Modelling Environmental Niche for the Endangered Crayfish Austropotamobius pallipesComplex in Northern and Central Italy

The potential distribution of endangered species is a necessary step to assess species conservation status and manage reintroduction plans. In the context of a EU project on the endangered Austropotamobius pallipescomplex, we modelled the environmental niche of the species in two large areas of Northern (Lombardy, 43 records) and Central Italy (Abruzzo, Province of Isernia, Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park; 69 records). Ecological niche models (ENMs) were built by using the maximum entropy approach as implemented in the MaxEnt software, which predicts the occurrence of a species using presence-only data. The environmental niche was modelled using six variables: altitude, slope, aspect, human disturbance, mean temperature of warmest quarter and distance from stream. Each study area was modelled independently. Both ENMs obtained high performance scores as measured by the AUC index (Northern Italy: 0.854; Central Italy: 0.817). Slope in Northern Italy and the mean temperature of warmest quarter in Central Italy achieved the greatest predictive power. Our results clearly show that the endangered white-clawed crayfish has a narrow range of habitat selection in the two study areas. Our findings may help researchers to select the best sites for future reintroductions in conservation projects

Coffee enhances the expression of chaperones and antioxidant proteins in rats with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Coffee consumption is inversely related to the degree of liver injury in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Molecular mediators contributing to coffee's beneficial effects in NAFLD remain to be elucidated. In this study, we administrated decaffeinated espresso coffee or vehicle to rats fed an high-fat diet (HFD) for 12 weeks and examined the effects of coffee on liver injury by using two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE) proteomic analysis combined with mass spectrometry. Rats fed an HFD and water developed panacinar steatosis, lobular inflammation, and mild fibrosis, whereas rats fed an HFD and coffee exhibited only mild steatosis. Coffee consumption increased liver expression of the endoplasmic reticulum chaperones glucose-related protein 78 and protein disulfide-isomerase A3; similarly, coffee drinking enhanced the expression of the mitochondrial chaperones heat stress protein 70 and DJ-1. Furthermore, in agreement with reduced hepatic levels of 8-isoprostanes and 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine, proteomic analysis showed that coffee consumption induces the expression of master regulators of redox status (i.e., peroxiredoxin 1, glutathione S-transferase α2, and D-dopachrome tautomerase). Last, proteomics revealed an association of coffee intake with decreased expression of electron transfer flavoprotein subunit α, a component of the mitochondrial respiratory chain, involved in de novo lipogenesis. In this study, we were able to identify by proteomic analysis the stress proteins mediating the antioxidant effects of coffee; moreover, we establish for the first time the contribution of specific coffee-induced endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondrial chaperones ensuring correct protein folding and degradation in the liver

Mutation and suppressor analysis of the essential LPS-transport protein LptA reveals strategies to overcome severe outer membrane permeability defects in Escherichia coli

In Gram-negative bacteria, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) contributes to the robust permeability barrier of the outer membrane (OM), preventing the entry of toxic molecules such as detergents and antibiotics. LPS is transported from the inner membrane (IM) to the OM by the Lpt multiprotein machinery. Defects in LPS transport compromise LPS assembly at the OM and result in increased antibiotic sensitivity. LptA is a key component of the Lpt machine that interacts with the IM protein LptC and chaperons LPS through the periplasm. We report here the construction of lptA41, a quadruple mutant in four conserved amino acids potentially involved in LPS or LptC binding. Although viable, the mutant displays increased sensitivity to several antibiotics (bacitracin, rifampicin and novobiocin) and the SDS detergent, suggesting that lptA41 affects LPS transport. Indeed, lptA41 is defective in Lpt complex assembly and its lipid A carries modifications diagnostic of LPS transport defects. We also selected and characterized two phenotypic bacitracin resistant suppressors of lptA41 One mutant, in which only bacitracin sensitivity is suppressed, harbours a small in-frame deletion in mlaA, that codes for an OM lipoprotein involved in maintaining OM asymmetry by reducing accumulation of phospholipids in the outer leaflet. The other one, in which bacitracin, rifampicin and SDS sensitivity is suppressed, harbours an additional amino acid substitution in LptA41 and a nonsense mutation in opgH, encoding a glycosyltransferase involved in periplasmic membrane-derived oligosaccharides synthesis. Characterization of the suppressor mutants highlights different strategies adopted by the cell to overcome OM defects caused by impaired LPS transport.IMPORTANCE Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is the major constituent of the outer membrane (OM) of most Gram-negative bacteria forming a barrier against antibiotics. LPS is synthesized at the inner membrane (IM), transported across the periplasm and assembled at the OM by the multiprotein Lpt complex. LptA is the periplasmic component of the Lpt complex, which bridges IM and OM and ferries LPS across the periplasm. How the cell co-ordinates the processes involved in OM biogenesis is not completely understood. We have generated a partially defective mutant in lptA, which exhibits increased sensitivity to antibiotics and selected for suppressors of this mutant. The analysis of two independent suppressors reveals different strategies adopted by the cell to overcome defects in LPS biogenesis

The Medieval Kingdom of Sicily Image Database. A Tribute to Caroline Bruzelius

In 2021 a group of researchers and students on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean toasted ten years of The Medieval Kingdom of Sicily Image Database project (https://kos.aahvs.duke.edu/): a collection of historical images of medieval monuments in Southern Italy launched in 2011 in order to document the turbulent history of this highly stratified patrimony, images that testify to the cultural richness of the Italian South. Online since October 2016, the project was fostered by Caroline Bruzelius at Duke University (NC) and, if it has become an invaluable research and study tool, it is thanks to her charisma and her indefatigable enthusiasm in the face of new challenges, both of which have helped her become as much a leading light in the world of Digital Humanities as she had already become in the field of medieval architecture. The papers presented in this volume, authored by both scientific collaborators and students, are a tribute to her, to celebrate ten years of the project and ideally to reap the fruit of the ambitious and visionary idea that set it all in train

The risks associated with percutaneous native kidney biopsies: a prospective study

The known risks and benefits of native kidney biopsies are mainly based on the findings of retrospective studies. The aim of this multicentre prospective study was to evaluate the safety of percutaneous renal biopsies and quantify biopsy-related complication rates in Italy

Manual of Cardio-oncology Cardiovascular Care in the Cancer Patient

This concise and handy manual provides straightforward, up-to-date guidance for cardiologists and other practitioners on the management of cancer patients with cardiac problems, whether they be due to the cancer itself or to antineoplastic treatment. Detailed attention is devoted to the various forms of cardiotoxicity associated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The drugs commonly responsible for each toxicity are identified and clear advice is offered on monitoring techniques and treatment approaches. In addition, the issue of cardiotoxicity due to cancer treatment in particular patient groups \u2013 children, the elderly, and those with pre-existing cardiac disease \u2013 is addressed separately, with guidance on when and how antineoplastic (and/or cardiological) treatments should be modified. Further sections describe the correct responses to cardiac problems secondary to the cancer itself, including thromboembolic disorders and electrolyte imbalances, and the diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of cardiac tumors. A closing section considers how to improve cooperation between oncologists, cardiologists, and general practitioners to ensure that cancer patients\u2019 cardiovascular needs are met in a multidisciplinary approach