Organization and Activity of Italian Echocardiographic Laboratories: A Survey of the Italian Society of Echocardiography and Cardiovascular Imaging.

Background: The Italian Society of Echocardiography and Cardiovascular Imaging (SIECVI) conducted a national survey to understand better how different echocardiographic modalities are used and accessed in Italy.

Methods: We analyzed echocardiography laboratory activities over a month (November 2022). Data were retrieved via an electronic survey based on a structured questionnaire, uploaded on the SIECVI website.

Wnt activation affects proliferation, invasiveness and radiosensitivity in medulloblastoma.

Medulloblastomas (MBs) associated with the Wnt activation represent a subgroup with a favorable prognosis, but it remains unclear whether Wnt activation confers a less aggressive phenotype and/or enhances radiosensitivity. To investigate this issue, we evaluated the biological behavior of an MB cell line, UW228-1, stably transfected with human β-catenin cDNA encoding a nondegradable form of β-catenin (UW-B) in standard culture conditions and after radiation treatment. We evaluated the expression, transcriptional activity, and localization of β-catenin in the stably transfected cells using immunofluorescence and WB.

Skeletal muscle satellite cells in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Objectives: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease involving progressive muscular paralysis reflecting degeneration of motor neurons. Skeletal muscle tissue seems to play a significant role in ALS pathogenesis. Here, the role of satellite cells (SCs) in ALS muscle atrophy is investigated.

The complex puzzle underlying the pathophysiology of acute coronary syndromes: from molecular basis to clinical manifestations.

Acute coronary syndromes (ACS) still represent a major cause of death in Western countries; in the vast majority of cases, coronary atherosclerosis represents the common pathological lesion to all forms of ACS. It is currently believed that plaque complication (rupture, fissuration, and so on), with the consequent superimposed thrombosis, is a key factor ultimately leading to the clinical occurrence of ACS. Over the last two decades, our understanding of the basic mechanisms involved in the pathophysiology of ACS has progressed significantly and the crucial role of inflammation in this phenomenon is now widely recognized.