475 research outputs found
The complement component C3 is expressed by the endometrial ectopic tissue and is involved in the endometriotic lesion formation
No full textOP28
The complement component C3 is expressed by the
endometrial ectopic tissue and is involved in the
endometriotic lesion formation
C. Agostinis 1, G. Zito 1, D. De Santo1, R. Vidergar2,
O. Radillo 1, F. Bossi 1, S. Zorzet2, G. Ricci 1,
R. Bulla 2
1 Institute for Maternal and Child Health, IRCCS
Burlo Garofolo, Trieste, Italy
2 Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste,
Trieste, Italy
E-mail address: [email protected] (C. Agostinis).
Background: The complement (C) system is one of the major
components of humoral innate immunity, acting as the first lines
of defence against microbes. The principal roles of C system are the
opsonization and lysis of pathogens, but new roles in inflammatory
and immunological processes are emerging. It is involved in numerous
inflammatory diseases, such as SLE, PNH and endometriosis
(EM).
Several groups have been demonstrated that the glandular
epithelial cells found in endometriotic implants produce and
secrete the C component C3. The aim of this work was to confirm
the presence of C3 the in the ectopic tissue compared to the eutopic
one, and investigate the role of C3 in the pathogenesis of EM.
Methods:Weinvestigated by immunofluorescence, the expression
of C3 on sections of endometriotic cysts and healthy uterus;
we performed RT-qPCR experiments to highlight the synthesis of
this C component at local level. We set up a murine in vivo model
of endometriosis based on the injection of minced uterine tissue
from a donor mouse, into the peritoneum of a receiving animal.
Results: We confirmed the presence of C3 selectively in the
ectopic and not in eutopic endometrium, and the local synthesis
of C3 in endometriotic tissue. We observed a greater amount of
cyst formation in the peritoneum of WT mice compared to C3 KO
mice.Conclusion: We concluded that C3 can actually be considered a
marker of EM and that the local synthesis of this C component can
promote the engraftment of the cysts
Constructing regionalism in South America : the cases of sectoral cooperation on transport infrastructure and energy
No full textFirst online: 29 January 2018This article contributes to the study of South American regionalism focusing on the emergence of sectoral cooperation starting in 2000. To do so, the article analyses two policy areas transport infrastructure and energy integration-addressing two questions: Why has regional cooperation emerged despite the absence of economic interdependence and market driven demand for economic integration? And why are policy outcomes evident in some areas (i.e. transport infrastructure) while limited in others (i.e. energy)? It is argued that the emergence of regional cooperation as well as the variation in policy outcomes between areas can be explained largely by the articulation of a regional leadership and its effect on the convergence of state preferences. The article shows how the Brazilian leadership, incentivised by the effects of the US-led Free Trade Area of the Americas negotiations and the financial crises that hit the region in the late 1990s, made state preferences converge towards a regionalist project encompassing all South American countries by making visible the mutual benefits of cooperation on transport infrastructure and energy. In the case of energy, however, the emergence of a second regional leadership project - pursued by Chavez's Venezuela- and deep preference divergence led sectoral cooperation into a gridlock
Vibration loosening analysis and simulation of preloaded threaded fasteners
No full textLoosening is widely regarded as one of the main failure modes of threaded fasteners, as confirmed by a survey of 100 automobile dealers in the Detroit Metropolitan area, which revealed how an average of 23% of the service issues were (still in 1988) related to loosening of fasteners. Indeed, some automakers reported peaks of service issues related to loose fasteners close to 40%, the greatest areas of concern being rocker arms, the oil pan, engine mounts and the body in general. Over the years, the literature consistently reported several different failure scenarios of threaded connections whose root cause can be traced to loosening. The present chapter aims at giving a basic understanding of the phenomenon of bolt self-loosening, starting with a definition of self-loosening and, more specifically, vibrational loosening
Special issue on new trends in mechanical design and product development
No full textThis special issue is devoted to a special selection of the best papers presented at the Mechanics and Materials in Design International Conference (M2D 2019) held in Bologna (Italy) in 2019. The M2D 2019 was the eighth international meeting of the M2D series, gathering hundreds of scientists and engineers interested in the fields of mechanics, engineering design, advanced materials, energy harvesting, reliability, quality, and safety engineering. It was held between 4th and 6th of September 2019. Almost 160 contributions in the fields of Mechanics, Materials and Design at varied length scales, as well as Biomechanics and Experimental and Computational Mechanics applied to Mechanical, Aeronautical, Automotive, Biomedical, Environmental, and Nuclear Engineering were submitted to the Scientific board. The best 100 of those papers were selected for an oral presentation with the goal to enable engineers, researchers and scientists to exchange ideas on the following and other derivative topics
Experimentally validated structural finite element method analysis of a tibial intramedullary nail: Optimal choice of the contact settings
No full textThis article focuses on the static structural analysis of a tibial intramedullary nail, carried out by the finite element method. The investigated subject is concerned with the issue of frictional contacts that, generating a non-linear problem, play an important role in numerical analyses. Experimental tests were also developed on tibial intramedullary nail specimens. The experimental results, in terms of force–displacement, were used to calibrate and validate the finite element analysis, by tuning the contact parameters available in the software
A non-redundant role of complement protein C1q in normal and adverse pregnancy
No full textAvailability of data and materials: Not applicable.Copyright © The Author(s) 2022. Complement component 1q (C1q) is the recognition molecule of the classical pathway of the complement system that can bind to an array of closely spaced antigen-bound immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM antibodies. In addition to its involvement in defence against a range of pathogens and clearance of apoptotic and necrotic cells, C1q has also been implicated in immune and non-immune homeostasis. C1q is locally produced by immune cells such as monocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells. C1q is also synthesized by decidual endothelial cells, thus acting as a link between decidual cells and trophoblasts, as well as contributing to the remodelling of spiral arteries. Furthermore, C1q is produced by the extravillous trophoblasts (EVTs) invading the decidua. As a pro-angiogenic molecule, C1q is also important for normal placentation processes as it favors the active angiogenesis in the developing decidua. These observations have been validated by C1q gene knock-out mice which showed pre-eclampsia (PE)-like symptoms, characterized by hypertension, proteinuria, glomerular endotheliosis, and increased soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1)/placental growth factor (PlGF) ratio, and increased oxidative stress. The role of C1q in normal and adverse human pregnancy is being studied extensively due to its absence or low level as a likely precipitating factor for the development of PE.Funding: Not applicable
Design of a cutting head for a crosscutting machine
No full textThe present paper deals with the structural analysis and the re-design of a cutting head for an automatic crosscutting machine. The machine is already marketed, and can process rectangular section wooden slats. The principal goal of this work is to develop a new mechanism capable of enhancing the productivity of the machine by around 80%. The work has been carried out by means of both numerical finite element analysis tools and analytical models. In fact, a secondary aim of the research is to define an analytical model which can capture the dynamic behavior of the device: this tool will be helpful to the design engineer in order to save costs associated with the development of future head designs
L’EFFETTO DELL’INTERFERENZA SULLA VITA A FATICA DI PIATTI FORATI IN ACCIAIO
No full textIl presente lavoro riguarda l’influenza dell’accoppiamento per interferenza di una spina sulla vita a fatica di piatti forati. Tale effetto è stato studiato sia dal punto di vista sperimentale che da quello numerico. Prove di fatica a carico assiale sono state eseguite su piatti forati in un acciaio micro-legato di nuova generazione (avente un carico di rottura di 896 MPa ed un limite allo snervamento di 640 MPa). Sono state considerate le due condizioni con e senza il forzamento di una spina dello stesso materiale nei rispettivi fori centrali. Due tipologie di provini sono quindi state provate, con foro libero e con interferenza specifica nominale pari allo 0,6%. Le curve S-N sperimentali hanno mostrato come i provini con la spina forzata presentino una vita a fatica maggiore rispetto a quelli in condizioni di foro libero. Lo studio numerico è stato eseguito per simulare il campo di tensione in stato elasto-plastico in un intorno del foro, con o senza la spina forzata. I risultati indicano una significativa riduzione dell’ampiezza di tensione locale a seguito del forzamento, imputabile alle tensioni residue in esso generate
The use of quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction to quantify some rumen bacterial strains in an in vitro rumen system
No full textThe aim of this work was to quantify four rumen bacterial strains (Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens, Ruminococcus albus, Streptococcus bovis, Megasphaera elsdenii) in an in vitro batch rumen fermentative system by quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The experiment was a 2×2 factorial arrangement with two types of liquid rumen, collected from dairy cows (DC) and fattening bulls (FB) and two types of fermentation substrate (forage:concentrate ratios, 75:25 and 25:75) and was replicated in two fermentation runs. Fermentation fluids from FB compared to those from DC had lower pH, higher total VFA concentrations (averages of 0 and 24 h samplings, 6.70 vs 7.04 and 72.6 vs 42.7 mmol/l P<0.001) and contained less acetic (P=0.014) and more propionic (P<0.01) and butyric (P=0.029) acids. The two types of substrates incubated produced very small differences in the end fermentation products. B. fibrosolvens concentrations were higher (P<0.001) in the DC fermentation fluids compared to that from bulls (averages of 0 and 24 h sampling times, 3.47 vs 1.38 x109 copies /mL), while M. elsdenii was detected only in FB fermentation fluids. R. albus and S. bovisconcentrations were not different between the two types of rumen liquid. With the only exception for B. fibrosolvens, bacteria strains considered in this study increased their concentrations in the fermentation fluid during the 24 h of in vitro incubation
Effect of the Position in the Build Chamber on the Fatigue Strength of Additively Manufactured Maraging Steel MS1
No full textThe quality of additively produced parts and the achievable mechanical response may be affected by several factors, such as build orientation, heat treatment, or machining. A further rarely investigated factor is the position of the built part in the chamber with respect to inert gas flow. Previous studies have highlighted that the interaction between gas flow and laser track may induce an intense vaporization with consequent lack of fusion, particle entrainment, drop in density and denudation of the produced part, which is likely to detrimentally affect mechanical properties. This study addresses the effect of part position on the fatigue strength of heat-treated maraging steel MS1 produced by an EOSINT M280 machine in a nitrogen environment. Novelty arises from the lack of studies in this field, especially under fatigue. A factorial plan with subsequent statistical analysis highlighted that positioning the part upstream with respect to the gas flow leads to a slightly lower fatigue strength; however, no significant differences are observed. The failure mode, involving initiation from subsurface porosities of the same size, is also unaffected. Finally, a fatigue limit of 26% of the ultimate tensile strength is found, which is consistent with previous outcomes
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