Vibrational analysis of functionalized polyolefins/poly(vinylchloride) blends

Polyolefins functionalized with diethylmaleate were mixed with poly(vinylchloride) (PVC) in different compositions. Intermolecular interactions involving the carbonyl groups of the side chains of the functionalized polyolefins and methine hydrogens of PVC were investigated by means of infrared spectroscopy. The major flexibility of the ester groups attached to the backbone chains, with respect to polyesters, seems to increase the capability of such groups to interact with groups of more polar polymers, thus allowing prediction of easier miscibility, which however also depends on the starting polyolefin structure and function-alization degree.     

Intracranial actinomycosis in juvenile patients. Case report and review of the literature

A case of actinomycotic brain infection in a juvenile patient is described. Cases of actinomycosis affecting the head and neck are rare, particularly in juvenile patients. In this case complete resolution of the infection was achieved by means of surgical treatment and prolonged antibiotic therapy. The authors emphasize the importance of a combined approach for treatment of this unusual brain infection and stress the difficulties involved in the diagnosis of this pathology.     

Complementary Effects of Carbamylated and Citrullinated LL37 in Autoimmunity and Inflammation in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

LL37 acts as T-cell/B-cell autoantigen in Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and psoriatic disease. Moreover, when bound to “self” nucleic acids, LL37 acts as “danger signal,” leading to type I interferon (IFN-I)/pro-inflammatory factors production. T-cell epitopes derived from citrullinated-LL37 act as better antigens than unmodified LL37 epitopes in SLE, at least in selected HLA-backgrounds, included the SLE-associated HLA-DRB1*1501/HLA-DRB5*0101 backgrounds. Remarkably, while “fully-citrullinated” LL37 acts as better T-cell-stimulator, it loses DNA-binding ability and the associated “adjuvant-like” properties. Since LL37 undergoes a further irreversible post-translational modification, carbamylation and antibodies to carbamylated self-proteins other than LL37 are present in SLE, here we addressed the involvement of carbamylated-LL37 in autoimmunity and inflammation in SLE. We detected carbamylated-LL37 in SLE-affected tissues. Most importantly, carbamylated-LL37-specific antibodies and CD4 T-cells circulate in SLE and both correlate with disease activity. In contrast to “fully citrullinated-LL37,” “fully carbamylated-LL37” maintains both innate and adaptive immune-cells’ stimulatory abilities: in complex with DNA, carbamylated-LL37 stimulates plasmacytoid dendritic cell IFN-α production and B-cell maturation into plasma cells. Thus, we report a further example of how different post-translational modifications of a self-antigen exert complementary effects that sustain autoimmunity and inflammation, respectively. These data also show that T/B-cell responses to carbamylated-LL37 represent novel SLE disease biomarkers.     

Mutual Prodrugs of 5-Fluorouracil: From a Classic Chemotherapeutic Agent to Novel Potential Anticancer Drugs

The development of potent antitumor agents with a low toxicological profile against healthy cells is still one of the greatest challenges facing medicinal chemistry. In this context, the “mutual prodrug” approach has emerged as a potential tool to overcome undesirable physicochemical features and mitigate the side effects of approved drugs. Among broad-spectrum chemotherapeutics available for clinical use today, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) is one of the most representative, also included in the World Health Organization model list of essential medicines. Unfortunately, severe side effects and drug resistance phenomena are still the primary limits and drawbacks in its clinical use. This review describes the progress made over the last ten years in developing 5-FU-based mutual prodrugs to improve the therapeutic profile and achieve targeted delivery to cancer tissues.     

Synthesis and catalytic activity of optically active polymers containing oxime groups

Optically active polymers containing oxime groups have been prepared: (i) by partial quaternization of poly(4-vinyl pyridine) (P4VP) with phenacyloxime bromide and with (+)-(S)-1-bromo-2-methylbutane; and (ii) by reaction of the copolymer from 4VP and (+)-(S)-5-methyl-1-hepten-3-one with hydroxylamine. These polymers have been used as catalysts for the esterolysis of esters of p-nitrophenol with non-chiral and with chiral acids. The kinetic parameters of the catalytic process are markedly dependent on the structure of polymer and substrate. A moderate chiral discrimination of the antipodes of p-nitrophenyl 2-methylbutanoate is observed with the catalyst obtained from the copolymer of 4VP with (+)-(S)-5-methyl-1-hepten-3-one.     

A universal design resource for rich Internet applications based on design patterns

Rich Internet applications have removed most of the constraints of Web 1.0 while giving users more responsiveness and advanced browsing and interaction experiences. These new horizons, however, raise many challenges for people with disabilities or using limited hardware and software technologies, whose risk to be excluded from the benefits deriving from advanced web applications. To address this problem, WCAG 2.0 guidelines have been released as the newest World Wide Web Consortium recommendation for accessible web content, and WAI-ARIA is a candidate recommendation which provides reference specifications for accessible rich Internet applications. However, both specifications contain a huge amount of information that often discourages most web designers from dealing with accessibility issues. Moreover, guidelines are suitable and usually adopted to judge a design solution a posteriori, but they do not suggest how to face a design problem constructively. This paper proposes a design pattern language for accessibility. The language can be regarded as a universal design resource for helping web designers create accessible rich Internet applications compliant with the most recent standards. Knowledge representation through design patterns reflects the problem-solving approach usually followed by software and web designers, while pattern organization in a structured language aims to guide web designers throughout the design process. The language has been implemented as an accessible rich Internet application itself, thus allowing designers with disabilities to participate in web design. In order to evaluate the design pattern language, a three-step process was carried out including: (1) a heuristic analysis with a group of human–computer interaction experts, (2) a survey study with a group of web designers, and (3) a validation on the field with two designers who have been requested to apply the language in real design cases.     

Aspects of nucleosomal positional flexibility and fluidity

Nucleosomes have been considered until recently to be stable and uniquely localized particles. We focus here on two properties of nucleosomes that are emerging as central attributes of their functions: mobility and multiplicity of localization. The biological relevance of these phenomena is based on the fact that chromatin functions depend on the relative stability of nucleosomes, on their covalent or conformational modifications, their dynamics, their localization, and the density of their distribution. In order to understand these complex behaviors both the structure of the nucleosome core particles and the informational rules governing their interaction with defined DNA sequences are here taken into consideration. The fact that nucleosomes solve the problem of how to locate a specific interaction site on a potentially infinite combination of sequences, with interactions recurring to a controlled level of informational ambiguity and stochasticity, is discussed. Nucleosomes have been shown to slide along DNA. This novel facet of their behavior and its implications in chromatin remodeling are reviewed.     

An analysis of XQuery benchmarks

This paper presents a survey and an analysis of the XQuery benchmark publicly available in 2006—XMach-1, XMark, X007, the Michigan benchmark, and XBench—from different perspectives. We address three simple questions about these benchmarks: How are they used? What do they measure? What can one learn from using them? One focus of our analysis is to determine whether the benchmarks can be used for micro-benchmarking. Our conclusions are based on an usage analysis, on an in-depth analysis of the benchmark queries, and on experiments run on four XQuery engines: Galax, SaxonB, Qizx/Open, and MonetDB/XQuery.     

Morphological and Biological Evaluations of Human Periodontal Ligament Fibroblasts in Contact with Different Bovine Bone Grafts Treated with Low-Temperature Deproteinisation Protocol

Several types of deproteinised bovine bone mineral (DBBM) are available on the market, and each one is obtained with a thermic and chemical process that can differ, achieving different results. Currently, several protocols using low temperature are suggested to reduce the possible particle crystallisation during the production process. This study aimed to evaluate the biomorphological reaction of periodontal fibroblast cultures in contact with different DBBM particles treated with a low-temperature protocol (Thermagen^®) and without exposure to sodium hydroxide (NaOH). Morphological evaluation was performed using light, confocal laser, and scanning electron microscopy, and the biological reaction in terms of proliferation was performed using an XTT proliferation assay at 24 h (T1), 72 h (T2), and 7 days (T3). The morphological analysis highlighted how the presence of the materials stimulated a change in the morphology of the cells into a polygonal shape, surface reactions with the thickening of the membrane, and expression of actin. In particular, the morphological changes were appreciable from T1, with a progressive increase in the considered morphological characteristics at T2 and T3 follow-ups. The proliferation assay showed a statistical significance between the different experimental materials and the negative control in T2 and T3 follow-ups. The post hoc analysis did not reveal any differences between the materials. In conclusion, the grafts obtained with the low-temperature extractions protocol and not exposed to NaOH solution showed positive morphological reactions with no differences in the sizes of particles.     

Effect of dietary supplementation of Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) and Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) on rabbit meat appearance,oxidative stability and fatty acid profile during retail display

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of Spirulina and Thyme supplementation on rabbit meat during retail display. At weaning 294 rabbits were allocated to 7 different treatments (42 rabbits/treatment). Rabbits of the control group (C) received a diet without any supplementation throughout the experiment (5–11 weeks of age). The other groups were fed diets containing 5% Spirulina (S), 3% Thyme (T) or both supplements (ST) for the whole trial (5–11 weeks; treatments S, T and ST), or for a part of the growing period (8–11 weeks; treatments C–S, C–T and C–ST). Colour parameters, pH, water holding capacity and drip loss were determined on fresh and stored Longissimus dorsi muscle of 5 rabbits/treatment. Spirulina- and Thyme-supplemented diets had a significant effect on redness and yellowness of Longissimus dorsi. Drip loss was significantly reduced in C–T and T groups that also showed the highest content of α-tocopherol and n − 3 fatty acids content and the lower lipid oxidation.