Cancer risk from low dose radiation in Ptch1 mice with inactive DNA repair systems: Therapeutic implications for medulloblastoma.

DSBs are harmful lesions produced through endogenous metabolism or by exogenous agents such as ionizing radiation, that can trigger genomic rearrangements. We have recently shown that exposure to 2 Gy of X-rays has opposite effects on the induction of Shh-dependent MB in NHEJ- and HR-deficient Ptch1 mice. In the current study we provide a comprehensive link on the role of HR/NHEJ at low doses (0.

BIOINFORMATIC ANALYSIS OF DOSE- AND TIME-DEPENDENT miRNome RESPONSES.

The advent of new 'omics' techniques determined a massive boost in the measurement of the whole spectra of molecules within cells, favoring promising new radiobiological studies at low doses. The main aim of this work was to assess the radiation-induced perturbations of miRNA profiles and their temporal dynamics. Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells were irradiated with low doses of γ-rays.

High performance acetone sensor based on γ-FeO/Al-ZnO nanocomposites.

Ternary nanocomposites made of γ-iron oxide and aluminum-doped zinc oxide (γ-FeO/Al-ZnO NCs), with different metal oxides ratio (0%-100%) were prepared through a solvothermal sol-gel process. The synthesized materials were characterized by x-ray diffraction, UV-vis spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL), scanning electron microscope and BET analysis. Characterization results demonstrated that the ternary γ-FeO/Al-ZnO NCs are mainly constituted by γ-FeO and Al-ZnO individual phases, while structural and physical properties like surface area, pore size, optical band gap, PL and electrical conductivity were deeply affected by the composition of nanocomposite.

Omalizumab treatment in a 12 year-old girl with chronic spontaneous urticaria.

Omalizumab is a recombinant humanized IgG monoclonal antibody, which binds the Fc region of free IgE prevent its binding to its high-affinity receptor (FcεR1) on mast cells and basophils. Omalizumab was approved as add-on therapy for moderate-to-severe persistent allergic asthma and for patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria resistant to antihistamine treatment. This article reports effective and safe treatment of a 12 years old girl with add-on omalizumab.

Photo-Electrochemical Sensing of Dopamine by a Novel Porous TiO₂ Array-Modified Screen-Printed Ti Electrode.

In this paper, the development of a nanoporous TiO₂ array-modified Ti electrode for photo-electrochemical (PEC) sensing of dopamine (DA) is reported. A porous TiO₂ array-modified electrode was fabricated from the controlled anodic oxidation of a Ti working electrode of commercial screen-printed electrodes (SPE). The anodization process and the related morphological and microstructural transformation of the bare Ti electrode into a TiO₂/Ti electrode was followed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV-visible reflectance spectroscopy (DR-UV-Vis).

Novel ceramic paper structures for diesel exhaust purification.

The catalytic combustion of diesel soot is addressed with flexible and structured "paper catalysts". Two different series of catalysts were prepared either by drip impregnation or by a spray method to deposit a mixture of Co, Ba, and K or a mixture of Co and Ce onto SiO-AlO ceramic paper matrixes. In every case, CeO nanoparticles were added to bind the ceramic fibers.

Disentangling the effects of spatial proximity and genetic similarity on individual growth performances in Norway spruce natural populations.

Cambial growth is a phenotypic trait influenced by various physiological processes, numerous biotic and abiotic drivers, as well as by the genetic background. By archiving the outcome of such complex interplay, tree-rings are an exceptional resource for addressing individual long-term growth responses to changing environments and climate. Disentangling the effects of the different drivers of tree growth, however, remains challenging because of the lack of multidisciplinary data.

Pilot study shows right ventricular diastolic function impairment in young children with obstructive respiratory disease.

Aim: This study determined cardiovascular impairment in young children with obstructive respiratory disease who were assessed using the opening interrupter technique (RINT).

Methods: This pilot study enrolled 41 children who had been referred to pulmonology and allergology specialists at the University of Catania, Italy, from March to July 2017: 23 (mean age 4.13 ± 0.

Radial versus femoral access and bivalirudin versus unfractionated heparin in invasively managed patients with acute coronary syndrome (MATRIX): final 1-year results of a multicentre, randomised controlled trial.

Background: The Minimizing Adverse Haemorrhagic Events by Transradial Access Site and Systemic Implementation of Angiox (MATRIX) programme was designed to assess the comparative safety and effectiveness of radial versus femoral access and of bivalirudin versus unfractionated heparin with optional glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors in patients with the whole spectrum of acute coronary syndrome undergoing invasive management. Here we describe the prespecified final 1-year outcomes of the entire programme.

Methods: MATRIX was a programme of three nested, randomised, multicentre, open-label, superiority trials in patients with acute coronary syndrome in 78 hospitals in Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden.

Minor pulmonary malformations in a child.

http://ow.ly/6zQB30jHZAP.

Dual versus triple therapy in patients on oral anticoagulants and undergoing coronary stent implantation: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background And Aims: There is contrasting evidence regarding the optimal antithrombotic regimen after percutaneous coronary stent implantation in patients on oral anticoagulants. A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to explore the comparative efficacy and safety of dual (an antiplatelet plus an oral anticoagulant) versus triple therapy (dual antiplatelet therapy plus an oral anticoagulant).

Methods: We searched the literature for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or observational studies (OSs) addressing this issue.

Definitions of peri-procedural myocardial infarction and the association with one-year mortality: Insights from CHAMPION trials.

Background: Controversies exist over the appropriate definition for peri-procedural myocardial infarction (PPMI) and its association with mortality. This study aims to evaluate one-year survival following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and the association of different definitions of PPMI with survival among patients with stable angina (SA) or acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in the contemporary era.

Methods: We used data from the CHAMPION PLATFORM and CHAMPION PCI trials of patients undergoing PCI and conducted univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression models to evaluate mortality risk during the first year after PCI.

Off-Label Use of Drugs and Adverse Drug Reactions in Pediatric Units: A Prospective, Multicenter Study.

Background: Given the growing use of off-label in pediatric practice, there is a growing interest on pharmacovigilance programs monitoring the occurrence of adverse drug reactions related to off-label drug prescription in childhood.

Patients And Methods: The results of a one-year program of pharmacovigilance issued in the Sicilian Region, Italy, are herein presented. The study involved 6 pediatric and neonatal centres and prospectively reviewed the prescriptions of 5,060 patients, who were stratified for age (newborn, infant, children, adolescents).

Dependence of leukocyte capture on instantaneous pulsatile flow.

Atherosclerosis, an artery disease, is currently the leading cause of death in the United States in both men and women. The first step in the development of atherosclerosis involves leukocyte adhesion to the arterial endothelium. It is broadly accepted that blood flow, more specifically wall shear stress (WSS), plays an important role in leukocyte capture and subsequent development of an atherosclerotic plaque.

Computerized Training in Poststroke Aphasia: What About the Long-Term Effects? A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background: Poststroke aphasia is a very disabling disorder, which may affect speech expression, comprehension, and reading or writing. Treatment of aphasia should be initiated as soon as possible after the brain injury; however, the improvement of language functions can occur also in the chronic phase.

Materials And Methods: Thirty-two patients were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (17 patients) treated with computerized rehabilitation training (Power-Afa, Maddaloni, Campania, Italy) or a control group (15 patients), submitted to conventional speech therapy.

Use of Biomarkers to Predict Specific Causes of Death in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation.

Background: Atrial fibrillation is associated with an increased risk of death. High-sensitivity troponin T, growth differentiation factor-15, NT-proBNP (N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide), and interleukin-6 levels are predictive of cardiovascular events and total cardiovascular death in anticoagulated patients with atrial fibrillation. The prognostic utility of these biomarkers for cause-specific death is unknown.

When dysphoria is not a primary mental state: A case report of the role of the aromatic L-aminoacid decarboxylase.

Rationale: The aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) deficiency (AADCD) is a rare, autosomal recessive neurometabolic disorder caused by a deficit of the AADC that is involved in serotonin and dopamine biosynthesis, causing as a consequence, their deficits, but also a lack of norepinephrine and epinephrine, given that dopamine is their precursor.

Patient Concerns: We report the case of a Caucasian 43-year-old woman heterozygous for p.Ser250Phe in DDC, encoding for AADC with a positive family history for behavioral problems.

Effects of Ticagrelor, Prasugrel, or Clopidogrel on Endothelial Function and Other Vascular Biomarkers: A Randomized Crossover Study.

Objectives: The study sought to assess whether treatment with ticagrelor, as compared with prasugrel and clopidogrel, improves endothelium-dependent dilation throughout the course of the treatment and other vascular biomarkers, including systemic adenosine plasma levels.

Background: The in vivo off-target effects of ticagrelor in post-acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients remain poorly characterized.

Methods: Fifty-four stable post-ACS patients were sequentially exposed to each of the 3 oral P2Y inhibitors following a 3-period balanced Latin square crossover design with 4 weeks per treatment in 5 European centers.

Prognostic and Practical Validation of Current Definitions of Myocardial Infarction Associated With Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Objectives: In 13,038 patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome undergoing index percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in the EARLY ACS (Early Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa Inhibition in Non-ST-Segment Elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome) and TRACER (Thrombin Receptor Antagonist for Clinical Event Reduction in Acute Coronary Syndrome) trials, the relationship between PCI-related myocardial infarction (MI) and 1-year mortality was assessed.

Background: The definition of PCI-related MI is controversial. The third universal definition of PCI-related MI requires cardiac troponin >5 times the 99th percentile of the normal reference limit from a stable or falling baseline and PCI-related clinical or angiographic complications.

CO sensing properties of electro-spun Ca-doped ZnO fibres.

The availability of low-cost, high-performing sensors for carbon dioxide detection in the environment may play a crucial role for reducing CO emissions and limiting global warming. In this study, calcium-doped zinc oxide nanofibres with different Ca to Zn loading ratios (1:40 or 1:20) are synthesised via electro-spinning, thoroughly characterised and, for the first time, tested as an active material for the detection of carbon dioxide. The results of their characterisation show that the highly porous fibres consist of interconnected grains of oxide with the hexagonal wurtzite structure of zincite.

Closure of patent foramen ovale or medical therapy alone for secondary prevention of cryptogenic cerebrovascular events.

Aims: About one-third of ischemic stroke are cryptogenic. Paradoxical embolism through patent foramen ovale (PFO) has been identified as a possible cause of cryptogenic stroke. Therefore, PFO closure has been considered for secondary prevention of cryptogenic stroke.

Nitrogen deposition outweighs climatic variability in driving annual growth rate of canopy beech trees: Evidence from long-term growth reconstruction across a geographic gradient.

In this study, we investigated the role of climatic variability and atmospheric nitrogen deposition in driving long-term tree growth in canopy beech trees along a geographic gradient in the montane belt of the Italian peninsula, from the Alps to the southern Apennines. We sampled dominant trees at different developmental stages (from young to mature tree cohorts, with tree ages spanning from 35 to 160 years) and used stem analysis to infer historic reconstruction of tree volume and dominant height. Annual growth volume (G ) and height (G ) variability were related to annual variability in model simulated atmospheric nitrogen deposition and site-specific climatic variables, (i.

Bivalirudin or Heparin in Patients Undergoing Invasive Management of Acute Coronary Syndromes.

Background: Contrasting evidence exists on the comparative efficacy and safety of bivalirudin and unfractionated heparin (UFH) in relation to the planned use of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors (GPIs).

Objectives: This study assessed the efficacy and safety of bivalirudin compared with UFH with or without GPIs in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) who underwent invasive management.

Methods: In the MATRIX (Minimizing Adverse Haemorrhagic Events by Transradial Access Site and Systemic Implementation of AngioX) program, 7,213 patients were randomly assigned to receive either bivalirudin or UFH with or without GPIs at discretion of the operator.