652 research outputs found
Caterina Colombini, o della cugina sedotta. Una ‘ricostruzione’ della figura di Caterina attraverso i testi
No full textIn this essay the author demonstrates that it is possible to “reconstruct” the figure of Caterina Colombini (1340?-1387) – Giovanni Colombini’s cousin – through a group of texts: the hagiography of Caterina, the letters sent to her by Giovanni Colombini and, finally, Giovanni’s biography written by Feo Belcari. The author divides his text into four parts: the first part analyzes the content of Caterina’s hagiography; the second examines the linguistic form of the hagiographic text; in the third, the author analyzes the latent meaning of the window, a symbolic place where Giovanni and Caterina converse on divine topics; in the last part, to conclude, the teachings that Giovanni gives to Catherine and her spiritual daughters – the Gesuate – are analyzed
ADAM metalloproteinases as potential drug targets
No full textThe ADAMs, together with ADAMTSs and snake venom metalloproteases (SVMPs), are members of the Adamalysin family. Differences in structural organization, functions and localization are known and their domains, catalytic or non-catalytic, show key roles in the substrate recognition and protease activity. Some ADAMs, as membrane-bound enzymes, show sheddase activity. Sheddases are key to modulation of functional proteins such as the tumor necrosis factor, growth factors, cytokines and their receptors, adhesion proteins, signaling molecules and stress molecules involved in immunity. These activities take part in the regulation of several physiological and pathological processes including inflammation, tumor growth, metastatic progression and infectious diseases. On these bases, some ADAMs are currently investigated as drug targets to develop new alternative therapies in many fields of medicine. This review will be focused on these aspects
Chapter Caterina Colombini, o della cugina sedotta. Una ‘ricostruzione’ della figura di Caterina attraverso i testi
No full textIn this essay the author demonstrates that it is possible to “reconstruct” the figure of Caterina Colombini (1340?-1387) – Giovanni Colombini’s cousin – through a group of texts: the hagiography of Caterina, the letters sent to her by Giovanni Colombini and, finally, Giovanni’s biography written by Feo Belcari. The author divides his text into four parts: the first part analyzes the content of Caterina’s hagiography; the second examines the linguistic form of the hagiographic text; in the third, the author analyzes the latent meaning of the window, a symbolic place where Giovanni and Caterina converse on divine topics; in the last part, to conclude, the teachings that Giovanni gives to Catherine and her spiritual daughters – the Gesuate – are analyzed
From Waste Vegetable Oil to a Green Compatibilizer for HDPE/PA6 Blends
No full textWhen properly compatibilized, the blending of polyethylene (PE) and polyamide (PA) leads to materials that combine low prices, suitable processability, impact resistance, and attractive mechanical properties. Moreover, the possibility of using these polymers without prior separation may be a suitable opportunity for their recycling. In this work, the use of an epoxidized waste vegetable oil (EWVO) was investigated as a green compatibilizer precursor (CP) for the reactive blending of a high-density PE (HDPE) with a polyamide-6 (PA6). EWVO was synthesized from waste vegetable cooking oil (WVO) using ion-exchange resin (Amberlite) as a heterogeneous catalyst. HDPE/PA6 blends were produced with different weight ratios (25/75, 75/25, 85/15) and amounts of EWVO (1, 2, 5 phr). Samples with WVO or a commercial fossil-based CP were also prepared for comparison. All the blends were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), rheology, and mechanical tests. In the case of HDPE/PA6 75/25 and 85/15 blends, the addition of EWVO at 2 phr showed a satisfactory compatibilizing effect, thus yielding a material with improved mechanical properties with respect to the blend without compatibilizer. On the contrary, the HDPE/PA6 25/75 ratio yielded a material with a high degree of crosslinking that could not be further processed or characterized. In conclusion, the results showed that EWVO had a suitable compatibilizing effect in HDPE/PA6 blends with high HDPE content, while it resulted in unsuitable for blends with high content of PA6
Caterina Tarabotti Unveiled
No full textCaterina Tarabotti (1615–1693) never identified herself as a painter in contemporary
documents or claimed authorship of any picture with her signature. She would have
surely joined the ranks of the many anonymous women painters of her time, were
it not for the art critic and historian Marco Boschini (1602–1681). In his La Carta
del Navegar Pitoresco (1660), Boschini was the first to notice Caterina’s talents and
provide information about her life.1
Alluding to her namesake saint and surname,
Boschini infused the painter’s biography with lyric flair. A light coming out of the
Varotari workshop, Caterina was, according to Boschini, a virgin very gifted in
painting. She herself honored art with her achievements, which came effortlessly.
Comparing her to a silver lamp that never burns out, the author, with a sense of
optimism, concluded that Caterina would live forever and her name would bear
eternal light and splendor
Engineering dielectric materials for high-performance organic light emitting transistors (Olets)
No full textFunding Information: The Author thanks the support from Academy of Finland Flagship Program (Grant No.: 320167, PREIN). Author thanks Gianluca Generali and many colleagues in ETC srl and CNR-ISMN (Italy) for valuable discussions on organic light emitting transistors during the years. Funding Information: Acknowledgments: The Author thanks the support from Academy of Finland Flagship Program (Grant No.: 320167, PREIN). Author thanks Gianluca Generali and many colleagues in ETC srl and CNR-ISMN (Italy) for valuable discussions on organic light emitting transistors during the years. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 by the author. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Organic light emitting transistors (OLETs) represent a relatively new technology platform in the field of optoelectronics. An OLET is a device with a two-fold functionality since it behaves as a thin-film transistor and at the same time can generate light under appropriate bias conditions. This Review focuses mainly on one of the building blocks of such device, namely the gate dielectrics, and how it is possible to engineer it to improve device properties and performances. While many findings on gate dielectrics can be easily applied to organic light emitting transistors, we here concentrate on how this layer can be exploited and engineered as an active tool for light manipulation in this novel class of optoelectronic devices.Peer reviewe
Effect of burosumab treatment on phosphate metabolism and bone health in patients with X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets (XLH). Preliminary data within an Italian sample
No full textSynthesis and Evaluation of Monoaryl Derivatives as Transthyretin Fibril Formation Inhibitors
No full textTransthyretin (TTR) is a homo-tetrameric protein characterized by four identical β-sheet rich monomers assembled together to form a tetramer that is crossed, along the 2-fold symmetry axis, by two similar binding pockets named thyroxin binding sites. Under unknown conditions, TTR can misfold and aggregate triggering the amyloidosis onset. One therapeutic approach consists to stabilize the tetramer with synthetic small molecules that bind TTR binding site hindering the first step of fibril formation. Here, we report the synthesis of new 2-((benzyloxy)imino)acetic, -propanoic and -butanoic acid derivatives, results of their turbidimetric UV assay and the docking study of new monoaryl compounds. The obtained results suggest that, for this class of compounds, (i) the chlorine atom in ortho position on the aromatic ring is the best substituent; (ii) the linker inversion still allows the interaction with thyroxine binding sites; and (iii) the steric hindrance in R1 position is detrimental for the activity
Matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors prevent the release and proteolytic activity of monocyte/macrophage-derived microparticles
No full textBackground: The role of monocyte/macrophage-derived microparticles (MPs) in the
pathophysiology of cancer and chronic inflammatory diseases has been reported;
nevertheless, the mechanism underlying microparticles release is currently unclear. The aim
of the current study was to investigate whether matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) inhibitors
can prevent MP shedding from stimulated human monocyte/macrophage.
Methods: Microparticles were obtained by isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells after
stimulation with the calcium ionophore, A23187. MP shedding, intracellular calcium
concentration, analysis of RhoA expression, and proteolytic activities of isolated MPs were
assessed in the absence or presence of MMP inhibitors.
Results: We demonstrated that MMP inhibitors remarkably prevented MP shedding in a
concentration-dependent manner with IC50 values in the nano- to micromolar range. Such an
effect was related to their ability to reduce the intracellular Ca2+ levels induced by the
calcium ionophore and the consequent translocation of RhoA from cytosol to membrane.
Furthermore, MMP inhibitors could inhibit the proteolytic activity of cell-derived MPs.
Conclusions: The current study provide evidence that MMP inhibitors can prevent MPs
shedding from stimulated human monocyte/macrophage and the proteolytic activity of
released MPs. Finally, the most active compound tested might represent the lead compound
of a new class of molecules with therapeutic potential in cancer and chronic inflammatory
diseases
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