Extraction socket preservation using porcine-derived collagen membrane alone or associated with porcine-derived bone. Clinical results of randomized controlled study

The aim of present randomized controlled clinical trial was to clinically evaluate hard tissue changes after extraction socket preservation procedures compared to natural spontaneous healing

Bone healing in extraction sockets covered with collagen membrane alone or associated with porcine-derived bone graft: a comparative histological and histomorphometric analysis

The present paper reports data of a randomized study aimed to analyse and compare the histologic and histomorphometric aspects of bone healing in extraction sites covered with collagen membrane alone or associated with porcine-derived bone graft

Saproxylic beetles of the Po plain woodlands, Italy

Forest ecosystems play an important role for the conservation of biodiversity, and for the protection of ecological processes. The Po plain woodlands which once covered the whole Plain, today are reduced in isolated highly threatened remnants by modern intensive agriculture. These close to natural floodplain forests are one of the most scarce and endangered ecosystems in Europe. Saproxylic species represent a major part of biodiversity of woodlands. The saproxylic insects are considered one of the most reliable bio-indicators of high-quality mature woodlands and have a very important role in regard to the protection and monitoring of forest biodiversity due to their highly specific living environments. As a result of the dramatic reduction of mature forests and the decreased availability of deadwood most of the saproxylic communities are greatly diminishing. The study was conducted in the Ticino Valley Regional Park and the aim is to contribute to the expansion of knowledge on the saproxylic beetles of Lombardy. We investigated 6 sampling sites belonging to alluvial and riparian mixed forests. For each forest we selected 12 trees. For beetles’ collection we used two different traps: Eclector Traps and Trunk Window Traps (total of 72 traps and 864 samples collected). We determined 4.387 beetles from 87 saproxylic species belonging to 21 families. Of these species 51 were not included in the previous checklist of the Park. By comparing the two different techniques used for catching saproxylic beetles, we found a significantly high difference in species richness between Window Traps (WT) and Eclector Traps (ET) with a higher number of species captured in the Window Traps. However, the combined use of two different types of traps significantly expanded the spectrum of insects captured Among the species reported as Least Concern in the IUCN Red List, we found interesting species such as the Elateridae Calambus bipustulats, the Eucnemidae Melasis buprestoides and the following species never previously found in the Park: Cerambycidae Xylotrechus rusticus, the Cetoniidae Valgus hemipterus, the Elateridae Lacon punctatus, the Mycetophagidae Mycetophagus piceus, Litargus connexus. Although we didn’t find species listed in the Annexes of the EU Habitat Directive, some of the species found are locally threatened because of their rarity, local distribution, and strong linkage to old forests. Among these species there are the Bothrideridae Bothrideres bipunctatus, the Cerambycidae Prionus coriarius and Xylotrechus rusticus, the Dryophthoridae Dryophthorus corticalis, the Eucnemidae Nematodes filum (with only 1 individual captured in Alnus unmanged forest), the Histeridae Aeletes atomarius and Paromalus flavicornis, the Laemophloeidae Cryptolestes duplicatus, the Latridiidae Enicmus rugosus and Latridius hirtus, the Mycetophagidae Mycetophagus piceus, and the Zopheridae Colydium elongatum and Pycnomerus terebrans

GRAPHICAL RESOLUTION OF HUMIC STRUCTURES

Advanced techniques have been recently used to obtain information on Natural Organic Matter (NOM). However, the current knowledge of the chemical structure of humic substances (HS) is still incomplete. These substances appear to be too complex mixtures of charged organic molecules, and their characterization remains one of the most stimulating challenges in modern environmental science. Knowledge of the chemical composition of NOM is of great importance for the definition of soil and water properties because it has a significant impact on the understanding of numerous molecular and global-scale processes. This study aims to apply two-dimensional graphical methods to resolve homologous series in mass spectra of humic extracts (Suwannee River, Nordic Aquatic, and Soil) obtained using FT-ICR / MS (Thermo LTQ FT, 7 Tesla) in negative ionization mode. Electrospray ionization (ESI) coupled with ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry offered by Fourier transformed ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR / MS) has emerged with great promise as it can provide an overview of the NOM composition and details on a molecular scale. NOM's very high-resolution FT-ICR spectra can be extremely complicated. These spectra usually contain many peaks at each nominal mass and thousands of peaks across the entire spectrum. Each peak can represent a chemically distinct compound. This complexity poses an analytical challenge to the study of spectra for structural interpretation. Two-dimensional graphing methods, such as Kendrick and van Krevelen graphs, have been successfully applied to very high-resolution mass spectra, allowing peaks to be sorted into complicated spectra from their homologous relatives across the mass range. In van Krevelen plots, ionic signals corresponding to structural similarities between homologous series of compounds involved in the loss or gain of functional groups are found on straight lines. We identified many interesting homologous regions and compared the three humic standards with each other. Finally, we recognized the structural relationships of the homologous series obtained through Kendrick graphs. The results showed homologous series in the Suwannee River and Nordic Aquatic samples compared to the soil-extracted samples (soil-FA and soil-HA). In particular, homologous series signals related to methylation/demethylation, hydrogenation/dehydrogenation, hydration/dehydration and oxidation/reduction processes were lower in the soil-FA van Krevelen diagrams. On the contrary, the differences were not so evident in all the homologous series for the soil-HA samples

Navigated Antral Bone Expansion (NABE): a prospective study on 35 patients with 4 months of follow-up post implant loading

The insertion of dental implants in the atrophic posterior maxilla can be a challenge. One option is to modify the residual native bone in preparation for proper, prosthetically-driven implant placement. The procedure presented in this study is called Navigated Antral Bone Expansion (N.A.B.E). This procedure employs the use of a navigation system to plan and guide the initial pilot drilling, bone expansion, final site preparation, and implant insertion. The aim of this study was to compare the distance between the alveolar ridge and the sinus floor measured before and after the surgery performed using the N.A.B.E.Methods: Thirty-seven partially edentulous patients who were candidates for implant supported restoration in the posterior maxilla, with a bone height ranging from 4 to 7 mm were enrolled. The N.A.B.E procedure was used to increase the bone height. Paired-samples t-test evaluated the distance between the alveolar ridge and the sinus floor measured before and after surgery. The occurrence of post-surgical complications, and the angular deviation between the planned osteotomy and the actual placed implant trajectories were evaluated. Results: Out of the 37 consecutive patients enrolled in the study, 35 were considered in the data analyses. Patients' bone height after surgery compared to the bone height before surgery showed a statistically significant increase (p < .0005) of 3.96 mm (95% CI, 3.62 mm to 4.30 mm). No post-operative complications were observed in the 35 patients. The mean angular deviation between the planned osteotomy trajectory and the placed implant trajectory ranged between 12.700 to 34.900 (mean 25.170 ± 5.100). Conclusions: This study provides evidence that N.A.B.E. technique is able to provide a significant bone increase, and could be considered an alternative method to the management of the atrophic posterior maxilla with a minimally invasive approach

Nitric oxide can function as either a killer molecule or an antiapoptotic effector in cardiomyocytes

AbstractCaspase enzymes are a family of cysteine proteases that play a central role in apoptosis. Recently, it has been demonstrated that caspases can be S-nitrosylated and inhibited by nitric oxide (NO). The present report shows that in chick embryo heart cells (CEHC), NO donor molecules such as S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP), S-nitrosoglutathione, spermine-NO or sodium nitroprusside inhibit caspase activity in both basal and staurosporine-treated cells. However, the inhibitory effect of NO donors on caspase activity is accompanied by a parallel cytotoxic effect, that precludes NO to exert its antiapoptotic capability. N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) at a concentration of 10 mM blocks depletion of cellular glutathione and cell death in SNAP-treated CEHC, but it poorly affects the ability of SNAP to inhibit caspase activity. Consequently, in the presence of NAC, SNAP attenuates not only caspase activity but also cell death of staurosporine-treated CEHC. These data show that changes in the redox environment may inhibit NO-mediated toxicity, without affecting the antiapoptotic capability of NO, mediated by inhibition of caspase enzymes. NO may thus be transformed from a killer molecule into an antiapoptotic agent

Using the cytokinesis-block micronucleus cytome assay to evaluate Chromosomal DNA damage in chronic renal patients undergoing Bicarbonate Haemodialysis and Haemodiafiltration

Introduction. Chronic Renal Failure (CRF) patients are considered to show genomic instability and are associated with a high risk of both cardiovascular diseases and cancer. We explored DNA damage due to two dialysis treatments in 20 patients undergoing bicarbonate haemodialysis, 20 undergoing haemodiafiltration and 40 healthy subjects.Methods. The cytokinesis-block micronucleus (MN) assay was performed on peripheral blood lymphocytes to evaluate genetic damage.Results. A higher frequency of MN in the dialysis groups compared with controls was found. The results do not show a relationship between genetic instability and the type, frequency and duration of haemodialysis. The average BD and HDF treatment time was respectively 3.8±6.3 and 3.7±3.9 yrs. CAT and scintigraphy was independently correlated with high levels of MN.Discussion. Overall, the frequency of MN in CRF patients undergoing dialysis therapy was observed to be higher. Further studies need to be performed on a larger number of patients and for a longer period

Light-activated porphyrinoid-capped nanoparticles for gas sensing

The coupling of semiconductors with organic molecules results in a class of sensors whose chemoresistive properties are dictated by the nature of dyes. Organic molecules generally reduce conductivity, but in the case of optically active dyes, such as porphyrinoids, the conductivity is restored by illumination with visible light. In this paper, we investigated the gas sensing properties of ZnO nanoparticles coated with porphyrins and corroles. Under light illumination, the resistance of these materials increases with the adsorption of volatile compounds but decreases when these are strong electron donors. The behavior of these sensors can be explicated on the basis of the structural difference between free-base porphyrin and corrole, the influence of coordinated metal, and the corresponding electronic structures. These sensors are promising electronic noses that combine the selectivity to strong electron donors with the broad selectivity toward the other classes of chemicals. An efficient representation of the data of this peculiar array can be obtained by replacing the Euclidean distance with the angular distance. To this end, a recently introduced spherical principal component analysis algorithm is applied for the first time to gas sensor array data. Results show that a minimal gas sensor array (four elements) can produce a sort of chemotopic map, which enables us to cluster a very large class of pure chemical vapors. Furthermore, this map provides information about the composition of complex odor matrices, such as the headspaces of beef meat and their evolution over the time

Televisione e infanzia. La parola ai protagonisti

Terzo, e ultimo, rapporto che chiude l’indagine triennale che OssCom, Centro di ricerca sui media e la comunicazione dell’Università Cattolica, ha realizzato con il supporto di Sky Italia per conto di Focus in media – Osservatorio della Fondazione per la Sussidiarietà sul tema della Children’s Television (CT), cioè della televisione rivolta ai bambini e ai preadolescenti nel nostro Paese. Dopo l’analisi dell’offerta di televisione tematica destinata a questo target specifico (primo rapporto) e la descrizione dei discorsi sociali a carattere normativo che esprimono le aspettative nutrite dai diversi attori e stakeholder nei confronti della CT (secondo rapporto), questo report presenta una raccolta ragionata di testimonianze privilegiate maturate nel contesto dell’intero ecosistema della CT. Le domande di ricerca a cui il report risponde è “quali condizioni rendono più facile che la CT risponda efficacemente a tali aspettative” e “perché la CT non è sempre in grado di soddisfarle”. Si è trattato, dunque, di cogliere punti di forza e punti di debolezza della CT in un’ottica sistemica: cercando, cioè, di prendere in considerazione la complessità delle relazioni che legano fra di loro gli attori della filiera produttiva e distributiva, le istituzioni volte alla regolamentazione e al controllo della programmazione, i pubblici diretti e indiretti di questa forma di produzione culturale