Cambiamenti climatici e criosfera. Chi si prende cura del ghiacciaio? Alcune riflessioni sul territorio dell’Adamello

Il tema dell’impatto del climate change sulla criosfera e sui ghiacciai è lo spunto da cui prende avvio il mio articolo che si propone di indagare i processi di territorializzazione, con riferimento al ghiacciaio e alla montagna del Gruppo montuoso Adamello – Presanella, espressi dai rapporti tra gli attori locali e le policy attivate che insistono in tale area. Le criticità derivanti dai modi della frequentazione di questi ambienti contribuiscono a quelle «forzanti antropiche» che, in aggiunta alle «forzanti naturali», sono fattori determinanti per l’accelerazione del processo di fusione dei ghiacciai. Da qui nasce la domanda su chi si prende cura del ghiacciaio. Domanda che vuole porre un interrogativo su chi abita questi luoghi, come ne percepisce l’uso e/o la tutela o, ancora, su cosa si intende per valorizzazione del patrimonio naturale. L’indagine vuole evidenziare quali sono le sensibilità: se emerge una preponderante visione di sfruttamento delle risorse o se, particolarmente per gli attori locali, si stia facendo strada una visione della sostenibilità che comprenda le relazioni con il paesaggio. Riflessione articolata a partire dalle azioni di mitigazione e adattamento attuate in difesa dell’abitare la montagna.The theme of the impact of climate change on the cryosphere and on glaciers is the starting point for my article, which aims to investigate the processes of territorialization, with reference to the glacier and the Adamello-Presanella mountain range, expressed by the relationships between local actors and the activated policies that insist in this area. The criticalities deriving from the ways of frequentation of these environments contribute to those «anthropic forcings» that, in addition to the «natural forcings», are determining factors for the acceleration of the process of glacier melting. Hence the question of who takes care of the glacier. A question that wants to ask who inhabits these places, how they perceive the use and/or protection or, again, what is meant by the enhancement of natural heritage. The survey wants to highlight what are the sensitivities: if a preponderant vision of exploitation of resources emerges or if, particularly for local actors, a vision of sustainability is emerging that includes the relationship with the landscape. An articulated reflection starting from the actions of mitigation and adaptation implemented in defense of mountain livin

Seewis virus, a genetically distinct hantavirus in the Eurasian common shrew (Sorex araneus)

More than 20 years ago, hantaviral antigens were reported in tissues of the Eurasian common shrew (Sorex araneus), Eurasian water shrew (Neomys fodiens) and common mole (Talpa europea), suggesting that insectivores, or soricomorphs, might serve as reservoirs of unique hantaviruses. Using RT-PCR, sequences of a genetically distinct hantavirus, designated Seewis virus (SWSV), were amplified from lung tissue of a Eurasian common shrew, captured in October 2006 in Graubünden, Switzerland. Pair-wise analysis of the full-length S and partial M and L segments of SWSV indicated approximately 55%–72% similarity with hantaviruses harbored by Murinae, Arvicolinae, Neotominae and Sigmodontinae rodents. Phylogenetically, SWSV grouped with other recently identified shrew-borne hantaviruses. Intensified efforts are underway to clarify the genetic diversity of SWSV throughout the geographic range of the Eurasian common shrew, as well as to determine its relevance to human health

Ultraschallbefunde bei einer Kuh mit extraskelettalem chondroblastischem Osteosarkom am Hals

ZUSAMMENFASSUNG: In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden die klinischen, sonographischen und pathologisch-anatomischen Befunde bei einer 5jährigen Braunviehkuh mit einem chondroblastischen Osteosarkom am Hals beschrieben. Die Kuh wies eine ca. 30 x 30 x 30 cm grosse, derbe, nicht schmerzhafte Umfangsvermehrung im unteren Bereich der linken Halsseite auf, die sich auch auf die rechte Halsseite erstreckte und sonographisch als gekammerte Struktur mit hyperechogenen Septen und echogenem Inhalt erschien. Aufgrund der histologischen Untersuchung einer Biopsie wurde die Diagnose chondroblastisches Osteosarkom gestellt, welche bei der postmortalen Untersuchung bestätigt werden konnte. ABSTRACT: This case report describes the clinical, ultrasonographic and pathological findings in a five-year-old Swiss Braunvieh cow with extraskeletal chondroblastic osteosarcoma of the neck region. The cow was referred because of a firm, non-painful swelling, approximately 25 cm in diameter, which was situated mainly on the lower left side of the neck but extended to the right. Ultrasonographic examination of the mass revealed a chambered structure containing echoic material that was separated by hyperechoic septa. Chondroblastic osteosarcoma was diagnosed based on histological evaluation of a biopsy sample, and the diagnosis was confirmed by postmortem examination

Structure of a Chaperone-Usher Pilus reveals the molecular basis of rod uncoiling

Types 1 and P pili are prototypical bacterial cell-surface appendages playing essential roles in mediating adhesion of bacteria to the urinary tract. These pili, assembled by the chaperone-usher pathway, are polymers of pilus subunits assembling into two parts: a thin, short tip fibrillum at the top, mounted on a long pilus rod. The rod adopts a helical quaternary structure and is thought to play essential roles: its formation may drive pilus extrusion by preventing backsliding of the nascent growing pilus within the secretion pore; the rod also has striking spring-like properties, being able to uncoil and recoil depending on the intensity of shear forces generated by urine flow. Here, we present an atomic model of the P pilus generated from a 3.8 Å resolution cryo-electron microscopy reconstruction. This structure provides the molecular basis for the rod’s remarkable mechanical properties and illuminates its role in pilus secretion

The Bacterial Fimbrial Tip Acts as a Mechanical Force Sensor

The subunits that constitute the bacterial adhesive complex located at the tip of the fimbria form a hook-chain that acts as a rapid force-sensitive anchor at high flow

The remarkable biomechanical properties of the Type 1 Chaperone-Usher Pilus: a structural and molecular perspective

Chaperone-usher (CU) pili are long, supramolecular protein fibers tethered to the surface of numerous bacterial pathogens. These virulence factors function primarily in bacterial adhesion to host tissues, but they also mediate biofilm formation. Type 1 and P pili of uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) are the two best-studied CU pilus examples, and here we primarily focus on the former. UPEC can be transmitted to the urinary tract by fecal shedding. It can then ascend up the urinary tract and cause disease by invading and colonizing host tissues of the bladder, causing cystitis, and the kidneys, causing pyelonephritis. FimH is the subunit displayed at the tip of type 1 pili and mediates adhesion to mannosylated host cells via a unique catch-bond mechanism. In response to shear forces caused by urine flow, FimH can transition from a low-affinity to high-affinity binding mode. This clever allosteric mechanism allows UPEC cells to remain tightly attached during periods of urine flow, while loosening their grip to allow dissemination through the urinary tract during urine stasis. Moreover, the bulk of a CU pilus is made up of the rod, which can reversibly uncoil in response to urine flow to evenly spread the tensile forces over the entire pilus length. We here explore the novel structural and mechanistic findings relating to the type 1 pilus FimH catch-bond and rod uncoiling and explain how they function together to enable successful attachment, spread, and persistence in the hostile urinary tract

Borna disease virus antigen distribution in naturally infected bicolored white-toothed shrews, Crocidura leucodon, supporting its role as reservoir host species

Borna Disease is a severe, immunopathological disorder of the central nervous system, caused by infection with Borna Disease Virus (BDV). The main known naturally affected animal species in endemic areas in central Europe are horses and sheep[24]. In this study we present evidence of shrew mice (Crocidura leucodon) as a vector of BDV. The widespread presence of viral antigen and –RNA in the organs of this animal species without producing pathological lesions differs from the classical hosts such as equines, small ruminants and other domestic animals naturally infected with BDV. The detection of BDV in the shrew mice was achieved by immunohistochemistry and by TaqMan® Real Time RT-PCR. RT-PCR mplification products were sequenced, and the sequences were compared with those from horses and sheep originating from the same geographical region, which had died from Borna Disease (BD)