Search results for "Trace"

Zinc and inflammatory/immune response in aging

2007

Life-long antigenic burden determines a condition of chronic inflammation, with increased lymphocyte activation and proinflammatory cytokine production. A large number of studies have documented changes in zinc metabolism in experimental animal models of acute and chronic inflammation and in human chronic inflammatory conditions. In particular, modification of zinc plasma concentration, as well as intracellular disturbance of antioxidant intracellular pathways, has been found in aging and in some age-related diseases. Zinc deficiency is diffused in aged individuals in order to avoid meat and other high zinc content foods due to fear of cholesterol. Rather, they increase the consumption of r…

Titanium dioxide in dental enamel as a trace element and its variation with bleaching

2017

Background Titanium is a less studied trace element in dental enamel. Literature relates an increased Titanium concentration with a decreased enamel crystal domain size, which in turn is related to a higher color value. The aim of our study was to analyze the effect of tooth bleaching agents on its concentration in dental enamel by means of confocal Raman spectroscopy. Material and methods Human teeth were randomly distributed in six experimental groups (n=10) and submitted to different bleaching protocols according to the manufacturer´s instructions. Confocal Raman spectroscopy was carried out in order to identify and quantify the presence of titanium dioxide molecules in enamel prior to a…

(+)-(E)-Chrysanthenyl Acetate: A Molecule with Interesting Biological Properties Contained in the Anthemis secundiramea (Asteraceae) Flowers

2020

Anthemis secundiramea is a perennial herb native widespread throughout the Mediterranean basin. The oil obtained from the flowers of this plant has antimicrobial properties against gram-positive and -negative bacteria, and inhibits the biofilm formation. The extract of A. secundiramea also has antioxidant activity&mdash

Quantitative identification, distribution and source apportionment of anthropogenic trace metals in marine sediment of Milazzo gulf (N-E Sicily): pre…

2009

Analysis of the relationship between chemistry composition and stable isotope signals in coastal sediments: a biogeochemistry study to assess the env…

2008

Mediterranean coccolith ecobiostratigraphy since the penultimate Glacial (the last 145,000years) and ecobioevent traceability

2015

The Mediterranean Sea is a miniature ocean ideal to test the response of marine ecosystems to amplified orbital and suborbital climate changes. Here we present coccolith data from a Sardinia Channel gravity core (Arcose C_33) analysed over the last 145,000 years, with a mean resolution of about 900 years. The study highlights that regional phytoplankton assemblages underwent significant modifications between the penultimate glacial and the last interglacial, as well as between the last glacial and the Holocene. The N ratio palaeoproductivity index suggests reduced productivity levels and the development of a deep nutricline during the last interglacial and the Holocene. Within the last glac…

Collagen changes in the extracellular matrix of tumor-affected human breast: a tale of OF/LB and type V collagens

2010

It is widely acknowledged that the extracellular matrix (ECM) ofconnective tissues plays active roles in numerous biological processessuch as cell differentiation, life/death promotion and carcinogenesis.Ductal infiltrating carcinoma (DIC) of the breast is a highly metastatictumor histotype commonly associated with drastic massive alterations ofECM architecture and composition, especially concerning its collagenouscomponent. In particular, it was demonstrated that the stroma of DIC ofthe human breast contains a considerable amount of an embryo-foetalcollagen type (OF/LB), while type V collagen, which is a minorcomponent of normal human breast ECM, undergoes over-deposition inthe affected gl…

Endotrophin, a pro-peptide of Type VI collagen, is a biomarker of survival in cirrhotic patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

2021

Aim: Type VI collagen, is emerging as a signaling collagen originating from different types of fibroblasts. A specific fragment of Type VI collagen, the pro-peptide, is also known as the hormone endotrophin. We hypothesized that this fibroblast hormone would be of particular relevance in cancer types with a high amount of fibrosis activity, namely for outcome in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cirrhotic patients. Patients & methods: Plasma C6M, PRO-C6 and alphafeto-protein (AFP) were assessed in 309 patients with mixed etiologies (hepatitis C, hepatitis B, alcohol and nonalcoholic fatty liver) diagnosed as cirrhotics, cirrhotics with HCC, noncirrhotics and healthy controls. Progression-f…

Extracellular matrix fiber microarchitecture is region-specific in bicuspid aortic valve-associated ascending aortopathy

2016

Abstract Objective Ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm (ATAA) in patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) commonly dilate asymmetrically compared with patients with tricuspid aortic valve (TAV). This discrepancy in aneurysm geometry led us to hypothesize that microarchitectural differences underlie the observed asymmetric dilatation pattern. The purpose of this study was to characterize the microarchitectural distinctions of the extracellular matrix of the 2 phenotypes with a focus on the proportion of radially oriented elastin and collagen fibers in different circumferential aortic regions. Methods Aortic tissue rings were obtained just distal to the sinotubular junction from patients with…

Zebrafish Fins as a Model System for Skeletal Human Studies

2007

Recent studies on the morphogenesis of the fins ofDanio rerio(zebrafish) during development and regeneration suggest that a number of inductive signals involved in the process are similar to some of those that affect bone and cartilage differentiation in mammals and humans. Akimenko et al. (2002) has shown that bone morphogenetic protein-2b (BMP2b) is involved in the induction of dermal bone differentiation during fin regeneration. Many other groups have also shown that molecules from the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily (TGFβ), including BMP2, are effective in promoting chondrogenesis and osteogenesisin vivoin higher vertebrates, including humans. In the present study, we review…