The complement system is a key component of the innate immunity that plays a significant role in the development and clinical presentation of Rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Complement protein C3 is a central molecule in the activation of complement with a significant role in the inflammatory processes of RA. Nevertheless, the impact of C3 gene polymorphisms in the development of RA is still unknown. The current study aimed to investigate the possible influence of C3 gene polymorphisms in the susceptibility and clinical expression of RA. Three C3 polymorphisms (rs2250656A > G, intron 2; rs2230199C > G [p.Arg102Gly], exon 3 and rs1047286C > T [p.Pro314Leu], exon 9) were assessed by sequence-specific PCR in a total of 156 RA patients and 270 healthy controls from Southern Brazil. In addition, C3 levels were measured in 60 patients and 60 controls by immunoturbidimetry and clinical features were collected from medical records. The frequency of rs2230199 G allele and GG genotype was significantly higher in RA patients than controls (padj = 0.012 OR = 1.57 [1.11-2.31]; padj = 0.008, OR = 1.60 [1.35-2.33]) as well as the rs1047286 T and TT (padj = 0.010, OR = 1.67 [1.12-2.40]; padj = 0.001, OR = 1.83 [1.27-2.65] and the C3 AGT haplotype (padj = 0.0007 OR = 1.92 [1.32-2.80]). Moreover, C3 serum levels were higher in patients than controls (median 169 mg/dl vs.155 mg/dl; padj = 0.022), as well as in RF seronegative compared with seropositive patients (172 mg/dl vs. 165 mg/dl; padj = 0.007). Our results suggest that the rs2230199 G (p.102Gly) and rs1047286 T (p.314Leu) alleles play a role in the pathophysiology of RA, possibly impacting complement activation by the alternative pathway.The study was aimed to investigate the effect of alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) injury induced by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and to explore its possible mechanisms. We established the H2O2-induced HUVECs injury model and the ALA treatment groups in which HUVECs were co-incubated with H2O2 (250 μmol/L) and different final concentrations of ALA (100,200,400 μmol/L) for 48 h. Cell survival rate assay and LDH activity assay were carried out. The levels of related proteins were performed by Western Blot. We observed that H2O2 administration resulted in an increase in the LDH activity and a decrease in cell survival rate.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/FK-506-(Tacrolimus).html  The expression levels of Nox4, Bax, NF-κB p65, Caspase-9, Caspase-3, iNOS, VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 were up-regulated, while the expression level of Bcl-2 was down-regulated. All these factors were significantly improved by ALA treatment. In brief, ALA treatment ameliorates H2O2-induced HUVECs damage by inhibiting inflammation and oxidative stress.Purpose. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has affected all aspects of everyday life worldwide, including the entire working sector. This study aims to evaluate the response capacity of some Italian companies to the emergency about workers' health and safety. Methods. Data were cross-sectional, collected by a specially drafted 19-item checklist sent to 60 enterprises located in the province of L'Aquila, Abruzzo, Italy. Results. Forty-one companies (68%) responded by filling in the checklist; more than 50% have fewer than 50 employees each and most of the companies belong to the food industry and the financial services. Adherence to the containment measures for the COVID-19 emergency was analysed, especially relating to job organization, social distancing, sanitization and specific training. Large enterprises and the banking sector showed ductile work reorganization according to the containment measures compared to small companies and the food sector. Conclusions. Italian companies have shown a good response to the regulatory restrictions resulting from the SARS-CoV-2 emergency. This is a worthy premise for the imminent management of Phase 2, with the progressive reopening of Italian companies.A pilot project was conducted to evaluate the working conditions and work-related body pain among Latino immigrant tree trimmers (n = 57) in the commercial pine forest service industry. Participants were interviewed about personal and work characteristics, job-related occupational hazards, and body pain. A structured questionnaire and a body pain diagram were used as measures for evaluating associations between personal and work characteristics and body pain. The most common health complaints were physical exhaustion (80.7 percent) and headache (33.9 percent). The reported percent of work-related body pain was 54.4 percent. Statistically significant associations were identified between experiencing body pain in knees, working more than two years, and working more than six hours per day (p  less then  .05) as a tree trimmer. Thorough clinical evaluations are needed to confirm these findings. Future research including a larger sample size and more in-depth evaluations are needed to better evaluate worker tasks, musculoskeletal risk factors, and safety climate issues among this highly vulnerable occupational group.The death toll of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) sparked much controversy since its advent in December 2019. Underestimation because of under testing and deaths happening outside the hospitals were important causes. Bold revisions of the diagnostic criteria leading to dramatic changes in death tolls by different governments were observed in attempts to generate more accurate estimates. On the other hand, the influence, censorship and manipulation on case and death data from top political leaders of some countries could create important impacts on the death toll. Baseline mortality data of previous years may help make more accurate estimates of the actual death toll. The pitfalls and strategies during such processes could become valuable lessons to leaders and policymakers worldwide as more accurate statistics serve to navigate policies to combat this pandemic in the days and months to come.Aim To evaluate the influence of YB-1 rs10493112 variant as a genetic marker for response to second-generation androgen receptor axis-target agents. Methods A hospital-based cohort study of 78 patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer was conducted. Genotyping was performed by TaqMan® allelic discrimination technology. Main results In abiraterone-treated and high-risk patients, YB-1 rs10493112 AA genotype carriers showed lower progression-free survival than C allele genotype patients (4 vs 17 months; p = 0.009). For carriers of AA genotype, multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed a fivefold increased risk of progression (p = 0.035). Conclusion The study findings suggest that, for metastatic and castration-resistant prostate cancer patients, this polymorphism might be a putative marker for the clinical outcome.