STUDY OF LIVING CALCAREOUS ALGAE BY A PALEONTOLOGICAL APPROACH: THE NON-GENICULATE CORALLINACEAE (RHODOPHYTA) OF THE SOFT BOTTOMS OF THE TYRRHENIAN SEA (WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN). THE GENERA PHYMATOLITHON FOSLIE AND MESOPHYLLUM LEMOINE

Living non-geniculate coralline algae were collected from 47 stations in the northern and central Tyrrhenian Sea (Tuscan Archipelago and Pontian Islands). Longitudinal sections of branches of Phymatolithon calcareum(Pallas) Adey & McKibbin show regular zonation, due to yearly cycles of growth. The alternating bands are generally thicker at shallower depth. A new morphology of Mesophyllum lichenoides (Ellis) Lemoine resulting from the adaptation to soft bottoms is described. The diagnostic elements of the vegetative thallus and the conceptacles of P. calcareum and  M. lichenoides are described by biometry and Scanning Electron Microscope or Optical Microscope images. The geographic and bathymetric distribution of the two species is also given

COMMUNITY VERSUS BIOCOENOSIS IN MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF BENTHIC MOLLUSCAN THANATOCOENOSES

Community and biocoenosis as descriptive units for benthic ecology are not perfectly interchangeable. Although the conceptual framework based on communities, originally defined by a statistical quantitative approach, appears to be the most suitable in the statistical treatment of thanatocoenoses data, this framework appears to oversimplify the picture of the most important ecological units in the Mediterranean benthos. On the contrary, the benthic bionomy with the biocoenoses, identified by a group of characteristic species (disregarding their abundance) derives from a qualitative approach which has been more successfully adopted for the research in the Mediterranean area. A group of twelve thanatocoenoses from the Tyrrhenian Sea has been treated with both approaches with the aim to identify a practical strategy for analysing multispecies distribution patterns in benthic paleoecology, trying to combine the advantages of both quantitative and qualitative approaches. When dealing with large-sized data matrices of benthic thanatocoenoses, it is recommended to use a qualitative approach for data reduction, on the basis of their significance in benthic bionomy, prior to perform the quantitative multivariate analysis (classification, ordination, similarity and dissimilarity analysis). This procedure appears to be the most suitable for the identification of “natural” grouping of biotopes, since the results are not obscured by the diffuse occurrence of the most common and ubiquitous species.&nbsp

Diabetes Mellitus and Reprogrammed Glucose Metabolism in Pancreatic Cancer: Features for Clinical Translation

The reprogrammed metabolism of cancer cells underlies the shift of glucose energetics from the highly efficient oxidative phosphorylation to the less efficient aerobic glycolysis, the Warburg effect. This phenomenon, with the activation of the glutamine pathway, advantage survival and proliferation of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cells, which live in an adverse hypoxic and nutrient restricted microenvironment. In PDAC, glucose metabolic alterations occur also at the whole organism, diabetes mellitus (DM) being diagnosed in approximately 60% to 80% of patients. The association beteen PDAC and DM is a dual face phenomenon, DM being both a risk factor for and a consequence of this tumor type. Data from epidemiology indicate that longstanding DM increases PDAC risk 1.5 to 2.0 fold, probably because of the pro-proliferative effects of hyperinsulinemia. By contrast early onset DM, i.e. diabetes diagnosed no more than two years prior to cancer diagnosis, is considered a consequence of PDAC. Secondary DM is due to complex interactions between tumor cells, tumor microenvironment and pancreatic endocrine cells. In this scenario the role of the inflammatory S100A8 calcium binding protein, matrix metalloproteinases, Vanin1 or amylin has been experimentally demonstrated. However, the efforts made to translate in the clinical practice any individual new poteantial biomarker failed, because none reached enough sensitivity and specificity to be considered a reliable biomarker to diagnose PDAC even in high risk subjects as those with new onset DM. Therefore the identification and clinical validation of new biomarkers remains a challenge for future studies

LIVING CALCAREOUS ALGAE BY A PALEONTOLOGICAL APPROACH: THE GENUS <em>LITHOTHAMNION</em> HEYDRICH NOM. CONS. FROM THE SOFT BOTTOMS OF THE TYRRHENIAN SEA (MEDITERRANEAN)

Living non-geniculate corallinacean algae recovered in the Tyrrhenian Sea  (Tuscan Archipelago, Pontian Islands and Egads) have been collected at 53 stations ranging in depth from 27 down to 137 m and in the maërl of Marettimo (Egads) at 30-35 m depth. L. corallioides has been collected at Marettimo and in 10 stations ranging from 44 to 93 m depth. Z. fruticulosum auctorum has been redescribed and identified as L. minervae sp. nov., collected at Marettimo and in 23 stations ranging from 27 to 98 m depth. L. philippii Foslie has been identified in 5 stations ranging from 45 and 79 m depth.  L. valens Foslie has been recognized at Marettimo and in 9 stations from 51 to 79 m depth, with maximum abundance and best developed specimens collected in the channel between the islands of Ponza and Palmarola. The diagnostic elements of the thallus of the four species are described by SEM and OM images and biometric  data. The zonation of the thallus, due to alternating bands of thick-walled and thin-walled cells, is described in details for L. corallioides,  L. minervae and  L. valens

Inflammatory bowel diseases: from pathogenesis to laboratory testing

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), which comprise the two major clinical subtypes, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, incur high morbidity and potential mortality. The present study reviews data on the pathogenesis and diagnosis of IBDs. The pathogenesis depends on complex interactions between susceptibility genes, environmental factors, and innate and adaptive immunity, the understanding of which is crucial to discovering novel laboratory biomarkers. Traditional laboratory tests for the diagnosis, prognosis and assessment of disease activity of IBDs are reported on, and the biochemical properties, pre-analytical and analytical aspects and clinical utility of the fecal markers lactoferrin and calprotectin are described. DNA testing and established (ASCA and pANCA) and emerging (ACCA, ALCA, AMCA, OmpC) serum markers are described; a further aspect to be addressed is the clinical use of pharmacogenetics for the treatment of IBDs

REVISION AND RE-DOCUMENTATION OF M. AIROLDI'S SPECIES OF ARCHAEOLITHOTHAMNIUM FROM THE TERTIARY PIEDMONT BASIN (NW ITALY)

Airoldi (1930, 1932) described twenty-three fossil Corallinales (Rhodophyta) from the Oligocene of the Tertiary Piedmont Basin (NW Italy), containing thirteen new species. In this paper Archaeolithothamnium praeerithraeum Airoldi 1932 and Archaeolithothamnium statiellense Airoldi 1932 are re-documented and re-described. The features observable in the sporangial compartments allowed to attribute both species to the genus Sporolithon.&nbsp

REVISION AND RE-DOCUMENTATION OF M. AIROLDI’S SPECIES OF MESOPHYLLUM FROM THE TERTIARY PIEDMONT BASIN (NW ITALY)

Airoldi (1930, 1932) described twenty-three fossil Corallinales (Rhodophyta) from the Oligocene of the Tertiary Piedmont Basin (NW Italy), including thirteen new species. In this paper Mesophyllum fructiferum Airoldi 1932 and Mesophyllum obsitum Airoldi 1932 are re-documented and re-described. The presence of cell fusions, multiporate conceptacles and a ventral core of cell filaments passing from coaxial to non-coaxial confirm that both species belong to the genus Mesophyllum.&nbsp; &nbsp;SHORT NOTES &nbsp

AS ESCOLAS NO CAMPO E O TRANSPORTE DE ALUNOS NO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO NOS ANOS DE 2009 E 2010: ALGUMAS CONSIDERAÇÕES

O Estado de São Paulo é tido como modelo de urbanização e industrialização no Brasil, o que poderia levar a crer que o quantitativo populacional que vive e trabalha em áreas rurais não é representativo e, consequentemente, não demandaria a manutenção de escolas no campo. Entretanto, em 2010 aquele estado contava cerca de 1.700.000 residentes em áreas rurais, parte deles se encontrava em idade escolar, o que nos motivou a compreender a dimensão, condições materiais e de acesso à educação oferecida àquela população. Deste modo, objetivamos aqui dimensionar a rede escolar nas áreas rurais do Estado de São Paulo e discutir a questão do acesso à escola por meio do transporte escolar. Para tanto, a partir do método materialista histórico dialético, lançamos mão de revisão bibliográfica e de análise estatística dos microdados dos Censos Escolares dos anos de 2009 e 2010 e dos indicadores do Censo Demográfico de 2010. Concluímos que transporte massivo de alunos do campo paulista para escolas nas cidades resulta do histórico processo de fechamento de escolas rurais e atende a fins orçamentários, desconsiderando os riscos sofridos e as perdas no processo de escolarização dos alunos do campo

Spondyloarthritis: Matrix Metalloproteinasesas Biomarkers of Pathogenesis and Response to Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) Inhibitors

The term spondyloarthritis (SpA) is used to describe a group of multifactorial chronic inflammatory diseases characterized by a predisposing genetic background and clinical manifestations typically involving the sacroiliac joint. The absence of pathognomonic clinical and/or laboratory findings generally results in a delay in diagnosis and, consequently, in treatment. In addition, 20-40% of SpA patients are non-responders to tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor therapies. Given these considerations, it is important to identify biomarkers that can facilitate the diagnosis and assessment of disease activity. As inflammation plays a key role in the pathogenesis of SpA, inflammatory mediators have been investigated as potential biomarkers for diagnosing the disease and predicting response to therapy. Some investigators have focused their attention on the role of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), which are known to be markers of synovial inflammation that is generated in the joint in reaction to inflammatory stimuli. Several studies have been carried out to verify if serum MMPs levels could be useful to diagnose SpA, to assess disease severity, and to predict response to TNF inhibitor therapy. The current review focuses on MMPs' role in SpA pathogenesis, diagnosis and therapeutic implications