Further investigations on the proliferative response of mouse bladder epithelium to 4-ethyl-sulphonylnaphthalene-1-sulphonamide.

4-ETHYLSULPHONYLNAPHTHALENE-1-SULPHONAMIDE (ENS*) induces hyperplasia of the bladder epithelium on administration to rats (Paget, 1958) and mice (Sen Gupta, 1962). Bladder tumours result from prolonged feeding of ENS to mice (Clayson and Bonser, 1965; Clayson, Pringle and Bonser, 1967). Hyperplasia is more severe and tumcours are more frequent in female than in male mice. The acute response to a single oral dose of ENS has been studied in some detail (Clayson et al., 1967; Lawson, Dzhioev, Lewis and Clayson, 1968; Levi, Cowen and Cooper, 1969). An increase in DNA synthesis, in the normally quiescent bladder epithelium, is induced at about 16 hours after the administration of the chemical, rises to a maximum at 30-36 hours and thereafter slowly declines. RNA synthesis, necessary for the increase in enzymes for DNA synthesis, occurs during the lag phase. Detailed histopathological, autoradiographic and stathmokinetic investigations show that DNA synthesis and subsequent mitosis occur in every cell layer and involve cells of all ploidies in this epithelium, in contradistinction to the behaviour of other multilayered epithelia in which DNA synthesis and mitosis i

Changes to soil bacterial profiles as a result of Sus scrofa domesticus decomposition

The importance of cadaver decomposition knowledge for clandestine grave location cannot be over emphasised. Notwithstanding this, only a limited understanding is available on the resulting soil microbial community dynamics. To address this paucity, a pig leg (Sus scrofa domesticus; 5 kg) was buried in freshly weighed (20 kg) sandy loamy soil in a sealed microcosm (40 cm height) in parallel with a soil only control. Both microcosms were perforated nine times at equal distances and maintained outside. Soil samples were collected through these perforations from the top (0–10 cm), middle (10–20 cm) and bottom (20–30 cm) segments every three days for the first two weeks, and then weekly up to 14 weeks. PCR-DGGE gels quantified by 1D Phoretix showed increases in the cumulative soil community richness values of 43, 66 and 106 for the top, middle and bottom segments, respectively, in the presence of Sus scrofa domesticus. Shannon–Wiener's (H′) and Simpon's (D) indices confirmed corresponding species diversity increases in the middle (H′ = 1.58–2.33; D = 0.79–0.91) and bottom (H′ = 2.48–3.16; D = 0.85–0.95) depths between days 10 and 71 compared with the control. In contrast, similar evenness was recorded for all segments in both the Sus scrofa domesticus and control soils

Shifts in soil biodiversity-A forensic comparison between Sus scrofa domesticus and vegetation decomposition

In a forensic context, microbial-mediated cadaver decomposition and nutrient recycling cannot be overlooked. As a result, forensic ecogenomics research has intensified to gain a better understanding of cadaver/soil ecology interactions as a powerful potential tool for forensic practitioners. For this study, domestic pig (Sus scrofa domesticus) (4 g) and grass (Agrostis/Festuca spp) cuttings (4 g) were buried (July 2013 to July 2014) in sandy clay loam (80 g) triplicates in sealed microcosms (127 ml; 50 × 70 cm) with parallel soil only controls. The effects of the two carbon sources were determined by monitoring key environmental factors and changes in soil bacterial (16S rRNA gene) and fungal (18S rRNA gene) biodiversity. Soil pH changes showed statistically significant differences (p 0.05) was observed between the treatments

Early markers for myocardial ischemia and sudden cardiac death.

The post-mortem diagnosis of acute myocardial ischemia remains a challenge for both clinical and forensic pathologists. We performed an experimental study (ligation of left anterior descending coronary artery in rats) in order to identify early markers of myocardial ischemia, to further apply to forensic and clinical pathology in cases of sudden cardiac death. Using immunohistochemistry, Western blots, and gene expression analyses, we investigated a number of markers, selected among those which are currently used in emergency departments to diagnose myocardial infarction and those which are under investigation in basic research and autopsy pathology studies on cardiovascular diseases. The study was performed on 44 adult male Lewis rats, assigned to three experimental groups: control, sham-operated, and operated. The durations of ischemia ranged between 5 min and 24 h. The investigated markers were troponins I and T, myoglobin, fibronectin, C5b-9, connexin 43 (dephosphorylated), JunB, cytochrome c, and TUNEL staining. The earliest expressions (≤30 min) were observed for connexin 43, JunB, and cytochrome c, followed by fibronectin (≤1 h), myoglobin (≤1 h), troponins I and T (≤1 h), TUNEL (≤1 h), and C5b-9 (≤2 h). By this investigation, we identified a panel of true early markers of myocardial ischemia and delineated their temporal evolution in expression by employing new technologies for gene expression analysis, in addition to traditional and routine methods (such as histology and immunohistochemistry). Moreover, for the first time in the autopsy pathology field, we identified, by immunohistochemistry, two very early markers of myocardial ischemia: dephosphorylated connexin 43 and JunB

A database of the coseismic effects following the 30 October 2016 Norcia earthquake in Central Italy

We provide a database of the coseismic geological surface effects following the Mw 6.5 Norcia earthquake that hit central Italy on 30 October 2016. This was one of the strongest seismic events to occur in Europe in the past thirty years, causing complex surface ruptures over an area of >400 km 2. The database originated from the collaboration of several European teams (Open EMERGEO Working Group; about 130 researchers) coordinated by the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia. The observations were collected by performing detailed field surveys in the epicentral region in order to describe the geometry and kinematics of surface faulting, and subsequently of landslides and other secondary coseismic effects. The resulting database consists of homogeneous georeferenced records identifying 7323 observation points, each of which contains 18 numeric and string fields of relevant information. This database will impact future earthquake studies focused on modelling of the seismic processes in active extensional settings, updating probabilistic estimates of slip distribution, and assessing the hazard of surface faulting

Association of kidney disease measures with risk of renal function worsening in patients with type 1 diabetes

Background: Albuminuria has been classically considered a marker of kidney damage progression in diabetic patients and it is routinely assessed to monitor kidney function. However, the role of a mild GFR reduction on the development of stage 653 CKD has been less explored in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) patients. Aim of the present study was to evaluate the prognostic role of kidney disease measures, namely albuminuria and reduced GFR, on the development of stage 653 CKD in a large cohort of patients affected by T1DM. Methods: A total of 4284 patients affected by T1DM followed-up at 76 diabetes centers participating to the Italian Association of Clinical Diabetologists (Associazione Medici Diabetologi, AMD) initiative constitutes the study population. Urinary albumin excretion (ACR) and estimated GFR (eGFR) were retrieved and analyzed. The incidence of stage 653 CKD (eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2) or eGFR reduction > 30% from baseline was evaluated. Results: The mean estimated GFR was 98 \ub1 17 mL/min/1.73m2 and the proportion of patients with albuminuria was 15.3% (n = 654) at baseline. About 8% (n = 337) of patients developed one of the two renal endpoints during the 4-year follow-up period. Age, albuminuria (micro or macro) and baseline eGFR < 90 ml/min/m2 were independent risk factors for stage 653 CKD and renal function worsening. When compared to patients with eGFR > 90 ml/min/1.73m2 and normoalbuminuria, those with albuminuria at baseline had a 1.69 greater risk of reaching stage 3 CKD, while patients with mild eGFR reduction (i.e. eGFR between 90 and 60 mL/min/1.73 m2) show a 3.81 greater risk that rose to 8.24 for those patients with albuminuria and mild eGFR reduction at baseline. Conclusions: Albuminuria and eGFR reduction represent independent risk factors for incident stage 653 CKD in T1DM patients. The simultaneous occurrence of reduced eGFR and albuminuria have a synergistic effect on renal function worsening