Blood Basophils Relevance in Chronic Rhinosinusitis with Aspirin-Exacerbated Respiratory Disease.

Aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD) is characterized by eosinophilic asthma, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) and intolerance to cyclooxygenase-1 inhibitors. Interest is emerging in studying the role of circulating inflammatory cells in CRSwNP pathogenesis and its course, as well as their potential use for a patient-tailored approach. By releasing IL-4, basophils play a crucial role in activating the Th2-mediated response.

Does social distancing impact pediatric upper airway infections? An observational controlled study and a brief literature review.

Purpose: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has reduced social interaction even among children. The objective of the study was to assess the role of social distancing in the course of common pediatric upper airway recurrent diseases.

Materials And Methods: Patients aged ≤14 years with at least one ENT-related clinical condition were retrospectively recruited.

Correct Execution of the Nasopharyngeal Swab: A Fundamental Method to Improve Diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

Background: Severe acute respiratory infection Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has spread all over the world since December 2019. Treatment of the syndrome represents an important challenge for all physicians. Spread prevention relies on a correct diagnosis which is performed with nasopharyngeal swabs.

Evolution of Altered Sense of Smell or Taste in Patients With Mildly Symptomatic COVID-19.

Importance: An altered sense of smell and taste has been reported to be associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). To understand the evolution of these symptoms during the course of the disease is important to identify patients with persistent loss of smell or taste and estimate the impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection on the burden of olfactory and gustative dysfunctions.

Objective: To evaluate the evolution of the loss of sense of smell and taste in a case series of mildly symptomatic patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Synthesis and photobiological properties of 4,8-dimethyl-5'-carboxypsoralen: a major metabolite of 4,5',8-trimethylpsoralen.

Recently a major metabolite of 4,5',8-trimethylpsoralen (TMeP) (a photochemotherapeutic agent), was isolated from the urine of mice and human volunteers receiving the drug orally; it was identified as 4,8-dimethyl-5'-carboxypsoralen. The synthesis of this compound has been carried out to obtain a distinct confirmation of the structure of the urinary metabolite and to study its photochemical and photobiological properties. The results obtained showed that this interaction and photoreaction with DNA are very poor; this fact can be correlated with the presence of the ionizable carboxylic group that undergoes a repulsion by the phosphate residues of the macromolecule.

DNA receptor sites for the intercalation of nogalamycin.

The intercalation of the planar chromophoric moiety of nogalamycin between two base pairs of duplex DNA has been evidenced by means of low-dichroism measurements. The possible presence of specific binding sites for mogalamycin on DNA has been suggested by studies on the denaturation and renaturation of DNA complexed with nogalamycin. A clear evidence was obtained by investigating the interaction of nogalamycin with polydeoxyribonucleotides containing known, regularly repeating sequences, used as model compounds.

Contribution of monofunctional adducts formed by furocoumarins with DNA to the inhibition of nucleic acids synthesis.

In addition to the bifunctional adducts (cross-linkages), that furocoumarins on radiation at 365 nm form in DNA, monofunctional adducts also proved able to inhibit the nucleic acid synthesis in Ehrlich ascites tumor cells.

Receptor sites of DNA for the photoreaction with psoralen.

Biological and pharmacological effects of psoralens are correlated to their capacity to photoreact with pyrimidine bases of native DNA and in particular to form inter-strand cross-linkages. To determine possible prefenrential sites for the photoreaction the Authors have studied the capacity of psoralen to form complexes and to photoreact with various polynucleotides. The Authors have shown that specific sites exist in DNA for the photochemical interaction with psoralen; these sequences which can be considered as specific receptors for photobiological activity of psoralen are represented by alternate sequences in every strand of A and T, corresponding to poly d(A--T) - poly d(A--T).

Studies on the photosensitizing properties of angelicin, an angular furocoumarin forming only monofunctional adducts with the pyrimidine bases of DNA.

The bioligical photosensitizing properties of furocoumarins are due to the formation of adducts with the pyrimidine bases of DNA under irradiation with long wavelength ultraviolet light. The greatest importance is attributed to the difunctional adducts, which form cross-linkings between the 2 strands of DNA. As angelicin, photoreacting with DNA, forms only monofunctional adducts, and therefore no cross-linkings, its photosensitizing properties have been studied in order to evaluate the ability of monofunctional adducts to produce biological effects.