First Italian record of Paspalum notatum Flüggé (Poaceae) and its typification

In the present work the presence of Paspalum notatum Flüggé (Poaceae) in Italy was reported for the first time. It is a neophyte native to America, known for applications in phytoremediation. Its typification, ecology and invasiveness status are also presented

Drug delivery systems for the photodynamic application of two photosensitizers belonging to the porphyrin family

AbstractPhotodynamic therapy involves the concomitant action of three components, light with an appropriate wavelength, molecular oxygen, and a molecule, able to absorb an electromagnetic radiation, called photosensitizer (PS). A fundamental aspect is the bioavailability of the PS that is directly related to some physicochemical properties of the PS itself as it should feature a certain degree of lipophilicity to easily cross the cell membrane, however, at the same time, should be sufficiently water-soluble to navigate in the bloodstream. Consequently, the use of a system for drug delivery becomes essential when photosensitizers with a high degree of lipophilicity are considered. In this work, we present three different drug delivery systems, microemulsions, emulsions and liposomes all capable of carrying a PS belonging to the porphyrin family: the tetraphenyl porphyrin (TPP) and the 4-hydroxyphenyl porphyrin (THPP), which show a relevant different degree of lipophilicity. A series of microemulsions (ME) and emulsions (E) were prepared, among which two formulations, one for THPP and one for TPP, have been chosen. The stability of these two carriers was monitored over time and under various temperature conditions. With the same criteria, two liposomal formulations have been also identified and analyzed. The four formulations mentioned above (one ME, one E and two liposomes) have been tested on SKOV3 tumor cell line comparing the photodynamic activity of the porphyrin formulations versus the aqueous/organic (DMSO) solution of the same two PSs. The results show that all the formulations have proved to be excellent carriers and that the liposomal formulation enhance the photodynamic efficacy of both porphyrins

Strain-dependent release of cytokines modulated by Lactobacillus salivarius human isolates in an in vitro model

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Oral administration of probiotics is known to modulate cytokines profile not only locally, but also systemically. Four strains of <it>Lactobacillus salivarius</it>, LDR0723, BNL1059, RGS1746 and CRL1528, were evaluated for their ability to modulate release of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>Strains were assessed for effects on production of Interleukin-12 (IL-12), Interferon-γ (IFN-γ), Interleukin-4 (IL-4) and Interleukin-5 (IL-5) by incubating bacterial suspensions with THP-1 macrophage like cells. Cytokines were determined by means of specific quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.</p> <p>LDR0723 and CRL1528 led to a sustained increment in production of IL-12 and IFN-γ and to a decrease in release of IL-4 and IL-5, while BNL1059 and RGS1746 favoured Th2 response, leading to a decrease in Th1/Th2 ratio with respect to unstimulated cells.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In conclusion, capability of <it>L. salivarius </it>to modulate immune response was strictly strain dependent and strains of the same species might have opposite effects. Therefore, a careful evaluation of anti-inflammatory properties of lactobacilli should be performed on single strain, before any consideration on potential probiotic use.</p

Nomenclatural novelties for the Euro+Med flora

Today's plant phylogeny more and more deals with ranks from the genus down, so changes in current taxonomy and nomenclature are frequently requested. For this reason, referring to the Euro+Med flora, we take here into account 20 taxa and recover the following forgotten nomenclatural combinations: Bidens atrosanguinea (Hook.) Regel, B. formosa (Bonato) Sch.Bip., B. sulphurea (Cav.) Sch.Bip., and B. tinctoria (Nutt.) Baill. ex Daydon. Moreover we propose the new names Agrostis linkii Banfi, Galasso and Bartolucci, Bidens selenactis Banfi, Galasso and Bartolucci, Bidens sweetiana Banfi, Galasso and Bartolucci, and the new combinations Achnatherum paradoxum (L.) Banfi, Galasso and Bartolucci, A. virescens (Trin.) Banfi, Galasso and Bartolucci, Agrostis linkii Banfi, Galasso and Bartolucci subsp. prostrata (Hack. and Lange) Banfi, Galasso and Bartolucci, Bidens atkinsoniana (Douglas ex Lindl.) Banfi, Galasso and Bartolucci, B. basalis (A.Dietr.) Banfi, Galasso and Bartolucci, B. gladiata (Walter) Banfi, Galasso and Bartolucci, B. lanceolata (L.) Banfi, Galasso and Bartolucci, Calamagrostis arenaria (L.) Roth subsp. arundinacea (Husn.) Banfi, Galasso and Bartolucci, Prunus ×hybrida (Schmidt) Galasso, Banfi and Bartolucci, Solanum aethiopicum L. subsp. anguivi (Lam.) Banfi, Galasso and Bartolucci, S. macrocarpon L. subsp. dasyphyllum (Schumach. and Thonn.) Banfi, Galasso and Bartolucci, S. melongena L. subsp. insanum (L.) Banfi, Galasso and Bartolucci, and Trisetaria argentea (Willd.) Banfi, Galasso and Soldano

Photodynamic therapy for the eradication of biofilms formed by catheter associated Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains

Pseudomonas aeruginosa has emerged as a major opportunistic pathogen causing catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CA-UTIs) associated with high mortality and morbidity. In this study 18 P. aeruginosa isolates from urine of catheterized patients were evaluated for in vitro biofilm formation.All the tested strains showed the ability to form biofilm more thicker than those formed by a cohort of 29 blood culture strains belonging to the same species. Photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy (PACT) is a novel antimicrobial treatment that exploits a photosensitizer (PS) and visible light to induce lethal oxidative damages in bacterial cells and could be used as local antimicrobial approach in CA-UTIs. Here we tested the susceptibility of planktonic and sessile cultures of P. aeruginosa strains, the model strain PAO1 and CA-UTI isolates, to photodynamic inactivation with a di cationic porphyrinic photosensitizer, the 5, 15-di (N-benzyl-4-pyridynium)-porphyrin di chloride.Although Pseudomonas aeruginosa is regarded as a difficult target for antimicrobial chemotherapy, satisfactory bactericidal activities on both planktonic and biofilm cultures were observed

Extraction of antibacterial active compounds from dry leaves of African plants of the Combretaceae family

The dry leaves of two African plants of the Combretaceae family, furnished by the botanist of the St. Jean de Dieu hospital of Tangueita (Benin, central Africa),were extracted with a sequence of 5 solvents with increasing polarity (from cyclohexane to water).The raw materials, obtained from these extractions following solvent evaporations, were tested for antibiotic activity against gram negative and gram positive bacterial strains. According to the results of a modified Kirby-Bauer test, no promising effect was obtained against Gram negative bacteria while interesting dose-effect activities were observed against Gram positive strains. In particular, from G. senegalensis active compounds were found in the low polarity extract (dichloromethane) which, at a concentration of 800 μg/disk (13 mm diameter disk), resulted in a grow inhibition crown of 4.7 mm and 2.6 mm on Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus MSSA, respectively. An higher amount of the aqueous extract (4760 μg/disk) also produced a good result as 5.7 mm and 5.0 mm crowns were observed. The extracts from C. micranthum showed an inhibiting effect in the more polar extracts (i.e. from ethanol and water) which gave 1 mm of grow inhibition crown on both strains at a concentration of 1000 μg/disk. The most promising extract from each plant was partially purified and then tested on some clinical relevant bacterial strains: S. aureus MRSA, Clostridium difficile, Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Corynebacterium striatum, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Haemophylus influenzae, Escherichia coli, obtaining a good killing effects on the Gram positive bacteria of the panel

From COVID-19 Pandemic to Patient Safety: A New "Spring" for Telemedicine or a Boomerang Effect?

During the Covid-19 health emergency, telemedicine was an essential asset through which health systems strengthened their response during the critical phase of the pandemic. According to the post-pandemic economic reform plans of many countries, telemedicine will not be limited to a tool for responding to an emergency condition but it will become a structural resource that will contribute to the reorganization of Healthcare Systems and enable the transfer of part of health care from the hospital to the home-based care. However, scientific evidences have shown that health care delivered through telemedicine can be burdened by numerous ethical and legal issues. Although there is an emerging discussion on patient safety issues related to the use of telemedicine, there is a lack of reseraches specifically designed to investigate patient safety. On the contrary, it would be necessary to determine standards and specific application rules in order to ensure safety. This paper examines the telemedicine-risk profiles and proposes a position statement for clinical risk management to support continuous improvement in the safety of health care delivered through telemedicine

MiR-211 is essential for adult cone photoreceptor maintenance and visual function.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression that play an important role in the control of fundamental biological processes in both physiological and pathological conditions. Their function in retinal cells is just beginning to be elucidated, and a few have been found to play a role in photoreceptor maintenance and function. MiR-211 is one of the most abundant miRNAs in the developing and adult eye. However, its role in controlling vertebrate visual system development, maintenance and function so far remain incompletely unexplored. Here, by targeted inactivation in a mouse model, we identify a critical role of miR-211 in cone photoreceptor function and survival. MiR-211 knockout (-/-) mice exhibited a progressive cone dystrophy accompanied by significant alterations in visual function. Transcriptome analysis of the retina from miR-211-/- mice during cone degeneration revealed significant alteration of pathways related to cell metabolism. Collectively, this study highlights for the first time the impact of miR-211 function in the retina and significantly contributes to unravelling the role of specific miRNAs in cone photoreceptor function and survival

miR-181a/b downregulation exerts a protective action on mitochondrial disease models.

Mitochondrial diseases (MDs) are a heterogeneous group of devastating and often fatal disorders due to defective oxidative phosphorylation. Despite the recent advances in mitochondrial medicine, effective therapies are still not available for these conditions. Here, we demonstrate that the microRNAs miR-181a and miR-181b (miR-181a/b) regulate key genes involved in mitochondrial biogenesis and function and that downregulation of these miRNAs enhances mitochondrial turnover in the retina through the coordinated activation of mitochondrial biogenesis and mitophagy. We thus tested the effect of miR-181a/b inactivation in different animal models of MDs, such as microphthalmia with linear skin lesions and Leber\u27s hereditary optic neuropathy. We found that miR-181a/b downregulation strongly protects retinal neurons from cell death and significantly ameliorates the disease phenotype in all tested models. Altogether, our results demonstrate that miR-181a/b regulate mitochondrial homeostasis and that these miRNAs may be effective gene-independent therapeutic targets for MDs characterized by neuronal degeneration