Establishment of Cancer Stem Cell Cultures from Human Conventional Osteosarcoma

The current improvements in therapy against osteosarcoma (OS) have prolonged the lives of cancer patients, but the survival rate of five years remains poor when metastasis has occurred. The Cancer Stem Cell (CSC) theory holds that there is a subset of tumor cells within the tumor that have stem-like characteristics, including the capacity to maintain the tumor and to resist multidrug chemotherapy. Therefore, a better understanding of OS biology and pathogenesis is needed in order to advance the development of targeted therapies to eradicate this particular subset and to reduce morbidity and mortality among patients. Isolating CSCs, establishing cell cultures of CSCs, and studying their biology are important steps to improving our understanding of OS biology and pathogenesis. The establishment of human-derived OS-CSCs from biopsies of OS has been made possible using several methods, including the capacity to create 3-dimensional stem cell cultures under nonadherent conditions. Under these conditions, CSCs are able to create spherical floating colonies formed by daughter stem cells; these colonies are termed "cellular spheres". Here, we describe a method to establish CSC cultures from primary cell cultures of conventional OS obtained from OS biopsies. We clearly describe the several passages required to isolate and characterize CSCs

New Materials and Technologies for Durability and Conservation of Building Heritage

The increase in concrete structures’ durability is a milestone to improve the sustainability of buildings and infrastructures. In order to ensure a prolonged service life, it is necessary to detect the deterioration of materials by means of monitoring systems aimed at evaluating not only the penetration of aggressive substances into concrete but also the corrosion of carbon-steel reinforcement. Therefore, proper data collection makes it possible to plan suitable restoration works which can be carried out with traditional or innovative techniques and materials. This work focuses on building heritage and it highlights the most recent findings for the conservation and restoration of reinforced concrete structures and masonry buildings

Deposition of calcium phosphate coatings on AZ31 magnesium alloy.

No abstract availabl

Sintesi di idrossiapatite mediante microonde.

In questo lavoro è stata valutata la possibilità di ottenere idrossiapatite (HA) mediante sintesi a microonde. Per fare questo sono stati presi a riferimento due metodi idrotermali, in autoclave e a pressione ambiente. I prodotti sono stati valutati mediante diffrattometria a Raggi X, microscopia elettronica SEM e microsonda EDAX. I risultati hanno dimostrato che si ottiene HA con le stesse caratteristiche di quella prodotta con i metodi tradizionali in tempi significativamente minori, soltanto 4 o 6 ore

Daylight methyl-aminolevulinate photodynamic therapy versus ingenol mebutate for the treatment of actinic keratoses : an intraindividual comparative analysis

Daylight-photodynamic therapy (D-PDT) and ingenol mebutate (IM) are novel therapies directed to actinic keratoses (AK). The purpose of our study was to compare effectiveness, tolerability, cosmetic outcome and patient preference of D-PDT versus IM in the treatment of grade I and II AK. Twenty-seven patients with AK on the face or scalp were enrolled. Each patient received, in a 25 cm2 target area, D-PDT on right side and IM on left side. Overall 323 AK were treated. Both target areas achieved complete response in 40.47% of the cases and average AK clearance rate was similar for D-PDT and IM (p=0.74). In D-PDT areas mean grade II AK clearance rate was lower compared with that of grade I AK (p=0.015). In IM areas grade I and II AK average clearance rates were similar (p=0.28). At week 1 and month 1, mean local skin responses (LSR) score were higher in areas treated with IM. IM areas showed more severe pain and cosmetic sequelae. D-PDT had similar effectiveness to IM, even if IM demonstrated higher grade II AK clearance rate. Tolerability profile was superior for D-PDT in terms of LSR and pain. D-PDT was more cosmetically acceptable. Patients preferred D-PDT to IM in most cases

INFLUENCE OF IRRADIATION EXPOSURE TIME ON THE DEPTH CURE OF RESTORATIVE RESIN COMPOSITE.

A study was conducted to evaluate the degree of conversion by the hardness measurements of a commercial resin composite. The specimens were prepared according to ISO 4049 and photo-activated for 20s – 40s – 60s with a light-emitting diodes (LEDs). To establish the optimal increment technique mono-layers 1 mm and 2 mm thick were tested. The ratio bottom-to-top was assessed for the mono-layers groups. Vickers hardness profiles were measured for mono-layer, bi-layer and tri-layer along the cross-section. The microhardness map showed difference in the mechanical characteristic of overlying resin confirmed by SEM images analysis of the fracture mechanics. Curing effectiveness of resin composite is not only dependent on the curing light unit but also from thickness of the resin composite and the duration of the exposure. The data suggest that an exposure time of 40 s or higher is required to provide composites with a homogeneous and high hardness, moreover, a 1 mm buildup multi-layering technique results in adequate curing of the bottom layer and better mechanical properties

Performances evaluation of a bis-GMA resin based composite for dental restoration.

The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the mechanical properties of a commercial Bis-GMA resin loaded with filler particles including Ba-Al-F-silicate glass (size 0.02-2.00 μm) and dispersed colloidal silica (size 0.02 to 0.07 μm). The study was conducted through the preparation of samples with thickness of 1.5 mm, length of 25 mm and width of 4.7 mm. Each samples of the resin composite was irradiated with the standard 20s polymerization mode using a LED lamp. The experimental results of the flexural test and micro-hardness test evidenced that the layering technique influences the mechanical performances of the resin-based composite. Particularly, the samples evidence a sandwich structure with a core and two external skins characterized by different hardness and stiffness