Analysis of the morphometric parameters of pig ear hair follicles

Background: Porcine ear skin is used in studies of percutaneous penetration as a substitute for human skin. The objective of the present study was to determine the structure of the hair follicles on the dorsal area of porcine ear skin and make a morphometric comparison with the hair follicles of human skin. Materials and methods: Sections of frozen biopsies were cut vertically to the skin surface in longitudinal sections using a cryotome and were investigated using microscopy. For each hair follicle, various parameters were determined. Results: The follicular density in porcine ear skin varies according to the area studied, and the length of most of the follicles was approximately 1458 ± 286 μm. The size of the follicular orifice was also determined in a total of 305 follicles. It showed a diameter of roughly 113 ± 43 μm. Conclusion: The results showed a very good similarity between human and pig hair follicles. Therefore, porcine ear skin can be considered as a very suitable model of human skin in dermal and especially follicular penetration studies

Isolated olecranon fractures in children affected by osteogenesis imperfecta type I treated with single screw or tension band wiring system: outcomes and pitfalls in relation to bone mineral density

The purpose of this study is to compare the results of 2 techniques, tension band wiring (TBW) and fixation with screws, in olecranon fractures in children affected with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) type I. Between 2010 and 2014, 21 olecranon fractures in 18 children with OI (average age: 12 years old) were treated surgically. Ten patients were treated with the screw fixation and 11 with TBW. A total of 65% of olecranon fractures occurred as a result of a spontaneous avulsion of the olecranon during the contraction of the triceps muscle. The average follow-up was 36 months. Among the children treated with 1 screw, 5 patients needed a surgical revision with TBW due to a mobilization of the screw. In this group, the satisfactory results were 50%. In patients treated with TBW, the satisfactory results were 100% of the cases. The average Z-score, the last one recorded in the patients before the trauma, was -2.53 in patients treated with screw fixation and -2.04 in those treated with TBW. TBW represents the safest surgical treatment for patients suffering from OI type I, as it helps to prevent the rigidity of the elbow through an earlier recovery of the range of motion, and there was no loosening of the implant. In analyzing the average Z-score before any fracture, the fixation with screws has an increased risk of failure in combination with low bone mineral density

Genotype-phenotype correlation study in 364 osteogenesis imperfecta Italian patients

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a rare genetic disorder of the connective tissue and 90% of cases are due to dominant mutations in COL1A1 and COL1A2 genes. To increase OI disease knowledge and contribute to patient follow-up management, a homogeneous Italian cohort of 364 subjects affected by OI types I-IV was evaluated. The study population was composed of 262 OI type I, 24 type II, 39 type III, and 39 type IV patients. Three hundred and nine subjects had a type I collagen affecting function mutations (230 in α1(I) and 79 in α2(I)); no disease-causing changes were noticed in 55 patients. Compared with previous genotype-phenotype OI correlation studies, additional observations arose: a new effect for α1- and α2-serine substitutions has been pointed out and heart defects, never considered before, resulted associated to quantitative mutations (P = 0.043). Moreover, some different findings emerged if compared with previous literature; especially, focusing the attention on the lethal form, no association with specific collagen regions was found and most of variants localized in the previously reported "lethal clusters" were causative of OI types I-IV. Some discrepancies have been highlighted also considering the "50-55 nucleotides rule," as well as the relationship between specific collagen I mutated region and the presence of dentinogenesis imperfecta and/or blue sclera. Despite difficulties still present in defining clear rules to predict the clinical outcome in OI patients, this study provides new pieces for completing the puzzle, also thanks to the inclusion of clinical signs never considered before and to the large number of OI Italian patients

Thermal Denaturation of Milk Whey Proteins : A Comprehensive Review on Rapid Quantification Methods Being Studied, Developed and Implemented

Heat treatment of milk signifies a certain degree of protein denaturation, which modifies the functional properties of dairy products. Traditional methods for detecting and quantifying the denaturation of whey proteins are slow, complex and require sample preparation and qualified staff. The world's current trend is to develop rapid, real-time analytical methods that do not destroy the sample and can be applied on/in-line during processing. This review presents the rapid methods that are being studied, developed and/or applied to determine and quantify the thermal denaturation of whey proteins, including spectroscopic, electrochemical and miniaturized methods. The selected methods save a significant amount of time and money compared to the traditional ones. In addition, the review emphasizes the methods being applied directly to milk and/or that have potential for on/in/at-line application. There are interesting options to quantify thermal denaturation of whey proteins such as biosensors, nanosensors and microchips, which have fast responses and could be automated. In addition, electrochemical sensors are simple to use and portable, while spectroscopy alternatives are suitable for on/in/at-line process

Negative Autopsy in Infant and Juvenile Population: Role of Cardiac Arrhythmias

Negative autopsy is a post-mortem examination in which a comprehensive analysis does not provide a cause of death. These include situation of death, anatomical and histological analysis, toxicology and microbiological study. A low part of autopsies remain without a conclusive cause of death, but all these cases are usually seen in young population, apparently healthy who died suddenly and unexpectedly. In these situations a cardiac arrhythmia is suspected as cause of death and genetic testing is recommended despite not regularly performed. Sudden death is a natural and unexpected decease that occurs in apparently healthy people, or whose disease was not severe enough to expect a fatal outcome. It can be due to several pathologies, usually of cardiac cause and called sudden cardiac death. In infants and young people, both long QT syndrome and catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia are main causes in negative autopsies. These genetic diseases lead to ventricular fibrillation, syncope and sudden cardiac death in a normal heart. Unfortunately, sudden cardiac death could be the first manifestation of the diseases, being early identification and prevention a crucial point in current medical practice. This chapter focuses on sudden death and negative autopsy in young population, mainly due to cardiac arrhythmias

Sintesi totale di amminoacidi a base ciclitolica: un approccio orientato alla diversità

Amminoacidi carbociclici con funzionalità multiple installate sulle varie posizioni anulari, come le strutture polioliche 1-8 di questo studio, rappresentano un insieme molecolare omogeneo e, allo stesso tempo, variato, in cui ciascuna entità può essere vista sotto diverse angolazioni

Nuovi motivi azabiciclo [X.2.1] alcanici

Abbiamo intrapreso uno studio accurato avente come oggetto la reazione tra un reagente silossidienico a base pirrolica il N-(terzbutilossicarbonil)- 2-(terz-butildimetilsililossi)pirrolo (TBSOP, 1), e una serie di accettori chetonici di varia natura, simmetrici ed asimmetrici, enolizzabili e non, achirali prochirali e chirali prochirali enantiopur

Adsorció de l'herbicida Paraquat en Alginat de Calci

La sostenibilitat de l’ús de l’aigua esta lligada de forma fonamental al seu ús en l’agricultura. L’activitat agrària afecta directament la qualitat de les aigües. Els residus de fertilitzants i de productes fitosanitaris, entre ells els herbicides, constitueixen una font de contaminació del sòl, els quals a través de processos d’escorrentia i infiltració alteren la qualitat de diferents masses d’aigua. La detecció de residus d’herbicides i els seus metabòlits en les aigües dels rius i el mar fa que la eliminació d’aquets productes orgànics, molts d’ells tòxics, s’hagi convertit en un dels problemes mediambientals més importants. Per tal de intentar solucionar aquest problema s’han realitzat nombrosos estudis sobre la eliminació d’aquests compostos mitjançant diferents processos, essent uns del més utilitzats el procés d’adsorció. En les últimes dècades, la utilització de biopolímers com adsorbents per la eliminació de compostos orgànics de les aigües residuals ha demostrat ser eficaç [1]. En aquest treball es presenta l’estudi sobre l’adsorció de l’herbicida paraquat en l’alginat de calci, així com l’efecte de la presencia del colorant reactive black 5 (RB5) sobre l’adsorció del paraquat. Hem de tenir en compte que les formulacions comercials contenen a més del propi herbicida altres substancies com els colorants que eviten la confusió amb altres tipus de begudes. El paraquat és altament tòxic i pel fet de estar carregat positivament s’uneix fortament a les argiles del sòl, al humus i altres compostos orgànics que poden estar presents en el sòl, però no s’adsorbeix en terres sorrenques amb baix contingut de matèria orgànica. En aquest últim cas el paraquat pot esser alliberat passant a les aigües circumdants al terreny on s’ha aplicat, per escorrentia o infiltració [2]. Les variables que s’han tingut en compte en l’estudi de la capacitat d’adsorció del paraquat en alginat de calci són: el pH, la concentració inicial de paraquat; la velocitat d’agitació; massa d’adsorbent i la concentració de colorant present en la dissolució. Els resultats obtinguts ens han demostrat que l’alginat de calci és eficaç en l’eliminació del paraquat de les dissolucions aquoses. L’adsorció del paraquat es veu influenciada per el pH. Al augmentar el pH augmenta la capacitat d’adsorció del paraquat. La presència de colorant disminueix l’adsorció del paraquat, conservant-se una reducció del 20 i 24% quan s’addicionen 50 i 100 mg/L, respectivament. En aquest estudi també s’ha realitzat un tractament estadístic dels resultats experimentals, aplicant la tècnica de mínims quadrats parcials (PLS; Partial Least Square) [3-5]. La regressió per mínims quadrats parcials (PLS, Partial Least Squares) fa ser introduïda per Herman Wold (1975) per a ser aplicada a ciències econòmiques i socials, tot i que desprès ha estat aplicada a moltes altres branques científiques. La metodologia PLS generalitza i combina característiques de l’Anàlisi de Components Principals (PCA) i l’Anàlisi de Regressió Múltiple. L’anàlisi PLS és utilitzat quan volem correlacionar un elevat nombre de descriptors (variables independents), amb un determinat nombre de variables dependents. Els càlculs s’han realitzat amb el programa SIMPCA-P [6], fent possible la valoració de la capacitat d’adsorció, la predicció toxicològica i l’impacta ambiental en processos similars.Peer Reviewe

New 3D cone beam CT imaging parameters to assist the dentist in treating patients with Osteogenesis Imperfecta

(1) Background: The aim of the work is to identify some imaging parameters in osteogenesis imperfecta to assist the dentist in the diagnosis, planning, and orthodontic treatment of Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) using 3D cone beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) and the Double Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) technique. (2) Methods: 14 patients (9 males and 5 females; aged mean ± SD 15 ± 1.5) with a clinical-radiological diagnosis of OI were analyzed and divided into mild and moderate to severe forms. The patients’ samples were compared with a control group of 14 patients (8 males and 6 females; aged mean ± SD 15 ± 1.7), free from osteoporotic pathologies. (3) Results: The statistical analysis allowed us to collect four datasets: in the first dataset (C1 sick population vs. C1 healthy population), the t-test showed a p-value < 0.0001; in the second dataset (C2 sick population vs. C2 healthy population), the t-test showed a p-value < 0.0001; in the third dataset (parameter X of the sick population vs. parameter X of the healthy population), the t-test showed a p-value < 0.0001; in the fourth dataset the bone mineralometry (BMD) value detected by the DEXA technique compared to the C2 value of the OI affected population only) the Welch–Satterthwaite test showed a p-value < 0.0001. (4) Conclusions: The research has produced specific imaging parameters that assist the dentist in making diagnostic decisions in OI patients. This study shows that patients with OI have a characteristic chin-bearing symphysis, thinned, and narrowed towards the center, configuring it with a constant “hourglass” appearance, not reported so far in the literature by any author