Solubilization of Proteins from Human Lymph Node Tissue and Two-Dimensional Gel Storage

Alessandra Bernadete Trovo De Marqui,Alessandra Vidotto,Giovana Mussi Polachini,Claudia De Mattos Bellato,Hamilton Cabral,Andreia Machado Leopoldino,Jose Francisco De Gois Filho,Erica Erina Fukuyama,F 한국생활환경학회 2006 BMB Reports Vol.39 No.2

Solubilization of Proteins from Human Lymph Node Tissue and Two-Dimensional Gel Storage

De Marqui, Alessandra Bernadete Trovo,Vidotto, Alessandra,Polachini, Giovana Mussi,De Mattos Bellato, Claudia,Cabral, Hamilton,Leopoldino, Andreia Machado,De Gois Filho, Jose Francisco,Fukuyama, Erica Korean Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biol 2006 Journal of biochemistry and molecular biology Vol.39 No.2

In the present study, we compared six different solubilization buffers and optimized two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) conditions for human lymph node proteins. In addition, we developed a simple protocol for 2-D gel storage. Efficient solubilization was obtained with lysis buffers containing (a) 8M urea, 4% CHAPS (3-[(3-cholamidopropyl) dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate), 40 mM Tris base, 65 mM DTT(dithiothreitol) and 0.2% carrier ampholytes; (b) 5M urea, 2M thiourea, 2% CHAPS, 2% SB 3-10 (N-decyl-N, N-dimethyl-3-ammonio-1-propanesulfonate), 40mM Tris base, 65 mM DTT and 0.2% carrier ampholytes or (c) 7M urea, 2M thiourea, 4% CHAPS, 65 mM DTT and 0.2% carrier ampholytes. The optimal protocol for isoelectric focusing (IEF) was accumulated voltage of 16,500 Vh and 0.6% DTT in the rehydration solution. In the experiments conducted for the sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), best results were obtained with a doubled concentration (50 mM Tris, 384 mM glycine, 0.2% SDS) of the SDS electrophoresis buffer in the cathodic reservoir as compared to the concentration in the anodic reservoir (25 mM Tris, 192 mM glycine, 0.1% SDS). Among the five protocols tested for gel storing, success was attained when the gels were stored in plastic bags with 50% glycerol. This is the first report describing the successful solubilization and 2D-electrophoresis of proteins from human lymph node tissue and a 2-D gel storage protocol for easy gel handling before mass spectrometry (MS) analysis.

Structural Optimization of Hollow-section Steel Trusses by Differential Evolution Algorithm

Alessandra Fiore,Giuseppe Carlo Marano,Rita Greco,Erika Mastromarino 한국강구조학회 2016 International Journal of Steel Structures Vol.16 No.2

This paper deals with the weight minimization of planar steel trusses by adopting a differential evolution-based algorithm. Square hollow sections are considered. The design optimization refers to size, shape and topology. The design variables are represented by the geometrical dimensions of the cross sections of the different components of the truss, directly involving the size of the structure, and by some geometrical parameters affecting the outer shape of the truss. The topology is included in the optimization search in a particular way, since the designer at different runs of the algorithm can change the number of bays keeping constant the total length of the truss, to successively choose the best optimal solution. The minimum weight optimum design is posed as a single-objective optimization problem subject to constraints formulated in accordance with the current Eurocode 3. The optimal solution is obtained by a Differential Evolutionary (DE) algorithm. In the DE algorithm, a particular combination of mutation and crossover operators is adopted in order to achieve the best solutions and a specific way for dealing with constraints is introduced. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is shown with reference to two case-studies. The analysis results prove the versatility of the optimizer algorithm with regard to the three optimization categories of sizing, shape, topology as well as its high computational performances and its efficacy for practical applications. In particular useful practical indications concerning the geometrical dimensions of the various involved structural elements can be deduced by the optimal solutions: in a truss girder the cross section of the top chord should be bigger than the one of the bottom chord as well as diagonals should be characterized by smaller cross sections with respect to the top and bottom chords in order to simultaneously optimize the weight and ensure an optimal structural behaviour.

Somatosensory Conduction Pathway in Spastic Paraplegia Type 5

Alessandra Vanotti,Lorenzo Nanetti,Davide Rossi Sebastiano,Elisa Visani,Dunja Duran,Daniela Di Bella,Elisa Sarto,Claudio Caccia,Valerio Leoni,Franco Taroni,Caterina Mariotti 대한신경과학회 2014 Journal of Clinical Neurology Vol.10 No.4

Effect of Drag Stages Surface Roughness on the Compression Ratio of a TMDP

Alessandra Dal Bianco,Luca Bonmassar 한국진공학회 2016 Applied Science and Convergence Technology Vol.25 No.6

The rotor of a turbomolecular drag pump is generally made of an aluminum alloy. Its surface finish is affected by various processes that the rotor itself undergoes during the manufacturing phase. The impact of different surface finishes on the pumping performances of a turbomolecular pump has been mainly investigated by Sawada et al [1]. The present work aims to broaden the previous bibliographic study to the drag stages of a turbomolecular pump by testing the impact of different surface finishes on the compression ratio of the pump. Experimental tests have been made focusing on two processes: the corundum sandblasting and the glass microspheres shot-peening. Both the processes flatten and/or physically remove EDM melted spheres; in particular, blasted surfaces obtained by glass shotpeening are generally smoother than surfaces obtained by corundum sandblasting. In order to characterize the surface texture left by such processes, preliminary surface roughness measurements have been made on the drag rotor disks of several pumps. The experimental tests conducted on both sandblasted and shot-peened rotors confirms previous results obtained on the turbo stages by Sawada et al. [1], showing that the average roughness of the surface has an impact on the compression ratio of the pump; in particular, an increment in the surface roughness causes a corresponding increment in the compression ratio of the pump and vice versa. For the tested pumps, the higher surface roughness gives a factor of increment of about 2 on the measured hydrogen maximum compression ratio of the pump.

Elastoplastic response and recoil of lattice structures under hyperbolic hardening

Alessandra Bonfanti,Stavros Syngellakis,Atul Bhaskar 대한기계학회 2018 JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Vol.32 No.4

Elastoplastic response and recoil analyses for hexagonal honeycomb lattice structures are presented when hardening is described by a hyperbolic law. By exploiting the translational symmetry of the problem, the analysis is reduced to that of a thin beam under combined bending and axial loading coupled with the kinematics of lattice deformation and its relationship with cell wall deformation. A closedform solution for the load-curvature relationship of a beam with rectangular cross-section is obtained. A systematic study of beam response, as the stress-strain curve of the constituent material approaches an ideal elastic-perfectly plastic law, is presented. The analysis is then applied to an infinite honeycomb sheet under remote tensile load to obtain the apparent non-linear structural response. Apparent recoil of such a lattice material upon unloading is also calculated in closed form, when unloading is assumed to take place along a linear stress-strain curve. The analytical results are in excellent agreement with the numerical calculations.

Low-Dose Mepolizumab Effectiveness in Patients Suffering From Eosinophilic Granulomatosis With Polyangiitis

Alessandra Vultaggio,Francesca Nencini,Susanna Bormioli,Emanuele Vivarelli,Laura Dies,Oliviero Rossi,Paola Parronchi,Enrico Maggi,Andrea Matucci 대한천식알레르기학회 2020 Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Research Vol.12 No.5

Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) is a vasculitis characterized by multisystemic manifestations including asthma. Mepolizumab (300 mg/4 weeks) has recently been approved for EGPA. However, real-life data are scarce and report experiences with high doses of mepolizumab intravenously administered (750 mg/4 weeks). The aim of our study was to investigate in a real-life setting whether mepolizumab in EGPA patients at low doses would enable us 1) to control asthma symptoms, 2) to obtain oral corticosteroids (OCS) and/or immunosuppressors tapering and 3) to maintain clinical remission and avoid disease relapses. Mepolizumab (100 mg/4 weeks) was subcutaneously administered for 12 months in 18 EGPA patients with uncontrolled severe asthma. Symptoms, annual asthma exacerbation rates, OCS-sparing effects, lung function and eosinophil activation markers were monitored. The proportion of patients with clinical remission or relapse was also evaluated in month 12. A significant decrease in the annual rate of asthma exacerbations in association with significant changes in asthma control were observed. Specifically, 66.6% of the patients experienced no exacerbations during the mepolizumab treatment. Most patients (77.7%) were able to reduce the daily OCS dose by at least 50%. Four patients also stopped cyclosporine A during the study period. No EGPA relapse was observed and a large majority of the patients achieved clinical remission (94.3%). Clinical benefits were paralleled by reduction in blood eosinophils and serum levels of eosinophil activation markers. Low-dose mepolizumab showed clinically relevant benefits in exacerbation rates, asthma symptoms, OCS and immunosuppressive use in EGPA patients. These effects occurred without any EGPA relapse for extrapulmonary manifestations.

Robotic versus Laparoscopic versus Open Gastrectomy: A Meta-Analysis

Alessandra Marano,형우진,최윤영,김유민,김지은,노성훈 대한위암학회 2013 Journal of gastric cancer Vol.13 No.3

Purpose: To define the role of robotic gastrectomy for the treatment of gastric cancer, the present systematic review with meta-analysis was performed. Materials and Methods: A comprehensive search up to July 2012 was conducted on PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library. All eligible studies comparing robotic gastrectomy versus laparoscopic gastrectomy or open gastrectomy were included. Results: Included in our meta-analysis were seven studies of 1,967 patients that compared robotic (n=404) with open (n=718) or laparoscopic (n=845) gastrectomy. In the complete analysis, a shorter hospital stay was noted with robotic gastrectomy than with open gastrectomy (weighted mean difference: -2.92, 95% confidence interval: -4.94 to -0.89, P=0.005). Additionally, there was a significant reduction in intraoperative blood loss with robotic gastrectomy compared with laparoscopic gastrectomy (weighted mean difference:-35.53, 95% confidence interval: -66.98 to -4.09, P=0.03). These advantages were at the price of a significantly prolonged operative time for both robotic gastrectomy versus laparoscopic gastrectomy (weighted mean difference: 63.70, 95% confidence interval: 44.22to 83.17, P<0.00001) and robotic gastrectomy versus open gastrectomy (weighted mean difference: 95.83, 95% confidence interval:54.48 to 137.18, P<0.00001). Analysis of the number of lymph nodes retrieved and overall complication rates revealed that these outcomes did not differ significantly between the groups. Conclusions: Robotic gastrectomy for gastric cancer reduces intraoperative blood loss and the postoperative hospital length of stay compared with laparoscopic gastrectomy and open gastrectomy at a cost of a longer operating time. Robotic gastrectomy also provides an oncologically adequate lymphadenectomy. Additional high-quality prospective studies are recommended to better evaluate both short and long-term outcomes.

Comparison between fiber-reinforced polymers and stainless steel orthodontic retainers

Alessandra Lucchese,Maurizio Manuelli,Claudio Ciuffreda,Paolo Albertini,Enrico Gherlone,Letizia Perillo 대한치과교정학회 2018 대한치과교정학회지 Vol.48 No.2

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the properties of fiberreinforced composite and stainless steel twisted retainers for orthodontic retention. Methods: Three different span lengths (5.0, 8.0, and 14.0 mm) of fiber-reinforced composite were investigated. The three fiber-reinforced composite retainer groups were subdivided according to the storage condition (dry and wet), resulting in a total of six groups. Each stainless steel and fiberreinforced composite group was comprised of six specimens. The threepoint bending flexural test was conducted using a universal testing machine. ANOVA was used to assess differences in the maximum load and maximum stress according to the span length, material, and storage condition. Post-hoc comparisons were performed if necessary. Results: The maximum stress and maximum load were significantly (p < 0.001) associated with the span length, material, and storage condition. The significant interaction between the material and span length (p < 0.001) indicated the differential effects of the material for each span length on the maximum stress and maximum load, with the difference between materials being the highest for the maximum span length. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that fiber-reinforced composite retainers may be an effective alternative for orthodontic retention in patients with esthetic concerns or allergy to conventional stainless steel wires.

Balance, Yoga, Neoliberalism

Alessandra Rosen 한국외국어대학교 HK 세미오시스 연구센터 2019 Signs and Society Vol.7 No.3

Balance is a socially valorized quality in the United States, and yoga a social practice widely claimed to provide it. In this article, I investigate the semiotic logics of this widespread quality and theorize its relationship to the social practice of yoga and to political projects of neoliberalism and second-wave feminism in the United States. Analyzing ethnographic interviews that I conducted with white female yoga instructors in New York City in the summer of 2016, I show that balance is invoked by speakers as a guide to repurpose chronotopically anchored models of yoga to their contemporary lives. Balance provides speakers a sense that the chronotopic contrasts in these models correspond and are compatible with one another. Identifying three linked semiotic relationships upon which balance’s logics rely—contrast, correspondence, and compatibility—I argue that speakers’ interpretation of these logics is mediated by their social positioning as middle-class white women within a neoliberal political economy in the United States.