502 research outputs found
Hepatitis C virus: life cycle in cells, infection and host response, and analysis of molecular markers influencing the outcome of infection and response to therapy
No full textHepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major global health burden accounting for around 170 million chronic infections worldwide. Since its discovery, which dates back to about 30 years ago, many details of the viral genome organization and the astonishing genetic diversity have been unveiled but, owing to the difficulty of culturing HCV in vitro and obtaining fully susceptible yet immunocompetent in vivo models, we are still a long way from the full comprehension of viral life cycle, host cell pathways facilitating or counteracting infection, pathogenetic mechanisms in vivo, and host defenses. Here, we illustrate the viral life cycle into cells, describe the interplay between immune and genetic host factors shaping the course of infection, and provide details of the molecular approaches currently used to genotype, monitor replication in vivo, and studying the emergence of drug-resistant viral variants
Il venditore d’antichità by Vincenzo Capobianchi (1880): possibly the most scholarly work of the neo-Pompeian painting
No full textCette étude porte sur la structure et le contexte artistique du tableau peint en 1880 par Vincenzo Capobianchi : Il venditore d’antichità. Elle se penche d’abord sur l’auteur qui commença sa carrière comme peintre avant de se centrer sur le commerce de l’art et la numismatique. Elle examine ensuite les « marchands d’antiquités » comme un sous-genre de la peinture néo-pompéienne, avant d’identifier l’extraordinaire assemblage de chefs-d’œuvre ici rassemblés par Capobianchi. Il venditore d’antichità apparaît à la fois comme unique et emblématique. Au-delà de l’attrait immédiat provoqué par cette charmante scène de rue, peinte avec une technique quasi-photographique (de la qualité des artistes les plus reconnus de l’époque tels Alma-Tadema et Siemiradzky), ce tableau résonne comme une forte dénonciation sociale d’un Empire romain prédateur, une image seyante et anticipée du débat contemporain sur le centre et la périphérie.This paper explores the structure and artistic context of Il venditore d’antichità, painted by Vincenzo Capobianchi in 1880. It first describes its author who started his career as a painter before concentrating on art dealing and numismatics. It then takes into consideration the “seller of antiquities” as a subgenre of the Neo-Pompeian painting, before identifying the extraordinary array of masterworks here displayed by Capobianchi. It is argued that Il venditore d’antichità is both unique and emblematic. Beyond the immediate appeal of this charming street view, painted with a near photographic technique (not inferior to the most acclaimed artists of the time, such as Alma-Tadema of Siemiradzky), this painting constitutes a strong social denunciation of the predatory Roman Empire, a suitable and anticipated image for the contemporary “Center-Periphery” issue
A New Approach to Organic Solvent Detection: High reflectivity Bragg reflectors based on a gold nanoparticle/Teflon-like composite materia
No full textHepatitis C Virus Genetic Variability, Human Immune Response, and Genome Polymorphisms: Which Is the Interplay?
No full textHepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is the main cause of chronic hepatitis, affecting an estimated 150 million people worldwide. Initial exposure to HCV is most often followed by chronic hepatitis, with only a minority of individuals spontaneously clearing the virus. The induction of sustained and broadly directed HCV-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses, together with neutralizing antibodies (nAb), and specific genetic polymorphism have been associated with spontaneous resolution of the infection. However, due to its high variability, HCV is able to overwhelm the host immune response through the rapid acquisition of mutations in the epitopes targeted by T cells and neutralizing antibodies. In this context, immune-mediated pressure represents the main force in driving HCV evolution. This review summarizes the data on HCV diversity and the current state of knowledge about the contributions of antibodies, T cells, and host genetic polymorphism in driving HCV evolution in vivo
High reflectivity Bragg reflectors based on a gold nanoparticle/Teflon-like composite material as a new approach to the organic solvent detection
No full textWe report on the properties of a new optical sensing element for organic solvents based on polymeric distributed Bragg reflector (DBR), which can be easily interfaced with optical fibers. The DBR is a periodic stack of alternating Teflon-like and gold nanoparticle/Teflon-like composite layers showing high reflectivity in the optical telecommunication spectral range and sensing proper-ties due to the peculiar absorbing properties of the composite layers. The swelling of the composite layers in presence of organic vapors causes a DBR periodicity change and this results in the shift of the high reflectivity window
Produzione di interferon in vitro: induzione in cellule leucocitarie umane con antigene di Cytomegalovirus
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Evolutionary trends of resistance mutational patterns of HBV reverse transcriptase over years (2002–2012) of different treatment regimens: The legacy of lamivudine/adefovir combination treatment
No full textThe immune response as a double-edged sword: The lesson learnt during the COVID-19 pandemic
No full textThe COVID-19 pandemic has represented an unprecedented challenge for the humanity, and scientists around the world provided a huge effort to elucidate critical aspects in the fight against the pathogen, useful in designing public health strategies, vaccines and therapeutic approaches. One of the first pieces of evidence characterizing the SARS-CoV-2 infection has been its breadth of clinical presentation, ranging from asymptomatic to severe/deadly disease, and the indication of the key role played by the immune response in influencing disease severity. This review is aimed at summarizing what the SARS-CoV-2 infection taught us about the immune response, highlighting its features of a double-edged sword mediating both protective and pathogenic processes. We will discuss the protective role of soluble and cellular innate immunity and the detrimental power of a hyper-inflammation-shaped immune response, resulting in tissue injury and immunothrombotic events. We will review the importance of B- and T-cell immunity in reducing the clinical severity and their ability to cross-recognize viral variants
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