A circular RNA map for human induced pluripotent stem cells of foetal origin

Background Adult skin fibroblasts represent the most common starting cell type used to generate human induced pluripotent stem cells (F-hiPSC) for clinical studies. Yet, a foetal source would offer unique advantages, primarily the absence of accumulated somatic mutations. Herein, we generated hiPSC from cord blood multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC-hiPSC) and compared them with F-hiPSC. Assessment of the full activation of the pluripotency gene regulatory network (PGRN) focused on circular RNA (circRNA), recently proposed to participate in the control of pluripotency. Methods Reprogramming was achieved by a footprint-free strategy. Self-renewal and pluripotency of cord blood MSC-hiPSC were investigated in vitro and in vivo, compared to parental MSC, to embryonic stem cells and to F-hiPSC. High-throughput array-based approaches and bioinformatics analyses were applied to address the PGRN. • View related content for this article Findings Cord blood MSC-hiPSC successfully acquired a complete pluripotent identity. Functional comparison with F-hiPSC showed no differences in terms of i) generation of mesenchymal-like derivatives, ii) their subsequent adipogenic, osteogenic and chondrogenic commitment, and iii) their hematopoietic support ability. At the transcriptional level, specific subsets of mRNA, miRNA and circRNA (n = 4,429) were evidenced, casting a further layer of complexity on the PGRN regulatory crosstalk. Interpretation A circRNA map of transcripts associated to naïve and primed pluripotency is provided for hiPSC of clinical-grade foetal origin, offering insights on still unreported regulatory circuits of the PGRN to consider for the optimization and development of efficient differentiation protocols for clinical translation

Un carcere, un assalto. Repressione fascista, gappismo e Resistenza a Verona

Sono le ore 18.25 del 17 luglio 1944. Sei gappisti penetrano nel carcere veronese degli Scalzi con l'obiettivo di liberare il comunista sindacalista Giovanni Roveda

Recent advancements in rubber nanocomposites

Nanocomposites were prepared via melt blending, based on organically modified clays (OC), carbon nanotubes (CNT), and graphitic nanofillers made by a few layers of graphene (nanoG). In particular, nanocomposites based on a hybrid filler system, with a nanostructured filler such as carbon black (CB), are examined. It is shown that low crystalline order in the interlayer space of a layered nanofiller (such as OC and nanoG) leads to easier delamination. Nanofillers give rise to filler networking at low concentration, particularly in the presence of CB. Hybrid filler systems lead to nanocomposites' having initial moduli that are much higher than those calculated through the sum of the initial modulus of composites containing either only CB or only the nanofiller. Nanofillers enhance the matrix modulus by a multiplication factor that depends only on the nanofiller type and content, regardless of whether the matrix is a neat or a CB-filled polymer. Furthermore, the filler- polymer interfacial area is shown to be a parameter able to correlate the mechanical behavior of both nano-CNT and nanostructured (CB) fillers. By plotting values of the composite initial modulus versus the filler-polymer interfacial area, points due to CB, CNT, and the hybrid CB-CNT system lie on the same curve

Erratum to Palmitoylethanolamide and luteolin ameliorate development of arthritis caused by injection of collagen type II in mice [Arthritis Res Ther. 2013;15: R192] doi: 10.1186/ar4382

The authors would like to issue an erratum for this article [1], and would like to declare the following competing interests which we inadvertently failed to include in our original publication. The authors would like to apologise for this omission. In addition, a detailed method for co-ultramicronization process is reported: Co-ultramicronization process was performed in a jet-mill equipment endowed with a chamber of 300 mm in diameter which operates with “spiral technology” and was driven by compressed air at 10-12 bars. The crashing is determined by the high number of collisions that occurs among particles, as a result of the high level of kinetic – not mechanical - energy. This process was effective not only in reducing the products particle size, but also in modifying their crystalline structure. Observations by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) shows an intimate intermixing of the two components of the composite, while analysis throw differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) have documented the transformation in a new crystalline form different from the original two, definable with “a higher energy content form.” The composite shows the following particle size distribution: 96 % <10 μm; 80 % <5 μm; 40 % <2 μm (J Neuroinflammation 2013 10:91)

Effects of a polyphenol present in olive oil, Oleuropein aglycone, in a murine model of intestinal ischemia/reperfusion injury

Dietary olive oil supplementation and more recently, olive oil phenols have been recommended as important therapeutic interventions in preventive medicine. Ole has several pharmacological properties, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiatherogenic, anticancer, antimicrobial, and antiviral and for these reasons, is becoming an important subject of study in recent years. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Ole aglycone on the modulation of the secondary events in mice subjected to intestinal IRI. This was induced in mice by clamping the superior mesenteric artery and the celiac trunk for 30 min, followed by release of the clamp, allowing reperfusion for 1 h. After 60 min of reperfusion, animals were killed for histological examination of the ileum tissue and immunohistochemical localization of proinflammatory cytokines (TNF- and IL-1) and adhesion molecules (ICAM-1 and P-sel); moreover, by Western blot analysis, we investigated the activation of NF-B and IB. In addition, we evaluated the apoptosis process, as shown by TUNEL staining and Bax/Bcl-2 expressions. The results obtained by the histological and molecular examinations showed in Ole aglycone-treated mice, a decrease of inflammation and apoptosis pathway versus SAO-shocked mice. In conclusion, we propose that the olive oil compounds, in particular, the Ole aglycone, could represent a possible treatment against secondary events of intestinal IRI