The efficacy of a porcine collagen matrix in keratinized mucosa width augmentation: a 10-year follow-up clinical prospective study.

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of a xenogeneic collagen matrix (CM) in pre-prosthetic augmentation of the keratinized mucosa width (KMW) at implant sites.

Methods: All of the patients with localized implant-supported rehabilitation previously treated with vestibuloplasty and KMW augmentation with a non-cross-linked porcine CM were recalled. KMW was measured clinically in an apico-coronal direction from the mucogingival junction to the mucosal margin at the prosthetic zenith of each crown.

Helicobacter pylori eradication in functional dyspepsia: HEROES trial.

Background: Eradication of Helicobacter pylori in patients with functional dyspepsia continues to be a matter of debate. We studied eradication effects on symptoms and quality of life of primary care patients.

Methods: Helicobacter pylori -positive adult patients with functional dyspepsia meeting the Rome III International Consensus criteria were randomly assigned to receive omeprazole, amoxicillin trihydrate, and clarithromycin, or omeprazole plus placebo for 10 days.

Castleman's disease in childhood: report of three cases and review of the literature.

Castleman's disease (CD) is a rare, localized or generalized, lymphoproliferative disorder with a frequent mediastinal location, but possible in any lymph node or extra nodal site. It usually appears in young adults whilst it rarely occurs in childhood. There are only about 100 pediatric cases published, five of them in Italy.

Study of water adsorption on organics crystal surfaces using a modified X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy instrument.

The coupling of a high partial pressure water vapor system to a conventional X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy instrument for use with both organic powders and single crystals is described. The modified chamber serves a dual purpose as both a treatment and sample preparation apparatus. The design utilizes the high- and cryo-temperature capabilities of the existing system to allow investigation of various states of surface water, as well as the interplay between temperature, water, and surface structure of the substrate.

Analysis of relationships between solid-state properties, counterion, and developability of pharmaceutical salts.

The solid-state properties of pharmaceutical salts, which are dependent on the counterion used to form the salt, are critical for successful development of a stable dosage form. In order to better understand the relationship between counterion and salt properties, 11 salts of procaine, which is a base, were synthesized and characterized using a variety of experimental and computational methods. Correlations between the various experimental and calculated physicochemical properties of the salts and counterions were probed.

Dissociation of water on the surface of organic salts studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

Water dissociation has important implications for numerous chemical processes. Although extensively studied on metals and to some extent on inorganic salts, this phenomenon has not yet been shown to occur on organic surfaces. Herein, the ability of two crystalline organic hydrochloride salts to induce water dissociation at their surface was demonstrated.

Impact of counterion on the chemical stability of crystalline salts of procaine.

Pharmaceutical compounds may be formulated as the salt form for a variety of reasons, including to increase solubility and dissolution rate as well as to improve the chemical or physical stability. The choice of salt former will influence properties such as solubility and may also have consequences on the solid-state chemical stability of the salt, particularly in the presence of moisture. The purpose of this work is to investigate the role of the counterion in affecting chemical stability.

Role of salt and excipient properties on disproportionation in the solid-state.

Purpose: Approximately 50% of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) are manufactured and formulated as salts, due to their enhanced dissolution rates or improved solid state properties. It is essential to maintain the appropriate solid state form of the drug during processing and over the lifetime of the product. The aim of this study was to investigate the contributing factors in the process of disproportionation, whereby the salt converts back to the free form of the drug.

Frequency of sister chromatid exchanges and micronuclei monitored over time in patients with early-stage breast cancer: results of an observational study.

Spontaneous chromosomal instability correlates with a high risk of cancer. The frequency of spontaneous sister chromatid exchanges (SCE) and micronuclei (MN) in peripheral blood lymphocytes was used for evaluation of spontaneous chromosomal instability in early-stage breast cancer patients to determine whether SCE and MN frequencies are biomarkers of damage from chemotherapy and radiotherapy. In 20 stage I-II breast cancer patients, SCE and MN were measured before surgery and at 4 weeks after.

Phase behavior of ranitidine HCl in the presence of degradants and atmospheric moisture--impact on chemical stability.

For hydrophilic organic solids, it is well recognized that degradation is often promoted by exposure to humid conditions. Although this is an important issue for certain classes of materials, in particular pharmaceuticals, the factors which dictate the sensitivity of a given compound to moisture are not well understood. The goal of this work was to elucidate the synergistic influence of self-originating impurities and water vapor on the degradation kinetics of the histamine H2 receptor antagonist, ranitidine HCl.

Effect of small levels of impurities on the water vapor sorption behavior of ranitidine HCl.

Purpose: Deliquescence is the process by which a solid undergoes dissolution by sorbing moisture from its surroundings when a characteristic relative humidity, RH0, is reached. For mixtures of two or more deliquescent solids, RH0 will generally be lowered. The goal of this research was to investigate the effect of small amounts of impurities or degradants on RH0 for a model deliquescent pharmaceutical salt.

Transglutaminase 5 is acetylated at the N-terminal end.

Transglutaminases (TGases) are calcium-dependent enzymes that catalyse cross-linking between proteins by acyl transfer reaction; they are involved in many biological processes including coagulation, differentiation, and tissue repair. Transglutaminase 5 was originally cloned from keratinocytes, and a partial biochemical characterisation showed its involvement in skin differentiation, in parallel to TGase 1 and TGase 3. Here, we demonstrate, by electrospray tandem mass spectrometry that TGase 5 is acetylated at the N-terminal end.

Overexpressed transglutaminase 5 triggers cell death.

Transglutaminases are a class of nine different proteins involved in many biological phenomena such as differentiation, tissue repair, endocytosis. Transglutaminase 5 was originally cloned from skin keratinocytes, and a partial biochemical characterization showed its involvement in skin differentiation. Here we demonstrate that transglutaminase 5 is able to induce cell death when intracellularly overexpressed.

p73 and p63 protein stability: the way to regulate function?

While the p53 homologue p73 has been found to be involved in tumorigenesis, the molecular mechanisms involved in this function are still not fully evident. The presence of two distinct promoters allows the formation of two proteins with opposite effects: while TA-p73 shows pro-apoptotic effects, DeltaN-p73 has an evident anti-apoptotic function. The relative expression of the two proteins is in fact related to the prognosis of several cancers.

The endocannabinoid system in human keratinocytes. Evidence that anandamide inhibits epidermal differentiation through CB1 receptor-dependent inhibition of protein kinase C, activation protein-1, and transglutaminase.

Anandamide (AEA), a prominent member of the endogenous ligands of cannabinoid receptors (endocannabinoids), is known to affect several functions of brain and peripheral tissues. A potential role for AEA in skin pathophysiology has been proposed, yet its molecular basis remains unknown. Here we report unprecedented evidence that spontaneously immortalized human keratinocytes (HaCaT) and normal human epidermal keratinocytes (NHEK) have the biochemical machinery to bind and metabolize AEA, i.

Brachytherapy in the elderly.

A rapidly and constantly increasing aged population in the western countries poses a wide range of specific problems to oncologists. A different way to face medical issues should be sought for older patients with cancer, looking at the characteristics that are peculiar to the elderly from different points of view. Brachytherapy is an effective form of radiotherapy which, for its specific characteristics, may be a valid alternative to more complex modalities of treatment, thus allowing a better sparing of normal tissues and structures yet achieving a similar tumor control rate.

Nitric oxide can inhibit apoptosis or switch it into necrosis.

Nitric oxide (NO) and its related molecules are important messengers that play central roles in pathophysiology. Redox modulation of thiol groups on protein cysteine residues by S-nitrosylation can modulate protein function. NO has emerged as a potent regulator of apoptosis in many cell types, either preventing cell death or driving an apoptotic response into a necrotic one.

Antitumor activity of combined treatment of human cancer cells with ionizing radiation and anti-epidermal growth factor receptor monoclonal antibody C225 plus type I protein kinase A antisense oligonucleotide.

Recent studies have suggested that selective inhibition of mitogenic pathways may improve the antitumor activity of ionizing radiation. The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is overexpressed and is involved in autocrine growth control in the majority of human carcinomas. Protein kinase A type I (PKAI) plays a key role in neoplastic transformation and is overexpressed in cancer cells in which an EGFR autocrine pathway is activated.

p63 and p73 transactivate differentiation gene promoters in human keratinocytes.

p53 and its two homologues, p73 and p63, share considerable structural similarities, an ability to interact between themselves and to transactivate the same promoters, including for example p21. Furthermore, p73 can induce cell death via its interaction with c-Abl. In contrast, p63 has been demonstrated to be essential for limb and skin formation.

Ordered structure acquisition by the N- and C-terminal domains of the small proline-rich 3 protein.

The cell envelope (CE) is a vital structure for barrier function in terminally differentiated dead stratified squamous epithelia. It is assembled by transglutaminase (TGase) cross-linking of several proteins, including hSPR3 in certain specialized epithelia normally subjected to mechanical trauma. Biochemical studies show that hSPR3 serves as a complete substrate for TGase1, TGase2, and TGase3.

Transglutaminase crosslinking and structural studies of the human small proline rich 3 protein.

The cell envelope (CE) is a vital structure for barrier function in terminally differentiated dead stratified squamous epithelia. It is assembled by transglutaminase (TGase) cross-linking of several proteins, including SPR3 in certain specialized epithelia normally subjected to mechanical trauma. We have expressed recombinant human SPR3 in order to study its cross-linking properties.