Characterization and Phytotoxicity Assessment of Essential Oils from Plant Byproducts

The present work describes the chemical characterization and the phytotoxicity assessment of essential oils (EOs) obtained from spent materials or pruning waste of four plant species: Zingiber officinale Roscoe used in the juicing industry, Pistacia vera L. var. Bronte used in the food industry, discarded material of industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L. var. Futura 75), and pruning waste from Cupressus sempervirens L. The phytochemical profile of the EOs was evaluated by gas chromatographic flame ionization detection (GC-FID) and GC-MS analyses, which highlighted the presence of several compounds with a wide range of biological activities. Among them, application possibilities in agriculture were evaluated by studying the phytotoxic activity in vitro against germination and initial radical growth of several seeds such as Raphanus sativus L., Lepidium sativum L., Lactuca sativa L., Solanum lycopersicum L., Lolium multiflorum Lam., and Portulaca oleracea L

Deep Control of Linear Oligomerization of Glycerol Using Lanthanum Catalyst on Mesoporous Silica Gel

The valorization of glycerol (1), a waste of biodiesel production of Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAMEs), adopting a “green” approach, represents an important goal of sustainable chemistry. While the polymerization of 1 to hyperbranched oligomers is a well-established process, the linear analogues are difficult to obtain. In this context, we explore the reaction without the solvent of heterogeneous hybrid La(III)O-KIT-6 catalyst (2), which is based on lanthanum oxide on mesoporous silica gel, showing a superior linear selectivity compared to most of the analogous catalysts recently reported

Identification of new HIV-1 Gag-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses in BALB/c mice

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The Tat Protein of HIV-1 Prevents the Loss of HSV-Specific Memory Adaptive Responses and Favors the Control of Viral Reactivation

The development of therapeutic strategies to control the reactivation of the Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) is an unaddressed priority. In this study, we evaluated whether Tat, a HIV-1 protein displaying adjuvant functions, could improve previously established HSV-specific memory responses and prevent viral reactivation. To this aim, mice were infected with non-lethal doses of HSV-1 and, 44 days later, injected or not with Tat. Mice were then monitored to check their health status and measure memory HSV-specific cellular and humoral responses. The appearance of symptoms associated with HSV-reactivation was observed at significantly higher frequencies in the control group than in the Tat-treated mice. In addition, the control animals experienced a time-dependent decrease in HSV-specific Immunoglobulin G (IgG), while the Tat-treated mice maintained antibody titers over time. IgG levels were directly correlated with the number of HSV-specific CD8+ T cells, suggesting an effect of Tat on both arms of the adaptive immunity. Consistent with the maintenance of HSV-specific immune memory, Tat-treated mice showed a better control of HSV-1 re-infection. Although further studies are necessary to assess whether similar effects are observed in other models, these results indicate that Tat exerts a therapeutic effect against latent HSV-1 infection and re-infection by favoring the maintenance of adaptive immunity

TMEM16A is associated with voltage-gated calcium channels in mouse retina and its function is disrupted upon mutation of the auxiliary α2δ4 subunit

Photoreceptors rely upon highly specialized synapses to efficiently transmit signals to multiple postsynaptic targets. Calcium influx in the presynaptic terminal is mediated by voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCC). This event triggers neurotransmitter release, but also gates calcium-activated chloride channels (TMEM), which in turn regulate VGCC activity. In order to investigate the relationship between VGCC and TMEM channels, we analyzed the retina of wild type (WT) and Cacna2d4 mutant mice, in which the VGCC auxiliary a2d4 subunit carries a nonsense mutation, disrupting the normal channel function. Synaptic terminals of mutant photoreceptors are disarranged and synaptic proteins as well as TMEM16A channels lose their characteristic localization. In parallel, calcium-activated chloride currents are impaired in rods, despite unaltered TMEM16A protein levels. Co-immunoprecipitation revealed the interaction between VGCC and TMEM16A channels in the retina. Heterologous expression of these channels in tsA-201 cells showed that TMEM16A associates with the CaV1.4 subunit, and the association persists upon expression of the mutant a2d4 subunit. Collectively, our experiments show association between TMEM16A and the a1 subunit of VGCC. Close proximity of these channels allows optimal function of the photoreceptor synaptic terminal under physiological conditions, but also makes TMEM16A channels susceptible to changes occurring to calcium channels

Candidate HIV-1 Tat vaccine development: From basic science to clinical trials

No abstract available

Access and response to direct antiviral agents (DAA) in HIV-HCV co-infected patients in Italy: Data from the Icona cohort

Background Real-life data on access and response to direct antiviral agents (DAA) in HIV-HCV coinfected individuals are lacking. Methods HCV viremic, HIV-positive patients from Icona and Hepaicona cohorts nave to DAA by January 2013 were included. Access and predictors of starting DAA were evaluated. Switches of antiretroviral drugs at starting DAA were described. We calculated sustained virological response (SVR12) in those reaching 12 weeks after end-of-treatment (EOT), and defined treatment failure (TF) as discontinuation of DAA before EOT or non-SVR12. Statistical analyses included Kaplan-Meier curves, univariable and multivariable analyses evaluating predictors of access to DAA and of treatment outcome (non-SVR and TF). Results 2,607 patients included. During a median follow-up of 38 (IQR:30-41) months, 920 (35.3%) patients started DAA. Eligibility for reimbursement was the strongest predictor to access to treatment: 761/1,090 (69.8%) eligible and 159/1,517 (10.5%) non-eligible to DAA reimbursement. Older age, HIV-RNA50 copies/mL were associated to faster DAA initiation, higher CD4 count and HCV-genotype 3 with delayed DAA initiation in those eligible to DAA reimbursement. Up to 28% of patients (36% of those on ritonavir-boosted protease inhibitors, PI/r) underwent antiretroviral (ART) modification at DAA initiation. 545/595 (91.6%) patients reaching EOT achieved SVR12. Overall, TF occurred in 61/606 patients (10.1%), with 11 discontinuing DAA before EOT. Suboptimal DAA was the only independent predictor of both non-SVR12 (AHR 2.52, 95%CI:1.24-5.12) and TF (AHR: 2.19; 95%CI:1.13-4.22). Conclusions Only 35.3% had access to HCV treatment. Despite excellent rates of SVR12 rates (91.6%), only 21% (545/2,607) of our HIV-HCV co-infected patients are cured. © 2017 d'Arminio Monforte et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited

Ecology and conservation of the Mediterranean trout in the central Apennines (Italy)

The Mediterranean brown trout (Salmo trutta complex) is one of the freshwater fish species complex at greater risk of extinction in the Mediterranean area. The introduction of alien invasive species and their interaction with the native fauna represent some of the major threats to the survival of this species. Currently, the genetic variability of the Mediterranean trout (Salmo trutta complex) is being compromised by the introgressive hybridization with the Atlantic trout (Salmo trutta Linnaeus, 1758). Therefore, it is necessary to gain further knowledge on genetic and demographic characteristics of Mediterranean trout populations, that, combined with environmental and angling data, will allow to undertake sound conservation strategies. The aims of the present study were to analyze: i) the demographic characteristics of the Mediterranean trout in seven central Apennine river basins where native populations are threatened by stocking with the domestic trout of north Atlantic origin; ii) the influence of both environmental parameters and different fishery management strategies on the status of native trout populations. The project focuses on 14 sites included in the Natura 2000 EU wide network of nature protection areas, established under the 1992 Habitat Directive. A total of 25 watercourses were investigated for a total of 32 sampling sites. A census of the fish fauna was carried out by electrofishing at each sampling location. Fish and environmental data were collected in spring and autumn 2014. The results obtained in the present research allowed us to detect the presence of three residual Mediterranean trout populations with a high degree of genetic integrity in the study area. The native trout populations were characterized by higher abundances and higher adult density values. Well-structured native populations with higher legal-size specimens density and poor body conditions in terms of relative weight were observed in the no-fishing areas, probably due to the presence of intraspecific competition phenomena. The environmental analysis confirmed the key role played by the geological characteristics of the central Apennines in shaping the introgression levels observed in the wild trout populations, while the recovery of the water quality appears decisive in the development of management strategies aimed at their conservation

HIV-1 tat addresses dendritic cells to induce a predominant th1-type adaptive immune response that appears prevalent in the asymptomatic stage of infection

Tat is an early regulatory protein that plays a major role in human HIV-1 replication and AIDS pathogenesis, and therefore, it represents a key target for the host immune response. In natural infection, however, Abs against Tat are produced only by a small fraction (∼20%) of asymptomatic individuals and are rarely seen in progressors, suggesting that Tat may possess properties diverting the adaptive immunity from generating humoral responses. Here we show that a Th1-type T cell response against Tat is predominant over a Th2-type B cell response in natural HIV-1 infection. This is likely due to the capability of Tat to selectively target and very efficiently enter CD1a-expressing monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MDDC), which represent a primary target for the recognition and response to virus Ag. Upon cellular uptake, Tat induces MDDC maturation and Th1-associated cytokines and β-chemokines production and polarizes the immune response in vitro to the Th1 pattern through the transcriptional activation of TNF-αgene expression. This requires the full conservation of Tat transactivation activity since neither MDDC maturation nor TNF-α production are found with either an oxidized Tat, which does not enter MDDC, or with a Tat protein mutated in the cysteine-rich region (cys22 Tat), which enters MDDC as the wild-type Tat but is transactivation silent. Consistently with these data, inoculation of monkeys with the native wild-type Tat induced a predominant Th1 response, whereas cys22 Tat generated mostly Th2 responses, therefore providing evidence that Tat induces a predominant Th1 polarized adaptive immune response in the host. Copyright © 2009 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc