Study of alteration and degradation products of a Roman marble sarcophagus located in the medieval cloister of the old st Cosimato’s Convent, now the new "Regina Margherita Hospital” (Rome)

Optical and SEM-EDS microscopy, FT-IR and mFT-IR spectroscopy investigations have been applied to the study of alteration and degradation products of a Roman sarcophagus located in the medieval cloister of St Cosimato’s Convent, now the new “Regina Margherita Hospital” (Rome) before restoration work. This scientific analysis was performed in order to compare it with a diagnosis report based on the restorer’s expertise. The sarcophagus is small and consists of a single block of fine-grained marble covered by a thick pink patina. The results obtained from this diagnostic investigation, allow us to draw important conclusions about the state of conservation of this archaeological artefact. The main components found in the samples analyzed are: black crust, calcium oxalate, organic matter due to recent conservation treatment, calcite, iron-oxides and coloured earths. In particular, the combined used of petrographical and mFT-IR analysis provided useful insights into the polishing and consolidation processes of archaeological artefacts

Convergent Sets of Data from In Vivo and In Vitro Methods Point to an Active Role of Hsp60 in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Pathogenesis

BACKGROUND: It is increasingly clear that some heat shock proteins (Hsps) play a role in inflammation. Here, we report results showing participation of Hsp60 in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD), as indicated by data from both in vivo and in vitro analyses. METHODS AND RESULTS: Bronchial biopsies from patients with stable COPD, smoker controls with normal lung function, and non-smoker controls were studied. We quantified by immunohistochemistry levels of Hsp10, Hsp27, Hsp40, Hsp60, Hsp70, Hsp90, and HSF-1, along with levels of inflammatory markers. Hsp10, Hsp40, and Hsp60 were increased during progression of disease. We found also a positive correlation between the number of neutrophils and Hsp60 levels. Double-immunostaining showed that Hsp60-positive neutrophils were significantly increased in COPD patients. We then investigated in vitro the effect on Hsp60 expression in bronchial epithelial cells (16HBE) caused by oxidative stress, a hallmark of COPD mucosa, which we induced with H\u2082O\u2082. This stressor determined increased levels of Hsp60 through a gene up-regulation mechanism involving NFkB-p65. Release of Hsp60 in the extracellular medium by the bronchial epithelial cells was also increased after H\u2082O\u2082 treatment in the absence of cell death. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report clearly pointing to participation of Hsps, particularly Hsp60, in COPD pathogenesis. Hsp60 induction by NFkB-p65 and its release by epithelial cells after oxidative stress can have a role in maintaining inflammation, e.g., by stimulating neutrophils activity. The data open new scenarios that might help in designing efficacious anti-inflammatory therapies centered on Hsp60 and applicable to COP

«Pirandellonazionale». Una scommessa filologica ed ermeneutica

The new digital edition of Pirandello’s Opera omnia, housed online at www.pirandellonazionale.it, contains, in a high structured whole, in-depth philological tools, digitized editions of complete texts, manuscripts and other writings, enriched by a set of didactic tools for teachers and students. It also contains a complete vocabulary of Pirandello’s works, that users can explore trough lemmas.L’edizione digitale dell'Opera omnia di Pirandello, attiva nel sito www.pirandellonazionale.it, include, in un insieme fortemente strutturato, strumenti filologici di alta scientificità, edizioni critiche dei testi, manoscritti e altri testimoni, arricchiti da una serie di strumenti didattici per docenti e studenti. Essa contiene anche il vocabolario integrale delle opere di Pirandello, ricercabile per lemmi

Advantages of surface-initiated ATRP (SI-ATRP) for the functionalization of electrospun materials

Surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP) is successfully applied to electrospun constructs of poly( L -lactide). ATRP macroinitiators are adsorbed through polyelec-trolyte complexation following the introduction of negative charges on the polyester surface through its blending with a six-armed carboxy-terminated oligolactide. SI-ATRP of glycerol monomethacrylate (GMMA) or 2-(N,N-diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DEAEMA) allows then to grow surface \ufb01 lms with controllable thickness, and in this way also to control the wetting and interactions of the construct

Bone Morphogenic Proteins and Their Antagonists in the Lower Airways of Stable COPD Patients

Background: Bone morphogenic proteins (BMPs) and their antagonists are involved in the tissue development and homeostasis of various organs. Objective: To determine transcriptomic and protein expression of BMPs and their antagonists in stable COPD. Methods: We measured the expression and localization of BMPs and some relevant antagonists in bronchial biopsies of stable mild/moderate COPD (MCOPD) (n = 18), severe/very severe COPD (SCOPD) (n = 16), control smokers (CS) (n = 13), and control non-smokers (CNS) (n = 11), and in lung parenchyma of MCOPD (n = 9), CS (n = 11), and CNS (n = 9) using immunohistochemistry and transcriptome analysis, in vitro after the stimulation of the 16HBE cells. Results: In bronchial biopsies, BMP4 antagonists CRIM1 and chordin were increased in the bronchial epithelium and lamina propria of COPD patients. BMP4 expression was decreased in the bronchial epithelium of SCOPD and MCOPD compared to CNS. Lung transcriptomic data showed non-significant changes between groups. CRIM1 and chordin were significantly decreased in the alveolar macrophages and alveolar septa in COPD patients. External 16HBE treatment with BMP4 protein reduced the bronchial epithelial cell proliferation. Conclusions: These data show an imbalance between BMP proteins and their antagonists in the lungs of stable COPD. This imbalance may play a role in the remodeling of the airways, altering the regenerative-reparative responses of the diseased bronchioles and lung parenchyma

Bacterial load and related innate immune response in the bronchi of rapid decliners with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Background: Characterization of COPD patients with rapid lung functional decline is of interest for prognostic and therapeutic reasons. We recently reported an impaired humoral immune response in rapid decliners. Objective: To determine the microbiota associated to markers of innate immune host response in COPD patients with rapid lung functional decline. Methods: In COPD patients monitored for at least 3 years (mean +/- SD: 5.8 +/- 3 years) for lung functional decline, the microbiota and related markers of immune response was measured in bronchial biopsies of patients with different lung functional decline (rate of FEV1% lung functional decline: no decline FEV1%, 20 70 ml/year, n = 15) using qPCR for microbiota and immunohistochemistry for cell-receptors and inflammatory markers. Main results: Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Streptococcus pneumoniae were increased in rapid decliners vs slow decliners, S. pneumoniae was also increased compared to non decliners. In all patients, S. pneumoniae (copies/ml) positively correlated with pack-years consumption, lung function decline, TLR4, NOD1, NOD2 scored in bronchial epithelium and NOD1/mm(2) in lamina propria. Conclusion: These data show an imbalance of microbiota components in rapid decliners which is associated to the expression of the related cell-receptors in all COPD patients. These findings may help in the prognostic stratification and treatment of patients

Multi-technique investigation of Roman decorated plasters from Villa dei Quintili (Rome, Italy)

In the present study, we investigated by the joint use of portable instrumentations, namely a handheld X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyser and a portable Raman spectrometer, the painted surface of plasters withdrawn from different areas of an important Roman monumental complex, known as Villa dei Quintili (Rome, Italy), dated back to the first half of the 2nd century a.C. XRF and Raman measurements contributed to the identification of the pigments through the elemental and molecular composition, respectively. In particular, the multi-technique non-invasive approach proved to be crucial for distinguishing two different reddish pigments. In order to confirm and integrate XRF and Raman results, two micro-destructive laboratory methods, namely optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM-EDS), were also employed on the same samples. All the experimental results shed light on the material characterizing the painted surface layer and the painting methodologies, providing in principle useful information for proper restoration processes. It is worth underlining that this experimental investigation takes part of a recent multidisciplinary study performed on this impressive archaeological site, aimed to characterize for the first time the monumental complex from an archaeometric point of view. © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved