Dolphin Morbillivirus in Eurasian Otters, Italy

We report biomolecular evidence of dolphin morbillivirus in 4 wild Eurasian otters (Lutra lutra) from southern Italy; 2 animals showed simultaneous immunohistochemical reactivity against morbilliviral antigen. These cases add further concern and support to the progressively expanding host range of dolphin morbillivirus in the western Mediterranean Sea

Effetti della riduzione degli input di coltivazione sul girasole (<i>Helianthus annuus</i> L.) coltivato in diversi ambienti mediterranei

A two year field experiment was carried out on six different environmental sites of Middle and Southern Italy with the aim of evaluating the effects of some low input cultural techniques on yield of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.). In each sites sunflower commerciai hybrids were sown at different dates between January to April. Normal and minimum soil tillage were included in the experimental design, and irrigation treatments were also tested in two sites. Yield response of sunflower to minimum tillage treatments did not show in most cases a significant variation in comparison with ordinary tillage methods. Early sowing enhanced or decreased sunflower performance according to the agrometeorological features of the sites. Irrigation determined a significant yield effect but in some cases water efficiency was lower in early sowing treatments. The results indicate the possibility of reducing energy input in sunflower without remarkable yield depression, by adapting cultural techniques and hybrid choice to the environmental characteristics. Due anni di sperimentazione in campo sono stati condotti in sei differenti ambienti dell'Italia Centro-Meridionale al fine di valutare la possibilità di una semplificazione della tecnica colturale in girasole. Sono stati saggiati ibridi di diversa precocità seminati in differenti epoche e sottoposti ad un diverso grado di intensificazione delle lavorazioni. In due delle unità operative (UUOO) sono stati sperimentati anche diversi trattamenti irrigui. Nella maggior parte dei casi la lavorazione ridotta non ha determinato differenze significative di resa rispetto alla tecniche tradizionali di preparazione del terreno, mettendo in evidenza la capacità del girasole di sfruttare l'effetto residuo delle lavorazioni. L'anticipo delle semine ha avuto un effetto sulle rese variabile a seconda del sito di sperimentazione, indicando che in alcuni ambienti questo accorgimento consente di utilizzare al meglio le eventuali piogge invernali e primaverili. L'eliminazione o la riduzione degli apporti irrigui ha invece determinato significative riduzioni di produzione, anche se in alcune situazioni questo effetto è risultato meno marcato con le epoche di semina anticipate. Il primo biennio di sperimentazione ha messo in evidenza che la riduzione degli input nella coltivazione del girasole sia proponibile anche dal punto di vista economico purché si adegui la scelta delle tecniche colturali e dei genotipi alle caratteristiche ambientali

Quality assessment of medical record as a tool for clinical risk management: a three year experience of a teaching hospital Policlinico Umberto I, Rome

Introduction: The medical record was defined by the Italian Ministry of Health in 1992 as "the information tool designed to record all relevant demographic and clinical information on a patient during a single hospitalization episode". Retrospective analysis of medical records is a tool for selecting direct and indirect indicators of critical issues (organizational, management and technical). The project’s aim being the promotion of an evaluation and self-evaluation process of medical records as a Clinical Risk Management tool to improve the quality of care within hospitals. Methods: The Authors have retrospectively analysed, using a validated grid, 1,184 medical records of patients admitted to the Teaching Hospital “Umberto I” in Rome during a three-year period (2013-2015). Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS for Windows © 19:00. All duly filled out criteria (92) were examined. “Strengths” and "Weaknesses" were identified through data analysis and Best and Bad Practice were identified based on established criteria. Conclusion: The data analysis showed marked improvements (statistically significant) in the quality of evaluated clinical documentation and indirectly upon behaviour. However, when examining some sub-criteria, critical issues emerge; these could be subject to future further corrective action

Organic bioelectronics probing conformational changes in surface confined proteins

The study of proteins confined on a surface has attracted a great deal of attention due to its relevance in the development of bio-systems for laboratory and clinical settings. In this respect, organic bio-electronic platforms can be used as tools to achieve a deeper understanding of the processes involving protein interfaces. In this work, biotin-binding proteins have been integrated in two different organic thin-film transistor (TFT) configurations to separately address the changes occurring in the protein-ligand complex morphology and dipole moment. This has been achieved by decoupling the output current change upon binding, taken as the transducing signal, into its component figures of merit. In particular, the threshold voltage is related to the protein dipole moment, while the field-effect mobility is associated with conformational changes occurring in the proteins of the layer when ligand binding occurs. Molecular Dynamics simulations on the whole avidin tetramer in presence and absence of ligands were carried out, to evaluate how the tight interactions with the ligand affect the protein dipole moment and the conformation of the loops surrounding the binding pocket. These simulations allow assembling a rather complete picture of the studied interaction processes and support the interpretation of the experimental results

Role for Non-Proteolytic Control of M-phase Promoting Factor Activity at M-phase Exit

M-phase Promoting Factor (MPF; the cyclin B-cdk 1 complex) is activated at M-phase onset by removal of inhibitory phosphorylation of cdk1 at thr-14 and tyr-15. At M-phase exit, MPF is destroyed by ubiquitin-dependent cyclin proteolysis. Thus, control of MPF activity via inhibitory phosphorylation is believed to be particularly crucial in regulating transition into, rather than out of, M-phase. Using the in vitro cell cycle system derived form Xenopus eggs, here we show, however, that inhibitory phosphorylation of cdk1 contributes to control MPF activity during M-phase exit. By sampling extracts at very short intervals during both meiotic and mitotic exit, we found that cyclin B1-associated cdk1 underwent transient inhibitory phosphorylation at tyr-15 and that cyclin B1-cdk1 activity fell more rapidly than the cyclin B1 content. Inhibitory phosphorylation of MPF correlated with phosphorylation changes of cdc25C, the MPF phosphatase, and physical interaction of cdk1 with wee1, the MPF kinase, during M-phase exit. MPF down-regulation required Ca(++)/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII) and cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) activities at meiosis and mitosis exit, respectively. Treatment of M-phase extracts with a mutant cyclin B1-cdk1AF complex, refractory to inhibition by phosphorylation, impaired binding of the Anaphase Promoting Complex/Cyclosome (APC/C) to its co-activator Cdc20 and altered M-phase exit. Thus, timely M-phase exit requires a tight coupling of proteolysis-dependent and proteolysis-independent mechanisms of MPF inactivation

circPVT1 and PVT1/AKT3 show a role in cell proliferation, apoptosis, and tumor subtype-definition in small cell lung cancer

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is treated as a homogeneous disease, although the expression of NEUROD1, ASCL1, POU2F3, and YAP1 identifies distinct molecular subtypes. The MYC oncogene, amplified in SCLC, was recently shown to act as a lineage-specific factor to associate subtypes with histological classes. Indeed, MYC-driven SCLCs show a distinct metabolic profile and drug sensitivity. To disentangle their molecular features, we focused on the co-amplified PVT1, frequently overexpressed and originating circular (circRNA) and chimeric RNAs. We analyzed hsa_circ_0001821 (circPVT1) and PVT1/AKT3 (chimPVT1) as examples of such transcripts, respectively, to unveil their tumorigenic contribution to SCLC. In detail, circPVT1 activated a pro-proliferative and anti-apoptotic program when over-expressed in lung cells, and knockdown of chimPVT1 induced a decrease in cell growth and an increase of apoptosis in SCLC in vitro. Moreover, the investigated PVT1 transcripts underlined a functional connection between MYC and YAP1/POU2F3, suggesting that they contribute to the transcriptional landscape associated with MYC amplification. In conclusion, we have uncovered a functional role of circular and chimeric PVT1 transcripts in SCLC; these entities may prove useful as novel biomarkers in MYC-amplified tumors.</p

Associations between depressive symptoms and disease progression in older patients with chronic kidney disease: results of the EQUAL study

Background Depressive symptoms are associated with adverse clinical outcomes in patients with end-stage kidney disease; however, few small studies have examined this association in patients with earlier phases of chronic kidney disease (CKD). We studied associations between baseline depressive symptoms and clinical outcomes in older patients with advanced CKD and examined whether these associations differed depending on sex. Methods CKD patients (&gt;= 65 years; estimated glomerular filtration rate &lt;= 20 mL/min/1.73 m(2)) were included from a European multicentre prospective cohort between 2012 and 2019. Depressive symptoms were measured by the five-item Mental Health Inventory (cut-off &lt;= 70; 0-100 scale). Cox proportional hazard analysis was used to study associations between depressive symptoms and time to dialysis initiation, all-cause mortality and these outcomes combined. A joint model was used to study the association between depressive symptoms and kidney function over time. Analyses were adjusted for potential baseline confounders. Results Overall kidney function decline in 1326 patients was -0.12 mL/min/1.73 m(2)/month. A total of 515 patients showed depressive symptoms. No significant association was found between depressive symptoms and kidney function over time (P = 0.08). Unlike women, men with depressive symptoms had an increased mortality rate compared with those without symptoms [adjusted hazard ratio 1.41 (95% confidence interval 1.03-1.93)]. Depressive symptoms were not significantly associated with a higher hazard of dialysis initiation, or with the combined outcome (i.e. dialysis initiation and all-cause mortality). Conclusions There was no significant association between depressive symptoms at baseline and decline in kidney function over time in older patients with advanced CKD. Depressive symptoms at baseline were associated with a higher mortality rate in men