NK and NKT-like cells in granulomatous and fibrotic lung diseases.

Background The pathogenetic and regulatory roles of natural killer (NK) and natural killer T-like cells in interstitial lung diseases (ILDs), fibrotic and granulomatous of unknown etiology are unclear. Objectives Here we investigated NK and NKT-like cells in peripheral blood (PB) and Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) from patients with ILDs. Method 190 patients (94 male mean age 61 ± 14.

Colonization of floats from submerged derelict fishing gears by four protected species of deep-sea corals and barnacles in the Strait of Messina (central Mediterranean Sea).

The distribution of floating litter in marine waters, influenced by currents and wind drag, often determines the dispersal of its encrusting fauna. In the present paper, we observed for the first time the colonization of rafting floats from abandoned, lost or derelict fishing gears (ALDFG) by the four protected deep-sea species: Errina aspera, Desmophyllum pertusum, Madrepora oculata Pachylasma giganteum. Overall, 41 floats, colonized by deep benthic species, were found stranded on the shore of the Sicilian coast of the Strait of Messina, between 2016 and 2019.

A Dynamic Framework for Modelling Set-Shifting Performances.

Higher-order cognitive functions can be seen as a class of cognitive processes which are crucial in situations requiring a flexible adjustment of behaviour in response to changing demands of the environment. The cognitive assessment of these functions often relies on tasks which admit a dynamic, or longitudinal, component requiring participants to flexibly adapt their behaviour during the unfolding of the task. An intriguing feature of such experimental protocols is that they allow the performance of an individual to change as the task unfolds.

Investigating the need for routine ultrasound screening to detect developmental dysplasia of the hip in infants born with breech presentation.

Objectives: Breech presentation is a recognized risk factor for developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). Within North America, there is a lack of consensus on screening guidelines for DDH in infants with a negative physical examination of the hips. This study evaluates the need for ultrasound screening in all breech born infants to detect DDH and whether this is influenced by gender, gestational age and mode of delivery.

Automated Intelligent Microscopy for the Recognition of Decoy Cells in Urine Samples of Kidney Transplant Patients.

Background: BK virus (BKV)-associated nephropathy is definitely involved in allograft failure after kidney transplant. Thus, the need for an early control of viral reactivation in immunocompromised patients is well established. Determination of urinary release of decoy cells (DC) and BK viral load in plasma and urine by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) usually precedes renal biopsy.

Long-term Glomerular Filtration Rate and Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes Stage Stability After Conversion to Once-Daily Tacrolimus in Kidney Transplant Recipients.

Close monitoring of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) is important for early recognition of worsening renal function to prevent further deterioration. Safe conversion from twice-daily tacrolimus (TD-Tac) to once-daily tacrolimus (OD-Tac) has been reported, but the effects on eGFR are contrasting. The aim of our study is to evaluate long-term stability of eGFR after 1:1 conversion from TD-Tac to OD-Tac and the effects on serum cytokine blood levels.

A new nonparametric test for the race model inequality.

The race model inequality (RMI), as first introduced by Miller (Cognitive Psychology, 14, 247-279, 1982), entails an upper bound on the amount of statistical facilitation for reaction times (RTs) attainable by a race model within the redundant-signals paradigm. A violation of RMI may be considered as empirical evidence for a coactivation model rather than a race model. Here, we introduce a novel nonparametric procedure for evaluating the RMI for single participant analysis.

CRELD1 is an evolutionarily-conserved maturational enhancer of ionotropic acetylcholine receptors.

The assembly of neurotransmitter receptors in the endoplasmic reticulum limits the number of receptors delivered to the plasma membrane, ultimately controlling neurotransmitter sensitivity and synaptic transfer function. In a forward genetic screen conducted in the nematode , we identified as a gene required for the synaptic expression of ionotropic acetylcholine receptors (AChR). We demonstrated that the CRLD-1A isoform is a membrane-associated ER-resident protein disulfide isomerase (PDI).

Resurfacing with Ablation of Periorbital Skin Technique: Indications, Efficacy, Safety, and 3D Assessment from a Pilot Study.

Objectives And Background: Nowadays, several approaches for skin rejuvenation of the lower eyelid are available. We present a new technique of resurfacing with ablation of periorbital skin (RAP) performed in a single session.

Methods: This is a retrospective study involving 20 patients showing skin elastosis with or without evidence of the nasojugal fold and atrophic and dyschromic skin or needing a combined approach of transconjuntival lower blepharoplasty for fat bag removal.

Multi-omic network-based interrogation of rat liver metabolism following gastric bypass surgery featuring SWATH proteomics.

Morbidly obese patients often elect for Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), a form of bariatric surgery that triggers a remarkable 30% reduction in excess body weight and reversal of insulin resistance for those who are type II diabetic. A more complete understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms that drive the complex metabolic reprogramming post-RYGB could lead to innovative non-invasive therapeutics that mimic the beneficial effects of the surgery, namely weight loss, achievement of glycemic control, or reversal of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). To facilitate these discoveries, we hereby demonstrate the first multi-omic interrogation of a rodent RYGB model to reveal tissue-specific pathway modules implicated in the control of body weight regulation and energy homeostasis.

Observational study of coagulation activation in early breast cancer: development of a prognostic model based on data from the real world setting.

Background: Cancer and coagulation activation are tightly related. The extent to which factors related to both these pathologic conditions concur to patient prognosis intensely animates the inherent research areas. The study herein presented aimed to the development of a tool for the assessment and stratification of risk of death and disease recurrence in early breast cancer.

Adverse events linked with the use of chimeric and humanized anti-CD20 antibodies in children with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome.

Aims: Anti-CD20 antibodies are increasingly being used to treat idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS) in children. While they may allow steroid and calcineurin inhibitor withdrawal, repeated infusions of anti-CD20 antibodies are often required to maintain remission. Data on their potential toxicity in INS are needed, to consider repeated infusions.

Stability of Wake-Sleep Cycles Requires Robust Degradation of the PERIOD Protein.

Robustness in biology is the stability of phenotype under diverse genetic and/or environmental perturbations. The circadian clock has remarkable stability of period and phase that-unlike other biological oscillators-is maintained over a wide range of conditions. Here, we show that the high fidelity of the circadian system stems from robust degradation of the clock protein PERIOD.

A phase 2a randomized controlled study to evaluate the pharmacokinetic, safety, tolerability and clinical effect of topically applied Umeclidinium in subjects with primary axillary hyperhidrosis.

Background: Hyperhidrosis is a common medical condition which can have a significant impact on quality of life. Umeclidinium (UMEC) is a long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) developed as a dermal formulation.

Objectives: This 2-week, double-blind, randomized, vehicle-controlled study evaluated systemic exposure, safety and tolerability of topically administered UMEC in subjects with primary axillary hyperhidrosis.

Sonographic Evaluation of Pediatric Thyroid Nodules.

A thyroid nodule detected clinically or incidentally at medical imaging is a common indication for ultrasonography (US) in the adult population. This scenario is less frequently the case in pediatric patients, and the approach to evaluation of thyroid nodules deserves modification in these patients because of the increased probability of malignancy in children, compared with adults. Evaluating a thyroid nodule with US in a systematic way requires familiarity with a number of features that can be assessed and the terms that the radiologist uses in each category.

Biallelic mutation of UNC50, encoding a protein involved in AChR trafficking, is responsible for arthrogryposis.

Arthrogryposis multiplex congenita (AMC) is a developmental condition characterized by multiple joint contractures resulting from reduced or absent fetal movements. Homozygosity mapping of disease loci combined with whole exome sequencing in a consanguineous family presenting with lethal AMC allowed the identification of a homozygous frameshift deletion in UNC50 gene (c.750_751del:p.

Management of Lyme Disease in European Children: a Review for Practical Purpose.

Purpose Of Review: Lyme disease is a tick-borne zoonosis transmitted through a bite of a tick carrying a spirochete belonging to Borrelia species. In the last 20 years, the reported incidence of Lyme disease is increased by three times in Europe. Clinically, the illness develops through a primary stage with a typical skin rash (erythema marginatum), then a secondary stage with possible neurologic or cardiac involvement.

Personal Protective Equipment Supply Chain: Lessons Learned from Recent Public Health Emergency Responses.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) that protects healthcare workers from infection is a critical component of infection control strategies in healthcare settings. During a public health emergency response, protecting healthcare workers from infectious disease is essential, given that they provide clinical care to those who fall ill, have a high risk of exposure, and need to be assured of occupational safety. Like most goods in the United States, the PPE market supply is based on demand.

Regulation of Energy Homeostasis After Gastric Bypass Surgery.

The obesity epidemic continues to escalate each year in the United States more than anywhere else in the world. The existing pharmaceutical and other nonsurgical treatments for morbid obesity produce suboptimal physiologic outcomes compared with those of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery. RYGB has been the gold standard of bariatric surgery because the beneficial long-term outcomes, which include sustainable weight loss and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) resolution, are far superior to those obtained with other bariatric surgeries.

Ofatumumab-associated acute pneumonitis: Not new but still the first case.

Ofatumumab is an anti-CD20 humanized monoclonal antibody utilized in the treatment of several clinical conditions resistant to other treatments. In spite there was a general expectation that ofatumumab was less toxic compared to rituximab, side effects have been reported that resemble those of its anti-CD20 chimeric precursor. Here, we describe the first case of Ofatumumab associate lung injury occurring in a 14-year-old boy affected by nephrotic syndrome dependent to prednisone plus cyclosporine A who had been treated with the dose of drug utilized in nephrotic syndrome (1500 mg/173 m).

Fourier Transform Infrared Analysis of Urinary Calculi and Metabolic Studies in a Group of Sicilian Children.

Introduction: Prevalence of urinary calculi in children has been increasing in the past years. We performed an analysis of the chemical composition of stones formers of the pediatric population in our geographical area over the years 2005 to 2013.

Materials And Methods: Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was employed for the determination of the calculus composition of a group of Sicilian children, and metabolic studies were performed to formulate the correct diagnosis and establish therapy.

Dietary soy protein improves adipose tissue dysfunction by modulating parameters related with oxidative stress in dyslipidemic insulin-resistant rats.

The present study investigates the benefits of the dietary intake of soy protein on adipose tissue dysfunction in a rat model that mimics several aspects of the human metabolic syndrome. Wistar rats were fed a sucrose-rich diet (SRD) for 4 months. After that, half of the animals continued with SRD until month 8 while in the other half, casein protein was replaced by isolated soy protein for 4 months (SRD-S).