Serum gamma-glutamyltransferase, oxidized LDL and mortality in the elderly.

Background: Serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) is a liver enzyme involved in the metabolism of glutathione (GSH), a major antioxidant in humans. GGT is a risk factor for mortality in young and middle-aged individuals but this association has been poorly investigated in the elderly.

Methods: We studied the relationship between GGT and all-cause mortality and tested whether oxidized low-density lipoproteins (oxLDL) modify this association in a cohort of 1038 elderly individuals.

Evaluation of transcriptional levels of the natriuretic peptides, endothelin-1, adrenomedullin, their receptors and long non-coding RNAs in rat cardiac tissue as cardiovascular biomarkers of aging.

Chronological age is considered one of the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease and mortality. The study aimed to evaluate the transcriptional levels of the natriuretic peptides (NP), endothelin (ET)-1, adrenomedullin (ADM), their receptors and long non-coding (Lnc) RNA MIAT, MALAT-1, CARMEN and XIST in rat cardiac tissue as cardiovascular biomarkers of aging. Three groups of male Wistar rats were studied: A (n = 6; young), B (n = 13; adult), C (n = 10; old).

Dysregulated autophagy as a new aspect of the molecular pathogenesis of Krabbe disease.

Krabbe disease (KD) is a childhood leukodystrophy with no cure currently available. KD is due to a deficiency of a lysosomal enzyme called galactosyl-ceramidase (GALC) and is characterized by the accumulation in the nervous system of the sphingolipid psychosine (PSY), whose cytotoxic molecular mechanism is not fully known yet. Here, we study the expression of some fundamental autophagy markers (LC3, p62, and Beclin-1) in a KD murine model [the twitcher (TWI) mouse] by immunohistochemistry and Western blot.

Computational analysis of data from a genome-wide screening identifies new functional interactors as potential therapeutic targets.

Knowledge of interaction network between different proteins can be a useful tool in cancer therapy. To develop new therapeutic treatments, understanding how these proteins contribute to dysregulated cellular pathways is an important task. PARP1 inhibitors are drugs used in cancer therapy, in particular where DNA repair is defective.

Cardiometabolic risk and subclinical vascular damage assessment in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies: a challenge for the clinician.

Objectives: A high prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD), not fully explained by the prevalence of traditional risk factors only, is reported in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs). Thus, we investigated if novel markers of CVD risk, like carotid diameter and advanced glycated end products, can better predict increased CVD risk in IIM patients.

Methods: We studied 43 consecutive patients diagnosed with IIM.

Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Evaluation of Pulmonary Transit Time and Blood Volume in Adult Congenital Heart disease.

Background: Management of adults with repaired congenital heart disease (CHD) is still challenging. Heart failure secondary to residual anatomical sequels or arrhythmic events is not rare in this population. MRI has emerged as an accurate tool to quantify pulmonary transit time (PTT) of intravenous contrast agents and pulmonary blood volume (PBV).

IL33/ST2 Axis in Diabetic Kidney Disease: A Literature Review.

Interleukin-33 (IL-33) is a cytokine belonging to the IL-1 family, playing a role in inflammatory, infectious and autoimmune diseases and expressed in the cellular nucleus in several tissues. High levels of IL-33 are expressed in epithelial barrier tissues and endothelial barriers. ST2 is a receptor for IL-33, expressed selectively on a subset of Th2 cells, mediating some of their functions.

Use of Electronic Noses in Seawater Quality Monitoring: A Systematic Review.

Electronic nose (eNose) systems are particularly appreciated for their portability, usability, relative low cost, and real-time or near real-time response. Their application finds space in several domains, including environmental monitoring. Within this field, marine monitoring is of particular scientific relevance due to the fragility of this specific environment, daily threatened by human activities that can potentially bring to catastrophic and irreversible consequences on marine wildlife.

Cross-Linked Enzyme Aggregates as Versatile Tool for Enzyme Delivery: Application to Polymeric Nanoparticles.

Polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) represent one of the most promising tools in nanomedicine and have been extensively studied for the delivery of water-insoluble drugs. However, the efficient loading of therapeutic enzymes and proteins in polymer-based nanostructures remains an open challenge. Here, we report a synthesis method for a new enzyme delivery system based on cross-linked enzyme aggregates (CLEAs) encapsulation into poly(lactide- co-glycolide) (PLGA) NPs.

CRIMEtoYHU: a new web tool to develop yeast-based functional assays for characterizing cancer-associated missense variants.

Evaluation of the functional impact of cancer-associated missense variants is more difficult than for protein-truncating mutations and consequently standard guidelines for the interpretation of sequence variants have been recently proposed. A number of algorithms and software products were developed to predict the impact of cancer-associated missense mutations on protein structure and function. Importantly, direct assessment of the variants using high-throughput functional assays using simple genetic systems can help in speeding up the functional evaluation of newly identified cancer-associated variants.

3D enamel thickness in Neandertal and modern human permanent canines.

Enamel thickness figures prominently in studies of human evolution, particularly for taxonomy, phylogeny, and paleodietary reconstruction. Attention has focused on molar teeth, through the use of advanced imaging technologies and novel protocols. Despite the important results achieved thus far, further work is needed to investigate all tooth classes.

The color of fat and its central role in the development and progression of metabolic diseases.

Excess caloric intake does not always translate to an expansion of the subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and increase in fat mass. It is now recognized that adipocyte type (white, WAT, or brown, BAT), size (large vs. small) and metabolism are important factors for the development of cardiometabolic diseases.

Whole-exome analysis of a Li-Fraumeni family trio with a novel TP53 PRD mutation and anticipation profile.

Li-Fraumeni syndrome is a clinically heterogeneous familial cancer predisposition syndrome with autosomal-dominant inheritance caused by heterozygous germline mutations in the TP53 gene. We here analyze the genetic background of a family with a 4-year-proband presented with a Li-Fraumeni tumor. The mother developed breast cancer at age 37 and the proband died at age 8.

Relationship Between Occupational Physical Activity and Subclinical Vascular Damage in Moderate-Altitude Dwellers.

Unlabelled: Ujka, Kristian, Rosa Maria Bruno, Luca Bastiani, Eva Bernardi, Paolo Sdringola, Nenad Dikic, Bikash Basyal, Sanjeeb Sundarshan Bhandari, Buddha Basnyat, Annalisa Cogo, and Lorenza Pratali. Relationship between occupational physical activity and subclinical vascular damage in moderate-altitude dwellers. High Alt Med Biol.

Ventricular Energetics in Pediatric Left Ventricular Assist Device Patients: A Retrospective Clinical Study.

The aim of this study is to estimate the trend of right and left energetic parameters in left ventricular assist device (LVAD) pediatric patients. Echocardiographic data were retrospectively collected at the baseline, in the acute phase after and at the monthly follow-ups till the LVAD explantation to estimate left and right ventricular energetic parameters. A significant relationship between the left and right ventricular energetic parameter trends was found along all the study period.

Effective Cardiac Index and Systemic-Pulmonary Collaterals Evaluated by Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Late After Fontan Palliation.

The regulation of cardiac output in the Fontan circuit is not completely understood. Systemic-pulmonary collaterals (SPCs) are frequent in patients with univentricular heart, and their clinical significance and management remain controversial. The aims of our study were to identify factors associated with SPCs' flow at late follow-up after Fontan and evaluate the relation between SPCs flow (QSPCs) and the effective cardiac index (CI).

Oxidized LDL, Gamma-Glutamyltransferase and Adverse Outcomes in Older Adults.

Objectives: Gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) is a biomarker of liver disease and oxidative stress which was associated with all-cause and cardiovascular (CV) mortality in the general population and in patients with high risk conditions. This study aims at assessing whether oxLDL modifies the relationship between GGT, all-cause, and CV mortality in elderly individuals from the general population.

Design: Observational longitudinal study.

Rational Design of a Transferrin-Binding Peptide Sequence Tailored to Targeted Nanoparticle Internalization.

The transferrin receptor (TfR) is a promising target in cancer therapy owing to its overexpression in most solid tumors and on the blood-brain barrier. Nanostructures chemically derivatized with transferrin are employed in TfR targeting but often lose their functionality upon injection in the bloodstream. As an alternative strategy, we rationally designed a peptide coating able to bind transferrin on suitable pockets not involved in binding to TfR or iron by using an iterative multiscale-modeling approach coupled with quantitative structure-activity and relationship (QSAR) analysis and evolutionary algorithms.

Three-dimensional printed models in congenital heart disease.

The purpose of this article is to discuss technical considerations and current applications of three-dimensional (3D) printing in congenital heart disease (CHD). CHD represent an attractive field for the application of 3D printed models, with consistent progress made in the past decade. Current 3D models are able to reproduce complex cardiac and extra-cardiac anatomy including small details with very limited range of errors (<1 mm), so this tool could be of value in the planning of surgical or percutaneous treatments for selected cases of CHD.

Environmental pollutants: genetic damage and epigenetic changes in male germ cells.

About a quarter of the human diseases occurs for exposure to air pollution. The male reproductive system, and especially spermatogenesis, seems to be particularly sensitive. As result, male infertility is increasing in industrial countries becoming a top priority for public health.

Red Grape Skin Polyphenols Blunt Matrix Metalloproteinase-2 and -9 Activity and Expression in Cell Models of Vascular Inflammation: Protective Role in Degenerative and Inflammatory Diseases.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are endopeptidases responsible for the hydrolysis of various components of extracellular matrix. MMPs, namely gelatinases MMP-2 and MMP-9, contribute to the progression of chronic and degenerative diseases. Since gelatinases' activity and expression are regulated by oxidative stress, we sought to evaluate whether supplementation with polyphenol-rich red grape skin extracts modulated the matrix-degrading capacity in cell models of vascular inflammation.