Infectious agents in atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases through oxidative stress

Accumulating evidence demonstrates that vascular oxidative stress is a critical feature of atherosclerotic process, potentially triggered by several infectious agents that are considered as risk co-factors for the atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). C. pneumoniae has been shown to upregulate multiple enzymatic systems capable of producing reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as NADPH oxidase (NOX) and cyclooxygenase in vascular endothelial cells, NOX and cytochrome c oxidase in macrophages as well as nitric oxide synthase and lipoxygenase in platelets contributing to both early and late stages of atherosclerosis. P. gingivalis seems to be markedly involved in the atherosclerotic process as compared to A. actinomycetemcomitans contributing to LDL oxidation and foam cell formation. Particularly interesting is the evidence describing the NLRP3 inflammasome activation as a new molecular mechanism underlying P. gingivalis-induced oxidative stress and inflammation. Amongst viral agents, immunodeficiency virus-1 and hepatitis C virus seem to have a major role in promoting ROS production, contributing, hence, to the early stages of atherosclerosis including endothelial dysfunction and LDL oxidation. In conclusion, oxidative mechanisms activated by several infectious agents during the atherosclerotic process underlying CVDs are very complex and not well-known, remaining, thus, an attractive target for future research

Hyphal growth of phagocytosed fusarium oxysporum causes cell lysis and death of murine macrophages

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

HyBIS: Windows Guest Protection through Advanced Memory Introspection

Effectively protecting the Windows OS is a challenging task, since most implementation details are not publicly known. Windows has always been the main target of malwares that have exploited numerous bugs and vulnerabilities. Recent trusted boot and additional integrity checks have rendered the Windows OS less vulnerable to kernel-level rootkits. Nevertheless, guest Windows Virtual Machines are becoming an increasingly interesting attack target. In this work we introduce and analyze a novel Hypervisor-Based Introspection System (HyBIS) we developed for protecting Windows OSes from malware and rootkits. The HyBIS architecture is motivated and detailed, while targeted experimental results show its effectiveness. Comparison with related work highlights main HyBIS advantages such as: effective semantic introspection, support for 64-bit architectures and for latest Windows (8.x and 10), advanced malware disabling capabilities. We believe the research effort reported here will pave the way to further advances in the security of Windows OSes

Regulation of CREB activation by p38 mitogen activated protein kinase during human primary erythroblast differentiation.

Among the molecular events underlying erythroid differentiation, we analyzed the signalling pathway leading to cAMP response element binding (CREB) nuclear transcription factor activation. Normal donor blood light density cells differentiated to pro-erythroblasts during the proliferative phase (10 days) of the Human Erithroblast Massive Amplification (HEMA) culture, and to orthochromatic erythroblasts, during the differentiative phase (4 additional days) of the culture. Since erythropoietin was present all over the culture, also pro-erythroblasts left in proliferative medium for 14 days continued their maturation without reaching the final steps of differentiation. p38 Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase (p38 MAPK) and CREB maximal activation occurred upon 4 days of differentiation induction, whereas a lower activation was detectable in the cells maintained in parallel in proliferative medium (14 days). Interestingly, when SB203580, a specific p38 MAPK inhibitor, was added to the culture the percentage of differentiated cells decreased along with p38 MAPK and CREB phosphorylation. All in all, our results evidence a role for p38 MAPK in activating CREB metabolic pathway in the events leading to erythroid differentiation

New Polymer-Supported Mono- and Bis-Cinchona Alkaloid Derivatives: Synthesis and Use in Asymmetric Organocatalyzed Reactions

The straightforward synthesis of polystyrene-supported Chinchona alkaloids and their application in the asymmetric dimerization of ketenes is reported. Six different immobilized derivatives, consisting of three dimeric and two monomeric 9-O ethers, were prepared by “click” anchoring of soluble alkaloid precursors on to azidomethyl resins. The resulting insoluble polymer-bound (IPB) organocatalysts were employed for promoting the dimerization of in-situ generated ketenes. After opening of the ketene dimer intermediates with N,O-dimethylhydroxylamine, valuable Weinreb amides were eventually obtained in good yield (up to 81 %) and excellent enantiomeric purity (up to 96 % ee). All of the IPB catalysts could be recycled effectively without significant loss of activity and enantioselectivity. The extension to other asymmetric transformations (meso-anhydride desymmetrization and α-amination of 2-oxindoles) is also briefly discussed

Morphology, geometric morphometrics, and taxonomy in relict deciduous oaks woods in northern Italy

Abstract: The Euganean Hills are a well-known refugee site for thermophilous woody flora in northern Italy. Among the species recorded here, there is Quercus dalechampii. The Euganean Hills are the only northern Italy site where the occurrence of this oak species is considered. The aim of this paper was to verify the presence of Q. dalechampii in the study area and to select possible diagnostic morphological traits that are usable to distinguish it from Q. petraea and Q. pubescens. Forest stands dominated by Q. petraea, Q. pubescens, and the presumed Q. dalechampii were sampled using the phytosociological approach to highlight their ecological features. Leaf and fruit material from 104 oak individuals was analysed from a macro-morphological and micro-morphological point of view. Leaf shape was also analysed using the geometric morphometric approach. All multivariate analysis procedures applied on the matrices of leaf and fruit traits highlighted two main clusters of morphological diversity. One was restricted to Q. pubescens individuals, and the other one was a mix of Q. petraea and presumed Q. dalechampii individuals. According to the twig and leaf trichome traits, all presumed Q. dalechampii individuals were classified as belonging to the Q. petraea collective group. Morphological differences between Q. petraea and presumed Q. dalechampii were considered not significant. In conclusion, the occurrence of a third oak species, in addition to Q. petraea and Q. pubescens, was not confirmed for the study area by the results of this paper. Graphic abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]

Ionizing Radiation-Induced Apoptosis and DNA Repair in Murine Erythroleukemia Cells

A morphological study of DNA repair and apoptotic patterns in relationship with cell cycle events was performed on murine erythroleukemia cells. The presence and distribution of DNA replicon sites were evaluated through the BrdU-anti BrdU immunofluorescence and immunogold techniques in light and electron microscopy. Different patterns of labelling and percentages of BrdU positive cells were observed depending on irradiation dose (up to 60 Gy) and time in post-irradiation culture (up to 24 hours). An enlargement of the S phase of the cell cycle was evidenced 18 hours post-irradiation as determined by flow cytometry analysis. The high resolution approach showed that, in spite of several morphological alterations, BrdU labelling was present even in cells displaying early and late apoptotic features

Ultrastructural Patterns of Cell Damage and Death Following Gamma Radiation Exposure of Murine Erythroleukemia Cells

Radiation causes damage to cell surface membranes, cytoplasmic organelles, and the nuclear process of DNA synthesis and repair, and this eventually results in different modes of cell death. In this study we examined murine erythroleukemia (MEL) cells, exposed to 15 and 60 Gy of 10 MeV photonic energy, and left in culture for up to 96 hours. Electron microscopical analysis was performed on conventionally embedded samples and freeze-fracture replicas, in order to detect ultrastructural patterns of cell damage and death. Of interest was the observation of chromatin condensates, nuclear membrane associations and nuclear pore redistribution during early apoptosis. Pronounced rearrangements of transmembrane particles during late stages of cellular necrosis were also found. The morphological damage induced by both doses of radiation as a function of time after exposure was only quantitatively but not qualitatively different

Chromosome numbers for the Italian flora: 10

In this contribution, new chromosome data regarding two taxonomically critical genera of the Italian fora, namely Plantago and Sesleria, are presented. All the specimens analysed in this paper were collected in the Italian territory and include three chromosome counts for Plantago (P. albicans, P. crassifolia, and P. subulata) and two counts for Sesleria (S. caerulea and S. nitida)

Extra virgin olive oil-based formulations. A "green" strategy against Chlamydia trachomatis

In recent decades, antibiotic misuse has emerged as an important risk factor for the appearance of multi-drug-resistant bacteria, and, recently, antimicrobial resistance has also been described in Chlamydia trachomatis as the leading cause of bacterial sexually transmitted diseases worldwide. Herein, we investigated, for the first time, the antibacterial activity against C. trachomatis of a polyphenolic extract of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), alongside purified oleocanthal and oleacein, two of its main components, in natural deep eutectic solvent (NaDES), a biocompatible solvent. The anti-chlamydial activity of olive-oil polyphenols (OOPs) was tested in the different phases of chlamydial developmental cycle by using an in vitro infection model. Transmission and scanning electron microscopy analysis were performed for investigating potential alterations of adhesion and invasion, as well as morphology, of chlamydial elementary bodies (EBs) to host cells. The main result of our study is the anti-bacterial activity of OOPs towards C. trachomatis EBs down to a total polyphenol concentration of 1.7 µg/mL, as shown by a statistically significant decrease (93.53%) of the total number of chlamydial-inclusion-forming units (p < 0.0001). Transmission and scanning electron microscopy analysis supported its anti-chlamydial effect, suggesting that OOP might damage the chlamydial outer layers, impairing their structural integrity and hindering EB capability to infect the host cell. In conclusion, OOPs may represent an interesting alternative therapeutic option toward C. trachomatis, although further studies are necessary for exploring its clinical applications