Au, Pd and maghemite nanofunctionalized hydroxyapatite scaffolds for bone regeneration.

Nanotechnology plays a key role in the development of innovative scaffolds for bone tissue engineering (BTE) allowing the incorporation of nanomaterials able to improve cell proliferation and differentiation. In this study, Mg-HA-Coll type I scaffolds (Mg-HA-based scaffolds) were nanofunctionalized with gold nanorods (Au NRs), palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs) and maghemite nanoparticles (MAG NPs). Nanofunctionalized Mg-HA-based scaffolds (NF-HA-Ss) were tested for their ability to promote both the proliferation and the differentiation of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hADSCs).

The Senhance ® assisted laparoscopy in urogynaecology: case report of sacral colpopexy with subtotal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy for pelvic organ prolapse : Video Article, to see the video use this link: https://qrco.de/bbdi3G.

The aim of this case report was to evaluate the feasibility, efficacy, and safety of nerve-sparing laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy (SCP) performed with a minimally invasive approach by using 2.9-mm Senhance ® surgical robotic system (Senhance ® , TRANSENTERIX Inc., USA).

A qualitative analysis and development of a conceptual model assessing financial toxicity in cancer patients accessing the universal healthcare system.

Purpose: This paper illustrates a conceptual model for a new patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) aimed at measuring financial toxicity (FT) in oncological setting in Italy, where citizens are provided universal healthcare coverage.

Methods: Focus groups with overall 34 patients/caregivers in three different Italian centers (from Northern, Centre, and Southern Italy) and an open-ended survey with 97 medical oncologists were undertaken. Transcripts from focus groups and the open-ended survey were analyzed to identify themes and links between themes.

Ethological and Physiological Parameters Assessment in Donkeys Used in Animal Assisted Interventions.

Background: Few studies have been performed to identify objective indicators for the selection of therapeutic donkeys or to assess their welfare during animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the response to the ethological test and the modifications of physiological parameters in donkeys subjected to AAI sessions.

Methods: Thirteen donkeys were subjected to a behavioral evaluation during an AAI session. Heart rate, heart rate variability, and root mean square of successive difference values were detected.

Bicuspid aortic valve and aortopathy: novel prognostic predictors for the identification of high-risk patients.

Aims: Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) may be complicated by aortic aneurysms and dissection. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic efficacy of markers from cardiac imaging, as well as genetic and new biomarkers, to early predict aortic complications.

Methods And Results: We re-evaluated after a mean time of 48 ± 11 months 47 BAV patients who had undergone previous echocardiography for evaluation of aortic stiffness and 2D aortic longitudinal strain (LS) (by speckle-tracking analysis), and who had given a blood sample for the assessment of a single-nucleotide polymorphism of elastin gene (ELN rs2 071307) and quantification of elastin soluble fragments (ESF).

Iron Coordination Properties of Gramibactin as Model for the New Class of Diazeniumdiolate Based Siderophores.

Gramibactin (GBT) is an archetype for the new class of diazeniumdiolate siderophores, produced by Paraburkholderia graminis, a cereal-associated rhizosphere bacterium, for which a detailed solution thermodynamic study exploring the iron coordination properties is reported. The acid-base behavior of gramibactin as well as its complexing ability toward Fe was studied over a wide range of pH values (2≤pH≤11). For the latter the ligand-competition method employing EDTA was used.

New Real-Time PCRs to Differentiate spp. and .

species are an important cause of emerging infectious diseases in people and animals, and rickettsiosis is one of the oldest known vector-borne diseases. Laboratory diagnosis of is complex and time-consuming. This study was aimed at developing two quantitative real-time PCRs targeting and genes for the detection, respectively, of spp.

Negative Emotions in Skin Disorders: A Systematic Review.

The main purpose of this study is to describe how negative emotions were investigated in the sphere of dermatological diseases, in order (1) to summarize literature trends about skin disorders and emotions, (2) to highlight any imbalances between the most studied and neglected emotions, (3) and to offer directions for future research. A computerized literature search provided 41 relevant and potentially eligible studies. Results showed that the study of emotions in skin disease is limited to Sadness/depression and Fear/anxiety.

Effects of Environment and Sowing Time on Growth and Yield of Upland Cotton ( L.) Cultivars in Sicily (Italy).

Cotton is one of the most important industrial crops in the world. Though widely cultivated in Sicily (Italy) in the past, cotton growth on the island has disappeared today due to a complex variety of agronomic, economic and socio-political reasons. In recent years, increased interest in natural fibers worldwide has led to a revival in cotton plants in the Mediterranean area.

Theoretical prediction of C NMR spectrum of mixed triglycerides by mean of GIAO calculations to improve vegetable oils analysis.

This pioneering study based on GIAO-DFT methods is aimed to the best prediction of C Nuclear Magnetic Resonances (NMR) arising from triglycerides (and also glycerols), known to be the main component of vegetable oils. Provided that fatty esters bound to the glycerol moiety are not affected by the other esterification chains, and slightly affected by their own esterification position (2- internal, or 1/3- external), eight natural molecules are first optimized despite the challenging presence of many non-hydrogen atoms and the large conformational freedom. This preliminary study sheds light on the total chemical shift prediction concerning five fatty esters (Oleic, Palmitic, Linoleic, Stearic and Linolenic) either present in internal or external positions (ten fragments in total); these results display a very good matching to the experimental profile recorded for several vegetable oils chosen as natural mixtures of glycerides.

Pregnancy status and thyroid function in semi-intensive-kept Marecha she-camels (Camelus dromedarius): managerial implications.

Pakistani Marecha dromedaries, a distinctive breed not covered in the empirical data of the literature reviewed existing for thyroidal physiology in camels, are subjected to investigate thyroid function in pregnant multiparous (n = 22) and non-pregnant nor lactating (n = 22) females. The function of the thyroid gland in pubescent she-camels has evoked discrepancies among researchers exploring this topic in different breeds evolving in divergent environments. Despite season, age, sex, reproductive status, health disorders, and stress are reported as potential modulating factors, these research studies failed to find statistically significant results supporting their hypothesis.

High-Efficiency FRET Processes in BODIPY-Functionalized Quantum Dot Architectures.

Efficient FRET systems are developed combining colloidal CdSe quantum dots (QDs) donors and BODIPY acceptors. To promote effective energy transfer in FRET architectures, the distance between the organic fluorophore and the QDs needs to be optimized by a careful system engineering. In this context, BODIPY dyes bearing amino-terminated functionalities are used in virtue of the high affinity of amine groups in coordinating the QD surface.

Laparoscopic high uterosacral ligament suspension (modified Shull technique): A case series and a step by step description of surgical procedure.

Objective: In this series we investigate the safety, feasibility and efficacy of our laparoscopic modified Shull technique describing the fundamental aspects of this surgical procedure in order to add a new feasible abdominal approach for apex resuspension.

Study Design: A retrospective case series of 10 patients referring to our Urogynecological department for symptomatic apical prolapse, enrolled consecutively between September 2018 and November 2018. All women underwent the presented technique which we described in detail explaining the fundamental tips and tricks of our procedure.

Lyapunov approach to synchronization of chaotic systems with vanishing nonlinear perturbations: From static to dynamic couplings.

Synchronization of chaotic dynamics can be pursued by means of different coupling strategies. Definitely, master-slave coupling represents one of the most adopted solutions, even if it presents some limitations due to the coupling term's selection strategy. In this paper, we investigate the role of different structures of coupling terms on the synchronization properties of master-slave chaotic system configurations.

Enhancing N Fixation Activity by Converting Ti C MXenes Nanosheets to Nanoribbons.

Metal carbides M C (MXenes) with two-dimensional (2D) structure have been indicated as promising materials for N fixation, with the activity being related to edge planes. Here, it is instead demonstrated that the transformation from a 2D- (nanosheets) to a 3D-type nanostructure (nanoribbons) leads to a significant enhancement of the N fixation activity due to the formation of exposed Ti-OH sites. A linear relationship is observed between ammonia formation rate and amount of oxygen on the surface of Ti C MXene.

Effects of Autologous Platelet-Rich Fibrin in Post-Extraction Alveolar Sockets: A Randomized, Controlled Split-Mouth Trial in Dogs with Spontaneous Periodontal Disease.

Periodontal disease (PD) is a common inflammatory condition in dogs; in severe stages, dental extraction is frequently required. Platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) has been used in human oral surgical procedures and has been experimentally tested on post-extraction sockets in healthy dogs. This is the first split-mouth, randomized, controlled trial designed to compare post-extractive alveolar socket healing with and without topical application of PRF in canine spontaneous PD.

Molecular detection and identification of piroplasms (Babesia spp. and Theileria spp.) and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in questing ticks from northwest Spain.

Anaplasma phagocytophilum and some piroplasm species are pathogens mainly transmitted by Ixodes ricinus. Considering that this tick species is predominant in north-western Spain, individual specimens (652 nymphs, 202 females and 202 males) and 23 larval pools were processed to determine the prevalence of these pathogens in questing I. ricinus from that region.

Synthesis, computational studies and assessment of inhibitory activity of umbelliferon-based compounds against tumour-associated carbonic anhydrase isoforms IX and XII.

Coumarins are widely diffused secondary metabolites possessing a plethora of biological activities. It has been established that coumarins represent a peculiar class of human carbonic anhydrase (hCA) inhibitors having a distinct mechanism of action involving a non-classical binding with amino acid residues paving the entrance of hCA catalytic site. Herein, we report the synthesis of a small series of new coumarin derivatives , , prepared via classical Pechmann condensation starting from resorcinol derivatives and suitable β-ketoesters.

8-Hydroxyquinoline-2-Carboxylic Acid as Possible Molybdophore: A Multi-Technique Approach to Define Its Chemical Speciation, Coordination and Sequestering Ability in Aqueous Solution.

8-hydroxyquinoline-2-carboxylic acid () has been found in high concentrations (0.5-5.0 mmol·dm) in the gut of Noctuid larvae (and in a few other lepidopterans), in which it is proposed to act as a siderophore.

Evaluation of Innate Immune Mediators Related to Respiratory Viruses in the Lung of Stable COPD Patients.

Little is known about the innate immune response to viral infections in stable Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Objectives: To evaluate the innate immune mediators related to respiratory viruses in the bronchial biopsies and lung parenchyma of stable COPD patients. We evaluated the immunohistochemical (IHC) expression of Toll-like receptors 3-7-8-9 (TLR-3-7-8-9), TIR domain-containing adaptor inducing IFNβ (TRIF), Interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3), Phospho interferon regulatory factor 3  ( pIRF3), Interferon regulatory factor 7 (IRF7), Phospho interferon regulatory factor 7 (pIRF7), retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG1), melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5 (MDA5), Probable ATP-dependent RNA helicase DHX58 ( LGP2), Mitochondrial antiviral-signaling protein (MAVS), Stimulator of interferon genes (STING), DNA-dependent activator of IFN regulatory factors (DAI), forkhead box protein A3(FOXA3), Interferon alfa (IFNα), and Interferon beta (IFNβ) in the bronchial mucosa of patients with mild/moderate ( = 16), severe/very severe ( = 18) stable COPD, control smokers (CS) ( = 12), and control non-smokers (CNS) ( = 12).

Looking toward the Rim of the Active Site Cavity of Druggable Human Carbonic Anhydrase Isoforms.

We report the synthesis and biochemical evaluation of a series of substituted 4-(4-aroylpiperazine-1-carbonyl)benzenesulfonamides (-) developed as inhibitors of druggable carbonic anhydrase (CA) isoforms, as tools for the identification of new therapeutics. X-ray crystallography confirmed that this class of benzenesulfonamides binds CAs through the canonical anchoring of the benzenesulfonamide moiety to the metal ion and a recognition of the middle/top area of the active site cavity. Compound (R = 2-Cl) demonstrated relevant selectivity toward brain-expressed hCA VII.

Systemic sclerosis Progression INvestiGation (SPRING) Italian registry: demographic and clinico-serological features of the scleroderma spectrum.

Objectives: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a severe multiple-organ disease characterised by unpredictable clinical course, inadequate response to treatment, and poor prognosis. National SSc registries may provide large and representative patients cohorts required for descriptive and prognostic studies. Therefore, the Italian Society for Rheumatology promoted the registry SPRING (Systemic sclerosis Progression INvestiGation).

PUIoT: Pay-Per-Piece Patch Update Delivery for IoT Using Gradual Release.

P 4 UIoT-pay-per-piece patch update delivery for IoT using gradual release-introduces a distributed framework for delivering patch updates to IoT devices. The framework facilitates distribution via peer-to-peer delivery networks and incentivizes the distribution operation. The peer-to-peer delivery network reduces load by delegating the patch distribution to the nodes of the network, thereby protecting against a single point of failure and reducing costs.