sono assembly of nanostructures via tyrosine tyrosine coupling reactions at the interface of acoustic cavitation bubbles

The reactive and oscillating surface of cavitation microbubbles acts as a catalytic binding site for the coupling of amphiphilic biomolecules

HCV antiviral therapy in injection drug users: difficult to treat or easy to cure?

Background and rationale of the study. Hepatitis C infection is very common among injection drug users(IDUs). In clinical practice there is reluctance to treat IDUs, because considered difficult-to-treat. Aim of this study was to evaluate the response to antiviral treatment in IDUs compared to non-IDUs. Main results. In this observational retrospective study, 204 non cirrhotic patients(112 IDUs, 92 non-IDUs) with chronic hepatitis C, treated with PEG-IFN and ribavirin in a tertiary centre for IDUs of Southern Italy from 2008 to 2011 were analyzed. Age, sex, genotype, steatosis, response to previous therapy, rapid(RVR), early(EVR), end-of-treatment(ETR), sustained(SVR) virological response were evaluated. IDUs were mainly young and males, with prevalence of genotype 3. A higher SVR rate in IDUs group compared to non-IDUs only in PerProtocol(PP) analysis (90% vs. 78,9% ;p = 0.04). On the contrary, in IntentionToTreat(ITT) analysis, no significant difference was relieved. A higher SVR rate at ITT analyses in naive non-IDUs patients was found (76,13% vs. 90%, p = 0.021), but at PP analysis wasn't confirmed. Treatment was well tolerated; a higher dropout rate was reported in IDUs (24 patients) compared to non-IDUs (2 patients). In order to exclude the effect of viral genotypes on SVR a genotype matched statistical analysis was done and no difference was found. Conclusions. IDUs naive patients, due to young age and high prevalence of genotype 3, appear good candidates to dual antiviral therapy with high SVR rates. Dropout is the main non-response cause among these subjects, but through an optimal monitoring program with a multidisciplinary setting, their "difficult to treat" characteristics can be overcome

A very rare case of duodenal hemolymphangioma presenting with iron deficiency anemia

AbstractINTRODUCTIONIntraabdominal lymphangiomas account for less than 5% of all lymphangiomas and small intestinal hemolymphangioma is a very rare benign tumor.PRESENTATION OF CASEHere we describe the first case of primary ulcerated duodenal hemolymphangioma in a 24-year-old woman, causing occult bleeding from gastrointestinal tract. She presented with an unexplained refractory iron-deficiency anemia and gastroduodenoscopy revealed an ulcerated and polypoid lesion of the second portion of the duodenum. Partial resection of the duodenum was thus performed and the final pathological diagnosis was hemolymphangioma.DISCUSSIONThere were only two reports, one of a hemolymphangioma of the pancreas invading to the duodenum and another of a small intestinal hemolymphangioma, presenting with gastrointestinal bleeding until May 2012.CONCLUSIONThe aim of this case report is to highlight the difficulty in making an accurate preoperative diagnosis and describe the surgical management of an unusual location for a very rare tumor. To arrive at a definitive diagnosis and exclude malignancy, partial resection of the duodenum was considered to be the required treatment

Co-encapsulation of curcumin and doxorubicin in albumin nanoparticles blocks the adaptive treatment tolerance of cancer cells

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A comprehensive system for semantic spatiotemporal assessment of risk in urban areas

AbstractRisk assessment of urban areas aims at limiting the impact of harmful events by increasing awareness of their possible consequences. Qualitative risk assessment allows to figure out possible risk situations and to prioritize them, whereas quantitative risk assessment is devoted to measuring risks from data, in order to improve preparedness in case of crisis situations. We propose an automatic approach to comprehensive risk assessment. This leverages on a semantic and spatiotemporal representation of knowledge of the urban area and relies on a software system including: a knowledge base; two components for quantitative and qualitative risk assessments, respectively; and a WebGIS interface. The knowledge base consists of the TERMINUS domain ontology, to represent urban knowledge, and of a geo‐referenced database, including geographical, environmental and urban data as well as temporal data related to the levels of operation of city services. CIPcast DSS is the component devoted to quantitative risk assessment, and WS‐CREAM is the component supporting qualitative risk assessment based on computational creativity techniques. Two case studies concerning the city of Rome (Italy) show how this approach can be used in a real scenario for crisis preparedness. Finally, we discuss issues related to plausibility of risks and objectivity of their assessment

Quantum dot-doped silica nanoparticles as probes for targeting of T-lymphocytes

To enhance diagnostic or therapeutic efficacy, novel nanomaterials must be engineered to function in biologically relevant environments, be visible by conventional fluorescent microscopy, and have multivalent loading capacity for easy detection or effective drug delivery. Here we report the fabrication of silica nanoparticles doped with quantum dots and superficially functionalized with amino and phosphonate groups. The amino groups were acylated with a water-soluble biotin-labeling reagent. The biotinylated nanoparticles were subsequently decorated with neutravidin by exploiting the strong affinity between neutravidin and biotin. The resultant neutravidin-decorated fluorescent silica nanoparticles stably dispersed under physiological conditions, were visible by conventional optical and confocal fluorescent microscopy, and could be further functionalized with macromolecules, nucleic acids, and polymers. We also coated the surface of the nanoparticles with biotinylated mouse anti-human CD3 (αCD3). The resultant fluorescent nanoassembly was taken up by Jurkat T cells through receptor-mediated endocytosis and was partially released to lysosomes. Thus, quantum dot-doped silica nanoparticles decorated with neutravidin represent a potentially excellent scaffold for constructing specific intracellular nanoprobes and transporters

Development of 177Lu-scFvD2B as a Potential Immunotheranostic Agent for Tumors Overexpressing the Prostate Specific Membrane Antigen

The clinical translation of theranostic 177Lu-radiopharmaceuticals based on inhibitors of the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) has demonstrated positive clinical responses in patients with advanced prostate cancer (PCa). However, challenges still remain, particularly regarding their pharmacokinetic and dosimetric properties. We developed a potential PSMA-immunotheranostic agent by conjugation of a single-chain variable fragment of the IgGD2B antibody (scFvD2B) to DOTA, to obtain a 177Lu-labelled agent with a better pharmacokinetic profile than those previously reported. The labelled conjugated 177Lu-scFvD2B was obtained in high yield and stability. In vitro, 177Lu-scFvD2B disclosed a higher binding and internalization in LNCaP (PSMA-positive) compared to PC3 (negative control) human PCa cells. In vivo studies in healthy nude mice revealed that 177Lu-scFvD2B present a favorable biokinetic profile, characterized by a rapid clearance from non-target tissues and minimal liver accumulation, but a slow wash-out from kidney. Micro-SPECT/CT imaging of mice bearing pulmonary microtumors evidenced a slow uptake by LNCaP tumors, which steadily rose up to a maximum value of 3.6 SUV at 192 h. This high and prolonged tumor uptake suggests that 177Lu-scFvD2B has great potential in delivering ablative radiation doses to PSMA-expressing tumors, and warrants further studies to evaluate its preclinical therapeutic efficacy

Antibiotic prophylaxis in thyroid surgery: a preliminary multicentric italian experience

Post-operatory wound infections are a very uncommon finding after thyroidectomy. For these reasons international guidelines do not routinely recommend systemic antibiotic prophylaxis

Quantitative atomic force microscopy provides new insight into matrix vesicle mineralization

International audienc

Meta-analysis of thyroidectomy with ultrasonic dissector versus conventional clamp and tie

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We conducted a systematic review to evaluate the role of Ultrasonic dissector (UAS) versus conventional clamp and tie in thyroidectomy.</p> <p>Materials and methods</p> <p>We searched for all published RCT in into electronic databases. To be included in the analysis, the studies had to compare thyroidectomy with UAS versus conventional vessel ligation and tight (conventional technique = CT). The following outcomes were used to compare the total thyroidectomy group with UAS versus CT group: operative duration, operative blood loss, overall drainage volume during the first 24 hours, transiet laryngeal nerve palsy, permanent laryngeal nerve palsy, transiet hypocalcaemia and permanent hypocalcaemia.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There are currently 7 RCT on this issue to compare thyroidectomy with UAS versus CT. From the analysis of these studies it was possible to confront 608 cases: 303 undergoing to thyroidectomy with UAS versus 305 that were treated with CT. Actually, it was shown a relevant advantage of cost-effectiveness in patients treated with UAS; there is a statistically significant reduction of the operative duration (weighted mean difference [WMD], -18.74 minutes; 95% confidence interval [CI], (-26.97 to -10.52 minutes) (P = 0.00001), intraoperative blood loss (WMD, -60.10 mL; 95% CI, -117.04 to 3.16 mL) (P = 0.04) and overall drainage volume (WMD, -35.30 mL; 95% CI, -49.24 to 21.36 mL) (P = 0.00001) in the patients underwent thyroidectomy with UAS. Although the analysis showed that the patients who were treated with USA presented more favourable results in incidence of post-operative complications (transient laryngeal nerve palsy: P = 0.11; permanent laryngeal nerve palsy: not estimable; transient hypocalcaemia: P = 0.24; permanent hypocalcaemia: P = 0.45), these data didn't present statistical relevance.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This meta-analysis shown a relevant advantage only in terms of cost-effectiveness in patients treated with UAS; it is subsequent to statistically significant reduction of operation duration, intraoperative blood loss and of overall drainage volume during the first 24 hours. Although the analysis showed that the patients who were treated with UAS presented more favourable results in incidence of post-operative complications (transiet laryngeal nerve palsy; transiet hypocalcaemia and permanent hypocalcaemia), these data didn't present statistical relevance.</p