A time‐course study of the expression level of synaptic plasticity‐associated genes in un‐lesioned spinal cord and brain areas in a rat model of spinal cord injury: A bioinformatic approach

open8noFunding: This research was funded by the POR-FESR 2019-21, project “Mat2Rep”, Emilia Romagna Region (L.C.) and by the Cluster Tecnologici Nazionali, project IRMI, MIUR (L.C.). Marco Sanna is receiving a fellowship from the program “Alte Competenze” by Emilia Romagna Region. The contribution of “Fondazione Montecatone”, Imola (Italy) is also gratefully acknowledged.“Neuroplasticity” is often evoked to explain adaptation and compensation after acute lesions of the Central Nervous System (CNS). In this study, we investigated the modification of 80 genes involved in synaptic plasticity at different times (24 h, 8 and 45 days) from the traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI), adopting a bioinformatic analysis. mRNA expression levels were analyzed in the motor cortex, basal ganglia, cerebellum and in the spinal segments rostral and caudal to the lesion. The main results are: (i) a different gene expression regulation is observed in the Spinal Cord (SC) segments rostral and caudal to the lesion; (ii) long lasting changes in the SC includes the extracellular matrix (ECM) enzymes Timp1, transcription regulators (Egr, Nr4a1), second messenger associated proteins (Gna1, Ywhaq); (iii) long‐lasting changes in the Motor Cortex includes transcription regulators (Cebpd), neurotransmitters/neuromodulators and receptors (Cnr1, Gria1, Nos1), growth factors and related receptors (Igf1, Ntf3, Ntrk2), second messenger associated proteins (Mapk1); long lasting changes in Basal Ganglia and Cerebellum include ECM protein (Reln), growth factors (Ngf, Bdnf), transcription regulators (Egr, Cebpd), neurotransmitter receptors (Grin2c). These data suggest the molecular mapping as a useful tool to investigate the brain and SC reorganization after SCI.openBaldassarro V.A.; Sanna M.; Bighinati A.; Sannia M.; Gusciglio M.; Giardino L.; Lorenzini L.; Calzà LauraBaldassarro V.A.; Sanna M.; Bighinati A.; Sannia M.; Gusciglio M.; Giardino L.; Lorenzini L.; Calzà Laur

Association of kidney disease measures with risk of renal function worsening in patients with type 1 diabetes

Background: Albuminuria has been classically considered a marker of kidney damage progression in diabetic patients and it is routinely assessed to monitor kidney function. However, the role of a mild GFR reduction on the development of stage 653 CKD has been less explored in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) patients. Aim of the present study was to evaluate the prognostic role of kidney disease measures, namely albuminuria and reduced GFR, on the development of stage 653 CKD in a large cohort of patients affected by T1DM. Methods: A total of 4284 patients affected by T1DM followed-up at 76 diabetes centers participating to the Italian Association of Clinical Diabetologists (Associazione Medici Diabetologi, AMD) initiative constitutes the study population. Urinary albumin excretion (ACR) and estimated GFR (eGFR) were retrieved and analyzed. The incidence of stage 653 CKD (eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2) or eGFR reduction > 30% from baseline was evaluated. Results: The mean estimated GFR was 98 \ub1 17 mL/min/1.73m2 and the proportion of patients with albuminuria was 15.3% (n = 654) at baseline. About 8% (n = 337) of patients developed one of the two renal endpoints during the 4-year follow-up period. Age, albuminuria (micro or macro) and baseline eGFR < 90 ml/min/m2 were independent risk factors for stage 653 CKD and renal function worsening. When compared to patients with eGFR > 90 ml/min/1.73m2 and normoalbuminuria, those with albuminuria at baseline had a 1.69 greater risk of reaching stage 3 CKD, while patients with mild eGFR reduction (i.e. eGFR between 90 and 60 mL/min/1.73 m2) show a 3.81 greater risk that rose to 8.24 for those patients with albuminuria and mild eGFR reduction at baseline. Conclusions: Albuminuria and eGFR reduction represent independent risk factors for incident stage 653 CKD in T1DM patients. The simultaneous occurrence of reduced eGFR and albuminuria have a synergistic effect on renal function worsening

Reduction of phenol content and toxicity in olive oil mill waste waters with the ligninolytic fungus Pleurotus ostratus

Olive oil mill waste waters (OMW) constitute a major environmental problem because of the large amount produced and the toxicity of the phenolic compounds present. Several of these aromatic compounds can be assimilated to many of the components of lignin. Only few microorganisms, mainly “white-rot” basidiomycete, are able to degrade lignin by means of oxidative reactions catalysed by phenol oxidases and peroxidases. Both the low degree of specificity which characterizes these enzymes, and the structural relationships of many aromatic pollutants with the natural substrates of the enzymes, have suggested the use of ligninolytic organisms and of their enzymes for the treatment of these kinds of substrates. This paper investigates the ability of the “white-rot” basidiomycete Pleurotus ostreatus and particularly of the phenol oxidases it produces in the detoxification of OMW phenol compounds. Treatment of OMW with purified phenol oxidase showed a significant reduction of phenolic content, but no decrease of its toxicity was observed when tested on Bacillus cereus. Otherwise, the effect of processing OMW with the entire microorganism resulted in a noticeable detoxification of the waste with concomitant abatement of the phenol content