Adhesion GPCRs are widely expressed throughout the subsections of the gastrointestinal tract

Background: G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) represent one of the largest families of transmembrane receptors and the most common drug target. The Adhesion subfamily is the second largest one of GPCRs and its several members are known to mediate neural development and immune system functioning through cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. The distribution of these receptors has not been characterized in detail in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Here we present the first comprehensive anatomical profiling of mRNA expression of all 30 Adhesion GPCRs in the rat GI tract divided into twelve subsegments. Methods: Using RT-qPCR, we studied the expression of Adhesion GPCRs in the esophagus, the corpus and antrum of the stomach, the proximal and distal parts of the duodenum, ileum, jejunum and colon, and the cecum. Results: We found that twenty-one Adhesion GPCRs (70%) had a widespread (expressed in five or more segments) or ubiquitous (expressed in eleven or more segments) distribution, seven (23%) were restricted to a few segments of the GI tract and two were not expressed in any segment. Most notably, almost all Group III members were ubiquitously expressed, while the restricted expression was characteristic for the majority of group VII members, hinting at more specific/localized roles for some of these receptors. Conclusions: Overall, the distribution of Adhesion GPCRs points to their important role in GI tract functioning and defines them as a potentially crucial target for pharmacological interventions. © 2012 Badiali et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

Functional Magnetic Resonance in the Evaluation of Oesophageal Motility Disorders

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has been recently proposed for the evaluation of the esophagus. Our aim is to assess the role of fMRI as a technique to assess morphological and functional parameters of the esophagus in patients with esophageal motor disorders and in healthy controls. Subsequently, we assessed the diagnostic efficiency of fMRI in comparison to videofluoroscopic and manometric findings in the investigation of patients with esophageal motor disorders. Considering that fMRI was shown to offer valuable information on bolus transit and on the caliber of the esophagus, variations of these two parameters in the different types of esophageal motor alterations have been assessed. fMRI, compared to manometry and videofluoroscopy, showed that a deranged or absent peristalsis is significantly associated with slower transit time and with increased esophageal diameter. Although further studies are needed, fMRI represents a promising noninvasive technique for the integrated functional and morphological evaluation of esophageal motility disorders

Protective effect of procyanidin-rich grape seed extract against Gram-negative virulence factors

Biofilm formation and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) are implicated in the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal (GI) diseases caused by Gram-negative bacteria. Grape seeds, wine industry by-products, have antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. In the present study, the protective effect of procyanidin-rich grape seed extract (prGSE), from unfermented pomace of Vitis vinifera L. cv Bellone, on bacterial LPS-induced oxidative stress and epithelial barrier integrity damage has been studied in a model of Caco-2 cells. The prGSE was characterized at the molecular level using HPLC and NMR. The in vitro activity of prGSE against formation of biofilm of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium and Escherichia coli was investigated. In vivo, prGSE activity using infected Galleria mellonella larvae has been evaluated. The results show that the prGSE, if administered with LPS, can significantly reduce the LPS-induced permeability alteration. Moreover, the ability of the extract to prevent Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) production induced by the LPS treatment of Caco-2 cells was demonstrated. prGSE inhibited the biofilm formation of E. coli and S. Typhimurium. In terms of in vivo activity, an increase in survival of infected G. mellonella larvae after treatment with prGSE was demonstrated. In conclusion, grape seed extracts could be used to reduce GI damage caused by bacterial endotoxin and biofilms of Gram-negative bacteria

NEMO-SN1 Abyssal Cabled Observatory in the Western Ionian Sea

The NEutrinoMediterranean Observatory—Submarine Network 1 (NEMO-SN1) seafloor observatory is located in the central Mediterranean Sea, Western Ionian Sea, off Eastern Sicily (Southern Italy) at 2100-m water depth, 25 km from the harbor of the city of Catania. It is a prototype of a cabled deep-sea multiparameter observatory and the first one operating with real-time data transmission in Europe since 2005. NEMO-SN1 is also the first-established node of the European Multidisciplinary Seafloor Observatory (EMSO), one of the incoming European large-scale research infrastructures included in the Roadmap of the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) since 2006. EMSO will specifically address long-term monitoring of environmental processes related to marine ecosystems, marine mammals, climate change, and geohazards

Non-small cell lung cancer testing on reference specimens: an italian multicenter experience

Introduction: Biomarker testing is mandatory for the clinical management of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Myriads of technical platforms are now available for biomarker analysis with differences in terms of multiplexing capability, analytical sensitivity, and turnaround time (TAT). We evaluated the technical performance of the diagnostic workflows of 24 representative Italian institutions performing molecular tests on a series of artificial reference specimens built to mimic routine diagnostic samples. Methods: Sample sets of eight slides from cell blocks of artificial reference specimens harboring exon 19 EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) p.E746_AT50del, exon 2 KRAS (Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homologue) p.G12C, ROS1 (c-ros oncogene 1)-unknown gene fusion, and MET (MET proto-oncogene, receptor tyrosine kinase) Δ exon 14 skipping were distributed to each participating institution. Two independent cell block specimens were validated by the University of Naples Federico II before shipment. Methodological and molecular data from reference specimens were annotated. Results: Overall, a median DNA concentration of 3.3 ng/μL (range 0.1–10.0 ng/μL) and 13.4 ng/μL (range 2.0–45.8 ng/μL) were obtained with automated and manual technical procedures, respectively. RNA concentrations of 5.7 ng/μL (range 0.2–11.9 ng/μL) and 9.3 ng/μL (range 0.5–18.0 ng/μL) were also detected. KRAS exon 2 p.G12C, EGFR exon 19 p.E736_A750del hotspot mutations, and ROS1 aberrant transcripts were identified in all tested cases, whereas 15 out of 16 (93.7%) centers detected MET exon 14 skipping mutation. Conclusions: Optimized technical workflows are crucial in the decision-making strategy of patients with NSCLC. Artificial reference specimens enable optimization of diagnostic workflows for predictive molecular analysis in routine clinical practice

Nanotech approaches to CNS delivery: nanoparticles surface modification to obtain long circulating polymeric drug carriers

Nanotech approaches to CNS delivery: nanoparticles surface modification to obtain long circulating polymeric drug carrier

Nanotech approaches to CNS delivery: nanoparticle surface modification to obtain long-circulating polymeric drug carriers

There is a broad interest in the development of nanoparticles (NPs) carrying on their surface carbohydrates such as sialic acids. It is known that these carbohydrates influence the biological and physical properties of biopharmaceutical proteins and living cells. Macromolecular compounds containing these carbohydrates showed an anti-recognition effect, exert an antiviral effect and also are able to be recognized by the cell surface of some kind of cancer cells. Thus, in the present research we performed two different approaches in order to obtain polymeric (poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide), PLGA) NPs surface decorated with the sialic acid N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac). The first strategy that has been followed is based on the derivatization of the polyester PLGA with the thioderivative of Neu5Ac, starting material for the preparation of the NPs; the second is based on the synthesis of compounds potentially able to insert their lipophilic moiety into the underivatized PLGA NPs during their preparation, and to display their hydrophilic moiety (Neu5Ac) on their surface. The first approach allowed the obtainment of NPs surface decorated with Neu5Ac, as evidenced by ESCA spectroscopy and interaction with the lectin Wheat Germ Agglutinin. Moreover, a formulation of these NPs suitable for in vitro assays showed that they are phagocytosed by human monocytes with an apparently different mechanism with respect of those made of underivatized PLGA. The second strategy led to NPs in which their surface appears to be very different with respect to the NPs obtained following the first strategy, with the carboxylic groups of Neu5Ac markedly shielded. Thus, the new Neu5Ac-modified PLGA polyester represent a useful starting material for the preparation of NPs surface decorated with this sialic acid

Nanoparticles for drug delivery to the CNS

Nanoparticles for drug delivery to the CN

Sialic acid as surface modifier of polymeric PLGA nanoparticles

Nanoparticles for drug delivery to CN

The bridge between Nanotechnology and Neuroscience: Neuro-Nanomedicine

The application of nanotechnology to the field of medicine is now at the cutting edge of scientific research. Named as Nanomedicine, this smart strategy is aimed to find new approaches for therapeutic application in the difficult-to-treat pathologies, as neurological diseases. Applied to Central Nervous System (CNS) pathologies, nanocarriers, engineered for the specific passage across the Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB), have been widely studied with stimulating and interesting results. The in vivo and in vitro experiments clearly demonstrated the potential of this kind of approach, that, now, clearly needs a higher grade of translation of the research to preclinical model of pathologies. This paper provides for an incisive description of the rationale and the development of nanomedicine applied to neuroscience, the neuro-nanomedicine