Bicuspid Valve Aortopathy: Is It Reasonable to Define a Different Surgical Cutoff Based on Different Aortic Wall Mechanical Properties Compared to Those of the Tricuspid Valve?

Background: In this study, we examined and compared ex vivo mechanical properties of aortic walls in patients with bicuspid (BAV) and tricuspid (TAV) aortic valve aortopathy to investigate if the anatomical peculiarities in the BAV group are related to an increased frailty of the aortic wall and, therefore, if a different surgical cutoff point for ascending aortic replacement could be reasonable in such patients.

Methods: Ultimate stress tests were performed on fresh aortic wall specimens harvested during elective aortic surgery in BAV (n. 33) and TAV (n.

Overall approaches to cardiac tumors: Still an unsolved enigma?

Cardiac tumors are neoplasms involving heart structures at any level, meaning the myocardium, valves, and cardiac chambers. When considering cardiac masses, it is not uncommon for surgeons to be surprised when they diagnose one. The real incidence of this complex group of diseases has been explored only after cardiac diagnostic tools became more appropriate.

Significance of abnormal and late ventricular signals in ventricular tachycardia ablation of ischemic and nonischemic cardiomyopathies.

Background: Abnormal ventricular signals (AVS) are the cornerstone of substrate-based ventricular tachycardia (VT) ablation in sinus rhythm. Signal characterization of AVS in ischemic and nonischemic cardiomyopathies has never been performed.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe ventricular signal abnormalities in 3 different pathologies and examine their association with the diastolic component of VT circuits.

Infrared Nanospectroscopy of Individual Extracellular Microvesicles.

Extracellular vesicles are membrane-delimited structures, involved in several inter-cellular communication processes, both physiological and pathological, since they deliver complex biological cargo. Extracellular vesicles have been identified as possible biomarkers of several pathological diseases; thus, their characterization is fundamental in order to gain a deep understanding of their function and of the related processes. Traditional approaches for the characterization of the molecular content of the vesicles require a large quantity of sample, thereby providing an average molecular profile, while their heterogeneity is typically probed by non-optical microscopies that, however, lack the chemical sensitivity to provide information of the molecular cargo.

Feeding Preferences of the Italian Roe Deer ( Festa, 1925) in a Coastal Mediterranean Environment.

The present study was aimed to deepen the knowledge on diet and on feeding preferences of the Italian roe deer. The research was carried on in the Castelporziano Presidential Estate, a protected area of Latium coast. Quadrat method was used to assess plant frequency, whereas diet composition was determined by fecal micro-histological analysis.

Effects of dietary supplementation with extruded linseed and oregano in autochthonous goat breeds on the fatty acid profile of milk and quality of Padraccio cheese.

The study aimed to evaluate the effects of linseed and oregano supplementation to the diet of goats on fatty acid profile and sensory properties of Padraccio, a typical cheese produced during spring through summer in the Basilicata region (southern Italy). Extruded linseed and dried oregano inflorescences were integrated in the pelleted concentrate supplementation (500 g/head per day) in 21 grazing goats that were randomly assigned, 7 per group, to the following experimental treatments: concentrate, concentrate with addition of linseed, and concentrate with addition of linseed and oregano. Pooled milk from each group was used in cheesemaking.

Monochorionic Triplet Gestation after Single Blastocyst Transfer Using Donor Oocytes: Case Report and Review.

We report a case of a 43-year-old patient with a monochorionic triamniotic triplet pregnancy after IVF with donor oocytes. After failed IVF attempts, the patient chose to undergo treatment with donor oocytes. Her 22-year-old oocyte donor underwent standard controlled ovarian hyperstimulation.

Prevalence of Myopia in Newly Enlisted Airmen at Joint Base San Antonio.

Purpose: Myopia is the most common type of refractive error and can lead to significant visual impairment. The frequency of myopia has risen considerably, and its worldwide prevalence is expected to continue to increase. Myopia is present in an increasing number of Basic Military Trainees upon entry into the United States Air Force.

Abatement of the clostridial load in the teats of lactating cows with lysozyme derived from donkey milk.

The use of a sterilized product for washing cows' udders before milking may be useful to reduce or prevent Clostridium tyrobutyricum contamination, the main cause of the late-blowing defect in hard and semi-hard cheeses. The aim of this research was to evaluate the antibacterial efficacy of an experimental formula containing 15% condensed donkey milk (lysozyme content 825 mg/L). The antimicrobial activity of condensed milk was first evaluated in vitro, using the disk diffusion method, on the following microorganisms: Bacillus megaterium, Bacillus mojavensis, Clavibacter michiganensis, and Clostridium tyrobutyricum.

3D Organotypic Spinal Cultures: Exploring Neuron and Neuroglia Responses Upon Prolonged Exposure to Graphene Oxide.

Graphene-based nanomaterials are increasingly engineered as components of biosensors, interfaces or drug delivery platforms in neuro-repair strategies. In these developments, the mostly used derivative of graphene is graphene oxide (GO). To tailor the safe development of GO nanosheets, we need to model tissue responses, and in particular the reactivity of microglia, a sub-population of neuroglia that acts as the first active immune response, when challenged by GO.

Eosinophilic Solid and Cystic Renal Cell Carcinoma (ESC RCC): Further Morphologic and Molecular Characterization of ESC RCC as a Distinct Entity.

Eosinophilic solid and cystic renal cell carcinoma (ESC RCC) has been recently described as a unique and indolent renal neoplasm, found in female patients with and without tuberous sclerosis complex. Although ESC RCC has a distinct morphology and frequent CK20 reactivity, its molecular karyotype has been previously studied only in few cases. We identified 19 ESC RCC from multiple institutions; all patients were female individuals without clinical features of tuberous sclerosis complex.

Bone health in menopausal women: a role for General Practitioners.

General Practitioners (GPs) are in a prime location to assess patient health needs, knowing clinical history, living habits and risk factors. GPs can identify in healthy people those in which prevention could be useful, in order to avoid or delay some diseases. For this purpose GPs need to change their care model from a to a , in order to identify health needs before the development of diseases.

Effects of different heat treatments on lysozyme quantity and antimicrobial activity of jenny milk.

Thermal treatments are used to improve milk microbial safety, shelf life, and biological activity of some of its components. However, thermal treatments can reduce the nutritional quality of milk, affecting the molecular structure of milk proteins, such as lysozyme, which is a very important milk component due to its antimicrobial effect against gram-positive bacteria. Jenny milk is characterized by high lysozyme content.

Graphene Oxide Nanosheets Reshape Synaptic Function in Cultured Brain Networks.

Graphene offers promising advantages for biomedical applications. However, adoption of graphene technology in biomedicine also poses important challenges in terms of understanding cell responses, cellular uptake, or the intracellular fate of soluble graphene derivatives. In the biological microenvironment, graphene nanosheets might interact with exposed cellular and subcellular structures, resulting in unexpected regulation of sophisticated biological signaling.

Creating Public Awareness of How Goats Are Reared and Milk Produced May Affect Consumer Acceptability.

This study evaluated whether showing a video of the different ways of raising goats for milk affected consumer acceptability. Four combinations, 2 Videos (intensive [INT] and semiextensive [SEM] system) × 2 Milk Types (semiskimmed [S] and whole [W] milk), were evaluated by 70 habitual consumers of goat milk, who scored their liking and purchase intention during blind (B), expected (E), and informed (I) acceptability sessions. In the B session, consumers tasted both milk types without information.

Short communication: Sensory profile and acceptability of a cow milk cheese manufactured by adding jenny milk.

The addition of jenny milk during cheesemaking has been recommended as a viable alternative to egg lysozyme for controlling late blowing defects. However, little is known on the sensory properties of the cheeses made with jenny milk. In this study, the effect of the addition of jenny milk during cheesemaking on sensory properties and consumer acceptability of cheese was evaluated.

Deficient Purposeful Use of Forepaws in Female Mice Modelling Rett Syndrome.

Rett syndrome (RTT) is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder, characterized by severe behavioural and physiological symptoms. Mutations in the methyl CpG binding protein 2 gene (MECP2) cause more than 95% of classic cases. Motor abnormalities represent a significant part of the spectrum of RTT symptoms.

Effect of jenny milk addition on the inhibition of late blowing in semihard cheese.

The occurrence of late blowing defects in cheese produces negative effects on the quality and commercial value of the product. In this work, we verified whether the addition of raw jenny milk to bulk cow milk reduced the late blowing defects in semihard cheeses. During cheesemaking, different aliquots of jenny milk were poured into 2 groups of 4 vats, each containing a fixed amount of cow milk.

Mitochondrial free radical overproduction due to respiratory chain impairment in the brain of a mouse model of Rett syndrome: protective effect of CNF1.

Rett syndrome (RTT) is a pervasive neurodevelopmental disorder mainly caused by mutations in the X-linked MECP2 gene associated with severe intellectual disability, movement disorders, and autistic-like behaviors. Its pathogenesis remains mostly not understood and no effective therapy is available. High circulating levels of oxidative stress markers in patients and the occurrence of oxidative brain damage in MeCP2-deficient mouse models suggest the involvement of oxidative stress in RTT pathogenesis.

Pilot study of an oral care protocol on poststroke survivors.

Purpose: The pilot study purpose was to determine the effects of a new standardized oral care protocol (intervention) to usual care practices (control) in poststroke patients.

Design: This study is a randomized controlled clinical trial.

Method: Fifty-one subjects were enrolled.

The role of cognitive styles and sociodemographic characteristics in consumer perceptions and attitudes toward nonhuman animal welfare.

Given the increasing importance of exploring consumers' concerns about the welfare of farmed animals, a survey questionnaire was designed to investigate the role of cognitive styles along with sociodemographic characteristics in consumers' perceptions about nonhuman animal welfare (AW) and their willingness to pay for animal-friendly products. The results revealed that the survey respondents were concerned about AW and had negative perceptions of the way animals were treated. They showed positive attitudes toward some actions to be taken for improving AW and strongly agreed to pay more for animal-friendly products.

Changes of DNA quality and meat physicochemical properties in bovine supraspinatus muscle during microwave heating.

Background: The responses of foods to microwave exposure are usually evaluated only in terms of physicochemical properties, thus undervaluing the importance of DNA in an authentication process by methods based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In this study, the time effect of microwave heating on some meat physicochemical properties and DNA quality has been investigated.

Results: Cooking loss, instrumental colour, pH and other physicochemical parameters varied significantly during microwave cooking, reaching the lowest/highest values after 2.

Hodgkin's lymphoma presenting as dominant gastric lesion in immunocompetent patients: report of 5 cases with EBV analysis.

Primary Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) of the stomach is an extremely rare entity. Most cases of gastric involvement by HL are observed in the setting of disseminated disease. The nonspecific nature of the symptoms and endoscopic findings, which include a large malignant-looking ulcer and mass or wall thickening, together with the considerable histological overlap between HLs and some non-HLs or undifferentiated carcinoma, make the surgical resection diagnosis extremely difficult.

Calcium citrate ameliorates the progression of chronic renal injury.

Background: Metabolic acidosis is a consequence of chronic renal failure and it may produce bone demineralization, muscle proteolysis, and progression of chronic renal failure. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of correction of metabolic acidosis with calcium citrate in an experimental model of renal mass ablation.

Methods: Wistar rats were subjected to 5/6 nephrectomy and were randomly assigned to one of 4 groups: nontreated (NFX); treated with calcium citrate (1.