NEMATODE COLONIZATION OF PYRITE CINDER-POLLUTED SOIL

The nematofauna was studied in the early stages of a remediation trial at an industrial site where pyrite cinders had accumulated for 40 years in a large area and were then covered with mineral soil. The cinders were contaminated with several metals and metalloids. The soil of the experimental plots was derived from the mixture of cinders with the covering soil in a 1:1 ratio. Plots were amended with manure and sown with 3 metal resistant plants: Sorghum bicolor L., Helianthus annuus L., and Arundo donax L. Samples were taken : a) at the beginning of the trial on the pyrite cinders and covering soil, separately; b) from the mixture before the application of manure; c) from cultivated plots. Nematode communities were compared by using general composition, trophic structure, biodiversity and ecology indices. Nematofauna and other soil fauna were not detected in the pyrite cinders. Nematodes were recorded in the covering soil and after mixing with the cinders. In these early stages of the remediation process, amending and cropping increased nematode abundance and biodiversity compared to the initial situation of the pyrite cinders. The nematode community structures and all calculated indices showed an increase in the quality of the soil after the remediation process. Our results showed that phytoremediation brought about the repopulation of an extremely compromised area. Moreover, the analysis of nematofauna could be a useful tool for assessing the degree of soil disturbance and soil remediation

Genotype-phenotype correlation study in 364 osteogenesis imperfecta Italian patients

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a rare genetic disorder of the connective tissue and 90% of cases are due to dominant mutations in COL1A1 and COL1A2 genes. To increase OI disease knowledge and contribute to patient follow-up management, a homogeneous Italian cohort of 364 subjects affected by OI types I-IV was evaluated. The study population was composed of 262 OI type I, 24 type II, 39 type III, and 39 type IV patients. Three hundred and nine subjects had a type I collagen affecting function mutations (230 in α1(I) and 79 in α2(I)); no disease-causing changes were noticed in 55 patients. Compared with previous genotype-phenotype OI correlation studies, additional observations arose: a new effect for α1- and α2-serine substitutions has been pointed out and heart defects, never considered before, resulted associated to quantitative mutations (P = 0.043). Moreover, some different findings emerged if compared with previous literature; especially, focusing the attention on the lethal form, no association with specific collagen regions was found and most of variants localized in the previously reported "lethal clusters" were causative of OI types I-IV. Some discrepancies have been highlighted also considering the "50-55 nucleotides rule," as well as the relationship between specific collagen I mutated region and the presence of dentinogenesis imperfecta and/or blue sclera. Despite difficulties still present in defining clear rules to predict the clinical outcome in OI patients, this study provides new pieces for completing the puzzle, also thanks to the inclusion of clinical signs never considered before and to the large number of OI Italian patients

Smart valorization of waste biomass: Exhausted lemon peels, coffee silverskins and paper wastes for the production of levulinic acid

In recent years, the replacement of fossil resources with renewable ones has focused great interest, expecially as regards the production of new valuable bio-products and bio-fuels, in progressive replacement of the traditional petroleum-based ones.The Waste Management Policy strongly encourages the valorization of waste biomasses into added-value bio-chemicals, instead of their traditional combustion for energy recovery or, even worse, of their landfill disposal. In this context, the acid-catalysed hydrothermal conversion of negative-value bio-wastes into levulinic acid (LA) represents a smart exploitation possibility, already developed and optimized on pilot-scale, and widely adaptable to different kinds of feedstocks. In this work, the LA production was investigated starting from two bio-wastes deriving from industrial Italian food-processing, e.g.exhausted lemon peels and coffee silverskins, together with that of a clean cellulose powder, which derives from the cutting operations occurring during the tissue paper production. The effect of the main reaction parameters on the LA synthesis, in particular the concentration of the acid catalyst, the biomass loading, the reaction temperature/time and, additionally, the effect of an upstream milder acid pretreatment, was investigated and discussed. Moreover, in the case of coffee silverskin, a preliminary extraction step of the water-soluble phenolics has further improved the fractionation and exploitation of this waste biomass. These compounds have been proposed as natural antioxidants, which represent very valuable niche products for nutraceutical uses. The described examples confirm the feasibility of an integrated valorization of the waste biomass, well in agreement with the Biorefinery concept

The complex interplay among atherosclerosis, inflammation, and degeneration in ascending thoracic aortic aneurysms

OBJECTIVE: To assess the histopathological findings of a large series of ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) surgical specimens applying the updated classification on noninflammatory degenerative and inflammatory aortic diseases proposed by the Association for European Cardiovascular Pathology and the Society for Cardiovascular Pathology clinicopathological correlations. METHODS: A total of 255 patients surgically treated for ascending TAA were enrolled. Surgical ascending aorta specimens were examined. RESULTS: The histopathological substrate of ascending TAAs was mainly degenerative (67.5%), but with a remarkable prevalence of atherosclerotic lesions (18.8%) and aortitis (13.7%). Degenerative patients more frequently had bicuspid aortic valve (37.2%; P = .002). Patients in the atherosclerotic group were older (median age, 69 years; P < .001), more often with a history of hypertension (87.5%; P = .059), hypercholesterolemia (75%; P = .019), diabetes (16.6%; P = .054), current smoking (22.9%; P = .066), and a history of coronary artery disease (18.7%; P = .063). Patients with aortitis represented the older group (median age, 75 years, P < .001), were mostly females (68.6%; P < .001), and had a larger ascending aorta diameter (median, 56 mm; P < .001). Both patients with atherosclerosis and aortitis presented a higher incidence of concomitant abdominal aortic aneurysm (20.8% and 22.8%, respectively; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Although degenerative histopathology is the most frequent substrate in ascending TAA, atherosclerosis and inflammation significantly contribute to the development of chronic aortic thoracic disease

D2/D3 dopamine receptor heterodimers exhibit unique functional properties.

Evidence for heterodimerization has recently been provided for dopamine D(1) and adenosine A(1) receptors as well as for dopamine D(2) and somatostatin SSTR(5) receptors. In this paper, we have studied the possibility that D(2) and D(3) receptors interact functionally by forming receptor heterodimers. Initially, we split the two receptors at the level of the third cytoplasmic loop into two fragments. The first, containing transmembrane domains (TM) I to V and the N-terminal part of the third cytoplasmic loop, was named D(2trunk) or D(3trunk), and the second, containing the C-terminal part of the third cytoplasmic loop, TMVI and TMVII, and the C-terminal tail, was named D(2tail) or D(3tail). Then we defined the pharmacological profiles of the homologous (D(2trunk)/D(2tail) and D(3trunk)/D(3tail)) as well as of the heterologous (D(2trunk)/D(3tail) and D(3trunk)/D(2tail)) cotransfected receptor fragments. The pharmacological profile of the cross-cotransfected fragments was different from that of the native D(2) or D(3) receptors. In most cases, the D(3trunk)/D(2tail) was the one with the highest affinity for most agonists and antagonists. Moreover, we observed that all of these receptor fragments reduced the expression of the wild type dopamine D(2) and D(3) receptors, suggesting that D(2) and D(3) receptors can form complexes with these fragments and that these complexes bind [(3)H]nemonapride less efficiently or are not correctly targeted to the membrane. In a second set of experiments, we tested the ability of the split and the wild type receptors to inhibit adenylyl cyclase (AC) types V and VI. All of the native and split receptors inhibited AC-V and AC-VI, with the exception of D(3), which was unable to inhibit AC-VI. We therefore studied the ability of D(2) and D(3) to interact functionally with one another to inhibit AC-VI. We found that with D(2) alone, R-(+)-7-hydroxydypropylaminotetralin hydrobromide inhibited AC-VI with an IC(50) of 2.05 +/- 0.15 nm, while in the presence of D(2) and D(3) it inhibited AC-VI with an IC(50) of 0.083 +/- 0.011 nm. Similar results were obtained with a chimeric cyclase made from AC-V and AC-VI. Coimmunoprecipitation experiments indicate that D(2) and D(3) receptors are capable of physical interaction

Genetic and molecular characterization of the human osteosarcoma 3AB-OS cancer stem cell line: a possible model for studying osteosarcoma origin and stemness.

Finding new treatments targeting cancer stem cells (CSCs) within a tumor seems to be critical to halt cancer and improve patient survival. Osteosarcoma is an aggressive tumor affecting adolescents, for which there is no second-line chemotherapy. Uncovering new molecular mechanisms underlying the development of osteosarcoma and origin of CSCs is crucial to identify new possible therapeutic strategies. Here, we aimed to characterize genetically and molecularly the human osteosarcoma 3AB-OS CSC line, previously selected from MG63 cells and which proved to have both in vitro and in vivo features of CSCs. Classic cytogenetic studies demonstrated that 3AB-OS cells have hypertriploid karyotype with 71–82 chromosomes. By comparing 3AB-OS CSCs to the parental cells, array CGH, Affymetrix microarray, and TaqMan1 Human MicroRNA array analyses identified 49 copy number variations (CNV), 3,512 dysregulated genes and 189 differentially expressed miRNAs. Some of the chromosomal abnormalities and mRNA/miRNA expression profiles appeared to be congruent with those reported in human osteosarcomas. Bioinformatic analyses selected 196 genes and 46 anticorrelated miRNAs involved in carcinogenesis and stemness. For the first time, a predictive network is also described for two miRNA family (let-7/98 and miR-29a,b,c) and their anticorrelated mRNAs (MSTN, CCND2, Lin28B, MEST, HMGA2, and GHR), which may represent new biomarkers for osteosarcoma and may pave the way for the identification of new potential therapeutic targets

Home and neighbourhood correlates of BMI among children living in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighbourhoods

A detailed understanding of the underlying drivers of obesity-risk behaviours is needed to inform prevention initiatives, particularly for individuals of low socioeconomic position who are at increased risk of unhealthy weight gain. However, few studies have concurrently considered factors in the home and local neighbourhood environments, and little research has examined determinants among children from low socioeconomic backgrounds. The present study examined home, social and neighbourhood correlates of BMI (kg/m2) in children living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods. Cross-sectional data were collected from 491 women with children aged 5&ndash;12 years living in forty urban and forty rural socioeconomically disadvantaged areas (suburbs) of Victoria, Australia in 2007 and 2008. Mothers completed questionnaires about the home environment (maternal efficacy, perceived importance/beliefs, rewards, rules and access to equipment), social norms and perceived neighbourhood environment in relation to physical activity, healthy eating and sedentary behaviour. Children\u27s height and weight were measured at school or home. Linear regression analyses controlled for child sex and age. In multivariable analyses, children whose mothers had higher efficacy for them doing physical activity tended to have lower BMI z scores (B = &minus; 0&middot;04, 95 % CI &minus; 0&middot;06, &minus; 0&middot;02), and children who had a television (TV) in their bedroom (B = 0&middot;24, 95 % CI 0&middot;04, 0&middot;44) and whose mothers made greater use of food as a reward for good behaviour (B = 0&middot;05, 95 % CI 0&middot;01, 0&middot;09) tended to have higher BMI z scores. Increasing efficacy among mothers to promote physical activity, limiting use of food as a reward and not placing TV in children\u27s bedrooms may be important targets for future obesity prevention initiatives in disadvantaged communities

Prodromal angina and risk of 2-year cardiac mortality in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous intervention

We sought to investigate the prognostic significance of prodromal angina (PA) in unselected patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) and its additive predictive value to the GRACE score.We prospectively enrolled 3015 consecutive STEMI patients undergoing PPCI. Patients were divided in 2 groups according to the presence or absence of PA. Multivariable Cox regression was used to establish the relation to 2-year cardiac mortality of PA.The mean age of the study population was 68 (±14) years; 2178 patients (72%) were male. During follow-up, 395 (13%) patients died with 278 of these (9.2%) suffering from cardiac mortality. Kaplan-Meier estimates showed a survival rate of 95% and 87% for patients with PA and no PA, respectively (log rank test &lt; 0.001). After multivariable analysis, patients with PA had still a lower risk of 2 years' cardiac mortality compared with patients without PA (adjusted hazard ratio = 0.50; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.06-1.81, P = .001). Evaluation of net reclassification improvement showed that reclassification improved by 0.16% in case patients, whereas classification worsened in control patients by 1.08% leading to a net reclassification improvement of -0.93% (95% CI: -0.98, -0.88).In patients with STEMI undergoing PPCI the presence of PA is independently associated with a lower risk of 2-year cardiac mortality. However, the incorporation of this variable to the GRACE score slightly worsened the classification of risk. Accordingly, it seems unlikely that the evaluation of PA may be useful in clinical practice

Acute heart failure in patients with acute aortic syndrome: Pathophysiology and clinical-prognostic implications

Aims Although acute heart failure (AHF) is a potential complication of acute aortic syndromes (AAS), its clinical details and management implications have been scarcely evaluated. This study aimed to assess prevalence, pathophysiological mechanisms, impact on treatment, and in-hospital mortality of AHF in AAS. Methods and results Data were collected from a prospective AAS registry (398 patients diagnosed between 2000 and 2013). Patients with AHF were identified by the presence of dyspnoea as the presentation symptom or radiological signs of pulmonary congestion or cardiogenic shock, including patients with cardiac tamponade (CT). AHF frequency was 28% (Stanford type A 32% vs. type B 20%, P = 0.01). Four mechanisms leading to AHF were identified, alone or in combination: CT (26%), aortic regurgitation (25%), myocardial ischaemia (17%), and hypertensive crisis (10%). In type A patients, aortic regurgitation and CT were the most frequent mechanisms, whereas myocardial ischaemia and hypertensive crisis were the most frequent in type B patients. Although no difference was noted for diagnostic times, AHF at presentation led to a longer surgical delay in type A AAS. In-hospital mortality was higher in patients with AHF compared with those without (34% vs. 17%, P &lt; 0.001). After multivariable analysis, AHF was associated with increased risk of in-hospital death (adjusted odds ratio 1.97, 95% confidence interval 1.14-3.36, P = 0.014). Conclusion AHF occurs in more than a quarter of patients with AAS of both type A and type B, is due to a variety of pathophysiological mechanisms, and is associated with increased surgical delay and in-hospital mortality. © 2015 The Authors European Journal of Heart Failure © 2015 European Society of Cardiology