Hypoalbuminemia in COVID-19: assessing the hypothesis for underlying pulmonary capillary leakage.

BACKGROUND: Since the first observations of patients with COVID-19, significant hypoalbuminaemia was detected. Its causes have not been investigated yet. OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that pulmonary capillary leakage affects the severity of respiratory failure, causing a shift of fluids and proteins through the epithelial-endothelial barrier. METHODS: One hundred seventy-four COVID-19 patients with respiratory symptoms, 92 admitted to the intermediate medicine ward (IMW) and 82 to the intensive care unit (ICU) at Luigi Sacco Hospital in Milan, were studied. RESULTS: Baseline characteristics at admission were considered. Proteins, interleukin 8 (IL-8) and interleukin 10 (IL-10) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were analysed in 26 ICU patients. In addition, ten autopsy ultrastructural lung studies were performed in patients with COVID-19 and compared with postmortem findings in a control group (bacterial pneumonia-ARDS and H1N1-ARDS). ICU patients had lower serum albumin than IMW patients [20 (18-23) vs 28 (24-33) g L-1 , P < 0.001]. Serum albumin was lower in more compromised groups (lower PaO2 -to-FiO2 ratio and worst chest X-ray findings) and was associated with 30 days of probability of survival. Protein concentration was correlated with IL-8 and IL-10 levels in BALF. Electron microscopy examinations of eight out of ten COVID-19 lung tissues showed loosening of junctional complexes, quantitatively more pronounced than in controls, and direct viral infection of type 2 pneumocytes and endothelial cells. CONCLUSION: Hypoalbuminaemia may serve as severity marker of epithelial-endothelial damage in patients with COVID-19. There are clues that pulmonary capillary leak syndrome plays a key role in the pathogenesis of COVID-19 and might be a potential therapeutic target.

A nanofibrous electrospun patch to maintain human mesenchymal cell stemness.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been extensively investigated in regenerative medicine because of their crucial role in tissue healing. For these properties, they are widely tested in clinical trials, usually injected in cell suspension or in combination with tridimensional scaffolds. However, scaffolds can largely affect the fates of MSCs, inducing a progressive loss of functionality overtime. The ideal scaffold must delay MSCs differentiation until paracrine signals from the host induce their change. Herein, we proposed a nanostructured electrospun gelatin patch as an appropriate environment where human MSCs (hMSCs) can adhere, proliferate, and maintain their stemness. This patch exhibited characteristics of a non-linear elastic material and withstood degradation up to 4 weeks. As compared to culture and expansion in 2D, hMSCs on the patch showed a similar degree of proliferation and better maintained their progenitor properties, as assessed by their superior differentiation capacity towards typical mesenchymal lineages (i.e. osteogenic and chondrogenic). Furthermore, immunohistochemical analysis and longitudinal non-invasive imaging of inflammatory response revealed no sign of foreign body reaction for 3 weeks. In summary, our results demonstrated that our biocompatible patch favored the maintenance of undifferentiated hMSCs for up to 21 days and is an ideal candidate for tridimensional delivery of hMSCs. The present work reports a nanostructured patch gelatin-based able to maintain in vitro hMSCs stemness features. Moreover, hMSCs were able to differentiate toward osteo- and chondrogenic lineages once induces by differentiative media, confirming the ability of this patch to support stem cells for a potential in vivo application. These attractive properties together with the low inflammatory response in vivo make this patch a promising platform in regenerative medicine.

Surface viscosity in nematic liquid crystals.

We consider the effect of a localized surface viscosity on the relaxation of an imposed deformation in nematic liquid crystal cells. The simple case in which the samples are in the shape of a slab and the differential equations can be linearized is considered. The apparent inconsistence between the initial values of the time derivatives at the border evaluated by means of the bulk equation and of the boundary condition is related to the assumption that the distorting field is removed in a discontinuous manner. In this framework we shall see that the dynamical problem relevant to the relaxation of the deformation is a well posed problem. In particular, the time derivatives of the nematic director evaluated on the surface by means of the bulk differential equation and by means of the dynamical boundary condition are identical for times larger than the switching time of the deforming field. The analysis of the relaxation of the imposed deformation based on the diffusion equation, with the boundary condition containing the surface viscosity, is then valid only for times larger than the switching time of the deforming field. From this observation we conclude that the concept of localized surface viscosity is useful in the description of slow dynamics of nematic liquid crystals.

Does conjugation strategy matter? Cetuximab-conjugated gold nanocages for targeting triple-negative breast cancer cells.

The efficient targeting of cancer cells depends on the success of obtaining the active targeting of overexpressed receptors. A very accurate design of nanoconjugates should be done via the selection of the conjugation strategy to achieve effective targeted nanoconjugates. Here, we present a detailed study of cetuximab-conjugated nonspherical gold nanocages for the active targeting of triple-negative breast cancer cells, including MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468. A few different general strategies were selected for monoclonal antibody conjugation to the nanoparticle surface. By varying the bioconjugation conditions, including antibody orientation or the presence of a polymeric spacer or recombinant protein biolinker, we demonstrate the importance of a rational design of nanoconjugates. A quantitative study of gold content via ICP-AES allowed us to compare the effectiveness of cellular uptake as a function of the conjugation strategy and confirmed the active nature of nanoparticle internalization in cancer cells via epidermal growth factor receptor recognition, corroborating the importance of the rational design of nanomaterials for nanomedicine.

X-ray photoelectron spectra of complexes with 1-(D-3-mercapto-2-methylpropionyl)-L-proline and Ni(II), Cd(II) and Cu(I): synthesis and LAXS study of Cu(I) derivative.

Metal complexes of general formula Na2M(CAP)2xH2O (with M = Cd(II) or Ni(II), x = 7 and 4, respectively, CAP = 1-(D-3-mercapto-2-methylpropionyl)-L-proline) and NaCuCAPx3H2O have been synthesized as amorphous compounds and studied by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Cu(I) derivative has been studied by IR, XPS and large-angle X-ray scattering (LAXS). IR data and the chemical shift of core level signals suggest that CAP is bonded to the metal via the sulphur atom and the carbonylic oxygen. LAXS data confirm this finding and are consistent with a tetrahedral configuration around the copper ion. The CAP molecule is bonded through the sulphur and the carbonylic oxygen and two water molecules complete the coordination around the metal. The sodium ion exhibits a tetrahedral configuration and interacts with the carboxylic group and two water molecules. One of these is bridging bonded between copper and sodium. No metal-nitrogen bonds are present.

Ressecção endoscópica de tumor polipoide da junção retossigmoidiana / Endoscopic resection of a polypoid tumor on the rectosigmoid junction

Os adenomas são classificados histologicamente conforme a participação do componente tubular e viloso na sua constituição, e também conforme o seu grau de displasia, que pode ser de baixo ou de alto grau. De acordo com o National Polyp Study, os fatores mais importantes relacionados aos adenomas com displasia de alto grau são o tamanho = 1 cm, idade avançada e a presença de componente viloso. Portanto, a identificação dos fatores de risco para os adenomas com displasia de alto grau pode contribuir de maneira significativa para o tratamento e seguimento dos pacientes com pólipos adenomatosos. A maioria (2/3) dos pólipos é assintomática, sobretudo os < 1,0 cm, podendo, eventualmente, ocorrer sintomas nos pólipos > 1,0 cm. A detecção e a remoção dos adenomas rompem a sequência patogênica, eliminando a progressão para a malignidade.

Temperature dependence of isotope ratios in tree rings.

The stable isotope ratios of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen have been measured for a German oak in wood samples of roughly three years each, for the years 1712-1954 A.D., and correlated with the existing weather records from England, Basel, and Geneva to evaluate the empirical temperature coefficients. Isotope ratios in a second official oak, measured for the years 1530-1800 A.D., show the cold temperatures of the Little Ice Age interspersed with warm intervals.

Hydroxyapatite coating of titanium by biomimetic method.

The biomimetic method was used in order to deposit, on titanium substrates, an hydroxyapatite (HA) coating. The bioactive HA layer was obtained by using, in the first stage of the process, a glass having the composition 2.5CaO.2SiO(2) different from the one proposed for the application of the biomimetic method. This glass can be obtained via sol-gel, a method that allows one to obtain, easily, very pure products. The growth of HA crystals was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared, SEM, EDS and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results. The experimental results suggest that, as reported in the literature for other supports, the silicate ions released from the glass in the first stage bind themselves to the titanium support. In particular, from XPS analysis it is evident that the titanium substrate is well covered by a calcium phosphate layer of the type of HA.