University of Palermo

About: University of Palermo is a education organization based out in Palermo, Italy. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Cancer. The organization has 15621 authors who have published 40250 publications receiving 964384 citations. The organization is also known as: Università degli Studi di Palermo & Universita degli Studi di Palermo.

Extracellular Matrix Molecular Remodeling in Human Liver Fibrosis Evolution

Abstract: Chronic liver damage leads to pathological accumulation of ECM proteins (liver fibrosis). Comprehensive characterization of the human ECM molecular composition is essential for gaining insights into the mechanisms of liver disease. To date, studies of ECM remodeling in human liver diseases have been hampered by the unavailability of purified ECM. Here, we developed a decellularization method to purify ECM scaffolds from human liver tissues. Histological and electron microscopy analyses demonstrated that the ECM scaffolds, devoid of plasma and cellular components, preserved the three-dimensional ECM structure and zonal distribution of ECM components. This method has been then applied on 57 liver biopsies of HCV-infected patients at different stages of liver fibrosis according to METAVIR classification. Label-free nLC-MS/MS proteomics and computation biology were performed to analyze the ECM molecular composition in liver fibrosis progression, thus unveiling protein expression signatures specific for the HCV-related liver fibrotic stages. In particular, the ECM molecular composition of liver fibrosis was found to involve dynamic changes in matrix stiffness, flexibility and density related to the dysregulation of predominant collagen, elastic fibers and minor components with both structural and signaling properties. This study contributes to the understanding of the molecular bases underlying ECM remodeling in liver fibrosis and suggests new molecular targets for fibrolytic strategies.

Determination of the relative stereochemistry of flexible organic compounds by Ab initio methods: conformational analysis and Boltzmann-averaged GIAO 13C NMR chemical shifts.

Abstract: Ab initio calculations at the Hartree-Fock level with full-geometry optimization using the 6-31G(d) basis set, and GIAO (gauge including atomic orbitals) 1 3 C NMR chemical shifts, are presented here as a support in the study of the stereochemistry of low-polar organic compounds having an openchain structure. Four linear stereoisomers, fragments of a natural product previously characterized by experimental 1 3 C NMR spectra, which possesses three stereogenic centers, 11 carbon atoms, and 38 atoms in total, were considered. Conformational searches, by empirical force-field molecular dynamics, pointed out the existence of 8-13 relevant conformers per stereoisomer. Thermochemical calculations at the ab initio level in the harmonic approximation of the vibrational modes, allowed the evaluation, at 298.15 K, of the standard Gibbs free energy of the conformers. The 1 3 C NMR chemical shift of a given carbon atom in each stereoisomer was considered as the average chemical shift value of the same atom in the different conformers. The averages were obtained by the Boltzmann distribution, using the relative standard free energies as weighting factors. Computed parameters related to linear correlation plots of experimental 1 3 C chemical shifts versus the corresponding computed average data allowed us to distinguish among the four stereoisomers.

Tourism and climate change: impacts, adaptation and mitigation

Abstract: In recent years, climate change has caused a set of disasters and economic troubles for the globalized economy. This book presents a clear diagnosis of the climate change dilemma for industrial and...

Conversion ratios for opioid switching in the treatment of cancer pain: a systematic review.

Abstract: In this paper we describe the results of a systematic search of the literature on conversion ratios during opioid switching. This is part of a project of the European Palliative Care Research Collaboration to update the European Association for Palliative Care recommendations for the use of opioid analgesics in the treatment of cancer pain. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they involved adult patients with chronic cancer pain, contained data on opioid conversion ratios, were prospective and were written in English. Thirty-one studies were identified and included. The majority of the studies had methodological flaws and were not designed to explore or demonstrate equianalgesic dose data. However, the data allow some recommendations to be made that could be helpful to clinicians for whom there are few reliable experimental data on which to base dosing guidelines. Switching to transdermal fentanyl (TDfe) or buprenorphine (TDbu) is an option for patients with stable, controlled pain. Reliable and consis...