Editorial: XXXIII SIMGBM Congress 2019 - Antimicrobials and Host-Pathogen Interactions

This Research Topic (RT) is intended to provide a collection of selected contributions in the broad area “Antimicrobials and Host-Pathogen Interactions” from the participants of “Microbiology 2019” congress organized by the Italian Society for General Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology (SIMGBM, www.simgbm.it), which was held in Florence, Italy, on June 19–22, 2019. The congress was attended by 224 scientists from all over the world, and contributions relevant to this RT were collected from presentations in the following congress sessions: (i) Antibiotic resistome: where do antibiotic resistance genes come from? (ii) New antimicrobial strategies in the post-antibiotic era; (iii) Intercellular communication in host-pathogen interactions; (iv) New approaches to unravel fungal-host interactions; (v) Bacterial cell surface and signaling. The unifying concept of this RT originates from the increasing awareness that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a complex problem which should be addressed by a multifocal approach. Fundamental microbiological investigations in this direction involve understanding of the flow of AMR genes from the environment to human and animal pathogens, the development of new drugs to tackle AMR, and the discovery of new druggable targets to impairmicrobial growth and/or pathogenicity

Interplay between non-coding rna transcription, stringent/relaxed phenotype and antibiotic production in streptomyces ambofaciens

While in recent years the key role of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) in the regulation of gene expression has become increasingly evident, their interaction with the global regulatory circuits is still obscure. Here we analyzed the structure and organization of the transcriptome of Streptomyces ambofaciens, the producer of spiramycin. We identified ncRNAs including 45 small-RNAs (sRNAs) and 119 antisense-RNAs (asRNAs I) that appear transcribed from dedicated promoters. Some sRNAs and asRNAs are unprecedented in Streptomyces and were predicted to target mRNAs encoding proteins involved in transcription, translation, ribosomal structure and biogenesis, and regulation of morphological and biochemical differentiation. We then compared ncRNA expression in three strains: (i) the wild-type strain; (ii) an isogenic pirA-defective mutant with central carbon metabolism imbalance, “relaxed” phenotype, and repression of antibiotic production; and (iii) a pirA-derivative strain harboring a “stringent” RNA polymerase that suppresses pirA-associated phenotypes. Data indicated that the expression of most ncRNAs was correlated to the stringent/relaxed phenotype suggesting novel effector mechanisms of the stringent response

Nutritional composition of a selected white food-grade waxy sorghum variety grown in Mediterranean environment

A white food-grade waxy sorghum Tw variety, grown in two Mediterranean sites (named Tw1M and Tw1S) was evaluated for nutrient composition and fatty acid- and mineral concentrations in order to determine the suitability of producing waxy sorghum for human uses in southern Italy. The nutritional values of the grains of the Tw inbred line grown in the two trial fields were substantially the same, except for slight differences in ash level and accordingly slight variation in mineral composition. In samples from both locations, a higher percentage of K was observed among the nutritionally essential macro-elements, and higher percentages of Zn, Fe, Mn, Cu, Al among the nutritionally essential micro-element along with a strong difference in Cd content was among trace elements. Across both sites linoleic, oleic and palmitic were the most abundant fatty acids, while very slight variations in the content of minerals were found among the two samples examined. These results demonstrate the importance of developing agronomically productive waxy sorghum varieties suitable for growth in non-traditional sorghum producing regions both as a food and feed crop (i.e. with good nutritional quality) and for utilization in new products at the industrial level

Sorgenti laser per biomateriali

In questo lavoro vengono messe a confronto due diverse tecniche per migliorare le proprietà delle superfici di materiali biomedici; l‟irraggiamento laser e l‟impiantazione ionica. L‟irraggiamento laser è eseguito mediante una sorgente ad eccimeri KrF e l‟impiantazione ionica mediante l‟acceleratore Platone che utilizza la tecnica LIS (Laser Ion Source). Mi-sure di angolo di contatto e rugosità sono state eseguite sui campioni prima e dopo ogni trattamento in modo da avere informazioni sulle modifiche. L‟impiantazione ionica è stata eseguita anche su target di acciaio AISI 420, lega utilizzata per realizzare strumenti medicali. Si è visto che l‟utilizzo di fasci di ioni di Ag aumenta l‟antibattericità degli strumenti

Разработка программы повышения финансовой устойчивости предприятия

Важным элементом данной работы является система управления финансами. Она представляет собой совокупность необходимых мер и инструментов, которые обеспечивают эффективное и устойчивое действие и поведение финансовой системы, как в общей сложности, так и отдельных её звеньев, способствующих развитию социально-экономических процессов в социуме. Отметим, что социально-экономические условия жизни общества влияют на характер финансовых взаимодействий и на формы и методы финансового управления. Цель ВКР является - изучение вопроса управления финансами на предприятии и поиск направлений его совершенствования.An important element of this work is the financial management system. It is a set of necessary measures and tools that ensure the effective and sustainable operation and behavior of the financial system, both in general and its individual links, contributing to the development of socio-economic processes in society. Note that the socio-economic conditions of society affect the nature of financial interactions and the forms and methods of financial management. The purpose of the FQP is to study the issue of financial management at the enterprise and search for directions for its improvement

Oral complications of Type 1 diabetes mellitus in a non-smoking population

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is a complex metabolic condition that results in hyperglycemia due to insulin deficiency (Daneman, 2006). Diabetes has a range of effects on almost every system in the body including the kidneys, the eyes, the cardiovascular system, the genito-urinary system, the gastro-intestinal system and the nervous system (Daneman, 2006). The effects of this ondition are widespread and have a significant impact both on life expectancy and the quality of life of individuals suffering from diabetes (Scottish Diabetes Survey Monitoring Group, 2011). The impact of diabetes on oral health has been investigated over many decades, however, the conclusions have been varied and study design has not always been adequate (Mealey et al., 2006; Khader et al., 2006; Chávarray et al., 2009). Research presented in this thesis is largely the result of a cross-sectional clinical study examining the oral cavities of non-smoking T1DM patients, funded by the Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government. The clinical part of the study took place between January 2006 and May 2009 in Glasgow Dental Hospital. Chapter one provides an introduction and narrative review on the subject of T1DM, periodontal disease, and the various other reported oral manifestations of diabetes mellitus. The methods for measuring general and oral health related quality of life outcomes are also discussed. Chapter one reveals some of the inadequacies of studies nvestigating the link between T1DM and oral disease to date and ontextualises the studies presented in this thesis. Chapter two presents the main periodontal findings of a large cross-sectional study. 112 non-diabetic subjects and 203 subjects with type 1 diabetes were examined. 203 diabetic patients were divided into well controlled and poorly controlled groups based on their average blood sugar levels over the previous two years. 169 were poorly controlled. (PCD). Those with T1DM, (especially those with poor glycaemic control) had a greater extent and severity of periodontitis than those without diabetes. There was also some evidence that never smoking T1DM patients were more likely to have periodontal disease than non-diabetic subjects. The odds ratio (OR) was 1.43 [0.74 to 2.75] (p = 0.29) for all T1DM patients and 1.58 [0.75 to 3.33] (p = 0.23) for PCD. This difference remained even after the multivariable analysis took into account age, gender and lifestyle including: body mass index of the subject; whether they had smoked in the past; whether they attended a dentist; their level of education and how deprived the area they lived in was. Chapter three presents an analysis of the impact of age, HbA1c, and duration on the expression of periodontal disease in T1DM subjects. Cross-tabulations and multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed on the periodontal data from T1DM subjects and non-diabetic subjects in order to determine the relationship between age, HbA1c and duration, and periodontitis. Diabetic subjects developed periodontitis at a younger age than non-diabetes subjects. This will represent a significant impact on life time dental service provision for subjects affected at a young age. The relationship between HbA1c and severe periodontitis is not a simple one. It is possible that unknown factors confound the relationship between glycaemic control and periodontitis. There was no relationship between duration of diabetes and periodontitis when age was controlled for. Chapter four presents the results of a small study investigating biomarkers of bone turnover in patients with and without T1DM and in patients with and without periodontitis. Patients with T1DM had higher levels of osteoprotegerin an osteoprotective molecule that normally leads to a reduced propensity for bone loss. T1DM patients were also shown to have reduced levels of biomarkers of bone formation (osteocalcin). It is possible that a reduced capacity for bone repair and regeneration may account for the increase levels of periodontitis seen in T1DM. Further prospective studies would be required to confirm this hypothesis. Chapter five investigated the level of caries and oral mucosal abnormalities in T1DM. There was little difference in caries indicators or in oral mucosal lesions between the groups. There was no difference in the bacterial microflora and in the level of resistance to antibiotics found in this cohort. T1DM patients, however, did have an increase in the symptoms of dry mouth, an increased density of candida colonisation and reduced salivary flow rates.Chapter six reports the data derived from the oral health questionnaire, including the Oral Health Impact Profile -14 (OHIP-14) and the Audit of Diabetes Dependent Quality of Life (ADDQOL©). Patients with T1DM, despite having increased levels of periodontal disease, reduced salivary flow rates and increased symptoms of xerostomia did not have higher OHIP scores by any measure. The reasons for this apparently negligible impact of oral disease or oral health related quality of life are discussed. The OHIP-14 was shown to have construct validity in this population although the correlations were relatively weak and the differences were small. It is possible that patients with T1DM do not consider the impact of their oral health to be a significant problem in light of their other on-going medical issues. This finding requires further in-depth investigation of the psychology behind this apparent reduced impact. This is the first study of its kind to examine the oral and dental health of non-smoking type 1 diabetic patients. The conclusions from the clinical data support the view that patients with T1DM should be targeted with oral and dental health advice. Encouragingly the prevalence of periodontitis was lower in well controlled diabetic subjects suggesting that the effect of T1DM on the oral cavity can be ameliorated by good glycaemic control even though logistic regression analysis did not show a linear relationship. It is important that health rofessionals work together in order to prevent and manage the oral complications of T1DM in the same way that there are preventive and screening programmes for other diabetic complications. The pathogenesis behind the increased prevalence and severity of periodontal disease in T1DM requires further study.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Caratterizzazione di Batteri Vibrio harveyi irradiati con luce UV e raggi X

Lo studio dei batteri sottoposti a stimolazioni dovute all'ambiente è di estremo interesse per impli-cazioni strutturali, meccanicistiche ed evolutive. Bat-teri luminescenti evoluti in determinati ambienti han-no sviluppato particolari risposte e il loro comporta-mento può fornire informazioni sulla funzione e sulla produzione dell‟enzima luciferina. Per esaminare l'in-terazione con radiazione UV, in condizioni controlla-te di laboratorio sono stati utilizzati ceppi batterici foto-luminescenti appartenenti alla specie Vibrio har-veyi campionati da una grotta costiera con elevato contenuto di radon che genera radiazioni ionizzanti. La sopravvivenza dei ceppi batterici è stata analizza-ta, alla luce e al buio, a seguito di una varietà di trat-tamenti genotossici tra cui esposizione alle radiazioni UV. I ceppi sono stati irradiati mediante una lampada germicida. I risultati hanno dimostrato che la maggior parte dei ceppi esibiscono un basso tasso di sopravvi-venza dopo l'esposizione ai raggi UV. Tutti i ceppi dopo esposizione a luce visibile e ai raggi UV hanno mostrato una forte capacità di fotoriattivazione. Que-sta capacità era inaspettata, poiché questi batteri sono stati prelevati da un ambiente buio in assenza raggi UV. Questo porta ad ipotizzare che la fotoriattivazio-ne in questi batteri potrebbe essere stata sviluppata dagli stessi per riparare le lesioni del DNA provocate anche da radiazioni diverse dall‟UV (ad esempio, raggi X) e che i batteri luminescenti potrebbero usare la luce da essi emessa per effettuare la fotoriattivazio-ne. L'elevata capacità di fotoriattivazione dei batteri è stata anche confermata dai risultati di deconvoluzio-ne. La deconvoluzione è stata applicata agli spettri di emissione che ha evidenziato la presenza di diversi picchi. La presenza del picco nel visibile è in grado di controllare l'enzima fotoliasi

A pre-registered, multi-lab non-replication of the Action-sentence Compatibility Effect (ACE)

The Action-sentence Compatibility Effect (ACE) is a well-known demonstration of the role of motor activity in the comprehension of language. Participants are asked to make sensibility judgments on sentences by producing movements toward the body or away from the body. The ACE is the finding that movements are faster when the direction of the movement (e.g., toward) matches the direction of the action in the to-be-judged sentence (e.g., Art gave you the pen describes action toward you). We report on a pre- registered, multi-lab replication of one version of the ACE. The results show that none of the 18 labs involved in the study observed a reliable ACE, and that the meta-analytic estimate of the size of the ACE was essentially zero

The Neurotensin Receptor-1 Pathway Contributes to Human Ductal Breast Cancer Progression

BACKGROUND: The neurotensin (NTS) and its specific high affinity G protein coupled receptor, the NT1 receptor (NTSR1), are considered to be a good candidate for one of the factors implicated in neoplastic progression. In breast cancer cells, functionally expressed NT1 receptor coordinates a series of transforming functions including cellular migration and invasion. METHODS AND RESULTS: we investigated the expression of NTS and NTSR1 in normal human breast tissue and in invasive ductal breast carcinomas (IDCs) by immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR. NTS is expressed and up-regulated by estrogen in normal epithelial breast cells. NTS is also found expressed in the ductal and invasive components of IDCs. The high expression of NTSR1 is associated with the SBR grade, the size of the tumor, and the number of metastatic lymph nodes. Furthermore, the NTSR1 high expression is an independent factor of prognosis associated with the death of patients. CONCLUSION: these data support the activation of neurotensinergic deleterious pathways in breast cancer progression