Latest PUBLICATIONS

  • Anticancer cationic ruthenium nanovectors: from rational molecular design to cellular uptake and bioactivity.
    Publication Date: 12/08/2013, on Biomacromolecules
    by Mangiapia G, Vitiello G, Irace C, Santamaria R, Colonna A, Angelico R, Radulescu A, D'Errico G, Montesarchio D, Paduano L
    DOI: 10.1021/bm400104b

    An efficient drug delivery strategy is presented for novel anticancer amphiphilic ruthenium anionic complexes, based on the formation of stable nanoparticles with the cationic lipid 1,2-dioleyl-3-trimethylammoniumpropane chloride (DOTAP). This strategy is aimed at ensuring high ruthenium content within the formulation, long half-life in physiological media, and enhanced cell uptake. An in-depth microstructural characterization of the aggregates obtained mixing the ruthenium complex and the phospholipid carrier at 50/50 molar ratio is realized by combining a variety of techniques, including dynamic light scattering (DLS), small angle neutron scattering (SANS), neutron reflectivity (NR), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), and zeta potential measurements. The in vitro bioactivity profile of the Ru-loaded nanoparticles is investigated on human and non-human cancer cell lines, showing IC(50) values in the low μM range against MCF-7 and WiDr cells, that is, proving to be 10-20-fold more active than AziRu, a previously synthesized NAMI-A analog, used for control. Fluorescence microscopy studies demonstrate that the amphiphilic Ru-complex/DOTAP formulations, added with rhodamine-B, are efficiently and rapidly incorporated in human MCF-7 breast adenocarcinoma cells. The intracellular fate of the amphiphilic Ru-complexes was investigated in the same in vitro model by means of an ad hoc designed fluorescently tagged analog, which exhibited a marked tendency to accumulate within or in proximity of the nuclei.

  • Frontal defects contribute to the genesis of closing-in in Alzheimer's disease patients.
    Publication Date: 01/08/2013, on Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society : JINS
    by De Lucia N, Grossi D, Maria Fasanaro A, Carpi S, Trojano L
    DOI: 10.1017/S1355617713000568

    Closing-in (CI) refers to copying drawings near to or superimposed on the original model, and is often observed in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. Contrasting hypotheses have been suggested to explain CI, but no prospective study has directly verified these interpretations. We evaluated the role of frontal/executive versus visuo-spatial impairments in a prospective sample of AD patients, and also explored whether different types of CI are related to specific neuropsychological tasks. We enrolled 64 AD patients who underwent copying tasks and an extensive neuropsychological assessment of visuo-spatial and visuo-constructional skills, frontal/executive abilities and anterograde memory. AD patients with CI showed more severe impairment on frontal/executive functions than AD patients without CI. Moreover, the tendency to produce copies superimposed on the model was selectively associated with poor inhibitory control for irrelevant responses. On this basis, we suggest that different CI phenomena could be ascribed to distinctive frontal/executive defects.

  • "Avoiding or approaching eyes"? Introversion/extraversion affects the gaze-cueing effect.
    Publication Date: 01/08/2013, on Cognitive processing
    by Ponari M, Trojano L, Grossi D, Conson M
    DOI: 10.1007/s10339-013-0559-z

    We investigated whether the extra-/introversion personality dimension can influence processing of others' eye gaze direction and emotional facial expression during a target detection task. On the basis of previous evidence showing that self-reported trait anxiety can affect gaze-cueing with emotional faces, we also verified whether trait anxiety can modulate the influence of intro-/extraversion on behavioral performance. Fearful, happy, angry or neutral faces, with either direct or averted gaze, were presented before the target appeared in spatial locations congruent or incongruent with stimuli's eye gaze direction. Results showed a significant influence of intra-/extraversion dimension on gaze-cueing effect for angry, happy, and neutral faces with averted gaze. Introverts did not show the gaze congruency effect when viewing angry expressions, but did so with happy and neutral faces; extraverts showed the opposite pattern. Importantly, the influence of intro-/extraversion on gaze-cueing was not mediated by trait anxiety. These findings demonstrated that personality differences can shape processing of interactions between relevant social signals.

  • W-F substitutions in apomyoglobin increase the local flexibility of the N-terminal region causing amyloid aggregation: a H/D exchange study.
    Publication Date: 01/08/2013, on Protein and peptide letters
    by Infusini G, Iannuzzi C, Vilasi S, Maritato R, Birolo L, Pagnozzi D, Pucci P, Irace G, Sirangelo I
    DOI:

    Myoglobin is an α-helical globular protein containing two highly conserved tryptophanyl residues at positions 7 and 14 in the N-terminal region. The simultaneous substitution of the two residues impairs the productive folding of the protein making the polypeptide chain highly prone to aggregate forming amyloid fibrils at physiological pH and room temperature. The role played by tryptophanyl residues in driving the productive folding process was investigated by providing structural details at low resolution of compact intermediate of three mutated apomyoglobins, i.e., W7F, W14F and the amyloid forming mutant W7FW14F. In particular, we followed the hydrogen/deuterium exchange rate of protein segments using proteolysis with pepsin followed by mass spectrometry analysis. The results revealed significant differences in the N-terminal region, consisting in an alteration of the physico-chemical properties of the 7-11 segment for W7F and in an increase of local flexibility of the 12-29 segment for W14F. In the double trypthophanyl substituted mutant, these effects are additive and impair the formation of native-like contacts and favour inter-chain interactions leading to protein aggregation and amyloid formation at physiological pH.

  • Motor imagery in Asperger syndrome: testing action simulation by the hand laterality task.
    Publication Date: 23/07/2013, on PloS one
    by Conson M, Mazzarella E, Frolli A, Esposito D, Marino N, Trojano L, Massagli A, Gison G, Aprea N, Grossi D
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0070734

    Asperger syndrome (AS) is a neurodevelopmental condition within the Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) characterized by specific difficulties in social interaction, communication and behavioural control. In recent years, it has been suggested that ASD is related to a dysfunction of action simulation processes, but studies employing imitation or action observation tasks provided mixed results. Here, we addressed action simulation processes in adolescents with AS by means of a motor imagery task, the classical hand laterality task (to decide whether a rotated hand image is left or right); mental rotation of letters was also evaluated. As a specific marker of action simulation in hand rotation, we assessed the so-called biomechanical effect, that is the advantage for judging hand pictures showing physically comfortable versus physically awkward positions. We found the biomechanical effect in typically-developing participants but not in participants with AS. Overall performance on both hand laterality and letter rotation tasks, instead, did not differ in the two groups. These findings demonstrated a specific alteration of motor imagery skills in AS. We suggest that impaired mental simulation and imitation of goal-less movements in ASD could be related to shared cognitive mechanisms.

  • Pathological gambling in Parkinson's disease. A comprehensive review.
    Publication Date: 01/07/2013, on Parkinsonism & related disorders
    by Santangelo G, Barone P, Trojano L, Vitale C
    DOI: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2013.02.007

    Pathological gambling (PG) and other Impulse Control Disorders (ICDs), such as hypersexuality, compulsive eating and buying, are often reported in Parkinson's disease (PD). The prevalence of PG is 2.2%-7% in treated PD patients, which is higher than the background population rate. As other non motor symptoms in PD, PG is frequently under-reported by patients and caregivers and may be under-recognized by the treating physicians. Factors associated with PG include male sex, younger age or younger age at PD onset, personal or family history of substance abuse or ICD, a personality profile characterized by impulsiveness, and treatment with dopamine agonists (DA) more than with levodopa (l-dopa). The DA effect seems to be a class effect and not specific for any DA. Neurofunctional studies suggest that medication-induced downregulation of frontostriatal connections and upregulation of striatum might combine to induce impulsive behavior. A dysfunction of fronto-subcortical circuits in PD patients with PG is also supported by neuropsychological findings of impaired executive control and monitoring abilities. Management of ICDs in PD is complex, and until now only discontinuation and/or tapering of DA treatment seem to be an effective management strategy for ICDs in PD. There is no empirical evidence supporting the use of psychiatric drugs for PG such as antipsychotics and antidepressants. Data regarding the effect of deep brain stimulation (DBS), particularly of subthalamic nucleus, on PG and ICDs in PD are still limited and sometimes conflicting since improvement of PG or new onset of PG after surgery have been reported.

  • Remodelling of supraspinal neuroglial network in neuropathic pain is featured by a reactive gliosis of the nociceptive amygdala.
    Publication Date: 01/07/2013, on European journal of pain (London, England)
    by Marcello L, Cavaliere C, Colangelo AM, Bianco MR, Cirillo G, Alberghina L, Papa M
    DOI: 10.1002/j.1532-2149.2012.00255.x

    Many brain areas participate to supraspinal control of nociception. In these regions, few studies have investigated the role of glial cells in supraspinal plasticity and the effect of 7-day intrathecal nerve growth factor-like (BB14®, Blueprint Biotech, Milano, Italy) treatment.

  • Natalizumab in pediatric multiple sclerosis: results of a cohort of 55 cases.
    Publication Date: 01/07/2013, on Multiple sclerosis (Houndmills, Basingstoke, England)
    by Ghezzi A, Pozzilli C, Grimaldi LM, Moiola L, Brescia-Morra V, Lugaresi A, Lus G, Rinaldi F, Rocca MA, Trojano M, Bianchi A, Comi G, Filippi M,
    DOI: 10.1177/1352458512471878

    Limited information is available on the use of natalizumab (NA) in pediatric multiple sclerosis (ped-MS) patients.

  • [Cerebral pseudovasculitic lesion associated with von Recklinghausen's neurofibromatosis: a case report].
    Publication Date: 01/07/2013, on Recenti progressi in medicina
    by Conforti R, Negro A, Cirillo M, Della Gatta L, Della Vecchia N, Capasso R, Raucci A
    DOI: 10.1701/1315.14595

    A child with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) with headache was submitted to magnetic resonanace imaging and a pseudovasculitic lesion was found. Vascular lesions are uncommon in patients with NF1 and our case highlights an even more rare feature of this form of vascular disease.

  • [The value of the MRI in defining the morfology of cerebral aging].
    Publication Date: 01/07/2013, on Recenti progressi in medicina
    by Conforti R, Capasso R, Bonavita S, Califano T, Russo A, Giganti M, Tessitore A
    DOI: 10.1701/1315.14567

    White matter changes are one of the several aging brain alterations. Actually, magnetic resonance imaging is the best diagnostic tool in investigation and monitoring these lesions that determine some common clinical manifestations in the elderly population.

  • [New development in neuroradiological diagnosis of migraine].
    Publication Date: 01/07/2013, on Recenti progressi in medicina
    by Conforti R, Negro A, Della Gatta L, Russo A, Cesarano E, La Porta M, Cappabianca S
    DOI: 10.1701/1315.14565

    Migraine is one of the most common forms of primary headache. In recent years there have been important discoveries thanks to a greater understanding of conventional radiologic studies and the advent of the advanced exams. This has led to a revolution of the knowledge of its pathophysiological mechanisms and opens the way for future therapeutic developments.

  • [Diagnostic tools in neurodegenerative disorders of adult-elderly].
    Publication Date: 01/07/2013, on Recenti progressi in medicina
    by Conforti R, Capasso R, Negro A, Della Gatta L, De Cristofaro M, Cioce F, Amato M, Giganti M, Genovese EA
    DOI: 10.1701/1315.14563

    Neurodegenerative disorders are an inhomogeneous group of neurological diseases that affect a large part of the population because of the rise in life expectancy. Although clinical manifestations are important to make the correct diagnosis, the new advanced imaging technique represent a very useful tool for the diagnostic work-up.

  • Explicit recognition of emotional facial expressions is shaped by expertise: evidence from professional actors.
    Publication Date: 28/06/2013, on Frontiers in psychology
    by Conson M, Ponari M, Monteforte E, Ricciato G, Sarà M, Grossi D, Trojano L
    DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00382

    Can reading others' emotional states be shaped by expertise? We assessed processing of emotional facial expressions in professional actors trained either to voluntary activate mimicry to reproduce character's emotions (as foreseen by the "Mimic Method"), or to infer others' inner states from reading the emotional context (as foreseen by "Stanislavski Method"). In explicit recognition of facial expressions (Experiment 1), the two experimental groups differed from each other and from a control group with no acting experience: the Mimic group was more accurate, whereas the Stanislavski group was slower. Neither acting experience, instead, influenced implicit processing of emotional faces (Experiment 2). We argue that expertise can selectively influence explicit recognition of others' facial expressions, depending on the kind of "emotional expertise".

  • Digenic mutational inheritance of the integrin alpha 7 and the myosin heavy chain 7B genes causes congenital myopathy with left ventricular non-compact cardiomyopathy.
    Publication Date: 21/06/2013, on Orphanet journal of rare diseases
    by Esposito T, Sampaolo S, Limongelli G, Varone A, Formicola D, Diodato D, Farina O, Napolitano F, Pacileo G, Gianfrancesco F, Di Iorio G
    DOI: 10.1186/1750-1172-8-91

    We report an Italian family in which the proband showed a severe phenotype characterized by the association of congenital fiber type disproportion (CFTD) with a left ventricular non-compaction cardiomyopathy (LVNC). This study was focused on the identification of the responsible gene/s.

  • Apoptotic and proinflammatory effect of combustion-generated organic nanoparticles in endothelial cells.
    Publication Date: 07/06/2013, on Toxicology letters
    by Pedata P, Bergamasco N, D'Anna A, Minutolo P, Servillo L, Sannolo N, Balestrieri ML
    DOI: 10.1016/j.toxlet.2013.03.017

    Air pollution exposure in industrialized cities is associated with an increased risk of morbidity and mortality attributed to cardiovascular diseases. Combustion exhausts emitted from motor vehicles and industries represent a major source of nanoparticles in the atmosphere. Flame-generated organic carbon nanoparticles (OC NPs) provide interesting model nanoparticles that simulate fresh combustion emissions near roadways or combustion sources. These model nanoparticles can be produced by controlling flame operating conditions and used to test possible toxicological mechanisms responsible for the observed health effects. OC NPs were used to investigate their possible effect on endothelial cells (EC) growth and production of proinflammatory lipid mediators. Results indicated a dose and time-dependent reduction in cell viability following incubation of EC with OC NPs for 24 and 48h. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting revealed that EC treated with OC NPs showed a cell proliferation index significantly lower than that of control cells and an increased apoptotic cell death. The annexin assay confirmed the increased apoptotic cell death. Moreover, OC NPs also induced a time-dependent increase of proinflammatory lysophospholipid production. These results, establishing that OC NPs induce EC proinflammatory lysophosholipid production and apoptotic cell death, provide the first evidence of the detrimental effect of OC NPs on EC.