Prospective Study on Several Urinary Biomarkers as Indicators of Renal Damage in Children with CAKUT

Purpose The aim of the study was to investigate urinary levels of monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), epidermal growth factor (EGF), β-2-microglobulin (β2M), and FAS-ligand (FAS-L) in children with congenital anomalies of kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) disease at risk of developing glomerular hyperfiltration syndrome. For this reason, we selected patients with multicystic kidney, renal agenesia and renal hypodysplasia, or underwent single nephrectomy. Materials and Methods This prospective, multicentric study was conducted in collaboration between the Pediatric Surgery Unit in Foggia and the Pediatric Nephrology Unit in Bari, Italy. We enrolled 80 children with CAKUT (40 hypodysplasia, 22 agenetic; 10 multicystic; 8 nephrectomy) who underwent extensive urological and nephrological workup. Exclusion criteria were recent urinary tract infections or pyelonephritis, age > 14 years, presence of systemic disease, or hypertension. A single urine sample was collected in a noninvasive way and processed for measuring by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay urine levels of MCP-1, EGF, β2M, and FAS-L. As control, urine samples were taken from 30 healthy children. Furthermore, we evaluated the urinary ratios uEGF/uMCP-1 (indicator of regenerative vs inflammatory response) and uEGF/uβ2M (indicator of regenerative response vs. tubular damage). Results These results suggest that urinary levels of MCP-1 are overexpressed in CAKUT patients. Furthermore, our findings clearly demonstrated that both uEGF/uMCP-1 and uEGF/uβ2M ratios were significantly downregulated in all patient groups when compared with the control group. Conclusion These findings further support that CAKUT patients may, eventually, experience progressive renal damage and poor regenerative response. The increased urinary levels of MCP-1 in all groups of CAKUT patients suggested that the main factor responsible for the above effects is chronic renal inflammation mediated by local monocytes

Different outcome of six homozygotes for prothrombin A20210A gene variant

Prothrombin G20210A gene variant (FII G20210A) is a risk factor for venous thrombotic disease while conflicting results have been reported for the risk of arterial thrombotic events. However, vascular episodes were absent in up to 40% of the 67 homozygotes for the G20210A described so far, which indicates that the clinical expression depends on additional risk/trigger factors. We describe six homozygotes for the G20210A variant, among which the first pair of siblings (cases n. 3 and 4) reported so far that displayed a strongly heterogeneous clinical outcome. Case 1, a female of 27 years, developed a full thrombosis of common femoral, superficial and popliteal veins. She assumed oral contraceptives in the last two years. Case n. 2, 34 years old, suffered of recurrent pregnancy loss in absence of any causative alteration. Cases n. 3 and n. 5 experienced arterial thrombotic disease, i.e., juvenile myocardial infarction (40 years old) and stroke (48 years old), respectively, in absence of other risk factors. Finally, cases n. 4 and 6 identified as homozygotes for the FII G20210A variant being consanguineous of symptomatic subjects bearing the variant, did not experience any episode of venous nor arterial disease. Both of them have chronic liver disease with an impairement of the prothrombin time INR. Thus, homozygotes for the G20210A are at risk for arterial (in addition to venous) thromobotic events; chronic liver disease might modulate this risk

Placemaking and Cultural Landscapes

Placemaking and cultural landscapes are worldwide multidisciplinary global concerns that cover many points of view of the common impacts of socio-economic cultural and rights jurisprudence planning, wellbeing and related advancements. Concerned with the complex interactions between the development and environment of those factors, it is important to seek ways, paths and implications for framing sustainability in all social activities. This book is mostly based on the 10th ACLA – Asian Cultural Landscape Association International Webinar Symposium that took place during September 26–27, 2020, in the Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. It examines contemporary social–cultural issues in the context of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs) and associated cultural and sacred landscapes. There, the emphasis is on awakening deeper cultural sensitivity in harmonizing the world and the role of society and spiritual systems, drawing upon multi-disciplinary and cross-cultural interfaces—all within the scope of the future of the earth. The book’s chapters add a new dimension of cultural understanding in the broad domain of emerging human geoscience, considered as key policy science for contributing towards sustainability and survivability science together with future earth initiatives

Interfaces Among Placemaking and Cultural Landscapes: Review and Appraisal

The concept of placemaking is used in comprehensive and complex ways in different contexts of disciplinary boundedness and application in prospective planning and pathways to sustainable development. There is no mutual agreement on a common definition or its attributes. This concept is also taken as an approach and procedure too. Among all the concerns, at the core is ‘place’, which synthesises the multidimensional system of interdependency and interconnectedness. Culture is discussed as a vital force in practising placemaking. In the recent era of the paradigm shift, culture is accepted as the fourth pill that envelops the three basic pillars of SDG, viz. society, environment, and economy, as provoked in the Mexico Declaration in 1982. Through the recently developed mission of Reconnecting With Your Culture (RWYC), a new march is in the move to enhance quality and deeply-rooted education and dialogues making a bridge between locality and universality. The attributes of cultural landscapes and cultural heritage are the essential ingredients of placemaking. Ultimately, it is accepted that placemaking belongs to everyone: its message and mission are bigger than any one person or organisation. These are illustrated here within a frame of appraisal and review of the recent trends in understanding and studying placemaking

Associations between bone retraction, lost teeth, and metabolic syndrome. A cross-sectional study in dentistry patients aged over 60 years

Introduction. In Italy, the number of elder is growing and people over 70 may be a problem in public health on present and next years. [ISTAT 2019] Methods. In this paper we analysed 150 patients aged 60÷99 by medical and instrumental examinations. Results. We analysed all data patients into three age groups: “A” patients aged 60÷69 years; “B” patients aged 70÷79 years, and “C” patients aged 80÷99 years. Conclusion. This is the first study carried out on old and very old dentistry patients. Our people sample showed lost teeth, and bone retractions more than 6 millimetres associated with unilateral and/or bilateral carotidal plaques. They also suffered for many other pathologies connected with cardiovascular system. In our paper, we showed these specific aspects more in “B” subjects than in “A” and “C” elder patients. Clin Ter 2021; 172 (5):e442-447. doi: 10.7417/ CT.2021.235

Integrated enzymatic pretreatment and hydrolysis of apple pomace in a bubble column bioreactor

Waste biomass from agro-food industry can be exploited to produce several products according to the sugar-based biorefinery concept. The success of the biomass exploitation stems from the equilibrium among severalissues regarding the process costs, the environmental impact, and the energy efficiency. The present work isfocused on the use of apple pomace as possible renewable feedstock for the production of biofuels and of bio-commodities. The aim of the present work was the optimization of the enzymatic pretreatment and hydrolysis ofapple pomace in a bubble column bioreactor by using a recombinant laccase as biocatalyst for the delignificationstep and commercial cellulases for the hydrolysis step. Both the enzymatic processes were investigated to selectthe optimal operating conditions for the maximization of sugar yields. Optimal conditions for the sequentialenzymatic delignification and hydrolysis process in the bubble column were: 15%w/v biomass concentration;60 nL/h airflow rate, 30 U/gbiomasslaccase activity; 20 FPU/gcellulosecellulase activity. Moreover, the selectedoperating conditions were applied to a long term test of the sequential pretreatment/hydrolysis in the bubblecolumn that resulted in a maximum sugar yield of 0.34 gsugars/graw biomassand 0.61 gsugars/gsugars in the pretreatedbiomassfrom the raw apple pomace. Result discussion highlighted advantages and drawback of pneumatic mixingand sequential pretreatment/hydrolysis strategy applied to enzymatic delignification and cellulose hydrolysis