Neural circuit mechanisms underlying context-specific halting in Drosophila.

Walking is a complex motor programme involving coordinated and distributed activity across the brain and the spinal cord. Halting appropriately at the correct time is a critical component of walking control. Despite progress in identifying neurons driving halting, the underlying neural circuit mechanisms responsible for overruling the competing walking state remain unclear.

A Blood Test for the Diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune chronic disease characterized by inflammation and demyelination of the central nervous system (CNS). Despite numerous studies conducted, valid biomarkers enabling a definitive diagnosis of MS are not yet available. The aim of our study was to identify a marker from a blood sample to ease the diagnosis of MS.

How to Preserve Steatotic Liver Grafts for Transplantation.

Liver allograft steatosis is a significant risk factor for postoperative graft dysfunction and has been associated with inferior patient and graft survival, particularly in the case of moderate or severe macrovesicular steatosis. In recent years, the increasing incidence of obesity and fatty liver disease in the population has led to a higher proportion of steatotic liver grafts being used for transplantation, making the optimization of their preservation an urgent necessity. This review discusses the mechanisms behind the increased susceptibility of fatty livers to ischemia-reperfusion injury and provides an overview of the available strategies to improve their utilization for transplantation, with a focus on preclinical and clinical evidence supporting donor interventions, novel preservation solutions, and machine perfusion techniques.

Reduction of serum IGF-I levels in patients affected with Monoclonal Gammopathies of undetermined significance or Multiple Myeloma. Comparison with bFGF, VEGF and K-ras gene mutation.

Background: Serum levels of IGF-I in patients affected with multiple myeloma (MM) have been scarcely studied. The present study is aimed to explore this point comparing 55 healthy subjects, 71 monoclonal gammopaties of uncertain significance (MGUS) and 77 overt MM patients. In the same subjects, basic FGF and VEGF, have been detected.

Prognostic relevance of serum levels and cellular expression of adiponectin in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

The correlation between well-established biological parameters of prognostic relevance in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) [i.e., mutational status of the immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region (IgV(H)), ZAP-70- and CD38-expression] and adiponectin serum concentration was evaluated in a cohort of 69 previously untreated Binet stage A CLL patients.