Testicular activity and sperm glycoproteins in giant red shrimp Aristaeomorpha foliacea

The reproduction of male giani red shrimp Aristaeomorpha foliacea, collected from thè late winterto thè summer in thè north-western lonian Sea (Mediterranean Sea), was investigated using histological and histochemistry methods. Seasonal changes in thè spermiogenesis and thè glycoprotein pattern were found and sperm glycoproteins matured as gametes moved from thè testis to thè terminal ampliila. In serial sections stained with hematoxylin and eosin thè testicular activity appeared to be discontinuous. In late winter thè testes had no meiotic activity and thè seminiferous epithelium consisted of interkinetic spermatogonia and spermatozoa. In spring, spermiogenetic activity was high and thè seminiferous epithelium mainly consisted of spermatocytes and spermatozoa while in summer, thè testes were again inactive since both spermatocytes and spermatozoa were lacking. The use of twelve different lectins indicated that thè intratesticular spermatozoa from late winter to summer contain surface binding sites for SNA, MAA, Con A and KOH-sialidase (si)-WGA. In March and July they also exhibited nuclear and cytoplasmic reactivity for SNA and Con A. In thè hemispermatophore thè spermatozoa displayed a more complex lectin-binding pattern because they also reacted with PNA, DBA, HPA, OSA II. The staining with DBA, KOH-si- DBA, and OSA II showed differences between thè spermatozoa from late winter-spring hemispermatophores and summer hemispermatophores: thè former showed a nuclear affinity whereas thè latter displayed surface and/or cytoplasm staining. No reaction was observed with SBA, GSAI-B4, UEA I, and LTA

Acute pancreatitis in children. An Italian multicentre study

AIM: To evaluate the clinical, morphological and aetiological aspects of acute pancreatitis in children in Italy. PATIENTS: The hospital records of 50 consecutive patients with acute pancreatitis observed in 5 Italian Pediatric Departments were reviewed. RESULTS: A total of 25 males and 25 females (median age 10.5 years, range 2-17) were studied. Of these patients, 48 (96%) had abdominal pain. The pancreatitis was associated with biliary disease in 10 patients (20%); it was due to viral infection in 6 patients (12%), pancreatic duct abnormalities in 4 (8%, familial chronic pancreatitis in 3 (6%), trauma in 5 (10%) and other causes in 5 (10%); the pancreatitis was of unknown origin in 17 patients (34%). Previous attacks of the disease had occurred in 14 patients. A diagnosis of mild pancreatitis was made in 41 patients (82%) and of severe disease in 9 (18%). One patient with severe pancreatitis died from multiorgan failure. Patients with severe pancreatitis had significantly higher serum concentrations of C-reactive protein than patients with mild pancreatitis. Hospital stay was similar for patients with the mild form and those with the severe form of the disease. CONCLUSIONS: In Italian children, acute pancreatitis is of unknown origin in about one-third of the children and is recurrent in 28% of the cases. The disease is severe in 18% of the case

Nutrient withdrawal rescues growth factor-deprived cells from mTOR-dependent damage

Deregulated nutrient signaling plays pivotal roles in body ageing and in diabetic complications; biochemical cascades linking energy dysmetabolism to cell damage and loss are still incompletely clarified, and novel molecular paradigms and pharmacological targets critically needed. We provide evidence that in the retrovirus-packaging cell line HEK293-T Phoenix, massive cell death in serum-free medium is remarkably prevented or attenuated by either glucose or aminoacid withdrawal, and by the glycolysis inhibitor 2-deoxy-glucose. A similar protection was also elicited by interference with mitochondrial function, clearly suggesting involvement of energy metabolism in increased cell survival. Oxidative stress did not account for nutrient toxicity on serum-starved cells. Instead, nutrient restriction was associated with reduced activity of the mTOR/S6 Kinase cascade. Moreover, pharmacological and genetic manipulation of the mTOR pathway modulated in an opposite fashion signaling to S6K/S6 and cell viability in nutrient-repleted medium. Additionally, stimulation of the AMP-activated Protein Kinase concomitantly inhibited mTOR signaling and cell death, while neither event was affected by overexpression of the NAD+ dependent deacetylase Sirt-1, another cellular sensor of nutrient scarcity. Finally, blockade of the mTOR cascade reduced hyperglycemic damage also in a more pathophysiologically relevant model, i.e. in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) exposed to hyperglycemia. Taken together these findings point to a key role of the mTOR/S6K cascade in cell damage by excess nutrients and scarcity of growth-factors, a condition shared by diabetes and other ageing-related pathologies

Histological and immunohistochemical investigation on ovarian development and plasma estradiol levels in the swordfish (<i>Xiphias gladius</i> L.)

The paper reports a histological and immunohistochemical description of oocyte growth and ultrastructural aspects of zona radiata (ZR) formation as well as the relationship between plasma estradiol-17&#x03B2;, (E2 ) levels and ovarian development in swordfish (Xiphias gladius L.) from the Mediterranean Sea. Ovaries were inactive during March to mid April; maturation occurred during late April to June and spawning in June and July. Zona radiata formation starts, as Pas positive material, in oocytes at the lipid stage. In this stage a deposit of electrondense material between oolemma and follicular cells appears. In the cortical alveoli stage and through the early vitellogenic stage, the deposition of a moderately electrondense material occurred on the inner side of the ZR. Finally, in late vitellogenic oocytes a third layer, made of microfibrillar material, appeared. The immunohistochemical analyses revealed that the initial internalisation of hepatic zona radiata proteins (Zrp) in the swordfish oocyte starts before the uptake of vitellogenin (Vtg) and that it is associated with the low previtellogenic E2 plasma levels, while a significant E2 increase in plasma is associated with the beginning of Vtg uptake. This would appear to confirm the hypothesis that the differential and sequential induction of zonagenesis and vitellogenesis may reflect a general feature of teleost oogenesi

A new line for laser-driven light ions acceleration and related TNSA studies

In this paper, we present the status of the line for laser-driven light ions acceleration (L3IA) currently under implementation at the Intense Laser Irradiation Laboratory (ILIL), and we provide an overview of the pilot experimental activity on laser-driven ion acceleration carried out in support of the design of the line. A description of the main components is given, including the laser, the beam transport line, the interaction chamber, and the diagnostics. A review of the main results obtained so far during the pilot experimental activity is also reported, including details of the laser-plasma interaction and ion beam characterization. A brief description of the preliminary results of a dedicated numerical modeling is also provided

Sicilia—silicon carbide detectors for intense luminosity investigations and applications

Silicon carbide (SiC) is a compound semiconductor, which is considered as a possible alternative to silicon for particles and photons detection. Its characteristics make it very promising for the next generation of nuclear and particle physics experiments at high beam luminosity. Silicon Carbide detectors for Intense Luminosity Investigations and Applications (SiCILIA) is a project starting as a collaboration between the Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN) and IMM-CNR, aiming at the realization of innovative detection systems based on SiC. In this paper, we discuss the main features of silicon carbide as a material and its potential application in the field of particles and photons detectors, the project structure and the strategies used for the prototype realization, and the first results concerning prototype production and their performance

Common and rare variant association analyses in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis identify 15 risk loci with distinct genetic architectures and neuron-specific biology

A cross-ancestry genome-wide association meta-analysis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) including 29,612 patients with ALS and 122,656 controls identifies 15 risk loci with distinct genetic architectures and neuron-specific biology. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease with a lifetime risk of one in 350 people and an unmet need for disease-modifying therapies. We conducted a cross-ancestry genome-wide association study (GWAS) including 29,612 patients with ALS and 122,656 controls, which identified 15 risk loci. When combined with 8,953 individuals with whole-genome sequencing (6,538 patients, 2,415 controls) and a large cortex-derived expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) dataset (MetaBrain), analyses revealed locus-specific genetic architectures in which we prioritized genes either through rare variants, short tandem repeats or regulatory effects. ALS-associated risk loci were shared with multiple traits within the neurodegenerative spectrum but with distinct enrichment patterns across brain regions and cell types. Of the environmental and lifestyle risk factors obtained from the literature, Mendelian randomization analyses indicated a causal role for high cholesterol levels. The combination of all ALS-associated signals reveals a role for perturbations in vesicle-mediated transport and autophagy and provides evidence for cell-autonomous disease initiation in glutamatergic neurons

Modificazioni stagionali della membrana basale dell’epitelio seminifero della lucertola Podarcis sicula Raf

La membrana basale regola l'attività dell'epitelio seminifero nei vertebrati a riproduzione stagionale. In questo lavoro vengono illustrati i risultati di indagini istochimiche, immunoistochimiche ed ultrastrutturali sulla membrana basale del testicolo di Podarcis sicula, in condizioni normali e sperimentali. Gonadi di maschi adulti di Podarcis s. catturati nel periodo riproduttivo (maggio) e di crisi estiva (luglio), alcuni trattati con estradiolo, sono stati: 1) fissati in liquido di Stieve, inclusi in paraffina e le sezioni colorate con ematossilina-eosina, PAS e immunocolorate per la ricerca della laminina e del collagene IV; 2) fissati in GTA 3%, post-fìssati in OsO4 1%, inclusi in Araldite e le sezioni ultrafini osservate al TEM. La PAS reazione ha mostrato debole affinità per la membrana basale in tutti gli esemplari che solo in luglio hanno evidenziato una netta colorazione della laminina, mentre il collagene IV è stato ben marcato nei testicoli degli esemplari di maggio trattati con estradiolo e, soprattutto, di luglio (trattati e non). Nel periodo riproduttivo la membrana basale (spessa 200 nm) ha mostrato aspetto lineare mentre nel periodo di stasi estiva è apparsa notevolmente introflessa e spessa 300 nm per incremento di ampiezza della lamina tìbroreticolare. Negli esemplari estrogenizzati di luglio un materiale reti co lo granulare di origine ematica è stato imbrigliato e trattenuto dalla lamina fibroreticolare. In conclusione, la membrana basale dei tubuli seminiferi di lucertola subisce modificazioni strutturali e molecolari correlate con l'attività testicolare stagionale e svolge anche un ruolo di barriera molecolare con compiti di protezione dell'epitelio seminifero