Defects in epitaxial 4H-SiC revealed by exciton recombination.

In this work, we conducted an analysis of 4H-SiC epitaxial layer grown on two distinct 4H-SiC substrates (both 6 inches in diameter) using non-invasive techniques such as micro-Raman spectroscopy, steady-state absorption spectroscopy and time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy. We have shown that despite the doping homogeneity, confirmed by micro-Raman and steady-state absorption spectroscopy, the carrier lifetime, assessed by monitoring the excitonic band at 3.2 eV by time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy, depends on the position on the wafer. This variability is attributed to the presence of defects, such as impurities or point defects, which are not uniformly distributed on the epitaxial layer and that, in addition to extended defects, affect the charge carrier recombination. Additionally, it is found that interactions with the underlying substrate could contribute to these effects as evidenced in regions of the substrate characterized by differences of doping.

Effects of Physical Exercise and Motor Activity on Depression and Anxiety in Post-Mastectomy Pain Syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Chronic post-surgical pain is a condition persisting for not less than 3 months after surgical intervention. It is evaluated that 25-60% of women who underwent breast cancer excision suffer from post-mastectomy pain syndrome, and anxiety, depression, sleep disturbance, and catastrophizing. Physical activity can reduce the risk of chronic diseases and has a good impact on mood and cognitive function. The aim of this study was to estimate the influence of physical activity on the intensity of pain, depression, and anxiety in women who underwent mastectomy for breast cancer removal. METHODS: A prospective observational unicentric cohort study was performed. Patients were females who underwent unilateral or bilateral mastectomy. The Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) was used to measure pain intensity, Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI) for depression, and Generalized Anxiety Disorders-7 (GAD-7) for anxiety evaluation. Physical activity was assessed by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Interleukin (IL)-17, IL-1ß, cortisol, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were also evaluated in the blood of patients. All evaluations were assessed 3 and 6 months after the surgery. RESULTS: Adequate physical activity reduced the intensity of pain, depression, and anxiety symptoms in women affected by post-mastectomy pain syndrome. Moreover, adequately active women showed a reduction in biomarkers of inflammation, cortisol, ACTH, and an increase of BDNF. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that physical activity can improve the quality of life, reduce the intensity of pain and inflammatory markers, and be useful in the reduction of associated anxiety and depression.

MST1 mediates doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy by SIRT3 downregulation.

Heart failure is a major side effect of doxorubicin (DOX) treatment in patients with cancer. However, the mechanisms underlying the development of DOX-induced heart failure need to be addressed. This study aims to test whether the serine/threonine kinase MST1, a major Hippo pathway component, contributes to the development of DOX-induced myocardial injury. C57BL/6J WT mice and mice with cardiomyocyte-specific dominant-negative MST1 (kinase-dead) overexpression received three weekly injections of DOX, reaching a final cumulative dose of 18 mg/kg. Echocardiographic, histological and biochemical analyses were performed six weeks after the first DOX administration. The effects of MST1 inhibition on DOX-induced cardiomyocyte injury were also tested in vitro. MST1 signaling was significantly activated in cardiomyocytes in response to DOX treatment in vitro and in vivo. Wild-type (WT) mice treated with DOX developed cardiac dysfunction and mitochondrial abnormalities. However, these detrimental effects were abolished in mice with cardiomyocyte-specific overexpression of dominant-negative MST1 (DN-MST1) or treated with XMU-MP-1, a specific MST1 inhibitor, indicating that MST1 inhibition attenuates DOX-induced cardiac dysfunction. DOX treatment led to a significant downregulation of cardiac levels of SIRT3, a deacetylase involved in mitochondrial protection, in WT mice, which was rescued by MST1 inhibition. Pharmacological inhibition of SIRT3 blunted the protective effects of MST1 inhibition, indicating that SIRT3 downregulation mediates the cytotoxic effects of MST1 activation in response to DOX treatment. Finally, we found a significant upregulation of MST1 and downregulation of SIRT3 levels in human myocardial tissue of cancer patients treated with DOX. In summary, MST1 contributes to DOX-induced cardiomyopathy through SIRT3 downregulation.

Effects of Physical Exercise and Motor Activity on Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Post-Mastectomy Pain Syndrome.

It is estimated that 10-50% of interventions can generate persistent post-surgical pain. Chronic post-mastectomy pain is a condition persisting for at least three months after surgery. It has been shown that physical activity in the cancer patient allows the improvement of the pain symptom. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of physical activity on the intensity and interference of chronic pain in the quality of life of women underwent mastectomy needed for breast cancer removal. The secondary objective was to measure the effects of physical activity on inflammatory and oxidative markers in the same population. A Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) was used to assess pain intensity, and Brief Inventory Pain (BIP) was used for assessing interference of pain in quality of life. Physical activity was measured with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Inflammatory mediators such as interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, c-reactive protein (CRP), and biomarkers of oxidative stress malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) were evaluated in the blood of patients. All the evaluations were performed after three and six months after surgery. Results showed that adequate physical activity can diminish intensity and interference of pain and that these effects are associated with a reduction of blood biomarkers of inflammation.

Natural Activators of Autophagy Reduce Oxidative Stress and Muscle Injury Biomarkers in Endurance Athletes: A Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress and impaired autophagy are directly and indirectly implicated in exercise-mediated muscle injury. Trehalose, spermidine, nicotinamide, and polyphenols possess pro-autophagic and antioxidant properties, and could therefore reduce exercise-induced damage to skeletal muscle. The aim of this study was to investigate whether a mixture of these compounds was able to improve muscle injury biomarkers in endurance athletes through the modulation of oxidative stress and autophagic machinery. METHODS AND RESULTS: sNOX2-dp; H2O2 production; H2O2 breakdown activity (HBA); ATG5 and p62 levels, both markers of autophagic process; and muscle injury biomarkers were evaluated in five endurance athletes who were allocated in a crossover design study to daily administration of 10.5 g of an experimental mixture or no treatment, with evaluations conducted at baseline and after 30 days of mixture consumption. Compared to baseline, the mixture intake led to a remarkable reduction of oxidative stress and positively modulated autophagy. Finally, after the 30-day supplementation period, a significant decrease in muscle injury biomarkers was found. CONCLUSION: Supplementation with this mixture positively affected redox state and autophagy and improved muscle injury biomarkers in athletes, allowing for better muscle recovery. Moreover, it is speculated that this mixture could also benefit patients suffering from muscle injuries, such as cancer or cardiovascular patients, or elderly subjects.

Aging-Related Decline of Autophagy in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation-A Post Hoc Analysis of the ATHERO-AF Study.

Background: Aging is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. The autophagy process may play a role in delaying aging and improving cardiovascular function in aging. Data regarding autophagy in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients are lacking. Methods: A post hoc analysis of the prospective ATHERO-AF cohort study, including 150 AF patients and 150 sex- and age-matched control subjects (CS), was performed. For the analysis, the population was divided into three age groups: <50−60, 61−70, and >70 years. Oxidative stress (Nox2 activity and hydrogen peroxide, H2O2), platelet activation (PA) by sP-selectin and CD40L, endothelial dysfunction (nitric oxide, NO), and autophagy parameters (P62 and ATG5 levels) were assessed. Results: Nox2 activity and H2O2 production were higher in the AF patients than in the CS; conversely, antioxidant capacity was decreased in the AF patients compared to the CS, as was NO production. Moreover, sP-selectin and CD40L were higher in the AF patients than in the CS. The autophagy process was also significantly impaired in the AF patients. We found a significant difference in oxidative stress, PA, NO production, and autophagy across the age groups. Autophagy markers correlated with oxidative stress, PA, and endothelial dysfunction in both groups. Conclusions: This study provides evidence that the autophagy process may represent a mechanism for increased cardiovascular risk in the AF population.

An Overview of the Molecular Mechanisms Associated with Myocardial Ischemic Injury: State of the Art and Translational Perspectives.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in western countries. Among cardiovascular diseases, myocardial infarction represents a life-threatening condition predisposing to the development of heart failure. In recent decades, much effort has been invested in studying the molecular mechanisms underlying the development and progression of ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury and post-ischemic cardiac remodeling. These mechanisms include metabolic alterations, ROS overproduction, inflammation, autophagy deregulation and mitochondrial dysfunction. This review article discusses the most recent evidence regarding the molecular basis of myocardial ischemic injury and the new potential therapeutic interventions for boosting cardioprotection and attenuating cardiac remodeling.

Inhibition of PKCθ Improves Dystrophic Heart Phenotype and Function in a Novel Model of DMD Cardiomyopathy.

Chronic cardiac muscle inflammation and subsequent fibrotic tissue deposition are key features in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). The treatment of choice for delaying DMD progression both in skeletal and cardiac muscle are corticosteroids, supporting the notion that chronic inflammation in the heart plays a pivotal role in fibrosis deposition and subsequent cardiac dysfunction. Nevertheless, considering the adverse effects associated with long-term corticosteroid treatments, there is a need for novel anti-inflammatory therapies. In this study, we used our recently described exercised mdx (ex mdx) mouse model characterised by accelerated heart pathology, and the specific PKCθ inhibitor Compound 20 (C20), to show that inhibition of this kinase leads to a significant reduction in the number of immune cells infiltrating the heart, as well as necrosis and fibrosis. Functionally, C20 treatment also prevented the reduction in left ventricle fractional shortening, which was typically observed in the vehicle-treated ex mdx mice. Based on these findings, we propose that PKCθ pharmacological inhibition could be an attractive therapeutic approach to treating dystrophic cardiomyopathy.

H9c2 Cardiomyocytes under Hypoxic Stress: Biological Effects Mediated by Sentinel Downstream Targets.

The association between diabetes and cardiovascular diseases is well known. Related diabetes macro- and microangiopathies frequently induce hypoxia and consequently energy failure to satisfy the jeopardized myocardium basal needs. Additionally, it is widely accepted that diabetes impairs endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) activity, resulting in diminished nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability and consequent endothelial cell dysfunction. In this study, we analyzed the embryonic heart-derived H9c2 cell response to hypoxic stress after administration of a high glucose concentration to reproduce a condition often observed in diabetes. We observed that 24 h hypoxia exposure of H9c2 cells reduced cell viability compared to cells grown in normoxic conditions. Cytotoxicity and early apoptosis were increased after exposure to high glucose administration. In addition, hypoxia induced a RhoA upregulation and a Bcl-2 downregulation and lowered the ERK activation observed in normoxia at both glucose concentrations. Furthermore, a significant cell proliferation rate increases after the 1400 W iNOS inhibitor administration was observed. Again, hypoxia increased the expression level of myogenin, a marker of skeletal muscle cell differentiation. The cardiomyocyte gene expression profiles and morphology changes observed in response to pathological stimuli, as hypoxia, could lead to improper ventricular remodeling responsible for heart failure. Therefore, understanding cell signaling events that regulate cardiac response to hypoxia could be useful for the discovery of novel therapeutic approaches able to prevent heart diseases.

Post-Mastectomy Pain: An Updated Overview on Risk Factors, Predictors, and Markers.

After breast surgery, women frequently develop chronic post-mastectomy pain (PMP). PMP refers to the occurrence of pain in and around the area of the mastectomy lasting beyond three months after surgery. The nature of factors leading to PMP is not well known. When PMP is refractory to analgesic treatment, it negatively impacts the lives of patients, increasing emotional stress and disability. For this reason, optimizing the quality of life of patients treated for this pathology has gained more importance. On the basis of the findings and opinions above, we present an overview of risk factors and predictors to be used as potential biomarkers in the personalized management of individual PMP. For this overview, we discuss scientific articles published in peer-reviewed journals written in the English language describing risk factors, predictors, and potential biomarkers associated with chronic pain after breast surgery. Our overview confirms that the identification of women at risk for PMP is fundamental to setting up the best treatment to prevent this outcome. Clinical practice can be planned through the interpretation of genotyping data, choosing drugs, and tailoring doses for each patient with the aim to provide safer and more effective individual analgesic treatment.

Trehalose, a natural disaccharide, reduces stroke occurrence in the stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rat.

Cerebrovascular disease, a frequent complication of hypertension, is a major public health issue for which novel therapeutic and preventive approaches are needed. Autophagy activation is emerging as a potential therapeutic and preventive strategy toward stroke. Among usual activators of autophagy, the natural disaccharide trehalose (TRE) has been reported to be beneficial in preclinical models of neurodegenerative diseases, atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction. In this study, we tested for the first time the effects of TRE in the stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHRSP) fed with a high-salt stroke permissive diet (JD). We found that TRE reduced stroke occurrence and renal damage in high salt-fed SHRSP. TRE was also able to decrease systolic blood pressure. Through ex-vivo studies, we assessed the beneficial effect of TRE on the vascular function of high salt-fed SHRSP. At the molecular level, TRE restored brain autophagy and reduced mitochondrial mass, along with the improvement of mitochondrial function. The beneficial effects of TRE were associated with increased nuclear translocation of TFEB, a transcriptional activator of autophagy. Our results suggest that TRE may be considered as a natural compound efficacious for the prevention of hypertension-related target organ damage, with particular regard to stroke and renal damage.

Accelerating the Mdx Heart Histo-Pathology through Physical Exercise.

Chronic cardiac muscle inflammation and fibrosis are key features of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). Around 90% of 18-year-old patients already show signs of DMD-related cardiomyopathy, and cardiac failure is rising as the main cause of death among DMD patients. The evaluation of novel therapies for the treatment of dystrophic heart problems depends on the availability of animal models that closely mirror the human pathology. The widely used DMD animal model, the mdx mouse, presents a milder cardiac pathology compared to humans, with a late onset, which precludes large-scale and reliable studies. In this study, we used an exercise protocol to accelerate and worsen the cardiac pathology in mdx mice. The mice were subjected to a 1 h-long running session on a treadmill, at moderate speed, twice a week for 8 weeks. We demonstrate that subjecting young mdx mice (4-week-old) to "endurance" exercise accelerates heart pathology progression, as shown by early fibrosis deposition, increases necrosis and inflammation, and reduces heart function compared to controls. We believe that our exercised mdx model represents an easily reproducible and useful tool to study the molecular and cellular networks involved in dystrophic heart alterations, as well as to evaluate novel therapeutic strategies aimed at ameliorating dystrophic heart pathology.

A retrospective multicentric analysis on testicular torsion: is there still something to learn?

INTRODUCTION AND AIM: Speedy diagnosis are mandatory in testicular torsion, nevertheless some cases of irreversible ischemia still occur. In this study we analysed the results of patients undergoing surgical exploration for acute scrotum. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A multicentric retrospective clinical evaluation was carried out on patients who underwent urgent scrotal exploration at 12 different departments in North-Eastern Italy. Data included complete anagraphic information, clinical presentation, numeric pain rating scale, previous testicular surgery, Doppler serial ultrasonography (US) evaluation and concordance with surgical findings, testicular mobility, surgical treatment, staged or concurrent treatment of the contralateral gonad. Statistical analysis was conducted both for descriptive and inferential statistics with SPSS v26. RESULTS: Three hundred and sixty-eight cases were collected between January 2010 and June 2019. The time between symptom onset and ER access time was within 6 h in majority of patients. However, 17.4% of subject presented after more than 12 h. In patients undergoing US, this showed signs of ischemia in 237 patients (77.2%) and normal vascularisation in 70 (22.8%) of whom 26 had signs of testicular torsion at surgical exploration. Overall, the US data were concordant with the surgical findings in 254 cases (82.7%). A significant association was found between time-to-evaluation and time-to-treatment and the need for orchiectomy (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Testicular torsion management is still challenging in terms of time-saving decision making. Scrotal US is helpful, but even in the contemporary its sensitivity is low era in a non-neglectable number of cases, therefore surgical exploration is warranted in acute scrotum when torsion cannot be ruled out, even when US shows vascularisation.

Beneficial effects of a combination of natural product activators of autophagy on endothelial cells and platelets.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Oxidative stress and insufficient autophagy activity are associated with inflammatory processes and are common features of many cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). We investigated if a combination of natural activators of autophagy could modulate oxidative stress, platelet aggregation and endothelial cell survival and function in response to stress. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Ex vivo platelet aggregation and activation, H2 O2 production and autophagy were measured in platelets of subjects at high cardiovascular risk, including smokers, patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS) and patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). In vitro, the effects of a mixture of natural pro-autophagy molecules and antioxidants on platelets and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were evaluated. KEY RESULT: Autophagy appeared to be inhibited, whereas aggregation was increased in platelets from AF and MetS patients and in smokers, as compared with healthy subjects. Treatment of platelets isolated from these patients with a mixture composed of trehalose, spermidine, catechin and epicatechin (Mix1) or with a mixture composed of trehalose, spermidine and nicotinamide (Mix2), significantly reduced platelet activation and oxidative stress, and increased autophagy, compared with the effect of each compound alone. Similarly, treatment of HUVECs with a combination of these compounds exhibited beneficial effects and increased endothelial cell survival, nitric oxide bioavailability and angiogenesis in response to stress in a potentiated manner. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: A combination of natural activators of autophagy could inhibit platelet activity and oxidative stress and improve endothelial cell survival and function in a potentiated manner representing a useful strategy to reduce the effect of risk factors on CVD occurrence. LINKED ARTICLES: This article is part of a themed issue on Cellular metabolism and diseases. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v178.10/issuetoc.

T2238C atrial natriuretic peptide gene variant and cardiovascular events in patients with atrial fibrillation: A substudy from the ATHERO-AF cohort.

BACKGROUND: The T2238C variant of the atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) gene has emerged as a novel risk factor for the incidence of cardiovascular events. However, the impact of this variant on cardiovascular outcome in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) is unknown. METHODS: We included 557 anticoagulated patients with non-valvular AF randomly selected from the prospective ATHERO-AF cohort. Patients underwent genetic analysis for the T2238C/ANP variant and were grouped as wild type or heterozygous or homozygous for C2238 variant allele. Primary endpoint was a composite of cardiovascular events (CVEs) including cardiovascular death, fatal/non-fatal ischemic stroke and myocardial infarction. Overall, 429 patients carried the TT wild type genotype, 110 patients (19.7%) were heterozygous (T/C) and 18 patients (3.2%) were homozygous (CC). RESULTS: Incidence of CVEs was higher in homozygous patients for C2238 allele at unadjusted analysis (log-rank test, p = 0.042 for additive model, p = 0.043 for recessive model). The multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analysis confirmed that C2238 ANP allele was associated with CVEs in the additive (p = 0.008) and recessive models (p = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Carrier status for the C2238/ANP variant allele is associated with an increased risk of CVEs in anticoagulated AF patients.

Inhibition of miR-155 Attenuates Detrimental Vascular Effects of Tobacco Cigarette Smoking.

Background The role of microRNAs dysregulation in tobacco cigarette smoking-induced vascular damage still needs to be clarified. We assessed the acute effects of tobacco cigarette smoking on endothelial cell-related circulating microRNAs in healthy subjects. In addition, we investigated the potential role of microRNAs in smoking-dependent endothelial cell damage. Methods and Results A panel of endothelial-related microRNAs was quantified in healthy subjects before and after smoking 1 tobacco cigarette. Serum levels of miR-155 were found to be significantly increased shortly after smoking. We also observed a progressive and significant miR-155 accumulation in culture media of human endothelial cells after 30 minutes and up to 4 hours of cigarette smoke condensate treatment in vitro without evidence of cell death, indicating that miR-155 can be released by endothelial cells in response to smoking stress. Cigarette smoke condensate appeared to enhance oxidative stress and impair cell survival, angiogenesis, and NO metabolism in human endothelial cells. Notably, these effects were abrogated by miR-155 inhibition. We also observed that miR-155 inhibition rescued the deleterious effects of cigarette smoke condensate on endothelial-mediated vascular relaxation and oxidative stress in isolated mouse mesenteric arteries. Finally, we found that exogenous miR-155 overexpression mimics the effects of smoking stress by inducing the upregulation of inflammatory markers, impairing angiogenesis and reducing cell survival. These deleterious effects were associated with downregulation of vascular endothelial growth factor and endothelial NO synthetase. Conclusions Our results suggest that miR-155 dysregulation may contribute to the deleterious vascular effects of tobacco smoking.

Efficacy and safety of combined oral therapy with tadalafil and alfuzosin: an integrated approach to the management of patients with lower urinary tract symptoms and erectile dysfunction. Preliminary report.

INTRODUCTION: Alpha1-blockers (AB) are the first-line monotherapy for lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). Phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors are the first-line treatment for erectile dysfunction (ED). Numerous studies have supposed a significant association between ED and LUTS, but a causal relationship cannot be established. AIM: The aim was to evaluate the efficacy of a combined therapy with an AB (alfuzosin) and PDE5 inhibitors (tadalafil) in patients with LUTS and ED. METHODS: This was a randomized, open-label, three-arm study. A total of 66 men complaining of ED and LUTS were included in the study. Patients were assessed at baseline and after 12 weeks of study treatment, and then underwent randomized allocation to either alfuzosin 10 mg once a day (22 patients) or tadalafil 20 mg on alternative days (21 patients), or a combination of both (23 patients). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: All participants completed the erectile function domain of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-EF) and the International Prostatic Symptom Score (IPSS). Other efficacy variables included maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax) and medium urinary flow rate (Qave). RESULTS: IIEF-EF tended to improve with alfuzosin alone (+15%), while it was clearly improved with tadalafil alone (+36.3%). The greatest improvement was experienced with the combination therapy (+37.6%). Improvement in Qmax was observed in all groups, but patients receiving combination therapy had greater improvement (29.6%) than patients receiving either only alfuzosin (21.7%) or only tadalafil (9.5%). IPSS was significantly improved in alfuzosin group (27.2%), was more marked with the combination therapy (41.6%), and a small increase, although not significant, was also observed with tadalafil (8.4%). CONCLUSIONS: Combined therapy improved ED and LUTS as demonstrated by the significant improvement in uroflowmetry measures and in IPSS and IIEF-EF scores. A significant improvement was also observed in quality of life assessments. The beneficial effects of tadalafil on LUTS similar to the benefits of alfuzosin on ED, although present, were smaller.