In vitro effects of endosulfan-based insecticides on mammalian sperm

Endosulfan is an organochloride insecticide extensively used in several countries to protect crops from pests. As several studies indicate that endosulfan can affect human and animal development, the aim of this study was to analyse whether sperm parameters and the process of chromatin decondensation could be altered by endosulfan in mice sperm. Spermatozoa from cauda epididymis were obtained from mature male mice and incubated in the presence of two commercial formulations (CFs) of endosulfan (Master® and Zebra Ciagro®) or the active ingredient (AI) alone. A significant decrease in the percentage motility and viability of spermatozoa with respect to controls was found. In vitro decondensation was performed in the presence of glutathione and heparin. Spermatozoa incubated with the AI, endosulfan Master® and endosulfan Zebra Ciagro® showed an increase in chromatin decondensation. In addition, the TUNEL assay showed that DNA fragmentation was significantly higher when sperm were incubated with either one of the CFs when compared to the AI or controls. The ultrastructure analysis of sperm cells showed evident changes in the structure of the plasma and acrosome membranes of sperm incubated with endosulfan AI or the CFs. These results suggest that endosulfan can affect sperm integrity and in vitro chromatin decondensation as well as DNA fragmentation.Fil: Sánchez, M.C.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Alvarez Sedó, C.. Centro de estudios en Genética y Reproducción; ArmeniaFil: Chaufan, Gabriela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Biológica. Laboratorio de Enzimología, Estrés Oxidativo y Metabolismo; ArgentinaFil: Romanato, Marina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Da Cuña, Rodrigo Hernán. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental y Aplicada. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental y Aplicada; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental. Laboratorio de Ecotoxicología Acuática; ArgentinaFil: Lo Nostro, Fabiana Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental y Aplicada. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental y Aplicada; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental. Laboratorio de Ecotoxicología Acuática; ArgentinaFil: Calvo, Juan Carlos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Quimica Biologica. Laboratorio de Química de Proteoglicanos y Matriz Extracelular; ArgentinaFil: Fontana, Vanina Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Quimica Biologica. Laboratorio de Química de Proteoglicanos y Matriz Extracelular; Argentin

Electronic structure and ferroelectricity in SrBi2Ta2O9

The electronic structure of SrBi2Ta2O9 is investigated from first-principles, within the local density approximation, using the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave (LAPW) method. The results show that, besides the large Ta(5d)-O(2p) hybridization which is a common feature of the ferroelectric perovskites, there is an important hybridization between bismuth and oxygen states. The underlying static potential for the ferroelectric distortion and the primary source for ferroelectricity is investigated by a lattice-dynamics study using the Frozen Phonon approach.Comment: 17 pages, 7 figures. Phys. Rev. B, in pres

Identification of Two DNMT3A Mutations Compromising Protein Stability and Methylation Capacity in Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Somatic mutations of DNMT3A occur in about 20% of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. They mostly consist in heterozygous missense mutations targeting a hotspot site at R882 codon, which exhibit a dominant negative effect and are associated with high myeloblast count, advanced age, and poor prognosis. Other types of mutations such as truncations, insertions, or single-nucleotide deletion also affect the DNMT3A gene, though with lower frequency. The present study aimed to characterize two DNMT3A gene mutations identified by next-generation sequencing (NGS), through analysis of protein stability and DNA methylation status at CpG islands. The first mutation was a single-nucleotide variant of DNMT3A at exon 20 causing a premature STOP codon (c.2385G > A; p.Trp795 17; NM-022552.4). The DNMT3A mutation load increased from 4.5% to 38.2% during guadecitabine treatment, with a dominant negative effect on CpG methylation and on protein expression. The second mutation was a novel insertion of 35 nucleotides in exon 22 of DNMT3A (NM-022552.4) that introduced a STOP codon too, after the amino acid Glu863 caused by a frameshift insertion (c.2586-2587insTCATGAATGAGAAAGAGGACATCTTATGGTGCACT; p. Thr862-Glu863fsins). The mutation, which was associated with reduced DNMT3A expression and CpG methylation, persisted at relapse with minor changes in the methylation profile and at protein level. Our data highlight the need to better understand the consequences of DNMT3A mutations other than R882 substitutions in the leukemogenic process in order to tailor patient treatments, thus avoiding therapeutic resistance and disease relapse

Effect of production process and high-pressure processing on viability of Listeria innocua in traditional Italian dry-cured coppa

In this study the effect of the application of High Pressure Treatment (HPP) combined with four different manufacturing processes on the inactivation of Listeria innocua, used as a surrogate for L. monocytogenes, in artificially contaminated coppa samples was evaluated in order to verify the most suitable strategy to meet the Listeria inactivation requirements needed for the exportation of dry-cured meat in the U.S. Fresh anatomical cuts intended for coppa production were supplied by four different delicatessen factories located in Northern Italy. Raw meat underwent experimental contamination with Listeria innocua using a mixture of 5 strains. Surface contamination of the fresh anatomical cuts was carried out by immersion into inoculum containing Listeria spp. The conditions of the HPP treatment were: pressure 593 MPa, time 290 seconds, water treatment temperature 14\ub0C. Listeria innocua was enumerated on surface and deep samples post contamination, resting, ripening and HPP treatment. The results of this study show how the reduction of the microbial load on coppa during the production process did not vary among three companies (P>0.05) ranging from 3.73 to 4.30 log CFU/g, while it was significantly different (P<0.01) for the fourth company (0.92 log CFU/g). HPP treatment resulted in a significant (P<0.01) deep decrease of L. innocua count with values ranging between 1.63-3.54 log CFU/g with no significant differences between companies. Regarding superficial contamination, HPP treatment resulted significant (P<0.01) only in Coppa produced by two companies. The results highlight that there were processes less effective to inhibit the pathogen; in particular for company D an increase of L. innocua count was shown during processing and HPP alone cannot be able to in reaching the Listeria inactivation requirements needed for exportation of dry-cured meat in the U.S. According to the data reported in this paper, HPP treatment increases the ability of the manufacturing process of coppa in reducing Listeria count with the objective of a lethality treatment

Effect of production process and high-pressure processing on viability of Salmonella spp. in traditional Italian dry-cured coppa

The aim of the study was to investigate the combined effect of the manufacturing process followed by HPP treatment on the inactivation of Salmonella spp. in artificially contaminated coppa samples, in order to verify the ability of the combined processes to achieve the objective of a 5-log reduction of Salmonella spp. needed for exportation to the U.S. Fresh anatomical cuts intended for coppa production were supplied by four different delicatessen factories located in Northern Italy. Raw meat underwent experimental contamination with Salmonella spp. using a mixture of 3 strains. Surface contamination of the fresh anatomical cuts was carried out by immersion into inoculum containing Salmonella spp. The conditions of the HPP treatment were: pressure 593 MPa, time 290 seconds, water treatment temperature 14\ub0C. Surface and deep samples were performed post contamination (T0), end of the cold phase (T1), end of process (Tend), and after HPP treatment (postHPP) and Salmonella spp. Enumerated. The results of this study show a significant reduction of Salmonella spp. all through the production process (P<0.01) for all companies, followed by an additional reduction of bacterial counts due to HPP treatment (P<0.01), both in superficial and deep contaminations (P<0.01). The superficial overall reduction resulted of 1.58 to 5.04 log CFU/g during the production process. HPP treatment resulted in a significant (P<0.01) superficial and deep decrease in Salmonella spp. enumeration varying from 0.61 to 4.01 log and from 1.49 to 4.13 log. According to the data presented in this study, only the combined approach of coppa manufacturing process followed by HPP treatment always led to a 5-log reduction of Salmonella spp. required by USDA/FSIS guidelines

Detection of antihydrogen annihilations with a Si-micro-strip and pure CsI detector

In 2002, the ATHENA collaboration reported the creation and detection of cold (~15 K) antihydrogen atoms [1]. The observation was based on the complete reconstruction of antihydrogen annihilations, simultaneous and spatially correlated annihilations of an antiproton and a positron. Annihilation byproducts are measured with a cylindrically symmetric detector system consisting of two layers of double sided Si-micro-strip modules that are surrounded by 16 rows of 12 pure CsI crystals (13 x 17.5 x 17 mm^3). This paper gives a brief overview of the experiment, the detector system, and event reconstruction. Reference 1. M. Amoretti et al., Nature 419, 456 (2002).Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures; Proceedings for the 8th ICATPP Conference on Astroparticle, Particle, Space Physics, Detectors and Medical Physics Applications (Como, Italy October 2003) to be published by World Scientific (style file included

First Production and Detection of Cold Antihydrogen Atoms

The ATHENA experiment recently produced the first atoms of cold antihydrogen. This paper gives a brief review of how this was achieved.Comment: Invited talk at Int. Conf. on Low Energy Antiprotons 2003 (LEAP03), to be published in NIM

The First Cold Antihydrogen

Antihydrogen, the atomic bound state of an antiproton and a positron, was produced at low energy for the first time by the ATHENA experiment, marking an important first step for precision studies of atomic antimatter. This paper describes the first production and some subsequent developments.Comment: Invitated Talk at COOL03, International Workshop on Beam Cooling and Related Topics, to be published in NIM

SURVEY ON CAMPYLOBACTER SPP. PREVALENCE IN BROILER CHICKENS SLAUGHTERED IN EMILIA-ROMAGNA REGION

Thermophilic Campylobacter spp. have been recognised as a major cause of foodborne infections in many countries throughout the world. Poultry meat is the most common source for foodborne cases of human campylobacteriosis. An European baseline study (Dec. 516/07/UE) was carried out in the year 2008 with the aim of determining the prevalence of Campylobacter spp. in broiler chickens and the contamination level on the broiler carcasses. One hundred broiler flocks were sampled in 4 poultry slaughterhouses in Emilia Romagna and 52% (IC 95%: 41,8%-62,1%) were positive for Campylobacter jejuni/coli. The prevalence of thermophylic Campylobacter on carcasses was 26,0% (IC 95%: 17,7%- 35,7%) and it was correlated to finding of these bacteria in the broilers’ gut (O.R.: 3,8; I.C. 95%: 1,4-9,9)

Statin treatment and mortality in community-dwelling frail older patients with diabetes mellitus

Background: Older adults are often excluded from clinical trials. Decision making for administration of statins to older patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) is under debate, particularly in frail older patients with comorbidity and high mortality risk. We tested the hypothesis that statin treatment in older patients with DM was differentially effective across strata of mortality risk assessed by the Multidimensional Prognostic Index (MPI), based on information collected with the Standardized Multidimensional Assessment Schedule for Adults and Aged Persons (SVaMA). Methods: In this retrospective observational study, we estimated the mortality risk in 1712 community-dwelling subjects with DM ≥ 65 years who underwent a SVaMA evaluation to establish accessibility to homecare services/nursing home admission from 2005 to 2013 in the Padova Health District, Italy. Mild (MPI-SVaMA-1), moderate (MPI-SVaMA-2), and high (MPI-SVaMA-3) risk of mortality at baseline and propensity score-adjusted hazard ratios (HR) of three-year mortality were calculated according to statin treatment. Results: Higher MPI-SVaMA scores were associated with lower rates of statin treatment (MPI-SVaMA-1 = 39% vs MPI-SVaMA-2 = 36% vs MPI-SVaMA-3 = 24.9%. p<0.001) and higher three-year mortality (MPI-SVaMA-1 = 12.9% vs MPI-SVaMA-2 = 24% vs MPI-SVaMA-3 = 34.4%, p<0.001). After adjustment for propensity score quintiles, statin treatment was significantly associated with lower three-year mortality irrespective of MPI-SVaMA group (interaction test p = 0.303). HRs [95% confidence interval (CI)] were 0.19 (0.14-0.27), 0.28 (0.21-0.36), and 0.26 (0.20-0.34) in the MPI-SVaMA-1, MPI-SVaMA-2, and MPI-SVaMA-3 groups, respectively. Subgroup analyses showed that statin treatment was also beneficial irrespective of age. HRs (95% CI) were 0.21 (0.15-0.31), 0.26 (0.20-0.33), and 0.26 (0.20-0.35) among patients aged 65-74, 75-84, and ≥ 85 years, respectively (interaction test p=0.812). Conclusions: Statin treatment was significantly associat