Publications by authors named "Gianfranco Tajana"

Despite the high level achieved in the field of shoulder surgery, a global consensus on rotator cuff tears management is lacking. This work is divided into two main sessions: in the first, we set questions about hot topics involved in the rotator cuff tears, from the etiopathogenesis to the surgical treatment. In the second, we answered these questions by mentioning Evidence Based Medicine.

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Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are cyclooxygenases (COXs) inhibitors frequently used in the treatment of acute and chronic inflammation. Side effects of NSAIDs are often due to their ability to induce apoptosis. Located at the Endoplasmic Reticulum membranes a tripartite signalling pathway, collectively known as the Unfolded Protein Response (UPR), decides survival or death of cells exposed to cytotoxic agents.

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Several diseases are characterized by chronic inflammation, a condition frequently associated with angiogenesis and fibrogenesis that account for the development of granulation tissue. Nuclear Factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-kappaB) is a crucial modulator of intracellular prosurvival signaling pathways and is implicated in the pathogenesis of inflammatory process. In this study, we have investigated the role of NF-kappaB in the angiogenic and fibrogenic response induced by lambda-carrageenin in a rat model of chronic inflammation at 1, 3, and 5 days.

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Context: Epidemiologic data demonstrate a protective role by normal androgen levels on cardiovascular health and erectile function. Low androgen levels are associated with erectile dysfunction and increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. Both conditions recognize as anatomic substrate a pathologic structural remodeling.

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Objective: To assess the efficacy of a comprehensive motivational approach in reducing blood pressure in Italian patients with hypertension.

Method: Two hundred and ninety-two first visit patients with hypertension without diabetes and dyslipidemia and with BMI < 28 were enrolled. One hundred and forty-two were randomly assigned to a Control group (C) and 150 to an Intervention group (I).

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Serum deprivation induced in human lymphoblastoid Raji cells oxidative stress-associated apoptotic death and G0/G1 cell cycle arrest. Addition into culture medium of the immunomodulatory protein Seminal vesicle protein 4 (SV-IV) protected these cells against apoptosis but not against cycle arrest. The antiapoptotic activity was related to: (1) decrease of endocellular reactive Oxygen species (ROS) (2) increase of mRNAs encoding anti-oxidant enzymes (catalase, G6PD) and antiapoptotic proteins (survivin, cox-1, Hsp70, c-Fos); (3) decrease of mRNAs encoding proapoptotic proteins (c-myc, Bax, caspase-3, Apaf-1).

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The endoplasmic reticulum Golgi intermediate compartment 53 protein recycles continuously between the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi complex and ensures the anterograde transport of specific glycoproteins with the assistance of the Multiple Clotting Factor Deficiency adaptor protein. Therefore, to analyze the effect of the endoplasmic reticulum stress on the secretory pathway beyond the endoplasmic reticulum, we analyzed the expression of both proteins in J774 macrophages incubated with the nitric oxide donor DETA NONOate or with thapsigargin. Both proteins accumulated progressively, by a transcriptional mechanism, in response to these inducers.

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In the present study we investigated whether apoptosis and phagocytosis are regulated by nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB in a model of chronic inflammation. The subcutaneous implant of lambda-carrageenin-soaked sponges elicited an inflammatory response, characterized by a time-related increase of leukocyte infiltration into the sponge and tissue formation, which was inhibited by simultaneous injection of wild-type oligodeoxynucleotide decoy to NF-kappaB. Molecular and morphological analysis performed on infiltrated cells demonstrated: 1) an inhibition of NF-kappaB/DNA binding activity; 2) an increase of polymorphonuclear leukocyte apoptosis correlated either to an increase of p53 or Bax and decrease of Bcl-2 protein expression; and 3) an increase of phagocytosis of apoptotic polymorphonuclear leukocytes by macrophages associated with an increase of transforming growth factor-beta1 and decrease of tumor necrosis factor-alpha as well as nitrite/nitrate production.

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Apoptosis of arterial cells induced by oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) is thought to contribute to the progression of vascular dysfunction and atherogenesis. It is well established that diabetes mellitus is accompanied by both glycosylation and oxidation of LDL (glc-oxLDL), but the biological effects of these modified lipoproteins are poorly understood. We demonstrate here for the first time that glc-oxLDL increases TUNEL positivity and caspase-3 activation (by Western blot and immunocytochemistry) of human coronary smooth muscle cells.

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Advanced stages of both cancer and atherosclerosis are characterized by a local increase in tissue mass that may be hard to control. This increase in tissue mass can be attributed to oxidation-sensitive modification of cell cycle-related events, including cellular proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis, which could be secondary to alteration in the activity of tumor suppressor gene and oncogene products. The oncogene c-Myc has classically been considered to be involved in carcinogenesis and has more recently been implicated in both endothelial dysfunction and atherogenesis as well.

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The beta(3)-adrenoreceptor plays a major role in lipolysis but the role and distribution of beta(3)-receptors in other specific sites have not been extensively studied. beta(3)-adrenergic receptors are present not only in adipose tissue but also in human gall bladder, colon, prostate, and skeletal muscle. Recently, beta(3)-adrenergic receptor stimulation was shown to elicit vasorelaxation of rat aorta through the NO-cGMP signal transduction pathway.

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Objectives: Peyronie's disease is the most frequent cause of penile curvature and occurs particularly in middle-age patients. The best technique for penile biopsy, in the evaluation of albuginea and cavernous tissue, has not been delineated yet. We present a new technique of penile biopsy, useful in the study of Peyronie's plaque, fibrosis and erectile dysfunction or any other pathological condition of the penis requiring a biopsy.

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