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showing 10 items of 52 documents
In situ structural analysis of SARS-CoV-2 spike reveals flexibility mediated by three hinges
2020
Flexible spikes The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein enables viral entry into host cells by binding to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor and is a major target for neutralizing antibodies. About 20 to 40 spikes decorate the surface of virions. Turoňová et al. now show that the spike is flexibly connected to the viral surface by three hinges that are well protected by glycosylation sites. The flexibility imparted by these hinges may explain how multiple spikes act in concert to engage onto the flat surface of a host cell. Science, this issue p. 203
Diabetic foot syndrome: Immune-inflammatory features as possible cardiovascular markers in diabetes
2015
Diabetic foot ulcerations have been extensively reported as vascular complications of diabetes mellitus associated with a high degree of morbidity and mortality. Diabetic foot syndrome (DFS), as defined by the World Health Organization, is an "ulceration of the foot (distally from the ankle and including the ankle) associated with neuropathy and different grades of ischemia and infection". Pathogenic events able to cause diabetic foot ulcers are multifactorial. Among the commonest causes of this pathogenic pathway it's possible to consider peripheral neuropathy, foot deformity, abnormal foot pressures, abnormal joint mobility, trauma, peripheral artery disease. Several studies reported how …
Nanotechnology applications for the therapy of liver fibrosis.
2013
Chronic liver diseases represent a major global health problem both for their high prevalence worldwide and, in the more advanced stages, for the limited available curative treatment options. In fact, when lesions of different etiologies chronically affect the liver, triggering the fibrogenesis mechanisms, damage has already occurred and the progression of fibrosis will have a major clinical impact entailing severe complications, expensive treatments and death in end-stage liver disease. Despite significant advances in the understanding of the mechanisms of liver fibrinogenesis, the drugs used in liver fibrosis treatment still have a limited therapeutic effect. Many drugs showing potent ant…
Genetic association of interleukin-6 polymorphism (-174 G/C) with chronic liver diseases and hepatocellular carcinoma
2012
Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a pleiotropic cytokine which is expressed in many inflammatory cells in response to different types of stimuli, regulating a number of biological processes. The IL-6 gene is polymorphic in both the 5’ and 3’ flanking regions and more than 150 single nucleotide polymorphisms have been identified so far. Genetic polymorphisms of IL-6 may affect the outcomes of several diseases, where the presence of high levels of circulating IL-6 have been correlated to the stage and/or the progression of the disease itself. The -174 G/C polymorphism is a frequent polymorphism, that is located in the upstream regulatory region of the IL-6 gene and affects IL-6 production. However, the…
Treatment of COVID-19 with MSCs: how does it work?
2021
The infusion of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) potentially improves clinical symptoms, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. We conducted a randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled (29 patients/group) phase II clinical trial to validate previous findings and explore the potential mechanisms. Patients treated with umbilical cord-derived MSCs exhibited a shorter hospital stay (P = 0.0198) and less time required for symptoms remission (P = 0.0194) than those who received placebo. Based on chest images, both severe and critical patients treated with MSCs showed improvement by day 7 (P = 0.0099) and day 21 (P = 0.0084). MSC-treated pat…
Functional characterization of the dural sinuses as a neuroimmune interface
2021
Summary Despite the established dogma of central nervous system (CNS) immune privilege, neuroimmune interactions play an active role in diverse neurological disorders. However, the precise mechanisms underlying CNS immune surveillance remain elusive; particularly, the anatomical sites where peripheral adaptive immunity can sample CNS-derived antigens and the cellular and molecular mediators orchestrating this surveillance. Here, we demonstrate that CNS-derived antigens in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) accumulate around the dural sinuses, are captured by local antigen-presenting cells, and are presented to patrolling T cells. This surveillance is enabled by endothelial and mural cells formin…
L’inclusione vista dagli alunni: costruzione e validazione del questionario per rilevare la qualità inclusiva della scuola
2018
Molti studi nazionali e internazionali si sono concentrati sulla valutazione e sulla promozione della qualità inclusiva della scuola. Si tratta di un argomento complesso, che ha stimolato un ampio dibattito e una varietà di contributi che mettono in luce la necessità di uno strumento in grado di misurare la qualità inclusiva delle nostre scuole, per determinare l’evidenza empirica riguardo a questo tema. L’articolo presenta i risultati di una sperimentazione finalizzata alla redazione di un questionario per la rilevazione della qualità inclusiva del sistema scolastico percepita dagli alunni. Il questionario si pone come uno strumento di valutazione e autovalutazione che permette la misurazi…
Viaggi nell’immaginario: il turismo virtuale nel sito UNESCO di Tarragona
2023
Le nuove tecnologie hanno trasformato in modo radicale non solo la geografia come disciplina, ma anche le geografie del mondo. Il digitale ha assunto, infatti, un ruolo di mediazione sempre più pervasivo nella produzione dello spazio, come delle conoscenze e degli immaginari geografici. Le possibilità offerte dal virtuale, in particolare, offrono oggi un contributo decisivo nella comunicazione dei significati attribuiti ai luoghi e rispondono in modo sempre più efficace ai bisogni emergenti del settore turistico. Le esperienze di visita mediate dal digitale mirano a coinvolgere i sensi e risultano efficaci quando promuovono immersioni rigorosamente realistiche. Nel quadro di queste riflessi…
Staging systems of hepatocellular carcinoma: A review of literature
2013
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major health problem with a high incidence and mortality all over the world. Natural history of HCC is severe and extremely variable, and prognostic factors influencing outcomes are incompletely defined. Over time, many staging and scoring systems have been proposed for the classification and prognosis of patients with HCC. Currently, the non-ideal predictive performance of existing prognostic systems is secondary to their inherent limitations, as well as to a non-universal reproducibility and transportability of the results in different populations. New serological and histological markers are still under evaluation with promising results, but they requi…
Peritoneal carcinosis of ovarian origin
2010
Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the second most common genital malignancy in women and is the most lethal gynecological malignancy, with an estimated five-year survival rate of 39%. Despite efforts to develop an effective ovarian cancer screening method, 60% of patients still present with advanced disease. Comprehensive management using surgical cytoreduction to decrease the tumor load to a minimum, and intraperitoneal chemotherapy to eliminate microscopic disease on peritoneal surface, has the potential to greatly improve quality of life and to have an impact on survival in ovarian cancer patients. Despite achieving clinical remission after completion of initial treatment, most patients…