Role of coenzyme Q and vitamin E on stallion semen motility evaluated both in frozen and cooled-stored semen

Several studies reveal that coenzyme Q (CoQ) and vitamin E (Vit. E) act against oxidative deterioration, and that CoQ restores the active and antioxidant form of Vit. E. These two antioxidants, acting against lipid peroxidation, seem to be able to improve motility parameters of spermatozoa. The objective of this study is to evaluate the addition of CoQ and Vit. E to semen extender for equine spermatozoa in order to evaluate possible effects on semen motility. First, immediately after collection, semen samples were diluted with 1mM of CoQ and 1mM of CoQ plus 1mM of Vit. E and prepared for frozen storage in liquid nitrogen. After thawing (37 °C/30 s), samples were maintained at 37 °C and subjected to analysis after 0, 2 and 4 h for motility parameters with CASA (Computer-Assisted Sperm Analysis) method. In a second experiment, after the collection, semen samples were diluted with 1mM of CoQ, in presence or absence of seminal plasma where Vit. E is normally present, and prepared for cooled storage at 4 °C. The effects on motility parameters were determined with CASA at 0, 24, 31 and 48 h after collection. During the analysis, samples were kept at 4 °C. The CASA variables were examined with a mixed linear model. No improvement (p > .05) in motility parameters results from the addition of CoQ and Vit. E in frozen or cooled-stored equine semen when compared to control group

Collection, storage and freezability of equine epididymal spermatozoa

The recovery of spermatozoa from the cauda epididymis may be the last chance to obtain genetic material from stallions undergone to castration. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the efficiency of cryopreservation and the use of two different extenders for equine epididymal spermatozoa. Testicles obtained from castration were divided into two groups: cauda epididymis processed immediately after orchiectomy and cauda epididymis processed after 24 h storage in saline solution at 4 °C of the testis. The epididymal spermatozoa were collected through manual slicing of the cauda epididymis of each testicle. In addition, spermatozoa obtained from different processed testes were diluted alternatively with either modified Palmer or EGG TECH® extenders to produce frozen straws. Motility parameters in fresh and frozen-thawed material were analysed by means of the computer-aided sperm analysis (CASA). The recorded CASA data were analysed with a mixed linear model. Motility parameters in fresh semen yielded better results than in frozen semen (p = 0.008), but no difference (p > 0.05) was observed between spermatozoa collected immediately after castration or after 24 h of storage; in frozen-thawed samples, EGG TECH® tended to improve the percentage of progressively motile spermatozoa in epididymal frozen-thawed semen (p = 0.08) compared with modified Palmer. We conclude that the processing of epididymal spermatozoa can occur up to 24 h after stallion castration and both common extenders used are suitable for preserving this material

Effective Mechanical Properties of AlSi7Mg Additively Manufactured Cubic Lattice Structures

Lattice structures, whose manufacturing has been enabled by additive technologies, are gaining growing popularity in all the fields where lightweighting is imperative. Since the complexity of the lattice geometries stretches the technological boundaries even of additive processes, the manufactured structures can be significantly different from the nominal ones, in terms of expected dimensions but also of defects. Therefore, the successful use of lattices needs the combined optimization of their design, structural modeling, build orientation, and setup. The article reports the results of quasi-static compression tests performed on BCCxyz lattices manufactured in a AlSi7Mg alloy using additive manufacturing. The results are compared with numerical simulations using two different approaches. The findings show the influence of the relative density on stiffness, strength, and on the energy absorption properties of the lattice. The correlation with the technological feasibility points out credible improvements in the choice of a unit cell with fewer manufacturing issues, lower density, and possibly equal mechanical properties

The Role of Adjunctive Therapies in Septic Shock by Gram Negative MDR/XDR Infections

Patients with septic shock by multidrug resistant microorganisms (MDR) are a specific sepsis population with a high mortality risk. The exposure to an initial inappropriate empiric antibiotic therapy has been considered responsible for the increased mortality, although other factors such as immune-paralysis seem to play a pivotal role. Therefore, beyond conventional early antibiotic therapy and fluid resuscitation, this population may benefit from the use of alternative strategies aimed at supporting the immune system. In this review we present an overview of the relationship between MDR infections and immune response and focus on the rationale and the clinical data available on the possible adjunctive immunotherapies, including blood purification techniques and different pharmacological approaches

Purpura Fulminans and Septic Shock due to Capnocytophaga Canimorsus after Dog Bite: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Primary infection by Capnocytophaga canimorsus after dog bite is rare but may be difficult to identify and rapidly lethal. We describe a case of fatal septic shock with fulminant purpura occurred in a patient without specific risk factor two days after an irrelevant dog bite. The patient was brought to hospital because of altered mental status, fever, and abdominal pain. In a few hours patient became hypoxic and cyanotic. The patient became extremely hypotensive with shock refractory to an aggressive fluid resuscitation (40\u2009ml/kg crystalloids). She received vasoactive drugs, antibiotic therapy, and blood purification treatment, but cardiac arrest unresponsive to resuscitation maneuvers occurred. Case description and literature review demonstrated that, also in patients without specific risk factors, signs of infection after dog bite should be never underestimated and should be treated with a prompt antibiotic therapy initiation even before occurrence of organ dysfunction

SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: An overview

By the end of May 2020, SARS-CoV-2 pandemic caused more than 350,000 deaths worldwide. In the first months, there have been uncertainties on almost any area: infection transmission route, virus origin and persistence in the environment, diagnostic tests, therapeutic approach, high-risk subjects, lethality, and containment policies. We provide an updated summary of the current knowledge on the pandemic, discussing the available evidence on the effectiveness of the adopted mitigation strategies

Gain-of-function p53 mutants have widespread genomic locations partially overlapping with p63

p53 and p63 are transcription factors -TFs- playing master roles in the DNA-damage response and in the development and maintenance of pluristratified epithelia, respectively. p53 mutations are common in epithelial tumors and HaCaT keratinocytes harbor two p53 alleles -H179Y and R282Q- with gain-of-function (GOF) activity. Indeed, functional inactivation of mutp53 affects the growth rate of HaCaT. We investigated the strategy of mutp53, by performing ChIP-Seq experiments of mutp53 and p63 and analyzed the transcriptome after mutp53 inactivation. Mutp53 bind to 7135 locations in vivo, with a robust overlap with p63. De novo motifs discovery recovered a p53/p63RE with high information content in sites bound by p63 and mutp53/p63, but not by mutp53 alone: these sites are rather enriched in elements of other TFs. The HaCaT p63 locations are only partially overlapping with those of normal keratinocytes; importantly, and enriched in mutp53 sites which delineate a functionally different group of target genes. Our data favour a model whereby mutp53 GOF mutants act both by tethering growth-controlling TFs and highjacking p63 to new locations

The Long Pentraxin PTX3 as a Link Between Innate Immunity, Tissue Remodeling, and Cancer

The innate immune system comprises a cellular and a humoral arm. Humoral pattern recognition molecules include complement components, collectins, ficolins, and pentraxins. These molecules are involved in innate immune responses by recognizing microbial moieties and damaged tissues, activating complement, exerting opsonic activity and facilitating phagocytosis, and regulating inflammation. The long pentraxin PTX3 is a prototypic humoral pattern recognition molecule that, in addition to providing defense against infectious agents, plays several functions in tissue repair and regulation of cancer-related inflammation. Characterization of the PTX3 molecular structure and biochemical properties, and insights into its interactome and multiple roles in tissue damage and remodeling support the view that microbial and matrix recognition are evolutionarily conserved functions of humoral innate immunity molecules