Dermoscopic features of nevoid melanoma: a retrospective study

BACKGROUND: Nevoid melanoma (NeM) is a rare variant of melanoma resembling melanocytic nevus. The aim of the study was to systemati- cally review the dermoscopic features of NeM. METHODS: A hospital-based retrospective study was conducted. Dermoscopic features of NeMs diagnosed through excisional biopsy between January 2015 1, and March 1, 2021, were compared to superficial spreading melanomas (SSMs) matched by Breslow’s thickness. Then, a litera- ture search was performed. Electronic searches on PubMed database via Medline were conducted to retrieve any manuscript reporting detailed dermoscopic features of histopathologically confirmed NeM. RESULTS: A total of 60 malignant melanomas (MM) comprising 20 NeM and 40 SSM were collected. Twelve out of 20 (60%) NeM showed a nevus-like appearance, including reticular and globular patterns, and in 35% of these cases it was detected because of dermoscopic changes. Then, a total of seven original manuscripts were retrieved from the literature review, comprising 56 cases overall. NeM showed nevus-like pat- tern in 53% of the cases, multicomponent pattern in 21% and amelanotic in 9%. Enlargement, irregularly distributed dots/globules, irregular pigmentation, and atypical vascular pattern were found in NeM with nevus-like appearance. NeM with multicomponent pattern were character- ized by irregular pigmentation, blue-white veil, irregular dots and atypical vascular pattern. Amelanotic NeM is rare and show atypical vascular pattern and milia-like cysts. CONCLUSIONS: Dermoscopy of NeM is challenging as it frequently shows a nevus-like pattern, but clues and detection of dermoscopic changes may help to identify it

Palladium catalysed C-H arylation of pyrenes: access to a new class of exfoliating agents for water-based graphene dispersions.

From Europe PMC via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: ppub 2020-01-01, epub 2020-01-28Publication status: PublishedFunder: Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council; Grant(s): 1781838, EP/P00119X/1A new and diverse family of pyrene derivatives was synthesised via palladium-catalysed C-H ortho-arylation of pyrene-1-carboxylic acid. The strategy affords easy access to a broad scope of 2-substituted and 1,2-disubstituted pyrenes. The C1-substituent can be easily transformed into carboxylic acid, iodide, alkynyl, aryl or alkyl functionalities. This approach gives access to arylated pyrene ammonium salts, which outperformed their non-arylated parent compound during aqueous Liquid Phase Exfoliation (LPE) of graphite and compare favourably to state-of-the-art sodium pyrene-1-sulfonate PS1. This allowed the production of concentrated and stable suspensions of graphene flakes in water

Synthesis of 2D anatase TiO₂ with highly reactive facets by fluorine-free topochemical conversion of 1T-TiS₂ nanosheets

Two-dimensional (2D) anatase titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) is expected to exhibit different properties as compared to anatase nanocrystallites, due to its highly reactive exposed facets. However, access to 2D anatase TiO(2) is limited by the non-layered nature of the bulk crystal, which does not allow use of top-down chemical exfoliation. Large efforts have been dedicated to the growth of 2D anatase TiO(2) with high reactive facets by bottom-up approaches, which relies on the use of harmful chemical reagents. Here, we demonstrate a novel fluorine-free strategy based on topochemical conversion of 2D 1T-TiS(2) for the production of single crystalline 2D anatase TiO(2), exposing the {001} facet on the top and bottom and {100} at the sides of the nanosheet. The exposure of these faces, with no additional defects or doping, gives rise to a significant activity enhancement in the hydrogen evolution reaction, as compared to commercially available Degussa P25 TiO(2) nanoparticles. Because of the strong potential of TiO(2) in many energy-based applications, our topochemical approach offers a low cost, green and mass scalable route for production of highly crystalline anatase TiO(2) with well controlled and highly reactive exposed facets

The incidence of hip, forearm, humeral, ankle, and vertebral fragility fractures in Italy: results from a 3-year multicenter study

INTRODUCTION: We aimed to assess the incidence and hospitalization rate of hip and "minor" fragility fractures in the Italian population. METHODS: We carried out a 3-year survey at 10 major Italian emergency departments to evaluate the hospitalization rate of hip, forearm, humeral, ankle, and vertebral fragility fractures in people 45 years or older between 2004 and 2006, both men and women. These data were compared with those recorded in the national hospitalizations database (SDO) to assess the overall incidence of fragility fractures occurring at hip and other sites, including also those events not resulting in hospital admissions. RESULTS: We observed 29,017 fractures across 3 years, with hospitalization rates of 93.0% for hip fractures, 36.3% for humeral fractures, 31.3% for ankle fractures, 22.6% for forearm/wrist fractures, and 27.6% for clinical vertebral fractures. According to the analyses performed with the Italian hospitalization database in year 2006, we estimated an annual incidence of 87,000 hip, 48,000 humeral, 36,000 ankle, 85,000 wrist, and 155,000 vertebral fragility fractures in people aged 45 years or older (thus resulting in almost 410,000 new fractures per year). Clinical vertebral fractures were recorded in 47,000 events per year. CONCLUSIONS: The burden of fragility fractures in the Italian population is very high and calls for effective preventive strategies

A Multicentric, Open-Label, Randomized, Comparative Clinical Trial of Two Different Doses of Expanded hBM-MSCs Plus Biomaterial versus Iliac Crest Autograft, for Bone Healing in Nonunions after Long Bone Fractures: Study Protocol

ORTHOUNION is a multicentre, open, comparative, three-arm, randomized clinical trial (EudraCT number 2015-000431-32) to compare the efficacy, at one and two years, of autologous human bone marrow-derived expanded mesenchymal stromal cell (hBM-MSC) treatments versus iliac crest autograft (ICA) to enhance bone healing in patients with diaphyseal and/or metaphysodiaphyseal fracture (femur, tibia, and humerus) status of atrophic or oligotrophic nonunion (more than 9 months after the acute fracture, including recalcitrant cases after failed treatments). The primary objective is to determine if the treatment with hBM-MSCs combined with biomaterial is superior to ICA in obtaining bone healing. If confirmed, a secondary objective is set to determine if the dose of 100 × 106 hBM-MSCs is noninferior to that of 200 × 106 hBM-MSCs. The participants (n = 108) will be randomly assigned to either the experimental low dose (n = 36), the experimental high dose (n = 36), or the comparator arm (n = 36) using a central randomization service. The trial will be conducted in 20 clinical centres in Spain, France, Germany, and Italy under the same clinical protocol. The confirmation of superiority for the proposed ATMP in nonunions may foster the future of bone regenerative medicine in this indication. On the contrary, absence of superiority may underline its limitations in clinical use

Toward unveiling the mechanisms for transcriptional regulation of proline biosynthesis in the plant cell response to biotic and abiotic stress conditions

Proline accumulation occurs in plants following the exposure to a wide array of stress conditions, as well as during numerous physiological and adaptive processes. Increasing evidence also supports the involvement of proline metabolism in the plant response to pathogen attack. This requires that the biosynthetic pathway is triggered by components of numerous and different signal transduction chains. Indeed, several reports recently described activation of genes coding for enzymes of the glutamate pathway by transcription factors (TFs) belonging to various families. Here, we summarize some of these findings with special emphasis on rice, and show the occurrence of a plethora of putative TF binding sites in the promoter of such genes

Jatropha curcas L.: risorsa per la produzione di biodiesel sostenibile.

Jatropha curcas L.: risorsa per la produzione di biodiesel sostenibile. L'elevata dipendenza dai combustibili fossili combinata ai problemi ambientali derivanti dal loro utilizzo ha costretto i governi nazionali a sviluppare politiche alternative di gestione energetica. Una via per rispondere a tale sfida sembrava essere la produzione di biocarburanti da prodotti agricoli. Tuttavia, questi biocarburanti, definiti di prima generazione, han generato uno dei grandi paradossi alimentari: la concorrenza tra cibo e biocarburanti. Per eludere questo serio problema etico si sono sviluppati i biocarburanti di seconda generazione derivanti da colture non alimentari. Proprio in questo scenario l'olio non edibile dell'arbusto perenne Jatropha curcas ha recentemente riscosso una notevole attenzione per la produzione di biodiesel. In questo manoscritto viene descritto e presentato nel dettaglio un'efficiente protocollo di rigenerazione in vitro applicato a questa specie. Inoltre sono descritti alcuni possibili interventi di ingegneria genetica utili al miglioramento della composizione dell'olio. Questo libro si rivolge sia ad un pubblico interessato alle biotecnologie vegetali che a ricercatori specializzati nel settore. Marco Zarattini: dottorando in Biologia Evoluzionistica ed Ecologia presso il Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e Biotecnologie, SVEB. dell'Università di Ferrara. Morena De Bastiani: Tecnico presso il Dip. SVEB dell'Università di Ferrara. Giovanni Bemacchia: Docente di Biologia Molecolare Vegetale presso il Dip. SVEB dell'Università di Ferrara