Neonatal functional treatment for Pierre Robin Sequence

Objective: Pierre Robin Sequence (PRS) is a heterogeneous pathological condition characterized by the coexistence of micrognathia, glossoptosis, and cleft palate, resulting in upper airway tract obstruction. Among the treatment modalities, the orthodontic approach is one part of the comprehensive care of those patients and will be present in the treatment modalities during all the growth period of the child.Methods: All patients with PRS observed in the period 2013-2017 were treated with a definite functional approach. The results were retrospectively analyzed with regard to functional outcome, total treatment time, and number of plates provided for a single patient.Results: In all the patients, the indicated treatment protocol has been applied as early impression and plate supply, stimulation of bottle feeding with the use of the plate, eventual substitution of the plate if no more adequate to the transverse and sagittal growth of the palate, and continuing the use until the surgical closure of the cleft. All the patients showed a positive outcome to the proposed treatment approach, evaluated with regard to the incidence of feeding improvement and weight gain, to the limit for the surgical phase, in the absence of adverse effects.Conclusion: The use of a functional obturator plate, removing functional alterations to mandibular growth, reduces and, in some cases, eliminates the need for surgical intervention. As also stated in the literature, if despite the presence of the plate nutritional problems persist, immediate different surgical approaches, mainly mandibular osteodistraction, become necessary

Bacterial community structure and diversity along the halocline of Tyro deep-sea hypersaline anoxic basin

Purpose: Tyro is a deep hypersaline anoxic basin (DHAB) located at the seafloor of the Eastern Mediterranean sea. Tyro hosts a stratified eukaryotic microbiome moving from seawater to the brine, but no reports are available on its prokaryotic community. We provide the first snapshot of the bacterial community structure in Tyro brine, seawaterbrine interface, and the overlaying deep seawater. Methods: In this study, we combined the use of molecular analyses, i.e., DNA fingerprinting and 16S rRNA pyrosequencing for the description of the bacterial community structure and taxonomy. PiCRUST2 was used to infer information on the prokaryotes functional diversity. A culture-dependent approach was applied to enrich bacteria of interest for marine biotechnology. Results: Bacterial communities sharply clustered moving from the seawater to the Tyro brine, in agreement with the abrupt increase of salinity values. Moreover, specific taxonomic groups inhabited the seawater-brine interface compared to the overlaying seawater and their identification revealed converging taxonomy with other DHABs in the Eastern Mediterranean sea. Functional traits inferred from the prokaryote taxonomy in the upper interface and the overlaying seawater indicated metabolic pathways for the synthesis of osmoprotectants, likely involved in bacterial adaptation to the steep increasing salinity. Metabolic traits related to methane and methylated compounds and to hydrocarbon degradation were also revealed in the upper interface of Tyro. The overall capability of the Tyro microbiome for hydrocarbon metabolism was confirmed by the isolation of hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria in the sediments. Conclusions: Our results suggest that Tyro seawater-brine interface hosts a specific microbiome adapted to the polyextreme condition typical of DHABs with potential metabolic features that could be further explored for the characterization of the metabolic network connecting the brine with the deep seawater through the chemocline. Moreover, Tyro could be a reservoir of culturable microbes endowed with functionalities of interest for biotechnological applications like hydrocarbon bioremediation

A distinctive 'microbial signature' in celiac pediatric patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Celiac Disease (CD) is an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine in which dietary gluten ingestion leads to a chronic enteropathy. Recently, scientific evidence suggested a potential role of gut microbiota in CD. To have a snapshot of dominant duodenal microbiota we analyzed the mucosa-associated microbiota of 20 children with CD, before and after a gluten-free diet (GFD) regimen, and of 10 controls. Total DNA was extracted from duodenal biopsies and amplification products of 16S ribosomal DNA were compared by temporal temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TTGE). TTGE profiles were analyzed by statistical multivariate analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The average number of bands in TTGE profiles was significantly higher (<it>P </it>< 0.0001) in active (n.b. 16.7 ± 0.7) and inactive states (n.b. 13.2 ± 0.8) than in controls (n.b. 3.7 ± 1.3). Mean interindividual similarity index was 54.9% ± 14.9% for active disease, 55.6% ± 15.7% for remission state and 21.8% ± 30.16% for controls. Similarity index between celiac children before and after GFD treatment was 63.9% ± 15.8%. Differences in microbiota biodiversity were among active and remission state (<it>P </it>= 0.000224) and amid active CD and controls (<it>P </it>< 0.001). <it>Bacteroides vulgatus </it>and <it>Escherichia coli </it>were detected more often in CD patients than in controls (<it>P </it>< 0.0001).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Overall, the results highlighted a peculiar microbial TTGE profile and a significant higher biodiversity in CD pediatric patients' duodenal mucosa. The possible pathophysiological role of these microbial differences needs further characterization.</p

Protective Efficacy of H9N2 Avian Influenza Vaccines Inactivated by Ionizing Radiation Methods Administered by the Parenteral or Mucosal Routes

H9N2 viruses have become, over the last 20 years, one of the most diffused poultry pathogens and have reached a level of endemicity in several countries. Attempts to control the spread and reduce the circulation of H9N2 have relied mainly on vaccination in endemic countries. However, the high level of adaptation to poultry, testified by low minimum infectious doses, replication to high titers, and high transmissibility, has severely hampered the results of vaccination campaigns. Commercially available vaccines have demonstrated high efficacy in protecting against clinical disease, but variable results have also been observed in reducing the level of replication and viral shedding in domestic poultry species. Antigenic drift and increased chances of zoonotic infections are the results of incomplete protection offered by the currently available vaccines, of which the vast majority are based on formalin-inactivated whole virus antigens. In our work, we evaluated experimental vaccines based on an H9N2 virus, inactivated by irradiation treatment, in reducing viral shedding upon different challenge doses and compared their efficacy with formalin-inactivated vaccines. Moreover, we evaluated mucosal delivery of inactivated antigens as an alternative route to subcutaneous and intramuscular vaccination. The results showed complete protection and prevention of replication in subcutaneously vaccinated Specific Pathogen Free White Leghorn chickens at low-to-intermediate challenge doses but a limited reduction of shedding at a high challenge dose. Mucosally vaccinated chickens showed a more variable response to experimental infection at all tested challenge doses and the main effect of vaccination attained the reduction of infected birds in the early phase of infection. Concerning mucosal vaccination, the irradiated vaccine was the only one affording complete protection from infection at the lowest challenge dose. Vaccine formulations based on H9N2 inactivated by irradiation demonstrated a potential for better performances than vaccines based on the formalin-inactivated antigen in terms of reduction of shedding and prevention of infection

Overview of DISCOVER22 experiment in the framework of INFN-LNGS Cosmic Silence activity: challenges and improvements in underground radiobiology

One of the most intriguing and still pending questions in radiobiology is to understand whether and how natural environmental background radiation has shaped Life over millions of years of evolution on Earth. Deep Underground Laboratories (DULs) represent the ideal below-background exposure facilities where to address such a question. Among the few worldwide DULs, INFN-Laboratorio Nazionale del Gran Sasso (LNGS) is one of the largest in terms of size and infrastructure. Designed and built to host neutrino and dark matter experiments, since the 1990 s the LNGS has been one of the first DULs to systematically host radiobiology experiments. Here we present the DISCOVER22 (DNA Damage and Immune System Cooperation in VEry low Radiation environment 2022) experiment recently started at LNGS. DISCOVER22 aims at investigating how the low radiation background modulates the Immune System (IS) response in in vitro and in vivo models. Underground radiobiology experiments are particularly complex and tricky to design and perform. In these studies, the accurate characterization of exposure scenarios is mandatory, but a challenging aspect is to understand how the very few ionizing tracks in the ultra-Low Radiation Environment (LRE) interact with the living matter in space and time in order to trigger different biological responses. In this Perspective, we describe these challenges and how we address them through a microdosimetric and a radiobiological approaches. We aim at linking physical microdosimetric measurements and the corresponding biological radiation responses by using radiation biophysical models that could shed light on many as yet unresolved questions

Association of MiR-126 with Soluble Mesothelin-Related Peptides, a Marker for Malignant Mesothelioma

BACKGROUND: Improved detection methods for diagnosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) are essential for early and reliable detection as well as treatment. Since recent data point to abnormal levels of microRNAs (miRNAs) in tumors, we hypothesized that a profile of deregulated miRNAs may be a marker of MPM and that the levels of specific miRNAs may be used for monitoring its progress. METHODS AND RESULTS: miRNAs isolated from fresh-frozen biopsies of MPM patients were tested for the expression of 88 types of miRNA involved in cancerogenesis. Most of the tested miRNAs were downregulated in the malignant tissues compared with the normal tissues. Of eight significantly downregulated, three miRNAs were assayed in cancerous tissue and adjacent non-cancerous tissue sample pairs collected from 27 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded MPM tissues by quantitative RT-PCR. Among the miRNAs tested, only miR-126 significantly remained downregulated in the malignant tissues. Furthermore, the performance of the selected miR-126 as biomarker was evaluated in serum samples of asbestos-exposed subjects and MPM patients and compared with controls. MiR-126 was not affected by asbestos exposure, whereas it was found strongly associated with VEGF serum levels. Levels of miR-126 in serum, and its levels in patients' serum in association with a specific marker of MPM, SMRPs, correlate with subjects at high risk to develop MPM. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: We propose miR-126, in association with SMRPs, as a marker for early detection of MPM. The identification of tumor biomarkers used alone or, in particular, in combination could greatly facilitate the surveillance procedure for cohorts of subjects exposed to asbestos

The SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics' resources: focus on curated databases

The SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (www.isb-sib.ch) provides world-class bioinformatics databases, software tools, services and training to the international life science community in academia and industry. These solutions allow life scientists to turn the exponentially growing amount of data into knowledge. Here, we provide an overview of SIB's resources and competence areas, with a strong focus on curated databases and SIB's most popular and widely used resources. In particular, SIB's Bioinformatics resource portal ExPASy features over 150 resources, including UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot, ENZYME, PROSITE, neXtProt, STRING, UniCarbKB, SugarBindDB, SwissRegulon, EPD, arrayMap, Bgee, SWISS-MODEL Repository, OMA, OrthoDB and other databases, which are briefly described in this article

A new measurement set-up to investigate the charge trapping phenomena in RF MEMS packaged switches

In this work we present a new measurement set up able to predict the lifetime of packaged ohmic RF MEMS submitted to long actuation periods. Experimental results were carried out for a relatively long time period in order to verify the degradation law relates to charge trapping and stiction on cantilever and clamped-clamped switches. Thanks to the use of a microcontroller we have been able to reach a complete control of the timing during the stress phase. Furthermore, the characterization phase has been remarkably reduced in order to minimally influence the charge trapping during the characterization of stressed device. Results are carried out on two different MEMS designs (clamped-clamped and cantilever configurations). \ua9 2013 IEEE

A Numerical Exploration of Engine Combustion Using Toluene Reference Fuel and Hydrogen Mixtures

Hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engines (H2ICEs) are capable of operating over a wide range of equivalence ratios: from ultra-lean mode to stoichiometric conditions. However, they provide maximum thermal efficiency and minimum NOx emissions if operated lean. Although NOx is produced, H2ICEs generate little or no CO, CO2, SO2, HC, or PM emissions. The main limitation to pure hydrogen fueling is power density. To overcome such an issue, mixtures of gasoline and hydrogen can be exploited, with small modifications to the engine feeding system. Due to the peculiar characteristics of hydrogen (in terms of thermophysical properties, molecular weight and propagating flame characteristics) care must be adopted when trying to address combustion using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tools. In this work, we simulate the combustion of mixtures of toluene reference fuel (TRF) and hydrogen under largely different ratios. To simplify the problem, liquid and gaseous injections are neglected, and a premixed mixture at the inlet of the CFD domain is imposed. Due to the different laminar flame speeds of the mixture components, mass-fraction weighted in-house correlations based on chemical kinetics simulations are adopted. Outcomes are compared with those obtained using standard correlations and mixing rules available in most commercial CFD packages