1,721,337 research outputs found

    E-cigarettes induce toxicological effects that can raise the cancer risk. The contribute of EPR radical trapping technique

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    E-cigarettes induce toxicological effects that can raise the cancer risk. The contribute of EPR radical probe technique Donatella Canistro1, Fabio Vivarelli1, Silvia Cirillo1, Andrea Sapone1, Moreno Paolini1, Paola Franchi2, Marco Lucarini2 1Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology (University of Bologna, Via Irnerio 48, I-40126 Bologna, Italy) 2Department of Chemistry “G. Ciamician” (University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 11, I-40126 Bologna, Italy) E-mail: [email protected] Electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) are devices designed to deliver nicotine in a vaping solution rather than smoke and without tobacco combustion. Perceived as a safer alternative to conventional cigarettes, e-cigs are aggressively marketed as lifestyle-choice consumables, thanks to few restrictions and a lack of regulatory guidelines. Despite the burgeoning worldwide consumption of e-cigs, their safety remains largely unproven and it is unknown whether these devices cause in vivo toxicological effects that could contribute to cancer. Here we illustrate the contribute of EPR radical probe technique in a study where it was possible to demonstrate the co-mutagenic and cancer-initiating effects of e-cig vapour in a rat lung model. It was found that e-cig have a powerful booster effect on phase-I carcinogen-bioactivating enzymes, and increase oxygen free radical production and DNA oxidation. We are able to indirectly evaluate the content of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in lungs tissues of exposed rats, by using an appropriate hydroxylamine that in the presence of transient radical species gives rise to a persistent nitroxide radical. (see Scheme 1) Scheme 1 We found a significant increase of radical species production in samples of lungs tissues from exposed rats compared to samples from non-exposed animals. [1] Canistro, D.; Vivarelli, F.; Cirillo, S.; Babot Marquillas, C.; Buschini, A.; Lazzaretti, M.;Marchi, L.; Cardenia, V.; Rodriguez-Estrada, M.T.; Lodovici, M.; Cipriani, C.; Lorenzini, A.; Croco, E.; Marchionni, S.; Franchi, P.; Lucarini, M.; Longo, V.; Della Croce, C.M.; Vornoli, A.; Colacci, A.; Vaccari, M.; Sapone, A.; Paolini, M. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS. 2017, DOI:10.1038/s41598-017-02317-8 [2] Vivarelli, F.; Canistro, D.; Franchi, P.; Sapone, A.; Vornoli, A.; Della Croce, C.; Lucarini, M.; Paolini, M. Life Sciences, 2016, 145, 166-173. DOI:10.1016/j.lfs.2015.12.033 [3] Fabbri, R.; Sapone, A.; Paolini, M.; Vivarelli, F.; Franchi, P.; Lucarini, M.; Pasquinelli, G.; Vicenti, R.; Macciocca, M.; Venturoli, S.; Canistro, D. Hystology and Hystopatology, 2015, 30, 725-730 DOI: 10.14670/HH-30.72

    Teoremi di confronto tra diverse nozioni di movimento secondo la curvatura media

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    Comparison theorems between different notions of motion by mean curvature. In this note we state some comparison theorems between De Giorgi's definition of motion by mean curvature using the barriers method and the evolutions defined with the methods of Evans-Spruck, Chen-Giga-Goto, Giga-Goto-Ishii-Sato

    Some results on minimal barriers in the sense of De Giorgi applied to driven motion by mean curvature

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    We prove some properties of the minimal barriers in the sense of De Giorgi for the driven mean curvature flow in codimension one. We compare the resulting evolution with an abstract evolution, and in particular with the evolution defined with the methods of Evans-Spruck, Chen-Giga-Goto, and Giga-Goto-Ishii-Sato

    Two examples of fattening for the curvature flow with a driving force

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    We provide two examples of a regular curve evolving by curvature with a forcing term, which degenerates in a set having an interior part after a finite time

    Quasi-optimal error estimates for the mean curvature flow with a forcing term

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    We study a singularly perturbed reaction-diffusion equation with a small parameter ϵ>0\epsilon>0. This problem is viewed as an approximation of the evolution of an interface by its mean curvature with a forcing term. We derive a quasi-optimal error estimate of order \O(\epsilon^2|\log\epsilon|^2) for the interfaces, which is valid before the onset of singularities, by constructing suitable sub and super solutions. The proof relies on the behaviour at infinity of functions appearing in the truncated asymptotic expansion, and by using a modified distance function combined with a vertical shift

    On the area of the graph of a singular map from the plane to the plane taking three values

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    We improve an estimate given by Acerbi and Dal Maso in 1994, concerning the area of the graph of a singular map from the disk of R2 into R2, taking only three values, and jumping on three half-lines meeting at the origin in a triple junction

    Anisotropic motion by mean curvature in the context of Finsler geometry

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    We study the anisotropic motion of a hypersurface in the context of the geometry of Finsler spaces. This amounts in considering the evolution in relative geometry, where all quantities are referred to the given Finsler metric ϕ\phi representing the anisotropy, which we allow to be a function of space. Assuming that the anisotropy is strictly convex and smooth, we prove that the natural evolution law is of the form "velocity = HϕH_\phi", where HϕH_\phi is the relative mean curvature vector of the hypersurface. We derive this evolution law using different approches, such as the variational method of Almgren-Taylor-Wang, the Hamilton-Jacobi equation, and the approximation by means of a reaction-diffusion equation

    Numerical simulations of measurements of capillary contact angles

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    In a recent paper, Fischer and Finn have proposed a procedure to improve the accuracy in the measurament of capillary contact angles, based on the use of vessels with canonical cross-sections. We simulate numerically the behaviour of such shapes for a number of cross-sections and fluid contact angles. Our approximation consists of the minimization of a suitable convex functional discretized by finite elements

    Variational properties of an image segmentation functional depending on contours curvature

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    We study a problem of image segmentation involving the length and the curvature of the contours. The (possibly linear) curvature term in the energy functional is introduced, following an idea by Mumford and Nitzberg, in order to reconstruct the hidden parts of the image occluded by regions which are closer to the observer

    Convex approximations of an inhomogeneous anisotropic functional

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    The numerical minimization of the functional F(u)=\int_\Omega \phi(x,\nu_u)|Du|+\int_{\partial\Omega\mu u -\int_\Omega\kappa u, uBV(Ω,1,1)u\in BV(\Omega,{-1,1}), is addressed. The function ϕ\phi is continuous, has linear growth, and is convex and positively homogeneous of degree one in the second variable. We prove that FF can be equivalently minimized on the convex set BV(Ω,[1,1]BV(\Omega,[-1,1] and then regularized with a sequence {Fϵ(u)}ϵ\{F_\epsilon(u)\}_\epsilon of strictly convex functionals. Then both FF and FϵF_\epsilon can be discretized by continuous linear finite elements. The convexity property of the functionals on BV(Ω,[1,1])BV(\Omega,[-1,1]) is useful in the numerical minimization of FF. The Γ\Gamma-convergence of the discrete functionals to F, as well as the compactness of any sequence of discrete absolute minimizers, are proven
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