Publications by authors named "Mezzogori D"

Objective: The major strengths of surgical treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia with laser are reduced morbidity compared to endoscopic resection. No studies analysed the different risk of intra/peri-operative events between patients undergoing Thulium and GreenLight procedures.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 100 consecutive cases undergoing GreenLight vaporization and Thulium procedures performed during the learning curve of two expert endoscopic surgeons.

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Workload Control (WLC) is a production planning and control system conceived to reduce queuing times of job-shop systems, and to offer a solution to the lead time syndrome; a critical issue that often bewilders make-to-order manufacturers. Nowadays, advantages of WLC are unanimously acknowledged, but real successful stories are still limited. This paper starts from the lack of a consistent way to assess performance of WLC, an important burden for its acceptance in the industry.

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Purpose: Stone disease in the pediatric age is an increasing issue. Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy (PNL) can be used for larger and complex stones. As in adults it can be performed in the supine or prone position.

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Objective: Remifentanil (RF) is a potent short-acting μ-opioid receptor agonist. Although preferred for its unique pharmacokinetics, the clinical use may be limited by hyperalgesia. Preclinical studies have shown a potential role of microglia on the development of hyperalgesia, with limited and conflicting evidence on RF.

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Cleft lip and palate (CL/P) is the most prevalent craniofacial birth defect in humans. None of the surgical procedures currently used for CL/P repair lead to definitive correction of hard palate bone interruption. Advances in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine aim to develop new strategies to restore palatal bone interruption by using tissue or organ-decellularized bioscaffolds seeded with host cells.

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Overnutrition and metabolic disorders impair cognitive functions through molecular mechanisms still poorly understood. In mice fed with a high fat diet (HFD) we analysed the expression of synaptic plasticity-related genes and the activation of cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB)-brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)-tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB) signalling. We found that a HFD inhibited both CREB phosphorylation and the expression of a set of CREB target genes in the hippocampus.

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Platinum-based agents, such as cisplatin, form the mainstay of currently used chemotherapeutic regimens for several malignancies; however, the main limitations are chemoresistance and ototoxic side effects. In this study we used two different polyphenols, curcumin and ferulic acid as adjuvant chemotherapeutics evaluating (1) in vivo their antioxidant effects in protecting against cisplatin ototoxicity and (2) in vitro the transcription factors involved in tumor progression and cisplatin resistance. We reported that both polyphenols show antioxidant and oto-protective activity in the cochlea by up-regulating Nrf-2/HO-1 pathway and downregulating p53 phosphorylation.

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Emerging evidence suggests the potential use of rapamycin in treatment of several neurological disorders. The drug readily crosses the blood brain barrier and may exert direct immunomodulatory effects within the brain. Microglia are the main innate immune cells of the brain, thus critically involved in the initiation and development of inflammatory processes at this level.

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Microglia, unique myeloid cells residing in the brain parenchyma, represent the first line of immune defense within the central nervous system. In addition to their immune functions, microglial cells play an important role in other cerebral processes, including the regulation of synaptic architecture and neurogenesis. Chronic microglial activation is regarded as detrimental, and it is considered a pathogenic mechanism common to several neurological disorders.

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Background: In oncology, an emerging paradigm emphasises molecularly targeted approaches for cancer prevention and therapy and the use of adjuvant chemotherapeutics to overcome cisplatin limitations. Owing to their safe use, some polyphenols, such as curcumin, modulate important pathways or molecular targets in cancers. This paper focuses on curcumin as an adjuvant molecule to cisplatin by analysing its potential implications on the molecular targets, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and NF-E2 p45-related factor 2 (Nrf-2), in tumour progression and cisplatin resistance in vitro and the adverse effect ototoxicity in vivo.

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Cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channels are nonselective cation channels activated by cyclic AMP (cAMP) or cyclic GMP (cGMP). They were originally identified in retinal and olfactory receptors, but evidence has also emerged for their expression in several mammalian brain areas. Because cGMP and cAMP control important aspects of glial cell physiology, we wondered whether CNG channels are expressed in astrocytes, the most functionally relevant glial cells in the CNS.

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We previously reported that exposure to extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields (ELFEFs) increases the expression and function of voltage-gated Ca2+)channels and that Ca2+ influx through Ca(v)1 channels plays a key role in promoting the neuronal differentiation of neural stem/progenitor cells (NSCs). The present study was conducted to determine whether ELFEFs influence the neuronal differentiation of NSCs isolated from the brain cortices of newborn mice by modulating Ca(v)1-channel function. In cultures of differentiating NSCs exposed to ELFEFs (1 mT, 50 Hz), the percentage of cells displaying immunoreactivity for neuronal markers (beta-III-tubulin, MAP2) and for Ca(v)1.

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Amyloid beta (1-42) peptide is considered responsible for the formation of senile plaques that accumulate in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). In the last years considerable attention has been focused on identifying natural food products, such as phytochemicals that prevent or almost retard the appearance of amyloid beta (1-42)-related neurotoxic effects. In this study, human neuroblastoma cells (IMR-32) was used as system model to evaluate the protective role of rhaponticin (3,3',5-trihydroxy-4'-methoxystilbene 3-O-d-glucoside) a stilbene glucoside extracted from rhubarb roots (Rhei rhizoma) and rhapontigenin, its aglycone metabolite, against amyloid beta (1-42)-dependent toxicity.

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The beta amyloid (Abeta), the major protein component of brain senile plaques in Alzheimer's disease, is known to be directly responsible for the production of free radicals toxic to brain tissue and the redox state of Met-35 residue seems to play a particular and critical role in peptide's neurotoxic actions. In this study, we investigated, in human neuroblastoma cells (IMR-32), the relationship between the oxidative state of methionine, and both neurotoxic and pro-apoptotic actions induced by Abeta-peptide, comparing the effects of native peptide, in which the Met-35 is present in the reduced state, with those of a modified peptide with oxidized Met-35 (Abeta(1-42)(35Met-ox)), as well as an Abeta-derivative with Met-35 substituted with norleucine (Abeta(1-42)(35Nle)). The obtained results show that Abeta induces a time-dependent decrease in cell viability; Abeta(1-42)(35Met-ox) was significantly less potent, though inducing a remarkable decrease in cell viability compared to control.

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