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Data on the outcome of chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients who are hospitalized and start unplanned urgent haemodialysis (HD) are lacking. This prospective, longitudinal, observational study aimed to define the hospital mortality rate and associated factors in CKD patients who start unplanned urgent HD.Between January 2003 and December 2009, all patients with CKD who were hospitalized, diagnosed with ESRD and started unplanned urgent haemodialysis at Haemodialysis Service of the Catholic University of Rome, Italy were recruited. Exclusion criteria were: acute renal failure, prior history of dialysis, multiple organ failure, coma, and dementia. Hospital mortality rate was the primary outcome.Three and hundred sixteen patients were studied: 99 died after 19.5 ± 27.3 days and 217 survived until discharge. Of these, 154 were prescribed chronic HD and 63 restored renal function. Patients who died were significantly older and had a higher Charlson Comorbidity Index score. The mortality rates were 51.1% in patients with 81-90 years, 37.8% with 71-80 years, 34.1% with 61-70 years and 13.9% with age ≤60 years. Logistic regression analysis showed that age only was an independent risk factor for all-cause mortality.In CKD patients who need hospitalization and start unplanned urgent haemodialysis the mortality is very high and significantly related to age.

OBJETIVOS: Avaliar a morfologia dos cardiomiocitos e quantificar o colageno presente no miocardio de ratas tratadas com extrato concentrado de soja ou 17β-estradiol (E2). METODOS: Vinte e oito ratas foram divididas em quatro grupos: GCtrl - fase de estro; GOvx - ovariectomizadas (Ovx); GIso - Ovx tratadas com extrato de soja (150 mg/kg, por dia); GE2 - Ovx tratadas com E2 (10 µg/kg, por dia). As drogas e o veiculo (0,2 mL de propilenoglicol) foram administrados apos 30 dias da realizacao da ovariectomia, por 30 dias consecutivos. No ultimo dia os animais foram anestesiados, o coracao retirado, mergulhado em formaldeido a 10%, e fragmentos dos ventriculos submetidos a processamento histologico, sendo os cortes corados pela hematoxilina e eosina ou pelo picrosirius-red. As analises histomorfometricas (contagem, volume nuclear e quantificacao do colageno) foram realizadas em microscopio de luz e software AxioVision Rel. 4.2, sendo o colageno determinado pelo programa Imagelab 2000. Os dados foram submetidos ao teste de ANOVA complementado pelo teste de Tukey (p GE2=70,5±14,8=GCtrl=66,3±9,6; p GIso=26,5±4,5=GOvx=22,4±2,9; p GCtrl=4,0±0,1=GIso=4,4±0,08=GE2=4,3±0,5; p

Iron availability plays an essential role in staphylococcal pathogenesis. We selected FhuD2, a lipoprotein involved in iron-hydroxamate uptake, as a novel vaccine candidate against Staphylococcus aureus. Unprecedented for staphylococcal lipoproteins, the protein was demonstrated to have a discrete, punctate localization on the bacterial surface. FhuD2 vaccination generated protective immunity against diverse clinical S. aureus isolates in murine infection models. Protection appeared to be associated with functional antibodies that were shown to mediate opsonophagocytosis, to be effective in passive transfer experiments, and to potentially block FhuD2-mediated siderophore uptake. Furthermore, the protein was found to be up-regulated in infected tissues and was required for staphylococcal dissemination and abscess formation. Herein we show that the staphylococcal iron-hydroxamate uptake system is important in invasive infection and functions as an efficacious vaccine target. The extraordinary speed of antibiotic resistance acquisition of Staphylococcus aureus, associated with the severity of staphylococcal infections, dictates the urgent need of a vaccine against this deadly pathogen. However, although several vaccine candidates have been proposed and some of them have been tested in clinical trials using both active and passive immunization modalities [1], an effective vaccine is still missing. In an attempt to develop an S. aureus vaccine, we have been applying a reverse vaccinology approach, mainly based on in silico screening and proteomics, to select surface-exposed proteins. As reported in this work, FhuD2 (ferric hydroxamate uptake) is one of the proteins identified through our screening. FhuD2 was first discovered as a ferric hydroxamate siderophore binding protein that mediates iron uptake through a

Co catalysts, based on alumina supports modified with La2O3 and CeO2, have been explored in the steam reforming of ethanol (SRE). The addition of oxygen in the reactants, process called oxy-reforming of ethanol (ORE), and the effect of adding Pt as a promoter were also addressed. One of the main challenges of this system is to hinder carbon deposition that leads to catalyst deactivation. In this work, the stability against carbon deposition was correlated to the control of the Co2+/Co0 ratio, which was addressed by in situ temperature-resolved X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES). Temperature- and spatial resolved XANES indicated that the nature of supports, the presence/absence of Pt promoter and the composition of oxidants (water and oxygen) in the feed stream determine the degree of reduction of Co under reaction conditions. The control of the Co2+/Co0 ratio can equilibrate the steps of ethanol activation and carbon oxidation, resulting in stable catalysts.

Colloidal Co nanoparticles with sizes in the 3–8 nm range were obtained by thermal decomposition of Co2(CO)8 in the presence of ligands and impregnated on SiO2 to prepare SiO2-supported Co nanocatalysts. The catalysts showed activity for the steam reforming of ethanol with higher values for smaller Co particles. H2 adsorption results and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of adsorbed CO suggested that the fraction of accessible Co sites also depended on the synthesis conditions. Precipitation of the Co nanoparticles with methanol instead of ethanol before impregnation had a positive effect on the density of accessible Co sites to catalysis; similar result was verified by increasing the thermal treatment temperature under H2 flow before the reaction. Based on the distribution of products with temperature of reaction, a mechanism for steam reforming of ethanol on SiO2-supported Co nanocatalysts is suggested.

Safe recombinant vaccines, based on a small number of antigenic proteins, are emerging as the most attractive, cost-effective solution against infectious diseases. In the present work, we confirmed previous data from our laboratory showing that whole viable bacterial cell treatment with proteases followed by the identification of released peptides by mass spectrometry is the method of choice for the rapid and reliable identification of vaccine candidates in Gram-positive bacteria. When applied to the Group B Streptococcus COH1 strain, 43 surface-associated proteins were identified, including all the protective antigens described in the literature as well as a new protective antigen, the cell wall-anchored protein SAN_1485 belonging to the serine-rich repeat protein family. This strategy overcomes the difficulties so far encountered in the identification of novel vaccine candidates and speeds up the entire vaccine discovery process by reducing the number of recombinant proteins to be tested in the animal model.

The effects of Ce as a promoter on the activity and stability of Pt/Al 2 O 3 and Pt/CeO 2 –Al 2 O 3 catalysts for autothermal reforming and partial oxidation of methane (POM) were investigated. The Pt/CeO 2 –Al 2 O 3 catalyst exhibited higher activity and stability than the Pt/Al 2 O 3 catalyst. Analysis by in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy under POM conditions reveals that Pt is reduced by heating the catalysts to about 730 K. The overall first-shell coordination numbers suggest changes in Pt cluster morphology with increasing temperature. Transmission electron microscopy showed strong Pt agglomeration with time on stream for the Pt/Al 2 O 3 catalyst. The higher stability of the Pt/CeO 2 –Al 2 O 3 catalyst was attributed to a combination of different properties: (i) hindrance of carbon deposition on the Pt surface for a reactor fed with low H 2 O/CH 4 ratio; (ii) interaction of Pt O Ce species in the presence of oxygen, inhibiting vapor and diffusion transport of PtO 2 and mainly, (iii) thermal stability of the support, which prevents the loss of surface area, and consequently the sintering of the Pt.

The catalytic behavior of Ni/Al2O3 catalysts modified with La and Ag was investigated in the steam reforming of ethanol. The catalysts were characterized by SBET, X-ray diffraction (XRD), temperature-programmed reduction (TPR), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) of CO adsorption. The reaction rate for noncatalytic decomposition of ethanol in the homogeneous gas phase becomes significant only at high temperatures (T ≥ 890 K). FTIR results revealed that Ag strongly modifies the Ni surface, decreasing the intensity ratio of the bands for adsorbed CO in the bridging mode at low frequency (LF) and the linear mode at high frequency (HF). Similar but smaller effect was observed in the La-containing catalyst. The activity and stability against carbon depostion for steam reforming of ethanol of Ni/Al2O3 catalyst was only slightly sensitive to Ag but the activity was strongly dependent on the presence of La. The reaction data suggest that at temperatures lower than 650 K the Ni/Al2O3 catalyst was active for decomposition of ethanol via the acetaldehyde intermediate, showing high selectivity to methane and CO. The rate of steam reforming of ethanol became significant at temperature higher than 650 K. Comparing Ni/Al2O3 and Ni/La–Al2O3 catalysts the results pointed out that the Ni became more susceptible to modification by water in La-containing Ni catalyst. The Ni/La–Al2O3 catalysts become inactive at low temperatures, and the activity could be regenerated with reduction of NiO by ethanol on raising the reaction temperature. Differently from the steam reforming of methane, the coking cannot be suppressed by Ag promotion in the case of steam reforming of ethanol. Inversely, the La has a positive effect to decreasing coking on Ni catalysts. A scheme for ethanol reactions with H2O on Ni surfaces is proposed based on reaction tests.

In this paper, we implement the Successive Cancellation SC decoding algorithm for Polar Codes by using Euclidean distance estimates as the metric of the algorithm. This implies conversion of the classic statistical recursive expressions of the SC decoder into a suitable form, adapting them to the proposed metric, and properly expressing the initialization values for this metric. This leads to a simplified version of the logarithmic SC decoder, which offers the advantage that the algorithm can be directly initialised with the values of the received channel samples. Simulations of the BER performance of the SC decoder, using both the classic statistical metrics, and the proposed Euclidean distance metric, show that there is no significant loss in BER performance for the proposed method in comparison with the classic implementation. Calculations are simplified at the initialization step of the algorithm, since neither is there a need to know the noise power variance of the channel, nor to perform complex and costly mathematical operations like exponentiations, quotients and products at that step. This complexity reduction is especially important for practical implementations of the SC decoding algorithm in programmable logic technology like Field Programmable Gate Arrays FPGAs.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disease characterized byendothelial dysfunction and fibrosis of the skin and internal organs [1].Cardiac involvement in the course of SSc could be primary or sec-ondary to pulmonary arterial hypertension and kidney pathology. Pri-mary cardiac involvement may manifest as myocardial involvement,arrhythmias,fibrosisoftheconductionsystem,pacemakerandintracar-diac defibrillator implantation, sudden death and autonomic dysfunc-tion [2,3].Amongtheabnormalities in SSc,QTc intervalprolongation hasbeenreportedandassociatedwithanti-RNApolymeraseIIIantibodies,longerdisease duration, and greater disease severity [4].Accordingly,theaimofthestudyistoassessQTcprolongationinSScand evaluate correlations with clinical variables and complications ofthe disease.The protocol is in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki andwas approved by the Ethics Committee at our Institution. Twenty Cau-casian subjects fulfilling the American Rheumatism Association (ARA)criteria for classification and diagnosis of SSc [5] and twenty healthysubjectswereexaminedbeforeinclusioninthestudy.All examined pa-tientsunderwentclinicalevaluation,ambulatory24-hourECGmonitor-ing, transthoracic echocardiogram.Scleroderma patients with coronary artery disease, congestiveheartfailure, left ventricular dysfunction, significant valvular abnormalitiesand arrhythmias were not included in the study.Patients with pulmonary function abnormalities were not includedeither. Patients with diabetes mellitus, renal failure, hepatic or thyroiddysfunction, and anemia were excluded.Patients were not takingβ-blockers, antiarrhythmic drugs,ACE-inhibitors or angiotensin receptor antagonists. QTc interval,assessed by 24-hour Holter ECG recording, was defined as prolongedwhen N440 ms [6].Nailfold videocapillaroscopy (NVC) was performed by an opticalprobe, equipped with magnification 200× contact lens and connectedto image analysis software (Pinnacle Studio Version 8). The identifiedpatterns were classified as early, active or late [7]. Skin thickening wasassessed by a modified Rodnan total skin score (mRSS) [8]. In all pa-tientswemeasuredtheDiseaseActivityIndex(DAI)andDiseaseSever-ity Scale (DSS) [9].Thedatawereexpressedasmedianandrange.Multivariateanalysiswas applied for the estimation of relationship of QTc with disease vari-ables. The Mann–Whitney U-test or Kruskal–Wallis were used to testdifferences between two individual study groups. Spearman's rankorder correlation coefficient (r) was used to test for an association be-tweennumericalvariables.p-Valuesb0.05wereconsideredsignificant.Commercial software (SPSS version 20.0) was used for statisticalanalysis.Twentysclerodermapatientswereenrolledinthecurrentstudy.Theepidemiological and clinical features of SSc are shown in Table 1.ThemedianvalueofQTcissignificantly(pb0.0001)increasedinSScpatients than healthy controls [447 (414–566) vs 386 (342–447)].The medianvalueof QTc is significantly (p b 0.01) different in threecapillaroscopicgroups:early425(421 –454),active437(416–467),late471 (445–566).ThemedianvalueofQTcissignificantly(pb 0.05)augmentedin SScpatients with digital ulcers than in SSc patients without digital ulcers[459(422–566)vs436(416–454)].Apositivecorrelation (p b0.05)ex-ists between QTc and mRSS (r = 0.53).NocorrelationswerefoundbetweenQTcanddiseasesubset,diseaseduration, Disease Activity Index, and Disease Severity Scale.Amongthe causes of suddencardiacdeath in SScpatients,ventricu-lar late potentials, autonomic dysfunction, pro-arrhythmogenic drugsand increased QT dispersion were found.

The aim of this study was to analyze the type of immune response (Th1, Th2) and protein composition of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) of patients with sarcoidosis, pulmonary fibrosis associated with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Flow cytometry analysis of intracellular cytokines revealed different patterns: in IPF and SSc Th2 profiles were predominant, whereas in sarcoidosis Th1 prevailed. The proteomic analysis of BAL fluid (BALF) showed that there were quantitative differences between the three diseases. These were more evident between sarcoidosis and IPF, confirming our previous observations, whereas SSc had an intermediate profile between the two, however with some peculiarities. Comparison of BALF protein maps, constructed with the same quantity of total proteins, enabled us to identify the main profiles of the three diseases: an increase in plasma protein prevalent in sarcoidosis and also present in SSc, though for fewer proteins with respect to IPF and a greater abundance of low molecular weight proteins, mainly locally produced, in IPF. These findings are in line with the different pathogenesis of these diseases: IPF is considered a prevalently fibrotic disorder limited to the lung, with intense local production of functionally different proteins, whereas sarcoidosis and SSc are systemic immunoinflammatory diseases.

Rapid, nongenomic actions of steroid hormones have been characterized only recently. They may be mediated by interaction with a poorly characterized membrane receptor, by classic receptor located to the plasma membrane, or by interaction of the classic receptor with other signaling effectors. Among these, rapid effects of progesterone on human spermatozoa have been shown to be mediated by interaction with one or more membrane receptors. Two proteins, respectively of 57 and 28 kDa, representing the possible surface progesterone receptors in human spermatozoa, have been identified by our group employing an antibody (c-262) directed against the progesterone binding domain of the genomic receptor. The two proteins have been immunoprecipitated using c-262, isolated by 2D gel electrophoresis and analyzed by Maldi-Tof. Preliminary results of the analysis in data bank of the obtained masses suggest that the two proteins represent previously unidentified ones since they do not match with any protein in the database. We have also performed RT-PCR analysis with RNA extracted from human spermatozoa, utilizing various oligoprimers in different regions of the human progesterone genomic receptor. Results indicate the presence of transcripts for the complete genomic receptor. However, several previously published studies in the literature indicate the absence of expression of the genomic receptor in human spermatozoa. In this light posttranscriptional/posttraductional modifications of the receptor can be hypothesized. Interestingly, with primers amplifying in the DNA-binding domain of the progesterone receptor gene, we detected a higher molecular weight transcript when compared to the placenta. Further studies are needed to determine whether the sequences of the transcripts obtained by RT-PCR analysis of human sperm RNA match exactly with the human genomic receptor gene and to define the sequence of the higher molecular weight transcript detected in the DNA-binding region.

Human milk is a source of bioactive substances regulating the development and activity of the newborn immune system. Human milk has been found to contain a number of cytokines, including interleukins, growth factors, and colony stimulating factors. In the present study, we assessed 10 specimens of human milk for the presence of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), a cytokine recently described in several human reproductive organs and tissues. Using biochemical as well as immunologic techniques, we showed that MIF is abundantly present in human milk, mostly distributed in the lipid layer and in the aqueous phase. Fractionation of the lipid layer showed that MIF is highly concentrated inside milk fat globules. In view of its proinflammatory features, we speculate that milk MIF may protect the newborn against infection and play a role in preserving the functionality of the lactating mammary gland. Furthermore, the localization of MIF in lipid globules suggests a possible strategy for the protection of milk cytokines from the gastric barrier.

Nos últimos anos, as organizações passaram a utilizar técnicas inovadoras em seus sistemas produtivos. Deste modo, passou-se a integrar recursos tanto nos equipamentos empregados para transformação dos insumos em produtos, quanto na mão-de-obra do trabalhador que está envolvido nesse contexto. Através do estudo de tempos e movimentos é possível estabelecer um ideal produtivo, fazendo a integração constante entre as etapas do trabalho e os envolvidos nesse meio, de modo que a relação entre homem-máquina seja realizado corretamente. Ao utilizar esse método extingui-se de maneira integral os esforços desnecessários, improdutividade, retrabalho, ociosidade na execução das atividades, adequando o trabalhador em seu determinado posto. O objetivo do presente trabalho é o desenvolvimento de um sistema de produção enxuto, através do estudo de tempos e movimentos para um posto de trabalho de uma fábrica de bermudas. Assim, será possível produzir com o menor custo, tempo e a melhor qualidade possível. Portanto, através da engenharia de métodos pode-se encontrar detalhes importantes para o bom andamento da produção, visto que fatores fundamentais para a empresa serão desenvolvidos para o crescimento, atualização e organização do trabalho, de modo que todo o processo, desde os inputs até os outputs sejam estruturados de maneira adequada.

Gli avvenimenti che sconvolgono l'Italia nella seconda metà dell'Ottocento si rivelano fonte di studio e approfondimento tra gli uomini di cultura europei. Anche in Spagna, l'attenzione verso le problematiche italiane è particolarmente sentita, sia tra i liberali che tra i conservatori. Il viaggio compiuto da Alarcon tra il 1860 e 1861, il cui resoconto tanto successo ebbe tra i suoi contemporanei, rivela grande sensibilità e affinità con gli indipendentisti italiani. Sono stati tradotti i passi più significativi del testo alarconiano che evidenziano le affinità culturali fra i due paesi.

New generation vaccines are in demand to include only the key antigens sufficient to confer protective immunity among the plethora of pathogen molecules. In the last decade, large-scale genomics-based technologies have emerged. Among them, the Reverse Vaccinology approach was successfully applied to the development of an innovative vaccine against Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B, now available on the market with the commercial name BEXSERO® (Novartis Vaccines). The limiting step of such approaches is the number of antigens to be tested in in vivo models. Several laboratories have been trying to refine the original approach in order to get to the identification of the relevant antigens straight from the genome. Here we report a new bioinformatics tool that moves a first step in this direction. The tool has been developed by identifying structural/functional features recurring in known bacterial protective antigens, the so called "Protectome space," and using such "protective signatures" for protective antigen discovery. In particular, we applied this new approach to Staphylococcus aureus and Group B Streptococcus and we show that not only already known protective antigens were re-discovered, but also two new protective antigens were identified.

The administration of statins in patients with liver disease is not an absolute contraindication. Hepatotoxicity is a rare and often dose-related event and in the literature there are only a few described cases of fatal rhabdomyolysis in patients with chronic liver disease after statin administration. During treatment with 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitors, the factors responsible for myopathy may either be related to the patient, or due to interactions with other medications that are metabolic substrates of the same isozymes and therefore able to increase blood statin concentration. The most important side effects consist of increased transaminase levels, abdominal pain or muscle weakness, increased serum levels of creatine kinase and rhabdomyolysis. In this article we report a case of fatal rhabdomyolysis with acute renal failure after gastric endoscopy, where midazolam was used as a sedation agent in a patient with chronic liver disease treated with a high dose of atorvastatin. Therefore, we suggest paying particular attention to the potential risks of associating atorvastatin and midazolam in patients with chronic liver disease who need to undergo gastric endoscopy.

T regulator lymphocytes (Tregs) play a key role in the maintenance of immune tolerance and in the development of autoimmune diseases. Expression of Foxp3 is specific for Tregs, and can be used for the identification of these cells. This study investigated the variations of Tregs Foxp3+ in the kidney biopsies inflammatory infiltrate of different lupus nephritis classes compared to that of ANCA glomerulonephritis, acute tubulointerstitial nephritis and nephroangiosclerosis. Sections of paraffin-embedded tissue have been stained by immunohistochemistry with anti-CD3 and anti-FoxP3 antibodies. We find that the ratio of FoxP3+/CD3+ cells is significantly lower in patients with lupus nephritis class IV and in patients with vasculitides than in the course of nephroangiosclerosis, tubulointerstitial nephritis and lupus nephritis class V. The data presented herein demonstrate a decrease of FoxP3+ Treg cells in the inflammatory infiltrate of lupus nephritis, particularly during the most active phases of lupus nephritis, as observed in the course of a IV class nephritis.

In recent years, great progress has been made in the study of civil-military relations and its consequences for the development of defense policies of nations. In this context, this study discussed the evolution of civil-military relations and the defense policy of Argentina in the democratic governments in the period 1983-2013. It demonstrated the strong influence exerted by the civilian control over the military in the preparation and implementation of the Argentine defense policy, which may have resulted in considerable loss of effectiveness of the country's military instrument. This study also verified the positive and negative aspects of the defense policies planned and implemented by the successive governments of the period. Finally, the use of the modern concepts of effectiveness and efficiency was proven necessary in order to improve the quality of the defense policy of the Argentine State. Nos últimos anos foi grande a evolução do estudo das relações civis-militares e seus reflexos para a elaboração das políticas de defesa das nações. Neste contexto, o presente estudo discutiu a evolução das relações civis-militares e da política de defesa da Argentina nos governos democráticos do período de 1983 a 2013. Foi demonstrada a forte influência exercida pelo controle civil sobre os militares na elaboração e na implementação da política de defesa argentina fato que pode ter redundado na perda considerável de efetividade do instrumento militar do país. Foram verificados também, os aspectos positivos e negativos das políticas de defesa planejadas e implementadas pelos sucessivos governos do período. Por último, observou-se a necessidade da utilização dos modernos conceitos de efetividade e de eficiência com o objetivo de melhorar a qualidade da política de defesa do Estado Argentino.

Despite the global medical needs associated with Staphylococcus aureus infections, no licensed vaccines are currently available. We identified and characterized a protein annotated as an epidermin leader peptide processing serine protease (EpiP), as a novel S. aureus vaccine candidate. In addition, we determined the structure of the recombinant protein (rEpiP) by X-ray crystallography. The crystal structure revealed that rEpiP was cleaved somewhere between residues 95 and 100, and we found that the cleavage occurs through an autocatalytic intramolecular mechanism. The protein expressed by S. aureus cells also appeared to undergo a similar processing event. To determine whether the protein acts as a serine protease, we mutated the hypothesized catalytic serine 393 residue to alanine, generating rEpiP-S393A. The crystal structure of this mutant protein showed that the polypeptide chain was not cleaved and was not interacting stably with the active site. Indeed, rEpiP-S393A was shown to be impaired in its protease activity. Mice vaccinated with rEpiP were protected from S. aureus infection (34% survival, P=0.0054). Moreover, the protective efficacy generated by rEpiP and rEpiP-S393A was comparable, implying that the noncleaving mutant could be used for vaccination purposes.—Kuhn, M. L., Prachi, P., Minasov, G., Shuvalova, L., Ruan, J., Dubrovska, I., Winsor, J., Giraldi, M., Biagini, M., Liberatori, S., Savino, S., Bagnoli, F., Anderson, W. F., Grandi, G. Structure and protective efficacy of the Staphylococcus aureus autocleaving protease EpiP.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a systemic disease of connective tissue,characterized by endothelial dysfunction and fibrosis of the skin andvisceral organs [1]. Autonomic dysfunction (AD) is a feature of SSc,starting early in the disease and possibly preceding the developmentof fibrosis [2].Several manifestations of renal involvement occur in SSc and wehave recently demonstrated that renal resistive index (RI) correlateswith glomerular filtration rate (GFR), digital microvascular damage [3]and in monitoring scleroderma renal crisis [4].Accordingly, the aim of the study is to assess intrarenal arterialstiffness by Doppler ultrasound and examine the correlation with ADusing heart rate variability (HRV) analysis.The protocol is in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki andwas approved by the Ethics Committee at our Institution. NineteenCaucasian subjects fulfilling the American Rheumatism Association(ARA) criteria for classification and diagnosis of SSc [5] and nineteenhealthysubjectswereexaminedbeforeinclusioninthestudy.Allexam-ined patients underwent clinical evaluation, 24-h Holter monitoring,electrocardiography (ECG) and transthoracic echocardiogram.Scleroderma patients with coronary artery disease, congestiveheartfailure, left ventricular dysfunction, significant valvular abnormalitiesand arrhythmias were not included in the study.Patients with pulmonary function abnormalities were not includedeither. Patients with diabetes mellitus, renal failure, hepatic or thyroiddysfunction and anaemia were excluded.Patients were not taking β-blockers, antiarrhythmic drugs, ACE-inhibitors or angiotensin receptor antagonists. GFR was calculatedwith CKD-EPI equation [6].Autonomic nervous activity was evaluated by heart rate variability(HRV) analysis during 24-hour ECG recording. Autonomic nervousactivity was analyzed following the recommendations of the TaskForce of the European Society of Cardiology and the North AmericanSociety of Pacing and Electrophysiology [7]. Total power in the fre-quency range (0–0.40 Hz) was divided into low frequency (LF:0.04–0.15 Hz, modulated mainly by sympathetic system) and highfrequency (HF: 0.15–0.40 Hz, modulated by parasympathetic system).The power of LF and HF components was considered in normalizedunits (nu). LF/HF rate is sympathovagal balance. Artificial data andarrhythmic were excluded. Data analyses were performed with soft-ware Del Mar Avionics Accuplus 363, Irvine California, USA.Renal Doppler ultrasound was performed using a Toshiba AplioUltrasound System SSA-790 (Tokyo, Japan) equipped with convex 3.5-MHz probe. RI was calculated as (peak systolic frequency shift −minimum diastolic frequency shift) / peak systolic frequency shift.All the ultrasound examinations were performed by same blindedphysician in order to reduce variability in the assessment managementof the study.Thedatawereexpressedasmedianandrange.Multivariateanalysiswas applied for the estimation of relationship of HRV variables withrenal Doppler indices or disease variables. The Mann–Whitney U-testor Kruskal–Wallis was used to test differences between two individualstudy groups. Spearman's rank order correlation coefficient (r) wasused to test for an association between numerical variables. p-Valuesb0,05 were considered significant. Commercially software (SPSSversion 20.0) was used for statistical analysis.Nineteen scleroderma patients were enrolled in the current study.Median age of 45 years (range 23–58) and a median SSc duration of6,5 years (range 2–25) were investigated in the Clinical ImmunologyUnit-Scleroderma Center. Six patients had limited cutaneous SSc and

We have characterised two kinds of municipal landfill leachates derived from ‘old’ and ‘young’ municipal waste landfills on the basis of the molecular weight distribution of the constituents, taking into account that the great variety of leachate constituents prevents any evaluation of the fate and of the role played by each component in the environmental impact. In the sample S1 (old leachate), the constituents were distributed over a wider range of molecular weights; high molecular weight fractions were present. In sample S2 (young leachate), the fractions are actually narrower at the lower molecular weights. The high molecular weight fractions of old leachates are found to be complex structures formed by condensed nuclei of carbons substituted by functional groups containing nitrogen, sulphur and oxygen atoms; the low molecular weight fractions of leachates are, instead, characterised by linear chains substituted by oxygenated functional groups such as carboxyl and/or alcoholic groups. After characterising each fraction we studied the role played by these fractions in the soil's capability for retaining heavy metals [copper (Cu) and cadmium(Cd)]. The Cd uptake increases only on the soil treated with sample S1 characterised by a higher pH value and by the presence of high molecular weight fractions. The Cu uptake also increases on the soil treated with sample S2, characterised by the sole presence of low molecular weight fractions. On the other hand, the metal adsorption tests performed on soil treated with the single fractions show that the amount of Cu and Cd retained by soil treated with the high molecular weight fractions of sample does not increase after 72 h of treatment and that the amount of Cu retained by the low molecular weight fractions of sample S1 and by the fractions of sample S2 increases, but does not justify the amount retained by soil treated with the total leachates.

The present work investigates the behaviour of heavymetals accumulating in soils treated with urban sludge withrespect to untreated soils. Metal sorption during transportin the soils was evaluated by means of breakthrough curvesobtained via the soil column leaching test and the resultsof laboratory experiments were compared with those of fieldexperiments carried out on the same soil treated insitu with urban sludge. Soil column leaching tests showthat the amount of heavy metals retained in the soilincreases when the soil is treated with sludge both in situand in laboratory; the order of selectivity (Pb > Cu > Zn >Ni) remains similar for the two types of matrix.Experiments carried out both with soils treated with sludge in laboratory and in situ show a good agreementbetween the two sets of data as far as retention capacityis concerned; conversely, an increase in the soil resistance to pH change following acid input is observedwhen sludge treatments are carried out in situ.

La somiglianza fra l’italiano e lo spagnolo è sicuramente un elemento positivo nell’apprendimento dello spagnolo come seconda lingua; però, se la comune origine aiuta nei primi tempi dello studio, si constata che spesso il fatto di poter comunicare con relativa facilità finisce per provocare un certo disinteresse verso la norma linguistica che non può né deve essere ignorata. Molti studenti, spesso, non hanno ben chiaro l’uso della grammatica nella propria lingua e questo si ripercuote negativamente sulla lingua 2, soprattutto –come nel nostro caso- se si tratta di una lingua neolatina. Anche la tendenza a privilegiare la comunicazione a volte può risultare negativa: per questo si sottolinea che in un corso universitario si debba focalizzare l’attenzione anche sulla grammatica-sintassi, con il tradizionale metodo contrastivo. In pratica norma e uso non vanno scissi, poiché si crede che si rinforzino a vicenda.

The airway surface is covered by a fluid, the airway surface liquid, interposed between the mucous layer and the epithelium. The airway surface liquid contains proteins, secreted by different cell types, that may have pro-/anti-inflammatory or bactericidal functions or have a role in the mucociliary clearance. We have used a proteomics approach to identify the proteins secreted by an isolated in vitro model of human airway epithelium, at resting and under proinflammatory conditions, as a strategy to define the factors involved in epithelial barrier function. To this aim, we have analyzed the airway surface liquid from human bronchial epithelial cells grown as polarized monolayers in the presence and absence of inflammatory stimuli such as IL-4, IL-1beta, TNF-alpha, and IFN-gamma. Two-dimensional electrophoresis followed by mass spectrometry analysis has allowed the identification of approximately 175 secreted protein spots, among which are immune-related proteins, structural proteins, an actin severer, some protease inhibitors, and a metalloproteinase. Comparisons between treated and untreated conditions have shown that the expression of several proteins was significantly modified by the different cytokines. Our results indicate that the surface epithelium is an active player in the epithelial barrier function and that inflammatory conditions may modulate protein secretion.

OBJETIVO. No presente estudo avaliamos, por intermédio da microscopia eletrônica de transmissão, a morfologia dos cardiomiócitos do ventrículo esquerdo de ratas albinas no decorrer do ciclo gravídico-puerperal. MÉTODOS. Obtida a prenhez, 77 ratas foram divididas ao acaso em dois grupos denominados, respectivamente, de: gestação (G) e puerpério (P). Os animais pertencentes ao grupo gestação foram ainda subdivididos em quatro subgrupos, de acordo com a idade gestacional; 1o (G-A), 7o (G-B), 14o (G-C) e 21o (G-D) dias de prenhez. O grupo definido como puerpério foi também subdividido em três subgrupos; 7o (P-A), 14o (P-B) e 21o (P-C) dias de puerpério. Findo o período estabelecido para cada subgrupo, os animais foram sacrificados, sendo coletados fragmentos do terço médio do ventrículo esquerdo, os quais após processamento apropriado, permitiram observação adequada à microscopia eletrônica de transmissão. RESULTADOS. Os resultados obtidos demonstraram hipertrofia gradativos dos cardiomiócitos no decorrer da prenhez (aumento das miofibrilas, que ao final da gestação apresentaram-se entremeadas de numerosas mitocôndrias). As paredes dos capilares sangüíneos, progressivamente, tornaram-se mais delgadas, com aumento das vesículas de pinocitose no interior das células endoteliais. Revelou ainda, acentuadas dobras do sarcolema em nível dos túbulos T (túneis capilares). No grupo puerpério, notamos gradativa regressão nessas alterações, com retorno às características pré-gestacionais. Os achados demonstram a ocorrência de hipertrofia no decorrer da gestação. CONCLUSÃO. Durante a prenhez há hipertrofia em cardiomiócito do ventrículo esquerdo com regressão durante o puerpério.PURPOSE. In the present study we evaluated the morphology of left ventricular cardiomyocytes of albino rats during pregnancy and puerperium by means of transmission electron microscopy. METHODS. Once pregnancy was confirmed, 77 rats were randomly divided in two groups, respectively, gestation (G) and puerperium ( P). The animals of the gestation group were divided into four subgroups, according to gestational age: 1st (G-A), 7th (G-B), 14th (G-C) and 21st (G-D) days of pregnancy. The group defined as puerperium was divided into three subgroups: 7th (P-A), 14th (P-B) and 21st (P-C) days of puerperium. In the end of each established period, the animals were sacrificed and fragments of the medium third of the left ventricle were resected and routinely prepared for electron microscopy analysis. RESULTS. The results obtained with transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed a gradative increase of the cardiomyocytes during pregnancy (increase of myofibrils, which are permeated by numerous mitochondria at the end of gestation). The blood capillary wall showed progressive thinning, with an increase of pynocytotic vesicles in endothelial cells, and intense sarcolemal folding at T- tubule level (capillary tunnels). In the puerperium group, there is a progressive regression in these alterations returning to pre-gestational level at the end of the puerperium cycle. These findings indicate the occurrence of hypertrophy of cardiomyocytes during pregnancy. CONCLUSION. The findings indicate the occurrence of hypertrophy of cardiomyocytes during pregnancy.

OBJETIVO. No presente estudo propusemo-nos a avaliar, por meio da microscopia de luz, os aspectos morfológicos e morfométricos dos cardiomiócitos do ventrículo esquerdo de ratas albinas durante a prenhez. MÉTODOS. Acasalamos doze ratas virgens que foram dividas ao acaso em quatro grupos, de acordo com a idade gestacional. Os animais correspondentes a cada grupo foram sacrificados ao 1o(G-A), 7o(G-B), 14o(G-C) e 21o(G-D) dias de prenhez, sendo coletados fragmentos do terço médio do ventrículo esquerdo, os quais após processamento apropriado, permitiram observação adequada à microscopia de luz. A cariometria foi realizada mensurando-se os diâmetros maiores e menores dos cardiomiócitos com o auxílio de um tambor rotativo modelo K 8 X adaptado a um microscópio de luz. RESULTADOS. O estudo em nível da microscopia de luz praticamente não mostrou alterações com o decorrer da prenhez. No entanto, a morfometria revelou que os volumes dos cardiomiócitos estão aumentados no 14o dia da prenhez, mostrando-se estatisticamente significante quando comparado aos demais grupos estudados. Assim, nossos resultados demonstraram haver hipertrofia ventricular esquerda durante a gestação. CONCLUSÃO. Durante a gestação há um processo dinâmico reversível de remodelação ventricular em conseqüência das alterações adaptativas gravídicas.PURPOSE. In the present study we evaluated, by light microscopy, and throughout morphometry, whether hypertrophy of cardiac striated muscular fibers of left ventricular occur in albino rat, during pregnancy. METHODS. After maiting, 12 nuliparous rats were divided into four groups with three animals for each group. The female rats corresponding to each group were killed at 1st, 7th, 14th and 21st days of pregnancy. RESULTS. Observation, on light microscopy (H.E) had at one view, did not display any alterations during pregnancy. However, the morphometry revealed that nuclei of cardiomyocytes are augmented in volume at 14th day of pregnancy and statistically significant data show the hypertrophy. CONCLUSION. The obtained data show the existence of a dinamic and reversible process of ventricular remodelling in consequence of adaptation physiological alterations of the cardiovascular normal pregnancy.

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) was originally identified for its capacity to inhibit the random migration of macrophages in vitro. To date, the role of MIF as a pro-inflammatory cytokine, pituitary hormone, and counter-regulator of glucocorticoid action on the immune response is commonly recognized. Although recent studies suggest an involvement of MIF in reproduction, no data exist on the expression of this cytokine in early human pregnancy. In this study, we evaluated the presence of MIF protein and mRNA in specimens of chorionic villi from first-trimester human placenta. Tissues were obtained at 6-10 wk of gestation and analyzed by Western blotting, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and immunohistochemistry. Our results demonstrate that human villous tissue is a novel site of MIF synthesis. In addition, immunohistochemical analysis identified MIF protein in the cytotrophoblasts of both the inner layer of villi and in the trophoblastic cell islands. We speculate that in view of its proinflammatory features, MIF might play a critical role in human implantation and in early embryonic development.

An Ion-Interaction RP-IIR-HPLC method was developed, able to simultaneously separate neutral, basic, and acidic pesticides in a single run. The proposed method was validated by comparison of the results obtained for the same sample by conventional RP-HPLC and GC/MS methods. For this purpose parametric t-, F-, t-paired, and t- for multiple samples and non parametric Wilcoxon matched-pair signed-rank tests were employed. The accuracy of the proposed IIR-RP-HPLC method was evaluated with respect to a lab-made reference sample of spiked tap water.

Nel mondo culturale de entre siglos, Felipe Trigo (1864-1916) costituiva quasi un’anomalia sia per i temi trattati (forte presenza di erotismo-decadentismo) sia per l’ideologia che li sosteneva (social-anarchismo). La sua narrativa, pur non essendo paragonabile a quella dei grandi esponenti della cultura spagnola dell’epoca, rivela, però, anche un forte interesse per lo social come evidenziano El médico rural y Jarrapellejos. Nel suo approccio regeneracionista alla realtà spagnola del tempo, particolarmente significativo nel secondo romanzo, accanto alla piaga del caciquismo, emerge anche l’opposizione lingua/dialetto. E’ vero che Trigo riserva il dialetto a figure marginali e sinistre, identificandolo con l’ignoranza e l’asocialità, però la sua intenzione va oltre questa connotazione: i rappresentanti del potere non solo usano la lingua nazionale per marcare la propria superiorità, ma, dichiarando che era preferibile che “los braceros […] no leyesen”, finiscono per confermare che la lo loro forza e lo stesso sistema caciquil esistono proprio grazie all’ignoranza in cui è tenuto il popolo. Gli esempi di usi linguistici propri della Extremadura sono opportunamente supportati da riflessioni che partono dalla lettura di saggi e monografie recenti sul pluirilinguismo in Spagna.

Si ripercorre la storia della lingua spagnola e, insieme, la storia politico-sociale della Spagna, in cui uno dei dialetti sorti dalla disgregazione del latino, arricchitosi degli apporti germanici e arabi, verso il X secolo cominciò a diventare lingua della comunicazione in zone del nord forse non sufficientemente latinizzate. La supremazia del regno di Castiglia, visibile dal XV secolo in poi, trasforma questa parlata nella lingua della cultura e della comunicazione per tutti gli abitanti della Spagna; la scoperta e successiva colonizzazione del Nuovo Mondo la farà diventare la lingua multirazziale e plurinazionale che conosciamo.