GLO1 gene polymorphisms and their association with retinitis pigmentosa: a case-control study in a Sicilian population.

Glyoxalase 1 (GLO1) is a ubiquitous cellular enzyme involved in detoxification of methylglyoxal (MGO), a cytotoxic byproduct of glycolysis, whose excess can cause oxidative stress. In retinitis pigmentosa (RP), the prevalent cause of blindness just during working life in the industrialized countries, oxidative stress represents one of the possible mechanisms leading to death of cones following that of rods in the retina. To date, the causes of secondary death of cones remain unclear and among proposed mechanisms are: the deprivation of trophic factors normally produced by healthy rods, a compromised uptake of nutrients to cones due to irreversible destruction of RPE-cone outer segment, microglial activation and following release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and rod-derived toxins. In present paper, role of oxidative stress due to an excess of MGO was evaluated. In particular, we wanted to determine whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in GLO1 influence enzyme activity, contributing to cone death in advanced RP. 120 healthy controls and 80 RP patients from Sicilian population were genotyped for three GLO1 common SNPs, rs1130534 (c.372A>T, p.G124G), rs2736654 (c.A332C, p.E111A) and rs1049346 (c.-7C>T, 5'-UTR). While c.A332C polymorphism was not associated with RP, c.372A>T showed an allelic association (T372 allele frequency = 70% vs 60% in controls, p = 0.0071). Conversely, c.-7C>T showed both genotypic (χ2 = 68.0952; p = 1.634e-15) and allelic associations (χ2 = 51.7094; p = 6.435e-13): mutated allele frequency was higher in controls than in patients, suggesting its possible protective role. RP susceptibility may be associated with two of the analyzed GLO1 polymorphisms (rs1130534 and rs1049346).

Irradiation with Polychromatic Incoherent Low Energy Radiation of Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells In Vitro: Effects on Cytokine Production.

(1) Background: Physical stimuli may activate peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to secrete cytokines, which may favor pro-inflammatory responses or trigger reparative phenomena. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the action of Polarized Polychromatic Incoherent Low Energy Radiation (PILER) on human in vitro PBMCs, by detection of the possible effects on cytokine production; (2) Methods: isolated PBMCs were irradiated with a PILER lamp at different exposure times, at a distance of 10 cm, before incubation. The supernatants were collected after 24 h and 48 h and cytokines evaluated by ELISA; (3) Results: Our results showed a decrease in the levels of pro-inflammatory IL-12p70, IL-17A, IFN-γ, and TNF-α cytokines, whereas IL-10 and TGF-ß1 with regulatory activity increased; (4) Conclusions: PILER irradiation affected the cytokine production by isolated PBMCs driving the immune response toward an anti-inflammatory/reparative profile.

dB/dt Evaluation in MRI Sites: Is ICNIRP Threshold Limit (for Workers) Exceeded?

The Directive 2013/35/EU establishes standards for workers exposed to static and time varying magnetic fields. These limits are based on ICNIRP guidelines expressed in terms of the electric field induced in the body. The complexity of this measurement led to theoretical models being developed. In this study, the experimental evaluation included varying magnetic field exposures for two classes of MRI workers. The measurements are conducted on four different MRI Systems including one 0.35 T, two 1.5 T, and one 3.0 T. Pocket magnetic dosimeters were used and it was carried out during routine conditions, emergency conditions, and cold-head maintenance/substitution. The acquired data has been processed and the corresponding dB/dt curves have been computed as the first time derivative of the dataset. The weighted peak approach was also implemented for the compliance assessment with regulatory limits. The dB/dt peak values have been compared with the reference level (RL) proposed by ICNIRP. The results show that the RL always exceeds during measurements on the 3.0 T scanner and sometimes on 1.5 T. In light of the foregoing, the diffusion of ultra-high field MRI scanners involves the introduction of behavioral rules that could be more useful than a numerical action level.

Annual increase in the frequency of papillary thyroid carcinoma as diagnosed by fine-needle aspiration at a cytology unit in Sicily.

OBJECTIVE: An increased frequency of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) has been reported in the literature, including studies based on fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC). DESIGN: To substantiate our own ascertainment of such an increase, we retrieved all the diagnoses of ultrasound-guided FNAC which was performed on 11,389 patients referred for cytological evaluation of a single or dominant thyroid nodule from 1988 to 2010. FNAC yielded 11,258 adequate specimens. RESULTS: The number of patients with PTC was 200 (age 10-83 yrs) and increased significantly from 1988 to 2010 (r= 0.916, P<0.001). Expressing data as percent of FNAC in any given year, PTC and colloid goiter increased, while adenomatous goiter, follicular lesions and anaplastic or medullary thyroid cancer decreased. PTC accounted for 0% of all FNAC diagnoses in 1988 but for 2% in 2010, with a peak of 2.6% in 2006. Of interest, chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis (CLT) also increased, preceding the increase of PTC by 5-6 years. CONCLUSION: We conclude that in the regions on either side of the Strait of Messina (Italy), PTC has become progressively more frequent during the 23-year period between 1988 and 2010 and that this increase lagged behind the increase of CLT.