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An ex vivo study on immunohistochemical localization of MMP-7 and MMP-9 in temporomandibular joint discs with internal derangement
C. Loreto,R. Leonardi,G. Musumeci,G. Pannone
European Journal of Histochemistry , 2013, DOI: 10.4081/ejh.2013.e12

Abstract: Internal derangement (ID) is among the most common disorders of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Previous research by our group highlighted a correlation between apoptosis and TMJ ID. Metalloproteinases (MMP)-7 and -9 have been shown to play an important role in extracellular matrix ECM) homeostasis and, through it, in joint disc remodelling. The immunohistochemical expression of MMP-7 and -9 was investigated in discs from patients with TMJ ID and from healthy donors and compared with the degree of histological tissue degeneration. The collagen fibre arrangement in pathological discs exhibited varying degrees of disruption. New vessels were consistently detected; endothelial cells from these vessels were immunolabelled with both MMP-7 and MMP-9. More or less intense MMP-7 and MMP-9 immunolabelling was detected in the cytoplasm of disc cells from all patients. MMP-7 and MMP-9 immunostaining was significantly different between pathological and normal discs and correlated with the extent of histopathological degeneration. MMP-7 and MMP-9 upregulation in discs from patients with TMJ ID demonstrates their involvement in disc damage in this disorder. A greater understanding of these processes could help identify ways to curb MMP overproduction without affecting their tissue remodelling action. The design of specific inhibitors for these MMPs would not only help to gain insights into the biological roles of MMPs, but would also aid in developing therapeutic interventions for diseases associated with abnormal ECM degradation.

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Lubricin is expressed in chondrocytes derived from osteoarthritic cartilage encapsulated in poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate scaffold
G. Musumeci,C. Loreto,M.L. Carnazza,F. Coppolino
European Journal of Histochemistry , 2011, DOI: 10.4081/ejh.2011.e31

Abstract: Osteoarthritis (OA) is characterized by degenerative changes within joints that involved quantitative and/or qualitative alterations of cartilage and synovial fluid lubricin, a mucinous glycoprotein secreted by synovial fibroblasts and chondrocytes. Modern therapeutic methods, including tissue-engineering techniques, have been used to treat mechanical damage of the articular cartilage but to date there is no specific and effective treatment. This study aimed at investigating lubricin immunohistochemical expression in cartilage explant from normal and OA patients and in cartilage constructions formed by Poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) based hydrogels (PEG-DA) encapsulated OA chondrocytes. The expression levels of lubricin were studied by immunohistochemistry: i) in tissue explanted from OA and normal human cartilage; ii) in chondrocytes encapsulated in hydrogel PEGDA from OA and normal human cartilage. Moreover, immunocytochemical and western blot analysis were performed in monolayer cells from OA and normal cartilage. The results showed an increased expression of lubricin in explanted tissue and in monolayer cells from normal cartilage, and a decreased expression of lubricin in OA cartilage. The chondrocytes from OA cartilage after 5 weeks of culture in hydrogels (PEGDA) showed an increased expression of lubricin compared with the control cartilage. The present study demonstrated that OA chondrocytes encapsulated in PEGDA, grown in the scaffold and were able to restore lubricin biosynthesis. Thus our results suggest the possibility of applying autologous cell transplantation in conjunction with scaffold materials for repairing cartilage lesions in patients with OA to reduce at least the progression of the disease.

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Apoptosis activation in human carious dentin. An immunohistochemical study | European Journal of Histochemistry
A. Psaila,C. Loreto,G. Musumeci,R. Leonardi,S. Castorina
- , 2015, DOI: https://doi.org/10.4081/ejh.2015.2513

Abstract: The exact mechanisms and enzymes involved in caries progression are largely unclear. Apoptosis plays a key role in dentin remodelling related to damage repair; however, it is unclear whether apoptosis in decayed teeth is activated through the extrinsic or the intrinsic pathway. This ex vivo immunohistochemical study explored the localization of TRAIL, DR5, Bcl-2 and Bax, the main proteins involved in apoptosis, in teeth with advanced caries. To evaluate TRAIL, DR5, Bcl-2 and Bax immunoexpressions twelve permanent carious premolars were embedded in paraffin and processed for immunohistochemistry. The results showed that TRAIL and DR5 were overexpressed in dentin and in pulp vessels and mononuclear cells; strong Bax immunostaining was detected in dilated dentinal tubules close to the lesion, and Bcl-2 staining was weak in some dentin areas under the cavity or altogether absent. These findings suggest that both apoptosis pathways are activated in dental caries. Further studies are required to gain insights into its biomolecular mechanisms.

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Medicaid's Role for Children with Special Health Care Needs
MaryBeth Musumeci
- , 2018, DOI: 10.1177/1073110518821987

Abstract: This commentary explores Medicaid's role for children with special health care needs today and considers how changes to Medicaid's federal financing structure under a per capita cap or block grant could affect coverage for these children

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Human chitotriosidase helps Plasmodium falciparum in the Anopheles midgut
M. Di Luca, R. Romi, F. Severini, L . Toma, M. Musumeci, A.M. Fausto, M. Mazzini,G. Gambellini & S. Musumeci
Journal of Vector Borne Diseases , 2006,

Abstract:

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Caseous calcification of the mitral annulus with mitral regurgitation and impairment of functional capacity: a case report
Giovanni Minardi, Carla Manzara, Giovanni Pulignano, Paolo G Pino, Herribert Pavaci, Martina Sordi, Francesco Musumeci
Journal of Medical Case Reports , 2008, DOI: 10.1186/1752-1947-2-205

Abstract: We report the case of a 69-year-old woman, in whom caseous calcification of the mitral annulus was found at transthoracic echocardiography. Cardiac surgery was performed because of significant mitral regurgitation and impairment of functional capacity.Caseous calcification of the mitral annulus needs to be considered and confirmed by transthoracic echocardiography since there is potential for diagnostic confusion or misdiagnosis. This lesion appears to have a benign prognosis but, when associated with mitral valve dysfunction, cardiac surgery appears to be the best therapeutic option.Mitral annular calcification (MAC) is a chronic degenerative process, which occurs mainly in older patients, particularly in women and in patients with end-stage renal failure on chronic dialysis [1]. Caseous calcification of the mitral annulus (CCMA) is a relatively rare variant with an echocardiographic prevalence of 0.6% in patients with MAC and 0.06% to 0.07% in large series of patients of all ages [2,3].We describe a patient who was referred to our echocardiographic laboratory because of progressive impairment of functional capacity (up to New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III), and in whom moderate to severe mitral regurgitation (MR) and CCMA were found.A symptomatic 69-year-old woman (NYHA functional class III) underwent a transthoracic echocardiographic (TTE) examination to assess her left ventricular function. Her past history included hypercholesterolaemia, hypothyroidism and paroxystic atrial fibrillation. A DDD type pacemaker had been implanted due to sick sinus syndrome one year previously. She had marked limitation of physical activity. She was comfortable at rest but breathless on mild exertion. Physical examination revealed a pansystolic murmur of grade 3/6 audible in the mitral area. An electrocardiogram was completely normal. Laboratory examinations were as follows: haemoglobin 12.3 g/dl, glycaemia 72 mg/dl, urea 37 mg/dl, creatinine 0.9 mg/dl, calcium 8.7 mmol/l

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Effect of LDL-apheresis on plasma lipids, chitotriosidase and anti-oxLDL antibodies in heterozygous familial hypercholes-terolemia [PDF]
Maria Musumeci, Francesco Pappalardo, GianCarlo Tonolo, Fernando Torrisi, Francesca Gullo, Salvatore Musumeci
Journal of Biomedical Science and Engineering (JBiSE) , 2009, DOI: 10.4236/jbise.2009.27072

Abstract: Forty four consecutive subjects aged 29-58 years (21 males and 23 females) with a clinical diagnosis of heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia periodically treated every 30 days with LDL-apheresis for statin resistance, were enrolled in this study. A lipid profile was obtained immediately before starting LDL-apheresis, a second profile was obtained within four hours after LDL-apheresis. Chit activity and anti-oxLDL levels were determined with appropriate methods in all patients before and after LDL- apheresis. Total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL- cholesterol and triglycerides decreased significantly after LDL-apheresis, while the variations of Chit activity and anti-oxLDL were not significant after LDL-apheresis. The correlation between Chit and total cholesterol was negative (r= –0.44 and –0.50 res- pectively) before and after LDL-apheresis as between Chit and LDL-cholesterol (r= –0.45 and –0.55 respectively). Anti-oxLDL concentration before and after LDL-apheresis positively correlated with Chit activity (r= 0.52 and r = 0.63 respectively), negatively with total cholesterol (r= –0.33 and r = –0.35 res- pectively) and with LDL (r = –0.32 and r = –0.21 respectively). We think that removing LDL with LDL-apheresis the anti-oxLDL/oxLDL ratio could increase and the excess of anti-oxLDL could induce macrophage activation through the surface Fc receptors. Alternatively with high levels of LDL- cholesterol, the deposition of foam cells represent the characteristic evolution of atherosclerosis process. Macrophage activation in the heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia could represent an attempt for re-modeling the vessel wall, reducing the growth of lipid plaques.

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Delayed luminescence induced by complex domains in water and in aqueous solutions
C. Colleoni,S. Esposito,R. Grasso,M. Gulino,F. Musumeci,D. Romeli,G. Rosace,G. Salesi,A. Scordino
Physics , 2014,

Abstract: Many recent studies on water have conjectured a complex structure composed of hydrogen bonded low- and high-density domains. In this work the structure of pure water and aqueous solutions of silica gel (TEOS) has been investigated by using delayed luminescence, which previously have showed significant increase in aqueous salt solutions where low-density domain formation is expected. Photon emission shows an Arrhenius trend with an activation energy in water-TEOS solutions larger than in pure water and salt-water solutions. Moreover, delayed photon emission decay shows an intrinsic lifetime of about 5 microseconds both in solutions and in pure water that, along with secondary lifetimes induced by the presence of TEOS, could be related to the formation of different domains.

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Synthesis of a Cholesteryl-HEG Phosphoramidite Derivative and Its Application to Lipid-conjugates of the Anti-HIV 5'TGGGAG3' Hotoda’s Sequence
Domenica Musumeci,Daniela Montesarchio
Molecules , 2012, DOI: 10.3390/molecules171012378

Abstract: A novel phosphoramidite derivative of cholesterol, with an ether-linked hexaethylene glycol (HEG) spacer arm, has been obtained through simple and reproducible solid phase modified oligonucleotide synthesis manipulations. This building block and the known phosphoramidite derivative of 3b-(2-hydroxyethoxy)cholesterol have been exploited in standard oligonucleotide synthesis protocols for the preparation of 5'- conjugates of the G-quadruplex-forming 5'TGGGAG3' oligomer, known as the Hotoda’s sequence, to produce new potential anti-HIV agents.

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