Composites based on carbon fibers and liquid crystalline epoxy resins, 1 Monomer synthesis and matrix curing

The synthesis and physical characterization of a novel liquid crystalline epoxy resin, used as a matrix for carbon fiber‐reinforced composites is presented in this paper. The curing reaction was monitored by means of calorimetric and rheological measurements. Calorimetric analysis indicates that the presence of carbon fibers does not affect the reaction rate. A conventional isotropic epoxy resin is used as a model compound in the rheological analysis. According to the patent literature, two different formulations of the model compound were used, characterized by a stoichiometric ratio of epoxy and an epoxy excess, respectively, with respect to the curing agent.     

Stroke mimics treated with thrombolysis: further evidence on safety and distinctive clinical features

Background: Patients who present with symptoms mimicking ischaemic stroke (IS), but have a different diagnosis, are known as stroke mimics (SM). The necessity for rapid administration of intravenous thrombolysis in patients with acute IS may lead to treatment of patients with conditions mimicking stroke. A variable proportion of patients with SM (1.4-14%) are currently treated with intravenous tissue plasminogen activator therapy (IV-tPA). The outcome of these patients is generally favourable and complications are rather infrequent. We aimed to determine the frequency, clinical features and prognosis of SM patients treated with IV-tPA in an experienced stroke centre. Methods: A prospective registry was assembled with patients treated with IV-tPA at our stroke unit from January 2004 to December 2011. We recorded age, gender, baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score, treatment delay, vascular risk factors, clinical syndrome and aetiology. We retrospectively analysed the clinical characteristics of SM, safety (symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage and mortality) and outcome measures (modified Rankin Scale at 3 months, mRS) and compared them with IS patients. Results: 621 patients were treated with IV-tPA during the study period, 606 (97.5%) were IS and 15 (2.4%) were SM. The aetiology of SM was somatoform disorders (5), headache and neurological deficits with cerebrospinal fluid lymphocytosis (HaNDL) syndrome (3), herpetic encephalitis (2), glial tumours (2), and migraine with aura, focal seizure and cortical vein thrombosis in single cases. SM were younger (72 ± 14 vs. 53.7 ± 16 years, p < 0.05), had a lower baseline deficit [NIHSS 13 (9-18) vs. 8 (5-10), p < 0.05], fewer vascular risk factors, and left hemisphere symptoms were predominant (80 vs. 52.4%, p < 0.05). Global aphasia without hemiparesis (GAWH) was the presenting symptom in 8 (54%) SM and 44 (7%) IS (p < 0.05). Multimodal computed tomography was performed in 3 SM patients and showed perfusion deficits in 2 of them. No intracranial haemorrhage or disability (functional outcome at 3 months, mRS >2) was recorded in any SM patient. Conclusions: The use of intravenous thrombolysis appears to be safe in our SM patients, and prognosis is universally favourable. Somatoform disorder and HaNDL syndrome were prominent causes, and GAWH the most common presentation. The safety of thrombolysis in SM suggests that delaying or withholding treatment may be inappropriate: the benefit of thrombolysis in case of IS may outweigh the risks of treating an SM. Further studies may assess the future role of multimodal computed tomography in the differential diagnosis between IS and SM.     

Antibody response against heterogeneous circulating influenza virus strains elicited by MF59- and non-adjuvanted vaccines during seasons with good or partial matching between vaccine strain and clinical isolates

MF59 is already known to enhance the breadth of antibody response to mismatched influenza seasonal and avian strains. However, little is known on the effect of MF59 on immunogenicity of influenza vaccines when “apparent” good matching between circulating and vaccine strains exists. To this end, we compared the immune response elicited by MF59-adjuvanted or non-adjuvanted subunit vaccine, containing A/California/7/04(H3N2) strain, against circulating viruses isolated between 2004/2005 and 2006/2007 seasons, belonging to different clades. The advantage offered by MF59 in terms of higher immunogenicity, expressed as higher post-vaccination HI titres, is observable also against viruses showing antigenic and molecular pattern undistinguishable from vaccine strain, but it became even more evident as the antigenic and molecular distance between vaccine and circulating strains grew. These data show that seasonal influenza vaccine adjuvanted with MF59 can offer a stronger benefit as compared to non-adjuvanted vaccine in protecting against a broader range of virus strains circulating during the influenza season.     

Response to direct‐acting antivirals for hepatitis C treatment in vertically HIV/HCV co‐infected patients

Direct‐acting antivirals (DAAs) for HCV treatment have improved tolerance and efficacy among adults, but experience in vertical transmission is scarce. In our vertically HIV/HCV co‐infected youth cohort of 58 patients, DAA achieved excellent rates of cure among naïve and pretreated individuals. Treating vertically infected seems important as 29.6% displayed advanced fibrosis at treatment initiation.     

Histologic Findings in '“Ex– Helicobacter pylori'” Gastric Biopsies of Pediatric Patients

Long-term sequelae of Helicobacter pylori–associated chronic gastritis (HpCG) have been described in adult patients. In the present study we report the histology of gastric mucosa biopsies in 6 asymptomatic pediatric patients (5 male and 1 female; mean age 9.5 years) with previous HpCG. Preceding H. pylori was histologically proved and confirmed by culture, direct visualization, and/or serology before delivering treatment. In 5 of 6 cases the HpCG followed a protracted clinical course, with various therapeutic series needed before H. pylori eradication. Time from final treatment for HpCG to actual biopsy ranged from 3 months to almost 3 years. Gastric mucosa showed mild chronic gastritis with absence of H. pylori organisms (6 of 6), focal loss of gland units with collagenous replacement (6 of 6), serrated foveolae (3 of 6), regenerative changes at elongated glandular necks with cells having enlarged and hyperchromatic nuclei (5 of 6), lymphoid aggregates (2 of 6), and presence of sulfomucins in isolated epithelial cells of glands and foveolae (2 of 6). None of these features were noticed in 10 normal gastric mucosa biopsies used as controls. The referred findings in “ex– H. pylori” pediatric patients may represent very early sequelae from HpCG at this age.     

Therapeutic applications of selective and non-selective inhibitors of monoamine oxidase A and B that do not cause significant tyramine potentiation

The major side effect with the use of first generation of non selective monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors as neuropsychiatric drugs was what became known as the "cheese reaction". Namely, potentiation of sympathomimetic activity of ingested tyramine present in cheese and other food stuff, resulting from its ability to release noradrenaline, when prevented from metabolism by MAO. The identification of two forms of MAO, termed types A and B and their selective irreversible inhibitors resolved some of this problems. However irreversible MAO-A inhibitors continue to induce a cheese reaction, whereas MAO-B inhibitors at their selective dosage did not and led to introduction of L-deprenyl (selegiline) as an anti-Parkinson drug, since dopamine is equally well metabolized by both enzyme forms. The cheese reaction is a consequence of inhibition of MAO-A, the enzyme responsible for metabolism of noradrenaline and serotonin, located in peripheral adrenergic neurons. The consequence of these findings were the development of reversible MAO-A inhibitors (RIMA), moclobemide and brofaromin, as antidepressants and possible anti-Parkinson activity, with limited tyramine potentiation, since the amine can displace the inhibitor from its binding site on the enzyme. It has always been deemed a greater pharmacological advantage to inhibit both forms of the enzymes to get the full functional activities of the amine neurotransmitters, and without inducing a "cheese reaction". This was not possible until recently, with the development of the novel cholinesterase-brain selective MAO-AB inhibitor, TV3326 (N-propargyl-(3R)-aminoidnan-5-yl-ethyl methylcarbamate hemitartiate), a carbamate derivative of the irreversible MAO-B inhibitor anti-Parkinson drug, rasagiline. This drug is a brain selective MAO-A and B inhibitor, with little inhibition of liver and small intestine enzymes. Pharmacologically it has limited tyramine potentiation, very similar to moclobemide and being a MAO-AB inhibitor it has the antidepressant, anti-Parkinson and anti-Alzheimer activities in the respective models used to develop such drugs.     

Molecular species identification for multiple carnivores

Species identification is crucial for carnivore conservation and ecological studies. We present a simple molecular genetic test that amplifies DNA of 16 wild carnivore species from three continents. The test is based on co-amplification of two mitochondrial DNA fragments and scoring of the resulting species-specific size patterns. We evaluated the performance of this method using 332 known tissue, blood, hair and fecal samples from 23 carnivore and 11 potential prey species. Results demonstrate that this test can distinguish many Caniform species but not members of Felidae. The test can be performed with a single PCR and capillary sequencer run for cost-effective processing of large sample numbers typical of non-invasive genetic projects.     

Focal adhesion kinase and E-cadherin as markers for nodal metastasis in laryngeal cancer

OBJECTIVE: To explore the value of E-cadherin and focal adhesion kinase (FAK) expression in the prediction of cervical lymph node metastases in squamous cell carcinoma of the supraglottic larynx. DESIGN: Immunohistochemical analysis of retrospectively selected cases. Patients The study population was composed of 95 previously untreated men with squamous cell carcinoma of the supraglottic larynx. Intervention All the patients underwent surgical resection of the tumor and bilateral neck dissection. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: E-cadherin and FAK expression in relation to nodal metastases. RESULTS: Decreased E-cadherin expression was correlated with the presence of nodal metastases (P = .006). The combination of E-cadherin and FAK expression resulted in a superior accuracy in assessing nodal metastasis (P = .001). Histological grade was also associated with nodal metastases (P = .005). Multivariate analysis confirmed that these parameters were independent predictors of nodal metastases. In addition, the cases with decreased E-cadherin and increased FAK expression presented a significantly reduced disease-specific survival (P = .005). CONCLUSION: The combination of the expression of E-cadherin and FAK could increase our ability to identify patients with clinically negative lymph nodes who are at considerable risk for occult metastases.     

Coexpression of Aspartic Proteinases and Human Leukocyte Antigen-DR in Human Transplanted Lung

Aspartic proteinases have recently been shown to be implicated in antigen processing. We explored the expression of two aspartic proteinases, cathepsins E and D, and of human leukocyte antigen-DR (HLA-DR) molecules in a consecutive series of 80 transbronchial biopsies from transplanted lungs. For controls, we studied five normal donor lungs (not suitable for transplantation on account of thoracic trauma) and macroscopically normal areas of three cancer-affected lungs. Two of the five unsuitable donor lungs showed minimal inflammatory changes. Macroscopically normal samples from the three cancerous lungs showed mild and focal inflammatory infiltrates. In histologically normal lungs, HLA-DR expression was limited to professional antigenpresenting cells. Macroscopically normal lung samples with minimal inflammatory changes from both donor and cancer lungs showed variable HLA-DR expression by alveolar and bronchial epithelial cells and by endothelial cells. All transplanted lung biopsies showed HLA-DR expression by epithelial (alveolar and bronchial) and endothelial cells, with a trend for increased positivity in acute rejection. Cathepsin E was restricted to Clara and to rare bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue-related epithelial cells in histologically normal lung samples, whereas minimal de novo cathepsin E expression by rare alveolar pneumocytes was noted in control lung samples exhibiting minimal inflammatory changes. In all transplanted lung biopsies, cathepsin E was diffusely expressed de novo by hyperplastic alveolar epithelial cells, regardless of the presence or degree of rejection. Cathepsin D was expressed only by alveolar macrophages and by ciliated bronchial cells of normal, minimally inflamed, and transplanted lungs. In transplanted lung, Clara cells and several hyperplastic alveolar pneumocytes coexpressed HLA-DR and cathepsin E, whereas all alveolar macrophages and a few ciliated cells coexpressed cathepsin D and HLA-DR The present investigation suggests that the de novo expression of cathepsin E and HLA-DR by hyperplastic alveolar pneumocytes of transplanted lung may be crucial for antigen processing and presentation to recipient competent T cells, and thus for the triggering of the immune-inflammatory cascade that leads to rejection.