450 research outputs found
Geografie del quotidiano: il video amatoriale e la rappresentazione dello spazio
No full textIn this article the author aims, first of all, to outline a possible framework for a geographical analysis of amateur videos. Drawing on the notion of geosemiotics, developed by the Italian geographer Adalberto Vallega, the author reflects upon several issues posed by geography as the epistemic act of representing the space that surrounds us. If geography is, above all, a geo-graphy, we have a set of possible representations that exceeds verbal language: cartographies, paintings, and amateur films and videos as well. That being stated, the questions the author asks himself are thus as follows: how do amateur videos represent space? And, more specifically, which kind of space is described by the techno-gestures of home-videomakers? The article tries to answer them, analysing also a specific case study, a video shot by Luigi Cavallotti, an amateur film and videomaker from Milan
Felice Cavallotti autore drammatico
No full textL’attività teatrale di Felice Cavallotti è stata spesso considerata un frutto episodico di un’intelligenza eclettica, ma pur sempre dedita soprattutto alla politica e all’impegno sociale. Fra i biografi e gli studiosi che si sono occupati di Cavallotti, pochi hanno dato notizia del costante interesse e dell’assiduo lavoro svolto dall’autore per le scene, riproducendo non di rado giudizi imprecisi e di seconda mano e analizzandone la vasta opera drammaturgica in modo sommario. Se poco conosciuta è, infatti, anche l’attività politica svolta da Cavallotti per il teatro (che trova una espressione compiuta nel progetto di riforma della legge del 1875 sui diritti d’autore) i suoi costanti rapporti con direttori di compagnie, impresari e attori, documentati da un ricco carteggio conservato presso la Fondazione Giangiacomo Feltrinelli, offrono la possibilità di ricostruire più da vicino un momento significativo della vita teatrale italiana nel secondo Ottocento.Felice Cavallotti’s theatrical activity has often been considered an episodic result of an eclectic intelligence, but still mainly devoted to politics and social commitment. Among the biographers and scholars who have dealt with Cavallotti, few have realized the constant interest and assiduous work carried out by the author for the scenes, often reproducing inaccurate and second-hand judgments and analyzing in a synthetic way their vast dramaturgical work. Little known, in fact, is also the political activity carried out by Cavallotti for the theater (which finds expression in the draft reform of the law of 1875 on copyright) his constant relationships with company administrators, managers and actors, documented by a rich correspondence preserved at the Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Foundation offers the opportunity to reconstruct more closely a significant moment of Italian theatrical life in the second half of the nineteenth century
Evidence of clustering in X-ray amorphous Ni-P prepared by autocatalytic chemical deposition
No full textMolecular Modeling of the Interaction of Protein L with Antibodies
No full textProtein L (PpL) is a bacterial protein which is used in the affinity chromatography stage of the production of monoclonal antibodies because of its ability to form high affinity complexes with the light chains of immunoglobulins. In the present work, the binding interfaces between one domain of PpL and antigen-binding fragments (Fab) have been investigated adopting molecular dynamics with the aim of determining the binding contribution of the residues located at the Fab-PpL interface. Because it is known that PpL binds antibodies through two distinct binding sites with different affinities, simulations were performed for both sites to determine interaction free energies to assess the relative binding contribution of the two sites. Mutational studies were then performed only on the dominant binding site. The binding free energy was evaluated with the molecular mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann surface area (MMPBSA) and umbrella sampling/weighted histogram analysis methods. Key residues for the formation of the dominant binding site complex were identified by means of alanine scanning performed both for the Fab and PpL domains. Residues of the light chain of the antibody that contribute most to binding were found to be located between SER7 and VAL13. Four residues from PpL are important for the stability of the complex: PHE839, LYS840, GLU849, and TYR853. Three residues of PpL that do not contribute to the interaction were mutated to histidine (HIS), which changes its protonation state as a function of pH, to find whether this could allow us to control the binding interaction energy. This can be useful in the elution stage of the affinity chromatography purification of antibodies if PpL is used as a ligand. These residues are GLN835, THR836, and ALA837. Molecular dynamics simulations with both protonated and unprotonated HIS were performed to mimic how changing pH may reflect on protein- ligand interaction energies. The MMPBSA approach was used to evaluate the variation of the affinity of the mutated systems with reference to the wild type. Our results show that these mutations could help in disrupting the complex under acidic conditions without impairing the affinity of PpL for the light chains at higher pHs
Quantification of adrenergic nerve fibers in human thymus at various ages
No full textAdrenergic nerve fibers were studied in human thymus at various ages by biochemical and morphological methods and by quantitative analysis of images. The whole thymus was harvested during autopsies in prenatal of six months (n=6), newborn (n=6), infant (n=3), young (n=3), adult (n=3) and elderly (n=3) men. The thymuses were weighed, dissected and studied. Thymic slices were subjected to specific staining for the detection of microanatomical details regarding thymic microenvironment and nerve fibers. Histofluorescence microscopy was used for staining of adrenergic nerve fibers, while immunofluorescence microscopy was employed for staining of neuropeptide Y-like immunoreactivity. Biochemical dosage of proteins and of noradrenaline amount was performed. All morphological results were subjected to the quantitative analysis of images. Our results confirmed that many changes occur with age in the whole weight of the thymus and in thymic protein content and, as a new finding, demonstrated the specific pattern of three independent markers able to characterize sympathetic nerve fibers of the human thymus and its modifications with age: neuropeptide Y-related staining decreases with age, whereas the density of adrenergic nerve fibers remains unchanged. The apparent discrepancy among these three independent markers for sympathetic nerves was discussed. (author abst.
NUMERICAL MODELLING OF THE GROWTH OF ELECTRODEPOSITED CHROMIUM ON CORNER-SHAPED CATHODES
No full textORAL BACTERIA MICROBIOME IN CAROTID ATHEROSCLEROTIC PLAQUE
No full textINTRODUZIONE
L’arterosclerosi è una patologia frequente che porta ad un aumento di morbilità e mortalità(1) è infatti una delle maggiori cause di mortalità ed un terzo della popolazione ha qualche manifestazione di tale patologia (coronaropatia, cerebrovasculopatia e/o vasculopatia periferica)(2).
Tuttavia, circa la metà dei pazienti affetti da arterosclerosi non presenta i tradizionali fattori di rischio cardiovascolari e la causa della progressione delle placche arteriosclerotiche non è del tutto chiara.
E’ noto che alcuni microrganismi possono avere un ruolo nella patogenesi dell’arteriosclerosi e possono rappresentare importanti fattori di rischio in alcuni pazienti non affetti dai tradizionali fattori di rischio.
Tra i differenti microrganismi batterici i periodontopatogeni sono tra i maggiori indiziati vista l’infiammazione cronica che causano ed è inoltre dimostrato come dal punto di vista epidemiologico vi sia un aumento di prevalenza ed incidenza di coronaropatia nei pazienti con periodontiti(4).
MATERIALI E METODI
Abbiamo disegnato uno studio prospettico monocentrico con l’obiettivo di verificare la presenza di microbioma batterico all’interno delle placche carotidee e di evidenziare la coesistenza dello stesso microbioma nella placca carotide e sottogengivale in ogni singolo paziente.
Sei pazienti candidati ad endoarterectomia carotidea sono stati arruolati e sottoposti a valutazione odontoiatrica approfondita con prelievo di placca sottogengivale. Durante l’intervento chirurgico un campione di placca carotide è stato raccolto e successivamente trattato.
RISULTATI
Il microbioma di almeno un periodontopatogeno è stato individuato in ogni placca orale. Nei campioni di placca carotide non è stato invece possibile rilevare la presenza di microbioma batterico.
CONCLUSIONI
La presenza di DNA batterico nelle placche arteriosclerotiche è tutt’oggi argomento discusso. I dati presenti in letteratura supportano ma non dimostrano una associazione causale tra infezione periodontale ed aterosclerosi. Tuttavia, alcuni studi, come il nostro, non hanno trovato periodontopatogeni all’interno di placche aterosclerotiche quindi la trasmissione di tali batteri a livello delle placche ed il loro ruolo è ancor motivo di discussione(5, 6).
Bibliografia
1. Buhlin K, Hultin M, Norderyd O, Persson L, Pockley AG, Rabe P, et al. Risk factors for atherosclerosis in cases with severe periodontitis. J Clin Periodontol. 2009;36(7):541-9.
2. Lockhart PB, Bolger AF, Papapanou PN, Osinbowale O, Trevisan M, Levison ME, et al. Periodontal disease and atherosclerotic vascular disease: does the evidence support an independent association?: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2012;125(20):2520-44.
3. Trevisan M, Dorn J. The relationship between periodontal disease (pd) and cardiovascular disease (cvd). Mediterr J Hematol Infect Dis. 2010;2(3):e2010030.
4. Bahekar AA, Singh S, Saha S, Molnar J, Arora R. The prevalence and incidence of coronary heart disease is significantly increased in periodontitis: a meta-analysis. Am Heart J. 2007;154(5):830-7.
5. Cairo F, Gaeta C, Dorigo W, Oggioni MR, Pratesi C, Pini Prato GP, et al. Periodontal pathogens in atheromatous plaques. A controlled clinical and laboratory trial. J Periodontal Res. 2004;39(6):442-6.
6. Aimetti M, Romano F, Nessi F. Microbiologic analysis of periodontal pockets and carotid atheromatous plaques in advanced chronic periodontitis patients. J Periodontol. 2007;78(9):1718-23.INTRODUCTION
Atherosclerosis is a highly prevalent disease in humans with significant morbidity and mortality(1) and is one of the leading cause of death and one third of population have some form of the disease, which includes coronary disease, cerebrovascular disease and peripheral artery disease(2). However, half of those with the disease do not have traditional cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, history of smoking or genetic background(3), and thus the cause(s) of rapid atherosclerotic plaque progression and disease is unknown in many patients. There is a body of evidence that microorganisms play a role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and may be a primary risk factor in people who do not suffer from other established risk factors. Among the various infectious agents, periodontal pathogens are prominent contenders because of the chronic inflammation associated with periodontal disease and there is also a significantly increased prevalence and incidence of coronary artery disease indicating that periodontal disease predicts coronary artery disease(4).
MATHERIALS AND METHODS
In this prospective monocentric study and the aim is to ascertain the presence of periodontal bacterial DNA in carotid atheromatous plaque and to assess the concomitant presence of the same microbiome, if any, in both periodontal pockets and carotid atheroma. Six patients scheduled to undergo Carotid endarterectomy were recruited and underwent periodontal evaluation with sub gingival plaque collection and vascular surgery with atherosclerotic plaque collection.
RESULTS
The DNA of at least one of the probed bacteria was detected in each subgingival samples. The carotid specimens of all 6 patients revealed evidence of severe atherosclerosis but no enough DNA of periodontal bacteria was detected in any of the carotid samples.
CONCLUSIONS
The presence of bacterial DNA in atheromatous plaques still remains a controversial issue. The cumulative evidence in the literature supports, but does not prove, a causal association between periodontal infection and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease or its sequelae. However, several studies, as ours, were not able to find periopathogens in atherosclerotic plaques, and hence, the transmission of bacteria from the oral cavity to atherosclerotic plaques and possible effects are still under debate(5, 6).
Bibliografia
1. Buhlin K, Hultin M, Norderyd O, Persson L, Pockley AG, Rabe P, et al. Risk factors for atherosclerosis in cases with severe periodontitis. J Clin Periodontol. 2009;36(7):541-9.
2. Lockhart PB, Bolger AF, Papapanou PN, Osinbowale O, Trevisan M, Levison ME, et al. Periodontal disease and atherosclerotic vascular disease: does the evidence support an independent association?: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2012;125(20):2520-44.
3. Trevisan M, Dorn J. The relationship between periodontal disease (pd) and cardiovascular disease (cvd). Mediterr J Hematol Infect Dis. 2010;2(3):e2010030.
4. Bahekar AA, Singh S, Saha S, Molnar J, Arora R. The prevalence and incidence of coronary heart disease is significantly increased in periodontitis: a meta-analysis. Am Heart J. 2007;154(5):830-7.
5. Cairo F, Gaeta C, Dorigo W, Oggioni MR, Pratesi C, Pini Prato GP, et al. Periodontal pathogens in atheromatous plaques. A controlled clinical and laboratory trial. J Periodontal Res. 2004;39(6):442-6.
6. Aimetti M, Romano F, Nessi F. Microbiologic analysis of periodontal pockets and carotid atheromatous plaques in advanced chronic periodontitis patients. J Periodontol. 2007;78(9):1718-23
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