Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are characterized by a persistent low-grade inflammation that leads to an increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) development. Several factors are implicated in ...this pathogenetic pathway, such as innate and adaptive immunity, gut microbiota, environment, and xenobiotics. At the gut mucosa level, a complex interplay between the immune system and gut microbiota occurs; a disequilibrium between these two factors leads to an alteration in the gut permeability, called 'leaky gut'. Subsequently, an activation of several inflammatory pathways and an alteration of gut microbiota composition with a proliferation of pro-inflammatory bacteria, known as 'pathobionts', take place, leading to a further increase in inflammation. This narrative review provides an overview on the principal Pattern Recognition Receptors (PRRs), including Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and NOD-like receptors (NLRs), focusing on their recognition mechanisms, signaling pathways, and contributions to immune responses. We also report the genetic polymorphisms of TLRs and dysregulation of NLR signaling pathways that can influence immune regulation and contribute to the development and progression of inflammatory disease and cancer.
Psicoanalisi in forma e azione Di Donato, Veronica; Di Nunzio, Chiara; Dionisi, Beatrice ...
Ricerca psicoanalitica,
04/2021, Letnik:
32, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Il lavoro presenta una riflessione a partire dall’esperienza delle autrici sulla formazione in psicoanalisi. Negli ultimi anni, il percorso formativo si è sempre più complessificato prevedendo un ...iter articolato in quattro pilastri formativi: seminari teorici, supervisione, analisi personale e tirocinio. Nello specifico, le autrici approfondiscono l’esperienza del tirocinio e quella della supervisione, nel tentativo di narrare lo snodarsi del processo formativo tra criticità e trasformazione. La parte dedicata al tirocinio esplora il faticoso transito da una psicoanalisi ‘privata’ ad una ‘pubblica’ ponendo l’accento sui vissuti e gli interrogativi del tirocinante stesso. La supervisione viene trattata come spazio di apprendimento e di rielaborazione delle prime esperienze analitiche dell’allievo che avvengono durante il tirocinio. La natura contestuale di tali esperienze rende la supervisione un processo ancora più complesso in cui è necessario coniugare la logica interna dell’apprendimento formativo con la sua applicabilità nei contesti.
The rapid spread of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pathogen has generated a huge international public ...health emergency. Currently the reference diagnostic technique for virus determination is Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) real time analysis that requires specialized equipment, reagents and facilities and typically 3-4 h to perform. Thus, the realization of simple, low-cost, small-size, rapid and point-of-care diagnostics tests has become a global priority. In response to the current need for quick, highly sensitive and on-site detection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in several aqueous solutions, a specific molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) receptor has been designed, realized, and combined with an optical sensor. More specifically, the proof of concept of a SARS-CoV-2 sensor has been demonstrated by exploiting a plasmonic plastic optical fiber sensor coupled with a novel kind of synthetic MIP nano-layer, especially designed for the specific recognition of Subunit 1 of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein. First, we have tested the effectiveness of the developed MIP receptor to bind the Subunit 1 of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, then the results of preliminary tests on SARS-CoV-2 virions, performed on samples of nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs in universal transport medium (UTM) and physiological solution (0.9% NaCl), were compared with those obtained with RT-PCR. According to these preliminary results, the sensitivity of the proposed optical-chemical sensor proved to be higher than the RT-PCR one. Furthermore, a relatively fast response time (about 10 min) to the virus was obtained without the use of additional reagents.
Vitamin D and the Kidney: Two Players, One Console Zappulo, Fulvia; Cappuccilli, Maria; Cingolani, Alessandra ...
International journal of molecular sciences,
08/2022, Letnik:
23, Številka:
16
Journal Article
Recenzirano
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Vitamin D belongs to the group of liposoluble steroids mainly involved in bone metabolism by modulating calcium and phosphorus absorption or reabsorption at various levels, as well as parathyroid ...hormone production. Recent evidence has shown the extra-bone effects of vitamin D, including glucose homeostasis, cardiovascular protection, and anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative effects. This narrative review provides an overall view of vitamin D’s role in different settings, with a special focus on chronic kidney disease and kidney transplant.
The continuous renewal of human epidermis is sustained by stem cells contained in the epidermal basal layer and in hair follicles. Cultured keratinocyte stem cells, known as holoclones, generate ...sheets of epithelium used to restore severe skin, mucosal and corneal defects. Mutations in genes encoding the basement membrane component laminin 5 (LAM5) cause junctional epidermolysis bullosa (JEB), a devastating and often fatal skin adhesion disorder. Epidermal stem cells from an adult patient affected by LAM5-β3-deficient JEB were transduced with a retroviral vector expressing LAMB3 cDNA (encoding LAM5-β3), and used to prepare genetically corrected cultured epidermal grafts. Nine grafts were transplanted onto surgically prepared regions of the patient's legs. Engraftment was complete after 8 d. Synthesis and proper assembly of normal levels of functional LAM5 were observed, together with the development of a firmly adherent epidermis that remained stable for the duration of the follow-up (1 year) in the absence of blisters, infections, inflammation or immune response. Retroviral integration site analysis indicated that the regenerated epidermis is maintained by a defined repertoire of transduced stem cells. These data show that ex vivo gene therapy of JEB is feasible and leads to full functional correction of the disease.
North Italy emerged as an epicenter of COVID-19 in the Western world. The majority of studies of patients with COVID-19 have focused on hospitalized patients, and data on early outpatient treatment ...are limited. This research retrospectively examines consecutive symptomatic adults who did not present to a hospital but who experience laboratory confirmed (nasopharyngeal swabs) or probable COVID-19 infection. From March 12 to April 12, 2020, 124 consecutive patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infection (84%) or with epidemiologically linked exposure to a person with confirmed infection (16%) were managed at home. The diagnosis of pneumonia was made with a portable ultrasound. COVID-19 treatment was based on low-dose hydroxychloroquine with or without darunavir/cobicistat or azithromycin and enoxaparine for bedridden patients. The patients were monitored by telemedicine. The primary endpoints were clinical improvement or hospitalization, and the secondary endpoints were mortality at day 30 and at day 60. Forty-seven (37.9%) patients had mild COVID-19 infection, 44 (35.5%) had moderate COVID-19 infection, and 33 (26.6%) had severe COVID-19 infection. Four patients (3.2%) were hospitalized and there were no deaths at day 30 and at day 60. Only mild side effects were reported. Early home treatment of COVID-19 patients resulted in a low hospitalization rate with no deaths, with the limitations of the small sample size and that it was conducted within a single geographic area. We believe that this model may be easily reproduced in both cities and rural areas around the world to treat COVID-19 infection.
Manufacturing of ferritic stainless steels flat bars is an important industrial topic and the steel 1.4512 is one of the most commonly used grades for producing this component. In this paper, the ...origin of some edge defects occurring during hot rolling of flat bars of this grade is analyzed and thermomechanical and microstructural calculations have been carried out to enhance the quality of the finished products by reducing the jagged borders defect on hot rolled bars. An accurate investigation has been carried out by analyzing the defects on the final product from both the macroscopic and microstructural point of view through the implementation of thermomechanical and metallurgical models in a finite element (FE) MSC Marc commercial code. Coupled metallurgical and damage models have been implemented to investigate the microstructural evolution of ferritic grain size and material damaging. Three levels of prior ferritic grain size (PFGS) and three furnace discharge temperatures have been considered in the thermo-mechanical simulations of the roughing passes. Rheological laws for modeling the evolution of ferritic grain have been modified to describe the specific cases simulated. Results have shown that the defect is caused by processing conditions that trigger an anomalous heating which, in turn, induces an uncontrolled grain growth on the edges. The work-hardened and elongated grains do not recrystallize during hot deformation. Consequently, they tend to squeeze out the surrounding softer and recrystallized matrix towards the edges of the bar where the fractures that characterizes the surface defect occur.
Iron toxicity is associated with organ injury and has been reported in various clinical conditions, such as hemochromatosis, thalassemia major, and myelodysplastic syndromes. Therefore, iron ...chelation therapy represents a pivotal therapy for these patients during their lifetime. The aim of the present study was to assess the iron chelating properties of α-lipoic acid (ALA) and how such an effect impacts on iron overload mediated toxicity. Human mesenchymal stem cells (HS-5) and animals (zebrafish,
= 10 for each group) were treated for 24 h with ferric ammonium citrate (FAC, 120 µg/mL) in the presence or absence of ALA (20 µg/mL). Oxidative stress was evaluated by reduced glutathione content, reactive oxygen species formation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and gene expression of heme oxygenase-1b and mitochondrial superoxide dismutase; organ injury, iron accumulation, and autophagy were measured by microscopical, cytofluorimetric analyses, and inductively coupled plasma‒optical mission Spectrometer (ICP-OES). Our results showed that FAC results in a significant increase of tissue iron accumulation, oxidative stress, and autophagy and such detrimental effects were reversed by ALA treatment. In conclusion, ALA possesses excellent iron chelating properties that may be exploited in a clinical setting for organ preservation, as well as exhibiting a good safety profile and low cost for the national health system.
Magnetic resonance imaging-guided focused ultrasound surgery (MRgFUS) is a non-invasive thermal ablation method that involves high-intensity focused ultrasound surgery (FUS) and Magnetic Resonance ...Imaging for anatomical imaging and real-time thermal mapping. This technique is widely employed for the treatment of patients affected by essential tremor (ET) and Parkinson's disease (PD). In the current study, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to highlight hemodynamics changes in cerebral cortex activity, during a simple hand motor task, i.e. unimanual left and right finger-tapping, in ET and PD patients.
All patients were evaluated before, one week and one month after MRgFUS treatment.
fNIRS revealed cerebral hemodynamic changes one week and one month after MRgFUS treatment, especially in the ET group, that showed a significant clinical improvement in tremor clinical scores.
To our knowledge, our study is the first that showed the use of fNIRS system to measure the cortical activity changes following unilateral ventral intermediate nucleus thalamotomy after MRgFUS treatment. Our findings showed that therapeutic MRgFUS promoted the remodeling of neuronal networks and changes in cortical activity in association with symptomatic improvements.
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