Ovulaster protodecimae n. sp. (Echinoidea, Spatangoida) and associated epifauna (Cirripedia, Verrucidae) from the Danian of northeastern Italy

A new species of irregular echinoid, Ovulaster protodecimae, is described from the Danian Scaglia Rossa Formation out-cropping in the Venetian Prealps (Southern Alps, northeastern Italy). The new species, belonging to the order Spatangoida, is very distinctive because of its inflated, almost triangular test, the high-positioned peri-proct and the plate arrangement on the oral face. This is the first report of the genus Ovulaster in the Danian of Italy and the first description of an echinoid from the Early Palaeocene of Italy. One test has an epifauna of the sessile verrucid barnacle Verruca sp. cf. V. prisca Bosquet, 1854, attached on all except the oral surface

The Importance of Nutrition in Hypertension

Arterial hypertension (AH) is considered to be one of the most relevant cardiovascular risk factors, and its wide prevalence in all age ranges makes it necessary to analyse all the possible causes and treatments. In this special issue, nutritional interventions are examined either as causes or as treatments of AH. [...]

Differences in daptomycin and vancomycin ex vivo behaviour can lead to false interpretation of negative blood cultures

AbstractIn clinical studies on bacteraemia, the negativity of blood cultures is an important endpoint for comparing the efficacy of different therapeutic regimens. In FAN° anaerobic blood culture medium (BacT/ALERT system), daptomycin displayed increased MIC against Staphylococcus aureus and improved abolishment of its carryover effect in charcoal when compared with vancomycin. Differences between these two drugs can lead to a false interpretation of negative blood cultures. To compare different antibiotic regimens for the treatment of bacteraemia, preliminary studies are mandatory to ensure that ex vivo antibiotic behaviour is similar in the blood-culture system used

Geotecnologias e aprendizagem espacial em ambiente educacional: o mapeamento de nascentes utilizando técnicas de geoprocessamento por meio de softwares livres.

The headwaters of streams are extremely important to maintain the water sources and contribute to the permanent preservation areas (PPA) and hence with the ecosystems of any region. Thus this aspect were investigated by mapping using GIS techniques by free software. The data were validated by field research conducted by students of the 1st year of high school ? Escola Estadual de Ensino Médio Pedro Migliorini, located in the municipality of Monte Belo do Sul, Brazil. The objective of the study was to allow students to assess quantitatively and qualitatively the headwaters of the city, analyzing water usage, as well as the situation of the same as the environmental laws. Students were divided into work areas, conducted interviews with landowners in order to research on the consumption and use of water and what methods are used for the preservation of the spring on the property. To assess if the sources informed the owners comply with current legislation, GIS tools were employed and was generated a buffer of 50 meters (area corresponding to PPA) around the source. At the end of the study were located 427 points with the following observations: 1) 95 are used for human consumption, 2) 107 for animal consumption, 3) 145 have some protection; 4) 23 are in accordance with current legislation . 37 springs were not informed about the use

Neuropilin-1 mediates vascular permeability independently of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 activation

Neuropilin-1 (NRP1) regulates developmental and pathological angiogenesis, arteriogenesis, and vascular permeability, acting as a coreceptor for semaphorin 3A (Sema3A) and the 165–amino acid isoform of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A165). NRP1 is also the receptor for the CendR peptides, a class of cell- and tissue-penetrating peptides with a specific R-x-x-R carboxyl-terminal motif. Because the cytoplasmic domain of NRP1 lacks catalytic activity, NRP1 is mainly thought to act through the recruitment and binding to other receptors. We report here that the NRP1 intracellular domain mediates vascular permeability. Stimulation with VEGF-A165, a ligand-blocking antibody, and a CendR peptide led to NRP1 accumulation at cell-cell contacts in endothelial cell monolayers, increased cellular permeability in vitro and vascular leakage in vivo. Biochemical analyses, VEGF receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) silencing, and the use of a specific VEGFR blocker established that the effects induced by the CendR peptide and the antibody were independent of VEGFR-2. Moreover, leakage assays in mice expressing a mutant NRP1 lacking the cytoplasmic domain revealed that this domain was required for NRP1-induced vascular permeability in vivo. Hence, these data define a vascular permeability pathway mediated by NRP1 but independent of VEGFR-2 activation

Basis set convergence in Hartree-Fock calculations of some diatomic molecules containing first and second-row atoms

Basis set convergence towards the numerical limit of the total Hartree-Fock (HF) energy is investigated for the hierarchical sequences of the XZP and cc-pVXZ basis sets. For both hierarchies, solid improvements are obtained with each increment in X. To estimate the complete basis set limit, an exponential form was used. Among the various approaches considered here, a three-parameter exponential extrapolation applied to the TZP, QZP, and 5ZP results yields the most accurate basis set limits. In addition, 5ZP highest occupied molecular orbital HF energies of some diatomic molecules are evaluated and compared with the corresponding ones obtained with the cc-pV5Z and numerical HF results

The non-convex shape of (234) Barbara, the first Barbarian

Asteroid (234) Barbara is the prototype of a category of asteroids that has been shown to be extremely rich in refractory inclusions, the oldest material ever found in the Solar System. It exhibits several peculiar features, most notably its polarimetric behavior. In recent years other objects sharing the same property (collectively known as "Barbarians") have been discovered. Interferometric observations in the mid-infrared with the ESO VLTI suggested that (234) Barbara might have a bi-lobated shape or even a large companion satellite. We use a large set of 57 optical lightcurves acquired between 1979 and 2014, together with the timings of two stellar occultations in 2009, to determine the rotation period, spin-vector coordinates, and 3-D shape of (234) Barbara, using two different shape reconstruction algorithms. By using the lightcurves combined to the results obtained from stellar occultations, we are able to show that the shape of (234) Barbara exhibits large concave areas. Possible links of the shape to the polarimetric properties and the object evolution are discussed. We also show that VLTI data can be modeled without the presence of a satellite.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure

Neuropilin 1 (NRP1) hypomorphism combined with defective VEGF-A binding reveals novel roles for NRP1 in developmental and pathological angiogenesis.

Neuropilin 1 (NRP1) is a receptor for class 3 semaphorins and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) A and is essential for cardiovascular development. Biochemical evidence supports a model for NRP1 function in which VEGF binding induces complex formation between NRP1 and VEGFR2 to enhance endothelial VEGF signalling. However, the relevance of VEGF binding to NRP1 for angiogenesis in vivo has not yet been examined. We therefore generated knock-in mice expressing Nrp1 with a mutation of tyrosine (Y) 297 in the VEGF binding pocket of the NRP1 b1 domain, as this residue was previously shown to be important for high affinity VEGF binding and NRP1?VEGFR2 complex formation. Unexpectedly, this targeting strategy also severely reduced NRP1 expression and therefore generated a NRP1 hypomorph. Despite the loss of VEGF binding and attenuated NRP1 expression, homozygous Nrp1(Y297A/Y297A) mice were born at normal Mendelian ratios, arguing against NRP1 functioning exclusively as a VEGF164 receptor in embryonic angiogenesis. By overcoming the mid-gestation lethality of full Nrp1-null mice, homozygous Nrp1(Y297A/Y297A) mice revealed essential roles for NRP1 in postnatal angiogenesis and arteriogenesis in the heart and retina, pathological neovascularisation of the retina and angiogenesis-dependent tumour growth

Downregulation of nuclear-encoded genes of oxidative metabolism in dialyzed chronic kidney disease patients.

BACKGROUND:Mitochondria, essential eukaryotic cells organelles defined as the "powerhouse of the cell" because of their ability to produce the vast majority of energy necessary for cellular metabolism, may have a primary role in the oxidative stress-related intracellular machinery associated to chronic kidney disease (CKD).METHODS:To better assess this research assumption, we decided to study the key factors regulating mitochondrial oxidative metabolism in CKD patients in peritoneal dialysis (PD, n\u200a=\u200a15) using several bio-molecular methodologies.RESULTS:RT-PCR experiments demonstrate that the expression level of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1 alpha (PGC-1\u3b1) and nuclear respiratory factor-1 (NRF-1), two genes primarily involved in mitochondrial biogenesis and functions, were significantly hypo-expressed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of PD patients compared to healthy subjects (HS, n\u200a=\u200a15). Additionally, mRNA levels of several PGC1-\u3b1 downstream target genes (TFAM, COX6C,COX7C, UQCRH and MCAD) were profoundly down-regulated in PD cells. TFAM protein analysis confirmed gene-expression results. High plasmatic concentration of Malondialdehyde found in PD patients, confirmed the contribution of the oxidative stress to these biological effects. Finally, Nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2-like 2 (NRF2 or NFE2L2), a transcription factor for numerous antioxidant/detoxifying enzymes and one of its target genes, superoxide dismutase-2 mitochondrial (SOD2) were up-regulated in PD compared to HS.CONCLUSIONS:Our results revealed, for the first time, that CKD-PD patients' PBMC, through a complex intracellular biochemical machinery, are able to modulate their mitochondrial functions probably in the attempt to reduce oxidative metabolic damage and to turn on a valuable defense cellular strategy against oxidative stress

Vegan Diet Advice Might Benefit Liver Enzymes in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: an Open Observational Pilot Study.

Background and Aims: The Western diet is rich in saturated fats, refined sugars and meat consistent with a high-energy load and secondary risk of increased metabolic diseases including nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, no data are available on potential benefit of vegan diets in NAFLD and/or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). We aimed to study prospectively the effect of a vegan diet, excluding all animal products on liver chemistry in a group of consecutive NAFLD patients. Methods: This was a prospective, pilot study run on 40 consecutive patients affected by NAFLD. Eight subjects refused to join the study for poor diet palatability, leaving 32 patients (19 males, mean age 50 years), with abnormal measures of liver function who agreed to adhere to a vegan diet for six months. The caloric intake was tailored by the dietitian to obtain a weight loss ≥5% of body weight in overweight patients [body-mass index (BMI) ≥25] and ranged from 1500 Kcal to 1800 Kcal. Patients were contacted monthly by phone to reinforce diet and lifestyle advice and were seen at the gastrointestinal clinic when doubtful about diet advice. Results: At six-month follow-up, 6 subjects did not attend the clinic leaving only 26 patients for data analysis. Initial anthropometric values were mean weight 78 kg (range 52-95), mean body mass index (BMI) 26.8 Kg/m2 (range 20.3-31.2). Liver function tests showed mean ALT value 99 U/L (SD±45), mean AST value 54 U/L (SD±44), mean GGT value 160 U/L (SD±122), pre-treatment. After six months mean body weight was 73 Kg (range 52-87), mean BMI was 25.2 Kg/m2 (range 20.3-29.7) (p<0.001 compared to baseline for both parameters). Liver enzymes improved to a mean of ALT value 36 U/L (SD±21), AST value 27 U/L (SD±10) and GGT value 55 U/L (SD±57), respectively (p<0.001 compared to baseline for all enzymes). Normalization of liver function tests as a whole was observed in 20/26 patients (76.9%). A loss of ≥ 5% of body weight was observed in 12 patients (46.1%), but it did not correlate with the normalization of liver function tests (p=0.5). Conclusions: Our data provide preliminary evidence of improved liver enzymes in NAFLD patients with a strict vegan diet and although our study sample is limited, decreased body weight did not seem critical to the outcome