Lights and Shadows in the Use of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Lung Inflammation, a Poorly Investigated Topic in Cystic Fibrosis

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent non-hematopoietic stem cells residing in many tissues, including the lung. MSCs have long been regarded as a promising tool for cell-based therapy because of their ability to replace damaged tissue by differentiating into the resident cell and repopulating the injured area. Their ability to release soluble factors and extracellular vesicles has emerged as crucial in the resolution of inflammation and injury. There is a growing literature on the use of MSCs and MSC secretome to hamper inflammation in different lung pathologies, including: asthma, pneumonia, acute lung injury (ALI), pulmonary hypertension, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, their potential therapeutic role in the context of Cystic Fibrosis (CF) lung inflammation is still not fully characterized. CF morbidity and mortality are mainly due to progressive lung dysfunction. Lung inflammation is a chronic and unresolved condition that triggers progressive tissue damage. Thus, it becomes even more important to develop innovative immunomodulatory therapies aside from classic anti-inflammatory agents. Here, we address the main features of CF and the implications in lung inflammation. We then review how MSCs and MSC secretome participate in attenuating inflammation in pulmonary pathologies, emphasizing the significant potential of MSCs as new therapeutic approach in CF

LCA to Estimate the Environmental Impact of Dairy Farms: A Case Study

Intensive farming is responsible for extreme environmental impacts under different aspects, among which global warming represents a major reason of concern. This is a quantitative problem linked to the farm size and a qualitative one, depending on farming methods and land management. The dairy sector is particularly relevant in terms of environmental impact, and new approaches to meeting sustainability goals at a global scale while meeting society's needs are necessary. The present study was carried out to assess the environmental impact of dairy cattle farms based on a life cycle assessment (LCA) model applied to a case study. These preliminary results show the possibility of identifying the most relevant impacts in terms of supplied products, such as animal feed and plastic packaging, accounting for 19% and 15% of impacts, respectively, and processes, in terms of energy and fuel consumption, accounting for 53% of impacts overall. In particular, the local consumption of fossil fuels for operations within the farm represents the most relevant item of impact, with a small margin for improvement. On the other hand, remarkable opportunities to reduce the impact can be outlined from the perspective of stronger partnerships with suppliers to promote the circularity of packaging and the sourcing of animal feed. Future studies may include the impact of drug administration and the analysis of social aspects of LCA

Salinity dynamics under different water management plans coupled with sea level rise scenarios in the Red River Delta, Vietnam

In recent years, saltwater intrusion in river estuaries has become more severe and frequent worldwide. The common reasons lie in increasing freshwater withdrawal, river flow regulation and sea level rise due to global warming. In particular, the Red River Delta in northern Vietnam is facing a strong population growth worsening the pressure on freshwater resources for drinking water and irrigation needs. During the dry season, increasing conflicts and constraints in freshwater availability have already been experienced. Adverse combinations of river flow regulations and high sea levels lead to severe upstream propagations of salinity. This study takes advantage of a statistical characterization of discharges released from Hoa Binh reservoir and observed at Son Tay station, the main river flow control upstream of the river delta, along with downscaled and updated sea level rise sce- narios to estimate the future extents of saltwater intrusion under different options of water release from reser- voirs in the dry season. To do so, a 1D hydraulic model of the river delta network was implemented using MIKE11 software. The hydraulic and the quality modules were calibrated and validated with respect to the present scenario by using water stages and salinity concentrations observed in estuary branches. Sea level rise projections for 2050 and 2100 referred to RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 AR5 emission scenarios were then considered. Results show that river flow regulation can provide an effective mitigation measure. A 20–30% increase in the discharge released from the Son Tay station would be beneficial to push downstream the saltwater intrusion in the main Red River branch during the dry season. For instance, in 2050 the 1‰ salt concentration front is ex- pected to be pushed back at least 6 km when the exceeding probability of the discharge released by Son Tay station decreases from 95% to 25%

Collapse of superconductivity in cuprates via ultrafast quenching of phase coherence

The possibility of driving phase transitions in low-density condensates through the loss of phase coherence alone has far-reaching implications for the study of quantum phases of matter. This has inspired the development of tools to control and explore the collective properties of condensate phases via phase fluctuations. Electrically-gated oxide interfaces, ultracold Fermi atoms, and cuprate superconductors, which are characterized by an intrinsically small phase-stiffness, are paradigmatic examples where these tools are having a dramatic impact. Here we use light pulses shorter than the internal thermalization time to drive and probe the phase fragility of the Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+\delta}$ cuprate superconductor, completely melting the superconducting condensate without affecting the pairing strength. The resulting ultrafast dynamics of phase fluctuations and charge excitations are captured and disentangled by time-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. This work demonstrates the dominant role of phase coherence in the superconductor-to-normal state phase transition and offers a benchmark for non-equilibrium spectroscopic investigations of the cuprate phase diagram.Comment: 24 pages, 9 figures, Main Text and Supplementary Informatio

P045 THE USE OF AZATHIOPRINE FOR THE TREATMENT OF INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES IN CLINICAL PRACTICE: A MULTICENTER, RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

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Natural Occurrence of Ochratoxin A in Blood and Milk Samples from Jennies and Their Foals after Delivery

An assessment of the natural ochratoxin A (OTA) exposure of seven Martina Franca jennies was carried out by analyzing blood and milk samples collected close to and after delivery. A total of 41 and 34 blood samples were collected from jennies and foals, respectively, and analyzed by ELISA. A total of 33 milk samples were collected from jennies and analyzed by the HPLC/FLD method based on IAC clean-up. Furthermore, 53 feed samples were collected from January to September and analyzed by a reference method (AOAC Official Method No. 2000.03) for OTA content. Feed samples showed OTA levels up to 2.7 ng/g with an incidence of 32%, while the OTA incidence rate in jennies' blood samples was 73%, with a median value of 97 ng/L and concentrations ranging fro

SOLAR TRACKER BERBASIS ARDUINO UNO

Energi matahari dapat dimanfaatkan dengan cara merangkai suatu alat yang dapat digunakan untuk mengubah energi matahari menjadi energi listrik. Alat yang dapat digunakan adalah Panel Surya. Teknologi dengan menggunakan Panel Surya  telah lama dikenal oleh manusia. Permasalahan yang ada sekarang ini adalah Panel Surya yang terpasang kebanyakan masih bersifat statis. Hal ini menyebabkan penerimaan energi matahari tidak optimal. Oleh karena itu, perlu dibuat sistem yang membuat Panel Surya selalu mengikuti arah matahari. Perangkat solar tracker bertujuan untuk bisa mengikuti arah gerak matahari dengan menampilkan status baterai pada LCD, dengan kontroller berupa arduino uno dan perangkat tambahan sebagai input berupa 2 sensor LDR dan 1 buah output berupa motor servo sebagai penggerak panel surya.&nbsp

Inflammatory role of extracellular sphingolipids in Cystic Fibrosis

Ceramide is emerging as one of the players of inflammation in lung diseases. However, data on its inflammatory role in Cystic Fibrosis (CF) as part of the extracellular machinery driven by lung mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) are missing. We obtained an in vitro model of CF-MSC by treating control human lung MSCs with a specific CFTR inhibitor. We characterized EVs populations derived from MSCs (ctr EVs) and CF-MSCs (CF-EVs) and analyzed their sphingolipid profile by LC-MS/MS. To evaluate their immunomodulatory function, we treated an in vitro human model of CF, with both EVs populations. Our data show that the two EVs populations differ for the average size, amount, and rate of uptake. CF-EVs display higher ceramide and dihydroceramide accumulation as compared to control EVs, suggesting the involvement of the de novo biosynthesis pathway in the parental CF-MSCs. Higher sphingomyelinase activity in CF-MSCs, driven by inflammation-induced ceramide accumulation, sustains the exocytosis of vesicles that export new formed pro-inflammatory ceramide. Our results suggest that CFTR dysfunction associates with an enhanced sphingolipid metabolism leading to the release of EVs that export the excess of pro-inflammatory Cer to the recipient cells, thus contributing to maintain the unresolved inflammatory status of CF

Incidental Findings Suggestive of COVID-19 in Asymptomatic Patients Undergoing Nuclear Medicine Procedures in a High-Prevalence Region

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