Cultivability of<i>Streptococcus thermophilus</i>in Grana Padano cheese whey starters

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Peptide-mediated Interference of TIR Domain Dimerization in MyD88 Inhibits Interleukin-1-dependent Activation of NF-κB *

Myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) plays a crucial role in the signaling pathways triggered by interleukin (IL)-1 and Toll-like receptors in several steps of innate host defense. A crucial event in this signaling pathway is represented by dimerization of MyD88, which allows the recruitment of downstream kinases like IRAK-1 and IRAK-4. Herein, we have investigated the function of the Toll/IL-1 receptor (TIR) domain in MyD88 homodimerization in cell-free and in vitro experimental settings by using epta-peptides that mimic the BB-loop region of the conserved TIR domain of different proteins. By using a pull-down assay with purified glutathione S-transferase-MyD88 TIR or co-immunoprecipitation experiments, we found that epta-peptides derived from the TIR domain of MyD88 and IL-18R are the most effective in inhibiting homodimerization with either the isolated TIR or full-length MyD88. Moreover, we demonstrated that a cell permeable analog of MyD88 epta-peptide inhibits homodimerization of MyD88 TIR domains in an in vitro cell system and significantly reduces IL-1 signaling, as assayed by activation of the downstream transcription factor NF-kappaB. Our results indicate that the BB-loop in TIR domain of MyD88 is a good target for specific inhibition of MyD88-mediated signaling in vivo

An In-Field Assessment of the P.ALP Device in Four Different Real Working Conditions: A Performance Evaluation in Particulate Matter Monitoring

This study aimed to assess the performance, in terms of precision and accuracy, of a prototype (called “P.ALP”—Ph.D. Air Quality Low-cost Project) developed for monitoring PM2.5 concentration levels. Four prototypes were co-located with reference instrumentation in four different microenvironments simulating real-world and working conditions, namely (i) office, (ii) home, (iii) outdoor, and (iv) occupational environments. The devices were evaluated for a total of 20 monitoring days (approximately 168 h) under a wide range of PM2.5 concentrations. The performances of the prototypes (based on the light-scattering working principle) were tested through different statistical methods. After the data acquisition and data cleaning processes, a linear regression analysis was performed to assess the precision (by comparing all possible pairs of devices) and the accuracy (by comparing the prototypes against the reference instrumentation) of the P.ALP. Moreover, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) criteria were applied to assess the possible usage of this instrumentation, and to evaluate the eventual error trends of the P.ALP in the data storage process, Bland–Altman plots were also adopted. The outcomes of this study underlined that the P.ALP performed differently depending on the microenvironment in which it was tested and, consequently, on the PM2.5 concentrations. The device can monitor PM2.5 variations with acceptable results, but the performance cannot be considered satisfactory at extremely low and remarkably high PM2.5 concentrations. Thanks to modular components and open-source software, the tested device has the potential to be customized and adapted to better fit specific study design needs, but it must be implemented with ad hoc calibration factors depending on the application before being used in field

Indoor air pollution impacts cardiovascular autonomic control during sleep and the inflammatory profile

The present study explores the modifications of cardiovascular autonomic control (CAC) during wake and sleep time and the systemic inflammatory profile associated with exposure to indoor air pollution (IAP) in a cohort of healthy subjects. Twenty healthy volunteers were enrolled. Indoor levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were monitored using a portable detector for 7 days. Together, a 7-day monitoring was performed through a wireless patch that continuously recorded electrocardiogram, respiratory activity and actigraphy. Indexes of CAC during wake and sleep time were derived from the biosignals: heart rate and low-frequency to high-frequency ratio (LF/HF), index of sympathovagal balance with higher values corresponding to a predominance of the sympathetic branch. Cyclic variation of heart rate index (CVHRI events/hour) during sleep, a proxy for the evaluation of sleep apnea, was assessed for each night. After the monitoring, blood samples were collected to assess the inflammatory profile. Regression and correlation analyses were performed. A positive association between VOC exposure and the CVHRI (Δ%&nbsp;=&nbsp;+0.2% for 1&nbsp;μg/m3 VOCs, p&nbsp;=&nbsp;0.008) was found. The CVHRI was also positively associated with LF/HF during sleep, thus higher CVHRI values corresponded to a shift of the sympathovagal balance towards a sympathetic predominance (r&nbsp;=&nbsp;0.52; p&nbsp;=&nbsp;0.018). NO2 exposure was positively associated with both the pro-inflammatory biomarker TREM-1 and the anti-inflammatory biomarker IL-10 (Δ%&nbsp;=&nbsp;+1.2% and Δ%&nbsp;=&nbsp;+2.4%, for 1&nbsp;μg/m3 NO2; p&nbsp;=&nbsp;0.005 and p&nbsp;=&nbsp;0.022, respectively). The study highlights a possible causal relationship between IAP exposure and higher risk of sleep apnea events, associated with impaired CAC during sleep, and a pro-inflammatory state counterbalanced by an increased anti-inflammatory response in healthy subjects. This process may be disrupted in vulnerable populations, leading to a harmful chronic pro-inflammatory profile. Thus, IAP may emerge as a critical and often neglected risk factor for the public health that can be addressed through targeted preventive interventions

Influence of Time–Activity Patterns on Indoor Air Quality in Italian Restaurant Kitchens

This study aims to delve deeper into the relationship between the professional activities carried out in restaurant kitchens and some key air pollutants. The ultrafine particles (UFPs), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOCs) and formaldehyde (HCHO) indoor air concentrations were determined using real-time monitors. Simultaneously, the kitchen environment was characterized using video recordings with the aim to retrieve information pertaining to cooking, cookware washing and surface cleaning activities. Statistical analysis was carried out separately for the winter and summer campaigns. The obtained results confirmed that the professional activities carried out in restaurant kitchens had a significant impact on the concentrations of all the selected pollutants. Specifically, this study revealed the following key results: (i) indoor UFPs and NO2 concentrations were significantly higher during cooking than during washing activities (e.g., about +60% frying vs. handwashing and dishwasher running), mainly in the winter; (ii) washing activity had a statistically significant impact on the TVOC (+39% on average) and HCHO (+67% on average) concentrations compared to other activities; (iii) some specific sources of short-term pollutant emissions have been identified, such as the different types of cooking and opening the dishwasher; and (iv) in some restaurants, a clear time-dependent relationship between O3 and UFP, TVOC and HCHO has been observed, underlining the occurrence of ozonolysis reactions

Her2 assessment using quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction reliably identifies Her2 overexpression without amplification in breast cancer cases

Background: Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and fluorescent-in situ hybridization (FISH) are standard methods to assess human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status in breast cancer (BC) patients. Real-time quantitative polymerase-chain-reaction (qRT-PCR) is able to detect HER2 overexpression. Here we compared FISH, IHC, quantitative PCR (qPCR), and qRT-PCR to determine the concordance rates and evaluate their relative roles in HER2 determination. Patients and methods: We determined HER2 status in 153 BC patients, using IHC, FISH, Q-PCR and qRT-PCR. In discordant cases, we directly measured HER2 protein levels using Western blotting. Results: The overall agreement (OA) between FISH and Q-PCR was 94.1, with a k value of 0.87. Assuming FISH as the standard reference, Q-PCR showed an 86.1% sensitivity and a 99.0% specificity with a global accuracy of 91.6%. OA between FISH and qRT-PCR was 90.8% with a k value of 0.81. Of interest, the disagreement between FISH and qRT-PCR was mostly restricted to equivocal cases. HER2 protein analysis suggested that qRT-PCR correlates better than FISH with HER2 protein levels, particularly where FISH fails to provide conclusive results. Significance: qRT-PCR may outperform FISH in identifying patients overexpressing HER2 protein. Q-PCR cannot be used for HER2 status assessment, due to its suboptimal level of agreement with FISH. Both FISH and Q-PCR may be less accurate than qRT-PCR as surrogates of HER2 protein determination

Microalgae from Biorefinery as Potential Protein Source for Siberian Sturgeon (A. baerii) Aquafeed

The demand for aquafeed is expected to increase in the coming years and new ingredients will be needed to compensate for the low fish meal and oil availability. Microalgae represent a promising matrix for the future aquafeed formulation, however, the high production cost hinders its application. The use of microalgae from biorefinery would reduce the disposal costs for microalgae production. The present study aimed to (i) verify the growth of microalgae on digestate coming from pig farming and (ii) evaluate their potential valorization as dietary ingredient in aquafeed according to a Circular Bioeconomy approach. For these purposes, a microalgae biomass was produced on an outdoor raceway reactor supplied with digestate and used for partial replacement (10% of the diet) in aquafeed for Siberian sturgeon fingerlings (Acipenser baerii). The results obtained confirm the feasibility for growing microalgae on digestate with satisfactory productivity (6.2 gDM m−2 d−1), nutrient removal efficiency and Chemical Oxygen Demand reduction; moreover, the feeding trial carried out showed similar results between experimental and control groups (p > 0.05), in term of growth performance, somatic indices, fillet nutritional composition and intestinal functionality, to indicate that microalgae from biorefinery could be used as protein source in Siberian sturgeon aquafeed

Hunt for new phenomena using large jet multiplicities and missing transverse momentum with ATLAS in 4.7 fb−1 of s√=7TeV proton-proton collisions

Results are presented of a search for new particles decaying to large numbers of jets in association with missing transverse momentum, using 4.7 fb−1 of pp collision data at s√=7TeV collected by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider in 2011. The event selection requires missing transverse momentum, no isolated electrons or muons, and from ≥6 to ≥9 jets. No evidence is found for physics beyond the Standard Model. The results are interpreted in the context of a MSUGRA/CMSSM supersymmetric model, where, for large universal scalar mass m 0, gluino masses smaller than 840 GeV are excluded at the 95% confidence level, extending previously published limits. Within a simplified model containing only a gluino octet and a neutralino, gluino masses smaller than 870 GeV are similarly excluded for neutralino masses below 100 GeV

Measurements of fiducial and differential cross sections for Higgs boson production in the diphoton decay channel at s√=8 TeV with ATLAS

Measurements of fiducial and differential cross sections are presented for Higgs boson production in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of s√=8 TeV. The analysis is performed in the H → γγ decay channel using 20.3 fb−1 of data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The signal is extracted using a fit to the diphoton invariant mass spectrum assuming that the width of the resonance is much smaller than the experimental resolution. The signal yields are corrected for the effects of detector inefficiency and resolution. The pp → H → γγ fiducial cross section is measured to be 43.2 ±9.4(stat.) − 2.9 + 3.2 (syst.) ±1.2(lumi)fb for a Higgs boson of mass 125.4GeV decaying to two isolated photons that have transverse momentum greater than 35% and 25% of the diphoton invariant mass and each with absolute pseudorapidity less than 2.37. Four additional fiducial cross sections and two cross-section limits are presented in phase space regions that test the theoretical modelling of different Higgs boson production mechanisms, or are sensitive to physics beyond the Standard Model. Differential cross sections are also presented, as a function of variables related to the diphoton kinematics and the jet activity produced in the Higgs boson events. The observed spectra are statistically limited but broadly in line with the theoretical expectations

Search for squarks and gluinos in events with isolated leptons, jets and missing transverse momentum at s√=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The results of a search for supersymmetry in final states containing at least one isolated lepton (electron or muon), jets and large missing transverse momentum with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider are reported. The search is based on proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy s√=8 TeV collected in 2012, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20 fb−1. No significant excess above the Standard Model expectation is observed. Limits are set on supersymmetric particle masses for various supersymmetric models. Depending on the model, the search excludes gluino masses up to 1.32 TeV and squark masses up to 840 GeV. Limits are also set on the parameters of a minimal universal extra dimension model, excluding a compactification radius of 1/R c = 950 GeV for a cut-off scale times radius (ΛR c) of approximately 30