Comparison between adenosine triphosphate bioluminescence and aerobic colony count to assess surface sanitation in the hospital environment

Background: Adenosine triphosphate bioluminescence produced by the firefly luciferase has been successfully introduced to verify cleaning procedures in the food industry according to the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point program. Our aim was to evaluate the reliability of bioluminescence as a tool to monitor the effectiveness of sanitation in healthcare settings, in comparison with the microbiological gold standard. Methods: 614 surfaces of various material were randomly sampled in Policlinico University Hospital units in Palermo, Italy, to detect adenosine triphosphate bioluminescence and aerobic colony count. Linear regression model and Pearson correlation coefficient were used to estimate the relationship between the two variables of the study. Results: Aerobic colony count median was 1.71 colony forming units/cm2 (interquartile range = 3.8), whereas adenosine triphosphate median was 59.9 relative light units/cm2 (interquartile range = 128.3). Pearson coefficient R2 was 0.09. Sensitivity and specificity of bioluminescence test with respect to microbiology were 46% and 71%, whereas positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 53% and 65%, respectively. Conclusion: According to our results, there seemed to be no linear correlation between aerobic colony count and adenosine triphosphate values, suggesting that current bioluminescence technology has not any proportional relationships with culturable microbes contaminating environmental surfaces in health-care settings

Selective inhibition of genomic and non-genomic effects of thyroid hormone regulates muscle cell differentiation and metabolic behavior

Thyroid hormones (THs) are key regulators of different biological processes. Their action involves genomic and non-genomic mechanisms, which together mediate the final effects of TH in target tissues. However, the proportion of the two processes and their contribution to the TH-mediated effects are still poorly understood. Skeletal muscle is a classical target tissue for TH, which regulates muscle strength and contraction, as well as energetic metabolism of myofibers. Here we address the different contribution of genomic and non-genomic action of TH in skeletal muscle cells by specifically silencing the deiodinase Dio2 or the β3-Integrin expression via CRISPR/Cas9 technology. We found that myoblast proliferation is inversely regulated by integrin signal and the D2-dependent TH activation. Similarly, inhibition of the nuclear receptor action reduced myoblast proliferation, confirming that genomic action of TH attenuates proliferative rates. Contrarily, genomic and non-genomic signals promote muscle differentiation and the regulation of the redox state. Taken together, our data reveal that integration of genomic and non-genomic signal pathways finely regulates skeletal muscle physiology. These findings not only contribute to the understanding of the mechanisms involved in TH modulation of muscle physiology but also add insight into the interplay between different mechanisms of action of TH in muscle cells

The GAPS Programme with HARPS-N at TNG VIII: Observations of the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect and characterisation of the transiting planetary systems HAT-P-36 and WASP-11/HAT-P-10

We determine the true and the projected obliquity of HAT-P-36 and WASP-11/HAT-P-10 systems, respectively, which are both composed of a relatively cool star and a hot-Jupiter planet. Thanks to the high-resolution spectrograph HARPS-N, we observed the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect for both the systems by acquiring precise radial-velocity measurements during planetary transit events. We also present photometric observations comprising six light curves covering five transit events, obtained using three medium-class telescopes and the telescope-defocussing technique. One transit of WASP-11/HAT-P-10 was followed simultaneously from two observatories. The three transit light curves of HAT-P-36b show anomalies that are attributable to starspot complexes on the surface of the parent star, in agreement with the analysis of its spectra that indicate a moderate activity. By analysing the complete HATNet data set of HAT-P-36, we estimated the stellar rotation period by detecting a periodic photometric modulation in the light curve caused by star spots, obtaining Prot=15.3 days, which implies that the inclination of the stellar rotational axis with respect to the line of sight is 65 degree. We used the new spectroscopic and photometric data to revise the main physical parameters and measure the sky-projected misalignment angle of the two systems. We found \lambda=-14 degree for HAT-P-36 and \lambda=7 degree for WASP-11/HAT-P-10, indicating in both cases a good spin-orbit alignment. In the case of HAT-P-36, we also measured its real obliquity, which turned out to be 25 degrees.Comment: 18 pages, 14 figure

Raiva em herbívoros no estado do Pará, Brasil: estudo descritivo (2004 a 2013)

PARC/PROPESP and PAPQ/ PROPESPUniversidade Federal do Pará. Instituto de Medicina Veterinária. Laboratório de Epidemiologia e Geoprocessamento. Castanhal, PA, Brazil.Instituto Federal de Educação do Tocantins. Palmas, TO, Brazil.Universidade Federal do Pará. Instituto de Medicina Veterinária. Laboratório de Epidemiologia e Geoprocessamento. Castanhal, PA, Brazil.Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso. Graduate Program in Health Sciences. Sinop, MT, Brazil.Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi - Campus de Pesquisa. Programa de Capacitação Institucional. Coordenação Ciências da Terra e Ecologia. Belém, PA, Brazil.Agência de Defesa Agropecuária do Pará. Belém, PA, Brazil.Ministério da Saúde. Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Laboratório de Geoprocessamento. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil.Universidade Federal do Pará. Instituto de Medicina Veterinária. Laboratório de Epidemiologia e Geoprocessamento. Castanhal, PA, Brazil.Rabies is an important zoonosis to public health associated with lethal encephalitis and economic losses. Analysis of its spatial distribution is a meaningful tool in understanding its dispersion, which may contribute to the control and prophylaxis of the disease. This study analyzed the spatial-temporal distribution of rabies outbreaks in livestock in Pará state, Brazil, from 2004 to 2013. We used records of neurological syndromes obtained from the state’s livestock authority (Adepará). The analysis recorded 711 neurological syndromes reports in livestock, of which 32.8% were positive for rabies. In 8% of the neurological syndromes (n=57) was not possible to perform the analysis because of bad-packaging conditions of the samples sent. Outbreaks involved at least 1,179 animals and cattle were the most affected animal species (76.8%). The numbers of reported neurological syndromes and of rabies outbreak shad strong positive correlation and exhibited decreasing linear trend. Spatially, most outbreaks occurred in two mesoregions in Pará (Northeast and Southeast). One of the justifications for this spatial distribution may be related with the distribution of the animals in the state, since these mesoregions are the largest cattle producers in Pará and have most of their territory deforested for pasture implementation

NEMO: A Project for a km3^3 Underwater Detector for Astrophysical Neutrinos in the Mediterranean Sea

The status of the project is described: the activity on long term characterization of water optical and oceanographic parameters at the Capo Passero site candidate for the Mediterranean km$^3$ neutrino telescope; the feasibility study; the physics performances and underwater technology for the km$^3$; the activity on NEMO Phase 1, a technological demonstrator that has been deployed at 2000 m depth 25 km offshore Catania; the realization of an underwater infrastructure at 3500 m depth at the candidate site (NEMO Phase 2).Comment: Proceeding of ISCRA 2006, Erice 20-27 June 200

First operations of the LNS heavy ions facility

Abstract A heavy ion facility is now available at Laboratorio Nazionale del Sud (LNS) of Catania. It can deliver beams with an energy up to 100 MeV/amu. The facility is based on a 15MV HVEC tandem and a K = 800 superconducting cyclotron as booster. During the last year, the facility came into operation. A 58Ni beam delivered by the tandem has been radially injected in the SC and then has been accelerated and extracted at 30 MeV/amu. In this paper the status of the facility together with the experience gained during the commissioning will be extensively reported