An insight into the presence of lignicolous fungi in Sicily (southern Italy)

Thirty-six lignicolous fungal species (4 Ascomycota and 32 Basidiomycota), included in 16 families and 28 genera have been recorded in different natural and reforested areas of Sicily. Amylostereum laevigatum, Ceriporia excelsa, Phlebia lilascens, and Stereum insignitum represent new records for Sicily. Notes on some rare species are also here reported

Trees and shrubs in the city of Bari (Italy)

The authors recorded in the city of Bari 221 specific and infraspecific taxa, used as onramentals, belonging to 126 genera of 64 families with a prevalence of exotic species over native ones. The study is preparatory to the redevelopment of urban green areas concerning the recent Municipal Regulation on green spaces in the city. The flora investigated is rich in elements native to Italy. Anyway, the most common species are commonly used as ornamental also in the other regions of Italy. Argania spinosa, Ceiba speciosa, Cyperus papyrus, Euphorbia ingens, Ficus rubiginosa, and Jacaranda mimosifolia are species less commonly used and noteworthy, because at their climatic limit

Rilevazione statistica della diffusione e della conoscenza di sostanze dopanti, integratori e dell' Exercise Addiction

I benefici derivanti dalla pratica dell'esercizio fisico sono stati ampiamente documentati. Tuttavia, l’eccessivo ricorso alla attività fisica può condurre alla messa in atto di pattern compulsivi di allenamento che possono evolversi in una vera e propria patologia: l' exercise addiction. Studi recenti suggeriscono l'espansione di due fenomeni: il doping amatoriale e l'abuso di integratori per lo sport. Sono stati somministrati 686 test. I partecipanti allo studio sono stati scelti tra studenti di scuola media superiore, studenti universitari e frequentatori di ambienti sportivi. Il 42,5% degli intervistati dichiara di assumere sostanze per migliorare le prestazioni sportive e quindi di doparsi. Il 30,23% assume integratori. Una percentuale compresa tra il 35 e l'88,35 % dichiara di non conoscere le sostanze proposte.Il 15,8% dei rispondenti è a “rischio” di exercise addiction, il 71,7% è classificato come “sintomatico”. E' stata infine indagata quale possibile correlazione potesse esserci tra le variabili in esame. La statistica test X2 evidenzia che non vi è alcuna associazione , in altre parole non sembra esserci relazione tra il rischio di dipendenza dall' esercizio fisico e l'assunzione di sostanze. L'analisi dei dati raccolti suggerisce invece che vi sia un'espansione del fenomeno del doping in ambiente amatoriale e che vi sia una scriteriata e incongrua assunzione di integratori per lo sport. La presente ricerca suggerisce che occorre compiere interventi immediati sia a livello di informazione che di prevenzione , in cui al farmacista sia affidato un ruolo di primo piano

De novo design of antimicrobial and antibiofilm peptides starting from desert truffle Tirmania pinoyi peptides

With the aim of discovering new routes in the research of antimicrobials, we focused on polypeptide- enriched extracts derived from edible desert truffle mushroom Tirmania pinoyi. The extracts showed an interesting activity with MIC=50 μg/mL against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 15442. Through mass spectrometry analysis (RP-HPLC/ nESI-MS/MS) the following eight novel peptides FDVVPKTAANFRAL, AVTVGASTLADERA, FLVGGASLKPEF, VARIFAVFNDTF, HLVDEPQNLLK, LGEYGFQNALLR, FAVNGGCAKET, SREDLHPKL were detected. To characterize them online websites were used: IAMPpred, DPBAAS, Cell-PPD, ToxinPred, HemoPI, PeptideCutter and HLP. The analysis indicated that some peptides showed negative or neutral charge, hydrophobic ratio between 42% and 67%, Boman Index < 2.25 kCal/mol. According to the “APD3: Antimicrobial Peptide Calculator and Predictor” tool of the Antimicrobial Peptide Database (APD) similarities (around 30-40%) with known antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) identified in amphibians were also detected. In contrast, the predicted antimicrobial, antifungal and antibiofilm activity was not significant. In order to improve biological and physico-chemical properties, the sequences of natural peptides were modified using APD3, by replacing some hydrophilic and negative charged amino acids with hydrophobic and positive ones. The derivative sequences (GWDVVPKTWWKFRAL, KWTWGASTLAKKRA, FLRGGWSLKPKF, KWRIFWVFNKTF, HLVKRWQNLLK, KGKYRFWNALLR, FARWGGCAKRT, SRKWLHPWL) showed net positive charge between +2 and +4, hydrophobic ratio between 42% and 48%, Boman Index < 2.25 kCal/mol and high stability. Moreover, the predicted antimicrobial, antifungal and antibiofilm activity was high, without toxic or hemolytic effects. In conclusion, bioinformatic analysis has demonstrated that novel peptides discovered in T. pinoyi may be considered new platforms for the design of novel antimicrobial and antibiofilm peptides to counteract multi-drug resistant pathogens

Forest nurseries and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan: the case of Sicily and Apulia (Italy)

In Italy, the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) foresees the planting of ca. 6.6 million trees to establish urban and peri-urban forests in 14 metropolitan cities. This ambitious project requires a significant number of native trees and shrubs, currently unavailable in Italian public and private nurseries. This survey analyzes the state of forest nurseries in two administrative regions of southern Italy, i.e. the “Filici” forest nursery (province of Agrigento, Sicily) and the Gargano Mountain Reclamation Consortium (province of Foggia, Apulia), to evaluate the adequacy of Sicilian and Apulian forest nurseries as potential sources of plant material to meet the requirements of the NRRP. The census carried out at the “Filici” nursery revealed the presence of more than 22,000 seedlings in cultivation, comprising 55 species, 26 genera, and 26 families. The autochthonous species are 43 (78.2%), while the exotic ones are 12 (21.8%). The Gargano Mountain Reclamation Consortium forest nursery has 190,876 seedlings in cultivation. A total of 80 species are present, belonging to 59 genera and 32 families. Of these, 68 (85%) are native species, 12 (15%) are exotic. An analysis of the plant material being cultivated in these forest nurseries shows the presence of a share of autochthonous species of interest for urban reforestation initiatives, however these are still insufficient in number

CA-IX-Expressing Small Extracellular Vesicles (sEVs) Are Released by Melanoma Cells under Hypoxia and in the Blood of Advanced Melanoma Patients

Cutaneous melanoma is a highly aggressive skin cancer, with poor prognosis. The tumor microenvironment is characterized by areas of hypoxia. Carbonic anhydrase IX (CA-IX) is a marker of tumor hypoxia and its expression is regulated by hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1). CA-IX has been found to be highly expressed in invasive melanomas. In this study, we investigated the effects of hypoxia on the release of small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) in two melanoma in vitro models. We demonstrated that melanoma cells release sEVs under both normoxic and hypoxic conditions, but only hypoxia-induced sEVs express CA-IX mRNA and protein. Moreover, we optimized an ELISA assay to provide evidence for CA-IX protein expression on the membranes of the sEVs. These CA-IX-positive sEVs may be exploited as potential biomarkers for liquid biopsy

RICOVERI PER EFFETTI INDESIDERATI DA SOVRADOSAGGIO DI FARMACI PRESSO UN\u2019UNIT\uc0 OPERATIVA CARDIOLOGICA NEL PERIODO 2011-2013

Introduzione: Le statistiche dei casi di ricovero ospedaliero per effetti indesiderati da sovradosaggio farmacologico sono utili per valutare l\u2019incidenza di tale fenomeno nel mondo reale. Un sovradosaggio farmacologico pu\uf2 avvenire come conseguenza di un\u2019insufficiente o inadeguata comunicazione tra medico e paziente, per autoprescrizione o erronea assunzione di dosaggi superiori a quelli necessari, per erronea assunzione di due farmaci identici come molecola ma con nome commerciale diverso o per effetti collaterali imprevisti. Materiali e metodi: Sono state esaminate, retrospettivamente, le cartelle cliniche relative a tutti i ricoveri avvenuti presso l\u2019Unit\ue0 Operativa di Cardiologia del P.O. S. Antonio Abate di Trapani (ASP 9 - Sicilia) nel triennio compreso tra gennaio 2011 e dicembre 2013. Sono state ricercate le ospedalizzazioni avvenute per effetti indesiderati da sovradosaggio di farmaci appartenenti a varie classi quali digitalici, ACE-inibitori, betabloccanti e antiaritmici, in particolare l\u2019amiodarone. Risultati: Nel triennio in oggetto, su un totale di 7269 ospedalizzazioni, quelli per effetti indesiderati da sovradosaggio farmacologico sono stati 76 (1.05% del totale dei ricoveri). I pazienti ricoverati per tale motivo, 33 di sesso maschile e 43 di sesso femminile, avevano un\u2019et\ue0 compresa tra 62 e 90 anni. La Figura1 mostra le percentuali relative ai singoli farmaci interessati, secondo cui la principale causa di ricovero ospedaliero per effetti indesiderati da sovradosaggio farmacologico \ue8 attribuibile all\u2019amiodarone, antiaritmico di classe III, per i noti effetti collaterali a carico della tiroide e degli occhi. Segue la digitale, che ha causato nei pazienti bradiaritmie e in alcuni casi vere e proprie intossicazioni e, in percentuali minori, gli ACE-inibitori, cause di ipotensione e i betabloccanti, causa di bradicardia e ipotensione. Per tutti i casi l\u2019intervento mirava alla reversione della sintomatologia e alla momentanea sospensione dell\u2019assunzione. Per nessuno dei casi monitorati si \ue8 proposto il ricovero in terapia intensiva. Discussione: I ricoveri ospedalieri per effetti indesiderati da sovradosaggio farmacologico sono ancora un problema abbastanza diffuso nel mondo reale. Gli operatori sanitari, tra cui Medici e Farmacisti, dovrebbero ulteriormente mirare a una corretta informazione dei pazienti e dei loro familiari, in particolare al momento della dimissione, come prezioso e fondamentale strumento di prevenzione di questi danni iatrogenici che, a prescindere dei costi evitabili per il Sistema Sanitario Nazionale, possono comportare, se non adeguatamente trattati, rischi e gravi conseguenze per la salute

When brains dialogue by synchronized or unsynchronized languages : hyperscanning applications to neuromanagement

Neuromanagement deals with neuroscience methodological approaches to the management. A management construct is leadership, but objective psychophysiological data in support of it are still missing. The present pilot study aimed to apply the hyperscanning paradigm during a role-played employees' evaluation. Our purpose was to identify lexical and neuro/psychophysiological markers of leader-employee interactions. The sample consisted in paired manager-collaborator couples. Managers were required to use two different communication styles: authoritative vs. cooperative. A conversational analysis permitted to identify main topics to interpret data. Results showed that the interview was more arousing for the employee than the manager. Greater Delta and Theta EEG bands could denote positive valence of personal interactions and company mission topics. Autonomic measures (Skin Conductance Response, SCR and Heart Rate, HR) showed important information related to different leadership style. Results highlight the importance of applying neurosciences to organizational contexts exploring processes related to manager-employee dynamics and communicative style

Prophylactic salpingectomy in premenopausal low-risk women for ovarian cancer: Primum non nocere

Abstract Objective The objective of this study is to compare ovarian function and surgical outcomes between patients affected by benign uterine pathologies submitted to total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH) plus salpingectomy and women in which standard TLH with adnexal preservation was performed. Methods We retrospectively compared data of 79 patients who underwent TLH plus bilateral salpingectomy (group A), with those of 79 women treated by standard TLH without adnexectomy (sTLH) (group B). Ovarian reserve modification, expressed as the difference between 3months post-operative and pre-operative values of Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH), Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH), Antral Follicle Count (AFC), mean ovarian diameters and Peak Systolic Velocity (PSV), was recorded for each patient. For each surgical procedure, operative time, variation of hemoglobin level (ΔHb), postoperative hospital stay, postoperative return to normal activity, and complication rate were recorded as secondary outcomes. Results According to our post-hoc analysis , this equivalence study resulted to have a statistical power of 96.8%. Significant difference was not observed between groups with respect to ΔAMH ( p = 0.35 ), ΔFSH ( p = 0.15 ), ΔAFC ( p = 0.09 ), Δ mean ovarian diameters ( p = 0.57 ) and ΔPSV ( p = 0.61 ). In addition, secondary outcomes such as operative time ( p = 0.79 ), ΔHb ( p = 0.41 ), postoperative hospital stay ( p = 0.16 ), postoperative return to normal activity ( p = 0.11 ) and complication rate also did not show any significant difference. Conclusions The addition of bilateral salpingectomy to TLH for prevention of ovarian cancer in women who do not carry a BRCA1/2 mutations do not show negative effects on the ovarian function. In addition, no perioperative complications are related to the salpingectomy step in TLH

In Vitro Antitumor Effects of the Cold-Water Extracts of Mediterranean Species of Genus Pleurotus (Higher Basidiomycetes) on Human Colon Cancer Cells

The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether the cold-water extract of Pleurotus eryngii var. ferulae (CWE-Pef) and Pleurotus nebrodensis (CWE-Pn), two of the most prized wild and cultivated edible mushrooms can affect the tumour phenotype of human colon cancer HCT116 cells. Our results showed that treatment with CWE-Pef and CWE-Pn resulted in a significant inhibition of the viability of HCT116 cells and promoted apoptosis as also demonstrated by the increase of bax/bcl-2 mRNA ratio. Moreover, we observed that both extracts were able to inhibit cell migration and to affect homotypic and heterotypic cell-cell adhesion. It was also found that treatment with CWE-Pef and CWE-Pn negatively modulated the protein tyrosine phosphorylation as well as the phosphorylation levels of ERK1/2. In conclusion, the in vitro antitumor effects of CWE-Pef and CWE-Pn indicate that they can be considered as possible sources for new alternative therapeutic agents for cancer treatment