Schists and Pigments from Ancient Swat (Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, Pakistan)

Since the earliest agricultural communities settled in the greater Indus basin in the 7th millennium BC, rocks and minerals have had an important role in the local processes of social evolution in order to signal the superior status of elites, as Italian excavations and surveys demonstrated in numerous projects (IsMEO-IsIAO and National Museum of Oriental Art in Rome, MNAO). This paper presents results from minero-petrographic analysis carried out from sculptures exposed in MNAO, with the aim of better understanding their context and provenance. The petro-textural characters have implications for both the conservation of the sculptures and reconstruction of the provenance history of the raw materials from the Swat Valley. A set of brightly coloured particles made of different raw materials (pigments and gold leaf) was also analysed. These precious materials were probably placed in the reliquary alongside a few cremated bones in the frame of a highly symbolic, ritual setting

Sympatric sibling species: The case of Caloria elegans and Facelina quatrefagesi (Gastropoda: Nudibranchia)

The aeolid nudibranch Caloria elegans (Facelinidae) is quite common in the Mediterranean Sea and eastern Atlantic Ocean and is easily recognized by the presence of a typical black spot at the apical portion of its cerata. Facelina quatrefagesi (Facelinidae) was long considered as a synonym of C. elegans until recently, when it was re-evaluated as a valid species based mainly on rhinophore morphology. In order to definitively assess the status of these aeolid taxa, we employed an integrative taxonomy approach using the nuclear H3 and the two mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I and 16S markers. The molecular analyses clearly showed that, although morphologically closely related to C. elegans, F. quatrefagesi is a valid species. © 2016 CSIC

A new transgenic mouse model for studying the neurotoxicity of spermine oxidase dosage in the response to excitotoxic injury

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A New Transgenic Mouse Model for Studying the Neurotoxicity of Spermine Oxidase Dosage in the Response to Excitotoxic Injury

"Spermine oxidase is a FAD-containing enzyme involved in polyamines catabolism, selectively oxidizing spermine to produce H2O2, spermidine, and 3-aminopropanal. Spermine oxidase is highly expressed in mouse brain and plays a key role in regulating the levels of spermine, which is involved in protein synthesis, cell division and cell growth. Spermine is normally released by neurons at synaptic sites where it exerts a neuromodulatory function, by specifically interacting with different types of ion channels, and with ionotropic glutamate receptors. In order to get an insight into the neurobiological roles of spermine oxidase and spermine, we have deregulated spermine oxidase gene expression producing and characterizing the transgenic mouse model JoSMOrec, conditionally overexpressing the enzyme in the neocortex. We have investigated the effects of spermine oxidase overexpression in mouse neocortex by transcript accumulation, immunohistochemical analysis, enzymatic assays and polyamine content in young and aged animals. Transgenic JoSMOrec mice showed in the neocortex a higher H2O2 production in respect to Wild-Type controls, indicating an increase of oxidative stress due to SMO overexpression. Moreover, the response of transgenic mice to excitotoxic brain injury, induced by kainic acid injection, was evaluated, by analysing the behavioural phenotype, the immunodistribution of neural cell populations, and the ultrastructural features of neocortical neurons. Spermine oxidase overexpression and the consequently altered polyamine levels in the neocortex affects the cytoarchitecture in the adult and aging brain, as well as after neurotoxic insult. It resulted that the transgenic JoSMOrec mouse line is more sensitive to KA than Wild-Type mice, indicating an important role of spermine oxidase during excitotoxicity. These results provide novel evidences of the complex and critical functions carried out by spermine oxidase and spermine in mammalian brain.

Rapid HIA to support decision making in the Public Administration in Italy THE Vispa PROJECT

Since a decade HIA background and practice is growing up in Italy. The Ministry of Health endorsed the promotion and development of HIA practice funding the VISPA project to adapt HIA processes and tools in Public Administration (PA) activities and to prepare recommendations in view of national guideline. Methods/approaches. The feasibility of a rapid HIA protocol for plans and projects embedded in the PA decision-making process was tested involving 34 trained operators in six different Italian Regions. Twenty-eight casestudies regarding waste, city planning, energy, industrial districts and farms, were selected by a screening-scoping exercise. The developed toolkit supported the involved Public Officials during the phases of assessment, appraisal and reporting of results. Results. The proposed rapid HIA was always feasible with few exceptions. Positive outputs were achieved in terms of capacity building, identification of relevant subject, integration with other assessment tools. A final step-by-step procedure was validated and actors, tools and timing were identified. An audio-video guide was released to facilitate the use and transferability of the products. Conclusions. The experimental approach adopted highlighted a positive feedback. The burdensome of the application was recognised and critical issues appeared the citizen participation and the inter-departments cooperation

Primers used in this study.

<p>Primers used in this study.</p

SMO, APAO, ODC and SSAT activities and PA content of Tg and Sg mice.

<p>Enzyme activities of SMO, APAO, ODC and SSAT and PA content from cortex and cerebellum of 3 (3 m) and 20 (20 m) months old mice were analyzed. The p values were measured with one-way ANOVA test and post-hoc test Bonferroni (*, p&lt;0.05; **, p&lt;0.01). Sg, syngenic mice; Tg, transgenic mice; Cx, cortex; Ce, cerebellum.</p

SMO, APAO, ODC and SSAT transcript level analyses of KA treated Tg and Sg mice.

<p>SMO, APAO, ODC and SSAT transcript accumulation of 3 months old mice were analyzed after 1 and 3 days of KA treatment. Representative RT-PCR experiments from three independent replicas are shown. Densitometric analyses of PCR gel bands, represent the measurements done on three separate experiments. The β-actin and/or rpS7 gene expression was used for normalization. An arbitrary densitometric unit bar graph (A.U.) is shown. The p values were measured with the two-way ANOVA test and post-hoc test Bonferroni (*, p&lt;0.05; **, p&lt;0.01). Sg, syngenic mice; Tg, transgenic mice.</p