Diossido di titanio e alcune sue applicazioni. Spunti didattici

Il diossido di titanio, TiO2, ampiamente utilizzato come pigmento di colore bianco, \ue8 uno dei materiali pi\uf9 studiati nell\u2019ambito della ricerca per le sue propriet\ue0 fotocatalitiche. Esso, infatti, contribuisce alla fotodegradazione di sostanze inquinanti, motivo per cui \ue8 utilizzato nel settore della purificazione dell\u2019aria e dell\u2019acqua e per la realizzazione di vetri autopulenti, disponibili commercialmente. Nel presente lavoro viene suggerito un percorso didattico con l\u2019obiettivo di mettere in evidenza le propriet\ue0 fotocatalitiche del diossido di titanio oltre che pu\uf2 essere utilizzato per affrontare concetti fondamentali quali la struttura a bande dei solidi e la fotocatalisi. Il percorso si articola in pi\uf9 fasi che ricalcano quelle suggerite nei metodi didattici basati sull\u2019indagine come il protocollo delle 5E dell\u2019approccio IBSE. Dopo aver assistito a una dimostrazione che illustra le propriet\ue0 fotocatalitiche del diossido di titanio con l\u2019ausilio di un opportuno pigmento, gli studenti sono guidati nell\u2019indagine dei diversi fattori che influenzano il processo

Reconstruction with a pectoralis major myocutaneous flap after left first rib and clavicular chest wall resection for a metastasis from laryngeal cancer

We presented a case of recurrent metastasis from epidermoid cancer that occurred in the left clavicle of a patient with a history of laryngeal cancer treated on April 2005 with extended hemilaryngectomy, neck dissection and chemoradiation therapy. On September 2008, he developed a left clavicular metastasis. The disease was initially well controlled by chemoradiotherapy but it recurred 17 months later. The optimal treatment plan was established by several multidisciplinary meetings and the patient subsequently underwent an en bloc resection of the left clavicle, first rib and all the other involved structures. Coverage of the thoracic defect was achieved using pectoralis major myocutaneous flap. The patient had a successful surgical outcome. At 1-year follow-up, he had no evidence of disease, a good cosmetic result and returned to normal daily activity. He died for bone metastasis with an overall 21 months post-surgical survival.We presented a case of recurrent metastasis from epidermoid cancer that occurred in the left clavicle of a patient with a history of laryngeal cancer treated on April 2005 with extended hemilaryngectomy, neck dissection and chemoradiation therapy. On September 2008, he developed a left clavicular metastasis. The disease was initially well controlled by chemoradiotherapy but it recurred 17 months later. The optimal treatment plan was established by several multidisciplinary meetings and the patient subsequently underwent an en bloc resection of the left clavicle, first rib and all the other involved structures. Coverage of the thoracic defect was achieved using pectoralis major myocutaneous flap. The patient had a successful surgical outcome. At 1-year follow-up, he had no evidence of disease, a good cosmetic result and returned to normal daily activity. He died for bone metastasis with an overall 21 months post-surgical survival

Nanotechnology for Solar Energy Conversion

Nel presente lavoro \ue8 descritto un modulo didattico sviluppato, nell\u2019ambito del progetto europeo IRRESISTIBLE, dall\u2019unit\ue0 di Palermo sul tema dell\u2019applicazione delle nanoscienze allo sfruttamento dell\u2019energia solare. L\u2019attivit\ue0 \ue8 stata rivolta ad alunni del biennio dell\u2019Istituto Tecnico, nell\u2019ambito delle discipline Scienze Chimiche Integrate e Scienze e Tecnologie Applicate Chimca e ad alunni dell\u2019ultimo anno del Liceo Scientifico, nell\u2019ambito della disciplina Fisica. Tra le varie attivit\ue0 , anche sperimentali, \ue8 stata realizzata una cella DSSC che, insieme ad altro materiale di comunicazione preparato dagli stessi studenti, \ue8 stata presentata alla mostra scientifica Esperienza inSegna e al meeting finale del progetto, che si \ue8 svolto a Kiel in Germania. Alla fine del modulo gli studenti hanno dimostrato di aver acquisito, oltre alle necessarie competenze chimiche, anche una notevole sensibilit\ue0 nei riguardi del rapporto tra scienza e societ\ue0 con particolare riferimento nei confronti della ricerca e della innovazione responsabili. Il progetto europeo IRRESISTIBLE ha affrontato i problemi inerenti la formazione scientifica e ha avuto lo scopo di diffondere la consapevolezza delle tematiche di Ricerca e Innovazione Responsabili (RRI), promuovendo attivit\ue0 di formazione degli insegnanti da sperimentare in classe con l\u2019ausilio della metodologia Inquiry-based Science Education (IBSE

Corpus callosum involvement: a useful clue for differentiating Fabry Disease from Multiple Sclerosis.

PURPOSE: Multiple sclerosis (MS) has been proposed as a possible differential diagnosis for Fabry disease (FD). The aim of this work was to evaluate the involvement of corpus callosum (CC) on MR images and its possible role as a radiological sign to differentiate between FD and MS. METHODS: In this multicentric study, we retrospectively evaluated the presence of white matter lesions (WMLs) on the FLAIR images of 104 patients with FD and 117 patients with MS. The incidence of CC-WML was assessed in the two groups and also in a subgroup of 37 FD patients showing neurological symptoms. RESULTS: WMLs were detected in 50 of 104 FD patients (48.1%) and in all MS patients. However, a lesion in the CC was detected in only 3 FD patients (2.9%) and in 106 MS patients (90.6%). In the FD subgroup with neurological symptoms, WMLs were present in 26 of 37 patients (70.3%), with two subjects (5.4%) showing a definite callosal lesion. CONCLUSION: FD patients have a very low incidence of CC involvement on conventional MR images compared to MS, independently from the clinical presentation and the overall degree of WM involvement. Evaluating the presence of CC lesions on brain MR scans can be used as a radiological sign for a differential diagnosis between MS and FD, rapidly addressing the physician toward a correct diagnosis and subsequent treatment options

Evaluating predictive pharmacogenetic signatures of adverse events in colorectal cancer patients treated with fluoropyrimidines

The potential clinical utility of genetic markers associated with response to fluoropyrimidine treatment in colorectal cancer patients remains controversial despite extensive study. Our aim was to test the clinical validity of both novel and previously identified markers of adverse events in a broad clinical setting. We have conducted an observational pharmacogenetic study of early adverse events in a cohort study of 254 colorectal cancer patients treated with 5-fluorouracil or capecitabine. Sixteen variants of nine key folate (pharmacodynamic) and drug metabolising (pharmacokinetic) enzymes have been analysed as individual markers and/or signatures of markers. We found a significant association between TYMP S471L (rs11479) and early dose modifications and/or severe adverse events (adjusted OR = 2.02 [1.03; 4.00], p = 0.042, adjusted OR = 2.70 [1.23; 5.92], p = 0.01 respectively). There was also a significant association between these phenotypes and a signature of DPYD mutations (Adjusted OR = 3.96 [1.17; 13.33], p = 0.03, adjusted OR = 6.76 [1.99; 22.96], p = 0.002 respectively). We did not identify any significant associations between the individual candidate pharmacodynamic markers and toxicity. If a predictive test for early adverse events analysed the TYMP and DPYD variants as a signature, the sensitivity would be 45.5 %, with a positive predictive value of just 33.9 % and thus poor clinical validity. Most studies to date have been under-powered to consider multiple pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic variants simultaneously but this and similar individualised data sets could be pooled in meta-analyses to resolve uncertainties about the potential clinical utility of these markers

Effect of ABCB1 and ABCC3 Polymorphisms on Osteosarcoma Survival after Chemotherapy: A Pharmacogenetic Study

Background: Standard treatment for osteosarcoma patients consists of a combination of cisplatin, adriamycin, and methotrexate before surgical resection of the primary tumour, followed by postoperative chemotherapy including vincristine and cyclophosphamide. Unfortunately, many patients still relapse or suffer adverse events. We examined whether common germline polymorphisms in chemotherapeutic transporter and metabolic pathway genes of the drugs used in standard osteosarcoma treatment may predict treatment response. Methodology/Principal Findings: In this study we screened 102 osteosarcoma patients for 346 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) and 2 Copy Number Variants (CNVs) in 24 genes involved in the metabolism or transport of cisplatin, adriamycin, methotrexate, vincristine, and cyclophosphamide. We studied the association of the genotypes with tumour response and overall survival. We found that four SNPs in two ATP-binding cassette genes were significantly associated with overall survival: rs4148416 in ABCC3 (per-allele HR = 8.14, 95%CI = 2.73-20.2, p-value = 5.1×10 -5), and three SNPs in ABCB1, rs4148737 (per-allele HR = 3.66, 95%CI = 1.85-6.11, p-value = 6.9×10 -5), rs1128503 and rs10276036 (r 2 = 1, per-allele HR = 0.24, 95%CI = 0.11-0.47 p-value = 7.9×10 -5). Associations with these SNPs remained statistically significant after correction for multiple testing (all corrected p-values [permutation test] ≤0.03). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that these polymorphisms may affect osteosarcoma treatment efficacy. If these associations are independently validated, these variants could be used as genetic predictors of clinical outcome in the treatment of osteosarcoma, helping in the design of individualized therapyThis work was supported by the AECC (Asociación Española contra el Cáncer), FIS (Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria-Instituto de Salud Carlos III) and the ‘‘Inocente Inocente’’ Foundatio

Seroprevalence of hepatitis C in type 2 diabetes: evidence for a positive association

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There is a growing body of literature on the relationship of Hepatitis C virus infection (HCV) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, there are certain gaps in literature and the data is inconclusive. This study was, therefore, carried out to determine the prevalence of HCV infection in diabetic patients and to elucidate the presence of any possible relationship between HCV and T2DM in this region.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Serologic testing for anti-HCV antibody was done on a sample of 3000 individuals with T2DM visiting Diabetes Clinic of Nishtar Medical College Hospital, Multan and 10,000 volunteer blood donors visiting blood bank of the same hospital during the study period using Accurate rapid immunochromatographic kits which was later confirmed by using Chemelex S.A third generation ELISA kit for positive cases. Data about various variables was collected from diabetic patients using a structured questionnaire after taking informed consent.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Prevalence rate of 13.7% for HCV infection was recorded among subjects having T2DM with seropositivity rate of 4.9% among the control group of volunteer blood donors without diabetes. The patients with T2DM were more likely to have HCV infection as compared to the control group (OR = 3.03, 95%CI = 2.64-3.48, p = 0.001). Diabetic patients with age above 55 years had higher prevalence rate as compared to younger individuals. Male patients had significantly high seropositivity as compared to female patients (15.3% vs. 12.4%, p = 0.02). Those with duration of diabetes 11 years and above and the ones with good glycemic control had higher seroprevalence rates of 18.2% and 18.7% respectively. There was no statistically significant difference among subjects when the distribution of HCV was studied on the basis of marital status, locality, or family history of diabetes.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results show that there is a strong association between HCV and T2DM in the region as evident from significantly higher prevalence of HCV infection in diabetics as compared to the control group in the present study.</p

The effect of interaction between hepatitis C virus and cigarette smoking on the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma

We evaluated the interaction between hepatitis C virus (HCV) and cigarette smoking on death from hepatocellular cancer in The Japan Collaborative Cohort Study. The odds ratio of death from HCC for smoking was 9.60 (1.50–61.35) and 1.71(0.58–5.08) among anti-HCV positive and negative individuals, respectively

Hepatitis C Virus Induced a Novel Apoptosis-Like Death of Pancreatic Beta Cells through a Caspase 3-Dependent Pathway

Epidemiological and experimental studies have suggested that Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated with the development of type 2 diabetes. Pancreatic beta cell failure is central to the progression of type 2 diabetes. Using virus infection system, we investigate the influence of HCV infection on the fate of the insulinoma cell line, MIN6. Our experiments demonstrate that the HCV virion itself is indispensable and has a dose- and time-dependent cytopathic effect on the cells. HCV infection inhibits cell proliferation and induces death of MIN6 cells with apoptotic characteristics, including cell surface exposure of phosphatidylserine, decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, activation of caspase 3 and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase, and DNA fragmentation in the nucleus. However, the fact that HCV-infected cells exhibit a dilated, low-density nucleus with intact plasma and nuclear membrane indicates that a novel apoptosis-like death occurs. HCV infection also causes endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Further, HCV RNA replication was detected in MIN6 cells, although the infection efficiency is very low and no progeny virus particle generates. Taken together, our data suggest that HCV infection induces death of pancreatic beta cells through an ER stress-involved, caspase 3-dependent, special pathway

Association of HCV with diabetes mellitus: an Egyptian case-control study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The highest Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) prevalence in the world occurs in Egypt. Several studies from different parts of the world have found that 13% to 33% of patients with chronic HCV have associated diabetes, mostly type II Diabetes Mellitus (DM). In Egypt the prevalence of DM is 25.4% among HCV patients. Therefore, it is important to identify the magnitude of the problem of diabetes in order to optimize the treatment of chronic hepatitis C.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The objective of this case-control study was to evaluate the prevalence of DM and other extrahepatic (EH) manifestations among patients with different HCV morbidity stages including asymptomatic, chronic hepatic and cirrhotic patients. In this study, 289 HCV patients older than 18 were selected as cases. Also, 289 healthy controls were included. Laboratory investigations including Liver Function tests (LFT) and blood glucose level were done. Also serological assays including cryoglobulin profile, rheumatoid factor, antinuclear antibody, HCV-PCR were performed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Out of 289 HCV cases, 40 (13.84%) were diabetic. Out of 289 healthy controls, 12 (4.15%) were diabetic. It was found that the diabetic HCV group mean age was [48.1 (± 9.2)]. Males and urbanians represented 72.5% and 85% respectively. Lower level of education was manifested in 52.5% and 87.5% were married. In the nondiabetic HCV group mean age was [40.7 (± 10.4)]. Males and urbanians represented 71.5% and 655% respectively. secondary and higher level of education was attained in 55.4% and 76.7% were married. Comparing between the diabetic HCV group and the non diabetic HCV group, age, residence and alcohol drinking were the only significant factors affecting the incidence of diabetes between the two groups. There was no significant difference regarding sonar findings although cirrhosis was more prevalent among diabetic HCV cases and the fibrosis score was higher in diabetic HCV patients than among the non diabetic HCV cases.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The diabetic patients in the HCV group were older, more likely to have a history of alcohol drinking than the non diabetic HCV cases. Age and alcohol drinking are factors that could potentially contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes. Logistic regression analyses showed that age and residence in urban regions were the predictive variables that could be associated with the presence of diabetes. Alcohol consumption was not a significant predictive factor.</p