[en] The aim of the present study was to investigate how the enrichment of chitosan films with anti-fibronectin aptamers could enhance scaffold colonization by osteoblasts, by improving their adhesion and accelerating their proliferation. Chitosan discs were enriched with excess of anti-fibronectin aptamer. Aptamer adsorption on chitosan was monitored by measuring aptamer concentration in the supernatant by spectrophotometry, as well as its release, while functionalization was confirmed by labelling aptamers with a DNA intercalating dye. Chitosan samples were then characterized morphologically with atomic force microscopy and physically with contact angle measurement. Chitosan enrichment with fibronectin was then investigated by immunofluorescence and Bradford assay. 2% chitosan discs were then enriched with increasing doses of aptamers and used as culture substrates for MC3T3-E1 cells. Cell growth was monitored by optical microscopy, while cell viability and metabolic activity were assessed by chemiluminescence and by Resazurin Sodium Salt assay. Cell morphology was investigated by cytofluorescence and by scanning electron microscopy. Chitosan films efficiently bound and retained aptamers. Aptamers did not affect the amount of adsorbed fibronectin, but affected osteoblasts behavior. Cell growth was proportional to the amount of aptamer used for the functionalization, as well as aptamers influenced cell morphology and their adhesion to the substrate. Our results demonstrate that the enrichment of chitosan films with aptamers could selectively improve osteoblasts behavior. Furthermore, our results support further investigation of this type of functionalization as a suitable modification to ameliorate the biocompatibility of biomaterial for hard tissue engineering applications. Graphical abstract:

[en] With the use of radiopharmaceutical preparation it is possible to label selectively the liquid or/and the solid component of the meal. This potentially allows to study the gastric emptying of liquids, of solids or of both simultaneously. However a severe limitation of all water soluble radiopharmaceuticals (usually markers of the liquid component of the meal) is their unpredictable intragastric dilution by secretion. Gastric emptying of solids is more reliably evaluated, because it appears to be largely independent of the volume of intragastric liquid. A radioisotopic technique for the study of gastric emptying of solid meals is described and validated. This technique is proved to be simple inexpensive and reproducible. It has been successfully used to study the effect of new drugs and gastrointestinal peptides on gastric motility in man

[en] The differential diagnosis of renal masses containing fatty foci is limited to a small number of well-defined tumors, angiomyolipoma being the most frequent. In recent years clear cell carcinomas with intratumoral fatty foci have been reported, due to either entrapment of local fat or to regressive adipose metaplasia. Demonstration of focal calcifications is a valuable sign, being relatively common in carcinomas while rare in more benign lesions. We report a case of a foreign-body granuloma of the kidney, containing both calcifications and foci of fat. The value of this case, in our opinion, is that it demonstrates that detection of the previously mentioned features in a renal mass does not necessarily imply a presumptive diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma. (orig.)

[en] Suitable host cell metabolic conditions are fundamental for the effective development of the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) lytic cycle. Indeed, several studies have demonstrated the ability of this virus to interfere with cell cycle regulation, mainly by blocking proliferating cells in G1 or G1/S. In the present study, we demonstrate that HCMV deregulates the cell cycle of THP-1 macrophages (a cell line irreversibly arrested in G0) by pushing them into S and G2 phases. Moreover, we show that HCMV infection of THP-1 macrophages leads to Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) activation. Since various studies have indicated TLR4 to be involved in promoting cell proliferation, here we investigate the possible role of TLR4 in the observed HCMV-induced cell cycle perturbation. Our data strongly support TLR4 as a mediator of HCMV-triggered cell cycle activation in THP-1 macrophages favouring, in turn, the development of an efficient viral lytic cycle. - Highlights: ► We studied HCMV infection impact on THP-1 macrophage cell cycle. ► We analysed the role played by Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 upon HCMV infection. ► HCMV pushes THP-1 macrophages (i.e. resting cells) to re-enter the cell cycle. ► TLR4 pathway inhibition strongly affects the effectiveness of HCMV replication. ► TLR4 pathway inhibition significantly decreases HCMV-induced cell cycle re-entry

[en] Highlights: • Diesel exhaust soot has heterogeneous metal and size composition. • Diesel exhaust nanoparticles interact with cardiac cell membrane. • Inhaled Diesel exhaust nanoparticles rapidly alter cardiac electrical activity. • More work required on understanding Diesel exhaust nanoparticles risk exposure. Air pollution is well recognized as a central player in cardiovascular disease. Exhaust particulate from diesel engines (DEP) is rich in nanoparticles and may contribute to the health effects of particulate matter in the environment. Moreover, diesel soot emitted by modern engines denotes defective surfaces alongside chemically-reactive sites increasing soot cytotoxicity. We recently demonstrated that engineered nanoparticles can cross the air/blood barrier and are capable to reach the heart. We hypothesize that DEP nanoparticles are pro-arrhythmogenic by direct interaction with cardiac cells. We evaluated the internalization kinetics and the effects of DEP, collected from Euro III (DEPe3, in the absence of Diesel Particulate Filter, DPF) and Euro IV (DEPe4, in the presence of DPF) engines, on alveolar and cardiac cell lines and on in situ rat hearts following DEP tracheal instillation. We observed significant differences in DEP size, metal and organic compositions derived from both engines. DEPe4 comprised ultrafine particles (in-vivo epicardial recording shows significant alteration of EGs parameters in both groups. However, the DEPe4-instilled group showed, compared to DEPe3, a significant increment of the effective refractory period, cardiac conduction velocity, and likelihood of arrhythmic events, with a significant increment of membrane lipid peroxidation but no increment in inflammation biomarkers. Our data suggest that DEPe4, possibly due to ultrafine nanoparticles, is rapidly internalized by cardiomyocytes resulting in an acute susceptibility to cardiac electrical disorder and arrhythmias that could accrue from cellular toxicity. Since the postulated transfer of nanoparticles from the lung to myocardial cells has not been investigated it remains open whether the effects on the cardiovascular function are the result of lung inflammatory reactions or due to particles that have reached the heart.

[en] Venous blood obtained from healthy donors and from patients suffering from breast cancer have been treated with acetylphenylhydrazine (APH) for different time. Moessbauer spectra of the packed red cells have been recorded and compared. The largest difference occurs after 50 min of treatment with APH where the patient samples show a broad spectral pattern indicating an advanced hemoglobin oxidation. These results may have some relevance in early cancer diagnosis

[en] A thorough micromagnetic analysis of the exchange-spring problem is reported with special emphasis on multilayers constituted by hard-soft exchange-coupled phases. The developed one-dimensional micromagnetic model leads to a complete magnetic phase diagram in terms of layer thicknesses. Both perpendicular and parallel configurations are considered. The phase diagram provides information on the type of demagnetization processes and the critical fields at which nucleation and reversal take place, depending on the intrinsic properties of the chosen soft and hard materials. The model has been applied to a variety of hard magnetic phases (e.g., FePt, CoPt, SmCo and NdFeB), coupled to different soft materials (e.g., Fe, FeCo, FeRh or permalloy) both in the form of bilayers and multilayers. The most significant results will be highlighted

[en] Novel solid-phase microextraction coatings based on the use of multiwalled carbon nanotube–cyclodextrin (MWCNT-CD) nanocomposites were developed for the determination of 16-priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons at ultratrace levels in snow samples. The performance of both β- and γ-CD was tested to increase the detection capabilities towards the heaviest and most lipophilic compounds, i.e., five- and six-ring PAHs. To facilitate the interactions of MWCNTs with CDs, an oxidation procedure using both HNO₃ and H₂O₂ was applied, obtaining superior results using MWCNTs-H₂O₂-γ-CD fiber. Detection and quantitation limits below 0.7 and 2.3 ng/L, RSD lower than 21%, and recoveries of 88(± 2)–119.8(± 0.4)% proved the reliability of the developed method for the determination of PAHs at ultratrace levels. The complexation capability of the γ-CD was also demonstrated in solution by NMR and fluorescence spectroscopy studies and at solid state by XRD analysis. Finally, snow samples collected in the ski area of Dolomiti di Brenta were analyzed, showing a different distribution of the 16 priority PAHs, being naphthalene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene, and pyrene the only compounds detected in all the analyzed samples. Graphical

[en] Objective: To evaluate and compare histogram features (mean lung attenuation, skewness, kurtosis) of low-dose and standard-dose CT in a group of patients affected by idiopathic interstitial pneumonitis. Methods: We analyzed 16 patients affected by idiopathic interstitial pneumonitis. Spiral whole lung thin-section CT acquisition at standard dose (100 mAs) and three additional low-dose (50 mAs) CT images were obtained. After obtained frequency histograms, mean lung attenuation (MLA), skewness and kurtosis and three range of density (-700/-200 HU; -700/-400 HU; -500/-200 HU) of the standard-and low-dose thin-section CT scans were analyzed and compared. Results: The parameters obtained with low-dose and standard-dose spiral CT were correlated in a highly significant manner and were equivalent (p < 0.01). The greatest correlation was found between standard-and low-dose kurtosis and standard and low-dose -700/-400 HU subrange of density (r 0.92; p < 0.0001). Conclusions: Our results prove that a quantitative CT objective evaluation in lung fibrosis can be successfully obtained with low-dose spiral CT, with reduced mA

[en] The author first considers the biochemical cycle of strontium in sea-water and then examines the proposed programme and the objectives it is hoped to achieve. The Acantharia group was selected for this study since it is the only one which has a specific and exclusive deposit of strontium. It is, therefore, of particular interest in relation to the problems concerning the circulation of strontium and radioactive isotopes resulting from fall-out. (author)