Interaction of monocytes and derived macrophage subsets with African swine fever viruses of diverse virulence

African swine fever (ASF) is a devastating disease for which there is no vaccine available. The ASF virus (ASFV) primarily infects cells of the myeloid lineage and this tropism is thought to be crucial for disease pathogenesis. A detailed in vitro characterization of the interactions of a virulent (22653/14) and a tissue culture adapted (BA71V) strains of ASFV with porcine monocytes, un-activated (moM0), classically (moM1) and alternatively (moM2) activated monocyte-derived macrophages was conducted to better understand this relationship. Low concentration of hM-CSF was selected as the method of choice to generate moM0. Using a multiplicity-of-infection (MOI) of 1, both viruses were able to infect monocytes and macrophage subsets, but BA71V presented a reduced ability to infect moM1 compared to 22653/14, with higher expression of early compared to late proteins. Using an MOI of 0.01, only 22653/14 was able to replicate in all the macrophage subsets, with initially lowest in moM1 and moM2 ASFV down-regulated CD16 expression and BA71V-infected but not 22653/14-infected moM0 and moM2 presented with a reduced expression of MHC class I. Higher levels of IL-18, IL-1alpha and IL-1beta were released from moM1 after infection with BA71V. These results revealed differences between these strains, suggesting that virulent isolates have evolved mechanisms to counteract activated macrophages responses, promoting their survival, dissemination in the host and so ASF pathogenesis

A philosophy as old as Homer : Giacomo Leopardi and Greek poetic pessimism

The aim of this thesis is twofold: it explores Giacomo Leopardi’s (1798-1837) interpretation of, and engagement with, Greek pessimistic thought and, through him, it investigates the complex and elusive phenomenon of Greek pessimistic thought itself. This thesis contends that Greek pessimistic thought – epitomised by but not limited to the famous wisdom of Silenus, the µὴ φῦναι topos – is an important element of Greek thought, a fundamental part of some of Greece’s greatest literary works, and a vital element in the understanding of Greek culture in general. Yet this aspect of ancient thought has not yet received the attention it deserves, and in the history of its interpretation it has often been forgotten, denied, or purposefully obliterated. Furthermore, the pessimistic side of Greek thought plays a crucial role in both the modern history of the interpretation of antiquity and the intellectual history of Europe; I argue that this history is fundamentally incomplete without the appreciation of Leopardi’s role in it. By his study of and engagement with ancient sources Leopardi contributed to the 19th century rediscovery of Greek pessimistic wisdom, alongside, though chronologically before, the likes of Arthur Schopenhauer, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Jacob Burckhardt. Having outlined some fundamental steps in the history of the reception of Greek pessimism, this thesis examines the cardinal components of Leopardi’s reception of it: his use of Greek conceptions of humanity to undermine modernity’s anthropocentric fallacy, his reinterpretation of the Homeric simile of the leaves and its pessimistic undertones, and his views on the idea that it would be best for man not to be born

Energy cost and psychological impact of robotic assisted gait training in people with spinal cord injury: effect of two different types of devices

Background: In the last years, there has been an intense technological development of robotic devices for gait rehabilitation in spinal cord injury (SCI) patients. The aim of the present study was to evaluate energy cost and psychological impact during a rehabilitation program with two different types of robotic rehabilitation systems (stationary system on a treadmill, Lokomat, and overground walking system, Ekso GT). Methods: Fifteen SCI patients with different injury levels underwent robot-assisted gait training sessions, divided into 2 phases: in the first phase, all subjects completed 3 sessions both Lokomat and Ekso GT. Afterwards, participants were randomly assigned to Lokomat or the Ekso for 17 sessions. A questionnaire, investigating the subjective psychological impact (SPI) during gait training, was administered. The functional outcome measures were oxygen consumption (VO2), carbon dioxide production (VCO2), metabolic equivalent of task (MET), walking economy, and heart rate (HR). Results: The metabolic responses (7.73 ± 1.02 mL/kg/min) and MET values (3.20 ± 1.01) during robotic overground walking resulted to be higher than those during robotic treadmill walking (3.91 ± 0.93 mL/kg/min and 1.58 ± 0.44; p < 0.01).Both devices showed high scores in emotion and satisfaction. Overground walking resulted in higher scores of fatigue, mental effort, and discomfort while walking with Lokomat showed a higher score in muscle relaxation. All patients showed improvements in walking economy due to a decrease in energy cost with increased speed and workload. Conclusions: Overground robotic-assisted gait training in rehabilitation program needs higher cognitive and cardiovascular efforts than robot-assisted gait training on a treadmill

Characterization of the interaction of African swine fever virus with monocytes and derived macrophage subsets.

Abstract African swine fever (ASF) is a devastating disease for which there is no vaccine available. The ASF virus (ASFV) primarily infects cells of the myeloid lineage and this tropism is thought to be crucial for disease pathogenesis. A detailed in vitro characterization of the interactions of a virulent Sardinian isolate (22653/14) and a tissue culture adapted avirulent strain (BA71V) of ASFV with porcine monocytes, un-activated (moMΦ), classically (moM1) and alternatively (moM2) activated monocyte-derived macrophages was conducted in an attempt to better understand this relationship. Using a multiplicity-of-infection (MOI) of 1, both viruses were able to infect monocytes and macrophage subsets, but BA71V presented a reduced ability to infect moM1 compared to 22653/14, with higher expression of early compared to late proteins. Using an MOI of 0.01, only 22653/14 was able to replicate in all the macrophage subsets, with initially lowest in moM1 and moM2. No differences were observed in the expression of CD163 between ASFV infected and uninfected bystander cells. ASFV down-regulated CD16 expression but did not modulate MHC class II levels in monocytes and macrophage subsets. BA71V-infected but not 22653/14-infected moMΦ and moM2 presented with a reduced expression of MHC class I compared to the mock-infected controls. Higher levels of IL-18, IL1-β and IL-1α were released from moM1 after infection with BA71V compared to 22653/14 or mock-infected control. These results revealed differences between these ASFV strains, suggesting that virulent isolates have evolved mechanisms to counteract activated macrophages responses, promoting their survival, dissemination in the host and so ASF pathogenesis

Biochemical and molecular changes in peach fruit exposed to cold stress conditions

Storage or transportation temperature is very important for preserving the quality of fruit. However, low temperature in sensitive fruit such as peach can induce loss of quality. Fruit exposed to a specific range of temperatures and for a longer period can show chilling injury (CI) symptoms. The susceptibility to CI at low temperature varies among cultivars and genetic backgrounds. Along with agronomic management, appropriate postharvest management can limit quality losses. The importance of correct temperature management during postharvest handling has been widely demonstrated. Nowadays, due to long-distance markets and complex logistics that require multiple actors, the management of storage/transportation conditions is crucial for the quality of products reaching the consumer. Peach fruit exposed to low temperatures activate a suite of physiological, metabolomic, and molecular changes that attempt to counteract the negative effects of chilling stress. In this review an overview of the factors involved, and plant responses is presented and critically discussed. Physiological disorders associated with CI generally only appear after the storage/transportation, hence early detection methods are needed to monitor quality and detect internal changes which will lead to CI development. CI detection tools are assessed: they need to be easy to use, and preferably non-destructive to avoid loss of products. Graphical Abstract

Evaluation of Haematological and Immunological Parameters of the ASFV Lv17/WB/Rie1 Strain and Its Derived Mutant Lv17/WB/Rie1/d110-11L against ASFV Challenge Infection in Domestic Pigs

African swine fever virus (ASFV) is the etiological agent of a haemorrhagic disease that threatens the global pig industry. There is an urgency to develop a safe and efficient vaccine, but the knowledge of the immune–pathogenetic mechanisms behind ASFV infection is still very limited. In this paper, we evaluated the haematological and immunological parameters of domestic pigs vaccinated with the ASFV Lv17/WB/Rie1 strain or its derived mutant Lv17/WB/Rie1/d110-11L and then challenged with virulent Armenia/07 ASFV. Circulating levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), 13 key cytokines and 11 haematological parameters were evaluated throughout the study. Lv17/WB/Rie1 triggered an inflammatory response, with increased levels of CRP and pro-inflammatory cytokines, and induced lymphopenia, thrombocytopenia and a decline in red blood cell (RBC) parameters, although this was transitory. Lv17/WB/Rie1/d110-11L triggered only transitory thrombocytopenia and a mild inflammatory reaction, with no increase in serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, but it raised IL-1Ra levels. Both strains counteracted several adverse reactions elicited by virulent challenge, like thrombocytopenia, a decline in RBC parameters, and inflammation. Within this paper, we provided a deep portrayal of the impact of diverse ASFV strains on the domestic pig’s immune system. A better understanding of these immune–pathological mechanisms would help to design suitable vaccines against this disease

Análisis de imagen digital para el estudio del efecto de tratamientos agronómicos en la apariencia de acelga baby (Beta vulgaris L. cicla)

La acelga baby (Swiss chard Beta vulgaris L. cicla) es una verdura comestible con propiedades biofuncionales por su alto contenido en flavonoides, ácidos fenólicos y betalaínas. Mediante estrategias agronómicas es posible modular la biosíntesis de estos compuestos. En este trabajo se ha utilizado el equipo de análisis de imagen DigiEye para la caracterización colorimétrica y morfológica de las variedades Jupiter F1, Rhubarb Chard Sirio y Toro Rosso. La evaluación multiparamétrica ha permitido diferenciar las variedades Jupiter F1 y Rhubarb Chard, las cuales presentan visualmente una gran similitud. Además, se ha estudiado para cada una de las tres variedades los efectos que tienen en su apariencia la aplicación de tratamientos agronómicos como estrés hídrico, aplicación de ácido salicílico y la combinación de ambos respecto a un cultivo control. Los resultados confirman que el análisis de imagen es una poderosa herramienta para la caracterización de este tipo de verdura y sugieren la continuación del estudio a través de análisis químicos

Identification and characterization of a novel non-structural protein of bluetongue virus

Bluetongue virus (BTV) is the causative agent of a major disease of livestock (bluetongue). For over two decades, it has been widely accepted that the 10 segments of the dsRNA genome of BTV encode for 7 structural and 3 non-structural proteins. The non-structural proteins (NS1, NS2, NS3/NS3a) play different key roles during the viral replication cycle. In this study we show that BTV expresses a fourth non-structural protein (that we designated NS4) encoded by an open reading frame in segment 9 overlapping the open reading frame encoding VP6. NS4 is 77–79 amino acid residues in length and highly conserved among several BTV serotypes/strains. NS4 was expressed early post-infection and localized in the nucleoli of BTV infected cells. By reverse genetics, we showed that NS4 is dispensable for BTV replication in vitro, both in mammalian and insect cells, and does not affect viral virulence in murine models of bluetongue infection. Interestingly, NS4 conferred a replication advantage to BTV-8, but not to BTV-1, in cells in an interferon (IFN)-induced antiviral state. However, the BTV-1 NS4 conferred a replication advantage both to a BTV-8 reassortant containing the entire segment 9 of BTV-1 and to a BTV-8 mutant with the NS4 identical to the homologous BTV-1 protein. Collectively, this study suggests that NS4 plays an important role in virus-host interaction and is one of the mechanisms played, at least by BTV-8, to counteract the antiviral response of the host. In addition, the distinct nucleolar localization of NS4, being expressed by a virus that replicates exclusively in the cytoplasm, offers new avenues to investigate the multiple roles played by the nucleolus in the biology of the cell

Psychological treatments and psychotherapies in the neurorehabilitation of pain. Evidences and recommendations from the italian consensus conference on pain in neurorehabilitation

BACKGROUND: It is increasingly recognized that treating pain is crucial for effective care within neurological rehabilitation in the setting of the neurological rehabilitation. The Italian Consensus Conference on Pain in Neurorehabilitation was constituted with the purpose identifying best practices for us in this context. Along with drug therapies and physical interventions, psychological treatments have been proven to be some of the most valuable tools that can be used within a multidisciplinary approach for fostering a reduction in pain intensity. However, there is a need to elucidate what forms of psychotherapy could be effectively matched with the specific pathologies that are typically addressed by neurorehabilitation teams. OBJECTIVES: To extensively assess the available evidence which supports the use of psychological therapies for pain reduction in neurological diseases. METHODS: A systematic review of the studies evaluating the effect of psychotherapies on pain intensity in neurological disorders was performed through an electronic search using PUBMED, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Based on the level of evidence of the included studies, recommendations were outlined separately for the different conditions. RESULTS: The literature search yielded 2352 results and the final database included 400 articles. The overall strength of the recommendations was medium/low. The different forms of psychological interventions, including Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, cognitive or behavioral techniques, Mindfulness, hypnosis, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Brief Interpersonal Therapy, virtual reality interventions, various forms of biofeedback and mirror therapy were found to be effective for pain reduction in pathologies such as musculoskeletal pain, fibromyalgia, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, Central Post-Stroke pain, Phantom Limb Pain, pain secondary to Spinal Cord Injury, multiple sclerosis and other debilitating syndromes, diabetic neuropathy, Medically Unexplained Symptoms, migraine and headache. CONCLUSIONS: Psychological interventions and psychotherapies are safe and effective treatments that can be used within an integrated approach for patients undergoing neurological rehabilitation for pain. The different interventions can be specifically selected depending on the disease being treated. A table of evidence and recommendations from the Italian Consensus Conference on Pain in Neurorehabilitation is also provided in the final part of the pape