The optic nerve: a "mito-window" on mitochondrial neurodegeneration.

Retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) project their long axons, composing the optic nerve, to the brain, transmitting the visual information gathered by the retina, ultimately leading to formed vision in the visual cortex. The RGC cellular system, representing the anterior part of the visual pathway, is vulnerable to mitochondrial dysfunction and optic atrophy is a very frequent feature of mitochondrial and neurodegenerative diseases. The start of the molecular era of mitochondrial medicine, the year 1988, was marked by the identification of a maternally inherited form of optic atrophy, Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy, as the first disease due to mitochondrial DNA point mutations.

Interobserver reliability of the chest radiograph in pulmonary embolism.

This study was sought to evaluate the interobserver agreement for interpreting the chest radiograph of patients with suspected acute pulmonary embolism (PE). The chest radiographs of 300 patients with clinically suspected acute PE were reviewed by 4 radiologists. Observers assessed the chest radiographic abnormalities and classified the chest radiograph as normal or abnormal.

Rare primary mitochondrial DNA mutations and probable synergistic variants in Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy.

Background: Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is a maternally inherited blinding disorder, which in over 90% of cases is due to one of three primary mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) point mutations (m.11778G>A, m.3460G>A and m.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound findings in a case of renal extramedullary hematopoiesis.

We present the case of an 80-year-old man with two renal solid masses found at sonography, which were imaged by contrast-enhanced ultrasound, CT, and MRI and confirmed histologically. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound findings suggested a benign mass and a CT-guided biopsy yielded a diagnosis of extramedullary hematopoiesis.

"In vivo" imaging of atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis is a systemic and multifocal disease, which starts early in life, and that usually takes decades before overt disease eventually appears as a consequence of progressive obstruction or abrupt thrombotic occlusion. This silent course makes necessary to develop predictors of disease long before symptomatic lesions develop. Besides several classical risk factors and new emerging humoral risk predictors, imaging may constitute a formidable diagnostic and prognostic tool in order to identify presence, extension, progression (or regression) of disease as well as vulnerability of atherosclerotic lesions.

Kv1.1 knock-in ataxic mice exhibit spontaneous myokymic activity exacerbated by fatigue, ischemia and low temperature.

Episodic ataxia type 1 (EA1) is an autosomal dominant neurological disorder characterized by myokymia and attacks of ataxic gait often precipitated by stress. Several genetic mutations have been identified in the Shaker-like K(+) channel Kv1.1 (KCNA1) of EA1 individuals, including V408A, which result in remarkable channel dysfunction.

Extramedullary haematopoiesis in the kidney.

Extramedullary haematopoiesis (EMH) is the development of haematopoietic tissue outside the bone marrow and it most often occurs in the liver and spleen. Renal EMH is quite rare and there are very few case reports concerning the kidney. We describe two cases of 'renal histologically documented EMH' and, in particular, in the second of these two, the EMH tissue coexists with a clear cell renal carcinoma.

GUCY2C opposes systemic genotoxic tumorigenesis by regulating AKT-dependent intestinal barrier integrity.

The barrier separating mucosal and systemic compartments comprises epithelial cells, annealed by tight junctions, limiting permeability. GUCY2C recently emerged as an intestinal tumor suppressor coordinating AKT1-dependent crypt-villus homeostasis. Here, the contribution of GUCY2C to barrier integrity opposing colitis and systemic tumorigenesis is defined.

Clinical significance of circulating miR-126 quantification in malignant mesothelioma patients.

Objectives: Aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy and precision of the detection of individual miRNA as clinical biomarkers in the serum.

Design And Methods: miRNA-126 was quantified in serum using endogenous and exogenous controls for normalization and the accuracy and precision of the method evaluated. The diagnostic value of serum miRNA-126 was evaluated in malignant mesothelioma (MM) and non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients using both relative and absolute qRT-PCR methods.

Laboratory diagnosis of acute pancreatitis: in search of the Holy Grail.

Acute pancreatitis is an acute inflammatory condition of the pancreas, which might extend to local and distant extrapancreatic tissues. The global incidence varies between 17.5 and 73.

Cystic lesions and scrotal fluid collections in adults: Ultrasound findings.

The widespread use of scrotal ultrasonography (US) has led to increased detection of testicular and extratesticular pathologies. Cystic or encapsulated fluid collections are relatively common benign lesions that usually present as palpable testicular lumps. Most cysts arise in the epidydimis, but all anatomical structures of the scrotum can be the site of their origin.

Post-ARDS pulmonary fibrosis in patients with H1N1 pneumonia: role of follow-up CT.

Purpose: Our aim was to evaluate the evolution of 20 patients with H1N1 pneumonia, focusing our attention on patients with severe clinical and radiological findings who developed post-acute respiratory distress syndrome (post-ARDS) pulmonary fibrosis.

Materials And Methods: Twenty adult patients (nine women and 11 men; mean age 43.5 ± 16.

Nitric oxide modulation of the basal ganglia circuitry: therapeutic implication for Parkinson's disease and other motor disorders.

Several recent studies have emphasized a crucial role for the nitrergic system in movement control and the pathophysiology of the basal ganglia (BG). These observations are supported by anatomical evidence demonstrating the presence of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in all the basal ganglia nuclei. In fact, nitrergic terminals have been reported to make synaptic contacts with both substantia nigra dopamine-containing neurons and their terminal areas such as the striatum, the globus pallidus and the subthalamus.

Progression of human carotid and femoral atherosclerosis: a prospective follow-up study by magnetic resonance vessel wall imaging.

Aims: The time course of atherosclerosis burden in distinct vascular territories remains poorly understood. We longitudinally evaluated the natural history of atherosclerotic progression in two different arterial territories using high spatial resolution magnetic resonance imaging (HR-MRI), a powerful, safe, and non-invasive tool.

Methods And Results: We prospectively studied a cohort of 30 patients (mean age 68.

A broadly applicable approach to T cell epitope identification: application to improving tumor associated epitopes and identifying epitopes in complex pathogens.

Epitopes are a hallmark of the antigen specific immune response. The identification and characterization of epitopes is essential for modern immunologic studies, from investigating cellular responses against tumors to understanding host/pathogen interactions especially in the case of bacteria with intracellular residence. Here, we have utilized a novel approach to identify T cell epitopes exploiting the exquisite ability of particulate antigens, in the form of beads, to deliver exogenous antigen to both MHC class I and class II pathways for presentation to T cell hybridomas.

A uroguanylin-GUCY2C endocrine axis regulates feeding in mice.

Intestinal enteroendocrine cells are critical to central regulation of caloric consumption, since they activate hypothalamic circuits that decrease appetite and thereby restrict meal size by secreting hormones in response to nutrients in the gut. Although guanylyl cyclase and downstream cGMP are essential regulators of centrally regulated feeding behavior in invertebrates, the role of this primordial signaling mechanism in mammalian appetite regulation has eluded definition. In intestinal epithelial cells, guanylyl cyclase 2C (GUCY2C) is a transmembrane receptor that makes cGMP in response to the paracrine hormones guanylin and uroguanylin, which regulate epithelial cell dynamics along the crypt-villus axis.

Angiogenic effect induced by mineral fibres.

Due to the toxic effect of asbestos, other materials with similar chemical-physical characteristics have been introduced to substitute it. We evaluate the angiogenic effect of certain asbestos substitute fibres such as glass fibres (GFs), ceramic fibres (CFs) and wollastonite fibres (WFs) and then compare angiogenic responses to those induced by crocidolite asbestos fibres (AFs). An in vitro model using human endothelial cells in small islands within a culture matrix of fibroblasts (Angio-Kit) was used to evaluate vessel formation.

Regulation of appetite to treat obesity.

Obesity has escalated into a pandemic over the past few decades. In turn, research efforts have sought to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of energy balance. A host of endogenous mediators regulate appetite and metabolism, and thereby control both short- and long-term energy balance.

Role of contrast enhanced ultrasound in acute scrotal diseases.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in patients with acute scrotal pain not defined at ultrasound (US) with colour Doppler .

Methods: CEUS was carried out in 50 patients with acute scrotal pain or scrotal trauma showing testicular lesion of undefined nature at US. The accuracy of US and CEUS findings versus definitive diagnosis (surgery or follow-up) was calculated.

The current role of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) imaging in the evaluation of renal pathology.

Background: By using a microbubble contrast agent and contrast-specific imaging software, the contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is able to depict the micro and macrocirculation of the target organ.

Methods: A review of the peer reviewed literature was done regarding the current role of ultrasound CEUS imaging in the evaluation of renal pathology with reference to the diagnosis of renal ischaemia, in the characterization of complex cystic lesions and in those with equivocal enhancement at CT.

Results: CEUS provides information on tissue perfusion and may play a role in kidney mass characterization similar to the role of contrast-enhanced CT and MRI.

A KDR-binding peptide (ST100,059) can block angiogenesis, melanoma tumor growth and metastasis in vitro and in vivo.

A major goal of treatment strategies for cancer is the development of agents which can block primary tumor growth and development as well as the progression of tumor metastasis without any treatment associated side effects. Using mini peptide display (MPD) technology, we generated peptides that can bind to the human vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor KDR. These peptides were evaluated for their ability to block angiogenesis, tumor growth and metastasis in vitro and in vivo.