Search results for " Biochimica"
showing 10 items of 642 documents
RNA-Binding Proteins as Epigenetic Regulators of Brain Functions and Their Involvement in Neurodegeneration.
2022
A central aspect of nervous system development and function is the post-transcriptional regulation of mRNA fate, which implies time- and site-dependent translation, in response to cues originating from cell-to-cell crosstalk. Such events are fundamental for the establishment of brain cell asymmetry, as well as of long-lasting modifications of synapses (long-term potentiation: LTP), responsible for learning, memory, and higher cognitive functions. Post-transcriptional regulation is in turn dependent on RNA-binding proteins that, by recognizing and binding brief RNA sequences, base modifications, or secondary/tertiary structures, are able to control maturation, localization, stability, and tr…
Preliminary results on the effects exerted in vitro by lycopene extracted from halobacteria living in salt-work of trapani (Western Sicily, Italy).
2008
The Value of a Complete Blood Count (CBC) for Sepsis Diagnosis and Prognosis.
2021
Sepsis represents an important global health burden due to its high mortality and morbidity. The rapid detection of sepsis is crucial in order to prevent adverse outcomes and reduce mortality. However, the diagnosis of sepsis is still challenging and many efforts have been made to identify reliable biomarkers. Unfortunately, many investigated biomarkers have several limitations that do not support their introduction in clinical practice, such as moderate diagnostic and prognostic accuracy, long turn-around time, and high-costs. Complete blood count represents instead a precious test that provides a wealth of information on individual health status. It can guide clinicians to early-identify …
CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION AND BIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF MACROALGAE EXTRACTS
2023
Marine species are a rich source of bioactive molecules and among them, it is known that marine algae produce different secondary metabolites for which different biological activities such as: immunomodulatory (Raposo et al., 2016), antioxidant (Fisch et al., 2003) and antimicrobial (Pinteus et al., 2015) were demostrated. The aim of this study was chemical charac- terize the extracts of three macroalgae species: Carpodesmia crinite (Duby, Orellana & Sansón, 2019), Carpodesmia brachy- carpa (J. Agardh, Orellana & Sansón 2019, WoRMS, 2023), Ericaria brachycarpa (J. Agardh, Molinari & Guiry, 2020), Asparagopsis taxiformis (Delile) Trevisan 1845) to evaluate also their biological a…
Ruolo citotossico del cannabinoide sintetico WIN55,212-2 in cellule di osteosarcoma MG63: coinvolgimento della proteina SPARC.
Il cannabinoide sintetico WIN 55,212-2 è un potente agonista sintetico del recettore per i cannabinoidi con spiccate potenzialità antitumorali. Gli esperimenti riportati in questa tesi sono stati condotti per delineare gli effetti indotti dal WIN sulla proliferazione, la migrazione e la sensibilizzazione alla morte indotta dalla citochina TRAIL in cellule di osteosarcoma umano MG63. I risultati ottenuti mostrano che il WIN induce un blocco del ciclo cellulare in fase G2/M che è associato all’induzione dei principali markers di ER stress (GRP78, CHOP e TRB3). Nelle cellule trattate abbiamo inoltre osservato la conversione della forma citosolica del marker autofagosomale LC3-I in LC3-II (la f…
Biochemical adaptations in middle-distance runners: an assessment of blood and anthropometric parameters
2014
In order to understand the mechanism underlying the physiological adaptation of purely aerobic workout, we investigated the effect of 2 months of training on nine males (17-22 year-old) middle distance running agonistic athletes. Blood sample was collected in the morning to analyze: hematological parameters, lipid profile, liver function enzymes [glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase, glutamate pyruvate transaminase, gamma-glutamyl transferase (γ-GT)] and skeletal and myocardial markers of muscle damage [creatin kinase (CK) and creatin kinase MB (CK-MB)]. Endurance training, as it implies high oxygen consumption, should increase reactive oxygen species, but it has been shown that exercise lea…
Raman Spectroscopy Technology to Monitor the Carotenoids in Skin of Thalassemia Patients: A Novel Non-Invasive Tool Relating Oxidative Stress with Ir…
2014
In this work we approach the relationship between redox state and iron overload by noninvasive instrumental techniques. Intracardiac, liver iron and liver fibrosis have been monitored in transfusion-dependent thalassemia patients by magnetic resonance imaging and hepatic transient elastography examinations. These measurements have been matched with a non-invasive, and yet unexplored in clinical practice, evaluation of body’s oxidative stress through measurement of antioxidant carotenoids in skin, by a spectroscopic method based on Raman technology (RRS). The global body’s antioxidant status results from a balance between the level of antioxidants in cells and body fluids, including blood, a…
Aquaporin-4 distribution in control and stressed astrocytes in culture and in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with traumatic brain injuries
2012
Distribution of aquaporin-4 (AQP4) was studied by western analysis and immunofluorescence in rat astrocytes exposed to either hypothermic (30 °C) or hyperosmolar (0.45 M sucrose) stress, and in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients who suffered traumatic brain injury (TBI). CSF was obtained from 5 healthy subjects and from 20 patients suffering from severe TBI. CSF samples were taken at admission and on days 3 and 5-7. Here we report that, in response to both hypothermia and hyperosmolar stress, AQP4 was markedly reduced in cultured astrocytes. We also found that AQP4 significantly increased in patients with severe brain injury in respect to healthy subjects (P < 0.002). AQP4 in CSF rem…
PPAR alpha gene variants as predicted performance-enhancing polymorphisms in professional Italian soccer players
2014
Patrizia Proia,1 Antonino Bianco,1 Gabriella Schiera,2 Patrizia Saladino,2 Valentina Contr&ograve;,1 Giovanni Caramazza,3 Marcello Traina,1 Keith A Grimaldi,4 Antonio Palma,1 Antonio Paoli5 1Sport and Exercise Sciences Research Unit, 2Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy; 3Regional Sports School of CONI Sicilia, Sicily, Italy; 4Biomedical Engineering Laboratory, Institute of Communication and Computer Systems, National Technical University of Athens, Athens, Greece; 5Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padua, Italy Background: The PPAR&alpha; gene encodes the peroxisome proliferato…
Angiogenic and/or pro-apoptotic factors are shed from brain cells via extracellular vesicles
2008
We set a three-cell type coculture system in which neurons and astrocytes synergistically induce brain capillary endothelial cells to form a monolayer with permeability properties resembling those of the physiological blood-brain barrier (BBB) (Schiera et al., 2003; Schiera et al., 2005). On the basis of immunofluorescence, scanner electron microscopy and western blot analyses, we also suggested that both astrocytes and neurons in culture shed extracellular vesicles that contain FGF-2 and VEGF, as well as beta1-integrin, a membrane protein that can be considered a marker of shedding (Schiera et al, 2007; Proia et al., 2008). In addition, it was already known that transformed glial cells (ol…