Central Serous Chorioretinopathy Mistaken for Tuberculous Choroiditis

Purpose: To report a patient erroneously diagnosed with tuberculous choroiditis who was accordingly treated with long term steroids which in turn, worsened the actual disease process that turned out to be central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC). Case Report: A 59-year-old Caucasian man developed a chorioretinal disease in his right eye in 1997. Having a positive tuberculin skin test, tuberculous chorioretinitis was suspected and antituberculous therapy was administered for 4 months. In 2005, visual symptoms in the same eye recurred and despite negative interferon gamma release assay, tuberculous choroiditis was considered as the diagnosis and the patient further received massive corticosteroid therapy along with antituberculous agents. Despite a deteriorating clinical picture, therapy was continued. Upon initial examination at our center, no sign of inflammation was observed and a diagnosis of CSC was made, consequently steroid therapy was terminated. Conclusion: In some chorioretinopathies, it is difficult to differentiate inflammatory from non-inflammatory causes. One should observe the course of the disease and question the initial diagnosis when no improvement or deterioration occurs despite therapy

Myopia and Inflammation

The correlation between myopia and intraocular inflammation has rarely been explored. The aim of this article is to review myopic changes induced by inflammatory diseases and inflammatory diseases related to myopia, followed by a discussion on inflammatory choroidal neovascularization. Clinical cases are used to illustrate these conditions. The review does not include inflammatory conditions caused by surgical interventions employed for treatment of myopia. Uveitic conditions that can induce a myopic shift include sclero-choroidal inflammation, lens induced myopia due to steroid cataracts, juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) induced myopia, and transient drug induced myopia due to sulfonamides and acetazolamide used for treatment of ocular toxoplasmosis and inflammatory cystoid macular edema, respectively. Most inflammatory conditions related to myopia are conditions involving the choriocapillaris. These include multifocal choroiditis and/or punctate inner choroiditis, multiple evanescent white dot syndrome and acute idiopathic blind spot enlargement. It can be hypothesized that fragility of the choriocapillaris due to particular anatomic changes due to myopia, together with unknown immunogenetic factors predispose myopic eyes to primary inflammatory choriocapillaropathies

Harvest year effects on Apulian EVOOs evaluated by (1)H NMR based metabolomics

none5noNine hundred extra virgin olive oils (EVOO) were extracted from individual olive trees of four olive cultivars (Coratina, Cima di Mola, Ogliarola, Peranzana), originating from the provinces of Bari and Foggia (Apulia region, Southern Italy) and collected during two consecutive harvesting seasons (2013/14 and 2014/15). Following genetic identification of individual olive trees, a detailed Apulian EVOO NMR database was built using 900 oils samples obtained from 900 cultivar certified single trees. A study on the olive oil lipid profile was carried out by statistical multivariate analysis (Principal Component Analysis, PCA, Partial Least-Squares Discriminant Analysis, PLS-DA, Orthogonal Partial Least-Squares Discriminant Analysis, OPLS-DA). Influence of cultivar and weather conditions, such as the summer rainfall, on the oil metabolic profile have been evaluated. Mahalanobis distances and J2 criterion have been measured to assess the quality of resulting scores clusters for each cultivar in the two harvesting campaigns. The four studied cultivars showed non homogeneous behavior. Notwithstanding the geographical spread and the wide number of samples, Coratina showed a consistent behavior of its metabolic profile in the two considered harvests. Among the other three Peranzana showed the second more consistent behavior, while Cima di Mola and Ogliarola having the biggest change over the two years.Girelli, Chiara R; Del Coco, Laura; Papadia, Paride; De Pascali, Sandra A; Fanizzi, Francesco PGirelli, CHIARA ROBERTA; DEL COCO, Laura; Papadia, Paride; DE PASCALI, SANDRA ANGELICA; Fanizzi, Francesco Paol

CaCO3 as an environmentally friendly renewable material for drug delivery systems: Uptake of HSA-CaCO3 nanocrystals conjugates in cancer cell lines

Chemical and biochemical functionalization of nanoparticles (NPs) can lead to an active cellular uptake enhancing their efficacy thanks to the targeted localization in tumors. In the present study calcium carbonate nano-crystals (CCNs), stabilized by an alcohol dehydration method, were successfully modified by grafting human serum albumin (HSA) on the surface to obtain a pure protein corona. Two types of CCNs were used: naked CaCO3 and the (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) modified CaCO3-NH2. The HSA conjugation with naked CCN and amino-functionalized CCN (CCN-NH2) was established through the investigation of modification in size, zeta potential, and morphology by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The amount of HSA coating on the CCNs surface was assessed by spectrophotometry. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) confirmed the grafting of APTES to the surface and successive adsorption of HSA. Furthermore, to evaluate the effect of protein complexation of CCNs on cellular behavior, bioavailability, and biological responses, three human model cancer cell lines, breast cancer (MCF7), cervical cancer (HeLa), and colon carcinoma (Caco-2) were selected to characterize the internalization kinetics, localization, and bio-interaction of the protein-enclosed CCNs. To monitor internalization of the various conjugates, chemical modification with fluorescein-isothiocyanate (FITC) was performed, and their stability over time was measured. Confocal microscopy was used to probe the uptake and confirm localization in the perinuclear region of the cancer cells. Flow cytometry assays confirmed that the bio-functionalization influence cellular uptake and the CCNs behavior depends on both cell line and surface features

New oxaliplatin-pyrophosphato analogs with improved in vitro cytotoxicity

Two new Pt(II)-pyrophosphato complexes containing the carrier ligands cis-1,3- diaminocyclohexane (cis-1,3-DACH) and trans-1,2-diamine-4-cyclohexene (1,2-DACHEX), variants of the 1R,2R-diaminocyclohexane ligand present in the clinically used Pt-drug oxaliplatin, have been synthesized with the aim of developing new potential antitumor drugs with high bone tropism. The complexes are more stable at physiological pH than in acid conditions, with Na2[Pt(pyrophosphato)(cis-1,3-DACH)] (1) slightly more stable than Pt(dihydrogenpyrophosphato)(1,2-DACHEX)] (2). The greater reactivity at acidic pH ensures a greater efficacy at the tumor site. Preliminary NMR studies indicate that 1 and 2 react slowly with 5’-GMP (used as a model of nucleic acids), releasing the pyrophosphate ligand and affording the bis 5’-GMP adduct. In vitro cytotoxicity assays performed against a panel of four human cancer cell lines have shown that both compounds are more active than oxaliplatin. Flow cytometry studies on HCT116 cells showed that the pyrophosphato compounds with the non-classical 1,3- and 1,4- diaminocyclohexane ligands (1 and 4) are the most capable to induce cells’ death by apoptosis and necrosis

Platinum(IV) complexes of trans-1,2-diamino-4-cyclohexene: Prodrugs affording an oxaliplatin analogue that overcomes cancer resistance

Six platinum(IV) compounds derived from an oxaliplatin analogue containing the unsaturated cyclic diamine trans-1,2-diamino-4-cyclohexene (DACHEX), in place of the 1,2-diaminocyclohexane, and a range of axial ligands, were synthesized and characterized. The derivatives with at least one axial chlorido ligand demonstrated solvent-assisted photoreduction. The electrochemical redox behavior was investigated by cyclic voltammetry; all compounds showed reduction potentials suitable for activation in vivo. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) data indicated an X-ray-induced surface reduction of the Pt(IV) substrates, which correlates with the reduction potentials measured by cyclic voltammetry. The cytotoxic activity was assessed in vitro on a panel of human cancer cell lines, also including oxaliplatin-resistant cancer cells, and compared with that of the reference compounds cisplatin and oxaliplatin; all IC50 values were remarkably lower than those elicited by cisplatin and somewhat lower than those of oxaliplatin. Compared to the other Pt(IV) compounds of the series, the bis-benzoate derivative was by far (5–8 times) the most cytotoxic showing that low reduction potential and high lipophilicity are essential for good cytotoxicity. Interestingly, all the complexes proved to be more active than cisplatin and oxaliplatin even in three-dimensional spheroids of A431 human cervical cancer cells

Enhanced Bioactivity of Pomegranate Peel Extract following Controlled Release from CaCO3 Nanocrystals

none9Pomegranate peel extract is rich of interesting bioactive chemicals, principally phenolic compounds, which have shown antimicrobial, anticancer, and antioxidative properties. The aim of this work was to improve extract’ bioactivity through the adsorption on calcium carbonate nanocrystals. Nanocrystals revealed as efficient tools for extract adsorption reaching 50% of loading efficiency. Controlled release of the contained metabolites under acidic pH has been found, as it was confirmed by quantitative assay and qualitative study through NMR analysis. Specific functionality of inorganic nanocarriers could be also tuned by biopolymeric coating. The resulting coated nanoformulations showed a great antimicrobial activity against B. cinerea fungus preventing strawberries disease better than a commercial fungicide. Furthermore, nanoformulations demonstrated a good antiproliferative activity in neuroblastoma and breast cancer cells carrying out a higher cytotoxic effect respect to free extract, confirming a crucial role of nanocarriers. Finally, pomegranate peel extract showed a very high radical scavenging ability, equal to ascorbic acid. Antioxidant activity, measured also in intracellular environment, highlighted a protective action of extract-adsorbed nanocrystals twice than free extract, providing a possible application for new nutraceutical formulations.Regione Puglia, Project Research for Innovation (REFIN) “Sintesi di un sistema teranostico a base di nano-cellulosa per la detection e la cura dei tumori” Ministero dello Sviluppo Economico, bando “AGRIFOOD” D.M. 5 marzo 2018 Capo III. Prog. N. F/200060/01-03/X45 PERSEFONE - Punica granatum e Nanotecnologie: una value chain per la valorizzazione degli scarti e sottoprodotti finalizzata alla produzione di integratori alimentari e compost. PON Ricerca e Innovazione 2014-2020 - Avviso per la presentazione di progetti dei Ricerca Industriale e Sviluppo Sperimentale nelle 12 aree di specializzazione individuate dal PNR 2015 – 2020, di cui al Decreto Direttoriale MIUR del 13 luglio 2017, n. 1735 NanotEcnologie chiMiche green per la protEzione Sostenibile delle pIante (NEMESI) ARS01_01002 Area di Specializzazione “Chimica Verde” CUP: F36C18000180005, Ministero dell'Università e Ricerca. “Olivicoltura e difesa da Xylella fastidiosa e da insetti vettori in Italia - (Oli.Di.X.I.It)”, prot. Mipaaf n.0011485 del 05/04/2017 Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies.openFrancesca Baldassarre; Viviana Vergaro; Federica De Castro; Francesca Biondo; Gian Paolo Suranna; Paride Papadia; Francesco P. Fanizzi; Domenico Rongai; Giuseppe CiccarellaBaldassarre, Francesca; Vergaro, Viviana; DE CASTRO, Federica; Biondo, Francesca; Suranna, Gian Paolo; Papadia, Paride; Fanizzi, Francesco P.; Rongai, Domenico; Ciccarella, Giusepp

Structure and Vibrations of the Vicinal Copper (211) Surface

We report a first principles theoretical study of the surface relaxation and lattice dynamics of the Cu(211) surface using the plane wave pseudopotential method. We find large atomic relaxations for the first several atomic layers near the step edges on this surface, and a substantial step-induced renormalization of the surface harmonic force constants. We use the results to study the harmonic fluctuations around the equilibrium structure and find three new step-derived features in the zone center vibrational spectrum. Comparison of these results with previous theoretical work and weith experimental studies using inelastic He scattering are reported.Comment: 6 Pages RevTex, 7 Figures in Postscrip

Image resonance in the many-body density of states at a metal surface

The electronic properties of a semi-infinite metal surface without a bulk gap are studied by a formalism that is able to account for the continuous spectrum of the system. The density of states at the surface is calculated within the GW approximation of many-body perturbation theory. We demonstrate the presence of an unoccupied surface resonance peaked at the position of the first image state. The resonance encompasses the whole Rydberg series of image states and cannot be resolved into individual peaks. Its origin is the shift in spectral weight when many-body correlation effects are taken into account

preoperative c reactive protein and thrombocyte count as potential markers for longterm survival in ovarian cancer

n/