Ester Brenes Peña, Marina González-Sanz y Francisco Javier Grande Alija (eds.) (2018): «Enunciado y discurso: estructura y relaciones», Sevilla, Editorial Universidad de Sevilla, Colección lingüística, 371 pp.

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El léxico y sus funciones en el discurso desde el enfoque macrosintáctico

A partir de un enfoque lingüístico-pragmático y macrosintáctico, el estudio pretende poner de relieve las diferentes funciones que el léxico adquiere en el discurso. Se examinan, en concreto, dos categorías, las denominadas ‘adverbios’ y ‘adjetivos’ en la gramática tradicional. El corpus de estudio está formado por 121 artículos periodísticos procedentes de algunos de los diarios españoles de mayor tirada y temáticamente coherentes: todos describen la ciudad de Nápoles o tratan asuntos relacionados con ella. Los resultados del estudio cualitativo muestran cómo el análisis discursivo de elementos léxicos conlleva también una compresión más completa de la superestructura y del discurso periodístico/turístico llevado a cabo acerca del tema examinado.A partire da un approccio linguistico-pragmatico e macrosintattico, questo studio intende mettere in luce le diverse funzioni che il lessico acquisisce nel discorso. Nello specifico, vengono esaminate due categorie, quelle chiamate 'avverbi' e 'aggettivi' nella grammatica tradizionale. Il corpus di studio è composto da 121 articoli giornalistici di alcuni dei periodici spagnoli di maggiore diffusione e tematicamente coerenti: tutti descrivono la città di Napoli o affrontano tematiche ad essa legate. I risultati dello studio qualitativo mostrano come l'analisi discorsiva degli elementi lessicali comporti anche una più completa comprensione del genere testuale e del discorso giornalistico/turistico circa l'argomento esaminato

Pro-inflammatory RNA:DNA hybrids are p53 independently boosted by hyperbaric oxygen: a subcellular distribution analysis by automated quantitative imaging

Purpose: RNA:DNA hybrids are co-transcriptional products with acknowledged cytoplasmic pro-inflammatory role as activators of the cGAS-STING pathway. We recently proved them also as radiation-induced senescence messages for the abscopal effect mediation, demonstrating the need for a functional p53 for their production and release in A549 and H1299 tumour cells. However, little is known about their role under different stress conditions, especially in cancer cells. Methods: In this work, we open the investigation making use of automated quantitative imaging to characterize the hybrid subcellular distribution in HeLa cells grown under different oxygen pressures or exposed to different ionizing radiation doses. After cell imaging by confocal fluorescent microscopy, we apply automated imaging methods developed on purpose to quantify hybrid foci and nuclear cluster intensity, regional and local density and dimension. Results: We show that alteration of culture oxygenation increases hybrid cytoplasmic presence, especially when caused by an hyperoxic environment, with evident hybrid gathering at the cell membrane. Ionizing radiations always fail to increase hybrids, in accordance with the absence of functional p53 in HeLa cells. However, dose-dependent effects are still evident and suggest a threshold dose of 7.5 Gy for remarkable hybrid reduction. Conclusion: Together with our previous results, these data demonstrate for the first time that different types of stress can increase hybrid production in cancer cells and by at least two different pathways, one p53-dependent triggerable by ionizing radiations and one p53-independent triggerable by oxidative stress. Together, our findings provide a starting point for understanding hybrid role in tumour stress response

The Microalga Skeletonema marinoi Induces Apoptosis and DNA Damage in K562 Cell Line by Modulating NADPH Oxidase

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative disease that activates multiple signaling pathways, causing cells to produce higher levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidases (NOXs) are a major generator of ROS in leukemia, and marine natural products have shown promising activities for the treatment of hematopoietic malignancies. In the present study, we investigated the effect of the marine microalga Skeletonema marinoi (S.M.), a ubiquitous diatom that forms massive blooms in the oceans, on the human leukemia cell line K562. The effects of S.M. extract on cell viability, production of ROS, nitric oxide (NO), and apoptosis were examined. In this preliminary work, S.M. was able to decrease cell viability (p < 0.05) and increase apoptosis levels (p < 0.05) in K562 cells after 48 h of treatment. In addition, the levels of NOX, NO, and malondialdehyde (MDA) were reduced in K562-treated cells (p < 0.05), whereas the levels of SOD, CAT, and GPx increased during treatment (p < 0.05). Finally, analyzing Bax and Bcl-2 expression, we found a significant increase in the proapoptotic protein Bax and a sustained decrease in the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2 (p < 0.05) in the K562-treated cells

Effect of Aqueous Extract of Maca Addition to an Extender for Chilled Canine Semen

Antioxidant supplementation has been proposed as a new strategy to improve the long-term preservation of semen. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Maca supplementation of semen extender on quality-related canine semen parameters during cooling. Ejaculates from nine dogs were cooled for 7 days in the absence (control group) or in the presence of 10, 20 and 50 μL/mL of an aqueous extract of Maca. Sperm were evaluated for sperm viability, motility, DNA fragmentation and lipid peroxidation after 3 h, 24 h, 4 days and 7 days of storage. The addition of 10 μL/mL of Maca preserved sperm DNA and plasma membrane integrity at 3 h and increased sperm curvilinear velocity after 24 h. Treatment with 20 and 50 μL/mL of Maca increased the percentage of hyperactivated sperm after 3 h. Moreover, semen treated with 20 μL/mL of Maca decreased lipid peroxidation at 24 h. A significant reduction of sperm DNA and plasma membrane integrity as well as of kinetics parameters between 3 and 24 h of refrigerated storage with the higher concentration tested was observed. Although Maca was not able to protect canine semen with extended refrigeration storage time, it increased hyperactivation and preserved DNA integrity in short-term storage

Plasma Small Extracellular Vesicle Cathepsin D Dysregulation in GRN/C9orf72 and Sporadic Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration

Emerging data suggest the roles of endo-lysosomal dysfunctions in frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) and in other dementias. Cathepsin D is one of the major lysosomal proteases, mediating the degradation of unfolded protein aggregates. In this retrospective study, we investigated cathepsin D levels in human plasma and in the plasma small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) of 161 subjects (40 sporadic FTLD, 33 intermediate/pathological C9orf72 expansion carriers, 45 heterozygous/homozygous GRN mutation carriers, and 43 controls). Cathepsin D was quantified by ELISA, and nanoparticle tracking analysis data (sEV concentration for the cathepsin D level normalization) were extracted from our previously published dataset or were newly generated. First, we revealed a positive correlation of the cathepsin D levels with the age of the patients and controls. Even if no significant differences were found in the cathepsin D plasma levels, we observed a progressive reduction in plasma cathepsin D moving from the intermediate to C9orf72 pathological expansion carriers. Observing the sEVs nano-compartment, we observed increased cathepsin D sEV cargo (ng/sEV) levels in genetic/sporadic FTLD. The diagnostic performance of this biomarker was fairly high (AUC = 0.85). Moreover, sEV and plasma cathepsin D levels were positively correlated with age at onset. In conclusion, our study further emphasizes the common occurrence of endo-lysosomal dysregulation in GRN/C9orf72 and sporadic FTLD

Anabolic/Catabolic Imbalance in Chronic Heart Failure

A metabolic imbalance between anabolic drive and catabolic forces is commonly observed in chronic heart failure (CHF) patients, with the latter prevailing over anabolic hormones. Moreover, anabolic deficiencies are independent markers of poor prognosis. This finding represents a solid background for the implementation of therapeutic trials based on replacement therapy. The somatotropic axis (GH/IGF-1) is the most powerful anabolic axis of the body and its decline is related with a poor outcome and a worse clinical status. Growth hormone (GH) administration may enter the therapeutic arena as adjunctive treatment in patients affected by CHF and GH/IGF-1 deficiency. The T.O.S.CA. project aims at investigating the relationship between CHF and hormonal deficiency

Effects of Some New Antioxidants on Apoptosis and ROS Production in AFB1 Treated Chickens

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), the mainly Aspergillus fungi derived mycotoxin, is well known for its carcinogenic effects on liver, and frequently occurs in food supplies, leading to fatal consequences in both farm animals and humans. Poultry, one of the most important segments of agro-industry, has been demonstrated to be extremely sensitive to AFB1 intake, which results in chickens' low performance, decreased quality of both eggs and meat and a negative economic feedback. Oxidative stress caused by AFB1 plays a crucial role in chickens' kidney damage by generating lipid peroxidation accompanied by a concomitant increase in the antioxidant enzymes involved in ROS metabolism (NADPH oxidase isoform 4 (NOX4) and its regulatory subunit p47-phox). The aim of the present work was to investigate the benefits of dietary supplementation, in chickens affected by AFB1 mycotoxicosis, using a new Feed additive (FA) containing a mixture of a tri-octahedral Na-smectite with a ligno-cellulose-based material an antioxidant adjuvant. Exposure of AFB1-treated chickens to the feed additive induced a significant down-regulation of both NOX4 and p47-phox genes expression levels. This trend was confirmed by their protein expression, demonstrating the great potential of the FA to counteract oxidative stress. To conclude, these results could open new perspectives in the methods of feeding chickens, using eco-friendly dietary supplements able to reduce AFB1-induced mycotoxicosis and to ameliorate poultry performances