An eco-compatible process for the depuration of wastewater from olive mill industry

Olive mill wastewater (OMW) is the by-product of olive oil industrial production. It is characterized by a dark brownish color and a strong odor and is considered one of the most polluted agricultural wastes. In this paper we briefly describe an innovative procedure for the depuration of olive mill wastewater. With this procedure it is also possible to recover valuable substances such as phenolic compounds which have important commercial applications: they can be used in the prevention of cardiovascular disease and as antiviral, antioxidant and antitumor agents. The proposed OMW treatment uses two different packed vegetable matrices which remove most of the pollutant substances by absorption. After filtration of OMW on the matrices the pollutant load of the waste is greatly reduced: the organic content (COD) is reduced more than 80% and the phenol compounds are completely removed

Top-quark pair cross-section at √s = 13.6 TeV with the ATLAS experiment

The ATLAS detector started collecting data in 2022 at the centreof-mass energy √s = 13.6 TeV. In this report, an analysis of proton-proton collision data collected in August 2022 by the ATLAS detector at the LHC is shown. The analysis aim is to measure the top-quark pair production cross-section and its ratio to the Z boson production cross-section. Some of the first plots showing a comparison between Run 3 data and predictions in the eμ final state are presented

Protein targets of inflammatory serine proteases and cardiovascular disease

Serine proteases are a key component of the inflammatory response as they are discharged from activated leukocytes and mast cells or generated through the coagulation cascade. Their enzymatic activity plays a major role in the body's defense mechanisms but it has also an impact on vascular homeostasis and tissue remodeling. Here we focus on the biological role of serine proteases in the context of cardiovascular disease and their mechanism(s) of action in determining specific vascular and tissue phenotypes. Protease-activated receptors (PARs) mediate serine protease effects; however, these proteases also exert a number of biological activities independent of PARs as they target specific protein substrates implicated in vascular remodeling and the development of cardiovascular disease thus controlling their activities. In this review both PAR-dependent and -independent mechanisms of action of serine proteases are discussed for their relevance to vascular homeostasis and structural/functional alterations of the cardiovascular system. The elucidation of these mechanisms will lead to a better understanding of the molecular forces that control vascular and tissue homeostasis and to effective preventative and therapeutic approaches

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FdA – Publicaties zonder aanstelling Universiteit Leide

The cardiovascular effects of proteolysis of high molecular weight basic fibroblast growth factor by inflammatory serine proteases

Abstract Cardiovascular disease is characterized by structural and functional changes of blood vessel's wall that lead to reduced blood flow and eventually occlusion. The integrity of the vascular wall is maintained by homeostatic mechanisms controlled by the endothelium. Stress caused by age, oxidants, mechanical injury, and inflammation can result in endothelial dysfunction leading to remodeling of the vessel wall. We found that thrombin, a key protease of the coagulation cascade and inflammatory response, cleaves the high molecular weight (HMW) forms of basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2), a ubiquitous protein with trophic effects on vascular cells. The C-terminal fragment of FGF-2 generated by thrombin is similar to low molecular weight (LMW; 18 kDa) FGF-2, and induces vascular cell activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinases ERK-1/2, migration and proliferation. The N-terminal fragment generated by thrombin cleavage of HMW FGF-2 contains a sequence rich in asymmetric-dimethyl-arginine (ADMA) residues. In free form ADMA inhibits key reactions for blood vessel homeostasis such as nitric oxide synthesis, and its serum levels, elevated in diabetes, renal failure, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia, correlate with a poor prognosis in cardiovascular patients. We found that thrombin cleavage of HMW FGF-2 dramatically upregulates intracellular ADMA levels in cultured cells. Thus, the C-terminal cleavage product of HMW FGF-2 can activate intracellular signaling and control vascular cell functions, while the N-terminal fragment of FGF-2 generates ADMA, a powerful inhibitor of nitric oxide synthesis. We hypothesize that upon vascular injury HMW FGF-2 is processed by inflammatory serine proteases such as thrombin generating molecules that accelerate the development of intimal hyperplasia. This novel mechanism implicates human HMW FGF-2 in the pathogenetic mechanisms of vascular injury occurring in hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia, conditions that are all characterized by elevated serum levels of ADMA. The elucidation of these mechanisms will foster the development of new pharmacological tools for the treatment of the cardiovascular disorders associated with these diseases

Transcriptional regulation of the IGF signaling pathway by amino acids and insulin-like growth factors during myogenesis in Atlantic salmon

The insulin-like growth factor signalling pathway is an important regulator of skeletal muscle growth. We examined the mRNA expression of components of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signalling pathway as well as Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 (FGF2) during maturation of myotubes in primary cell cultures isolated from fast myotomal muscle of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). The transcriptional regulation of IGFs and IGFBP expression by amino acids and insulin-like growth factors was also investigated. Proliferation of cells was 15% d(-1) at days 2 and 3 of the culture, increasing to 66% d(-1) at day 6. Three clusters of elevated gene expression were observed during the maturation of the culture associated with mono-nucleic cells (IGFBP5.1 and 5.2, IGFBP-6, IGFBP-rP1, IGFBP-2.2 and IGF-II), the initial proliferation phase (IGF-I, IGFBP-4, FGF2 and IGF-IRb) and terminal differentiation and myotube production (IGF2R, IGF-IRa). In cells starved of amino acids and serum for 72 h, IGF-I mRNA decreased 10-fold which was reversed by amino acid replacement. Addition of IGF-I and amino acids to starved cells resulted in an 18-fold increase in IGF-I mRNA indicating synergistic effects and the activation of additional pathway(s) leading to IGF-I production via a positive feedback mechanism. IGF-II, IGFBP-5.1 and IGFBP-5.2 expression was unchanged in starved cells, but increased with amino acid replacement. Synergistic increases in expression of IGFBP5.2 and IGFBP-4, but not IGFBP5.1 were observed with addition of IGF-I, IGF-II or insulin and amino acids to the medium. IGF-I and IGF-II directly stimulated IGFBP-6 expression, but not when amino acids were present. These findings indicate that amino acids alone are sufficient to stimulate myogenesis in myoblasts and that IGF-I production is controlled by both endocrine and paracrine pathways. A model depicting the transcriptional regulation of the IGF pathway in Atlantic salmon muscle following feeding is proposed.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Evaluation of fascial manipulation in carpal tunnel syndrome: A pilot randomized clinical trial

peer reviewed[No abstract available