The macromolecular properties of the exopolysaccharide produced by strains of the
Burkholderia cepacia complex, involved in lung infection of cystic fibrosis patients, were investigated. The ...formation of double stranded structures and the intrinsic rigidity of the polymer chains are described and discussed in relationship to biofilm formation.
Cepacian is the exopolysaccharide produced by the majority of the so far investigated clinical strains of the
Burkholderia cepacia complex. This is a group of nine closely related bacterial species that might cause serious lung infections in cystic fibrosis patients, in some cases leading to death. In this paper the aggregation ability and the conformational properties of cepacian chain were investigated to understand its role in biofilm formation. Viscosity and atomic force microscopy studies in water and in mixed (dimethylsulfoxide/water) solvent indicated the formation of double stranded molecular structures in aqueous solutions. Inter-residue short distances along cepacian chain were investigated by NOE NMR, which showed that two side chains of cepacian were not conformationally free due to strong interactions with the polymer backbone. These interactions were attributed to hydrogen bonding and contributed to structure rigidity.
Starting from the chemical structure of phytocannabinoids, isolated from Cannabis sativa plant, research groups designed numerous cannabimimetic drugs. These compounds according to their activities ...can be partial, full agonists and antagonists of cannabinoid receptors. Anecdotal reports and scientific studies described beneficial properties of cannabinoids and their derivatives in several pathological conditions like neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders, and in many other diseases ranging from cancer, atherosclerosis, stroke, hypertension, inflammatory related disorders, and autoimmune diseases.
In this study, starting from the endocannabinoid mechanism of action in neuronal signaling, we highlight and discuss potential application and recent patents of cannabimimetic drugs in neurological disorders.
The cannabinoid CB1 receptor was considered particularly interesting for therapeutic approaches in neurological diseases, because primarily expressed by neurons of the central nervous system. In many experimental models, these drugs act via this receptor, however, CB1 receptor independent mechanisms have been also described. Furthermore, endogenous ligands of cannabinoid receptors, the endocannabinoids, are potent modulators of the synaptic function in the brain. In neurological diseases, numerous studies reported modulation of the levels of endocannabinoids according to the phase of the disease and its progression.
Finally, although the study of the mechanisms of action of these compounds is still unsolved, many reports and patents strongly suggest therapeutic potential of these compounds in neurological diseases.
Cannabinoid receptors are involved in the neuro-pathogenic mechanisms of inflammatory conditions of the central nervous system and their expression can be modulated during diseases.
In this ...manuscript we highlight the function of cannabinoid receptors, their signalling and expression at peripheral and central levels in order to understand their implication in neuro-inflammation and review the effects of cannabinoids in neuro-inflammatory disorders.
Brain inflammatory processes are characterized by infiltration of numerous types of cells: both peripheral and brain resident immune cells and other neuronal cells. The disruption of the blood brain barrier favours cell infiltration in the central nervous system with consequent neuronal damage, a common event in many neuro-inflammatory diseases. Cannabinoids affect brain adaptive and immune response, regulate inflammatory mediators and can exert a role in blood brain barrier damage prevention.
Various patents describe the beneficial properties of cannabinoids in numerous neurodegenerative diseases with inflammatory components and overall effects support the therapeutic application of cannabinoids.
Several studies support the evidence that the endocannabinoid system and cannabimimetic drugs might have therapeutic potential in numerous pathologies. These pathologies range from neurological ...disorders, atherosclerosis, stroke, cancer to obesity/metabolic syndrome and others.
In this paper we review the endocannabinoid system signaling and its alteration in neurodegenerative disorders like multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease and discuss the main findings about the use of cannabinoids in the therapy of these pathologies.
Despite different etiologies, neurodegenerative disorders exhibit similar mechanisms like neuro-inflammation, excitotoxicity, deregulation of intercellular communication, mitochondrial dysfunction and disruption of brain tissue homeostasis. Current treatments ameliorate the symptoms but are not curative. Interfering with the endocannabinoid signaling might be a valid therapeutic option in neuro-degeneration. To this aim, pharmacological intervention to modulate the endocannabinoid system and the use of natural and synthetic cannabimimetic drugs have been assessed. CB1 and CB2 receptor signaling contributes to the control of Ca2+ homeostasis, trophic support, mitochondrial activity, and inflammatory conditions.
Several studies and patents suggest that the endocannabinoid system has neuro-protective properties and might be a target in neurodegenerative diseases.
The present generation of Micro-Pattern Gaseous Detectors (MPGDs) are radiation hard detectors, capable of detecting efficiently particle rates of several MHz/cm\(^2\) , while exhibiting good spatial ...resolution (\(\leq\) 50 \(\mu\)m) and modest time resolution of 5-10 ns, which satisfies the current generation of experiments (High Luminosity LHC upgrades of CMS and ATLAS) but it is not sufficient for bunch crossing identification of fast timing systems at FCC- hh. Thanks to the application of thin resistive films such as Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) a new detector concept was conceived: Fast Timing MPGD (FTM). In the FTM the drift volume of the detector has been divided in several layers each with their own amplification structure. The use of resistive electrodes makes the entire structure transparent for electrical signals. After some first initial encouraging results, progress has been slowed down due to problems with the wet-etching of DLC-coated polyimide foils. To solve these problems a more in-depth knowledge of the internal stress of the DLC together with the DLC-polyimide adhesion is required. We will report on the production of DLC films produced in Italy with Ion Beam Sputtering and Pulsed Laser Deposition, where we are searching to improve the adhesion of the thin DLC films, combined with a very high uniformity of the resistivity values.
Beginning in March 1995, in the adjacent provinces of Benevento and Campobasso in Southern Italy, we carried out a sentinal, paediatrician-based surveillance on pertussis, measles, rubella and mumps ...with the aim of evaluating the health impact of new vaccination programmes and the objectives of describing the time-space trends and estimating the effectiveness of new vaccinations. The study population consisted of 16500 children attended by 25 paediatricians. The estimated effectiveness of vaccines for pertussis, measles and rubella were close to the expected values, although a very low effectiveness was calculated for the mumps vaccine. The comparison among children vaccinated with various strains showed a diseases odds ration of 2.5 for the children vaccinated with Rubini strain. The effectiveness of this strain has to be verified in more rigorous settings.
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