β-glucuronidases in plants.

In the last decade, the interest for the presence and role of endogenous GUS in plants increased, being previously limited to the use of GUS from E. coli as a reporter gene. Three different GUS genes have been identified in A. thaliana and different roles have been suggested, mainly associated to plant cell wall remodelling and to the regulation of the presence in the active form of molecules with regulative functions. This thesis investigated several aspects: A) artefacts in histochemical GUS detection, B) role of GUS in pollen tube germination and growth, C) GUS expression in N. tabacum and A. thaliana, D) identification of GUS genes in N. tabcum and their phylogenetic analysis in angiosperms. A) Histochemical detection of E.coli GUS activity in transformed plants can be impaired by the presence of GUS inhibitors and by the solubility of an intermediate reaction product formed when X-glu is used as substrate. The expression of LAT52 has been revised. B) The use of saccharolattone, a GUS inhibitor, suggests that GUS is involved in pollen tube germination and growth. C) GUS expression was observed in all organs of N. tabacum and A. thaliana. Expression studies, in collaboration with researchers of Calabria University, have been performed in Arabidopsis, by in situ mRNA hybridization: GUS3 is specifically expressed in border like cells and probably it is involved in their detachment from root tip; GUS1 and GUS2 are expressed in the root cup meristem, resulting perhaps involved in regulation of the mitotic cycle. D) In N. tabacum GUS2 was completely sequenced and one GUS1 and two GUS3 have been partially sequenced. By bioinformatics analysis, GUS genes have been identified in other angiosperms species and a phylogenetic analysis have been conducted

Platinum, Palladium and Rhodium deposition to the Prunus laurus cerasus leaf surface as an indicator of the vehicular traffic pollution in the city of Varese area. An easy and reliable method to detect PGEs released from automobile catalytic converters

Background, aim, and scope The widespread use of some Platinum Group Elements (PGE) as catalysts to minimize emission of pollutants from combustion engines produced a constantly growing increase of the concentration of these elements in the environment; their potential toxicological properties explain the increasing interest in routine easy monitoring. We have found that leaves of Prunus laurus cerasus are efficient collectors of particulate with a dimension < 60-80 \u3bcm, and a simple and reliable procedure was developed to reveal traces of platinum, palladium and rhodium released from automotive catalysts. The analysis of the dust deposited on the foliage is a direct indicator of traffic pollution. Materials and methods Leaves of prunus laurus cerasus were washed by sonication in a mixture of water and 2 propanol and the washings, to be discarded, were separated by centrifugation to yield typically 0.05-1.2 g of dust that, after mineralization, were directly submitted to Atomic Absorption analysis. Results Comparison of the 2007 and 2004-5 results showed a dramatic reduction of the platinum levels and revealed that palladium is now the main component of this traffic related pollution. Discussion The results are consistent with the increasing diffusion of cars with a diesel engine whose catalysts are made up of Pt and/or Pd alone, and gives a significant insight into the recent evolution in catalyst design that replaces platinum for palladium. Conclusion The proposed analytical procedure is simple, with short preparation times, and greatly reduces matrix effects so that atomic absorption spectroscopy can easily detect the three noble metals at the ng/g level in the dust. Recommendation and perspectives The results clearly show that Pd concentrations have increased over time, and must be cause of concern

Lunar Gravitational-Wave Antenna

Monitoring of vibrational eigenmodes of an elastic body excited by gravitational waves was one of the first concepts proposed for the detection of gravitational waves. At laboratory scale, these experiments became known as resonant-bar detectors first developed by Joseph Weber in the 1960s. Due to the dimensions of these bars, the targeted signal frequencies were in the kHz range. Weber also pointed out that monitoring of vibrations of Earth or Moon could reveal gravitational waves in the mHz band. His Lunar Surface Gravimeter experiment deployed on the Moon by the Apollo 17 crew had a technical failure rendering the data useless. In this article, we revisit the idea and propose a Lunar Gravitational-Wave Antenna (LGWA). We find that LGWA could become an important partner observatory for joint observations with the space-borne, laser-interferometric detector LISA, and at the same time contribute an independent science case due to LGWA's unique features. Technical challenges need to be overcome for the deployment of the experiment, and development of inertial vibration sensor technology lays out a future path for this exciting detector concept.Comment: 29 pages, 17 figure

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Correction to: Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

β-glucuronidases in plants.

In the last decade, the interest for the presence and role of endogenous GUS in plants increased, being previously limited to the use of GUS from E. coli as a reporter gene. Three different GUS genes have been identified in A. thaliana and different roles have been suggested, mainly associated to plant cell wall remodelling and to the regulation of the presence in the active form of molecules with regulative functions. This thesis investigated several aspects: A) artefacts in histochemical GUS detection, B) role of GUS in pollen tube germination and growth, C) GUS expression in N. tabacum and A. thaliana, D) identification of GUS genes in N. tabcum and their phylogenetic analysis in angiosperms. A) Histochemical detection of E.coli GUS activity in transformed plants can be impaired by the presence of GUS inhibitors and by the solubility of an intermediate reaction product formed when X-glu is used as substrate. The expression of LAT52 has been revised. B) The use of saccharolattone, a GUS inhibitor, suggests that GUS is involved in pollen tube germination and growth. C) GUS expression was observed in all organs of N. tabacum and A. thaliana. Expression studies, in collaboration with researchers of Calabria University, have been performed in Arabidopsis, by in situ mRNA hybridization: GUS3 is specifically expressed in border like cells and probably it is involved in their detachment from root tip; GUS1 and GUS2 are expressed in the root cup meristem, resulting perhaps involved in regulation of the mitotic cycle. D) In N. tabacum GUS2 was completely sequenced and one GUS1 and two GUS3 have been partially sequenced. By bioinformatics analysis, GUS genes have been identified in other angiosperms species and a phylogenetic analysis have been conducted

β-glucuronidases in plants.

In the last decade, the interest for the presence and role of endogenous GUS in plants increased, being previously limited to the use of GUS from E. coli as a reporter gene. Three different GUS genes have been identified in A. thaliana and different roles have been suggested, mainly associated to plant cell wall remodelling and to the regulation of the presence in the active form of molecules with regulative functions. This thesis investigated several aspects: A) artefacts in histochemical GUS detection, B) role of GUS in pollen tube germination and growth, C) GUS expression in N. tabacum and A. thaliana, D) identification of GUS genes in N. tabcum and their phylogenetic analysis in angiosperms. A) Histochemical detection of E.coli GUS activity in transformed plants can be impaired by the presence of GUS inhibitors and by the solubility of an intermediate reaction product formed when X-glu is used as substrate. The expression of LAT52 has been revised. B) The use of saccharolattone, a GUS inhibitor, suggests that GUS is involved in pollen tube germination and growth. C) GUS expression was observed in all organs of N. tabacum and A. thaliana. Expression studies, in collaboration with researchers of Calabria University, have been performed in Arabidopsis, by in situ mRNA hybridization: GUS3 is specifically expressed in border like cells and probably it is involved in their detachment from root tip; GUS1 and GUS2 are expressed in the root cup meristem, resulting perhaps involved in regulation of the mitotic cycle. D) In N. tabacum GUS2 was completely sequenced and one GUS1 and two GUS3 have been partially sequenced. By bioinformatics analysis, GUS genes have been identified in other angiosperms species and a phylogenetic analysis have been conducted

\u3b2-glucuronidases in plants.

In the last decade, the interest for the presence and role of endogenous GUS in plants increased, being previously limited to the use of GUS from E. coli as a reporter gene. Three different GUS genes have been identified in A. thaliana and different roles have been suggested, mainly associated to plant cell wall remodelling and to the regulation of the presence in the active form of molecules with regulative functions. This thesis investigated several aspects: A) artefacts in histochemical GUS detection, B) role of GUS in pollen tube germination and growth, C) GUS expression in N. tabacum and A. thaliana, D) identification of GUS genes in N. tabcum and their phylogenetic analysis in angiosperms. A) Histochemical detection of E.coli GUS activity in transformed plants can be impaired by the presence of GUS inhibitors and by the solubility of an intermediate reaction product formed when X-glu is used as substrate. The expression of LAT52 has been revised. B) The use of saccharolattone, a GUS inhibitor, suggests that GUS is involved in pollen tube germination and growth. C) GUS expression was observed in all organs of N. tabacum and A. thaliana. Expression studies, in collaboration with researchers of Calabria University, have been performed in Arabidopsis, by in situ mRNA hybridization: GUS3 is specifically expressed in border like cells and probably it is involved in their detachment from root tip; GUS1 and GUS2 are expressed in the root cup meristem, resulting perhaps involved in regulation of the mitotic cycle. D) In N. tabacum GUS2 was completely sequenced and one GUS1 and two GUS3 have been partially sequenced. By bioinformatics analysis, GUS genes have been identified in other angiosperms species and a phylogenetic analysis have been conducted

Analysis of AtGUS1 and AtGUS2 in Arabidopsis root apex by a highly sensitive TSA-MISH method

A new highly sensitive whole-mount in situ hybridization method, based on tyramide signal amplification (TSA-MISH) was developed and a combined GFP detection and TSA-MISH procedure was applied for the first time in plants, to precisely define the spatial pattern of AtGUS1 and AtGUS2 expression in the root apex. \u3b2-glucuronidases (GUSs) belonging to the glycosyl hydrolases (GHs) 79 family, are widely distributed in plants, but their functional role has not yet been fully investigated. In the model system Arabidopsis Thaliana, three different AtGUS genes have been identified which encode proteins with putative different fates. Endogenous GUS expression has been detected in different organs and tissues, but the cyto-histological domains of gene expression remain unclear. The results here reported show co-expression of AtGUS1 and AtGUS2 in different functional zones of the root apex (the cap central zone, the root cap meristem, the staminal cell niche and the cortical cell layers of the proximal meristem), while AtGUS2 is exclusively expressed in the cap peripheral layer and in the epidermis in the elongation zone. Interestingly, both genes are not expressed in the stelar portion of the proximal meristem. A spatial (cortex vs. stele) and temporal (proximal meristem vs. transition zone) regulation of AtGUS1 and AtGUS2 expression is therefore active in the root apex. This expression pattern, although globally consistent with the involvement of GUS activity in both cell proliferation and elongation, clearly indicates that AtGUS1 and AtGUS2 could control distinct downstream process depending on the developmental context and the interaction with other players of root growth control. In the future, the newly developed approaches may well be very useful to dissect such interactions