Search results for "Biological Tissue"
showing 10 items of 57 documents
Low bone mineral density in HIV-positive young Italians and migrants.
2020
Background Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected individuals may have osteoporosis. We aimed to evaluate the bone mineral density (BMD) in naïve antiretroviral (ARV) treated HIV positive patients comparing native Italian group (ItG) to a Migrants group (MiG) upon arrival in Italy. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study on 83 HIV patients less than 50 years old. We used the dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) within six months from the HIV diagnosis. Participants were categorized as having low BMD if the femoral neck or total lumbar spine Z-score was– 2 or less. Results MiG showed low BMD more often than ItG (37.5% vs.13.6%), especially for the female gender (16.7% vs. 0.0%). …
Quantification of intramuscular fat in patients with late-onset Pompe disease by conventional magnetic resonance imaging for the long-term follow-up …
2018
Objective The objective of this study was to evaluate a quantitative method based on conventional T1-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) imaging to assess fatty muscular degeneration in patients with late-onset Pompe disease and to compare it with semi-quantitative visual evaluation (the Mercuri score). In addition, a long-term retrospective data analysis was performed to evaluate treatment response to enzyme replacement therapy with alglucosidase alfa. Methods MR images of the lumbar spine were acquired in 41 patients diagnosed with late-onset Pompe disease from 2006 through 2015. Two independent readers retrospectively evaluated fatty degeneration of the psoas and paraspinal muscles by apply…
Impact of periodontal treatment on the RANKL/OPG ratio in crevicular fluid.
2020
Aim Alveolar resorption is one of the most important events in periodontitis. Osteoclast activity is regulated by the ratio between receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin (OPG). The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in the RANKL/OPG ratio in crevicular fluid after periodontal treatment. Material and methods A total of 15 patients with periodontitis were included in the study group. Samples were collected from an area with active periodontitis and a healthy area. The RANKL and OPG levels were measured before and after periodontal scaling and root planing (SRP) treatment. The study group was compared to the control group, which included 10 patients without peri…
Muscle Activity Adaptations to Spinal Tissue Creep in the Presence of Muscle Fatigue.
2016
Aim The aim of this study was to identify adaptations in muscle activity distribution to spinal tissue creep in presence of muscle fatigue. Methods Twenty-three healthy participants performed a fatigue task before and after 30 minutes of passive spinal tissue deformation in flexion. Right and left erector spinae activity was recorded using large-arrays surface electromyography (EMG). To characterize muscle activity distribution, dispersion was used. During the fatigue task, EMG amplitude root mean square (RMS), median frequency and dispersion in x- and y-axis were compared before and after spinal creep. Results Important fatigue-related changes in EMG median frequency were observed during m…
Differential modulation and prognostic values of immune-escape genes in uveal melanoma
2019
Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common primary intraocular cancer in adults. In the present study, we aimed to characterize the immunological features of primary UM cancer and to provide an association with prognostic markers and outcome. Also, we assessed the influence of the microenvironment on the expression of inhibitory immune checkpoints in UM. Genes of interest included MHC Class I and Class II molecules, as well as inhibitory immune-checkpoints, i.e. PDL1, PDL2, B7-H3, B7-H4, TBFRSF6B, CD47, CD155, GAL9, HVEM and CD200. We observed significant lower levels of MHC genes in UM cells as compared to normal uveal melanocytes. Unexpectedly however, the expression levels of most of the ana…
Intraosseous monitoring of drilling in lumbar vertebrae by ultrasound: An experimental feasibility study.
2016
The rationale for this project is to evaluate the efficiency of a novel sonographic method for measurements of interosseous distances. The method utilizes a propagating ultrasonic beam through aqueous milieu which is directed as a jet into a drilled tract. We used a plastic model of human L5 vertebra and ex vivo specimen of L5 porcine vertebra and generated 2 mm in diameter tracts in vertebral pedicles. The tracts were created in the "desired" central direction and in the "wrong" medial and lateral directions. The drilled tracts and the residual, up to opposite cortex, distances were measured sonographically and mechanically and compared statistically. We show that "true" mechanical measure…
Effective diffusion coefficient and diffusion-controlled reactions in insulating solids with defects
1995
Abstract The expressions for effective diffusion coefficient are obtained in the mean field approximation for two-phase system for spatial dimensions of 1, 2 and 3. The existence of potential barrier for diffusion on the phase boundary was taken into account via the boundary conditions. Obtained formulae could be applied in the theory of diffusion-controlled reactions and for interpreting the experimental data on defect diffusion in two-phase media.
Shell Extracts from the Marine Bivalve Pecten maximus Regulate the Synthesis of Extracellular Matrix in Primary Cultured Human Skin Fibroblasts
2014
International audience; Mollusc shells are composed of more than 95% calcium carbonate and less than 5% of an organic matrix consisting mostly of proteins, glycoproteins and polysaccharides. Previous studies have elucidated the biological activities of the shell matrices from bivalve molluscs on skin, especially on the expression of the extracellular matrix components of fibroblasts. In this work, we have investigated the potential biological activities of shell matrix components extracted from the shell of the scallop Pecten maximus on human fibroblasts in primary culture. Firstly, we demonstrated that shell matrix components had different effects on general cellular activities. Secondly, …
In vitro and in vivo investigations of osteogenic differentiation ability of dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) and gingival mesenchymal stem cells (GMSC…
2020
Thanks to the use of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs), smart biomaterials and active biomolecules, Regenerative Medicine (RM) and Bone Tissue Engineering (BTE) can restore structure and function of injured tissues. Among the different sources of hMSCs, the oro-facial hMSCs have promising in vitro and in vivo regeneration potential; in particular, dental pulp and gingiva are valuable sources of autologous hMSCs. The aim of this PhD thesis is testing the in vitro and in vivo bone regeneration ability of hMSCs isolated from dental pulp and inflamed gingiva of periodontally-compromised teeth, up to now considered biological waste tissues and discarded during surgical procedures, on two comm…
Evolution of the complex permittivity of biological tissue at microwaves ranges: Correlation study with burn depth
2014
The evolution of the muscle tissue's complex permittivity represents a growing interest in terms of characterization in medicine and biology. The influence of a burned part on the permittivity is not very developed. In this work, an estimation of the complex permittivity of biological tissues is performed as a function of the depth of burn tissues. The sensor, an open-ended coaxial probe, is placed directly against each sample. The evolution of the complex permittivity is studied for two measurements conditions (in the air and in a physiological solution). A correlation study is attempted with the depth of burn tissue.