Investigation of the Reaction Mechanism between Bovine Collagen and a Triazine- Based Coupling Reagent

Content: The triazine-based coupling reagent 4-(4,6-dimethoxy-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)-4-methylmorpholinium chloride (DMTMM) is a promptly water-soluble white solid commonly used in chemical synthesis, which is proven to act as effective tanning agent. This research work provides an experimental evidence that the tanning ability of DMTMM is associated to an increase of the cross-linking density in the collagen molecule. As a result of the coupling reaction, DMTMM is converted into water-soluble by-products that can be removed by washing. Take-Away: chrome free tanning, reaction mechanis

Clinical presentation, management and follow-up of 83 patients with Leydig cell tumors of the testis: a prospective case-cohort study

LCTs are more frequent than generally believed, are associated with male infertility, cryptorchidism and gynecomastia, and should be treated conservatively (in compliant patients) with active surveillance, which appears to be a safe alternative to surgical enucleation. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Increasing referrals for testicular imaging have led to an increase in findings of LCTs. The features and natural history of these tumors remain largely unknown, as the available studies are small and heterogeneous. LCTs were previously treated aggressively and follow-up data are lacking. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION A case-cohort study of consecutive patients diagnosed with LCTs over a 10-year period was prospectively enrolled from 2009 to 2018 and compared to matched cohorts of patients with seminomas or no testicular lesions screened in the same timeframe. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Of the 9949 inpatients and outpatients referred for scrotal ultrasound, a total of 83 men with LCTs were included. Enrolled subjects underwent medical history and clinical examination and were asked to undergo routine blood tests, hormone investigations (FSH, LH, total testosterone, estradiol, inhibin B, sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), prolactin), and semen analysis. Patients who consented also underwent contrast-enhanced ultrasound, elastography, gadolinium-enhanced scrotal magnetic resonance imaging, and hCG stimulation test (5000 IU i.m.) with serum total testosterone and estradiol measured at 0, 24, 48, and 72 hours. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE In total, 83 patients diagnosed with LCTs were compared against 90 patients diagnosed with seminoma and 2683 patients without testicular lesions (NoL). LCTs were diagnosed by enucleation (48.2%), orchiectomy (13.3%), or clinical surveillance (38.5%). Testicular volume, sperm concentration, and morphology were lower (P = 0.001, P = 0.001, and P < 0.001, respectively) in patients with LCTs than in the NoL group. FSH, LH, and SHBG were higher and the testosterone/LH ratio was lower in LCTs than in the NoL group (P < 0.001). The LCT group showed higher SHBG (P = 0.018), lower sperm concentration (P = 0.029), and lower motility (P = 0.049) than the seminoma group. Risk factors for LCTs were cryptorchidism (χ2 = 28.27, P < 0.001), gynecomastia (χ2 = 54.22, P < 0.001), and low testicular volume (χ2 = 11.13, P = 0.001). Five cases were recurrences or bilateral lesions; none developed metastases during follow-up (median, 66 months). LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION This study has some limitations. First, hCG and second-line diagnostic investigations were not available for all tumor patients. Second, ours is a referral center for infertility, thus a selection bias may have altered the baseline features of the LCT population. However, given that the comparison cohorts were also from the same center and had been managed with a similar protocol, we do not expect a significant effect. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS LCTs are strongly associated with male infertility, cryptorchidism, and gynecomastia, supporting the hypothesis that testicular dysgenesis syndrome plays a role in their development. Patients with LCTs are at a greater risk of endocrine and spermatogenesis abnormalities even when the tumor is resected, and thus require long-term follow-up and prompt efforts to preserve fertility after diagnosis. LCTs have a good oncological prognosis when recognized early, as tissue-sparing enucleation is curative and should replace orchiectomy. Conservative surgery and, in compliant patients, active surveillance through clinical and radiological follow-up are safe options, but require monitoring of testicular failure and recurrence

PROCEDIMENTO PER LA CONCIA DEL PELLAME CON DERIVATI DELLA TRIAZINA

Procedimento per la concia del pellame 5 con derivati della triazina comprendente almeno le fasi di trasformazione di pelle animale grezza in pelle decalcinata, sistemazione della pelle decalcinata in un recipiente in presenza di acqua a temperatura ambiente, 10 rotazione di detto recipiente, aggiunta di un derivato della triazina in concentrazione variabile fra 5,5% e 22% rispetto al peso trippa e disciolto in acqua, oppure di agenti condensanti solubili in acqua, scolatura e lavaggio in acqua

Diagnostic value of qualitative and strain ratio elastography in the differential diagnosis of non-palpable testicular lesions

The purpose of this study was to evaluate prospectively the accuracy of qualitative and strain ratio elastography (SE) in the differential diagnosis of non-palpable testicular lesions. The local review board approved the protocol and all patients gave their consent. One hundred and six patients with non-palpable testicular lesions were consecutively enrolled. Baseline ultrasonography (US) and SE were correlated with clinical and histological features and ROC curves developed for diagnostic accuracy. The non-palpable lesions were all ≤1.5 cm; 37/106 (34.9%) were malignant, 38 (35.9%) were benign, and 31 (29.2%) were non-neoplastic. Independent risk factors for malignancy were as follows: size (OR 17.788; p = 0.002), microlithiasis (OR 17.673, p < 0.001), intralesional vascularization (OR 9.207, p = 0.006), and hypoechogenicity (OR, 11.509, p = 0.036). Baseline US had 89.2% sensitivity (95% CI 74.6-97.0) and 85.5% specificity (95% CI 75.0-92.8) in identifying malignancies, and 94.6% sensitivity (95% CI 86.9-98.5) and 87.1% specificity (95% CI 70.2-96.4) in discriminating neoplasms from non-neoplastic lesions. An elasticity score (ES) of 3 out of 3 (ES3, maximum hardness) was recorded in 30/37 (81.1%) malignant lesions (p < 0.001). An intermediate score of 2 (ES2) was recorded in 19/38 (36.8%) benign neoplastic lesions and in 22/31 (71%) non-neoplastic lesions (p = 0.005 and p = 0.001 vs. malignancies). None of the non-neoplastic lesions scored ES3. Logistic regression analysis revealed a significant association between ES3 and malignancy (χ2 = 42.212, p < 0.001). ES1 and ES2 were predictors of benignity (p < 0.01). Overall, SE was 81.8% sensitive (95% CI 64.8-92.0) and 79.1% specific (95% CI 68.3-88.4) in identifying malignancies, and 58.6% sensitive (95% CI 46.7-69.9) and 100% specific (95% CI 88.8-100) in discriminating non-neoplastic lesions. Strain ratio measurement did not improve the accuracy of qualitative elastography. Strain ratio measurement offers no improvement over elastographic qualitative assessment of testicular lesions; testicular SE may support conventional US in identifying non-neoplastic lesions when findings are controversial, but its added value in clinical practice remains to be proven

The Leather Industry: A Chemistry Insight Part I: an Overview of the Industrial Process

A panoramic overview of the leather world market is given. The industrial tanning process is schematically explained giving a general outline of how an animal skin is transformed into a durable material having many different characteristics according to its specific future use. All the tanning industrial steps are overviewed starting from soaking, liming and after various steps ending up with finishing. An insight of collagen chemistry is also given

The rs1001179 SNP and CpG methylation regulate catalase expression in chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is an incurable disease characterized by an extremely variable clinical course. We have recently shown that high catalase (CAT) expression identifies patients with an aggressive clinical course. Elucidating mechanisms regulating CAT expression in CLL is preeminent to understand disease mechanisms and develop strategies for improving its clinical management. In this study, we investigated the role of the CAT promoter rs1001179 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and of the CpG Island II methylation encompassing this SNP in the regulation of CAT expression in CLL. Leukemic cells harboring the rs1001179 SNP T allele exhibited a significantly higher CAT expression compared with cells bearing the CC genotype. CAT promoter harboring the T -but not C- allele was accessible to ETS-1 and GR-β transcription factors. Moreover, CLL cells exhibited lower methylation levels than normal B cells, in line with the higher CAT mRNA and protein expressed by CLL in comparison with normal B cells. Methylation levels at specific CpG sites negatively correlated with CAT levels in CLL cells. Inhibition of methyltransferase activity induced a significant increase in CAT levels, thus functionally validating the role of CpG methylation in regulating CAT expression in CLL. Finally, the CT/TT genotypes were associated with lower methylation and higher CAT levels, suggesting that the rs1001179 T allele and CpG methylation may interact in regulating CAT expression in CLL. This study identifies genetic and epigenetic mechanisms underlying differential expression of CAT, which could be of crucial relevance for the development of therapies targeting redox regulatory pathways in CLL

Changes of solar cell parameters during damp-heat exposure

The electrical ageing of photovoltaic modules during extended damp-heat tests at different stress levels is investigated for three types of crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules with different backsheets, encapsulants and cell types. Deploying different stress levels allows determination of an equivalent stress dose function, which is a first step towards a lifetime prediction of devices. The derived humidity dose is used to characterise the degradation of power as well as that of the solar cell's equivalent circuit parameters calculated from measured current–voltage characteristics. An application of this to the samples demonstrates different modes in the degradation and thus enables better understanding of the module's underlying ageing mechanisms. The analysis of changes in the solar cell equivalent circuit parameters identified the primary contributors to the power degradation and distinguished the potential ageing mechanism for each types of module investigated in this paper. © 2016 The Authors. Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. © 2016 The Authors. Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.This work was supported in part by the European Commission under FP7 grant N° 262533 SOPHIA (INFRA-2010- 1.1.22_CP-CSA-Infra) and by the Research Councils UK (RCUK) under project ‘Stability and Performance of Photovoltaics (STAPP)’ (contract no: EP/H040331/1)

Global disparities in surgeons’ workloads, academic engagement and rest periods: the on-calL shIft fOr geNEral SurgeonS (LIONESS) study

: The workload of general surgeons is multifaceted, encompassing not only surgical procedures but also a myriad of other responsibilities. From April to May 2023, we conducted a CHERRIES-compliant internet-based survey analyzing clinical practice, academic engagement, and post-on-call rest. The questionnaire featured six sections with 35 questions. Statistical analysis used Chi-square tests, ANOVA, and logistic regression (SPSS® v. 28). The survey received a total of 1.046 responses (65.4%). Over 78.0% of responders came from Europe, 65.1% came from a general surgery unit; 92.8% of European and 87.5% of North American respondents were involved in research, compared to 71.7% in Africa. Europe led in publishing research studies (6.6 ± 8.6 yearly). Teaching involvement was high in North America (100%) and Africa (91.7%). Surgeons reported an average of 6.7 ± 4.9 on-call shifts per month, with European and North American surgeons experiencing 6.5 ± 4.9 and 7.8 ± 4.1 on-calls monthly, respectively. African surgeons had the highest on-call frequency (8.7 ± 6.1). Post-on-call, only 35.1% of respondents received a day off. Europeans were most likely (40%) to have a day off, while African surgeons were least likely (6.7%). On the adjusted multivariable analysis HDI (Human Development Index) (aOR 1.993) hospital capacity > 400 beds (aOR 2.423), working in a specialty surgery unit (aOR 2.087), and making the on-call in-house (aOR 5.446), significantly predicted the likelihood of having a day off after an on-call shift. Our study revealed critical insights into the disparities in workload, access to research, and professional opportunities for surgeons across different continents, underscored by the HDI