Aeromonas spp.: an emerging pathogen?

The aim of this study is to identify and monitor the presence of Aeromonas spp. strains in stool cultures. We analyzed 5564 stool cultures from September 2012 to August 2013. Sixty-three patients were positive for Aeromonas spp. The most frequent symptoms were: diarrhea (46.0%) and abdominal pain (12.7%). Pediatric subjects were 28. Samples' microscopic examination showed leukocytes in 38.1% of cases. It is still controversial whether Aeromonas are responsible for human gastroenteritis, but their presence in faecies of symptomatic patients supports their etiologic role. We propose search for toxins by polymerase chain reaction to identify strains that require an antibiotic therapy

Understanding the role of the Agriculture Knowledge and Innovation System in the Italian agroenergy sector: the case of biogas adoption in Tuscany

The European energy strategy towards 2020 involves increasing the production of renewable energy by agriculture (agroenergy) for moving towards a bio-based economy. The climate deal reached at the COP 21 conference in Paris (2015) supports the position of the EU concerning the sustainable promotion of agroenergy, as it allows save greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil-based energy. However, the diffusion of agroenery in the Mediterranean area is modest and uneven, compared to northern European countries, may be due to the low endowment of productive factors. Besides policy, the debate around the diffusion of agroenergy is particularly lively within the academy. To date, agricultural economists have mainly approached the process of agroenergy adoption on farm through econometric or mathematical programming models. The former aim at explaining the underlying determinants of farmers’ investment choices (revealed or stated). The latter simulate the choices of profit-maximising farmers under different policy or market conditions. Beside rational behaviour, both methodologies assume that farmers can access perfect information, thus missing to investigate knowledge transfer and the role of research and extension services in technology adoption and diffusion. Against this background, this paper deals with knowledge transfer in the agroenergy sector and focuses on the role of networks in that transfer. We also consider the impact of those networks on the transaction costs associated with agroenergy adoption. The aim of this study is understanding the process of biogas diffusion in a region of the Mediterranean area. The paper would add to the literature on innovation in agriculture by depicting the Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System behind the diffusion of agroenergy and by identifying the structural components of that system. With this objective in mind, we consider the diffusion of biogas in Tuscany, a NUTS3 region in Italy. We selected Tuscany because prospective biogas adopters should radically change the structure of their farms and because geography and farming systems of Tuscany allow use that region as a proxy for northern areas of the Mediterranean basin. The methodology involves social network analysis, which allows pinpoint the role of the different interest groups in knowledge transfer and the extent to which knowledge management has shaped the biogas sector in Tuscany. Preliminary results highlight the central position of few major knowledge producers from the research sector, which, however, poorly interact among them and with intermediary organisations. In turn, knowledge transfer downstream seems a weakness of the network. Apparently, adopters are self-sufficient in terms of knowledge gathering during the innovation-decision phase. Missing significant intermediaries, adopters may become reliant on technical support and face high transaction costs. Given the irreversibility of biogas adoption, disconnection could significantly affect the costs for daily management. When evenly distributed, small biogas-to-electricity plants may help the distributed generation, while allowing comply with EU’s Renewables Directive. However, the lack of coordination among the components of the Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System may hinder the sustainable diffusion of biogas, with the rise of intensive entrepreneurial agro energy farming

Transthyretin Promotes Axon Growth via Regulation of Microtubule Dynamics and Tubulin Acetylation

Transthyretin (TTR), a plasma and cerebrospinal fluid protein, increases axon growth and organelle transport in sensory neurons. While neurons extend their axons, the microtubule (MT) cytoskeleton is crucial for the segregation of functional compartments and axonal outgrowth. Herein, we investigated whether TTR promotes axon elongation by modulating MT dynamics. We found that TTR KO mice have an intrinsic increase in dynamic MTs and reduced levels of acetylated a-tubulin in peripheral axons. In addition, they failed to modulate MT dynamics in response to sciatic nerve injury, leading to decreased regenerative capacity. Importantly, restoring acetylated a-tubulin levels of TTR KO dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons using an HDAC6 inhibitor is sufficient to completely revert defective MT dynamics and neurite outgrowth. In summary, our results reveal a new role for TTR in the modulation of MT dynamics by regulating a-tubulin acetylation via modulation of the acetylase ATAT1, and suggest that this activity underlies TTR neuritogenic function.This work was supported by: FEDER – Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional funds through the COMPETE 2020 – Operacional Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation (POCI), Portugal 2020, and by Portuguese funds through FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia/Ministério da Ciéncia, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior in the framework of the project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-028336 (PTDC/MED-NEU/28336/2017); Norte-01-0145-FEDER-000008 – Porto Neurosciences and Neurologic Disease Research Initiative at I3S, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through FEDER; and Thompson Family Foundation (TFFI) award, RO1AG050658 (NIH/National Institute on Aging) and R21NS120076 (NIH/NINDS) awards to FB, and a PRIN-2017FJC3-004 (MIUR) to MEP. TM is supported by the Deutsche Forshcunggemeinschaft (EXC 2145 SyNergy – ID 390857198; TRR 274/1 2020 – ID 408885537). JE is a FCT fellow (SFRH/BD/116343/2016). MAL is an FCT Investigator (IF/00902/2015)

Transthyretin Promotes Axon Growth via Regulation of Microtubule Dynamics and Tubulin Acetylation

Transthyretin (TTR), a plasma and cerebrospinal fluid protein, increases axon growth and organelle transport in sensory neurons. While neurons extend their axons, the microtubule (MT) cytoskeleton is crucial for the segregation of functional compartments and axonal outgrowth. Herein, we investigated whether TTR promotes axon elongation by modulating MT dynamics. We found that TTR KO mice have an intrinsic increase in dynamic MTs and reduced levels of acetylated alpha-tubulin in peripheral axons. In addition, they failed to modulate MT dynamics in response to sciatic nerve injury, leading to decreased regenerative capacity. Importantly, restoring acetylated alpha-tubulin levels of TTR KO dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons using an HDAC6 inhibitor is sufficient to completely revert defective MT dynamics and neurite outgrowth. In summary, our results reveal a new role for TTR in the modulation of MT dynamics by regulating alpha-tubulin acetylation via modulation of the acetylase ATAT1, and suggest that this activity underlies TTR neuritogenic function

The Relation between the Theory of Mind and Socio-Emotional Functioning in a Sample of Older Adults

We explored the relationship between the “Theory of Mind” (ToM) and socio-emotional functioning among primary aging individuals. Our sample was comprised of 266 older adults ranging from 65 years old to 94 years old. On all participants, we measured ToM and calculated indexes of performance such as causal connection and psychological lexicon. In addition, we assessed emotional (depression, alexithymia, distress, life satisfaction, empathy and hostility) and social variables (perception of the future, loneliness, social avoidance and perception of social support) with a battery of tests. The results of our cognitive screening indicated that 189 older adults presented normal or primary aging patterns. The results obtained with the sample of normal older adults showed that: a) social variables are independent from ToM; and b) emotional functioning predicted the making of causal connection and the use of psychological lexicon among participants who responded to ToM tasks. We discuss our work within a socio-emotional conceptual framework

The Relation between the Theory of Mind and Socio-Emotional Functioning in a Sample of Older Adults

We explored the relationship between the “Theory of Mind” (ToM) and socio-emotional functioning among primary aging individuals. Our sample was comprised of 266 older adults ranging from 65 years old to 94 years old. On all participants, we measured ToM and calculated indexes of performance such as causal connection and psychological lexicon. In addition, we assessed emotional (depression, alexithymia, distress, life satisfaction, empathy and hostility) and social variables (perception of the future, loneliness, social avoidance and perception of social support) with a battery of tests. The results of our cognitive screening indicated that 189 older adults presented normal or primary aging patterns. The results obtained with the sample of normal older adults showed that: a) social variables are independent from ToM; and b) emotional functioning predicted the making of causal connection and the use of psychological lexicon among participants who responded to ToM tasks. We discuss our work within a socio-emotional conceptual framework

Multitarget drug design strategy in Alzheimer’s disease: focus on cholinergic transmission and amyloid-β aggregation

Background: Alzheimer pathogenesis has been associated with a network of processes working simultaneously and synergistically. Over time, much interest has been focused on cholinergic transmission and its mutual interconnections with other active players of the disease. Besides the cholinesterase mainstay, the multifaceted interplay between nicotinic receptors and amyloid is actually considered to have a central role in neuroprotection. Thus, the multitarget drug-design strategy has emerged as a chance to face the disease network. Results: By exploiting the multitarget approach, the present study provides new molecules able to target the cholinergic pathway, by joining direct nicotinic receptor stimulation to acetylcholinesterase inhibition, and to inhibit Aβ aggregation. Conclusions: These new compounds emerged as a suitable starting point for a further optimization process

Prevalence of Klebsiella pneumoniae strains producing carbapenemases and increase of resistance to colistin in an Italian teaching hospital from January 2012 To December 2014

The aim of this study was to characterize the spread of carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (CPKP) in a tertiary level hospital using ongoing active surveillance with rectal swab cultures. Furthermore, this study analyzed the presence of CPKP in the clinical samples (CS) of a single patient as well as the evolution of Colistin-sensitive strains (CoS) to Colistin-resistant strains (CoR)