Histopathological determinants of autofluorescence patterns in oral carcinoma

Biological tissues (including oral mucosa) can absorb and re-emit specific light wavelengths, detectable through spectrophotometric devices. Such a phenomenon is known as \u201cautofluorescence\u201d (AF). Several devices evaluating tissue AF have been developed and commercialized in the last two decades. Among these, the VELscope\uae system has been proposed as a visual diagnostic aid for potentially malignant disorders and malignant lesions of the oral mucosa. In the present pilot study, we investigated which are the main histopathological features possibly related to variations in AF patterns in a set of 20 oral squamous cell verrucous carcinoma. Among all the histological features investigated, only the mean width of keratin was significantly different between hypofluorescent and hyperfluorescent carcinomas. The results of the present study demonstrate that AF features of oral malignant lesions are significantly associated with the width of their keratin layer

Cutting edge: extracellular high mobility group box-1 protein is a proangiogenic cytokine.

The chromosomal high mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) protein acts as a proinflammatory cytokine when released in the extracellular environment by necrotic and inflammatory cells. In the present study, we show that HMGB1 exerts proangiogenic effects by inducing MAPK ERK1/2 activation, cell proliferation, and chemotaxis in endothelial cells of different origin. Accordingly, HMGB1 stimulates membrane ruffling and repair of a mechanically wounded endothelial cell monolayer and causes endothelial cell sprouting in a three-dimensional fibrin gel. In keeping with its in vitro properties, HMGB1 stimulates neovascularization when applied in vivo on the top of the chicken embryo chorioallantoic membrane whose blood vessels express the HMGB1 receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE). Accordingly, RAGE blockade by neutralizing Abs inhibits HMGB1-induced neovascularization in vivo and endothelial cell proliferation and membrane ruffling in vitro. Taken together, the data identify HMGB1/RAGE interaction as a potent proangiogenic stimulus

Cognitive reserve index and functional and cognitive outcomes in severe acquired brain injury: A pilot study

Background: Many variables affect outcome after brain injury. Cognitive reserve (CR) is a subjective factor that reflects a set of personal characteristics and that differentiates individuals. It may influence an individual’s capacity to react to brain injury. Objective: To study the effects of cognitive reserve on functional and cognitive outcome at the end of rehabilitation, in patients with severe acquired brain injury (sABI), by means of the Cognitive Reserve Index questionnaire (CRIq). Methods: We report a retrospective study of a continuous series of sABI patients on first admission to a rehabilitation center. Disability and cognitive outcomes were recorded. Results: In the 94 patients enrolled, the assessments after rehabilitation showed a significant gain measured with the disability Rating Scale for patients with a higher CR (CRIq≥ 85). A significant negative correlation was found: between CRIq scores and the interval elapsing before first access to neuropsychological assessment, between CRIq scores, especially level of education, and tests that measure the same domain (attention). Conclusions: Improvements in overall and cognitive disability emerged, but CR did not seem to substantially influence outcome in this sample of patients. This result may be partly due to the clinical severity of the population studied and the sample’s dimension, although quantitatively representative of the population

Nomophobia in healthcare: an observational study between nurses and students

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The abuse of technical devices can be considered a form of addiction that is defined in current literature as Nomophobia. The phenomenon appears to be quite widespread among nurses and nursing students, and nomophobic behaviours of professionals can lead to a reduction in the quality of the care provided. The aim of this study is to investigate the situation in a University and in a hospital in northern Italy and evaluate the levels of nomophobia among nurses and students. METHODS: An observational study was conducted with a questionnaire using a sample of nursing students and nurses.  Both of the studies had the common goal of investigating the levels of nomophobia and   evaluate the comparison between the two groups. RESULTS: In general, neither nurses nor students seem to demonstrate nomophobia's critical levels. The comparison of the daily use of the smartphone between nurses and students shows that the frequent use of students is balanced by the nurses' daily trend line that progressively decreases. Both nurses and students affirm to use their smartphones at work with a certain frequency although, especially among the students, it is usually for appropriate and justified reasons. CONCLUSIONS: It is necessary to consider the development of an educational project that regulates the use of smartphones, explaining the meaning of nomophobia, right from the first year of the University experience so as to correctly address the students'  (and future professionals') behaviours  to make them aware of the misuse of mobile phones, especially in the clinical setting that can easily cause distractions and consequently irreversible  errors

Synchronous and metachronous colorectal liver metastases: Impact of primary tumor location on patterns of recurrence and survival after hepatic resection

Background: Considerable differences in terms of prognosis exist between the right-sided (RCC) and the left-sided colon cancer (LCC). Aim of the work: In this study, we evaluated prognostic implications of primary tumor location (PTL) among patients who underwent curative-intent hepatectomy for synchronous (SM) and metachronous (MM) colorectal liver metastases (CRLM). Methods: The study population included all consecutive patients affected by CRLM scheduled for first liver resection at three Italian oncological centers. Results: A total of 204 patients who underwent CRLM resection were included, 50% with RCC. Synchronous lesions were prevalent (n=133, 65%). Median OS was respectively 40.3 months for SM-RCC, 53.5 months for SM-LCC, 64.5 months for MM-RCC and 81.6 months for MM-LCC. Patients with MM-LCC showed an OS better than patients with SM-RCC (p=0.008) and SM-LCC (p=0.002). PTL had no influence on RFS. RCC group had less recurrences (75% vs 86.5%), though further surgery with curative-intent was possible more in LCC group (29.3% vs 32.5%). Cox proportional hazards model analysis showed that age and the presence of SM vs MM was associated with a significantly higher hazard ratio (HR) for death (HR=1.024; 95%CI=1.005-1.043; p=0.011 and HR=2.010; 95%CI=1.328-3.043; p=0.001, respectively). Conclusions: We confirmed that patients with CRLM and right-sided primary colon cancer experience worse survival after hepatic resection. The timing of metastasis has been revealed as important prognostic factor

High levels of Notch intracellular cleaved domain are associated with stemness and reduced bevacizumab efficacy in patients with advanced colon cancer

δ-like ligand 4 (DLL4)-Notch signaling is associated with tumor resistance to anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy. Furthermore, Notch signaling is critical for the maintenance of colon cancer stem cells (CSCs), which are relevant in drug resistance and tumor angiogenesis. CD44 is a transmembrane glycoprotein and is considered a putative marker of CSCs. To assess the association of Notch intracellular cleaved domain (NICD), DLL4 and CD44 expression with the efficacy of anti‑angiogenic drugs, a series of samples derived from patients with advanced colon cancer enrolled in prospective clinical trials were analyzed. Histological samples from 51 primary tumors that originated from patients treated with bevacizumab‑based first‑line chemotherapy were analyzed by immunohistochemistry for NICD, DLL4 and CD44 expression, and CD31 for microvessel count. The expression levels of genes relevant for angiogenesis [angiopoietin (ANGPT)1, ANGPT2, fibroblast growth factor (FGF)1, FGF2, epidermal growth factor, placental growth factor, VEGFA and DLL4] were detected by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR using RNA extracte

Heterodimer of A2A and Oxytocin Receptors Regulating Glutamate Release in Adult Striatal Astrocytes

Background: Roles of astrocytes in the modulatory effects of oxytocin (OT) in central nervous system are increasingly considered. Nevertheless, OT effects on gliotransmitter release have been neglected. Methods: In purified astrocyte processes from adult rat striatum, we assessed OT receptor (OTR) and adenosine A2A receptor expression by confocal analysis. The effects of receptors activation on glutamate release from the processes were evaluated; A2A-OTR heteromerization was assessed by co-immunoprecipitation and PLA. Structure of the possible heterodimer of A2A and OT receptors was estimated by a bioinformatic approach. Results: Both A2A and OT receptors were expressed on the same astrocyte processes. Evidence for A2A-OTR receptor-receptor interaction was obtained by measuring the release of glutamate: OT inhibited the evoked glutamate release, while activation of A2A receptors, per se ineffective, abolished the OT effect. Biochemical and bio-physical evidence for A2A-OTR heterodimers on striatal astrocytes was also obtained. The residues in the transmembrane domains 4 and 5 of both receptors are predicted to be mainly involved in the heteromerization. Conclusions: When considering effects of OT in striatum, modulation of glutamate release from the astrocyte processes and of glutamatergic synapse functioning, and the interaction with A2A receptors on the astrocyte processes should be taken into consideration

The Bloom's syndrome helicase (BLM) interacts physically and functionally with p12, the smallest subunit of human DNA polymerase δ

Bloom's syndrome (BS) is a cancer predisposition disorder caused by mutation of the BLM gene, encoding a member of the RecQ helicase family. Although the phenotype of BS cells is suggestive of a role for BLM in repair of stalled or damaged replication forks, thus far there has been no direct evidence that BLM associates with any of the three human replicative DNA polymerases. Here, we show that BLM interacts specifically in vitro and in vivo with p12, the smallest subunit of human POL δ (hPOL δ). The hPOL δ enzyme, as well as the isolated p12 subunit, stimulates the DNA helicase activity of BLM. Conversely, BLM stimulates hPOL δ strand displacement activity. Our results provide the first functional link between BLM and the replicative machinery in human cells, and suggest that BLM might be recruited to sites of disrupted replication through an interaction with hPOL δ. Finally, our data also define a novel role for the poorly characterized p12 subunit of hPOL δ

EVALUATION OF WOOD WASTE OF ONE SAWMILL TO KRAFT PULP PRODUCTION

As ind\ufastrias de base florestal apresentam baixo rendimento e geram grande quantidade de res\uedduos, especialmente as ind\ufastrias de transforma\ue7\ue3o prim\ue1ria como, por exemplo, as serrarias. No Brasil, est\ue3o sendo criadas iniciativas para aliar a utiliza\ue7\ue3o desses res\uedduos \ue0 produ\ue7\ue3o de celulose. Dentro deste prop\uf3sito, o presente trabalho teve como objetivos avaliar o rendimento de uma serraria de m\ue9dio porte localizada no munic\uedpio de Rio Grande, RS, e promover an\ue1lises f\uedsico-qu\uedmicas dos res\uedduos gerados na etapa de desdobro. Foram utilizadas 20 toras de Pinus elliottii , divididas em duas classes diam\ue9tricas. Os res\uedduos, com exce\ue7\ue3o da serragem, coletados para an\ue1lises, encontravam-se dispostos no p\ue1tio da empresa, na forma de cavacos. As seguintes propriedades f\uedsico-qu\uedmicas dos cavacos foram analisadas: densidade b\ue1sica, teor de extrativos sol\ufavel em acetona, grupos acetilas, lignina sol\ufavel e insol\ufavel em \ue1cido (lignina Klason), grupos ur\uf4nicos e carboidratos. Como principais resultados verificou-se um ligeiro aumento do rendimento em madeira serrada das madeiras de maiores di\ue2metros em rela\ue7\ue3o \ue0s de menores di\ue2metros. Das an\ue1lises f\uedsico-qu\uedmicas foram obtidos os seguintes resultados: densidade b\ue1sica de 0,402 g/cm\ub3, teor de celulose de 37,42% e de 24,37% para hemiceluloses, lignina Klason de 26,75% e teor de extrativos de 3,80%. Concluiu-se, nesse estudo, que o baixo rendimento da serraria foi devido \ue0 falta de uma classifica\ue7\ue3o diam\ue9trica e diagramas de cortes apropriados para as toras, o que resulta em maior perda de madeira na forma de res\uedduos. Em rela\ue7\ue3o \ue0s caracter\uedsticas qu\uedmica e f\uedsica dos res\uedduos madeireiros, os resultados mostraram-se dentro dos padr\uf5es de qualidade da madeira utilizada para a produ\ue7\ue3o de celulose kraft de fibra longa e, em algumas situa\ue7\uf5es, apresentando vantagens em rela\ue7\ue3o \ue0s madeiras mais jovens usualmente utilizadas pela ind\ufastria.The forest-based industries have low yield and generate large amounts of waste, especially the primary processing industries, such as sawmills. In Brazil, initiatives are being created to combine the use of sawmill residues to pulp production. With this in mind, this study aimed to evaluate the performance of a medium-sized sawmill in the city of Rio Grande, in Rio Grande do Sul state, and to promote physical and chemical analysis of waste wood generated in the sawing process. It was used 20 logs of Pinus elliottii , divided into two diameter classes. The residues, except the sawdust, collected for analysis were disposed in the courtyard of the company in the form of chips. The following physical and chemical properties of the chips were examined: density, extractives content soluble in acetone, acetyl groups, soluble and insoluble lignin on acid (Klason lignin), uronic groups and carbohydrates. Comparing the results of the wood properties to the ones found in literature, it was evaluated the quantity and quality of waste that can be used as feedstock for the production of kraft pulp. As the main results there was a slight increase of sawing yields in the larger diameters logs compared to the smaller diameters. From the physical and chemical analyses, it was obtained the following results: density of 0.402 g / cm \ub3, cellulose content of 43.67% and 24.37% for hemicellulose, klason lignin of 26.75% and 3,80% for extractives content. As conclusion, the low sawing yield can be associated to the lack of a classification diametric and appropriate diagrams sections, resulting in a greater loss in the form of waste. Regarding the chemical and physical composition of the sawmill residues, the results were within the standards of quality wood used for kraft pulp of softwood material, presenting some advantages over younger woods commonly used in industry