Monocyte subsets, stanford-A acute aortic dissection, and carotid srtery stenosis. new evidences

Monocytes are a heterogeneous cell population distinguished into three subsets with distinctive phenotypic and functional properties: "classical" (CD14++CD16-), "intermediate" (CD14++CD16+), and "nonclassical" (CD14+CD16++). Monocyte subsets play a pivotal role in many inflammatory systemic diseases including atherosclerosis (ATS). Only a low number of studies evaluated monocyte behavior in patients affected by cardiovascular diseases, and data about their role in acute aortic dissection (AAD) are lacking. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate CD14++CD16-, CD14++CD16+, and CD14+CD16++ cells in patients with Stanford-A AAD and in patients with carotid artery stenosis (CAS). Methods. 20 patients with carotid artery stenosis (CAS group), 17 patients with Stanford-A AAD (AAD group), and 17 subjects with traditional cardiovascular risk factors (RF group) were enrolled. Monocyte subset frequency was determined by flow cytometry. Results. Classical monocytes were significantly increased in the AAD group versus CAS and RF groups, whereas intermediate monocytes were significantly decreased in the AAD group versus CAS and RF groups. Conclusions. Results of this study identify in AAD patients a peculiar monocyte array that can partly explain depletion of T CD4+ lymphocyte subpopulations observed in patients affected by AAD.Monocytes are a heterogeneous cell population distinguished into three subsets with distinctive phenotypic and functional properties: classical (CD14++CD16-), intermediate (CD14++CD16+), and nonclassical (CD14+CD16++). Monocyte subsets play a pivotal role in many inflammatory systemic diseases including atherosclerosis (ATS). Only a low number of studies evaluated monocyte behavior in patients affected by cardiovascular diseases, and data about their role in acute aortic dissection (AAD) are lacking. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate CD14++CD16-, CD14++CD16+, and CD14+CD16++ cells in patients with Stanford-A AAD and in patients with carotid artery stenosis (CAS). Methods. 20 patients with carotid artery stenosis (CAS group), 17 patients with Stanford-A AAD (AAD group), and 17 subjects with traditional cardiovascular risk factors (RF group) were enrolled. Monocyte subset frequency was determined by flow cytometry. Results. Classical monocytes were significantly increased in the AAD group versus CAS and RF groups, whereas intermediate monocytes were significantly decreased in the AAD group versus CAS and RF groups. Conclusions. Results of this study identify in AAD patients a peculiar monocyte array that can partly explain depletion of T CD4+ lymphocyte subpopulations observed in patients affected by AAD

Talking about Probability, Inference and Decisions. Part 1: The Witches of Bayes

In October 2017 the Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT), Italy's body for official statistics, has published the book of fairy tales Le streghe di Bayes (The witches of Bayes) written by ISTAT staff members with the commendable aim of introducing statistical and probabilistic reasoning to children. In this paper the fairy tale which gives the name to the book is analyzed in a dialog between three teachers with different background and expertise. The outcomes are definitively discouraging, especially when the story is compared to the appendix of the book, in which the teaching power of every story is indeed explained (as a matter of fact, without the appendix the fairy tale of the witches seemed to be written with the purpose of make the 'Bayesians', meant as the villagers from 'Bayes', ridiculous). In fact the fairy tale of the witches does not contain any Bayesian reasoning, the suggested decision strategy is simply wrong and the story does not even seem to be easily modifiable (besides the trivial correction of the decision strategy) in order to make it usable as a teaching tool. As it happens in real dialogues, besides the fairy tale in question, the dialogue touches several issues somehow related to the story and concerning probability, inference, prediction and decision making. The present paper is an indirect response to the invitation by the ISBA bulletin to comment on the fairy tale.Comment: 48 pages, 14 figures, in Italian, be published in Progetto Alice, Rivista di matematica e didattic

Interaction of Environmental B. Cenocepacia Strains with Cystic Fibrosis and Non-Cystic Fibrosis Bronchial Epithelial Cells in Vitro.

Burkholderia cenocepacia is an important human pathogen in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Non-clinical reservoirs may play a role in the acquisition of infections, so it is important to evaluate the pathogenic potential of environmental B. cenocepacia isolates. In this study, we investigated the interactions of two environmental B. cenocepacia strains (Mex1 and MCII-168) with two bronchial epithelial cell lines,16HBE14o- and CFBE41o-, which have a non-CF and a CF phenotype, respectively. The environmental strains showed a significantly lower level of invasion into both CF- and non-CF cells in comparison with the clinical B. cenocepacia LMG16656T strain. Exposure of polarized CFBE41o- or 16HBE14o- cells to the environmental strains resulted in a significant reduction in transepithelial resistance (TER), comparable to that observed following exposure to the clinical strain. A different mechanism of tight junction disruption in CF versus non-CF epithelia was found. In the 16HBE41o- cells, the environmental strains resulted in a drop in TER without any apparent effect on tight junction proteins such as zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1). In contrast, in CF cells, the amount of ZO-1 and its localization were clearly altered by the presence of both the environmental strains, comparable to the effect of LMG16656. This study demonstrates that even if the environmental strains are significantly less invasive than the clinical strain, they have an effect on epithelial integrity comparable to that of the clinical strain. Finally, the tight junction regulatory protein ZO-1 appears to be more susceptible to the presence of environmental strains in CF cells than in the cells which express functional CFTR

Expression of miRNA-33 and miRNA-155 in symptomatic and asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate miRNA-33 and miRNA-155 expression in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMC) and carotid specimens of patients affected by Critical Carotid Artery stenosis (CAS). Material and Methods: We selected 17 asymptomatic (CAS-A group) and 10 symptomatic (CAS-S group) patients with CAS. Ten patients with traditional cardiovascular risk factors (RF group), matched for age and sex, were used as control group. Results: A significant increase in miRNA-33 expression was observed both in peripheral blood and in carotid specimens of CAS-A patients (p 0.04) in comparison with CAS-S and RF, whereas no significant difference were found among the groups regarding miRNA-155 expression both in peripheral blood and in carotid specimens. Conclusions: This is to our knowledge the first report on miRNAs expression in human PBMCs from CAS patients. Results of this study suggest that miRNA-33 in involved in the process underling plaque formation and growth, but not is plaque instability and ischemic brain damage, whereas miRNA-155 is expressed during all the phases of atherosclerotic disease

MMP-12 and Macrophage Activation in Acute Aortic Dissection

[No abstract available

MMP-12 and TIMP Behavior in Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Critical Carotid Artery Stenosis

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the levels of matrix metalloproteinase-12 (MMP-12) and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMP)-1, TIMP-2, TIMP3, and TIMP-4 in patients with symptomatic and asymptomatic critical carotid artery stenosis (CAS). Methods: We enrolled 10 patients affected by symptomatic CAS within 12 hours from onset of stroke (S group) and 30 patients with asymptomatic CAS (CAS group); 31 patients matched for age, sex, and traditional cardiovascular risk factors were used as controls (RF group). Serum levels of MMP-12, TIMP-1, TIMP-2, TIMP-3, and TIMP-4 were assessed by Luminex. Results: MMP-12 levels were significantly higher both in the S and CAS groups than in the RF group (P <.001). We found a significant decrease of all TIMPs in the CAS group compared with the RF group, whereas a significant increase was observed in the S group compared with the CAS group. A significant increase of TIMP-3 and TIMP-4 levels was observed in the S group compared with all other groups. Conclusion: MMP-12 is related to critical CAS both symptomatic and asymptomatic, being mainly released in the late stage of plaque development. Moreover, we suggest that a specific pattern of matrix degrading enzyme inhibitors arises during the early phases of stroke

Antiphospholipid antibodies and idiopathic infertility

Objective: The aim of our study was to evaluate obstetric outcome of women affected by idiopathic infertility showing persistently positive antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL). Methods: : From 2000 consecutive patients undergoing ART, we selected 151 (7.55%) clinical records of patients affected by idiopathic infertility undergoing ICSI and showing positive aPL. Results: Persistently positive aPL were found in 64/151 (42.38%) of the patients: in 34/64 (53.12%) at medium/high titers (group A) and in 30/64 (46.87%) at low titers (group B). Primary or secondary antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) was diagnosed in 25% of the patients, whereas 37.5% women showed clinical and/or laboratory features suggestive of APS, but not fulfilling clinical or laboratory classification criteria. Idiopathic infertility was the sole symptom in 31.25%. In 55% of these infertile patients, a history of recurrent failures of assisted reproductive techniques (ART) was also observed. Eightyeight percent (88.88%) of women became pregnant and 77.77% gave birth. During pregnancy, an increase of aPL values was observed in 29.41% women of group B. Conclusions: A careful selection of patients allowed us to confirm that women affected by idiopathic infertility show a high prevalence of aPL, suggesting that these autoantibodies can also affect conception. Considering pregnancy complications and thrombotic risk related to ovarian stimulation, measuring aPL can represent a valid tool to identify among infertile women undergoing ART those at higher risk of pregnancy complications potentially life-threatening for mother and the fetus. In such patients, an accurate diagnosis and an adequate therapy are related to a better ART outcome