57 research outputs found
Flood risk assessment of environmental pollution hotspots
The potential spread of pollutants stored in environmental hotspots such as wastewater treatment plants, waste handling facilities, contaminated sites, etc., is among the adverse consequences of floods. This aspect has been rarely examined with a risk-based approach, although required by the European legislation. In this study, a method for estimating flood risk caused by environmental hotspots is developed. Risk includes flood hazard, hotspots exposure, and the expected severity of the environmental impacts, obtained as the combination of vulnerability of the surrounding environment and pollution potential of the hotspots. The assessment is performed at catchment scale on a geographical basis, using open data, available from databases of public bodies and environmental agencies. Risk maps obtained by the application of the developed method are produced for the Arno river catchment in Tuscany (central Italy). The area hosts approximately 1750 environmental pollution hotspots among which 5-10% have been classified at high risk
Plant Cellular and Molecular Biotechnology: Following Mariotti's Steps
This review is dedicated to the memory of Prof. Domenico Mariotti, who significantly contributed to establishing the Italian research community in Agricultural Genetics and carried out the first experiments of Agrobacterium-mediated plant genetic transformation and regeneration in Italy during the 1980s. Following his scientific interests as guiding principles, this review summarizes the recent advances obtained in plant biotechnology and fundamental research aiming to: (i) Exploit in vitro plant cell and tissue cultures to induce genetic variability and to produce useful metabolites; (ii) gain new insights into the biochemical function of Agrobacterium rhizogenes rol genes and their application to metabolite production, fruit tree transformation, and reverse genetics; (iii) improve genetic transformation in legume species, most of them recalcitrant to regeneration; (iv) untangle the potential of KNOTTED1-like homeobox (KNOX) transcription factors in plant morphogenesis as key regulators of hormonal homeostasis; and (v) elucidate the molecular mechanisms of the transition from juvenility to the adult phase in Prunus tree species
Results ofstandard stapler closure of pancreatic remnanat after distal spleno-pancreatectomy for adenocarcinoma
Background/Aim: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the results of stapled
closure of the pancreatic remnant after cold-knife section of the pancreatic isthmus and
distal pancreatectomy for adenocarcinoma.
Methods: A retrospective evaluation of 57 consecutive patients undergoing distal
spleno-pancreatectomy for adenocarcinoma was performed. The pancreatic isthmus
was systematically straight-sectioned with a cold knife, and the remnant was stapled
close without additional stitches or adjuncts. The study’s main endpoints were
postoperativemortality, the occurrence of a pancreatic fistula, the need for a re-operation,
the postoperative length of stay in the hospital, the rate of re-admission, and late survival.
Results: Postoperative mortality was absent. Seventeen patients (29.8%) presented a
pancreatic fistula of grade A in seven cases (41.2%), grade B in eight cases (47.1%),
and grade C in two cases (11.8%). Re-operation was required in the two patients
(3.5%) with grade C fistula in order to drain an intra-abdominal abscess. The mean
postoperative length of stay in the hospital was 15 days (range, 6–62 days). No patient
required re-admission. Twenty-nine patients (50.8%) were alive and free from disease,
respectively, 12 patients (21.1%) at 12 months, 13 patients (22.8%) at 60 months, and
four patients (7.0%) at 120 months from the operation. The remaining patients died of
metastatic disease 9–37 months from the operation. Lastly, disease-related mortality
was 49.1%.
Conclusion: Stapler closure of the pancreatic remnant allows good postoperative
results, limiting the formation of pancreatic fistula to the lower limit of its overall
reported incidence
Insights into the Sesquiterpenoid Pathway by Metabolic Profiling and De novo Transcriptome Assembly of Stem-Chicory (Cichorium intybus Cultigroup "Catalogna")
Stem-chicory of the "Catalogna" group is a vegetable consumed for bitter-flavored stems. Type and levels of bitter sesquiterpene lactones (STLs) participate in conferring bitterness in vegetables. The content of lactucin-and lactucopocrin-like STLs was higher in "Molfettese" than "Galatina" landrace stalks, regardless of the cultivation sites, consistently with bitterness scores and gustative differences. The "Galatina" transcriptome assembly resulted in 58,872 unigenes, 77% of which were annotated, paving the way to molecular investigation of the STL pathway. Comparative transcriptome analysis allowed the identification of 69,352 SNPs and of 1640 differentially expressed genes that maintained the pattern independently of the site. Enrichment analyses revealed that 4 out of 29 unigenes were up-regulated in "Molfettese" vs "Galatina" within the sesquiterpenoid pathway. The expression of two germacrene A -synthase (GAS) and one -oxidase (GAO) genes of the costunolide branch correlated positively with the contents of lactucin-like molecules, supporting that STL biosynthesis regulation occurs at the transcriptional level. Finally, 46 genes encoding transcription factors (TFs) maintained a differential expression pattern between the two varieties regardless of the growth site; correlation analyses among TFs, GAS, GAO gene expressions and STLs contents suggest that one MYB and one bHLH may act in the pathway
Comparison of the effects of primary somatostatin analogue therapy and pituitary adenomectomy on survival in patients with acromegaly: a retrospective cohort study
Objective: Acromegalic patients have an increased risk of mortality. The objective of this study was to compare the effect of different therapies for acromegaly on mortality.
Design and methods: The mortality rate of 438 consecutive acromegalic patients was compared with that of the general population using the standardized mortality ratio (SMR); the effect of different therapies on survival was evaluated using Cox regression analysis.
Results: Twenty patients (4.5%) died between 1999 and 2009. Age- and sex-adjusted SMR was 0.70 (95% CI 0.43–1.08). The Cox regression analysis revealed that, in the whole population, both general risk factors (age and physical status) and specific factors for acromegaly (macroadenoma, hypopituitarism and uncontrolled disease) were associated with death. The most compromised patients at diagnosis had a higher mortality rate (PZ0.001), which also occurred in patients with controlled acromegaly. Death occurred in 2.4% (adenomectomy), 2.6% (adenomectomy followed by somatostatin analogue (SSA) therapy) and 11.4% (SSA therapy as the primary therapy) of the patients. The risk of death was higher in patients receiving SSA therapy as the primary therapy (hazard ratio (HR) 5.52, 95% CI 1.06–28.77, PZ0.043) than in all patients submitted to adenomectomy; however, a higher risk of death occurred only in diabetic patients treated with SSAs alone (HR 21.94, 95% CI 1.56–309.04, PZ0.022). Radiotherapy was associated with an increased risk of mortality, which occurred in patients with the more locally advanced disease.
Conclusions: Therapies for acromegaly and comorbidities have lowered the risk of mortality to the level of the general population; the effect of SSA therapy alone or that following pituitary adenomectomy was comparable to that of curative neurosurgery on survival in non-diabetic patients; on the contrary, SSA therapy as the primary therapy may be less effective than adenomectomy in reducing mortality rate in diabetic patients
Valproic Acid Synergizes With Cisplatin and Cetuximab in vitro and in vivo in Head and Neck Cancer by Targeting the Mechanisms of Resistance
Recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (R/M HNSCC) is a
devastating malignancy with a poor prognosis. The combination of cisplatin (CDDP) plus
cetuximab (CX) is one of the standard first-line treatments in this disease. However, this
therapeutic regimen is often associated with high toxicity and resistance, suggesting that
new combinatorial strategies are needed to improve its therapeutic index. In our study,
we evaluated the antitumor effects of valproic acid (VPA), a well-known antiepileptic
agent with histone deacetylase inhibitory activity, in combination with CDDP/CX doublet
in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) models. We demonstrated, in
HNSCC cell lines, but not in normal human fibroblasts, that simultaneous exposure to
equitoxic doses of VPA plus CDDP/CX resulted in a clear synergistic antiproliferative and
pro-apoptotic effects. The synergistic antitumor effect was confirmed in four different
3D-self-assembled spheroid models, suggesting the ability of the combined approach
to affect also the cancer stem cells compartment. Mechanistically, VPA enhanced
DNA damage in combination treatment by reducing the mRNA expression of ERCC
Excision Repair 1, a critical player in DNA repair, and by increasing CDDP intracellular
concentration via upregulation at transcriptional level of CDDP influx channel copper
transporter 1 and downregulation of the ATPAse ATP7B involved in CDDP-export.
Valproic acid also induced a dose-dependent downregulation of epidermal growth factor
receptor (EGFR) expression and of MAPK and AKT downstream signaling pathways
and prevent CDDP- and/or CX-induced EGFR nuclear translocation, a well-known
mechanism of resistance to chemotherapy. Indeed, VPA impaired the transcription
of genes induced by non-canonical activity of nuclear EGFR, such as cyclin D1 and thymidylate synthase. Finally, we confirmed the synergistic antitumor effect also
in vivo in both heterotopic and orthotopic models, demonstrating that the combined
treatment completely blocked HNSCC xenograft tumors growth in nude mice. Overall,
the introduction of a safe and generic drug such as VPA into the conventional treatment
for R/M HNSCC represents an innovative and feasible antitumor strategy that warrants
further clinical evaluation. A phase II clinical trial exploring the combination of VPA and
CDDP/CX in R/M HNSCC patients is currently ongoing in our institute
NMR-Metabolic Methodology in the Study of GM Foods
The 1H-NMR methodology used in the study of genetically modified (GM) foods is discussed. Transgenic lettuce (Lactuca sativa cv "Luxor") over-expressing the ArabidopsisKNAT1 gene is presented as a case study. Twenty-two water-soluble metabolites (amino acids, organic acids, sugars) present in leaves of conventional and GM lettuce were monitored by NMR and quantified at two developmental stages. The NMR spectra did not reveal any difference in metabolite composition between the GM lettuce and the wild type counterpart. Statistical analyses of metabolite variables highlighted metabolism variation as a function of leaf development as well as the transgene. A main effect of the transgene was in altering sugar metabolism
The Staphylococcus aureus Peptidoglycan Protects Mice against the Pathogen and Eradicates Experimentally Induced Infection
Staphylococcus aureus, in spite of antibiotics, is still a major human pathogen causing a wide range of infections. The present study describes the new vaccine A170PG, a peptidoglycan-based vaccine. In a mouse model of infection, A170PG protects mice against a lethal dose of S. aureus. Protection lasts at least 40 weeks and correlates with increased survival and reduced colonization. Protection extends into drug-resistant (MRSA or VISA) and genetically diverse clinical strains. The vaccine is effective when administered - in a single dose and without adjuvant - by the intramuscular, intravenous or the aerosol routes and induces active as well as passive immunization. Of note, A170PG also displays therapeutic activity, eradicating staphylococci, even when infection is systemic. Sustained antibacterial activity and induction of a strong and rapid anti-inflammatory response are the mechanisms conferring therapeutic efficacy to A170PG
Flood risk assessment of land pollution hotspots
Among the risks caused by extreme events, the potential spread of pollutants stored in land hotspots due to floods
is an aspect that has been rarely examined with a risk-based approach. In this contribution, an attempt to estimate
pollution risks related to flood events of land pollution hotspots was carried out. Flood risk has been defined
as the combination of river flood hazard, hotspots exposure and vulnerability to contamination of the area, i.e.
the expected severity of the environmental impacts. The assessment was performed on a geographical basis, using
geo-referenced open data, available from databases of land management institutions, authorities and agencies.
The list of land pollution hotspots included landfills and other waste handling facilities (e.g., temporary storage,
treatment and recycling sites), municipal wastewater treatment plants, liquid waste treatment facilities and contaminated
sites. The assessment was carried out by combining geo-referenced data of pollution hotspots with flood
hazard maps. We derived maps of land pollution risk based on geographical and geological properties and source
characteristics available from environmental authorities. These included information about soil particle size, soil
hydraulic conductivity, terrain slope, type of stored pollutants, the type of facility, capacity, size of the area, land
use, etc. The analysis was carried out at catchment scale. The case study of the Arno river basin in Tuscany (central
Italy) is presented
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