"Investigating the hazards posed by pristine and modified copper nanomaterials using in vitro screens combined with in vivo models"

Nanomaterial use has increased as the properties of materials at the nanoscale differ substantially from bulk materials. However, there is still a lack of information concerning their impact on human health and environment. Part of this study investigated the hazard of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs), multi-wall carbon nanotubes, silicon dioxide, pigment Red 254 and cobalt coated tungsten carbide using an in vitro hepatocyte model (HepG2/C3A cell lines). Most of the work was then conducted on CuO NPs together with four Safer by Design modifications of the same NPs (either citrate, ascorbate, polyethylenimine (PEI) or polyvinylpyrrolidone coating) and on both copper amine and micronized copper formulations, investigating their potency as inhibitors of fungal growth and analysing the gene expression in vivo on inhalation and ingestion models (Wistar rats). Copper materials consistently exerted cytotoxicity to HepG2/C3A cells and induced cytokine production 24 hours post exposure. Micronized copper and ascorbate coated CuO were the most and the least toxic respectively. Copper amine was most effective at reducing the fungal growth of Coniophora puteana, Trametes versicolor and Gloeophyllum trabeum while ascorbate coating enhanced the antifungal effect of CuO NPs. In vivo, short-term inhalation studies (STIS) were performed with pristine, ascorbate and PEI coatings. All the materials upregulated tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) in lung tissue; in the short-term oral study (STOS) with CuO NPs and micronized copper, only the latter downregulated chemokine C-X-C motif ligand 2 (CXCL2) in the liver and metallothionein 1A in the ileum. In conclusion, CuO NPs were relatively cytotoxic in vitro and induced pro-inflammatory responses both in vitro and in vivo. However, these NPs were ineffective as antifungal treatment while the ascorbate coating enhanced the antifungal effect together with a significant decrease of cytotoxicity in vitro. The other materials did not induce any significant cytotoxicity nor cytokine production in C3A cells

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A collection of visual and conceptual literature

Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus virulence factors as biomarkers of infection

The gold standard for the diagnosis of bacterial infections in clinical samples is based on culture tests that are time-consuming and labor-intense. For these reasons, an extraordinary effort has been made to identify biomarkers as the tools for sensitive, rapid and accurate identification of pathogenic microorganisms. Moreover, biomarkers have been tested to distinguish colonization from infection, monitor disease progression, determine the clinical status of patients or predict clinical outcomes. This mini-review describes Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus biomarkers, which contribute to pathogenesis and have been used in culture-independent bacterial identification directly from patient samples

A new bioinformatic pipeline allows the design of small, targeted gene panels for efficient TMB estimation

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Competing during a pandemic? Retailers’ ups and downs during the COVID-19 outbreak

The COVID-19 pandemic (that started in early 2020) is causing several disruptions in the short- and mid-term, to which businesses have to adapt. Some retailers have reacted to the emergency immediately, displaying a plethora of different intervention types. The authors aim to synthesize the challenges that retailers are facing during the COVID-19 emergency. We do this from the perspective of both consumers and managers, with the goal of providing guidelines on and examples of how retailers can handle this unprecedented situation

Different Patterns of Neurodegeneration and Glia Activation in CA1 and CA3 Hippocampal Regions of TgCRND8 Mice

We investigated the different patterns of neurodegeneration and glia activation in CA1 and CA3 hippocampal areas of TgCRND8 mice. The main feature of this transgenic model is the rapid development of the amyloid pathology, which starts already at 3 months of age. We performed immunohistochemical analyses to compare the different sensibility of the two hippocampal regions to neurodegeneration. We performed qualitative and quantitative evaluations by fluorescence immunohistochemistry with double or triple staining, followed by confocal microscopy and digital image analysis in stratum pyramidale (SP) and stratum radiatum (SR) of CA1 and CA3, separately. We evaluated time-dependent Aβ plaques deposition, expression of inflammatory markers, as well as quantitative and morphological alterations of neurons and glia in transgenic mice at 3 (Tg 3M) and 6 (Tg 6M) months of age, compared to WT mice. In CA1 SR of Tg 6M mice, we found significantly more Medium and Large plaques than in CA3. The pattern of neurodegeneration and astrocytes activation was different in the two areas, indicating higher sensitivity of CA1. In the CA1 SP of Tg 6M mice, we found signs of reactive astrogliosis, such as increase of astrocytes density in SP, increase of GFAP expression in SR, and elongation of astrocytes branches. We found also common patterns of glia activation and neurodegenerative processes in CA1 and CA3 of Tg 6M mice: significant increase of total and reactive microglia density in SP and SR, increased expression of TNFα, of iNOS, and IL1β in astrocytes and increased density of neurons–astrocytes–microglia triads. In CA1 SP, we found decrease of volume and number of pyramidal neurons, paralleled by increase of apoptosis, and, consequently, shrinkage of CA1 SP. These data demonstrate that in TgCRND8 mice, the responses of neurons and glia to neurodegenerative patterns induced by Aβ plaques deposition is not uniform in the two hippocampal areas, and in CA1 pyramidal neurons, the higher sensitivity may be related to the different plaque distribution in this area. All these modifications may be at the basis of memory loss, the peculiar symptom of AD, which was demonstrated in this transgenic mouse model of Aβ deposition, even at early stages

The effects of enzalutamide and abiraterone on skeletal related events and bone radiological progression free survival in castration resistant prostate cancer patients: An indirect comparison of randomized controlled trials

Two new drugs, the CYP17 inhibitor abiraterone acetate and the androgen receptor (AR) antagonist enzalutamide, have recently shown to prolong OS prior chemotherapy or in docetaxel treated mCRPC patients, using steroidal therapy or placebo as control group. Updated analyses underlined the role of these new agents on two prostate-specific endpoints as radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS) and time to first skeletal-related event (tSRE). On the basis of these reports, we made an indirect comparison between abiraterone and enzalutamide. We obtained a clinically but not significant difference favouring enzalutamide over abiraterone in terms of rPFS (HR 0.48, 95% CI 0.22â1.02). No significant difference was shown in term of tSRE (HR 0.99, 95% CI 0.83â1.17). In conclusion, abiraterone and enzalutamide have both demonstrated to significantly delay the bone progression resulting in similar improvements in bone-related endpoints in patients with mCRPC