University of Udine

About: University of Udine is a education organization based out in Udine, Italy. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Large Hadron Collider. The organization has 6745 authors who have published 20530 publications receiving 669088 citations. The organization is also known as: Università degli Studi di Udine & Universita degli Studi di Udine.

Intermittent high glucose enhances apoptosis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells in culture

Abstract: To explore the effect of fluctuating glucose on endothelial cells, human umbilical vein endothelial cells were incubated for 14 days in media containing different glucose concentrations: 5 mmol/l, 20 mmol/l, or a daily alternating 5 or 20 mmol/l glucose. Apoptosis was studied by different methods: viability assay, cell cycle analysis, DNA fragmentation, and morphological analysis. Furthermore, the levels of Bcl-2 and Bax, well known proteins involved in apoptosis, were evaluated. Stable high glucose induced apoptosis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells, a phenomenon accompanied by a significant decrease of Bcl-2 and a simultaneous increase of Bax expression. However, apoptosis was enhanced in human umbilical vein endothelial cells exposed to intermittent, rather than constant, high glucose concentration. In this condition, Bcl-2 was not detectable, whereas Bax expression was significantly enhanced. These findings suggest that variability in glycemic control could be more deleterious to endothelial cells than a constant high concentration of glucose.

Fungal Infections in Recipients of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplants: Results of the SEIFEM B-2004 Study—Sorveglianza Epidemiologica Infezioni Fungine Nelle Emopatie Maligne

Abstract: Background. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the incidence and outcome of invasive fungal infection (IFI) among patients who underwent autologous or allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) at 11 Italian transplantation centers. Methods. This cohort-retrospective study, conducted during 1999-2003, involved HSCT patients admitted to 11 tertiary care centers or university hospitals in Italy, who developed IFIs (proven or probable). Results. Among 3228 patients who underwent HSCT (1249 allogeneic HSCT recipients and 1979 autologous HSCT recipients), IFI occurred in 121 patients (overall incidence, 3.7%). Ninety-one episodes (2.8% of all patients) were due to molds, and 30 (0.9%) were due to yeasts. Ninety-eight episodes (7.8%) occurred among the 1249 allogeneic HSCT recipients, and 23 (1.2%) occurred among the 1979 autologous HSCT recipients. The most frequent etiological agents were Aspergillus species (86 episodes) and Candida species (30 episodes). The overall mortality rate was 5.7% among allogeneic HSCT recipients and 0.4% among autologous HSCT recipients, whereas the attributable mortality rate registered in our population was 65.3% (72.4% for allogeneic HSCT recipients and 34.7% for autologous HSCT recipients). Etiology influenced the patients' outcomes: the attributable mortality rate for aspergillosis was 72.1% (77.2% and 14.3% for allogeneic and autologous HSCT recipients, respectively), and the rate for Candida IFI was 50% (57.1% and 43.8% for allogeneic and autologous HSCT recipients, respectively). Conclusions. IFI represents a common complication for allogeneic HSCT recipients. Aspergillus species is the most frequently detected agent in these patients, and aspergillosis is characterized by a high mortality rate. Conversely, autologous HSCT recipients rarely develop aspergillosis, and the attributable mortality rate is markedly lower. Candidemia was observed less often than aspergillosis among both allogeneic and autologous HSCT recipients; furthermore, there was no difference in either the incidence of or the attributable mortality rate for candidemia among recipients of the 2 transplant types.

A change in the optical polarization associated with a γ-ray flare in the blazar 3C 279

Abstract: It is widely accepted that strong and variable radiation detected over all accessible energy bands in a number of active galaxies arises from a relativistic, Doppler-boosted jet pointing close to our line of sight1. The size of the emitting zone and the location of this region relative to the central supermassive black hole are, however, poorly known, with estimates ranging from light-hours to a light-year or more. Here we report the coincidence of a gamma (γ)-ray flare with a dramatic change of optical polarization angle. This provides evidence for co-spatiality of optical and γ-ray emission regions and indicates a highly ordered jet magnetic field. The results also require a non-axisymmetric structure of the emission zone, implying a curved trajectory for the emitting material within the jet, with the dissipation region located at a considerable distance from the black hole, at about 105 gravitational radii.

Resistance to Sharka in Apricot: Comparison of Phase-Reconstructed Resistant and Susceptible Haplotypes of ‘Lito’ Chromosome 1 and Analysis of Candidate Genes

Abstract: Sharka, a common disease among most stone fruit crops, is caused by the Plum Pox Virus (PPV). Resistant genotypes have been found in apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.), one of which-the cultivar 'Lito' heterozygous for the resistance-has been used to map a major quantitative trait locus (QTL) on linkage group 1, following a pseudo-test-cross mating design with 231 individuals. In addition, 19 SNP markers were selected from among the hundreds previously developed, which allowed the region to be limited to 236 kb on chromosome 1. A 'Lito' bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library was produced, screened with markers of the region, and positive BAC clones were sequenced. Resistant (R) and susceptible (S) haplotypes were assembled independently. To refine the assembly, the whole genome of 'Lito' was sequenced to high coverage (98×) using PacBio technology, enabling the development of a detailed assembly of the region that was able to predict and annotate the genes in the QTL region. The selected cultivar 'Lito' allowed not only to discriminate structural variants between the two haplotypic regions but also to distinguish specific allele expression, contributing towards mining the PPVres locus. In light of these findings, genes previously indicated (i.e., MATHd genes) to have a possible role in PPV resistance were further analyzed, and new candidates were discussed. Although the results are not conclusive, the accurate and independent assembly of R and S haplotypes of 'Lito' is a valuable resource to predict and test alternative transcription and regulation mechanisms underpinning PPV resistance.

EULAR Sjögren's Syndrome Patient Reported Index (ESSPRI): development of a consensus patient index for primary Sjögren's syndrome

Abstract: Objectives To develop a score for assessment of patients9 symptoms in primary Sjogren9s syndrome (SS): the EULAR SS Patient Reported Index (ESSPRI). Methods Dryness, pain, somatic and mental fatigue were identified as the main symptoms of patients with primary SS, in studies developing the Profile of Fatigue and Discomfort (PROFAD) and Sicca Symptoms Inventory (SSI). It was suspected that a single 0–10 numerical scale for each domain was sufficient to assess these symptoms. These four scales were gathered to form the ESSPRI. 230 patients, from 12 countries completed the ESSPRI, SSI and PROFAD questionnaires and a 0–10 patient global assessment (PGA). Correlations between each symptom and PGA were obtained. Multiple regression modelling, using PGA as ‘gold standard’ was used to select domains and estimate their weights. Results PGA had good correlation with dryness, limb pain, fatigue and mental fatigue (r=0.49–0.59, all p Conclusion ESSPRI is a very simple index designed to measure patients9 symptoms in primary SS. It has good construct validity and is well correlated with SSI and PROFAD. ESSPRI should now be validated for use as an outcome measure in clinical trials.