Ventricular allorhythmia during infarct-related ventricular tachycardia

Ventricular allorhythmia is an electrocardiogram feature leading to a pattern of "regularly irregular" arrhythmia mainly reported during non-life-threatening organized atrial tachycardia. We report the infrequent case of a patient presenting with ventricular allorhythmia during infarct-related ventricular tachycardia. The potential mechanisms of this tachycardia are discussed.     

Amino acid metabolism as drug target in autoimmune diseases

In mammals, amino acid metabolism has evolved to control immune responses. Autoimmune diseases are heterogeneous conditions that involve the breakdown of tolerogenic circuitries and consequent activation of autoreactive immune cells. Therefore, critical enzymes along amino acid degradative pathways may be hijacked to keep in check autoimmunity. We examined here current knowledge of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) and arginase 1 (ARG1), the main enzymes catabolizing tryptophan and arginine, respectively, in organ-specific and systemic autoimmune diseases as well as in the development of autoantibodies to therapeutic proteins. At variance with neoplastic contexts, in which it is known to act as a pure immunosuppressive molecule, ARG1 exhibited a protective or pathogenetic profile, depending on the disease. In contrast, in several autoimmune conditions, the bulk of data indicated that drugs capable of potentiating IDO1 expression and activity may represent valuable therapeutic tools and that IDO1-based immunotherapeutic protocols could be more effective if tailored to the genetic profile of individual patients.     

A complex chromosomal rearrangement involving chromosomes 2, 5, and X in autism spectrum disorder

Here, we describe a female patient with autism spectrum disorder and dysmorphic features that harbors a complex genetic alteration, involving a de novo balanced translocation t(2;X)(q11;q24), a 5q11 segmental trisomy and a maternally inherited isodisomy on chromosome 5. All the possibly damaging genetic effects of such alterations are discussed. In light of recent findings on ASD genetic causes, the hypothesis that all these alterations might be acting in orchestration and contributing to the phenotype is also considered.     

Efficacy of Hilotherapy face mask in improving the trend of edema after orthognathic surgery: a 3D analysis of the face using a facial scan app for iPhone

Purpose

Cryotherapy after orthognathic surgery is essential for the control of facial edema. The aim of our study is to evaluate the efficacy of Hilotherapy face mask in reducing facial edema after orthognathic surgery, studying facial surfaces with an innovative, fast, economical 3D facial scan system based on an iPhone app.

Methods

Eighty-four patients with Class III were included: 35 patients treated with Hilotherm after orthognathic surgery (Group 1), 32 patients with ice packs (Group 2), 7 patients who refused cryotherapy (not 1 - not Group 2). Their facial scans performed immediately after surgery (T0), at 24 (T1), 48 (T2) and 72 h (T3) after surgery, were acquired in specific software, and the discrepancies between them were studied in an accurate 3D volumetric method.

Results

We measured a significantly better edema trend in Group 1 in the tragus–nasal wing line and in the tragus–labial commissure line at T1, and also in the tragus–menton line at T2 and T3.

Conclusions

In conclusion, Hilotherapy represents a more comfortable and more effective cryotherapy system in controlling the trend of facial edema after orthognathic surgery. The method we used for the facial scans is accurate, cheap, smart, and fast. As demonstrated by the 3D volumetric study of the face, the regions of the middle third of the face are those in which the difference is most noticeable.

     

Ligand and cytokine dependence of the immunosuppressive pathway of tryptophan catabolism in plasmacytoid dendritic cells

Murine plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) have been credited with a unique ability to express indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) function and mediate immunosuppression in specific settings; yet, the conditions of spontaneous versus induced activity have remained unclear. We have used maneuvers known to up-regulate IDO in different cell types and have examined the relative efficacy and mechanisms of the induced activity in splenic pDCs, namely, after specific receptor engagement by CTLA-4-Ig, CD200-Ig or CD28-Ig, the latter in combination with silenced expression of the suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) gene. We found that pDCs (CD11c+ mPDCA-1+ 120G8+) do not express IDO and are not tolerogenic under basal conditions. B7-1 engagement by CTLA-4-Ig, CD200R1 engagement by CD200-Ig and B7-1/B7-2 engagement by CD28-Ig in SOCS3-deficient pDCs were each capable of initiating IDO-dependent tolerance via different mechanisms. IFN-gamma was the major cytokine responsible for CTLA-4-Ig effects, and type I IFNs for those of CD200-Ig. Immunosuppression by CD28-Ig in the absence of SOCS3 required IFN-gamma induction and IFN-like actions of IL-6. Therefore, although pDCs do not mediate IDO-dependent tolerance constitutively, multiple ligands and cytokines will contribute to the expression of a tolerogenic phenotype by pDCs in the mouse.