Angiotensin type-2 (AT-2)-receptor activation reduces renal fibrosis in cyclosporine nephropathy: evidence for blood-pressure independent effect

Compound 21 (C21), selective agonist of AT2 receptors, shows antinflammatory effects in hypertension and nephroprotection in diabetes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of C21 in cyclosporine nephropathy, which is characterized mainly by tubulo-interstitial fibrosis. Ten days before and during the experimental periods, low-salt diet was administered to Sprague Dawley rats. Cyclosporine-A (15mg/kg/day, i.p.) and cyclosporine-A plus C21 (0.3 mg/kg /day, i.p) were administered for 1 and 4 weeks. Control groups was left without any treatment. Blood pressure (plethysmographic method) and 24 hour albuminuria were measured once a week. At the end of the experiments, the kidneys were excised for histomorphometric analysis of renal fibrosis and for immunohistochemical evaluation of inflammatory infiltrates and type I and IV collagen expression.After 1 and 4 weeks, the rats treated with cyclosporine showed a significant increase (p <0.01) in blood pressure, no significant changes in albuminuria, a significant increase (p <0.01) in glomerular and tubulo-interstitial fibrosis and inflammatory infiltrates as compared to the control rats. Treatment with C21 did not modify the cyclosporine dependent increase of blood pressure, which was higher than in control rats, but after 4 weeks of treatment significantly reduced (p <0.01) glomerular and tubulo-interstitial fibrosis, type 1 collagen expression and macrophage infiltration, as compared to rats treated with cyclosporine.The administration of C21 showed a protective effect on cyclosporine nephropathy, decreasing renal fibrosis and macrophage infiltration. These data suggest that C21 may counteract tubulo-interstitial fibrosis, the most potent predictor of the progression of renal diseases

On the environmental impacts of voluntary animal-based policies in the EU: Technical and political considerations

The livestock sector has a large influence on direct and indirect (via land use change) greenhouse gas emissions, with potential negative impacts on climate change. We quantify the environmental impacts related to the introduction of a voluntary animal-based policy supported by the European Union (EU), the Measure 14 of Rural Development Programmes 2014–2020 on animal welfare. In particular, we focus on methane and nitrous oxide emissions (direct impacts), and on carbon-based and nitrous oxide emissions from land use change (indirect impacts). Our case study is the dairy sector of the EU Member States. We found that the animal-based measures have (on average) limited environmental impacts, although marked differences exist across Member States

The Oxidative Cleavage of 9,10-Dihydroxystearic Triglyceride with Oxygen and Cu Oxide-based Heterogeneous Catalysts

This paper deals with a new heterogeneous catalyst for the second step in the two-step oxidative cleavage of unsaturated fatty acids triglycerides derived from vegetable oil, a reaction aimed at the synthesis of azelaic and pelargonic acids. The former compound is a bio-monomer for the synthesis of polyesters; the latter, after esterification, is used in cosmetics and agrochemicals. The reaction studied offers an alternative to the currently used ozonization process, which has severe drawbacks in terms of safety and energy consumption. The cleavage was carried out with oxygen, starting from the glycol (dihydroxystearic acid triglyceride), the latter obtained by the dihydroxylation of oleic acid triglyceride. The catalysts used were based on Cu2+, in the form of either an alumina-supported oxide or a mixed, spinel-type oxide. The CuO/Al2O3 catalyst could be recovered, regenerated, and recycled, yielding promising results for further industrial exploitation

Microgreens: from trendy vegetables to functional food and potential nutrition security resource

Starting as trendy high-value gourmet greens, today, microgreens have gained great popularity among consumers for their nutritional profile and high content of antioxidant compounds. Microgreens’ nutritional profile is associated with the rich variety of colors, shapes, textural properties, and flavors obtained from sprouting a multitude of edible vegetable species, including herbs, herbaceous crops, and neglected wild edible species. Grown in a variety of soilless production systems, over the last five years in many urban and peri-urban areas of the world, microgreens have literally exploded as a cash crop produced in various protected culture systems and especially indoors through the use of artificial lighting systems. The ability to grow microgreens indoors in very small space, the short growth cycle required, and only minimum inputs required to produce them may allow the micro-scale production of fresh and nutritious vegetables even in areas that are considered food deserts. The current COVID-19 pandemic revealed the vulnerability of our food system and the need to address malnutrition issues and nutrition security inequality which could be exacerbated by potential future situations of emergency or catastrophe. Microgreens have great potential as an efficient food resilience resource, since they can provide essential nutrients and antioxidants. Using simple soilless production systems, seeds, and minimal inputs, nutrient-dense microgreens and shoots may be produced under different lighting conditions ranging from darkness to full sunlight or under artificial lighting in controlled environmental conditions, providing a rich source of essential nutrients and antioxidant compounds in a very short time. Moreover, using simple agronomic techniques, it is possible to produce biofortified or tailored functional micro-vegetables that could address specific dietary needs and/or address micronutrient deficiencies and nutrition security issues in emergency situations or limiting environmental conditions.Contribution of F. Di Gioia have been supported by the Food Resilience in the Face of Catastrophic Global Events grant funded by Open Philanthropy and by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture and Hatch Appropriations under Project #PEN04723 and Accession #1020664.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

L-lysine production at 65°C by auxotrophic-regulatory mutants of Bacillus stearothermophilus

The amino acid L-lysine was produced from auxotrophic-regulatory mutants ofBacillus stearothermophilus at a temperature of 60–65°C. One of the mutants (AEC 12 A5, S-(2-aminoethyl)-cysteiner, homoserine−), produced L-lysine at the concentration of 7.5 g/l in shaken flasks in minimal medium containing 5% glucose. Culture conditions for optimizing L-lysine production were not investigated. The aspartokinase activity of the wild strainB. stearothermophilus Zu 183 was inhibited by lysine alone and by threonine plus lysine. AEC resistant mutants showed an aspartokinase activity genetically desensitized to the feedback inhibition. Optimal temperature and pH of aspartokinase were 45°C and 9.5, respectively. The data provide significant evidence that mutants of the speciesB. stearothermophilus have a potential value for amino acid production

Honeybees exposure to natural feed additives: How is the gut microbiota affected?

The role of a balanced gut microbiota to maintain health and prevent diseases is largely established in humans and livestock. Conversely, in honeybees, studies on gut microbiota perturbations by external factors have started only recently. Natural methods alternative to chemical products to preserve honeybee health have been proposed, but their effect on the gut microbiota has not been examined in detail. This study aims to investigate the effect of the administration of a bacterial mixture of bifidobacteria and Lactobacillaceae and a commercial product HiveAlive™ on honeybee gut microbiota. The study was developed in 18 hives of about 2500 bees, with six replicates for each experimental condition for a total of three experimental groups. The absolute abundance of main microbial taxa was studied using qPCR and NGS. The results showed that the majority of the administered strains were detected in the gut. On the whole, great perturbations upon the administration of the bacterial mixture and the plant-based commercial product were not observed in the gut microbiota. Significant variations with respect to the untreated control were only observed for Snodgrassella sp. for the bacterial mixture, Bartonella sp. in HiveAlive™ and Bombilactobacillus sp. for both. Therefore, the studied approaches are respectful of the honeybee microbiota composition, conceivably without compromising the bee nutritional, social and ecological functions

The fate of bacteria in urban wastewater-irrigated peach tree: a seasonal evaluation from soil to canopy

Irrigation with wastewater can be a solution to preserve and mitigate freshwater demand, in particular during drought periods. Unfortunately, wastewater, although being treated at different levels, could be a carrier of human pathogens (e.g., E. coli) and potentially contaminate crops for human consumptions.This study investigated the seasonal microbiological concentrations, on soil, shoot and fruit tissues of potted peach trees, following two irrigation treatments: freshwater (FW) and secondary urban wastewater without the final disinfection treatment (SW). E. coli was only detected in SW irrigated soil, whereas total coliforms (TC) and total bacteria counts (TBC) were similar in both treatments throughout the season. EndophyticE. coli, Salmonella spp. and TC were not detected in shoot and fruit, but a higher presence of total bacteria (TBC) was observed in SW-irrigated tree compared to FWirrigated tree. In particular, SW shoots had a higher load compared to fruits, thus showing a potential effect of leaf transpiration, that promoted the transfer of water-borne bacteria from soil to the epigeal part (shoot). The adoption of low-quality SW (even above the microbiological limits of the European Regulation 2020/741 for wastewater re-use in agriculture), when a drip irrigation method is applied, could be a valid alternative to save fresh water without compromising fruit safety

POS1464-HPR ASSESSMENT OF EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING IN RHEUMATIC PATIENTS DURING COVID-19 LOCKDOWN THROUGH A WEB-BASED SURVEY APPROACH

Background:The severe measures of lockdown imposed in Italy to limit the SARS coronavirus 2 disease (COVID-19) spread caused an increase of reported anxiety, depression and suicidal rate among general population. Patients affected by rheumatic disorders feature an increased risk of mood disorders for the chronic course of the disease itself and for the related disability.Objectives:Aim of this study was to investigate the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on emotional well-being of a large cohort of rheumatic patients through a telemedicine approach.Methods:Patients in follow-up in rheumatologic out-patient clinics of our hospital were invited to participate to an online survey. They were asked also to invite their best friend, matched for age and sex, to participate the survey, as control group. The online survey included demographic questions and validated, psychometric scales for stress vulnerability (Stress Vulnerability Scale-SVS), resilience (Resilience Scale-RS), depression (Zung's depression questionnaire-Zung-D) and anxiety (Zung's anxiety questionnaire-Zung-A) evaluation.Results:The cohort was composed by 484 subjects (84,1% F, 15,9% M). The number of subjects and the frequency of various diagnosis are shown in Table 1. According to the psychometric scales, 55,5% and 43,3% of subject showed respectively an increased stress vulnerability and a reduced resiliency. Moreover, 64% and 40,5% of the enrolled subjects reported respectively anxiety and depressive symptoms worthy of psychiatric attention. There was a significant different distribution of scores for SVS (p<0,0001), Zung-A (p<0,0001) and Zung-D (p<0,0001) among the various diagnosis. In comparison with controls, higher scores of SVS were present in connective tissue diseases (CTD) (p=0,007), Sjogren's Syndrome (SSJ) (p=0,0029) and fibromyalgia (FM) (p<0,0001) patients, higher scores of Zung-A were present in SSJ (p=0,006) and FM (p<0,0001) patients and higher scores of Zung-D were present in FM (p<0,0001) patients (Figure 1). Ordinal regression analysis showed that higher classes of anxiety were independently predicted by the Tension (β=0,32;CI=0,13-0,52;p=0,003) and Demoralization (β=0,22;CI=0,04-0,44;p=0,046) components of SVS and by the Zung-D score (β=0,09;CI=0,05-0,1;p<0,001), while higher classes of depression were independently predicted by SVS total (β=0,17;CI=0,03-0,30;p=0,012), by its subcomponent Demoralization (β=0,22;CI=0,01-0,43;p=0,038), by a lower absolute RS score (β=-0,083;CI=-0,1--0,06;p<0,001) and by the Zung-A score (β=0,11;CI=0,06-0,15;p<0,001). In both cases, a specific diagnosis was not associated to a higher risk of advanced anxiety and depression classes.Conclusion:Rheumatic patients developed a high frequency of anxiety and depressive symptoms following COVID-19 lockdown, of which a large part should be referred for specialist attention according to their severity. There was a large variability of the symptoms reported among the various diagnosis. CTD, SSJ and FM patients were the most susceptible to the development of anxiety, depression and stress vulnerability. The application of psycometric scales through a telemedicine approach represents a useful tool to identify patients with higher levels of anxiety and depression.Table 1.DIAGNOSISFrequencyPercentControls459,3RA8216,9PSA214,3UA40,8SPA71,4CTD7014,5FM7916,3Myositis81,7Behcet's112,3Vasculitis163,3APS61,2Other AID132,7SSJ12225,2Total484100RA: Rheumatoid Arthritis, PSA: Psoriatic Arthritis; UA: Undifferentiated Arthritis; SPA: Spondyloarthritis; CTD: Connective tissues diseases (including Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Scleroderma, Undifferentiated Connettivitis, Mixed Connettivitis); FM: Fibromyalgia; APS: Anti-phospholipid syndrome; Other AID: Other autoimmune/inflammatory disorders (including Adult-onset Still disease, IgG4 related disease); SSJ: Sjogren SyndromeFigure 1.Disclosure of Interests:None declare

Comparing the competitiveness between brazilian and european football (SOCCER) (G-5) – interpretations and suggestions

World sport has been seen as a growing industry, generating revenues of roughly US$1 trillion a year. Playing a major role in this industry, football (soccer) is accountable for an annual turnover of approximately US$ 250 billion – Brazil’s share being approximately 1% of that amount. The growing marketing and globalization of football has brought up new topics such as: the risks associated with competitiveness; the need for professional management; creating corporate teams; sports strategies and marketing; accounting; accountability.This paper aims at: i) understanding the risks associated with the competitiveness of football leagues; ii) comparing the competitive balance in the five largest European football markets (Germany, Spain, France, England and Italy) in relation with Brazilian football and; iii) interpreting these results in view of the literature concerning sports administration