Management of labyrinthine fistula in chronic otitis with cholesteatoma: case series.

Labyrinthine fistula is a complication of ear cholesteatoma that increase the risk of sensorineural hearing loss. The management of the fistula must be done contextually with mastoidectomy by: leaving cholesteatoma matrix over the fistula, or remove the matrix reconstructing the defect. Objective: analysis of the two techniques to treat labyrinthine fistula. Methods: retrospective review with case series analysis. Results: a labyrinthine fistula was present in 14% of cholesteatoma patients; CT scan was pre-dictive in all cases; the hearing preservation was obtained with both techniques; a re-currence was detected only in one case; postoperative nystagmus incidence was higher in those cases with matrix left in situ and when the size of the fistula was lar-ger than 2 mm. Conclusions: the labyrinthine fistula have to be treated contextually with cholesteatoma removal, both techniques had good postoperative hearing preser-vation rate. The postoperative vertigo with nystagmus is more frequent in larger fistu-las

Low Metal Loading (Au, Ag, Pt, Pd) Photo‐Catalysts Supported on TiO2 for Renewable Processes

Photo‐catalysts based on titanium dioxide, and modified with highly dispersed metallic nanoparticles of Au, Ag, Pd and Pt, either mono‐ or bi‐metallic, have been analyzed by multiple characterization techniques, including XRD, XPS, SEM, EDX, UV‐Vis and N2 adsorption/desorption. Mono‐metallic photo‐catalysts were prepared by wet impregnation, while bi‐metallic photocatalysts were obtained via deposition‐precipitation (DP). The relationship between the physico‐chemical properties and the catalyst’s behavior for various photo‐synthetic processes, such as carbon dioxide photo‐reduction to liquid products and glucose photo‐reforming to hydrogen have been investigated. Among the tested materials, the catalysts containing platinum alone (i.e., 0.1 mol% Pt/TiO2) or bi‐metallic gold‐containing materials (e.g., 1 wt% (AuxAgy)/TiO2 and 1 wt% (AuxPtz)/TiO2) showed the highest activity, presenting the best results in terms of productivity and conversion for both applications. The textural, structural and morphological properties of the different samples being very similar, the main parameters to improve performance were function of the metal as electron sink, together with optoelectronic properties. The high activity in both applications was related to the low band gap, that allows harvesting more energy from a polychromatic light source with respect to the bare TiO2. Overall, high selectivity and productivity were achieved with respect to most literature data

Fat plug myringoplasty: Analysis of a safe procedure for small tympanic perforations

Objective: Assessment of value of fat plug myringoplasty as office-based procedure in small tympanic membrane perforations. Material and Methods: Prospective study of consecutive patients undergoing fat plug myringoplasty under local anesthesia. Minimum follow-up considered was 6 months, which included several microscopic examinations. All data were recorded and analyzed statistically. Results: 33 patients matched the inclusion criteria; the mean perforation size was 2.8 mm. No change in PTA was noted after surgery in the whole series. Recurrence of perforation was detected in 7 cases (21%), which was statistically related with the cause of perforation rather than location or size (p-value <0.01). Conclusions: Fat plug myringoplasty is a safe procedure with very low rate of complications, and it is an office-based procedure well tolerate by all patients. Results in case of primary surgery are excellent, with a high success rate (90%). In case of recurrent perforation after traditional surgery, success rate get decreased

Effect of Metal Cocatalysts and Operating Conditions on the Product Distribution and the Productivity of the CO2 Photoreduction

open7The CO2 photoreduction is a promising way to convert one of the most abundant greenhouse gases to valuable chemicals. The photoreduction in the liquid phase is limited by the low solubility of CO2 in water, but this point is overcome here by using an innovative photoreactor, which allows one to work up to pressures of 20 bar, improving the overall productivity. The photoreduction was performed in the presence of Na2SO3 and using in primis commercial titanium dioxide (P25) and a set of titania catalysts functionalized by surface deposition of either monometallic or bimetallic cocatalysts. The gaseous products were hydrogen and traces of CO, while, in the liquid phase, formic acid/formate, formaldehyde and methanol were quantitatively detected. The pH was observed to shift the products distribution. A neutral environment led mainly to hydrogen and methanol, while, at pH 14, formate was the most abundant compound. The trend for monometallic cocatalysts showed enhanced productivity when using noble metals (i.e., gold and platinum). In order to limit the cost of the catalytic material, bimetallic cocatalysts were explored, adding titania with Au+Ag or Au+Pt. This may open to the possibility of performing the reaction with a smaller amount of the most expensive metals. In the end, we have expressed some conclusions on the cost of the photocatalysts here employed, to support the overall feasibility assessment of the process.openConte F.; Villa A.; Prati L.; Pirola C.; Bennici S.; Ramis G.; Rossetti I.Conte, F.; Villa, A.; Prati, L.; Pirola, C.; Bennici, S.; Ramis, G.; Rossetti, I

Esperimento pilota mirato all’analisi dell’effetto della stimolazione immunitaria su A. viridis, finalizzato alla produzione di composti biologicamente attivi

L’esperimento mira a valutare l’eventuale attività antibatterica di peptidi prodotti da individui di Anemonia viridis in seguito a stimolazione immunitaria e quindi alla realizzazione di un protocollo riproducibile e ottimizzato per la produzione di tali composti

Applicazione di un protocollo di immuno-stimolazione su individui di Pracambarus clarkii mirato alla produzione di peptidi con attività biologica

Uno dei principali problemi inerenti l’identificazione e l’analisi di nuovi peptidi naturali di origine marina è la disponibilità in termini quantitativi del materiale bioattivo (Cragg et al., 1997). Infatti, le concentrazioni di tali peptidi negli invertebrati marini sono spesso meno del 10-6 % del peso umido, ed il loro rendimento a seguito delle procedure di estrazione tradizionali risulta ancora più basso. Tuttavia, sono molteplici i fattori che possono influenzare l'esito della identificazione degli Anti Microbial Peptides (AMP), come le variazioni geografiche e stagionali (sito di campionamento), le diverse fasi della vita (specie pelagiche o bentoniche), l'età, il sesso e lo stato fisiologico (malattia, allevamento, muta). A causa della difficoltà nell’ottenere quantità sufficienti di composti bioattivi, potrebbe essere più produttivo dissezionare in diversi tessuti/organi gli invertebrati selezionati per poi estrarre il materiale da saggiare (Haug et al., 2002a, 2002b, 2004) ciò al fine di separare i peptidi di interesse da migliaia di sostanze inattive. Dividere gli organismi in parti differenti selezionando ciascun tessuto potrebbe anche fornire l'indicazione se l'animale produce da sé il principio attivo o se esso proviene dalla dieta o ancora è associato a parassiti o microrganismi. La maggior parte degli AMP marini sono stati di fatto isolati dal compartimento sangue, sia dall’emolinfa/fluido celomatico (sangue intero) o dagli emociti/celomociti (cellule del sangue). Alcuni peptidi tuttavia sono stati scoperti e isolati da altri tessuti, ma essendo questi circondati (negli invertebrati marini) dagli emociti/celomociti, è possibile che provengano da questi ultimi. Inoltre tutte le variabili analitiche hanno una potenziale influenza sul risultato sia in termini quantitativi che qualitativi oltre che per la stabilità del campione anche per la riproducibilità del protocollo. Tra queste variabili ricadono le condizioni di conservazione del campione (tempo trascorso dall’estrazione, la temperatura prima dell’estrazione ed alla separazione, il congelamento e la liofilizzazione), la tipologia del campione ed il metodo di prelievo, la separazione delle cellule dal sangue (velocità di centrifugazione, durata e temperatura), l’uso del tampone (tipo, pH, forza ionica e temperatura), l'uso e il tipo di anticoagulanti e cocktail inibitori della proteasi. Inoltre, dati bibliografici riportano come la stimolazione immunitaria determini un aumento sia quantitativamente che qualitativamente della produzione di peptidi antimicrobici. Per tale motivo si è proceduto ad effettuare un esperimento pilota per valutare se in tali condizioni fosse superiore la quantità di piccoli peptidi sintetizzati rispetto ad individui non stimolati e se nei differenti tempi di stimolazione selezionati, emergesse una differenziazione a carico dei peptidi prodotti in relazione ad una possibile attività di natura antibatterica

Characterization of translationally controlled tumour protein from the sea anemone Anemonia viridis and transcriptome wide identification of cnidarian homologues

Gene family encoding translationally controlled tumour protein (TCTP) is defined as highly conserved among organisms; however, there is limited knowledge of non-bilateria. In this study, the first TCTP homologue from anthozoan was characterised in the Mediterranean Sea anemone, Anemonia viridis. The release of the genome sequence of Acropora digitifera, Exaiptasia pallida, Nematostella vectensis and Hydra vulgaris enabled a comprehensive study of the molecular evolution of TCTP family among cnidarians. A comparison among TCTP members from Cnidaria and Bilateria showed conserved intron exon organization, evolutionary conserved TCTP signatures and 3D protein structure. The pattern of mRNA expression profile was also defined in A. viridis. These analyses revealed a constitutive mRNA expression especially in tissues with active proliferation. Additionally, the transcriptional profile of A. viridis TCTP (AvTCTP) after challenges with different abiotic/biotic stresses showed induction by extreme temperatures, heavy metals exposure and immune stimulation. These results suggest the involvement of AvTCTP in the sea anemone defensome taking part in environmental stress and immune responses

Gene expression changes after parental exposure to metals in the sea urchin affect timing of genetic programme of embryo development

It is widely accepted that phenotypic traits can be modulated at the epigenetic level so that some conditions can affect the progeny of exposed individuals. To assess if the exposure of adult animals could result in effects on the offspring, the Mediterranean sea urchin and its wellcharacterized gene regulatory networks (GRNs) was chosen as a model. Adult animals were exposed to known concentrations of zinc and cadmium (both individually and in combination) for 10 days, and the resulting embryos were followed during the development. The oxidative stress occurring in parental gonads, embryo phenotypes and mortality, and the expression level of a set of selected genes, including members of the skeletogenic and endodermal GRNs, were evaluated. Increased oxidative stress at F0, high rates of developmental aberration with impaired gastrulation, in association to deregulation of genes involved in skeletogenesis (dri, hex, sm50, p16, p19, msp130), endodermal specification (foxa, hox11/13b, wnt8) and epigenetic regulation (kat2A, hdac1, ehmt2, phf8 and UBE2a) occurred either at 24 or 48 hpf. Results strongly indicate that exposure to environmental pollutants can affect not only directly challenged animals but also their progeny (at least F1), influencing optimal timing of genetic programme of embryo development, resulting in an overall impairment of developmental success

The nucleic acid-binding protein PcCNBP is transcriptionally regulated during the immune response in red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii

Gene family encoding cellular nucleic acid binding proteins (CNBP) is well conserved among vertebrates; however, there is limited knowledge in lower organisms. In this study, a CNBP homolog from the red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii was characterised. The full-length cDNA of PcCNBP was of 1257 bp with a 5′-untranslated region (UTR) of 63 bp and a 3′-UTR of 331 bp with a poly (A) tail, and an open-reading frame (ORF) of 864 bp encoding a polypeptide of 287 amino acids with the predicted molecular weight of about 33 kDa. The predicted protein possesses 7 tandem repeats of 14 amino acids containing the CCHC zinc finger consensus sequence, two RGG-rich single-stranded RNA-binding domain and a nuclear localization signal, strongly suggesting that PcCNBP was a homolog of vertebrate CNBP. The PcCNBP transcript was constitutively expressed in all tested tissues of unchallenged crayfish, including hepatopancreas, gill, eyestalk, haemocytes, intestine, stomach and cuticle with highest expression in haemocytes, intestine, gills and hepatopancreas. The mRNA expression of PcCNBP in haemocytes was modulated at transcriptional level by different immune challenges, suggesting its involvement in the immune response of P. clarkii during both bacteria and viruses infection