Cord Compression by Extramedullary Hematopoiesis in Polycythemia Vera

A 73-year-old male with polycythemia vera and a history of prostate cancer presents to an outside hospital complaining of back pain of two months duration. He denied fevers, chills, night sweats, weight loss, lower extremity weakness and decreased sensation. Other than chronic constipation and urinary hesitancy, his review of systems was unremarkable. A spinal x-ray revealed a T12 vertebral fracture and the patient was transferred to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital for further management

Infection Parameters in the Sand Fly Vector That Predict Transmission of Leishmania major

To identify parameters of Leishmania infection within a population of infected sand flies that reliably predict subsequent transmission to the mammalian host, we sampled groups of infected flies and compared infection intensity and degree of metacyclogenesis with the frequency of transmission. The percentage of parasites within the midgut that were metacyclic promastigotes had the highest correlation with the frequency of transmission. Meta-analysis of multiple transmission experiments allowed us to establish a percent-metacyclic “cutoff” value that predicted transmission competence. Sand fly infections initiated with variable doses of parasites resulted in correspondingly altered percentages of metacyclic promastigotes, resulting in altered transmission frequency and disease severity. Lastly, alteration of sand fly oviposition status and environmental conditions at the time of transmission also influenced transmission frequency. These observations have implications for transmission of Leishmania by the sand fly vector in both the laboratory and in nature, including how the number of organisms acquired by the sand fly from an infection reservoir may influence the clinical outcome of infection following transmission by bite

Improved reversibility of NaAlH4 in lithium cells

NaAlH4 has recently emerged as a potential anodic material in lithium ion cell. Through a conversion reaction1, it is able to develop more than 1700 mAh/g upon first discharge2,3. Despite its high specific capacity, NaAlH4 suffers of poor cycle efficiency, mostly due to the severe volume expansion following the conversion reaction and resulting in damages to electrode mechanical integrity with loss of electric contact. Large improvements in terms of electrochemical reversibility have been achieved mixing NaAlH4 with carbon by High Energy Ball Milling2. Mechanochemical treatments promote the creation of an intimately mixed carbon-hydride composite material in which carbon act as coating agent and limits large volumetric changes preventing grain growth and sintering. Furthermore, the improved thermal hydrogen desorption kinetics suggest an increased hydride mobility in the complex respect the bare alanate. In order to better understand the role of mechanochemical treatments on the electrochemical properties of NaAlH4, we report a comprehensive study of our NaAlH4/C composite by the use of advanced technique like solid state NMR, Temperature Programmed Desorption and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy. 1. Y. Oumellal et al., Nat. Mater., 2008,11(7), 2. L. Silvestri et al., J. Phys. Chem. C, 2015, 119(52), 3. J. A. Teprovich, J. Phys. Chem. C, 2015, 119(9)

Wound-Healing Promotion and Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Carvacrol Prodrugs/Hyaluronic Acid Formulations

Background. Wound healing (WH) is a complex process involving several stages, such as hemostasis, inflammation, re-epithelialization, and remodeling. Many factors can impair WH, and different pharmacological approaches were studied to date, but the increase in antibiotic resistance, invasiveness, treatment duration, and high cost, have often hampered the resolution of the wound. In this study, we investigated the possible application of water-soluble carvacrol prodrugs (WSCPs) and hyaluronic acid (HA) and their formulations (WSCPs/HA) to improve WH and regulate the inflammatory response. Materials and methods. Firstly, the cytotoxicity of 0.1, 1 and 10 µg/mL of HA, WSCPs and WSCPs/HA formulations were evaluated on HaCaT cells and THP-1 cell lines. The ability of WSCPs/HA formulations to modulate wound repair was evaluated in an in vitro model of WH, using HaCaT cells at 6, 18, and 24 h. The expression of WH mediators, after wound closure was determined by qRT-PCR. Following, we polarized THP-1 cells in M1/M2-like macrophages and tested the anti-inflammatory properties of WSCPs/HA formulations. After, we tested the in vitro WH model for the effects of conditioned medium (CM) from M1/M2-like cells cultured in the presence of WSCPs/HA. Results. Results showed that WSCPs/HA formulations were able to significantly raise the wound closure rate, compared to the single constituents, promoting a complete wound closure after 18 h for WSCP1/HA (10 µg/mL) and after 24 h for WSCP2/HA (10 µg/mL), modulating the MMPs, TGFβ, and COX-2 gene expression. The effects of CM derived from M1/M2 polarized cells cultured in the presence of WSCPs/HA determined WH regulation, with a better ability of the WSCP2/HA formulation to modulate the time-dependent expression of reparative and inflammatory mediators. Conclusion. Our data underline the possible application of WSCPs/HA formulations as bioactive agents for the regulation of the wound repair process by the modulation of inflammatory and remodeling phases, affecting the activity of immune cells

Evaluation of Cell Migration and Cytokines Expression Changes under the Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Field on Wound Healing In Vitro Model

Wound healing (WH) proceeds through four distinct phases: hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling. Impaired WH may be the consequence of the alteration of one of these phases and represents a significant health and economic burden to millions of individuals. Thus, new therapeutic strategies are the topics of intense research worldwide. Although radiofrequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) has many medical applications in rehabilitation, pain associated with musculoskeletal disorders, and degenerative joint disorders, its impact on WH is not fully understood. The process of WH begins just after injury and continues during the inflammatory and proliferative phases. A thorough understanding of the mechanisms by which RF-EMF can improve WH is required before it can be used as a non-invasive, inexpensive, and easily self-applicable therapeutic strategy. Thus, the aim of this study is to explore the therapeutic potential of different exposure setups of RF-EMF to drive faster healing, evaluating the keratinocytes migration, cytokines, and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) expression. The results showed that RF-EMF treatment promotes keratinocytes’ migration and regulates the expression of genes involved in healing, such as MMPs, tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases, and pro/anti-inflammatory cytokines, to improve WH

Proteomic Signature and mRNA Expression in Hippocampus of SAMP8 and SAMR1 Mice during Aging

Aging is a complex process often accompanied by cognitive decline that represents a risk factor for many neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. The molecular mechanisms involved in age-related cognitive decline are not yet fully understood, although increased neuroinflammation is considered to play a significant role. In this study, we characterized a proteomic view of the hippocampus of the senescence-accelerated mouse prone-8 (SAMP8), a model of enhanced senescence, in comparison with the senescence-accelerated-resistant mouse (SAMR1), a model of normal aging. We additionally investigated inflammatory cytokines and cholinergic components gene expression during aging in the mouse brain tissues. Proteomic data defined the expression of key proteins involved in metabolic and cellular processes in neuronal and glial cells of the hippocampus. Gene Ontology revealed that most of the differentially expressed proteins are involved in the cytoskeleton and cell motility regulation. Molecular analysis results showed that both inflammatory cytokines and cholinergic components are differentially expressed during aging, with a downward trend of cholinergic receptors and esterase enzymes expression, in contrast to an upward trend of inflammatory cytokines in the hippocampus of SAMP8. Together, our results support the important role of the cholinergic and cytokine systems in the aging of the murine brain

In Vitro Wound-Healing Properties of Water-Soluble Terpenoids Loaded on Halloysite Clay

This research was funded by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara), grant number FAR 2020.Recently, mineral healing clays have gained much attention for wound-dressing applications. Here, we selected halloysite (HAL) clay as a biocompatible, non-toxic material that is useful as a drug delivery system to enhance the healing properties of water-soluble terpenoids 1-3 (T1-3). Terpenoids-loaded HAL clay (TH1-3) was prepared and characterized by adsorption equilibrium studies, X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and release studies. The results reveal that T1-3 were adsorbed at the HAL surface with good efficiency. The prevalent mechanism of drug retention is due to the adsorption via electrostatic interactions between the cationic groups of the T1-3 and the HAL’s external surface. Release studies demonstrated that T3 was released in a higher percentage (>60%) compared to T1-2 ( 50%). Additionally, TH1-3 were assessed for their antimicrobial activity and capability to promote the re-epithelialization of scratched HaCat monolayers, through the time-kill test and the wound-healing assays, respectively. The results reveal that all the tested formulations were able to reduce the microbial growth after 1 h of incubation and that they ensured complete wound closure after 48 h. Furthermore, at the concentration of 1 g/mL, TH3 exhibited 45% wound closure at 24 h, compared to TH1 (27%) and TH2 (30%), proving to be the best candidate in making the tissue-repair process easier and faster.Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara) FAR 202

Studio dell'effetto del ball milling sulla reattività electtrochimica del NaAlH4

Gli idruri metallici complessi sono composti ampiamente studiati come materiali per l'accumulo d'idrogeno. Tra questi, il sodio alluminio idruro (NaAlH4) è tra i più studiati [1] grazie alle favorevoli proprietà termodinamiche e all'elevata densità volumetrica di idrogeno (7.5 wt % H2 and 94 gH2/L). Recentemente, è stato dimostrato che il suo uso può essere esteso all'accumulo di energia elettrica. Nello specifico, il sodio alluminio idruro si è dimostrato un promettente candidato da utilizzare come materiale anodico in batterie litio-ione [2, 3]. Studi elettrochimici in celle al litio hanno messo in luce la sua elevata reattività. Il sodio alanato è in grado di scambiare più di 3.5 equivalenti di litio durante il primo ciclo di scarica, corrispondente a una capacità specifica quasi pari a quella teorica (1985 mAh/g). Il processo redox, che avviene attraverso reazione di conversione [4], consiste di step multipli e prevede l'iniziale formazione di LiNa2AlH6 e Na3AlH6 intermedi e, poi, la loro successiva decomposizione in Na e Al metallico e LiH [2]. Purtroppo, tale tipo di materiale è caratterizzato da un'elevata irreversibilità: alla fine della prima ricarica, viene scambiato solo 1 dei quasi 4 equivalenti di litio scambiati durante la scarica. E' noto che i materiali elettrodici che agiscono mediante un meccanismo a conversione siano caratterizzati da una grande isteresi di potenziale tra scarica e carica. La causa di tale fenomeno è l'elevata espansione volumetrica in seguito alla consistente riorganizzazione strutturale a cui il materiale è sottoposto durante il processo di conversione. In questo modo, il volume aumenta durante l'incorporazione del litio e diminuisce in seguito all'estrazione di esso. La conseguenza è la disgregazione delle particelle, il disfacimento dell'elettrodo e la conseguente perdita del contatto elettrico. Nel caso di NaAlH4, se si considera la completa riduzione secondo la reazione: NaAlH4 + 4Li+ + 4e- → 4LiH+ Al +Na, si può stimare una variazione del volume di circa il 72 %. Importanti miglioramenti sulla reversibilità del processo elettrodico e, quindi, sull'efficienza di cella sono stati ottenuti sottoponendo il materiale di partenza a macinazione, mediante High Energy Ball Milling. Soprattutto, la macinazione in mulino del NaAlH4 con un carbone conduttivo, ha portato ad un significativo miglioramento dell'efficienza di cella, passando da un 30 % per il materiale tal quale al 70 % per il materiale sottoposto a trattamento meccanochimico [2]. Infatti, la riduzione delle dimensioni delle particelle di materiale attivo e, soprattutto, la macinazione con un opportuno carbone conduttivo (e.g., il SuperP) migliora l'efficienza del processo di conversione [2, 5], in quanto il carbone distribuendosi sulla superficie dell'idruro, porta alla formazione di un vero e proprio composito che, oltre a migliorarne la conducibilità, previene l'agglomerazione delle particelle di idruro durante i processi redox e attenua le variazioni volumetriche. Considerati i notevoli miglioramenti ottenuti sulle performance del sodio alluminio idruro in celle al litio, sono state analizzate le principali differenze tra il campione di NaAlH4 sottoposto a macinazione in mulino e il materiale tal quale. Nello specifico, le caratteristiche strutturali e morfologiche sono state valutate mediante misure statiche di NMR allo stato solido e microscopia elettronica a trasmissione. Il contenuto d'idrogeno è stato calcolato mediante esperimenti di desorbimento termico in TPD. Infine, la reversibilità del processo elettrochimico è stata confermata mediante misure di MAS NMR allo stato solido. [1] T. K. Nielsen, M. Polanski, D. Zasada, P. Javadian, F. Besenbacher, J. Bystrzycki, J. Skibsted, and T. R. Jensen, “Improved Hydrogen Storage Kinetics of Nanoconfined NaAlH4 Catalyzed with TiCl3 Nanoparticles,” ACS Nano, vol. 5, no. 5, pp. 4056–4064, Maggio 2011. [2] L. Silvestri, L. Farina, D. Meggiolaro, S. Panero, F. Padella, S. Brutti, P. Reale. "The Reactivity of Sodium Alanates in Lithium Batteries". J. Phys. Chem. C, 119 (52), pp 28766–28775, Novembre 2015. [3] J. A. Teprovich, J. Zhang, H. Colón-Mercado, F. Cuevas, B. Peters, S. Greenway, R. Zidan, and M. Latroche, “Li-Driven Electrochemical Conversion Reaction of AlH3, LiAlH4, and NaAlH4,” J. Phys. Chem. C, Febbraio 2015. [4] Y. Oumellal, A. Rougier, G. A. Nazri, J.-M. Tarascon, and L. Aymard, “Metal hydrides for lithium-ion batteries,” Nat. Mater., vol. 7, no. 11, pp. 916–921, Nov. 2008. [5] Brutti S., Mulas G., Piciollo E., Panero S., Reale P. "Magnesium hydride as a high capacity negative electrode for lithium ion batteries". Journal of Materials Chemistry, Vol. 22, p. 14531-14537, Maggio 2012