was 11.5 (range, 1-36) years. More than 90% of the participants defined eating disorders only as bulimia and anorexia. Of the dentists, 77.3% (116) correctly identified Western populations as the most affected, whereas 52.7% identified only whites as the most affected people. In total, 80% of the dentists recognised dental erosion and abrasion as typical oral manifestations. Only 62% stated that salivary pH decreases in these conditions, and 63% did not recognise parotid gland tumefaction as a clinical sign. Regarding operator experience, 60.7% (91 dentists) had clinical experience of patients with eating disorders: 43.9% of them had made diagnoses from oral manifestations, 51.3% (77) were not able to treat these patients, and 69.3% (104) would refer patients to specialized centres for treatment. Moreover, 119 (79.3%) considered that a dental hygienist was a valid collaborator for the treatment of oral cavity manifestations. Regarding prophylaxis, 16.7% (25) suggested fluoride prophylaxis and 21.3% (32) oral hygiene education. Only 1.3% indicated the use of bicarbonate to change salivary pH values, suggested conservative or prosthetic restorations, suggested the use of saliva substitutes, or the sealing of permanent teeth. Difficulties in clinically treating these patients were related to a lack of knowledge for 72% (108) of participants. Of them, 36.7% (55) had studied the clinical aspects of this pathology while attending dental school and 24.7% (37) after their degree. In total, 94.7% (142) expressed the need for further information and only 2% (3) considered they had sufficient clinical knowledge. Conclusions: It is evident that there is a lack of knowledge regarding the problem and there would seem to be an urgent need to provide more training programs and to establish guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of eating disorders among dentists. In our opinion, the acquisition of such knowledge will change the approach to related pathology, improving clinical skills, and subsequently diagnosis and treatment

Computer-based Assessment: Dual-task Outperforms Large-screen Cancellation Task in Detecting Contralesional Omissions

Objective: Traditionally, asymmetric spatial processing (i.e., hemispatial neglect) has been assessed with paper-and-pencil tasks, but growing evidence indicates that computer-based methods are a more sensitive assessment modality. It is not known, however, whether simply converting well-established paper-and-pencil methods into a digital format is the best option. The aim of the present study was to compare sensitivity in detecting contralesional omissions of two different computer-based methods: a “digitally converted” cancellation task was compared with a computer-based Visual and Auditory dual-tasking approach, which has already proved to be very sensitive. Methods: Participants included 40 patients with chronic unilateral stroke in either the right hemisphere (RH patients, N = 20) or the left hemisphere (LH patients, N = 20) and 20 age-matched healthy controls. The cancellation task was implemented on a very large format (173 cm × 277 cm) or in a smaller (A4) paper-and-pencil version. The computer-based dual-tasks were implemented on a 15′′ monitor and required the detection of unilateral and bilateral briefly presented lateralized targets. Results: Neither version of the cancellation task was able to show spatial bias in RH patients. In contrast, in the Visual dual-task RH patients missed significantly more left-sided targets than controls in both unilateral and bilateral trials. They also missed significantly more left-sided than right-sided targets only in the bilateral trials of the Auditory dual-task. Conclusion: The dual-task setting outperforms the cancellation task approach even when the latter is implemented on a (large) screen. Attentionally demanding methods are useful for revealing mild forms of contralesional visuospatial deficits.Peer reviewe

ClearPath-assisted underwater endoscopic mucosal resection of a laterally spreading tumor of the colon

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Laparoscopic management of isolated nodal recurrence in gynecological malignancies is safe and feasible even for large metastatic nodes up to 8 cm: A prospective case series

The surgical treatment of isolated lymph node recurrence (ILNR) of gynecological malignancies is still debated. The feasibility and effectiveness of minimally invasive lymphadenectomy have been reported by few studies; however, it remains unclear what the upper tumor size limit is for a minimally invasive approach. We prospectively analyzed cases of ILNR treated by laparoscopy in our unit while focusing on the safety and feasibility of resecting large tumors suspected of recurrence using a minimally invasive approach

Microencapsulation of <i>Bacillus thuringiensis</i> and insecticidal activity evaluation on larvae of lepidoptera

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is one of the bacterial entomopathogens most frequently studied as a toxin producer. Its insecticidal activity was attributed to the parasporal crystals formed during the stationary phase of its growth cycle, and released during sporulation. The efficacy of Bt is highly sensitive to the environmental conditions; when exposed to UV light, the insecticidal proteins undergoes to rapid degradation. Considerable research has attempted to improve Bt field persistence using ultraviolet absorbers, encapsulation and addition of clay granules to spray formulations. The aim of this study was to investigate different encapsulation processes in order to obtain the Bt-based formulations consisting of matrix-type microcapsules

A Wireless Charging System Applying Phase-Shift and Amplitude Control to Maximize Efficiency and Extractable Power

Wireless power transfer (WPT) is an emerging technology with an increasing number of potential applications to transfer power from a transmitter to a mobile receiver over a relatively large air gap. However, its widespread application is hampered due to the relatively low efficiency of current Wireless power transfer (WPT) systems. This study presents a concept to maximize the efficiency as well as to increase the amount of extractable power of a WPT system operating in nonresonant operation. The proposed method is based on actively modifying the equivalent secondary-side load impedance by controlling the phase-shift of the active rectifier and its output voltage level. The presented hardware prototype represents a complete wireless charging system, including a dc-dc converter which is used to charge a battery at the output of the system. Experimental results are shown for the proposed concept in comparison to a conventional synchronous rectification approach. The presented optimization method clearly outperforms state-of-the-art solutions in terms of efficiency and extractable power