Search results for "theoretical"
showing 10 items of 11439 documents
The Good and Bad of Nrf2: An Update in Cancer and New Perspectives in COVID-19
2021
Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a well-known transcription factor best recognised as one of the main regulators of the oxidative stress response. Beyond playing a crucial role in cell defence by transactivating cytoprotective genes encoding antioxidant and detoxifying enzymes, Nrf2 is also implicated in a wide network regulating anti-inflammatory response and metabolic reprogramming. Such a broad spectrum of actions renders the factor a key regulator of cell fate and a strategic player in the control of cell transformation and response to viral infections. The Nrf2 protective roles in normal cells account for its anti-tumour and anti-viral functions. However, Nrf2 over…
Molecular Determinants of Malignant Brain Cancers: From Intracellular Alterations to Invasion Mediated by Extracellular Vesicles
2017
Malignant glioma cells invade the surrounding brain parenchyma, by migrating along the blood vessels, thus promoting cancer growth. The biological bases of these activities are grounded in profound alterations of the metabolism and the structural organization of the cells, which consequently acquire the ability to modify the surrounding microenvironment, by altering the extracellular matrix and affecting the properties of the other cells present in the brain, such as normal glial-, endothelial- and immune-cells. Most of the effects on the surrounding environment are probably exerted through the release of a variety of extracellular vesicles (EVs), which contain many different classes of mol…
Invariant NKT Cells and Rheumatic Disease: Focus on Primary Sjogren Syndrome.
2019
Primary Sjogren syndrome (pSS) is a complex autoimmune disease mainly affecting salivary and lacrimal glands. Several factors contribute to pSS pathogenesis; in particular, innate immunity seems to play a key role in disease etiology. Invariant natural killer (NK) T cells (iNKT) are a T-cell subset able to recognize glycolipid antigens. Their function remains unclear, but studies have pointed out their ability to modulate the immune system through the promotion of specific cytokine milieu. In this review, we discussed the possible role of iNKT in pSS development, as well as their implications as future markers of disease activity.
Interaction of Intestinal Bacteria with Human Rotavirus during Infection in Children
2021
The gut microbiota has emerged as a key factor in the pathogenesis of intestinal viruses, including enteroviruses, noroviruses and rotaviruses (RVs), where stimulatory and inhibitory effects on infectivity have been reported. With the aim of determining whether members of the microbiota interact with RVs during infection, a combination of anti-RV antibody labeling, fluorescence-activated cell sorting and 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing was used to characterize the interaction between specific bacteria and RV in stool samples of children suffering from diarrhea produced by G1P[8] RV. The genera Ruminococcus and Oxalobacter were identified as RV binders in stools, displaying enrichments between …
Salivary Stress/Immunological Markers in Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis
2020
There is continuous and growing interest in research into new alternatives to standard biomarkers to detect and follow-up disease, reducing physical and psychological stress in patients needing regular and invasive medical examinations for the evaluation of pathologies, including inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Saliva is one of the most promising body fluids in the research of new biomarkers, thanks to the large number of molecules it contains. Many molecules present in saliva are often directly correlated to their concentration in the blood but may be affected by the condition of the oral cavity. This means that a careful selection of a specific biomarker is required for each pathology,…
Modeling the heat inactivation of foodborne pathogens in milk powder : High relevance of the substrate water activity
2017
International audience; Due to the ability of foodborne pathogens to survive in low moisture foods, the decontamination of these products is an important issue in food hygiene. Up to now, such decontamination has mostly been achieved through empirical methods. The intention of this work is to establish a more rational use of heat treatment cycles. The effects of thermal treatment cycles on the inactivation of dried Salmonella Typhimurium, Salmonella Senftenberg, Cronobacter sakazakii and Escherichia coli were assessed. Bacteria were mixed with whole milk powder and dried down to different water activity levels (0.11, 0.25, 0.44 and 0.58). The rate of inactivated bacteria was determined afte…
Sterilization of macroscopic poly(l-lactic acid) porous scaffolds withdense carbon dioxide: Investigation of the spatial penetration of thetreatment …
2016
Abstract In this work the sterilization with dense carbon dioxide of poly( l -lactic acid) (PLLA) porous scaffolds intended for tissue engineering applications was investigated with the main objective of confirming the three-dimensional efficacy of the treatment and of analysing the scaffold properties after CO2 treatment. For this purpose the scaffold was contaminated with a conventional bacterium (Escherichia coli) and with spores (Streptomyces coelicolor), a species more fascinating and difficult to inactivate. Contamination was performed in such a way to soak the whole matrix with bacteria and spores. The effect of pressure and treatment time on the efficacy of the sterilization was eva…
Large strain stimulation promotes extracellular matrix production and stiffness in an elastomeric scaffold model
2016
Mechanical conditioning of engineered tissue constructs is widely recognized as one of the most relevant methods to enhance tissue accretion and microstructure, leading to improved mechanical behaviors. The understanding of the underlying mechanisms remains rather limited, restricting the development of in silico models of these phenomena, and the translation of engineered tissues into clinical application. In the present study, we examined the role of large strip-biaxial strains (up to 50%) on ECM synthesis by vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) micro-integrated into electrospun polyester urethane urea (PEUU) constructs over the course of 3 weeks. Experimental results indicated that VSMC …
Pneumococcal Colonization in the Familial Context and Implications for Anti-Pneumococcal Immunization in Adults: Results from the BINOCOLO Project in…
2017
The spread of Streptococcus pneumoniae within families has been scarcely investigated so far. This feasibility study aimed to estimate the prevalence of pneumococcal carriage in school-aged children and co-habiting relatives and to explore the potential link between the family environment and the sharing of pneumococcal serotypes covered by the vaccine. Oropharyngeal samples of 146 subjects belonging to 36 different family groups were molecularly tested for pneumococcal detection and serotyping. The overall prevalence of pneumococcal carriage was 65.8% (n = 96/146), whereas it was higher among schoolchildren (77.8%, n = 28/36); subjects of seven years of age had the highest odds of being co…
Uhlmann number in translational invariant systems
2019
We define the Uhlmann number as an extension of the Chern number, and we use this quantity to describe the topology of 2D translational invariant Fermionic systems at finite temperature. We consider two paradigmatic systems and we study the changes in their topology through the Uhlmann number. Through the linear response theory we linked two geometrical quantities of the system, the mean Uhlmann curvature and the Uhlmann number, to directly measurable physical quantities, i.e. the dynamical susceptibility and to the dynamical conductivity, respectively.