A methodological approach for the identification of sulphate sources in the Portoscuso area (south-western Sardinia)

Several detrimental effects due to intense industrial activities affect the groundwater of the Portoscuso area (SW Sardinia, Italy) such that the Italian Government has designed the whole territory as a contaminated site of national interest (D.M., March 12, 2003). Groundwater pollution is a crucial environmental issue in this area, where a volcanic ignimbrite succession up to 500 m thick outcrops, locally covered by sand deposits of variable thickness. Groundwater upgradient to the industrial district shows sulphate concentrations exceeding the background value of 450 mg/L calculated for the area (Vecchio et al., 2011). In order to verify the origin of sulphate, multidisciplinary investigations were carried out on the geochemical features and stable isotope ratios in groundwater

SEM Investigation about Hyphal Relationships between Some Antagonistic Fungi against «Fusarium» spp. Foot Rot Pathogen of Wheat

Wheat foot rot caused by Fusarium species is a worldwide wheat disease against which the use of biocontrol agents is of increasing interest. Mycoparasitic activities of a strain of five antagonistic fungi, Gliocladium roseum (GR11), Penicillium frequentans (PF), Trichoderma atroviride (TA312), T. longibrachiatum (TL9) and T. harzianum (TH144), against three pathogens, Fusarium culmorum, F. graminearum and F. nivale, were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). SEM observations suggested that the outcome of interaction between antagonist and pathogen occurred when intimate contact was established between hyphae triggering a series of events in pathogen degradation. The interaction between Trichoderma spp. and Fusarium spp. revealed that the mycoparasitic hyphae were usually attached longitudinally to the hyphae of the pathogens; hyphal coilings, hooks, pincer-shaped structures, short contact branches and hyphal depressions were also present. GR11 and PF hyphae grew mainly parallel to the pathogen causing its hyphal depression. The parasitic action of the antagonists shown with the formation of pincers, hooks and other structures leading to cell disruption, goes some way towards explaining their mode of action in the biological control of the pathogens studied

Hepatitis B virus-infection related cryoglobulinemic vasculitis. Clinical manifestations and the effect of antiviral therapy: A review of the literature

Objective: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection causes chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Furthermore, about 20% of the patients develop extrahepatic manifestations such as cryoglobulinemic vasculitis (CV), polyarteritis nodosa, non-rheumatoid arthritis, glomerulonephritis and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. This review analyzed literature data on clinical manifestations of HBV-related CV and the impact of antiviral therapy with analoques nucleotide. Methods: A PubMed search was performed to select eligible studies in the literature, up to July 2022. Results: Some studies have analyzed clinical manifestations in HBV-related CV and have investigated the role of antiviral therapy with nucleotides analogues (NAs). Clinical manifestations of CV vary from mild to moderate (purpura, asthenia and arthralgias) to severe (leg ulcers, peripheral neuropathy, glomerulonephritis, and non-Hodking lymphoma). NAs therapy leads to suppression of HBV-DNA; therefore, it is capable of producing clinical response in the majority of patients with mild to moderate symptoms. Conclusion: Antiviral therapy with NAs is the first choice for HBV suppression and control of mild to moderate disease. In severe vasculitis (glomerulonephritis, progressive peripheral neuropathy and leg ulcers), rituximab alone or with plasma-exchange is always indicated in combination with antiviral therapy

In vitro effects of tea tree oil (Melaleuca alternifolia essential oil) and its principal component terpinen-4-ol on swine spermatozoa

The growing interest towards essential oils stems from their biological capabilities that include antibacterial and antioxidant effects. Such properties may be extremely useful in the reproductive field; nonetheless essential oils show toxic effects that can lead to cell disruption. The present study aimed to evaluate and compare the effects of tea tree oil (TTO) and its principal component terpinen-4-ol (TER) on the morpho-functional parameters of swine spermatozoa. Experimental samples were prepared by suspending 15 7 10 7 spermatozoa in 5 mL of medium with different concentrations of the above-mentioned compounds: from 0.2 to 2 mg/mL at an interval of 0.2 for TTO, while TER concentrations were adjusted according to its presence in TTO (41.5%). After 3 h incubation at 16 \u25e6 C, samples were analyzed for pH, viability, acrosome status, and objective motility. The results highlighted a concentration-dependent effect of TTO with total motility as the most sensitive parameter. TER was better tolerated, and the most sensitive parameters were related to membrane integrity, suggesting a different pattern of interaction. The study confirms the importance of evaluating the effects of natural compounds on spermatozoa before exploiting their beneficial effects. Spermatozoa seem to be good candidates for preliminary toxicological screenings in the light of their peculiar properties

CMB-S4

We describe the stage 4 cosmic microwave background ground-based experiment CMB-S4

Bifidobacterium aerophilum sp. nov., Bifidobacterium avesanii sp. nov. and Bifidobacterium ramosum sp. nov.: Three novel taxa from the faeces of cotton-top tamarin (Saguinus oedipus L.)

Forty-five microorganisms were isolated on bifidobacteria selective medium from one faecal sample of an adult subject of the cotton-top tamarin (Saguinus oedipus L.). All isolates were Gram-positive, catalase-negative, anaerobic, fructose-6-phosphate phosphoketolase positive, and asporogenous rod-shaped bacteria. In this study, only eight out of the forty-five strains were characterized more deeply, whereas the others are still currently under investigation. They were grouped by BOX-PCR into three clusters: Cluster I (TRE 17T, TRE 7, TRE 26, TRE 32, TRE 33, TRE I), Cluster II (TRE CT), and Cluster III (TRE MT). Comparative analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences confirmed the results from the cluster analysis and revealed relatively low level similarities to each other (mean value 95%) and to members of the genus Bifidobacterium. All eight isolates showed the highest level of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities with Bifidobacterium scardovii DSM 13734T (mean value 96.6%). Multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) of five housekeeping genes (hsp60, rpoB, clpC, dnaJ and dnaG) supported their independent phylogenetic position to each other and to related species of Bifidobacterium. The G + C contents were 63.2%, 65.9% and 63.0% for Cluster I, Cluster II and Cluster III, respectively. Peptidoglycan types were A3\u3b1 l-Lys-l-Thr-l-Ala, A4\u3b2 l-Orn (Lys)-d-Ser-d-Glu and A3\u3b2 l-Orn-l-Ser-l-Ala in Clusters I, II and III, respectively. Based on the data provided, each cluster represented a novel taxon for which the names Bifidobacterium aerophilum sp. nov. (TRE 17T = DSM 100689 = JCM 30941; TRE 26 = DSM 100690 = JCM 30942), Bifidobacterium avesanii sp. nov. (TRE CT = DSM 100685 = JCM 30943) and Bifidobacterium ramosum sp. nov. (TRE M = DSM 100688 = JCM 30944) are proposed

Corrigendum to Bifidobacterium aerophilum sp. nov., Bifidobacterium avesanii sp. nov. and Bifidobacterium ramosum sp. nov.: Three novel taxa from the faeces of cotton-top tamarin (Saguinus oedipus L.)

The authors regret that in the above article in the \u201cDescriptionof Bifidobacterium avesanii sp. nov.\u201d the syllabification is incor-rect. The correct Latin syllabification is a.ve.sa\u2019ni.DSM collection number listed in the section \u201cDescription ofBifidobacterium avesanii sp. nov.\u201d was incorrect. The correct DSMcollection number is 100685T. These changes in no way alter theoriginal conclusions of the pape

Cytotoxic Necrotizing Factor 1 Enhances Reactive Oxygen Species-Dependent Transcription and Secretion of Proinflammatory Cytokines in Human Uroepithelial Cells

Uropathogenic Escherichia coli strains frequently produce a Rho-activating protein toxin named cytotoxic necrotizing factor type 1 (CNF1). We herein report that CNF1 promotes transcription and release of tumor necrosis factor alpha, gamma interferon, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and IL-8 proinflammatory cytokines and increases the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in uroepithelial T24 cells. The antioxidant N-acetyl-l-cysteine counteracts these phenomena, a fact which suggests a role for ROS-mediated signaling in CNF1-induced proinflammatory cytokine production