Influenza D virus: Serological evidence in the Italian population from 2005 to 2017

Influenza D virus is a novel influenza virus, which was first isolated from an ailing swine in 2011 and later detected in cattle, suggesting that these animals may be a primary natural reservoir. To date, few studies have been performed on human samples and there is no conclusive evidence on the ability of the virus to infect humans. The aim of this serological study was to assess the prevalence of antibodies against influenza D virus in human serum samples collected in Italy from 2005 to 2017. Serum samples were analysed by haemagglutination inhibition and virus neutralization assays. The results showed that the prevalence of antibodies against the virus increased in the human population in Italy from 2005 to 2017, with a trend characterized by a sharp increase in some years, followed by a decline in subsequent years. The virus showed the ability to infect and elicit an immune response in humans. However, prevalence peaks in humans appear to follow epidemics in animals and not to persist in the human population

The Wikiplantbase project: the role of amateur botanists in building up large online floristic databases

The Wikiplantbase project, started in 2013, provides a framework where the full set of georeferenced floristic records of Tuscany and Sardinia can be entered, stored, updated and freely accessed through the Internet. Mainly thanks to the collaboration of amateur botanists, data have accumulated quickly. All records entered by collaborators are submitted to the project coordinators, who are enabled to accept, modify, or reject them. As of 22 November 2016, Wikiplantbase #Toscana holds 116,402 verified floristic records (90% based on published literature, 5% on unpublished herbarium specimens, 5% on field observations), and Wikiplantbase #Sardegna 40,043 (77% published literature, 18% unpublished herbarium specimens, 5% on field observations ). The records include over 90% of the specific and subspecific taxa known for Tuscany and about 70% – but rapidly growing – of those known for Sardinia. The most recorded species are Quercus ilex L. (Fagaceae) for Tuscany and Pistacia lentiscus L. (Anacardiaceae) for Sardinia. With minor software tweaking, the online platform Wikiplantbase might be adopted in other contexts, resulting in a well connected network of regional floristic databases suited to exploit the involvement – still largely untapped – of nonacademic collaborators, as advocated by citizen science

The Wikiplantbase project: the role of amateur botanists in building up large online floristic databases

The Wikiplantbase project, started in 2013, provides a framework where the full set of georeferenced floristic records of Tuscany and Sardinia can be entered, stored, updated and freely accessed through the Internet. Mainly thanks to the collaboration of amateur botanists, data have accumulated quickly. All records entered by collaborators are submitted to the project coordinators, who are enabled to accept, modify, or reject them. As of 22 November 2016, Wikiplantbase #Toscana holds 116,402 verified floristic records (90% based on published literature, 5% on unpublished herbarium specimens, 5% on field observations), and Wikiplantbase #Sardegna 40,043 (77% published literature, 18% unpublished herbarium specimens, 5% on field observations ). The records include over 90% of the specific and subspecific taxa known for Tuscany and about 70% – but rapidly growing – of those known for Sardinia. The most recorded species are Quercus ilex L. (Fagaceae) for Tuscany and Pistacia lentiscus L. (Anacardiaceae) for Sardinia. With minor software tweaking, the online platform Wikiplantbase might be adopted in other contexts, resulting in a well connected network of regional floristic databases suited to exploit the involvement – still largely untapped – of nonacademic collaborators, as advocated by citizen science

Selection of young ewe lambs according to their antral follicular count: response to exogenous hormonal stimulation and fertility at first breeding season

Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH), Antral Follicular Count (AFC) and the response to exogenous hormonal stimulation have been used, in adults, as suitable markers to determine the ovarian reserve (1-4), to predict oocyte quality (5,6) and a wide variety of fertility indices (6-9). This investigation aims to evaluate if animals selected according to their High or Low AFC at an early prepubertal age show different responses, in the number of follicles and AMH plasma levels, to exogenous hormonal stimulation; to verify whether differences are maintained over time until puberty; and to observe possible variations on fertility at first breeding season

Lupus nephritis in Chinese children--a territory-wide cohort study in Hong Kong

We report a multicenter study of Chinese children in Hong Kong with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) nephritis. Children were included if: they fulfilled the ACR criteria, had significant proteinuria or casturia, were Chinese and younger than 19 years and had been diagnosed with SLE between January 1990 and December 2003. Investigators in each center retrieved data on clinical features, biopsy reports, treatment and outcome of these patients. There were 128 patients (eight boys, 120 girls; mean age: 11.9+/-2.8 years). About 50% presented with multisystem illness and 40% with nephritic/nephrotic symptoms. Negative anti-dsDNA antibodies were found in 6% of the patients. Renal biopsy revealed WHO Class II, III, IV and V nephritis in 13 (10%), 22 (17%), 69 (54%) and 13 (10%) patients, respectively. The clinical severity of the nephritis did not accurately predict renal biopsy findings. The follow-up period ranged from 1 to 16.5 years (mean+/-SD: 5.76+/-3.61 years). During the study five patients died (two from lupus flare, one from cardiomyopathy, two from infections). Four patients had endstage renal failure (ESRF) (one died during a lupus flare). All deaths and end-stage renal failure occurred in the Class IV nephritis group. Chronic organ damage was infrequent in the survivors. The actuarial patient survival rates at 5, 10 and 15 years of age were 95.3, 91.8, and 91.8%, respectively. For Class IV nephritis patients, the survival rates without ESRF at 5, 10, and 15 years were 91.5, 82.3 and 76%, respectively. The survival and chronic morbidity rates of the Chinese SLE children in the present study are comparable to those of other published studies.postprin

Suppression of cell-cycle progression by Jun dimerization protein-2 (JDP2) involves downregulation of cyclin-A2

We report here a novel role for Jun dimerization protein-2 (JDP2) as a regulator of the progression of normal cells through the cell cycle. To determine the role of JDP2 in vivo, we generated Jdp2-knockout (Jdp2KO) mice by targeting exon-1 to disrupt the site of initiation of transcription. The epidermal thickening of skin from the Jdp2KO mice after treatment with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA) proceeded more rapidly than that of control mice, and more proliferating cells were found at the epidermis. Fibroblasts derived from embryos of Jdp2KO mice proliferated faster and formed more colonies than fibroblasts from wild-type mice. JDP2 was recruited to the promoter of the gene for cyclin-A2 (ccna2) at the AP-1 site. Cells lacking Jdp2 had elevated levels of cyclin-A2 mRNA. Furthermore, reintroduction of JDP2 resulted in the repression of transcription of ccna2 and of cell-cycle progression. Thus, transcription of the gene for cyclin-A2 appears to be a direct target of JDP2 in the suppression of cell proliferation