Low Input Techniques for Firebreak Covering: Agronomic Aspects

In Sardinia, wild fire prevention is traditionally passive , based on mechanical removal of vegetation and upper soil layers. This has a dramatic negative effect on plant diversity and soil erosion. This experiment concerns active prevention of wildfires, based on green covering and grazing of firebreaks. The objective was the establishment of a persistent green cover, to be grazed by animals to reduce fuel accumulation

In Vitro Anti-HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase and Integrase Properties of Punica granatum L. Leaves, Bark, and Peel Extracts and Their Main Compounds.

In a search for natural compounds with anti-HIV-1 activity, we studied the effect of the ethanolic extract obtained from leaves, bark, and peels of Punica granatum L. for the inhibition of the HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT)-associated ribonuclease H (RNase H) and integrase (IN) LEDGFdependent activities. The chemical analyses led to the detection of compounds belonging mainly to the phenolic and flavonoid chemical classes. Ellagic acid, flavones, and triterpenoid molecules were identified in leaves. The bark and peels were characterized by the presence of hydrolyzable tannins, such as punicalins and punicalagins, together with ellagic acid. Among the isolated compounds, the hydrolyzable tannins and ellagic acid showed a very high inhibition (IC50 values ranging from 0.12 to 1.4 microM and 0.065 to 0.09 microM of the RNase H and IN activities, respectively). Of the flavonoids, luteolin and apigenin were found to be able to inhibit RNase H and IN functions (IC50 values in the 3.7–22 microM range), whereas luteolin 7-O-glucoside showed selective activity for HIV-1 IN. In contrast, betulinic acid, ursolic acid, and oleanolic acid were selective for the HIV-1 RNase H activity. Our results strongly support the potential of non-edible P. granatum organs as a valuable source of anti-HIV-1 compounds

Bioaerosol emissions during organic waste treatment for biopolymer production: A case study

Environmentally sustainable methods of waste disposal are a strategic priority. For organic waste management and innovative biological treatments present advantageous opportunities, although organic waste treatment also includes environmental drawbacks, such as bioaerosol pro-duction. This study aims to evaluate bioaerosol spread during an innovative experimental treatment. The process consists of two anaerobic steps: acidogenesis, which includes polyhydroxyalkanoate accumulation, followed by methanogenesis. Bioaerosol, PM10, and endotoxin concentrations were measured at three sampling points during different campaigns to evaluate: (1) the background levels, (2) the contamination produced in the pre-treatment stage, and (3) the residual contamination of the outgoing digested sludge. Environmental PM10 seemed to be generally quite contained, while the endotoxin determination was close to 90 EU/m3. Significant microbial concentrations were detected during the loading of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (fungi > 1300 CFU/m3, Bacillus genus (≈103 CFU/m3), higher Clostridium spp. and opportunistic human pathogens such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae), suggesting a significant contamination level. Such results are useful for hazard identification in the risk assessment of innovative processes, as they reveal contaminants potentially harmful to both workers’ health and the environment

A token-mixer architecture for CAD-RADS classification of coronary stenosis on multiplanar reconstruction CT images

Background and objective: In patients with suspected Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), the severity of stenosis needs to be assessed for precise clinical management. An automatic deep learning-based algorithm to classify coronary stenosis lesions according to the Coronary Artery Disease Reporting and Data System (CAD-RADS) in multiplanar reconstruction images acquired with Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography (CCTA) is proposed. Methods: In this retrospective study, 288 patients with suspected CAD who underwent CCTA scans were included. To model long-range semantic information, which is needed to identify and classify stenosis with challenging appearance, we adopted a token-mixer architecture (ConvMixer), which can learn structural relationship over the whole coronary artery. ConvMixer consists of a patch embedding layer followed by repeated convolutional blocks to enable the algorithm to learn long-range dependences between pixels. To visually assess ConvMixer performance, Gradient-Weighted Class Activation Mapping (Grad-CAM) analysis was used. Results: Experimental results using 5-fold cross-validation showed that our ConvMixer can classify significant coronary artery stenosis (i.e., stenosis with luminal narrowing ≥50%) with accuracy and sensitivity of 87% and 90%, respectively. For CAD-RADS 0 vs. 1–2 vs. 3–4 vs. 5 classification, ConvMixer achieved accuracy and sensitivity of 72% and 75%, respectively. Additional experiments showed that ConvMixer achieved a better trade-off between performance and complexity compared to pyramid-shaped convolutional neural networks. Conclusions: Our algorithm might provide clinicians with decision support, potentially reducing the interobserver variability for coronary artery stenosis evaluation

Microspore embryogenesis: assignment of genes to embryo formation and green vs. albino plant production

Plant microspores can be reprogrammed from their normal pollen development to an embryogenic route in a process termed microspore embryogenesis or androgenesis. Stress treatment has a critical role in this process, inducing the dedifferentiation of microspores and conditioning the following androgenic response. In this study, we have used three barley doubled haploid lines with similar genetic background but different androgenic response. The Barley1 GeneChip was used for transcriptome comparison of these lines after mannitol stress treatment, allowing the identification of 213 differentially expressed genes. Most of these genes belong to the functional categories “cell rescue, defense, and virulence”; “metabolism”; “transcription”; and “transport”. These genes were grouped into clusters according to their expression profiles among lines. A principal component analysis allowed us to associate specific gene expression clusters to phenotypic variables. Genes associated with the ability of microspores to divide and form embryos were mainly involved in changes in the structure and function of membranes, efficient use of available energy sources, and cell fate. Genes related to stress response, transcription and translation regulation, and degradation of pollen-specific proteins were associated with green plant production, while expression of genes related to plastid development was associated with albino plant regeneration

Identification of candidate children for maturity-onset diabetes of the young type 2 (MODY2) gene testing: a seven-item clinical flowchart (7-iF)

MODY2 is the most prevalent monogenic form of diabetes in Italy with an estimated prevalence of about 0.5–1.5%. MODY2 is potentially indistinguishable from other forms of diabetes, however, its identification impacts on patients’ quality of life and healthcare resources. Unfortunately, DNA direct sequencing as diagnostic test is not readily accessible and expensive. In addition current guidelines, aiming to establish when the test should be performed, proved a poor detection rate. Aim of this study is to propose a reliable and easy-to-use tool to identify candidate patients for MODY2 genetic testing. We designed and validated a diagnostic flowchart in the attempt to improve the detection rate and to increase the number of properly requested tests. The flowchart, called 7-iF, consists of 7 binary ‘‘yes or no’’ questions and its unequivocal output is an indication for whether testing or not. We tested the 7-iF to estimate its clinical utility in comparison to the clinical suspicion alone. The 7-iF, in a prospective 2-year study (921 diabetic children) showed a precision of about the 76%. Using retrospective data, the 7-iF showed a precision in identifying MODY2 patients of about 80% compared to the 40% of the clinical suspicion. On the other hand, despite a relatively high number of missing MODY2 patients, the 7-iF would not suggest the test for 90% of the non-MODY2 patients, demonstrating that a wide application of this method might 1) help less experienced clinicians in suspecting MODY2 patients and 2) reducing the number of unnecessary tests. With the 7-iF, a clinician can feel confident of identifying a potential case of MODY2 and suggest the molecular test without fear of wasting time and money. A Qaly-type analysis estimated an increase in the patients’ quality of life and savings for the health care system of about 9 million euros per year

Impact of intrauterine growth restriction on cerebral and renal oxygenation and perfusion during the first 3 days after birth

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is associated with a higher incidence of perinatal complications as well as cardiovascular and renal diseases later on. A better insight into the disease mechanisms underlying these sequalae is important in order to identify which IUGR infants are at a higher risk and find strategies to improve their outcome. In this prospective case–control study we examined whether IUGR had any effect on renal and cerebral perfusion and oxygen saturation in term neonates. We integrated near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), echocardiographic, Doppler and renal function data of 105 IUGR infants and 105 age/gender-matched controls. Cerebral and renal regional oxygen saturation values were measured by NIRS during the first 12 h after birth. Echocardiography alongside Doppler assessment of renal and anterior cerebral arteries were performed at 6, 24, 48 and 72 h of age. Glomerular and tubular functions were also assessed. We found a left ventricular dysfunction together with a higher cerebral oxygen saturation and perfusion values in the IUGR group. IUGR term infants showed a higher renal oxygen saturation and a reduced oxygen extraction together with a subclinical renal damage, as indicated by higher values of urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin and microalbumin. These data suggest that some of the haemodynamic changes present in growth-restricted foetuses may persist postnatally. The increased cerebral oxygenation may suggest an impaired transition to normal autoregulation as a consequence of intra-uterine chronic hypoxia. The higher renal oxygenation may reflect a reduced renal oxygen consumption due to a subclinical kidney damage

Design and validation of a DNA-microarray for phylogenetic analysis of bacterial communities in different oral samples and dental implants

The quali-quantitative characterization of the oral microbiota is crucial for an exhaustive knowledge of the oral ecology and the modifications of the microbial composition that occur during periodontal pathologies. In this study, we designed and validated a new phylogenetic DNA-microarray (OralArray) to quickly and reliably characterize the most representative bacterial groups that colonize the oral cavity. The OralArray is based on the Ligation Detection Reaction technology associated to Universal Arrays (LDR-UA), and includes 22 probe sets targeted to bacteria belonging to the phyla Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Fusobacteria, and Spirochaete. The tool is characterized by high specificity, sensitivity and reproducibility. The OralArray was successfully tested and validated on different oral samples (saliva, lingual plaque, supragingival plaque, and healing cap) collected from 10 healthy subjects. For each specimen, a microbial signature was obtained, and our results established the presence of an oral microbial profile specific for each subject. Moreover, the tool was applied to evaluate the efficacy of a disinfectant treatment on the healing caps before their usage. The OralArray is, thus, suitable to study the microbiota associated with various oral sites and to monitor changes arising from therapeutic treatments