Packed hybrid silica nanoparticles as sorbents with thermo-switchable surface chemistry and pore size for fast extraction of environmental pollutants

Thermoresponsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-grafted silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) have been synthesized and fully characterized by ATR-FTIR, TGA, HRTEM, BET and DLS analysis. Hybrid solid phase extraction (SPE) beds with tuneable pore size and switchable surface chemistry were prepared by packing the polymergrafted nanoparticles inside SPE cartridges. The cartridges were tested by checking the thermoregulated elution of model compounds, namely methylene blue, caffeine and amoxicillin. Extraction of the analytes and regeneration of the interaction sites on the sorbent surface was carried out entirely in water solution by changing the external temperature below and above the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the polymer. The results demonstrate that the elution of model compounds depends on the temperature-regulated size of the inter-particle voids and on the change of surface properties of the PNIPAM-grafted nanoparticles from hydrophilic to hydrophobic

Role of leukocytes, gender, and symptom domains in the influence of depression on hospitalization and mortality risk: Findings from the Moli-sani study

Background: Major depressive disorder is a mental illness associated with chronic conditions like cardiovascular disease (CVD). Circulating inflammation has been proposed as a potential mechanism underlying this link, although the role of specific biomarkers, gender, and symptom domains is not well elucidated. Methods: We performed multivariable Cox regressions of first hospitalization/all-cause mortality and CVD, ischemic heart (IHD), and cerebrovascular disease (CeVD) causes vs. depression severity in an Italian population cohort (N = 13,191; age ≥ 35 years; 49.3% men; 4,856 hospitalizations and 471 deaths, median follow-up 7.28 and 8.24 years, respectively). In models adjusted for age, sex, and socioeconomic status, we estimated the proportion of association explained by C-reactive protein (CRP), platelet count, granulocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (GLR), and white blood cell count (WBC). Gender-by-depression interaction and gender-stratified analyses were performed. Associations of polychoric factors tagging somatic and cognitive symptoms with incident clinical risks were also tested, as well as the proportion explained by a composite index of circulating inflammation (INFLA score). Results: Significant proportions of the influence of depression on clinical risks were explained by CRP (4.8% on IHD hospitalizations), GLR (11% on all-cause mortality), and WBC (24% on IHD/CeVD hospitalizations). Gender-by-depression interaction was significantly associated only with all-cause mortality (p = 0.03), with moderate depression showing a + 60% increased risk in women, but not in men. Stable associations of somatic, but not of cognitive, symptoms with increased hospitalization risk were observed (+ 16% for all causes, + 14% for CVD causes), with INFLA score explaining small but significant proportions of these associations (2.5% for all causes, 8.6% for IHD causes). Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of cellular components of inflammation, gender, and somatic depressive symptoms in the link between depression and clinical (especially CVD) risks, pointing to the existence of additional pathways through which depression may play a detrimental effect on the cardiovascular system

Novel magnetite nanoparticles coated with waste sourced bio- based substances as sustainable and renewable adsorbing materials

This study examines the possibility of using bio-based product isolated from urban solid wastes as a material for environmental technological applications. To this end, Fe3O4 nanoparticles coated with different amounts of soluble bio-based products (SBO) were synthesized as low-cost nanoadsorbent for the removal of pollutants in wastewater. Particles of 10 nm diameter with Fe3O4 core and SBO shell were obtained. The concentration of SBO employed in the synthesis had no effect on the size and structure of the NPs, but ruled the pHPZC and aggregation of the nanoparticles in water. The cationic dye crystal violet (CV) was used as a model pollutant to test the adsorption capacity of the nanoparticles. The results indicated that both the medium pH and NP dosage were significant parameters to enhance the removal of CV. The results contribute to the studies which show how wastes can become a source of revenue through the industrial exploitation of their chemical value.Fil: Magnacca, Giuliana. Università di Torino; ItaliaFil: Allera, Alex. Università di Torino; ItaliaFil: Montoneri, Enzo. Università di Torino; ItaliaFil: Celi, Luisella. Università di Torino; ItaliaFil: Benito, Damián Ezequiel. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Laboratorio de Investigación y Desarrollo de Métodos Analíticos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Gagliardi, Leonardo Gabriel. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Laboratorio de Investigación y Desarrollo de Métodos Analíticos; ArgentinaFil: Martire, Daniel Osvaldo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico la Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas; ArgentinaFil: Gonzalez, Monica Cristina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico la Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas; ArgentinaFil: Carlos, Luciano. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico la Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas; Argentin

Genes Suggest Ancestral Colour Polymorphisms Are Shared across Morphologically Cryptic Species in Arctic Bumblebees

email Suzanne orcd idCopyright: © 2015 Williams et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited

Delineation of Culicoides species by morphology and barcode exemplified by three new species of the subgenus Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) from Scandinavia

BACKGROUND: Culicoides biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) cause biting nuisance to livestock and humans and are vectors of a range of pathogens of medical and veterinary importance. Despite their economic significance, the delineation and identification of species where only morphology is considered, as well as the evolutionary relationships between species within this genus remains problematic. In recent years molecular barcoding has assisted substantially in the identification of biting midges in the multiple entomological survey projects which were initiated in many European countries following the bluetongue outbreak in 2006–2009. These studies revealed potentially new species and “species-complexes” with large genetic and morphological variability. Here we use molecular barcoding, together with morphological analysis, to study subgenus Culicoides Latreille from Scandinavia with focus on three potentially new species. METHODS: Biting midges were collected at various sites in Denmark and Sweden. Culicoides specimens were described by variation of a fragment of their cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene sequence and wing, palp and antennal characters. RESULTS: It is shown that three new species initially separated by DNA barcoding with mitochondrial COI can be distinguished by morphological characters. In this context a key to Scandinavian subgenus Culicoides using wing and maxillary palp characters is presented. The key is including the three new species Culicoides boyi, Culicoides selandicus and Culicoides kalix. CONCLUSION: Three new species of Culicoides biting midges were identified and could be identified by both molecular and morphological differences. Evaluation of differences between and within taxa of biting midges using COI barcode yielded a rough estimate of species delineation; interspecies differences across Culicoides subgenera approaches 20%, whereas intraspecies differences are below 4% and in most cases below 1%. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-015-0750-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Sex differences in coronary plaque changes assessed by serial computed tomography angiography

Long-term data on sex-differences in coronary plaque changes over time is lacking in a low-to-intermediate risk population of stable coronary artery disease (CAD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of sex on long-term plaque progression and evolution of plaque composition. Furthermore, the influence of menopause on plaque progression and composition was also evaluated. Patients that underwent a coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) were prospectively included to undergo a follow-up coronary CTA. Total and compositional plaque volumes were normalized using the vessel volume to calculate a percentage atheroma volume (PAV). To investigate the influence of menopause on plaque progression, patients were divided into two groups, under and over 55 years of age. In total, 211 patients were included in this analysis, 146 (69%) men. The mean interscan period between baseline and follow-up coronary CTA was 6.2 +/- 1.4 years. Women were older, had higher HDL levels and presented more often with atypical chest pain. Men had 434 plaque sites and women 156. On a per-lesion analysis, women had less fibro-fatty PAV compared to men (beta -1.3 +/- 0.4%; p < 0.001), with no other significant differences. When stratifying patients by 55 years age threshold, fibro-fatty PAV remained higher in men in both age groups (p < 0.05) whilst women younger than 55 years demonstrated more regression of fibrous (beta -0.8 +/- 0.3% per year; p = 0.002) and non-calcified PAV (beta -0.7 +/- 0.3% per year; p = 0.027). In a low-to-intermediate risk population of stable CAD patients, no significant sex differences in total PAV increase over time were observed. Fibro-fatty PAV was lower in women at any age and women under 55 years demonstrated significantly greater reduction in fibrous and non-calcified PAV over time compared to age-matched men. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04448691.)Cardiolog

Evolution of Sex-Specific Traits through Changes in HOX-Dependent doublesex Expression

Analysis in Drosophila suggests that evolutionary changes in the spatial regulation of the transcription factor doublesex play a key role in the origin, diversification, and loss of sex-specific structures

ZBTB12 DNA methylation is associated with coagulation- and inflammation-related blood cell parameters: findings from the Moli-family cohort.

Background Zinc finger and BTB domain-containing protein 12 (ZBTB12) is a predicted transcription factor with potential role in hematopoietic development. Recent evidence linked low methylation level of ZBTB12 exon1 to myocardial infarction (MI) risk. However, the role of ZBTB12 in the pathogenesis of MI and cardiovascular disease in general is not yet clarified. We investigated the relation between ZBTB12 methylation and several blood parameters related to cardio-cerebrovascular risk in an Italian family-based cohort. Results ZBTB12 methylation was analyzed on white blood cells from the Moli-family cohort using the Sequenom EpiTYPER MassARRAY (Agena). A total of 13 CpG Sequenom units were analyzed in the small CpG island located in the only translated ZBTB12 exon. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to identify groups of CpG units with similar methylation estimates. Linear mixed effect regressions showed a positive association between methylation of ZBTB12 Factor 2 (including CpG units 8, 9–10, 16, 21) and TNF-ɑ stimulated procoagulant activity, a measure of procoagulant and inflammatory potential of blood cells. In addition, we also found a negative association between methylation of ZBTB12 Factor 1 (mainly characterized by CpG units 1, 3–4, 5, 11, and 26) and white blood cell and granulocyte counts. An in silico prediction analysis identified granulopoiesis- and hematopoiesis-specific transcription factors to potentially bind DNA sequences encompassing CpG1, CpG3–4, and CpG11. Conclusions ZBTB12 hypomethylation is linked to shorter TNF-ɑ stimulated whole blood coagulation time and increased WBC and granulocyte counts, further elucidating the possible link between ZBTB12 methylation and cardiovascular disease risk

Bacterial Communities of Diverse Drosophila Species: Ecological Context of a Host–Microbe Model System

Drosophila melanogaster is emerging as an important model of non-pathogenic host–microbe interactions. The genetic and experimental tractability of Drosophila has led to significant gains in our understanding of animal–microbial symbiosis. However, the full implications of these results cannot be appreciated without the knowledge of the microbial communities associated with natural Drosophila populations. In particular, it is not clear whether laboratory cultures can serve as an accurate model of host–microbe interactions that occur in the wild, or those that have occurred over evolutionary time. To fill this gap, we characterized natural bacterial communities associated with 14 species of Drosophila and related genera collected from distant geographic locations. To represent the ecological diversity of Drosophilids, examined species included fruit-, flower-, mushroom-, and cactus-feeders. In parallel, wild host populations were compared to laboratory strains, and controlled experiments were performed to assess the importance of host species and diet in shaping bacterial microbiome composition. We find that Drosophilid flies have taxonomically restricted bacterial communities, with 85% of the natural bacterial microbiome composed of only four bacterial families. The dominant bacterial taxa are widespread and found in many different host species despite the taxonomic, ecological, and geographic diversity of their hosts. Both natural surveys and laboratory experiments indicate that host diet plays a major role in shaping the Drosophila bacterial microbiome. Despite this, the internal bacterial microbiome represents only a highly reduced subset of the external bacterial communities, suggesting that the host exercises some level of control over the bacteria that inhabit its digestive tract. Finally, we show that laboratory strains provide only a limited model of natural host–microbe interactions. Bacterial taxa used in experimental studies are rare or absent in wild Drosophila populations, while the most abundant associates of natural Drosophila populations are rare in the lab