Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification: An Advanced Method for the Detection of Giardia

This chapter provides a reliable and quick method for detection of Giardia duodenalis (which causes a dangerous diarrheal disease), prevention of further spreading, identification of the source of contamination, and eventually minimize health risk and economic damage normally caused by an outbreak. The loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method is based on the enrichment of parasite-specific nucleotide sequences, similar to PCR, but it is significantly faster and less susceptible to interference. Here, we give an overview of how we developed this method, and using the example of G. duodenalis as a water-associated pathogen, we present an optimized examination scheme for its detection in water. For this purpose, we have analyzed data from extensive electronic libraries PubMed®/MEDLINE®, filtered out relevant articles with a keyword search, and summarized them. The number of publications on LAMP method has generally increased steadily since its first report in 2000. LAMP, used for detection of Giardia, especially surpasses all other methods due to the high specificity, sensitivity, robustness, and cost effectiveness. The ever-increasing number of publications on application of LAMP is similar to the development of PCR in the 1990s of the last century. Certainly, the method will be further developed in future, but it already offers many advantages over other methods for effective detection of G. duodenalis infections and will therefore certainly gain in popularity

Strontium ranelate reduces the risk of vertebral fracture in young postmenopausal women with severe osteoporosis

Early osteoporotic fractures have a great impact on disease progression, the first fracture being a major risk factor for further fractures. Strontium ranelate efficacy against vertebral fractures is presently assessed in a subset of women aged 50-65 years

Insights into the explosive eruption history of the Campanian volcanoes prior to the Campanian Ignimbrite eruption

The Campanian Volcanic Zone (CVZ) comprises multiple active volcanoes and includes the highly productive Campi Flegrei and Ischia caldera systems. These caldera volcanoes have produced probably the largest eruptions in Europe in the past 200 ka, such as the Monte Epomeo Green Tuff (MEGT; Ischia) at ca. 56 ka and the Campanian Ignimbrite (CI; Campi Flegrei) at ca. 40 ka, which form widespread isochrons across the Mediterranean region. These closely-spaced volcanic centres erupt phonolitic to trachytic glass compositions that are similar, and thus it can be challenging to correlate tephra deposits to specific volcanic sources. Here we present a detailed tephrostratigraphy for pre-CI eruption activity using the units preserved within a sequence at the coastal Acquamorta outcrop, on the western side of the CI caldera rim. Both the MEGT and CI units are present in the section, and they bracket twelve eruption units that were logged and sampled. New major and trace element glass chemistry data have been acquired for these Acquamorta tephra deposits. Three eruption deposits from Ischia and nine from Campi Flegrei are identified, which helps constrain the tempo of volcanic activity of these centres between the large caldera-forming eruptions. The three Ischia tephra deposits between the MEGT and the CI are indistinguishable based on both major and trace element glass chemistry and cannot be correlated to a specific or known eruption in this interval, such as the Schiappone tephra. The compositional variations between the Campi Flegrei eruptions reveal temporal shifts in the composition of the tephra deposits that reflect changes in the magmatic system prior to the CI eruption. These deposits indicate that there were at least nine eruptions at Campi Flegrei within 16 ka of the enormous CI eruption, and suggest that there was no significant period of repose before the caldera generating eruption

Structural tailoring of the NIR-absorption of bis(1,2-dichalcogenolene) Ni/Pt electrochromophores deriving from 1,3-dimethyl-2-chalcogenoxo-imidazoline-4,5-dichalcogenolates

The Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche e Geologiche of the Università degli Studi di Cagliari and Banco di Sardegna, Italy are kindly acknowledged for financial support (PRID 2015).The choice of the metal ion M and the terminal Y and donor X chalcogen species (M = Ni, Pt; X, Y = S, Se) in square-planar complexes with 1,3-dimethyl-2-chalcogenoxo-imidazoline-4,5-dichalcogenolates allows fine-tuning both the redox stability and the energy of the peculiarly intense NIR electrochromic absorption, thanks to the subtle contribution of M, X, and Y to the relevant frontier molecular orbitals, investigated at IEF-PCM DFT and TD-DFT level.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

An elementary approach to rigorous approximation of invariant measures

We describe a framework in which is possible to develop and implement algorithms for the approximation of invariant measures of dynamical systems with a given bound on the error of the approximation. Our approach is based on a general statement on the approximation of fixed points for operators between normed vector spaces, allowing an explicit estimation of the error. We show the flexibility of our approach by applying it to piecewise expanding maps and to maps with indifferent fixed points. We show how the required estimations can be implemented to compute invariant densities up to a given error in the $L^{1}$ or $L^\infty$ distance. We also show how to use this to compute an estimation with certified error for the entropy of those systems. We show how several related computational and numerical issues can be solved to obtain working implementations, and experimental results on some one dimensional maps.Comment: 27 pages, 10 figures. Main changes: added a new section in which we apply our method to Manneville-Pomeau map

Linear Peptides-A Combinatorial Innovation in the Venom of Some Modern Spiders

In the venom of spiders, linear peptides (LPs), also called cytolytical or antimicrobial peptides, represent a largely neglected group of mostly membrane active substances that contribute in some spider species considerably to the killing power of spider venom. By next-generation sequencing venom gland transcriptome analysis, we investigated 48 spider species from 23 spider families and detected LPs in 20 species, belonging to five spider families (Ctenidae, Lycosidae, Oxyopidae, Pisauridae, and Zodariidae). The structural diversity is extraordinary high in some species: the lynx spider Oxyopes heterophthalmus contains 62 and the lycosid Pardosa palustris 60 different LPs. In total, we identified 524 linear peptide structures and some of them are in lycosids identical on amino acid level. LPs are mainly encoded in complex precursor structures in which, after the signal peptide and propeptide, 13 or more LPs (Hogna radiata) are connected by linkers. Besides Cupiennius species, also in Oxyopidae, posttranslational modifications of some precursor structures result in the formation of two-chain peptides. It is obvious that complex precursor structures represent a very suitable and fast method to produce a high number and a high diversity of bioactive LPs as economically as possible. At least in Lycosidae, Oxyopidae, and in the genus Cupiennius, LPs reach very high Transcripts Per Kilobase Million values, indicating functional importance within the envenomation process

Stereospecific generation of homochiral helices in coordination polymers built from enantiopure binaphthyl-based ligands

The novel enantiopure spacer 2,2′-dimethoxy-1,1′-binaphthyl-3,3′-bis(4-pyridyl-amido) has been designed to prepare helical coordination polymers here investigated by means of experimental and theoretical data

New PtII diimine–dithiolate complexes containing a 1,2-dithiolate-1,2-closo-dicarbadodecarborane: an experimental and theoretical investigation

A new class of solvatochromic diimine–dithiolate complexes [Pt(N^N)(dtoc)] (dtoc2− = 1,2-dithiolate-1,2-closo-dicarbadodecaborane) is reported

The Campanian Ignimbrite and Codola tephra layers: Two temporal/stratigraphic markers for the Early Upper Palaeolithic in southern Italy and eastern Europe

Tephra layers from archaeological sites in southern Italy and eastern Europe stratigraphically associated with cultural levels containing Early Upper Palaeolithic industry were analysed. The results confirm the occurrence of the Campanian Ignimbrite tephra (CI; ca. 40 cal ka BP) at Castelcivita Cave (southern Italy), Temnata Cave (Bulgaria) and in the Kostenki–Borshchevo area of the Russian Plain. This tephra, originated from the largest eruption of the Phlegrean Field caldera, represents the widest volcanic deposit and one of the most important temporal/stratigraphic markers of western Eurasia. At Paglicci Cave and lesser sites in the Apulia region we recognise a chemically and texturally different tephra, which lithologically, chronologically and chemically matches the physical and chemical characteristics of the Plinian eruption of Codola; a poorly known Late Pleistocene explosive event from the Neapolitan volcanoes, likely Somma–Vesuvius. For this latter, we propose a preliminary age estimate of ca. 33 cal ka BP and a correlation to the widespread C-10 marine tephra of the central Mediterranean. The stratigraphic position of both CI and Codola tephra layers at Castelcivita and Paglicci help date the first and the last documented appearance of Early Upper Palaeolithic industries of southern Italy to ca. 41–40 and 33 cal ka BP, respectively, or between two interstadial oscillations of the Monticchio pollen record – to which the CI and Codola tephras are physically correlated – corresponding to the Greenland interstadials 10–9 and 5. In eastern Europe, the stratigraphic and chronometric data seem to indicate an earlier appearance of the Early Upper Palaeolithic industries, which would predate of two millennia at least the overlying CI tephra. The tephrostratigraphic correlation indicates that in both regions the innovations connected with the so-called Early Upper Palaeolithic – encompassing subsistence strategy and stone tool technology – appeared and evolved during one of the most unstable climatic phases of the Last Glacial period. On this basis, the marked environmental unpredictability characterising this time-span is seen as a potential ecological factor involved in the cultural changes observed