THE ADHESION MOLECULE L1: A NOVEL PLAYER IN OVARIAN CANCER VASCULATURE

Ovarian cancer represents an outstanding clinical challenge because of its high mortality rate, mainly due to tumor relapse and chemoresistance. The identification of novel targets and strategies for the treatment of OC is clearly an unmet need in clinical oncology. In this context, drugs that interfere with tumor neovascularization have shown promising results in recent clinical trials. However, the beneficial effect of anti-angiogenic therapies is often modest and transient: in OC patients, for example, it has been observed only a limited increase in progression-free survival. Thus, the definition of novel druggable targets within the tumor vasculature will have profound implications, particularly for those tumor types, such as OC, that respond poorly to conventional anti-cancer treatments. L1 is a transmembrane glycoprotein belonging to the immunoglobulin superfamily that was initially characterized as an adhesion molecule playing a key role in the development of nervous system. However, several studies have demonstrated its involvement in several types of human cancer, including ovarian carcinoma. In this context, L1 expression is generally associated with poor diagnosis, an aggressive behavior and advanced tumor stage. Moreover, L1 induces a motile and invasive phenotype, supporting metastatic spread, and promotes chemoresistance. Our laboratory has obtained compelling evidence that L1 is aberrantly expressed in tumor vasculature and exerts an unexpected, pleiotropic function in endothelial cells. Based on these findings and on the pivotal role of angiogenesis in ovarian cancer, in this work I have investigate the functional role of L1 within the OC-associated vasculature. My results revealed that L1 is particularly abundant in OC vasculature as compared to normal vessels. Moreover,, vascular L1 was found to be a causal player in OC progression, possibly due to an endothelial cell-autonomous effect on OC vascularization, concomitant to a positive regulation of ovarian cancer stem cell function. This research, besides giving insights into novel pathways involved in pathological angiogenesis, provides the rationale for exploring the clinical relevance of L1 expression and function in OC vessels and in their crosstalk with tumor cells, possibly opening new avenues for the development of innovative targeted therapies for OC malignancy

Sedimentary context and palaeoecology of Gigantoproductus shell beds in the Mississippian Eyam Limestone Formation, Derbyshire carbonate platform, central England

A sedimentological study was conducted at two localities exposing the Mississippian Eyam Limestone Formation of the Derbyshire carbonate platform, UK. Ricklow Quarry comprises seven facies with diverse skeletal assemblages, representing deposition on the inner to middle ramp within open marine waters. Once-a-Week Quarry comprises four facies, dominated by crinoidal debris representing deposition on the inner ramp. Both localities expose Gigantoproductus shell beds. Palaeoecological analysis of a single shell bed from each locality enabled investigation of the rapid colonization and success of this taxon on the platform. At Ricklow Quarry, on the eastern side of a localized mud mound, both life (>72% of thin and thick-shelled brachiopods in life position) and neighbourhood assemblages are present. A low-moderate diversity community (<1.37 and <0.8 Shannon diversity index) rapidly established over relict Brigantian mud mounds. Shell beds are preluded by intervals of decreased energy that allowed larvae to settle. Once established, the dominance of thick-shelled individuals enabled baffling, potentially providing localized shelter for larvae and nearby individuals. At Once-a-Week Quarry, where no mud mound is present, only thick-shelled Gigantoproductus species and a low diversity community (<1.07 Shannon diversity index) exclusively comprising neighbourhood assemblages (37% in life position) is present. The presence of inactive mud mounds at Ricklow Quarry appears to have been the key to the success of Gigantoproductus species enabling the onset of stable communities in the shelter provided by the relict mound. Once the first palaeocommunities were established, larvae dispersed and colonized higher energy settings, such as at Once-a-Week Quarry

Robotic Monitoring of Habitats: the Natural Intelligence Approach

In this paper, we first discuss the challenges related to habitat monitoring and review possible robotic solutions. Then, we propose a framework to perform terrestrial habitat monitoring exploiting the mobility of legged robotic systems. The idea is to provide the robot with the Natural Intelligence introduced as the combination of the environment in which it moves, the intelligence embedded in the design of its body, and the algorithms composing its mind. This approach aims to solve the challenges of deploying robots in real natural environments, such as irregular and rough terrains, long-lasting operations, and unexpected collisions, with the final objective of assisting humans in assessing the habitat conservation status. Finally, we present examples of robotic monitoring of habitats in four different environments: forests, grasslands, dunes, and screes

Seasonality fluctuations recorded in fossil bivalves during the early Pleistocene: implications for climate change

Understanding the transformations of the climate system may help to predict and reduce the effects of global climate change. The geological record provides a unique archive that documents the long-term fluctuations of environmental variables, such as seasonal change. Here, we investigate how seasonal variation in seawater temperatures varied in the Mediterranean Sea during the early Pleistocene, approaching the Early-Middle Pleistocene Transition (EMPT) and the beginning of precession-driven Quaternary-style glacial–interglacial cycles. We performed whole-shell and sclerochemical stable isotope analyses (δ18O, δ13C) on bivalves, collected from the lower Pleistocene Arda River marine succession (northern Italy), after checking shell preservation. Our results indicate that seawater temperature seasonality was the main variable of climate change in the Mediterranean area during the early Pleistocene, with the Northern Hemisphere Glaciation (NHG) exerting a control on the Mediterranean climate. We show that strong seasonality (14.4–16.0 °C range) and low winter paleotemperatures (0.8–1.6 °C) were likely the triggers leading to the establishment of widespread populations of so called “northern guests” (i.e., cold water taxa) in the Mediterranean Sea around 1.80 Ma. The shells postdating the arrival of the “northern guests” record a return to lower seasonal variations and higher seawater paleotemperatures, with seasonality increasing again approaching the EMPT; the latter, however, is not associated with a corresponding cooling of mean seawater paleotemperatures, showing that the observed seasonality variation represents a clear signal of progressive climate change in the Mediterranean Sea

New national and regional Annex I Habitat records: from #26 to #36

New Italian data on the distribution of the Annex I Habitats 1510*, 2130*, 2250*, 3180*, 3260, 5230*, 6410, 7140, 7220*, 9320 are reported in this contribution. Specifically, 14 new occurrences in Natura 2000 sites are presented and 20 new cells are added in the EEA 10 km × 10 km reference grid. The new data refer to the Italian administrative regions of Abruzzo, Apulia, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Liguria, Marche, Molise, Sardinia, Sicily, Tuscany and Umbria

New national and regional Annex I Habitat records: From #37 to #44

In this contribution, Italian new data concerning the distribution of the Annex I Habitats 3150, 3170*, 3260, 4090, 91L0, 91M0, 9340 are reported. In detail, 20 new occurrences in Natura 2000 sites are presented and 30 new cells are added in the EEA 10 km × 10 km reference grid. The new data refer to the Italian administrative regions of Campania, Lazio, Sardinia, Sicily, Tuscany, and Umbria