The role of Cnidaria in drug discovery.

A lot of organisms, including microbes, algae, plants and animals, are known to produce substances of pharmacological concern provided with different biological activity. At present, several bioactive natural substances have application as drugs, pigments, biocides or have been utilized to synthesize biologically active molecules. Oceans are inhabited by an enormous amount of species. For this reason the marine environment is thought to be the richest and the most complex ecosystem. Nevertheless, despite the 50-year-long research activity and interest in this subject, natural compounds from marine organisms have been considered slightly in pharmacology and have had limited therapeutical application. Cnidarians are gelatinous invertebrates, in large part inhabiting seawaters, which play an important role among venom-producing organisms and are viewed with particular concern owing to the implications of their stings on human health and on economy. Cnidarian tentacles and/or oral arms, and at times the whole body, are armed with nematocysts, specialized venom-containing structures provided with a tightly wrapped and spiralized thread used to inject the venom. Taking into account that during the last decades a lot of interesting bioactive substances have been isolated from Cnidaria and demonstrated cytotoxic, hemolytic, anti-infl ammatory, antitumoral, anti-infective, anti-parasite, as well as other interesting properties, this chapter aims to review the recent data about cnidarian extracts that could be of concern for drug discovery as potential sources for pharmaceuticals

Editorial (Thematic issue \u2018The activity of products from Cnidaria: A therapeutic tool in neurological diseases? \u2013 Part I)

The research on cnidarians (jellyfish, anemones, corals) can have a close connection with the target of the journal CNSA-MC, considering the well known neurotoxic properties of cnidarian venoms, their implications in neurophysiological research, their usefulness to study the transmission of nerve impulse, the cardiologic and neurologic consequences of the activity on nerve conduction, the implications from the sanitary point of view, and the possibility to use venoms/extracts for the treatment of nerve affections, as muscle relaxants, analgesics, and anaesthetics. ......

Hemolytic venoms from marine cnidarian jellyfish. An overview.

Cnidarian jellyfish are viewed as an emergent problem in several coastal zones throughout the world. Recurrent outbreaks pose a serious threat to tourists and bathers, as well as to sea-workers, involving health and economical aspects. As a rule, cnidarian stinging as a consequence of nematocyst firing induces merely local symptoms but cardiovascular or neurological complications can also occur. Hemolysis is a frequent effect of cnidarian stinging; this dangerous condition is known to be caused by several venoms and can sometimes be lethal. At present, the bulk of data concerning hemolytic cnidarian venoms comes from the study of benthic species, such as sea anemones and soft corals, but hemolytic factors were found in venoms of several siphonophore, cubozoan and scyphozoan jellyfish, which are mainly involved in the envenomation of bathers and sea-workers. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to review the scientific literature concerning the hemolytic venoms from cnidarian jellyfish taking into consideration their importance in human pathology as well as health implications and possible therapeutic measures

Editorial (Thematic Issue: The Activity of Products From Cnidaria: A Therapeutic Tool in Neurological Diseases? Part II)

The research on cnidarians (jellyfish, anemones, corals) can have a close connection with the target of the journal CNSA-MC, considering the well known neurotoxic properties of cnidarian venoms, their implications in neurophysiological research, their usefulness to study the transmission of nerve impulse, the cardiologic and neurologic consequences of the activity on nerve conduction, the implications from the sanitary point of view, and the possibility to use venoms/extracts for the treatment of nerve affections, as muscle relaxants, analgesics, and anaesthetics. ......

I protisti del plancton marino

The zooplankton is extremely various and comprises adult and juvenile forms belonging to all phyla. Very important components of the zooplankton, from both phylogenetical and ecological point of view, are the unicellular organisms. Nevertheless, their systematic arrangement is particularly complicated and debated. In the past, the unicellular organisms devoid of chlorophyll were classified within the Animal Kingdom and called \u201cProtozoa\u201d; on the contrary, to date they are classified in the Kingdom \u201cProtista\u201d together with the unicellular organisms provided with chlorophyll. According to the recent taxonomic classification, in this paper are described the unicellular zooplanktonic organisms, also considering shortly some morphological and ecological aspects

EGT for multiple view geometry and visual servoing: Robotics and vision with pinhole and panoramic cameras

The Epipolar Geometry Toolbox (EGT) for MATLAB is a software package targeted to research and education in computer vision and robotics visual servoing. It provides the user with a wide set of functions for designing multicamera systems for both pinhole and panoramic cameras. Functions include camera placement and visualization, computation, and estimation of epipolar geometry entities. The compatibility of EGT with the Robotics Toolbox enables users to address general vision-based control issues. Two applications of EGT to visual servoing tasks are examined in this article. Several epipolar geometry estimation algorithms have been implemented

The role of Cnidaria in drug discovery. A review on CNS implications and new perspectives.

Many organisms produce bioactive substances used in the production of drugs. In this context, Cnidaria occupy a major position; for this reason, research on new bioactive substances has focused upon them as an interesting target. As a matter of fact, substances and extracts able to fight human diseases have been found in cnidarians, several of which have been studied in laboratories using animal models or cell cultures and, at present, some are in the pre-clinical phase. This review aims to highlight the research on existing drugs or new drug candidates extracted from Cnidaria and the recent patents published in this field; furthermore, as many cnidarian venoms are known to have an impact on the CNS and on neuromuscular transmission, this review particularly considers the research concerning CNS drug discovery and pending patents

Il problema dei rifiuti

The increase of waste production is to date an environmental topical subject. Consequently, it is necessary to dispose of these materials in fit places, in order to avoid damage to organisms and to the environment. Waste disposal in landfills is a largely utilized system; nevertheless it is not free from inconveniences, which particularly concern the production of leachate and gases. This paper aims to deal with the waste and landfill problem with reference to the law in force