Preliminary Evaluation of Cement Mortars Containing Waste Silt Optimized with the Design of Experiments Method.

Every year, up to 3 billion tons of non-renewable natural aggregates are demanded by the construction sector and approximately 623 million tons of waste (mining and quarrying) was produced in 2018. Global efforts have been made to reduce the number of virgin aggregates used for construction and infrastructure sectors. According to the revised waste framework directive in Europe, recycling at least 70% of construction and demolition waste materials by 2020 was obligatory for all member states.

Quarry Waste as Precursors in Geopolymers for Civil Engineering Applications: A Decade in Review.

Carbon footprint reduction of paving materials could be explored through recycling mining by-products into different applications, which will preserve natural resources and decrease environmental issues. One possible approach is to reuse quarry dust and mining ore waste as precursors in geopolymer applications. geopolymers are mineral polymers rich in aluminosilicates with an amorphous to a semi-crystalline three-dimensional structure.

The Biological Effects of Kambo: Is There a Relationship Between its Administration and Sudden Death?

Kambo is a substance obtained from the skin secretions of a frog, Phyllomedusa bicolor, popular in the Amazon region, which is administered via the transdermal route. We report a case of 42-year-old man found dead in his house. Near the corpse, a plastic box labeled as "Kambo sticks" was found.

Impact of crystal polymorphism on the systemic bioavailability of rifaximin, an antibiotic acting locally in the gastrointestinal tract, in healthy volunteers.

Background: Rifaximin is an antibiotic, acting locally in the gastrointestinal tract, which may exist in different crystal as well as amorphous forms. The current marketed rifaximin formulation contains polymorph alpha, the systemic bioavailability of which is very limited. This study compared the pharmacokinetics of this formulation with those of the amorphous form.

Rifaximin: beyond the traditional antibiotic activity.

Rifaximin is a non-systemic oral antibiotic derived from rifampin and characterized by a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and -negative, aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. Rifaximin was first approved in Italy in 1987 and afterwards in many other worldwide countries for the treatment of several gastrointestinal diseases. This review updates the pharmacology and pharmacodynamics of rifaximin highlighting the different actions, beyond its antibacterial activity, such as alteration of virulence, prevention of gut mucosal adherence and bacterial translocation.

Is generic rifaximin still a poorly absorbed antibiotic? A comparison of branded and generic formulations in healthy volunteers.

Rifaximin is an antibiotic, locally acting in the gastrointestinal tract, which may exist in different crystal as well as amorphous forms. The branded rifaximin formulation contains the polymorph rifaximin-α, whose systemic bioavailability is very limited. This study was performed to compare the pharmacokinetics of this formulation with that of a generic product, whose composition in terms of solid state forms of the active pharmaceutical ingredient was found to be different.

Evaluation of the effects of human leukocyte IFN-alpha on the immune response to the HBV vaccine in healthy unvaccinated individuals.

HBV vaccine needs 3 injections over 6 months to induce immunity. Thus, the use of adjuvants capable of inducing earlier immune protection would be highly desirable. Most adjuvants may act by inducing cytokines, and among them, type I interferons (IFNs), deserve a special attention in view of the potent immunomostimulatory activity observed in mouse models and on dendritic cell functions.

Validation therapy (VT) in nursing home: a case-control study.

VT is a method for communicating with elderly people with dementia. It has been applied since 2001 at the "Istituto Giovanni XXIII" in Bologna, a public trust, housing over 500 not self-sufficient elderly people. Around 75% of these subjects suffer from cognitive impairment, associated to behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) in over 35%.

Efficient presentation of tumor idiotype to autologous T cells by CD83(+) dendritic cells derived from highly purified circulating CD14(+) monocytes in multiple myeloma patients.

To generate mature and fully functional CD83(+) dendritic cells derived from circulating CD14(+) cells highly purified from the leukapheresis products of multiple myeloma patients.CD14(+) monocytes were selected by high-gradient magnetic separation and differentiated to immature dendritic cells with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and interleukin-4 for 6-7 days and then induced to terminal maturation by the addition of tumor necrosis factor-alpha or stimulation with CD40 ligand. Dendritic cells were characterized by immunophenotyping, evaluation of soluble antigens uptake, cytokine secretion, capacity of stimulating allogeneic T cells, and ability of presenting nominal antigens, including tumor idiotype, to autologous T lymphocytes.

The IFN-alpha-inducing capacity of Sendai Virus in human leukocytes is independent from the hemagglutinating and hemolytic activities and from the viral proteins of the Sendai Virus preparations.

About 30 Sendai Virus (SV) preparations, examined for their capacity to induce natural human interferon alpha from fresh human leukocytes (Le-IFN-alpha) of healthy donors, were characterized for hemagglutinating (HA) and hemolytic (HemA) activities and for SDS-PAGE proteic pattern. The SV preparations were produced by a single passage or by serial propagations through eggs in different conditions of multiplicity of infection (m.o.

Modifications in the metabolic pathways of benzene in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat.

Benzene is a ubiquitous environmental pollutant primarily metabolized by a cytochrome P-450 (CYP-450) isoenzyme, CYP-450 IIE1. A consistent induction of CYP450 IIE1 has been observed in both rat and human affected by diabetes mellitus. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes determines modifications in the metabolic pathways of benzene in rat.

Antigenic characterization of recombinant, lymphoblastoid, and leukocyte IFN-alpha by monoclonal antibodies.

To gain more insight into similarities of different interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) species, we evaluated neutralization and immunoactivity of a variety of IFN preparations with various monoclonal antibodies (IFN-alpha mAb). Nine IFN-alpha mAb obtained through immunization with recombinant IFN-alpha (rmAb), lymphoblastoid IFN-alpha (LY mAb), and leukocyte IFN-alpha (LE mAb) were tested. The IFN-alpha mAb were evaluated for their ability to neutralize the antiviral activity of 11 recombinant IFN-alpha subtypes, two recombinant IFN-alpha hybrids, and lymphoblastoid and leukocyte IFN-alpha preparations.

Variations in the interferon-inducing capacity of Sendai virus subpopulations.

Several Sendai virus (SV) preparations, propagated through eggs from the same viral seed, exhibited significantly different capacities to induce interferon (IFN) in human leukocytes (nHu-IFN-alpha). The amount of induced IFN and the numbers of SV IFN-inducing particles (IFP) per cell were determined in dose (SV concentration)-response (IFN yield) curves, kinetics of IFN production, and coinfection experiments with SV preparations that differed in IFN-inducing capacities. The possible role of leukocyte sources and the quality of the SV preparations and of allantoic fluids in affecting the IFN-inducing capacity of SV populations also were tested.

Structure-activity of type I interferons.

Type I IFNs constitute a family of proteins exhibiting high homology in primary, secondary, and tertiary structures. They interact with the same receptor and transmit signals to cellular nucleus through a similar mechanism, eliciting roughly homogeneous biological activity. Nevertheless, the members of that family, IFN alpha species, IFN beta and IFN omega, due to local differences in the structure sometime show distinct properties.

Capillary electrophoresis of heparin and dermatan sulfate unsaturated disaccharides with triethylamine and acetonitrile as electrolyte additives.

Capillary electrophoresis at constant voltage with the addition of triethylamine as electrolyte to a running buffer containing borate using fused-silica capillaries permits the complete resolution in less than 30 min of 11 standard heparin and 8 standard dermatan sulfate disaccharides, which represent degradation products of heparin and dermatan sulfate by specific lyases. Triethylamine influences the migration time of disaccharides by reducing both their electrophoretic mobility towards the anode and the electroosmotic flow towards the cathode. A modulated combination of these effects together with borate-disaccharide complex formation is responsible for separation, especially in the case of isomers which differ in the position of the sulfate groups.

Sendai virus and herpes virus type 1 induce apoptosis in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

Recent reports suggest that several viruses, besides human immunodeficiency virus, induce apoptosis in infected cells. We report here that Sendai virus or Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), two potent inducers of interferon-alpha, caused cell death in a consistent number of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. A careful analysis of infected cells by different techniques, such as optical and electron microscopy, DNA agarose gel electrophoresis, and cytofluorimetric analysis of DNA content, showed that cell death was of apoptotic type.

Use of electrocochleography to monitor antigenic challenge in Menière's disease.

Allergy has been reported as a cause of Menière's disease. King et al. have established the validity of the provocative food test (PFT) for the diagnosis of food allergy.

Purification of recombinant human interferon-beta by immobilized antisense peptides.

Synthetic antisense peptides encoded in the antisense strands of DNA corresponding to the 1-14, 42-54 and 103-115 fragments of the human interferon-beta sequence were applied in the purification of recombinant human interferon-beta from a mammalian cell culture. The protein fragments were selected on the basis of their computer-predicted exposure on the surface of the protein. The antisense peptides were synthetized by the solid-phase method directly on the resin used as the stationary phase in affinity chromatography.

Immunostimulation by a partially modified retro-inverso-tuftsin analogue containing Thr1 psi[NHCO](R,S)Lys2 modification.

The tuftsin retro-inverso analogue H-Thr psi[NHCO](R,S)Lys-Pro-Arg-OH was synthesized through a novel procedure for the high-yield incorporation of isolated retro-inverso bonds into peptide chains and the use of the new Meldrum's acid derivative (CH3)2C(OCO)2CH(CH2)4NHCOCF3 followed by its efficient coupling in solution to trimethylsilylated H-D-Thr(t-Bu)NH2. Closely related peptide impurities were eliminated both from the crude final peptide and the fully protected tetrapeptide amide precursor via ion-exchange and reversed-phase displacement chromatography, respectively. The tuftsin retro-inverso analogue proved to be completely resistant to enzymatic degradation in vitro, either against isolated aminopeptidases or human plasma proteolytic enzymes.

Large-scale purification of the synthetic peptide fragment 163-171 of human interleukin-beta by multi-dimensional displacement chromatography.

Multi-dimensional chromatography has been used successfully in the displacement mode for the purification of the synthetic peptide H-Val-Gln-Gly-Glu-Glu-Ser-Asn-Asp-Lys-OH, the fragment 163-171 of human interleukin-beta. This peptide can mimic several of the in vivo and in vitro immunostimulatory activities of the entire protein, except for the inflammatory effect. A large-scale procedure has been developed to purify the synthetic peptide by reversed-phase (RP) and ion-exchange (IE) displacement chromatography (DC) in a single run without any pretreatment.

Preparative purification of Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite protein synthetic polypeptides by displacement chromatography.

Displacement chromatography was used for the preparative purification of a synthetic polypeptide that is a promising malaria vaccine. It was prepared by solid-phase synthesis and contains two important epitopes of circumsporozoite (CS) protein of Plasmodium falciparum sporozoite. With apparatus typically employed in analytical high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and on a 250 x 4.

Fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry and selective acid hydrolysis for the analysis of partially modified retro-inverso peptide analogues.

Fast atom bombardment (FAB) mass spectrometry has been successfully applied to the analysis of partially modified retro-inverso peptide isomers. The spectra are characterized by abundant protonated molecular ions and also by sequence ions due to fragmentation of the inverted bonds. Unambiguous information, as to the nature and the position in the backbone of the amino acids involved in the partial modification of the structure, are given by using a combination of FAB mass spectrometry and partial, selective acid hydrolysis, without separation of the resulting peptide mixtures.

High-performance displacement chromatography of melanotropins and their derivatives.

Mixtures containing derivatives of the biological active peptide alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) or beta-melanocyte stimulating hormone (beta-MSH) were purified by using reversed-phase chromatography in the displacement mode. On a 250 x 4.6 mm octadecyl silica column and with instrumentation used in analytical high-performance liquid chromatography about 30 mg of the peptide mixture were separated by using an aqueous solution of benzyldimethyldodecylamonium bromide as the displacer in a single chromatographic run.