Adhesion, mobility and aggregation of nanoclusters at surfaces: Ni and Ag on Si, HOPG and graphene

Abstract: An experimental investigation of Ag and Ni nanoparticles (NPs) deposited on Silicon with its native oxide, on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite and on graphene flakes is reported. The NPs were physically synthesized with a magnetron based gas aggregation source and the produced beam was mass-filtered and deposited in vacuum on the substrates. The study was concentrated on the morphology for the different cases, shedding some light on the interaction of pre-formed NPs with surfaces, a crucial aspect both of technological and scientific relevance. The nature of adhesion can be strongly influenced by the intrinsic properties of the surface (like for instance the energetics of interaction between the NP surface atoms and the first layers of the substrate) and/or the extrinsic properties, like the presence of defects, step edges, impurities and other irregularities. After adhesion, the NPs mobility and their mutual interaction are very relevant. In this work, the study was concentrated on NP/surface morphology, by using atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Article highlights: Morphology of physically synthesized metal Nano-Particles (NPs) on Si, HOPG and Graphene was investigated. The NPs were pure Ag and Ni. Coalescence, diffusion and self-aggregation and preferential adhesion were observed, with possible applications in sensor technology.Possible explanations are: NP softness, NP/surface bonding interaction and presence of contaminant species molecules between NP

Autoantibodies in inflammatory arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic chronic inflammatory disease characterized by extensive synovitis resulting in erosions of articular cartilage and marginal bone with joint destruction. The lack of immunological tolerance in RA represents the first step toward the development of autoimmunity. Susceptible individuals, under the influence of environmental factors, such as tobacco smoke, and silica exposure, develop autoimmune phenomena that result in the presence of autoantibodies. HLA and non-HLA haplotypes play a major role in determining the development of specific autoantibodies differentiating anti-citrullinated antibodies (ACPA)-positive and negative RA patients. Rheumatoid factor (RF) and ACPA are the serological markers for RA, and during the preclinical immunological phase, autoantibody titers increase with a progressive spread of ACPA antigens repertoire. The presence of ACPA represents an independent risk factor for developing RA in patients with undifferentiated arthritis or arthralgia. Moreover, anti-CarP antibodies have been identified in patients with RA as well as in individuals before the onset of clinical symptoms of RA. Several autoantibodies mainly targeting post-translational modified proteins have been investigated as possible biomarkers to improve the early diagnosis, prognosis and response to therapy in RA patients. Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is distinguished from RA by infrequent positivity for RF and ACPA, together with other distinctive clinical features. Actually, specific autoantibodies have not been described. Recently, anti-CarP antibodies have been reported in sera from PsA patients with active disease. Further investigations on autoantibodies showing high specificity and sensibility as well as relevant correlation with disease severity, progression, and response to therapy are awaited in inflammatory arthritides

SELF-REPRESENTATION IN CHILDREN SUFFERING FROM CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE (CHD) AND MATERNAL COMPETENCE

Background: Child development may be subject to forms of motor, physical, cognitive and self-representation impairments when complex congenital heart disease (CHD) occurs. In some cases, inadequacy of both self-representation as well as the family system are displayed. It seems to be important to search the likely internal and external resources of the CHD child, and the possible connections among such resources, which may help him/her to manage his/her own risk condition. Design and Methods: The research project inquires the possible resources related to the self-representation and self-esteem levels of the CHD child, and those related to maternal self-perception as competent mothers. A group of 25 children (mean age=10,2; SD=1,8) suffering from specific forms of CHD, and a group made up of their relative mothers (mean age=38,2; SD=5) were studied. The tools used were the Human Figure Drawing, to investigate child body-related self-representation; the TMA scale (Self-esteem Multidimensional Test), to investigate the child’s self-esteem; and the Q-sort questionnaire, to assess how mothers perceived their maternal competence. Results: Data concerning the likely correlations between the child’s self-representation and the maternal role competence show [that] positive correlations between some indicators of maternal competence, specific aspects of CHD children’s self-representation (mothers’ emotional coping and children’s self-image adequacy) and self-esteem (mothers’ emotional scaffolding and children’s self-esteem at an emotional level). Conclusions: By detecting the occurrence of specific correlations among resources of both child and mother, the study provides cardiologists with information that is useful for building a relationship with the families concerned, which would seem to enhance the quality of the process of the cure itself

ps1 15 expression of adhesion molecules cd44v3 and cd44v6 on t cells in sle patients correlation with clinical phenotype and disease activity

Background Adhesion molecule CD44 enables T lymphocytes' adhesion to endothelium and during inflammation contributes to T cell migration into target organs. CD44 isoforms seem to be involved in the infiltration of peripheral tissues in SLE. A higher expression of CD44v3 and v6 has been observed on T cells from SLE patients compared to healthy subjects (HS) and the expression levels seem to correlate with disease activity. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of the CD44v3/v6 isoforms on T cells of SLE patients to evaluate their correlation with disease activity and disease phenotypes. Patients and methods 33 female patients (mean age ±SD 45.7±12.3 years, mean disease duration ±SD 14±7.8 years) affected by SLE according to the 1997 ACR criteria, were enrolled. Disease activity was evaluated by SLEDAI-2K. 15 patients were in remission (SLEDAI-2k=0), and 18 patients had an active disease (SLEDAI-2K=4 or higher). 16 HS (mean age ±SD 33.3±12.0 years) were also recruited. Expression of CD44v3/v6 was determined by flow cytometry analysis. Results Expression of CD44v3 on CD4 +T cells and on CD8 +T cells was higher in active patients compared to HS (p=0.0097 and p=0.0096). CD44v3 on CD8 +T cells was also higher in active patients compared to patients in remission (p=0.038). CD44v6 was higher on CD4 +and CD8+T cells from active patients compared to HS (p=0.003 and p=0.0036) and compared to patients in remission (p=0.01 and p=0.02) Fig.1. In active patients the ratio CD44v3/v6 was unbalanced towards isoform v6 on both T cell populations. When using a ROC curve analysis, comparing HS and SLE patients, CD44v6 on CD4 +T cells was the most sensible and specific one (specificity of 81.8%, sensitivity of 75%). Expression of CD44v6 on CD4 +and CD8+T cells correlated with the SLEDAI-2k (p=0.03, r=0.38 and p=0.02, r=0.39). The expression of CD44v6 and of CD44v3 on CD8 +T cells is associated with renal involvement and arthritis respectively (p Conclusions CD44v3 and v6 expression is significantly associated with different degree of disease activity and with different disease manifestations. Isoform v6 on CD4 +T cells could be useful as a disease biomarker

Il PON Reti e Mobilità e gli obiettivi di Sostenibilità: il ruolo del Piano di Monitoraggio Ambientale

The National Operative Program (PON) “Reti e mobilità” has been approved by European Commission on the 7th of December 2007. The strategic approach of the PON, exclusively devoted to the socalled “convergence regions” of Italy (Campania, Calabria, Sicilia, Puglia), aims to: 1. improve the modal balance by an economic, social and environmental perspective; 2. develop the inter-modality in order to move towards the integration of convergence area into the network of the European transport system; 3. improve the mobility and the accessibility, also to reduce the traffic congestion; 4. increase the efficiency related to security standards, to management techniques and to the quality of transportation services in the sector of freight; 5. guarantee the reduction of environmental impacts through a global improvement of the efficiency of the transport systems. In such a way it is clear that the PON “Reti e mobilità” takes greatly into account the Sustainability principles recognized at European scale as attested by the budget, namely over the 70% of the entire fund, associated with low-impacts infrastructures (railways and harbors). The PON has been submitted to the SEA procedure, following what the 2001/42/CE Directive establishes. The Environmental Report of PON devotes great attention to the monitoring activity as shown by the reported recommendation about the need for adequate measures for the environmental monitoring, also in order to apply corrective measures during the implementation of the program. By this point of view, a first and important step has been the elaboration of the “Environmental Monitoring Plan” (EMP) that represents the main methodological document for the following implementation of the monitoring activity. This paper, after a brief presentation of the program and of the objectives of Sustainability that the Programs aims to pursue through the realization of specific projects, is devoted to introduce the Environmental Monitoring Plan of the PON that has been approved by the Ministry of the Infrastructures and Transport -in charge as Management Authority of the PON- in February 2011. In detail, the PMA represents the tool through which, the Management Authority, that has specific responsibilities and functions in terms of monitoring and environmental assessment of the program, controls the significant impacts on the environment caused by the implementation of the PON and verify the level of achievement of the established objectives of environmental sustainability. The structure of EMP is based on three main aspects: 1) the adoption of the results of other interesting experiences carried out by experts institutions on the topic; 2) an approach favoring the creation of an “integrated” monitoring system with the others Operative Programs activated at regional scale; 3) the implementation of a cooperation and shared process with all the directly-involved actors

Treatment with gonadotropin releasing hormone agonists in systemic lupus erythematosus patients receiving cyclophosphamide: a long-term follow-up study

Background: Cyclophosphamide treatment has been associated with ovarian function impairment. Co-treatment with gonadotropin-releasing hormone-analogue (GnRH-a) seems to be able to prevent this complication. However, even though data are available on neoplastic patients, limited data have been published on systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) women cohorts. Objectives: To evaluate GnRH-a efficacy on ovarian function preservation in SLE women receiving cyclophosphamide treatment. Methods: The authors performed a retrospective study including SLE women requiring cyclophosphamide treatment and compared those treated with and without GnRH-a (case and controls, respectively). All patients were evaluated before cyclophosphamide treatment and every 3 months in the following years. Ovarian function was evaluated using hormonal profiles. Results: The study comprised 33 SLE cyclophosphamide-treated women: 18 co-treated with triptorelin, and 15 controls. The mean follow-up was 8.1 ± 5.1 years (range 4–11). Premature ovarian failure (POF) prevalence was significantly lower in SLE women treated by cyclophosphamide plus triptorelin compared to controls (11.1% vs. 33.3%, P = 0.0002). The occurrence of POF was significantly associated with higher age at the time of cyclophosphamide treatment (P = 0.008). Only patients in the GnRH-a treated group had successful pregnancies. Conclusions: The study provides information about the efficacy of co-treatment with GnRH-a in SLE women receiving cyclophosphamide, as demonstrated by the lower POF incidence compared to untreated subjects, based on long-term follow-up. These results reinforce the use of GnRH-a for fertility preservation in premenopausal SLE patients treated by cyclophosphamide

Retinal functional changes measured by frequency-doubling technology in patients treated with hydroxychloroquine.

BACKGROUND: Antimalarial drugs such as chloroquine (CQ) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) are mainly used in the treatment of rheumatologic diseases, and their use may be associated with irreversible retinal toxicity. Previous studies indicate early paracentral visual field loss (Humphrey 10-2) in patients taking HCQ". These paracentral defects appear before changes in other clinical parameters as visual acuity and fundoscopy. The mechanism of CQ toxicity remains unclear. It was reported that toxic doses of CQ administered for as long as 4.5 years to Rhesus monkeys caused an initial dramatic effect on ganglion cells, followed later by photoreceptors and RPE degeneration. The purpose of this study is to explore early retinal functional changes measured by frequency-doubling technology (FDT) in patients treated with hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). METHODS: Forty-eight eyes of 48 subjects treated with hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), with no signs of retinal toxicity, and 36 eyes of 36 age and sex-matched healthy subjects were enrolled in this cross-sectional, prospective, observational, case control study. Functional testing included frequency-doubling Humphrey-matrix perimetry (FDP), white-on-white Humphrey visual field perimetry (HFA), using the 24-2 and 10-2 threshold programs, multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG, Veris 4.9) and low contrast sensitivity (CS) measurement. RESULTS: FDP mean deviation (MD) was found to be significantly reduced in HCQ-treated patients compared to controls both in the 24-2 (-1.38 ± 2.41 dB vs 0.21 ± 1.83 dB, p < 0.01) and in the 10-2 program (-0.97 ± 2.88 dB vs 0.15 ± 1.72 dB, p < 0.01). FDP pattern standard deviation (PSD) was found to be significantly worse in HCQ-treated patients compared to controls both in the 24-2 (2.70 ± 0.65 dB vs 2.41 ± 0.31 dB, p < 0.01 and in the 10-2 program (2.86 ± 0.48 dB vs 2.48 ± 0.39 dB, p < 0.01). HFA PSD and CS was also significantly reduced in HCQ patients, while response amplitude densities (RAD) were similar between patients and controls. A statistically significant difference in the ratio of the 5°-10° RAD and the 0°-2.5° RAD (0.31 ± 0.08 vs 0.36 ± 0.07 respectively, p < 0.05) was found between groups. CONCLUSION: Frequency doubling perimetry could be useful to detect early retinal impairment in patients treated with hydroxychloroquine

Effects of nucleotides administration on growth performance and immune response of post-weaning piglets

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of nucleotides administration on growth perform- ance and immune response in post-weaning piglets. Twenty-eight male weaned piglets, homo- geneous for age and weight were randomly allocated to two experimental treatments. Treated group (T) was daily orally administered 0.8g/head of a mixture of nucleotides suspended in 2.1 mL water solution; while control group (C) received 2.1 mL saline solution. Body weight (BW) and average daily gain (ADG) were individually recorded weekly, while feed intake (FI), and gain:feed (G:F) were recorded and calculated on pen basis. Faecal score was evaluated every seven days. On day 0, 9, 18 and 27 blood samples were collected to determine IgA, IgG and haptoglobin concentration. At day 28 all piglets were sacrificed, and tissue samples of ileal Peyer\u2019s patches were collected for the evaluation of IL1a, IL1b, IL6, IL10, TNFa, TLR2, TLR4 and PPARc gene expression. Nucleotides supplementation significantly increased BW (17.37 vs. 19.00kg/pig; p 1\u20444 &lt;.01), ADG (.351 vs. .400kg/d; p &lt; .01), and FI (3.96 vs. 4.39kg/d; p &lt; .01), but not G:F (.61 vs. .64; p 1\u20444 .29). Faecal consistency was not different between the experimental groups and no occurrence of diarrhoea was reported. IgA and IgG content in blood was not influenced by the treatment, as well as gene expression of inflammatory cytokines in Peyer\u2019s patches. The present trial shows that nucleotide administration is able to improve growth per- formance of post-weaning piglets, with no effects on inflammatory response and the expression of immune-related genes

Diabetes is an independent predictor for severe osteoarthritis: Results from a longitudinal cohort study

OBJECTIVE-To evaluate if type 2 diabetes is an independent risk predictor for severe oste-oarthritis (OA). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS-Population-based cohort study with an age-and sex-stratified random sample of 927 men and women aged 40-80 years and followed over 20 years (1990-2010). RESULTS-Rates of arthroplasty (95% CI) were 17.7 (9.4-30.2) per 1,000 person-years in patients with type 2 diabetes and 5.3 (4.1-6.6) per 1,000 person-years in those without (P &lt; 0.001). Type 2 diabetes emerged as an independent risk predictor for arthroplasty: hazard ratios (95% CI), 3.8 (2.1-6.8) (P &lt; 0.001) in an unadjusted analysis and 2.1 (1.1-3.8) (P = 0.023) after adjustment for age, BMI, and other risk factors for OA. The probability of arthroplasty increased with disease duration of type 2 diabetes and applied to men and women, as well as subgroups according to age and BMI. Our findings were corroborated in cross-sectional evaluation by more severe clinical symptoms of OA and structural joint changes in subjects with type 2 diabetes compared with those without type 2 diabetes. CONCLUSIONS-Type 2 diabetes predicts the development of severe OA independent of age and BMI. Our findings strengthen the concept of a strong metabolic component in the pathogenesis of OA.\ua9 2013 by the American Diabetes Association