322,928 research outputs found
Prevalence and management of panic attacks during infliximab infusion in psoriatic patients
No full textBACKGROUND:
Psoriasis is a chronic, inflammatory skin disease associated with anxiety and depression. Infliximab (IFX) is a human/mouse chimeric anti-TNF-α antibody effective in the treatment of psoriasis.
OBJECTIVE:
The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of panic disorders in psoriatic patients during IFX infusions.
METHODS:
A retrospective study was performed on patients affected with psoriasis who were treated with IFX from 2002 to 2011 at a single center. Panic disorders were defined using the clinical criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition. A population of dermatological patients under treatment with IVG, rituximab, apheresis, intravenous corticosteroids and antibiotics was considered as the control group.
RESULTS:
A total of 141 patients were evaluated. Of these, 6 (4.25%) experienced panic attacks during the infusion; 16 (11.3%) had a medical history of panic attack and of those 5/16 (31%) experienced panic attacks during IFX infusion. In the control group panic attacks were not recorded.
CONCLUSION:
We describe 6 cases of patients in whom panic attacks were triggered by IFX infusion. Premedication with oral benzodiazepine and a slow rate of infusion is recommended
Influence of Sample Cleaning Prior to the Analysis on the Elemental Content of the Lichen Xanthoria parietina (L.) Th.Fr.
No full textIn this paper we investigated whether a different accuracy in sample cleaning prior to the analysis may affect the elemental composition of unwashed samples of the lichen Xanthoria parietina. To this purpose, samples of this lichen were collected from a remote area of Sardinia (Italy) and randomly divided into two aliquots, one cleaned very carefully (ca. 3-4 h to obtain ca. 200 mg of material for analysis) and the other cleaned with a lower efficiency (ca. 1-2 h). Samples were analysed by ICP-MS for the content of Al, As, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb, V and Zn. The results indicated that an accurate cleaning is effective for reducing the content of Al and Fe, i.e. soil-related elements, but that it has no effect on the concentrations of other elements less represented in the soil
Cyclooxygenase-2 is critical for hydrogen peroxide-mediated wound repair in human endothelial cells
No full textAn extracellular transglutaminase is required for apple pollen tube growth
No full textAn extracellular form of the calcium-dependent protein-crosslinking enzyme TGase (transglutaminase) was demonstrated to be involved in the apical growth of Malus domestica pollen tube. Apple pollen TGase and its substrates were co-localized within aggregates on the pollen tube surface, as determined by indirect immunofluorescence staining and the in situ cross-linking of fluorescently labelled substrates. TGase-specific inhibitors and an anti-TGase monoclonal antibody blocked pollen tube growth, whereas incorporation of a recombinant fluorescent mammalian TGase substrate (histidine-tagged green fluorescent protein:His6– Xpr–GFP) into the growing tube wall enhanced tube length and germination, consistent with a role of TGase as a modulator of cell wall building and strengthening. The secreted pollen TGase catalysed the cross-linking of both PAs (polyamines) into proteins (released by the pollen tube) and His6-Xpr-GFP into endogenous or exogenously added substrates. A similar distribution of TGase activitywas observed in planta on pollen tubes germinating inside the style, consistent with a possible additional role for TGase in the interaction between the pollen tube and the style during fertilization
Cytoskeletal modification plays a critical role during self-incompatibility in pear pollen tube
No full textRole of repeated seismic events on the collapse of two Calidaria in Rome dating back to the imperial age
No full textThe seismic assessment of two vaulted monuments made of Roman concrete is here presented. Both their structural forms and constituent materials are here explored, whose combination enabled to build such largescale structures, and whose knowledge is essential for assessing and maintaining the safety of the portions of such structures that still exist. Specifically, two different monuments dating back to the Imperial age are analyzed: the Calidarium of the Baths of Caracalla and the Calidarium of the Diocletian's Baths. The two structures were built at a distance of less than one century one each other and both were erected with the same construction technique. Nowadays both Calidarium structures no longer exist: the first one still presents two not collapsed monumental pillars, whilst the ruins of the second were demolished in the Sixteenth Century. Therefore, the present work aims at investigating the causes behind their collapse and how their collapse occurred by performing advanced numerical simulations
COULD SPERMINE PLAY A ROLE DURING THE APICAL GROWTH OF POLLEN TUBE?
No full textPollen tube growth is a rapid process restricted to the only tip region. Many factors cooperate to allow this apical
growth, creating an intricate signalling network. The continuous rebuilding of the cell wall and apical migration
of the cytoplasm sustained by cytoskeleton re-organisation are the most important driving forces needed for
growth (1), but many other factors are involved in this process, among which polyamines (PAs), that are essential
during pollen tube emergence (2) and ROS, that support the apical growth, at physiological concentration (3).
We investigated the effect of the natural PA Spermine (Spm) and BD23, a synthetic aromatic derivative of Spm
on the apical growth of Pyrus communis pollen tube and observed that both Spm inhibited the growth from 10
M onwards. Thanks to a FITC-labelled Spm we were able to observe, that PAs enter through the pollen tube
tip, then diffuse in the sub-apical region. The same region underwent drastic morphological changes, showing
loss of polarity and enlarged tip when Spm and BD23 were supplied at 100 M or higher. The effects of PAs
were related, at least in part to their ability to act as ROS scavengers of both O2 and H2O2 in the apical zone,
probably altering the Ca2+ signalling network or disrupting the balance between ROS species that affect cell-wall
relaxation or stiffening. Interestingly, the actin cytoskeleton was not affected by the treatment with 100 M of
both the PAs and, instead, seemed to follow the swelling of the apex. Intriguing the cell wall was enriched in
both callose and cellulose exactly in the region where the swelling of the tip begins, probably to contrast the
excess of ductility of the cell wall after treatment with PAs 100 M. The viability of pollen was slightly affected
by 100 M treatment, and the degradation of nuclear DNA, as shown by DAPI labelling of pollen tube, was
completely inhibited when pollen had been pre-treated with the caspase-3 inhibitor I peptide, Ac-DEVD-CHO
(DEVD). Different was the scenario when the PAs were supplemented at 500 M, concentration that is far
away from the physiological concentration. In this case, the effects on the pollen were more drastic, with a rapid
drop of cell viability, actin depolimerisation, stimulation of DNA-laddering after 30 minutes incubation and the
complete degradation of both vegetative and generative nuclei; these degradative effects were only in part
inhibited by the pre-treatment with DEVD. Thus the present data may open new research avenues to
understand how the diameter of the pollen tube is regulated and which role PAs could play in the puzzling
process of apical growth
Un tipo di crescita cellulare particolare: la crescita apicale del tubetto pollinico.
No full textLa comprensione degli eventi correlati con l’impollinazione e la gamia nelle piante a fiore è attualmente al centro di molte ricerche volte a chiarire i meccanismi di riconoscimento polline/stilo durante la riproduzione sessuale. Perché la riproduzione possa andare a buon fine è necessario che il polline, una volta arrivato sullo stigma del pistillo, abbia la capacità di germinare emettendo il tubetto pollinico che è il vettore del gamete maschile. Il tubetto cresce a velocità considerevole ed attraversa i tessuti femminili, stigma e stilo, fino a raggiungere l’ovulo contenuto nell’ovario, dove rilascia il gamete consentendo la gamia con la cellula uovo. La crescita del tubetto è peculiare poiché è dovuta alla crescita calcio-dipendente dell’estremità apicale. Essa coinvolge la riorganizzazione dinamica del citoscheletro ed il trasporto apicale degli organelli e di vescicole diverse (Tirlapur et al., 1995). I microtubuli, colocalizzati con i microfilamenti insieme alle proteine motrici (dineina, chinesina e miosina) (Romagnoli et al., 2003) sono responsabili del trasporto apicale dell’ ”unità generativa maschile”.
Si sta indagando il ruolo della transglutaminasi, una famiglia di enzimi che catalizzano la modificazione post-traduzionale di proteine causando la formazione di reti sopramolecolari. Tali enzimi sono in grado di coniugare un residuo glutaminico ad uno lisinico o alle poliammine, formando ponti di diversa lunghezza fra proteine diverse o nell’ambito della stessa proteina inoltre “cationizzando” la proteina stessa (Del Duca and Serafini Fracassini, 2005). Nel polline di melo fra le proteine substrato di tali enzimi sono state riportate anche l’actina e la tubulina (Del Duca et al.,1997). L’enzima è stato purificato dal polline di Rosaceae ed è stato studiato al microscopio il suo effetto su proteine purificate citoscheletriche e di movimento in presenza o meno di poliammine; inoltre la sua presenza è stata studiata in vivo negli stili impollinati con osservazioni al microscopio confocale.
Di particolare interesse sono i meccanismi di incompatibilità gametofitica, che causano il blocco della crescita del tubetto pollinico e la sua morte cellulare programmata, nei quali il ruolo del citoscheletro è scarsamente studiato. In taluni tessuti animali la transglutaminasi è considerata un importante fattore dell’apoptosi (Piredda et al., 1999). Nelle piante, solo nelle Papaveraceae è riportata la formazione di foci di actina mediata da meccanismi di cross-linking non individuati. Tali foci sono ritenuti responsabili del blocco della crescita del tubetto. Vengono riportati i primi dati sul possibile ruolo della transglutaminasi nell’incompatibilità gametofitica delle Rosaceae.
Questa ricerca è stata finanziata da un progetto PRIN (MIUR) 2005-2007 “Interaction mechanism for protein mediators of flower incompatibility in fertilization of fruit trees”.
Del Duca, S. and Serafini-Fracassini, D. 2005. Transglutaminases of higher, lower plants and fungi. In K Mehta, R Eckert, eds, Transglutaminases. Prog Exp Tum Res Basel, Kager, 38:223-247.
Del Duca, S., Bregoli, A.M., Bergamini, C. and Serafini-Fracassini, D. 1997. Sex Plant Reprod 10:89-95.
Piredda, L., Farrace, M.G., Lo Bello, M., Malorni, W., Melino, G., Petruzzelli, R. and Piacentini, M. 1999. FASEB J. 13:355-64.
Romagnoli, S., Cai, G. & Cresti, M. 2003. Plant Cell 15: 251-269.
Tirlapur, U.K., Cai, G., Faleri, C., Moscatelli, A., Scali, M., Del Casino, C., Tiezzi, A. and Cresti, M. 1995. Eur J Cell Biol. 67:209-17
High density cholesterol level as predictor of clinical response to anti-TNF-alpha therapy in psoriatic patients
No full textAISI: A New Disease Severity Assessment Tool for Hidradenitis Suppurativa
No full textHidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic, disabling, skin disorder. Because of renewed scientific interest in HS, different aspects of the condition, such as disease severity assessment, are being investigated and better defined. The aim of this study is to provide a novel tool for the assessment of disease severity
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