Extracranial Venous Drainage Pattern in Multiple Sclerosis and Healthy Controls: Application of the 2011 Diagnostic Criteria for Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency.

The etiology of multiple sclerosis (MS) is still largely unknown and it has been proposed that an impaired venous drainage from the central nervous system, defined as chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI), may play a role in this. We investigated the prevalence of extracranial venous drainage pattern alterations in a cohort of MS patients based on the 2011 revised diagnostic criteria for CCSVI. Thirty-nine MS patients and 18 healthy subjects underwent blinded extra-cranial venous echo-color Doppler sonography to reveal the presence of CCSVI.

Can the New Global Lung Initiative Equations Better Stratify the Risk of Death in Elderly People with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease?

Background: The forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) is commonly expressed as percentage of its value predicted by equations. The most commonly used equations are poorly applicable to elderly people. Recently, a set of equations (Global Lung Initiative, GLI) has been released that is expected to be more appropriate in this population.

When Morphology Meets Somatic Mutations: The New Possible Scenario in Thyroid Fine-Needle Aspiration.

This study points to the analysis of the morphological features suggestive of somatic mutations, mostly the BRAFV600E mutation, on cytological samples of thyroid carcinomas. According to the literature, the application of ancillary techniques on cytology comes in handy as a challenging aid in ruling out a malignant outcome on both conventional and liquid-based cytological preparations. However, the evaluation of somatic mutations, including BRAFV600E, usually performed by DNA techniques, may have some limitations in a worldwide diffusion.

A Review of the Ultrasound Assessment of Diaphragmatic Function in Clinical Practice.

Ultrasonography is the only non-invasive, non-ionizing imaging technique widely available to directly assess diaphragmatic function. Two different sonographic approaches permit the assessment of muscle thickening in the zone of apposition and excursion of the dome of the diaphragm. Thanks to the new hand-held ultrasound instruments, the morphology and function of the diaphragm can be assessed in different settings, such as outpatient clinic, pulmonary function test laboratory, hospital department and intensive care unit, and under different conditions.

Evidence Supporting a Paracrine Effect of IGF-1/VEGF on Human Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Commitment.

Healing of skeletal defects is strictly dependent on osteogenesis and efficient vascularization of engineered scaffolds. Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are both involved in these processes. The in vitro administration of IGF-1 in association with VEGF is able to modulate the osteoblastic or endothelial commitment of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) of different origins (e.

Co-Occurrence of Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria with Immunoglobulin A Deficiency and Autoimmune Diseases.

Background: Immunoglobulin (Ig) A deficiency is a primary immunodeficiency in which autoimmunity is frequently observed. Thirty to fifty percent of patients with spontaneous chronic urticaria have autoantibodies that are able to cross-link FcεRI on mast cells and basophils.

Methods: We investigated whether spontaneous chronic urticaria in patients with IgA deficiency meets the criteria for autoimmunity.

Transposons, Genome Size, and Evolutionary Insights in Animals.

The relationship between genome size and the percentage of transposons in 161 animal species evidenced that variations in genome size are linked to the amplification or the contraction of transposable elements. The activity of transposable elements could represent a response to environmental stressors. Indeed, although with different trends in protostomes and deuterostomes, comprehensive changes in genome size were recorded in concomitance with particular periods of evolutionary history or adaptations to specific environments.

The Problem of Borderline Hemoglobin A2 Levels in the Screening for β-Thalassemia Carriers in Sardinia.

Background: The increase in HbA2 is the most important parameter for the identification of thalassemia carriers. However, in routine screening for hemoglobinopathies, some cases are difficult to classify because the level of HbA2 is not typically elevated. In this work, we report the results of a molecular investigation on a cohort of subjects with borderline HbA2.

Chromosomal Abnormalities in Embryonic and Somatic Stem Cells.

The potential use of stem cells (SCs) for tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, disease modeling, toxicological studies, drug delivery, and as in vitro model for the study of basic developmental processes implies large-scale in vitro culture. Here, after a brief description of the main techniques used for karyotype analysis, we will give a detailed overview of the chromosome abnormalities described in pluripotent (embryonic and induced pluripotent SCs) and somatic SCs, and the possible causes of their origin during culture.

Dermoscopic Features of Vulvar Lichen Sclerosus in the Setting of a Prospective Cohort of Patients: New Observations.

Objective: Dermoscopic features of vulvar lichen sclerosus (VLS) were investigated in order to determine both vascular and non-vascular features of this disease.

Materials And Methods: Dermoscopic images of 35 patients affected with histopathologically confirmed VLS were evaluated for the presence of predefined morphological criteria.

Results: On dermoscopy, VLS lesions exhibited very sparse vessels, mainly linear, without a specific arrangement.

Phytochemical Indicaxanthin Inhibits Colon Cancer Cell Growth and Affects the DNA Methylation Status by Influencing Epigenetically Modifying Enzyme Expression and Activity.

Background: Recently, we have shown anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects of indicaxanthin associated with epigenetic modulation of the onco-suppressor p16INK4a in the human colon cancer cell line CACO2. In the present study, the epigenetic activity of indicaxanthin and the mechanisms involved were further investigated in other colorectal cancer cell lines.

Methods: LOVO1, CACO2, HT29, HCT116, and DLD1 cells were used to evaluate the potential influence of consistent dietary concentrations of indicaxanthin on DNA methylation, and the epigenetic mechanisms involved were researched.

New Metacentric Populations and Phylogenetic Hypotheses Involving Whole-Arm Reciprocal Translocation in Mus musculus domesticus from Sicily, Southern Italy.

The house mouse Mus musculus domesticus is characterized by more than 100 metacentric populations, due to the occurrence of Robertsonian (Rb) fusions, together with the standard all-telocentric karyotype (2n = 40). We examined G-banded karyotypes of 18 mice from 10 localities in Sicily and describe 3 new metacentric populations: 'Ragusa Ibla' (IRAG), 2n = 33-36, Rb(2.4), Rb(5.

Cell Surface Glycan Changes in the Spontaneous Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition of Equine Amniotic Multipotent Progenitor Cells.

Amniotic epithelial cells (AECs) spontaneously transform into amniotic mesenchymal cells (AMCs) in vitro during cell culture. Glycocalyx was analyzed to identify the glycan pattern in AECs, AMCs and epithelial-mesenchymal transdifferentiated cells (EMTCs). Pure cell cultures were derived using cloned AEC and AMC cell lines obtained by the dilution technique from amniotic membranes.