Metal contamination was investigated in soils of the Vallecamonica, an area in the northern part of the Brescia province (Italy), where ferroalloy industries were active for a century until 2001. The ...extent in which emissions from ferroalloy plants affected metal concentration in soils is not known in this area. In this study, the geogenic and/or anthropogenic origin of metals in soils were estimated. A modified Community Bureau of Reference sequential chemical extraction method followed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) analyses were employed to evaluate the potential bioavailability of Al, Cd, Mn, Fe, Cr, Zn, and Pb in soils. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to assess the relationships among metal sources in soil samples from different locations. This approach allowed distinguishing of different loadings and mobility of metals in soils collected in different areas. Results showed high concentrations and readily extractability of Mn in the Vallecamonica soils, which may suggest potential bioavailability for organisms and may create an environmental risk and potential health risk of human exposure.
Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) are considered promising nanoscale therapeutics for bone regeneration. To date, EVs are typically procured from cells on 2D tissue culture plastic, an artificial ...environment that limits cell growth and does not replicate
biochemical or biophysical conditions. This study investigated the potential of 3D printed titanium scaffolds coated with hydroxyapatite to promote the therapeutic efficacy of osteoblast-derived EVs. Ti6Al4V titanium scaffolds with different pore sizes (500 and 1000 µm) and shapes (square and triangle) were fabricated by selective laser melting. A bone-mimetic nano-needle hydroxyapatite (nnHA) coating was then applied. EVs were procured from scaffold-cultured osteoblasts over 2 weeks and vesicle concentration was determined using the CD63 ELISA. Osteogenic differentiation of human bone marrow stromal cells (hBMSCs) following treatment with primed EVs was evaluated by assessing alkaline phosphatase activity, collagen production and calcium deposition. Triangle pore scaffolds significantly increased osteoblast mineralisation (1.5-fold) when compared to square architectures (P ≤ 0.001). Interestingly, EV yield was also significantly enhanced on these higher permeability structures (P ≤ 0.001), in particular (2.2-fold) for the larger pore structures (1000 µm). Furthermore osteoblast-derived EVs isolated from triangular pore scaffolds significantly increased hBMSCs mineralisation when compared to EVs acquired from square pore scaffolds (1.7-fold) and 2D culture (2.2-fold) (P ≤ 0.001). Coating with nnHA significantly improved osteoblast mineralisation (>2.6-fold) and EV production (4.5-fold) when compared to uncoated scaffolds (P ≤ 0.001). Together, these findings demonstrate the potential of harnessing bone-mimetic culture platforms to enhance the production of pro-regenerative EVs as an acellular tool for bone repair.
Smart drugs: green shuttle or real drug? Cornara, L; Borghesi, B; Canali, C ...
International journal of legal medicine,
11/2013, Letnik:
127, Številka:
6
Journal Article
Recenzirano
We have combined morphological, molecular, and chemical techniques in order to identify the plant and chemical composition of some last-generation smart drugs, present on the market under the ...following names: Jungle Mistic Incense, B-52, Blendz, and Kratom 10x. Micromorphological analyses of botanical fragments allowed identification of epidermal cells, stomata, trichomes, starch, crystals, and pollen. DNA barcoding was carried out by the plastidial gene
rbcL
and the spacer
trnH-psbA
as universal markers. The combination of morphological and molecular data revealed a mixture of plants from different families, including aromatic species, viz., Lamiaceae and Turneraceae. GC-MS and LC-MS analyses on ethanol or methanol extracts showed the presence of synthetic cannabinoids, including JWH-250 in Jungle, JWH-122 in B-52, and JWH-073 and JWH-018 in Blendz. In Kratom 10x, only the indole alkaloid mitragynine was detected. All the identified synthetic cannabinoids, apart from mitragynine, are under the restriction of law in Italy (TU 309/90). Synthetic cannabinoid crystals were also identified by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, which also detected other foreign organic chemicals, probably preservatives or antimycotics. In Kratom only leaf fragments from
Mitragyna speciosa
, containing the alkaloid mitragynine, were found. In the remaining products, aromatic plant species have mainly the role of hiding synthetic cannabinoids, thus acting as a “green shuttle” rather than as real drugs. Such a multidisciplinary approach is proposed as a method for the identification of herbal blends of uncertain composition, which are widely marketed in “headshops” and on the Internet, and represent a serious hazard to public health.
The variability of the blazar Markarian 421 in TeV gamma rays over a 14-year time period has been explored with the Whipple 10m telescope. It is shown that the dynamic range of its flux variations is ...large and similar to that in X-rays. A correlation between the X-ray and TeV energy bands is observed during some bright flares and when the complete data sets are binned on long timescales. The main database consists of 878.4h of observation with the Whipple telescope, spread over 783 nights. The peak energy response of the telescope was 400GeV with 20% uncertainty. This is the largest database of any TeV-emitting active galactic nucleus (AGN) and hence was used to explore the variability profile of Markarian 421. The time-averaged flux from Markarian 421 over this period was 0.446±0.008Crab flux units. The flux exceeded 10Crab flux units on three separate occasions. For the 2000–2001 season the average flux reached 1.86Crab units, while in the 1996–1997 season the average flux was only 0.23Crab units.
A multidisciplinary approach is needed for the management of pregnancy related issues in women affected by Multiple Sclerosis, however little attention has been devoted to the modality of delivery. ...Here we aimed to investigate whether the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) influences delivery modality in MS patients. Patients who received the diagnosis before pregnancy showed a lower frequency of natural delivery and a higher frequency of both planned and urgency caesarean sections. Gestational weeks and birth weight were lower in MS patients when compared with healthy subjects. The diagnosis of MS may drive the decision of the gynaecologist to perform a caesarean delivery.
PurposeInterferonopathies are conditions characterized by excessive production of type 1 interferon. Several diseases, autoinflammatory or autoimmune, are classified as type1 interferonopathies such ...as Aicardi-Goutieres, Sting associated vasculopathy with onset in Infancy, monogenic Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and Dermatomyositis. The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of MMF in modulating the activation of the interferon pathway describing its clinical and laboratory effects in a cohort of patients with defined and undefined interferonopathyMethodsWe included patients aged 0–18 years with defined (genetically confirmed) and undefined interferonopathy (evocative clinical picture, interferon signature (IS)> 2 in at least 3 samples 3 months apart, negative genetic test) followed at Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital treated with MMF. For each patient demographic, clinical, laboratory parameters and IS were collected every 3 months starting from the year before the MMF treatment until the date of the last follow up. In vitro the effect of MMF on the IFN-pathway was evaluated by adding MMF to peripheral mononuclear cells of the patients.ResultsNine patients were enrolled, 4 with defined and 5 with undefined interferonopathy. When therapy was started, 78% of patients had recurrent febrile episodes, 57% polyarthritis, 67% skin and/or neurological involvement. A pathological brain MRI was found in 44% of patients. Persistent anemia, lymphopenia and autoantibody positivity were detected in 44% of patients and increased ESR in 67%. All patients had a positive IS(median 46.9; IQR 23.5–133.8). Three months after the beginning of MMF we observed a resolution of febrile episodes and skin manifestations in 86% of cases, remission of joint involvement in all patients, improvement of neurological symptoms in 1 patient, resolution of the anemia and normalization of the ESR in 50% and 66% respectively. During MMF therapy, as reported in patients with SLE, ANA titers decline or normalized in 75% of patients and anti dsDNA in 66% of patients. Cerebral MRI improved in patient with radiological alterations. MMF therapy allowed to completely withdraw glucocorticoid therapy in 4 patients and to reduce the dosage in other 3. No significant reduction in IS was detected during a median follow-up of 36 months (IQR 25–45). Nevertheless these data contrasted with our ex vivo experiments in which the incubation with MMF of peripheral mononuclear cells of our patients (and of patients with other interferonopathies including SLE and dermatomyositis) showed a significant reduction in the INF-a pathway activation after cells stimulationConclusionsThis is the first study evaluating the effects of MMF in a cohort of patients with type I interferonopathy. The results, although preliminary, seem to suggest a role of the drug in improving clinical, laboratory and radiological findings of our patients, allowing also a significant glucocorticoid sparing. These data, if confirmed in larger and prospective studies, should encourage the use of MMF especially for those patients in which standard treatment with JAK inhibitor could be contraindicated or ineffective
Under the UNFCCC, Annex I Parties must report annually a National GHG Inventories of anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks. LULUCF is one of the six sectors of the inventory: in ...this sector any emissions and removals of GHGs by land management should be reported, included the large GHGs fluxes generated by forest management and land-use changes into and from forest. In this context every Party has to produce a proper model in order to be able to fulfil GHGs Inventory request for forest sector. Taking Italy as a study case, the paper aims at presenting a new methodology for updating stock changes for years between national forest inventories, in order to reproduce annual stock changes in the five UNFCCC forest carbon pools, following the UNFCCC requirements in the context of carbon reporting.
The main aims of the study were the translation and the subsequent validation in Italian of the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination Revised (ACE-R), and the evaluation of its usefulness in ...discriminating cognitively normal subjects from patients with mild dementia in an elderly population.
The ACE-R was translated and adapted into Italian. The Italian ACE-R was administered to a group of 179 elderly subjects (72 cognitively healthy and 107 subjects with mild dementia, mean age 75.4±6.4 years). The group was stratified into two subsamples according to age, i.e. a young-old (<75 years) and an old-old (≥75 years) group, in order to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of the test in detecting dementia in different age strata of elderly subjects.
The reliability of the Italian ACE-R was extremely good (α-coefficient=0.85). Two different cutoffs were identified for young-old (cutoff 79; sensitivity 90% and specificity 80%) and old-old subjects (cutoff 60; sensitivity 82% and specificity 100%).
The Italian ACE-R is a valid screening tool to detect dementia, especially in the old-old population, which represents not only the fastest growing age group but also the group at the highest risk of dementia in Western countries.
Commons against and beyond capitalism Caffentzis, George; Federici, Silvia
Community development journal,
01/2014, Letnik:
49, Številka:
suppl_1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
This essay contrasts the logic underlining the production of ‘commons’ with the logic of capitalist relations, and describes the conditions under which ‘commons’ become the seeds of a society beyond ...state and market. It also warns against the danger that ‘commons’ may be co-opted to provide low-cost forms of reproduction, and discusses how this outcome can be prevented.
All human tissues present with unique mechanical properties critical to their function. This is achieved in part through the specific architecture of the extracellular matrix (ECM) fibres within each ...tissue. An example of this is seen in the walls of the vasculature where each layer presents with a unique ECM orientation critical to its functions. Current adopted vascular grafts to bypass a stenosed/damaged vessel fail to recapitulate this unique mechanical behaviour, particularly in the case of small diameter vessels (<6 mm), leading to failure. Therefore, in this study, melt-electrowriting (MEW) was adopted to produce a range of fibrous scaffolds to mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM) architecture of the tunica media of the vasculature, in an attempt to match the mechanical and biological behaviour of the native porcine tissue. Initially, the range of collagen architectures within the native vessel was determined, and subsequently replicated using MEW (winding angles (WA) 45°, 26.5°, 18.4°, 11.3°). These scaffolds recapitulated the anisotropic, non-linear mechanical behaviour of native carotid blood vessels. Moreover, these grafts facilitated human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) infiltration, differentiation, and ECM deposition that was independent of WA. The bioinspired MEW fibre architecture promoted cell alignment and preferential neo-tissue orientation in a manner similar to that seen in native tissue, particularly for WA 18.4° and 11.3°, which is a mandatory requirement for long-term survival of the regenerated tissue post-scaffold degradation. Lastly, the WA 18.4° was translated to a tubular graft and was shown to mirror the mechanical behaviour of small diameter vessels within physiological strain. Taken together, this study demonstrates the capacity to use MEW to fabricate bioinspired scaffolds to mimic the tunica media of vessels and recapitulate vascular mechanics which could act as a framework for small diameter graft development to guide tissue regeneration and orientation.
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