Storie di piante, di ricerca e di persone nella rappresentazione documentaristica e audiovisiva contemporanea

E’ noto che, ben prima dell’esordio con le pubbliche proiezioni del 28 dicembre 1895 aParigi, il cinema aveva già mosso i suoi primi passi. A dispetto di una storia che l’haconsacrato ai più come mezzo di intrattenimento, quei primi passi erano all’insegnadel supporto alla ricerca scientifica. Il capitolo più conosciuto di questa pre-storia èforse quello degli studi sulla dinamica delle zampe di un cavallo in corsa che ha fatto lafortuna del fotografo Eadweard J. Muybridge e ha persino guadagnato una copertinadi Scientific American nell’ottobre 1878. Ma dall’astronomia alla fisiologia, dallamedicina alla matematica gli esempi non si contano. In botanica, a cavallo tra ‘800 e‘900, Wilhelm Pfeffer in Germania applicò per la prima volta la ripresa intervallata allostudio delle piante: è così che movimenti difficilmente percepibili dall’occhio umanopotevano essere osservati e, soprattutto, registrati. In pochi istanti si rivelava all’occhiodello studioso la storia – lunga giorni, mesi, anni – della crescita di una pianta

DNA damage repair and genetic polymorphisms: Assessment of individual sensitivity and repair capacity

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Editorial: Developing novel materials and new techniques of biological and physical retrospective dosimetry for affected individuals in radiological and nuclear emergencies

Retrospective dosimetry estimates radiation doses received by an individual in the past using physical and biological methods. Because of the increasing threat of radiological accidents or terrorist attacks involving radioactive material, the development of this area of research has become extremely important (1, 2). This Research Topic, entitled “Developing Novel Materials and New Techniques of Biological and Physical Retrospective Dosimetry for Affected Individuals in Radiological and Nuclear Emergencies,” provided an opportunity to receive new relevant contributions from various experts who provided new insights and perspectives in the field of retrospective dosimetry. The aim was to connect more scientific fields, researchers and infrastructures from this interdisciplinary research area and to collect studies relevant to human health. The main objective is to improve complementary physical and biological measurement techniques with lower detection limits of received radiation doses, to characterize different appropriate dosimeters, to develop and validate individual dose estimation models, and to propose standardized dosimetry protocols required in the most likely scenarios. It also aims to estimate more accurately radiation dose received by individuals involved in a nuclear accident or radiological emergency using materials on or near the victim and the victim's blood in a relatively short period of time to allow appropriate medical treatment and therapy to increase survival rates

Specificity and generalization of perceptual learning in low myopia

PURPOSE In this study we investigated in observers with low myopia: (i) the pattern of lateral interactions between stimuli activating early cortical analyzers and its modulation by perceptual learning (PL), and (ii) whether PL transferred to untrained stimuli and tasks and whether it exhibits interocular transfer. METHOD Participants (seven adults with low myopia) performed 12 training sessions. Participants were trained on a contrast detection task of a central Gabor target flanked by two co-oriented and co-aligned high contrast Gabor patches. Target-to-flankers separation along the vertical axis was varied from 2 wavelengths (λ) to 8λ. RESULTS The results showed that before PL facilitatory lateral interactions in the myopic eye were reduced in strength, but PL increased contrast sensitivity and improved facilitatory lateral interactions. However, PL did not transfer to different local/global orientations and lower spatial frequencies. On the other hand, PL resulted in an enhancement of the contrast sensitivity function (CSF) and of the uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) both in the trained and untrained eye. CONCLUSIONS Such improvements seem to be associated to a modulation of lateral interactions between target and flankers and it is likely to take place at a level in which the inputs from the two eyes converge

Expression of high- and low-affinity epidermal growth factor receptors in human hepatoma cell lines

AbstractData are presented from a comparative research on expression of epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptors and response to EGF of six independently established cell lines derived from human hepatoma. These lines differ in terms of the degree of differentiation, presence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA copies in integrated form and expression of HBV genes. Our results indicate differential expression of membrane EGF receptors and differential response to EGF under serum- and hormone-free culture conditions. Furthermore, a significant difference in affinity could be detected between EGF receptors of the two highly dedifferentiated cell lines (HA22T/VGH and Li7A) whose replication is inhibited by EGF concentrations capable of stimulating more differentiated phenotypes

Technological Potential of Lactobacillus Strains Isolated from Fermented Green Olives: In Vitro Studies with Emphasis on Oleuropein-Degrading Capability

Technological properties of two strains of Lactobacillus plantarum (B3 and B11) and one of Lactobacillus pentosus (B4), previously isolated from natural fermented green olives, have been studied in vitro. Acidifying ability, salt, temperature, and pH tolerances of all strains were found in the range reported for similar strains produced in Italy and optimal growth conditions were found to be 6.0-8.0 pH, 15-30 ∘ C temperature, and less than 6% NaCl. Moreover, all strains showed very good tolerance to common olive phenol content (0.3% total phenol) and high oleuropein-degrading capability. It was found that medium composition affected the bacterial oleuropein degradation. B11 strain grown in a nutrient-rich medium showed a lower oleuropein-degrading action than when it was cultivated in nutrient-poor medium. Furthermore, enzymatic activity assays revealed that oleuropein depletion did not correspond to an increase of hydroxytyrosol, evidencing that bacterial strains could efficiently degrade oleuropein via a mechanism different from hydrolysis

Technological Potential of Lactobacillus

Technological properties of two strains of Lactobacillus plantarum (B3 and B11) and one of Lactobacillus pentosus (B4), previously isolated from natural fermented green olives, have been studied in vitro. Acidifying ability, salt, temperature, and pH tolerances of all strains were found in the range reported for similar strains produced in Italy and optimal growth conditions were found to be 6.0–8.0 pH, 15–30°C temperature, and less than 6% NaCl. Moreover, all strains showed very good tolerance to common olive phenol content (0.3% total phenol) and high oleuropein-degrading capability. It was found that medium composition affected the bacterial oleuropein degradation. B11 strain grown in a nutrient-rich medium showed a lower oleuropein-degrading action than when it was cultivated in nutrient-poor medium. Furthermore, enzymatic activity assays revealed that oleuropein depletion did not correspond to an increase of hydroxytyrosol, evidencing that bacterial strains could efficiently degrade oleuropein via a mechanism different from hydrolysis

Molecular epidemiology of Usher syndrome in Italy

Purpose: Usher syndrome is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by hearing and vision loss. Usher syndrome is divided into three clinical subclasses (type 1, type 2, and type 3), which differ in terms of the severity and progression of hearing loss and the presence or absence of vestibular symptoms. Usher syndrome is defined by significant genetic heterogeneity, with at least 12 distinct loci described and 9 genes identified. This study aims to provide a molecular epidemiology report of Usher syndrome in Italy. Methods: Molecular data have been obtained on 75 unrelated Italian patients using the most up-to date technology available for the screening of Usher syndrome gene mutations, i.e., the genotyping microarray developed by Asper Biotech (Tartu, Estonia), which simultaneously investigates 612 different marker positions using the well established arrayed primer extension methodology (APEX). Results: Using this method, we found that 12% of cases (9 out of 75) harbored homozygous or compound heterozygous mutations in the gene positions analyzed, whereas 20% (15 out of 75) of the patients were characterized by the presence of only one mutated allele based on the positions analyzed. One patient was found to be compound heterozygous for mutations in two different genes and this represents an example of possible digenic inheritance in Usher syndrome. A total of 66.6% of cases (50 out of 75) were found to be completely negative for the presence of Usher syndrome gene mutations in the detected positions. Mutations detected by the array were confirmed by direct sequencing. Conclusions: These findings highlight the efficacy of the APEX-based genotyping approach in the molecular assessment of Usher patients, suggesting the presence of alleles not yet identified and/or the involvement of additional putative genes that may account for the pathogenesis of Usher syndrome

Treatment Decision-Making of Secondary Prevention After Venous Thromboembolism: Data From the Real-Life START2-POST-VTE Register

Patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE) should receive a decision on the duration of anticoagulant treatment (AT) that is often not easy to make. Sixteen Italian clinical centers included patients with recent VTE in the START2-POST-VTE register and reported the decisions taken on duration of AT in each patient and the reasons for them. At the moment of this report, 472 (66.9%) of the 705 patients included in the registry were told to stop AT in 59.3% and to extend it in 40.7% of patients. Anticoagulant treatment lasted 653 months in >90% of patients and was extended in patients with proximal deep vein thrombosis because considered at high risk of recurrence or had thrombophilic abnormalities. d-dimer testing, assessment of residual thrombus, and patient preference were also indicated among the criteria influencing the decision. In conclusion, Italian doctors stuck to the minimum 3 months AT after VTE, while the secondary or unprovoked nature of the event was not seen as the prevalent factor influencing AT duration which instead was the result of a complex and multifactorial evaluation of each patient

RENEB intercomparison exercises analyzing micronuclei (Cytokinesis-block Micronucleus Assay)

Purpose: In the framework of the ‘Realizing the European Network of Biodosimetry’ (RENEB) project, two intercomparison exercises were conducted to assess the suitability of an optimized version of the cytokinesis-block micronucleus assay, and to evaluate the capacity of a large laboratory network performing biodosimetry for radiation emergency triages. Twelve European institutions participated in the first exercise, and four non-RENEB labs were added in the second one. Materials and methods: Irradiated blood samples were shipped to participating labs, whose task was to culture these samples and provide a blind dose estimate. Micronucleus analysis was performed by automated, semi-automated and manual procedures. Results: The dose estimates provided by network laboratories were in good agreement with true administered doses. The most accurate estimates were reported for low dose points (== 2.7 Gy) a larger variation in estimates was observed, though in the second exercise the number of acceptable estimates increased satisfactorily. Higher accuracy was achieved with the semi-automated method. Conclusion: The results of the two exercises performed by our network demonstrate that the micronucleus assay is a useful tool for large-scale radiation emergencies, and can be successfully implemented within a large network of laboratories