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The present work illustrates a new method: soft landed protein voltammetry (SLPV); this experimental procedure is based on the coupling of ion soft landing with a voltammetric technique and allows the electrode surface to be functionalized with biologically active molecules, thus opening up numerous new perspectives ranging from molecular electronics to protein chips.

Aberrant survivin expression in cancer cells has been associated with tumour progression, radiation/drug resistance and shorter patient survival. The aim of the present study was to investigate survivin expression in laryngeal carcinoma (LSCC) tissue and - for the first time at this site - the expression of survivin splice variants. P53 was also studied.Survivin and p53 expression was determined immunohistochemically in 86 consecutive patients operated for LSCC. Survivin mRNA expression was assessed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Hot-spot mutations in exons 5, 6, 7 and 8 of the TP53 gene were studied by sequencing analysis. A nuclear localization for survivin predominated. There was a significant association between a higher nuclear survivin expression and LSCC recurrence (P = 0.046). Disease-free survival (DFS) for LSCC patients with a nuclear survivin expression7.0% was shorter than in cases whose expression was ≤7.0% (P = 0.05). Wild-type survivin correlated significantly with nuclear survivin expression (P = 0.02). p53 expression was associated with the co-expression of wild-type survivin and survivin-2B (P = 0.01).Nuclear expression of survivin appears to influence LSCC aggressiveness, a higher nuclear survivin expression correlating with a higher recurrence rate and a shorter DFS. Wild-type survivin was the most frequently detected splice variant in LSCC tissues.

During sinus-lift surgery, certain intra-osseous vessels may be accidentally cut and this cause bleeding complications in approximately 20% of osteotomies. Therefore, understanding vascular details of the maxilla is very important for the surgeon. Here, we have given an anatomical overview of maxillary sinus vascularization through anatomical dissection. We have analyzed the distribution, localization and distance from the alveolar ridge of intraosseous branches of the maxillary artery found during sinus lift surgery.Fifty-six maxillary bone doors were made bilaterally in twenty-eight unfixed cadavers; the doors were made between the first molar and the second molar (24 doors) or between the first and the second premolar (32 doors).Intraosseous arteries were found in 37 maxillary bones (66%). The average height of the artery from the alveolar crest was 13+/-3.2 mm in the distal doors and 18 +/- 6.1 mm in the mesial doors. Generally, the intraosseous maxillary branches ran caudo-rostrally; but in five maxillae, we found two parallel arteries, while in three cases the maxillary artery ran vertically. No differences were found between the left and right side.The risk of vascular damage in sinus floor elevation surgery is a real problem for the oral surgeon. Detailed anatomical knowledge about sinus vascularization is very important to reduce the risk of vascular damage and bleeding. In addition the visualization of sinus anastomosis by radiology and less invasive surgery, such as piezo-surgery, could be helpful.

Bone regeneration technique using allografts is widely used in oral surgery to repair alveolar defects and to increase alveolar volume for endosseous implant insertions. Bone allografts promote the reabsorption and neo-synthesis of bone tissue, which are regulated by numerous cytokines, proteins and growth factors. In this study, six patients with insufficient alveolar volume for endosseous implant insertions, were treated with bone regeneration technique using Fresh Frozen Bone (FFB) allografts collected from the femoral head or the hip. Samples of bone graft collected during graft insertion surgery and biopsies collected six months later during implantology were fixed, decalcified and analyzed histomorphologically and morphometrically by haematoxylin-eosin staining. In addition, TGF-ß1 and VEGF were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. The histological analysis of FFBs showed wide areas of calcified bone organized in osteons intermingled with areas of non-calcified matrix containing osteoblasts. However, the regenerated alveolar bone, collected six months after the graft insertion surgery, showed wide areas of non-calcified matrix. TGF-ß1 and VEGF were less expressed in FFB than in regenerated alveolar bone

Aluminium (Al) is a neurotoxic metal and Al exposure may be a factor in the aetiology of various neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The major pathohistological findings in the AD brain are the presence of neuritic plaques containing ßamyloid (Aß) which may interfere with neuronal communication. Moreover, it has been observed that GRP78, a stress-response protein induced by conditions that adversely affect endoplasmic reticulum (ER) function, is reduced in the brain of AD patients. In this study, we investigated the correlation between the expression of Aß and GRP78 in the brain cortex of mice chronically treated with aluminium sulphate. Chronic exposure over 12 months to aluminium sulphate in drinking water resulted in deposition of Aß similar to that seen in congophilic amyloid angiopathy (CAA) in humans and a reduction in neuronal expression of GRP78 similar to what has previously been observed in Alzheimer’s disease. So, we hypothesise that chronic Al administration is responsible for oxidative cell damage that interferes with ER functions inducing Aß accumulation and neurodegenerative damage.

The realization of a reliable receptor biosensor requires stable, long-lasting, reconstituted biomembranes able to supply a suitable biomimetic environment where the receptor can properly work after incorporation. To this end, we developed a new method for preparing stable biological membranes that couple the biomimetic properties of BLMs (bilayer lipid membranes) with the high stability of HBMs (hybrid bilayer membranes); this gives rise to an innovative assembly, named MHBLM (mixed hybrid bilayer lipid membrane). The present work deals with the characterization of biosensors achieved by embedding an ionotropic glutamate receptor (GluR) on MHBLM. Thanks to signal (transmembrane current) amplification, which is typical of natural receptors, the biosensor here produced detects glutamate at a level of nmol L(-1). The transmembrane current changes linearly vs glutamate up to 100 nmol L(-1), while the limit of detection is 1 nmol L(-1). In addition, the biosensor response can be modulated both by receptor agonists (glycine) and antagonists (Mg(2+)) as well, and by exploiting the biosensor response, the distribution of different kinds of ionotropic GluR present in the purified sample, and embedded in MHBLM, was also evaluated. Finally, one of the most important aspects of this investigation is represented by the high stability of the biomimetic system, which allows the use of biosensor under flowing conditions, where the solutions flow on both biomembrane faces.