Coronary Artery Calcification: Current Concepts and Clinical Implications.

Coronary artery calcification (CAC) accompanies the development of advanced atherosclerosis. Its role in atherosclerosis holds great interest because the presence and burden of coronary calcification provide direct evidence of the presence and extent of coronary artery disease; furthermore, CAC predicts future events independently of concomitant conventional cardiovascular risk factors and to a greater extent than any other noninvasive biomarker of this disease. Nevertheless, the relationship between CAC and the susceptibility of a plaque to provoke a thrombotic event remains incompletely understood.

A pilot study of occupational exposure to ultrafine particles during 3D printing in research laboratories.

Introduction: 3D printing is increasingly present in research environments, and could pose health risks to users due to air pollution and particulate emissions. We evaluated the nanoparticulate emissions of two different 3D printers, utilizing either fused filament fabrication with polylactic acid, or stereolithography (SLA) with light curing resin.

Methods: Nanoparticulate emissions were evaluated in two different research environments, both by environmental measurements in the laboratory and by personal sampling.

L1CAM expression in human gastrointestinal tract development: From tongue to colon-rectum.

Background: L1CAM (L1 cell adhesion molecule) is a member of the L1 family of neural adhesion molecules, involved in the development of multiple organs and tissues, including kidneys, the enteric nervous system, and adrenal glands. The aim of this study was to analyze, at the immunohistochemical level, the expression of L1CAM in the human tongue, parotid glands, and the different segments of the gastrointestinal tract during human development.

Design And Method: Immunohistochemical analysis for L1CAM was performed in the human tongue, parotid glands, and in the different segments of the gastrointestinal tract during development, starting from the 8th up to the 32nd week of gestation.

Cell starvation increases uptake of extracellular Thymosin β4 and its complexes with calcium.

Cell metastasis is the main cause of cancer mortality. Inhibiting early events during cell metastasis and invasion could significantly improve cancer prognosis, but the initial mechanisms of cell transition and migration are barely known. Calcium regulates cell migration, whilst Thymosin β4 is a G-actin and iron binding peptide associated with tumor metastasis and ferroptosis.

Spatio-Temporal Changes of Extracellular Matrix (ECM) Stiffness in the Development of the Leech .

The invertebrate leech represents a powerful experimental animal model for improving the knowledge about the functional interaction between the extracellular matrix (ECM) and cells within the tissue microenvironment (TME), and the key role played by ECM stiffness during development and growth. Indeed, the medicinal leech is characterized by a simple anatomical organization reproducing many aspects of the basic biological processes of vertebrates and in which a rapid spatiotemporal development is well established and easily assessed. Our results show that ECM structural organization, as well as the amount of fibrillar and non-fibrillar collagen are deeply different from hatching leeches to adult ones.

Toward the renal vesicle: Ultrastructural investigation of the cap mesenchyme splitting process in the developing kidney.

Background: A complex sequence of morphogenetic events leads to the development of the adult mouse kidney. In the present study, we investigated the morphological events that characterize the early stages of the mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition of cap mesenchymal cells, analyzing in depth the relationship between cap mesenchymal induction and ureteric bud (UB) branching.

Design And Methods: Normal kidneys of newborn non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice were excised and prepared for light and electron microscopic examination.

Dopaminergic inhibition of human neutrophils is exerted through D1-like receptors and affected by bacterial infection.

Dopamine (DA) affects immune functions in healthy subjects (HS) and during disease by acting on D1-like (D1 and D5) and D2-like (D2, D3 and D4) dopaminergic receptors (DR); however, its effects on human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) are still poorly defined. We investigated DR expression in human PMN and the ability of DA to affect cell migration and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Experiments were performed on cells from HS and from patients (Pts) with bacterial infections as well, during the acute phase and after recovery.

Understanding the Behaviour of Human Cell Types under Simulated Microgravity Conditions: The Case of Erythrocytes.

Erythrocytes are highly specialized cells in human body, and their main function is to ensure the gas exchanges, O and CO, within the body. The exposure to microgravity environment leads to several health risks such as those affecting red blood cells. In this work, we investigated the changes that occur in the structure and function of red blood cells under simulated microgravity, compared to terrestrial conditions, at different time points using biochemical and biophysical techniques.

Medium- and Long-Term Re-Treatment of Root Canals Filled with a Calcium Silicate-Based Sealer: An Experimental Ex Vivo Study.

This study investigated the possibility of re-treating a calcium silicate-based sealer (CSBS), compared to an epoxy-resin sealer (RBS), using rotary instrumentation at different times from obturation (1 month/1 year). Thirty-six human mandibular premolars, extracted as a result of orthodontic or periodontal problems, were instrumented and randomly divided into three groups of 12: BR and BR*, which were filled with CSBS and re-treated after one month and one year of storage, respectively, and AH, which was filled with RBS and re-treated after one month. The same re-treatment protocol was used for all teeth, and the times required for the procedure was recorded.

Carotid Artery Plaque Calcifications: Lessons From Histopathology to Diagnostic Imaging.

The role of calcium in atherosclerosis is controversial and the relationship between vascular calcification and plaque vulnerability is not fully understood. Although calcifications are present in ≈50% to 60% of carotid plaques, their association with cerebrovascular ischemic events remains unclear. In this review, we summarize current understanding of carotid plaque calcification.

Undercover Toxic Ménage à Trois of Amylin, Copper (II) and Metformin in Human Embryonic Kidney Cells.

In recent decades, type 2 diabetes complications have been correlated with amylin aggregation, copper homeostasis and metformin side effects. However, each factor was analyzed separately, and only in some rare cases copper/amylin or copper/metformin complexes were considered. We demonstrate for the first time that binary metformin/amylin and tertiary copper (II)/amylin/metformin complexes of high cellular toxicity are formed and lead to the formation of aggregated multi-level lamellar structures on the cell membrane.

Living with the enemy: from protein-misfolding pathologies we know, to those we want to know.

Conformational diseases are caused by the aggregation of misfolded proteins. The risk for such pathologies develops years before clinical symptoms appear, and is higher in people with alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) polymorphisms. Thousands of people with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) are underdiagnosed.

Clot characterization by multidisciplinary approach: biochemical and imaging parameters in a hypocoagulative setting. A pilot study.

Background: Clot characterization is, to the present days, a multimodal approach: scanning the clot by electron microscopy (SEM) is helpful for the visualization of fibrin structure along with laboratory parameters such as the clot waveform analysis (CWA) and thrombin generation in different settings of clot abnormalities. This study aimed to assess whether the coagulative parameters were consistent with the clot images texture acquired by SEM, and therefore to propose a more generalist and integrative approach to clots classification.

Design And Methods: In this pilot study, the examined population consists of eight healthy subjects, seven patients affected by Acquired Hemophilia A (AHA) and seven patients treated with Vitamin K Antagonists (VKAs), similar for age and gender.

Human Primary Dermal Fibroblasts Interacting with 3-Dimensional Matrices for Surgical Application Show Specific Growth and Gene Expression Programs.

Several types of 3-dimensional (3D) biological matrices are employed for clinical and surgical applications, but few indications are available to guide surgeons in the choice among these materials. Here we compare the in vitro growth of human primary fibroblasts on different biological matrices commonly used for clinical and surgical applications and the activation of specific molecular pathways over 30 days of growth. Morphological analyses by Scanning Electron Microscopy and proliferation curves showed that fibroblasts have different ability to attach and proliferate on the different biological matrices.

MCF7 Spheroid Development: New Insight about Spatio/Temporal Arrangements of TNTs, Amyloid Fibrils, Cell Connections, and Cellular Bridges.

Human breast adenocarcinoma cells (MCF7) grow in three-dimensional culture as spheroids that represent the structural complexity of avascular tumors. Therefore, spheroids offer a powerful tool for studying cancer development, aggressiveness, and drug resistance. Notwithstanding the large amount of data regarding the formation of MCF7 spheroids, a detailed description of the morpho-functional changes during their aggregation and maturation is still lacking.

Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome (MODS) induced by in an Aldabra giant tortoise ( and confirmed by electron microscopy analysis.

A young female Aldabra giant tortoise () was presented with anorexia, ataxia, severe constipation and bloating. Analysis revealed liver disease and collected biopsy diagnosed infection. Despite Itraconazole treatment, the tortoise got worse and died.

The byssus threads of Pinna nobilis: A histochemical and ultrastructural study.

The byssus of Pinna nobilis, the largest bivalve mollusc in the Mediterranean Sea, was investigated by histochemistry, immunohistochemistry, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). At low magnification, the byssus threads appeared distinctively elliptical in cross-section, with a typical size approaching 50 x 25 micron and a featureless glassy appearance. Histochemical and immunohistochemical techniques confirmed the presence of elastic domains but the absence of collagen, which is known to be the main component in other molluscs.

Study of Endochondral Ossification in Human Fetalcartilage Anlagen of Metacarpals: Comparative Morphology of Mineral Deposition in Cartilage and in the Periosteal Bone Matrix.

The progression of mineral phase deposition in hypertrophic cartilage and periosteal bone matrix was studied in human metacarpals primary ossification centers before vascular invasion began. This study aimed to provide a morphologic/morphometric comparative analysis of the calcification process in cartilage and periosteal osteoid used as models of endochondral ossification. Thin, sequential sections from the same paraffin inclusions of metacarpal anlagen (gestational age between the 20th and 22nd weeks) were examined with light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, either stained or heat-deproteinated.

Growth and shaping of metacarpal and carpal cartilage anlagen: application of morphometry to the development of short and long bone. A study of human hand anlagen in the fetal period.

A histological and morphometric analysis of human metacarpal and carpal anlagen between the 16th and 22nd embryonic weeks was carried out with the aim of studying the establishment of the respective anlage architecture. No differences in the pattern of growth were documented between the peripheral and central zones of the metacarpal epiphyses and those of the carpals. The regulation of longitudinal growth in long bone anlagen occurred in the transition zone between the epiphysis and the diaphysis (homologous to the metaphyseal growth plate cartilage in more advanced developmental stage of the bone).

Characterization of human leukocyte-HUVEC adhesion: Effect of cell preparation methods.

Objective: Sample manipulation to obtain isolated granulocytes represents a key, and often necessary, step in the in vitro studies. We investigated by the means of flow cytometry and microscopic techniques (both optical microscopy [OM] and scanning electron microscopy [SEM]), the granulocyte-endothelium adhesion and the role of sample manipulation.

Methods: By means of a co-culture method, we have analysed the adhesion of human leukocytes, originated from two different blood samples (fresh venous blood [FB] and buffy coat [BC]), to the human umbilical venous endothelial cell (HUVEC) monolayer.

Systemic distribution of single-walled carbon nanotubes in a novel model: alteration of biochemical parameters, metabolic functions, liver accumulation, and inflammation in vivo.

The increasing use of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in several industrial applications raises concerns on their potential toxicity due to factors such as tissue penetrance, small dimensions, and biopersistence. Using an in vivo model for CNT environmental exposure, mimicking CNT exposition at the workplace, we previously found that CNTs rapidly enter and disseminate in the organism, initially accumulating in the lungs and brain and later reaching the liver and kidneys via the bloodstream in CD1 mice. Here, we monitored and traced the accumulation of single-walled CNTs (SWCNTs), administered systemically in mice, in different organs and the subsequent biological responses.

Relationship between the chondrocyte maturation cycle and the endochondral ossification in the diaphyseal and epiphyseal ossification centers.

The chondrocyte maturation cycle and endochondral ossification were studied in human, fetal cartilage Anlagen and in postnatal meta-epiphyses. The relationship between the lacunar area, the inter-territorial fibril network variations, and calcium phosphorus nucleation in primary and secondary ossification centers were assessed using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) morphometry. The Anlage topographic, zonal classification was derived from the anatomical nomenclature of the completely developed long bone (diaphysis, metaphyses and epiphyses).

The application of heat-deproteinization to the morphological study of cortical bone: A contribution to the knowledge of the osteonal structure.

Observation of heat-deproteinized cortical bone specimens in incident light enabled the high definition documentation of the osteonal pattern of diaphyseal Haversian bone. This prompted a study to compare these images with those revealed by polarized light microscopy, carried out either on decalcified or thin, undecalcified, resin-embedded sections. Different bone processing methods can reveal structural aspects of the intercellular matrix, depending on the light diffraction mode: birefringency in decalcified sections can be ascribed to the collagen fibrils orientation alone; in undecalcified sections, to both the ordered layout of collagen and the inorganic phase; in the heat-deproteinized samples, exclusively to the hydroxyapatite crystals aggregation mode.