Analysis of the distribution and orientation of oxygenated and non-oxygenated blood in a double outlet right ventricle

Double outlet right ventricle (DORV) is a malformation of the fetal heart in utero that affects the ventricular chambers. It usually presents with a displacement of the aorta and more than half the circumference of both arterial valves in the right ventricle. A peculiar characteristic is given by an interventricular septal defect (VSD), which allows communication between the left ventricle and the right with consequent mixing of oxygenated and non-oxygenated blood inside the cavities. A crucial question in assessing the degree of severity of functional dysfunction concerns the percentage of oxygenated blood that is ejected into the primary circulation via the aorta, a result that depends on the details of the vortex flow pattern within the two ventricular chambers. This study analyzes a complete DORV case through the use of numerical simulations that allow to identify the concentrations of oxygenated and non-oxygenated blood passing through this geometry. Results show that the VSD presents a significant impact on the fluid dynamic performance of the two ventricles. The analysis of blood concentration allowed to quantify the presence of oxygenated blood ejected into the pulmonary artery and of non-oxygenated blood into the aortic artery. The analysis of this specific case aims to demonstrate how the fluid dynamics analysis of this rare malformation, properly coupled with imaging technology, can provide information that could not be obtained otherwise and that are relevant for a careful clinical management including timely therapeutic intervention

Characterization methodology for re-using marble slurry in industrial applications

Nowadays calcium carbonate has a great importance in different industrial fields and currently there is the opportunity of appreciate the potential value of marble waste and convert it into marketable products. Marble slurry samples, collected from different dimension stone treatment plants in Orosei marble district (Sardinia - Italy), were chemically, physically, mineralogically, and morphologically analyzed and the obtained data were evaluated for compatibility with the marketable micronized CaCO3 specifications required by some industrial sectors, estimating the prospects of recovered CaCO3 utilization. Besides the economic benefits, transforming a waste into an important economic resource involves environmental advantages, due to reduced marble waste landfills, and sustainability promotion

A novel approach to quantifying trophic interaction strengths and impact of invasive species in food webs

Measuring ecological and economic impacts of invasive species is necessary for managing invaded food webs. Based on abundance, biomass and diet data of autochthonous and allochthonous fish species, we proposed a novel approach to quantifying trophic interaction strengths in terms of number of individuals and biomass that each species subtract to the others in the food web. This allowed to estimate the economic loss associated to the impact of an invasive species on commercial fish stocks, as well as the resilience of invaded food webs to further perturbations. As case study, we measured the impact of the invasive bass Micropterus salmoides in two lake communities differing in food web complexity and species richness, as well as the biotic resistance of autochthonous and allochthonous fish species against the invader. Resistance to the invader was higher, while its ecological and economic impact was lower, in the more complex and species-rich food web. The percid Perca fluviatilis and the whitefish Coregonus lavaretus were the two species that most limited the invader, representing meaningful targets for conservation biological control strategies. In both food webs, the limiting effect of allochthonous species against M. salmoides was higher than the effect of autochthonous ones. Simulations predicted that the eradication of the invader would increase food web resilience, while that an increase in fish diversity would preserve resilience also at high abundances of M. salmoides. Our results support the conservation of biodiverse food webs as a way to mitigate the impact of bass invasion in lake ecosystems. Notably, the proposed approach could be applied to any habitat and animal species whenever biomass and diet data can be obtained

Antarctic food web architecture under varying dynamics of sea ice cover

open7noIn the Ross Sea, biodiversity organisation is strongly influenced by sea-ice cover, which is characterised by marked spatio-temporal variations. Expected changes in seasonal sea-ice dynamics will be reflected in food web architecture, providing a unique opportunity to study effects of climate change. Based on individual stable isotope analyses and the high taxonomic resolution of sampled specimens, we described benthic food webs in contrasting conditions of seasonal sea-ice persistence (early vs. late sea-ice break up) in medium-depth waters in Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea). The architecture of biodiversity was reshaped by the pulsed input of sympagic food sources following sea-ice break up, with food web simplification, decreased intraguild predation, potential disturbance propagation and increased vulnerability to biodiversity loss. Following our approach, it was possible to describe in unprecedented detail the complex structure of biodiverse communities, emphasising the role of sympagic inputs, regulated by sea-ice dynamics, in structuring Antarctic medium-depth benthic food webs.openRossi L.; Sporta Caputi S.; Calizza E.; Careddu G.; Oliverio M.; Schiaparelli S.; Costantini M.L.Rossi, L.; Sporta Caputi, S.; Calizza, E.; Careddu, G.; Oliverio, M.; Schiaparelli, S.; Costantini, M. L

Trace elements and stable isotopes in penguin chicks and eggs: A baseline for monitoring the Ross Sea MPA and trophic transfer studies

Multi-tissue trace elements (TEs), C, N concentrations and stable isotopes (δ13C, δ15N) of chick carcasses and eggs of Adélie and Emperor penguins were studied to i) provide reference data before the recent institution of the Ross Sea Marine Protected Area (Antarctica), and ii) provide conversion factors that allow estimating C, N, δ13C and δ15N in edible tissues from non-edible ones, thus improving the use of stable isotopes in contamination and trophic transfer studies. Higher concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn and Pb were found in chick carcasses than in eggs, suggesting increasing contamination in recent decades and high toxicity risks for penguin consumers. Isotopic conversion factors highlighted small differences among body tissues and conspecifics. These values suggest that chick carcasses are reliable indicators of the energy pathways underlying the two penguin species, their trophic position in the food web and their exposure to TEs

Ixodid ticks on wild donkeys in a Mediterranean nature reserve (Asinara National Park): diversity and risk factors

The Sardinian coloured donkey Equus asinus (Perissodactyla: Equidae) and its albino colour morph represent the wildlife species most typical of the island of Asinara. This Mediterranean island represents a favourable context for ticks and tick-borne diseases; however, knowledge of the tick fauna on Asinara is scarce. A total of 106 Sardinian donkeys were inspected for tick infestation from June to November 2015. All ticks found were collected, classified by stage and sex, and identified to species level. The level of infestation of each donkey was determined; both the overall tick infestation and infestations of each detected species were classified on a scale of 1\u20133 to give an infestation score (IS). Overall, 256 hard ticks were collected from 60 of 106 donkeys (56.6%). Rhipicephalus bursa, Haemaphysalis punctata and Hyalomma marginatum (all: Ixodida: Ixodidae) infested 26.4%, 28.3% and 6.6% of donkeys, respectively. Different variables affected the IS. With reference to overall tick infestation, a higher IS was observed in donkeys grazing on grassland and Mediterranean shrubland and in albino donkeys compared with coloured donkeys. The collected ticks included species involved in the transmission of pathogens to humans, which highlights the risks for public health in a tourist destination such as Asinara National Park

Dual PI3K/ERK inhibition induces necroptotic cell death of Hodgkin Lymphoma cells through IER3 downregulation

PI3K/AKT and RAF/MEK/ERK pathways are constitutively activated in Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) patients, thus representing attractive therapeutic targets. Here we report that the PI3K/ERK dual inhibitor AEZS-136 induced significant cell proliferation inhibition in L-540, SUP-HD1, KM-H2 and L-428 HL cell lines, but a significant increase in necroptotic cell death was observed only in two out of four cell lines (L-540 and SUP-HD1). In these cells, AEZS-136-induced necroptosis was associated with mitochondrial dysfunction and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. JNK was activated by AEZS-136, and AEZS-136-induced necroptosis was blocked by the necroptosis inhibitor necrostatin-1 or the JNK inhibitor SP600125, suggesting that JNK activation is required to trigger necroptosis following dual PI3K/ERK inhibition. Gene expression analysis indicated that the effects of AEZS-136 were associated with the modulation of cell cycle and cell death pathways. In the cell death-resistant cell lines, AEZS-136 induced the expression of immediate early response 3 (IER3) both in vitro and in vivo. Silencing of IER3 restored sensitivity to AEZS-136-induced necroptosis. Furthermore, xenograft studies demonstrated a 70% inhibition of tumor growth and a 10-fold increase in tumor necrosis in AEZS-136-treated animals. Together, these data suggest that dual PI3K/ERK inhibition might be an effective approach for improving therapeutic outcomes in HL

Vitamin D in pediatric age: consensus of the Italian Pediatric Society and the Italian Society of Preventive and Social Pediatrics, jointly with the Italian Federation of Pediatricians.

Vitamin D plays a pivotal role in the regulation of calcium-phosphorus metabolism, particularly during pediatric age when nutritional rickets and impaired bone mass acquisition may occur.Besides its historical skeletal functions, in the last years it has been demonstrated that vitamin D directly or indirectly regulates up to 1250 genes, playing so-called extraskeletal actions. Indeed, recent data suggest a possible role of vitamin D in the pathogenesis of several pathological conditions, including infectious, allergic and autoimmune diseases. Thus, vitamin D deficiency may affect not only musculoskeletal health but also a potentially wide range of acute and chronic conditions. At present, the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency is high in Italian children and adolescents, and national recommendations on vitamin D supplementation during pediatric age are lacking. An expert panel of the Italian Society of Preventive and Social Pediatrics reviewed available literature focusing on randomized controlled trials of vitamin D supplementation to provide a practical approach to vitamin D supplementation for infants, children and adolescents

Sequential valproic acid/all-trans retinoic acid treatment reprograms differentiation in refractory and high risk acute myeloid leukemia.

Epigenetic alterations of chromatin due to aberrant histone deacetylase (HDAC) activity and transcriptional silencing of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) pathway are events linked to the pathogenesis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) that can be targeted by specific treatments. A pilot study was carried out in eight refractory or high-risk AML patients not eligible for intensive therapy to assess the biological and therapeutic activities of the HDAC inhibitor valproic acid (VPA) used to remodel chromatin, followed by the addition of ATRA, to activate gene transcription and differentiation in leukemic cells. Hyperacetylation of histones H3 and H4 was detectable at therapeutic VPA serum levels (>or=50 microg/mL) in blood mononuclear cells from seven of eight patients. This correlated with myelomonocytic differentiation of leukemic cells as revealed by morphologic, cytochemical, immunophenotypic, and gene expression analyses. Differentiation of the leukemic clone was proven by fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis showing the cytogenetic lesion +8 or 7q- in differentiating cells. Hematologic improvement, according to established criteria for myelodysplastic syndromes, was observed in two cases. Stable disease and disease progression were observed in five and one cases, respectively. In conclusion, VPA-ATRA treatment is well tolerated and induces phenotypic changes of AML blasts through chromatin remodeling. Further studies are needed to evaluate whether VPA-ATRA treatment by reprogramming differentiation of the leukemic clone might improve the response to chemotherapy in leukemia patients