N-glycosylation of HIV-gp120 may constrain recognition by T lymphocytes.

The HIV envelope protein gp120 is heavily glycosylated, having 55% of its molecular mass contributed by N-linked carbohydrates. We investigated the role of N-glycosylation in presentation of HIV-gp120 to T cells. T cell clones obtained from humans immunized with a recombinant nonglycosylated form of HIV-gp120 (env 2-3) were studied for their ability to recognize both env 2-3 and glycosylated gp120. We found that 20% of CD4+ T cell clones specific for env 2-3 fail to respond to glycosylated gp120 of the same HIV isolate. Using synthetic peptides, we mapped one of the epitopes recognized by such clones to the sequence 292-300 (NESVAINCT), which contains two asparagines that are glycosylated in the native gp120. These findings suggest that N-linked carbohydrates within an epitope can function as hindering structures that limit Ag recognition by T lymphocytes

La Rete dei Giardini Fenologici Italiani (Gfi Network)

Gli effetti delle variazioni climatiche sulle specie vegetali possono essere registrati attraverso il monitoraggio delle fasi fenologiche. Queste osservazioni aumentano di significativit\ue0 se protratte nel tempo e confrontate sul territorio. In Italia 11 Giardini e Stazioni di rilevamento fenologico, con cadenza settimanale, rilevano le varie fasi e le mettono in relazione ai fattori climatici. Il loro coinvolgimento all\u2019interno di una Rete, nel rispetto dell\u2019autonomia di ogni giardino, ha come scopo valorizzarne il ruolo, aumentando la visibilit\ue0 e formando una massa critica in grado di interfacciarsi con altre reti internazionali. Ogni Giardino o Stazione, presenta una storia e caratteristiche ambientali proprie; tuttavia, essi hanno in comune alcune specie vegetali. In molti casi, le piante di queste specie sono cloni e questo costituisce un valore aggiunto per la comprensione degli effetti dei fattori ambientali sulla fenologia. In questo contributo si confrontano le caratteristiche delle unit\ue0 della Rete GFI e si presentano i risultati delle prime elaborazioni comuni

La rete dei giardini fenologici italiani (GFI Network)

Gli effetti delle variazioni climatiche sulle specie vegetali possono essere registrati attraverso il monitoraggio delle fasi fenologiche. Queste osservazioni aumentano di significativit\ue0 se protratte nel tempo e confrontate sul territorio. In Italia 11 Giardini e Stazioni di rilevamento fenologico, con cadenza settimanale, rilevano le varie fasi e le mettono in relazione ai fattori climatici. Il loro coinvolgimento all\u2019interno di una Rete, nel rispetto dell\u2019autonomia di ogni giardino, ha come scopo valorizzarne il ruolo, aumentando la visibilit\ue0 e formando una massa critica in grado di interfacciarsi con altre reti internazionali. Ogni Giardino o Stazione, presenta una storia e caratteristiche ambientali proprie; tuttavia, essi hanno in comune alcune specie vegetali. In molti casi, le piante di queste specie sono cloni e questo costituisce un valore aggiunto per la comprensione degli effetti dei fattori ambientali sulla fenologia. In questo contributo si confrontano le caratteristiche delle unit\ue0 della Rete GFI e si presentano i risultati delle prime elaborazioni comuni

RISK ANALYSIS OF ACETONE AND PHENOL PRODUCTION PROCESS FROM BENZENE AND PROPENE

Process safety is a main concern in chemical and petrochemical industries nowadays. In this context, an applied hazard identification and risk assessment were performed in a hypothetical acetone plant based on the Hock process. The capacity of the plant was chosen according to Brazilian market conditions. Quantitative risk analysis for a few scenarios was carried out by using PhastRisk® software. As a result, equipment and pipelines were designed to meet process throughput as well as safety requirements. Some hazard properties of process stream, such as flammability and toxicity, were evaluated and their impact was taken into account in the plant. Based on a qualitative risk analysis, some recommendations to reduce incident probability were proposed. The quantitative approach also indicated the critical zone of impact, the radiation emitted and the toxic cloud dispersion that would take place from the leakage point. The results showed that the worst case scenario involved a leakage of acetone and propylene

An innovative intervention for the treatment of cognitive impairment–Emisymmetric bilateral stimulation improves cognitive functions in Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment: an open-label study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: In the last decade, the development of different methods of brain stimulation by electromagnetic fields (EMF) provides a promising therapeutic tool for subjects with impaired cognitive functions. Emisymmetric bilateral stimulation (EBS) is a novel and innovative EMF brain stimulation, whose working principle is to introduce very weak noise-like stimuli through EMF to trigger self-arrangements in the cortex of treated subjects, thereby improving cognitive faculties. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate in patients with cognitive impairment the effectiveness of EBS treatment with respect to global cognitive function, episodic memory, and executive functions. METHODS: Fourteen patients with cognitive decline (six with mild cognitive impairment and eight with Alzheimer's disease) underwent three EBS applications per week to both the cerebral cortex and auricular-specific sites for a total of 5 weeks. At baseline, after 2 weeks and 5 weeks, a neuropsychological assessment was performed through mini-mental state examination, free and cued selective reminding tests, and trail making test. As secondary outcomes, changes in behavior, functionality, and quality of life were also evaluated. RESULTS: After 5 weeks of standardized EBS therapy, significant improvements were observed in all neurocognitive assessments. Mini-mental state examination score significantly increased from baseline to end treatment (+3.19, P=0.002). Assessment of episodic memory showed an improvement both in immediate and delayed recalls (immediate recall =+7.57, P=0.003; delayed recall =+4.78, P<0.001). Executive functions significantly improved from baseline to end stimulation (trail making test A -53.35 seconds; P=0.001). Of note, behavioral disorders assessed through neuropsychiatric inventory significantly decreased (-28.78, P<0.001). The analysis concerning the Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment group confirmed a significant improvement of cognitive functions and behavior after EBS treatment. CONCLUSION:\ud This pilot study has shown EBS to be a promising, effective, and safe tool to treat cognitive impairment, in addition to the drugs presently available. Further investigations and controlled clinical trials are warranted