Determinação das características morfológica de petúnias comuns (petunia x hybrida) cultivadas em tubetes biodegradáveis

The market for ornamental plants and flowers has been growing a lot in recent years, in the country, due to its importance in interior design. Petunias are seeded first in seedbeds and then replanted in  plastic bags. In order to examine the potential use of biodegradable containers, an experiment was conducted at the experimental site of the Department of Natural Resources/Forestry Science, at Agronomics Sciences College of UNESP, Botucatu, São Paulo (Brazil), with common petunias (Petunia x hybrida) grown in greenhouses. The irrigation system used in the experiment was the spraying, without added nutrients. Four irrigations of approximately 15 minutes each were carried out every day, two in the morning  and two in the afternoon, for irrigation. The containers used for the formation of seedlings were lack polyethylene plastic bags and biodegradable plastic tubes. The development of the seedlings was accompanied taking into account the morphological characteristics of shoot height (H), diameter of the neck (D), leaf area (AF) and length of the root system (CSR). Analysis of the substrate, analysis of water quality and loss of weight of the biodegradable plastic tubes were also carried out. The results showed that the petunia seedlings develop better in plastic bags than in biodegradable containers and that the limiting factor was the water deficit of seedlings due to high permeability of the biodegradable containers. For a better development of seedlings in biodegradable containers, it would be necessary to adjust the irrigation regime so that water is better distributed.O mercado de plantas ornamentais e  flores no país vêm crescendo muitos nos últimos anos, por sua característica na decoração de ambientes. A petúnia é propagada inicialmente em sementeiras e depois replantada em saquinhos plásticos. Para verificar o potencial do uso de recipientes biodegradáveis, um experimento foi conduzido na área experimental do Departamento de Recursos Naturais/Ciências Florestais da Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas da UNESP de Botucatu-SP, com petúnias comuns (Petunia x hybrida)  cultivadas no interior de estufas. O sistema de irrigação utilizado no experimento foi o de aspersão, sem adição de nutrientes. Foram realizadas quatro irrigações por dia, sendo duas no turno da manhã e duas no período vespertino. O tempo de cada irrigação foi aproximadamente 15 minutos. Os recipientes usados para a formação das mudas foram sacos plásticos de polietileno na cor preta e tubetes biodegradáveis. O desenvolvimento das mudas foi acompanhado pelas características morfológicas altura da parte aérea (H), diâmetro do colo (D), área foliar (AF) e comprimento do sistema radicular (CSR). Foram feitas também análise do substrato, análise da qualidade da água e a perda de massa dos tubetes biodegradáveis. A análise dos dados mostrou que as mudas de petúnia em sacos plásticos se desenvolveram melhor que nos recipientes biodegradáveis e que o fator limitante foi o déficit hídrico das mudas em razão da elevada permeabilidade dos recipientes biodegradáveis. Para melhor desenvolvimento das mudas em recipientes biodegradáveis haveria necessidade de ajustar o regime de irrigação de forma a que a água seja melhor distribuída

Doxorubicin and congo red effectiveness on prion infectivity in golden Syrian hamster

The effect of doxorubicin and Congo Red on prion protein (PrP) infectivity in experimental scrapie was studied to better understand the effect of these compounds in prion diseases and to establish whether a dose-response correlation exists for Congo Red. This was performed in order to test the effectiveness of compounds that may easily be used in human prion diseases. Brain homogenate containing membrane bound PrPSc monomers was used as inoculum and was previously incubated with doxorubicin 10(-3) M and with increasing concentrations of Congo Red ranging from 10(-7) to 10(-2) M. This study shows for the first time that doxorubicin, and confirms that Congo Red, may interact with pathological PrP monomers modifying their infectious properties. Pre-incubation of infected brain homogenate with Congo Red resulted in prolonged incubation time and survival, independently of Congo Red concentration (p<0.05). Doxorubicin and Congo Red effects do not depend upon interaction with PrP amyloid material

Increased visceral adipose tissue rather than BMI as a risk factor for dementia

In addition to the association between overweight/obesity and cardiovascular disorders, with the presence of a vascular burden as a cofactor, recent studies have particularly focused on the association between indicators of adiposity and dementia. Particularly, renewed predictive value has been addressed to body mass index (BMI). A high BMI can increase the risk for dementia when measured before clinical dementia onset. Although the use of BMI in population-based and clinical studies is feasible, this is an index of weight excess and shows limits in its ability to distinguish between fat and fat-free mass or between deep (visceral) abdominal fat and subcutaneous abdominal fat. In this scenario, we suggest that visceral adipose tissue (VAT) rather than BMI should be considered as a concurrent factor in the development of dementia. Several physiopathologic theories (neurochemical, hormonal, atherosclerotic and inflammatory) have been proposed to explain the decline of cognitive functions. Along with this, well known cardiovascular risk factors (dyslipidaernia, insulin resistance, blood pressure, adipocytokine/chemokines, atherosclerosis) contributing to the development of cognitive decline seem more strongly related to body fat distribution, particularly visceral adipose tissue (VAT), rather than to BMI. With this regard, VAT may be reasonably considered to play a predominant role

Olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions in SARS-CoV-2 infection

Among Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) manifestations, Olfactory (OD) and Gustatory (GD) Dysfunctions (OGD) have drawn considerable attention, becoming a sort of hallmark of the disease. Many have speculated on the pathogenesis and clinical characteristics of these disturbances; however, no definite answers have been produced on the topic. With this systematic review, we aimed to collect all the available evidence regarding the prevalence of OGD, the timing of their onset and their resolution, their rate of recovery and their role as diagnostic and prognostic tools for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection

The role of extracellular vesicles in the removal of aggregated TDP43 responsible for ALS/FTD diseases

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) are two related neurodegenerative diseases. ALS is caused by the death of both upper and lower motoneurons, while FTD is characterized predominantly by circumscribed atrophy of the frontal and temporal lobes. ALS and FTD overlap each other. This is demonstrated by the presence of cognitive and behavioral dysfunction in up to 50% of ALS patients and by the presence of frontotemporal atrophy in patients with ALS. Moreover, these diseases are both characterize by the presence of TAR DNA binding protein 43 (TDP43) inclusions in affected cells. These inclusions, observed in 97% of patients with ALS and 50% of patients with FTD, are composed by TDP43 and its C-terminal fragments of 35 kDa (TDP35) and 25 kDa (TDP25). These fragments are highly aggregation-prone and probably neurotoxic. Thus, their removal is protective for cells. The mechanism responsible for the clearance of aggregates and misfolded proteins is the intracellular protein quality control (PQC) system. It consists of molecular chaperones/co- chaperones and the degradative pathways. PQC controls the folding status of proteins and prevents the aggregation of misfolded proteins by refolding them or degrading. Recent data demonstrated that also extracellular secretory pathway, represented especially by exosomes (EXOs) and microvesicles (MVs), might be involved in the removal of misfolded proteins from affected cells. Thus, we evaluated the role of EXOs and MVs in the secretion of TDP43 and its C-terminal fragments, using neuronal cell models. We used ultracentrifugation, that allowed us to separate MVs from EXOs on the basis of their dimension. Then we analyzed them through i) Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NanoSight) to establish their number and sizes, and ii) western blot analysis, to characterize their protein content. Our preliminary results show that TDP43, TDP35 and TDP25 are all secreted, mainly by MVs. In particular, we found that MVs are enriched of insoluble forms of TDPs and also of superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1), another ALS-related protein. Finally, both in EXOs and in MVs, we observed the presence of some important PQC-components, suggesting an interplay between the two pathways. GRANTS: Fondazione Cariplo, Italy (n. 2017_0747); Universit\ue0 degli Studi di Milano e piano di sviluppo UNIMI - linea B

Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue Transcriptome Highlights Specific Expression Profiles in Severe Pediatric Obesity: A Pilot Study

The prevalence of pediatric obesity is rising rapidly worldwide, and "omic" approaches are helpful in investigating the molecular pathophysiology of obesity. This work aims to identify transcriptional differences in the subcutaneous adipose tissue (scAT) of children with overweight (OW), obesity (OB), or severe obesity (SV) compared with those of normal weight (NW). Periumbilical scAT biopsies were collected from 20 male children aged 1-12 years. The children were stratified into the following four groups according to their BMI z-scores: SV, OB, OW, and NW. scAT RNA-Seq analyses were performed, and a differential expression analysis was conducted using the DESeq2 R package. A pathways analysis was performed to gain biological insights into gene expression. Our data highlight the significant deregulation in both coding and non-coding transcripts in the SV group when compared with the NW, OW, and OB groups. A KEGG pathway analysis showed that coding transcripts were mainly involved in lipid metabolism. A GSEA analysis revealed the upregulation of lipid degradation and metabolism in SV vs. OB and SV vs. OW. Bioenergetic processes and the catabolism of branched-chain amino acids were upregulated in SV compared with OB, OW, and NW. In conclusion, we report for the first time that a significant transcriptional deregulation occurs in the periumbilical scAT of children with severe obesity compared with those of normal weight or those with overweight or mild obesity

Risk factors for 5-year mortality in a cohort of elderly patients with sarcopenia

Background: The association between multiple risk factors and the mortality of sarcopenic patients has not been studied. This study's aim is to report the prevalence of sarcopenia among a sample of Italian hospitalized older adults, describe the physical function, body fat composition, cognitive, inflammatory and nutritional status of sarcopenic compared with non-sarcopenic subjects, and determine the risk factors associated with mortality in sarcopenic patients. Method: A total of 462 patients were enrolled and followed up for a period of 5 years. Sarcopenia was diagnosed according to the EWGSOP2 criteria. Factors associated with sarcopenia were identified with linear regression analysis. Logistic regression was applied to explore the association between the risk factors and mortality in sarcopenic subjects. Survival analyses and predictors of mortality were identified using Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression. Results: The prevalence of sarcopenia was 33.5%. Linear regression showed that sarcopenia was associated with Barthel index (B −9.63, p0.004), BMI (B −3.19, p24.9 (HR 0.287 C95% 0.095–0.866 p 0.027). Conclusion: Sarcopenia is associated with low physical function and BMI but higher android fat. Low Barthel, BMI and albumin can significantly decrease the survival rate in sarcopenic patients. Whereas BMI >24.9 is associated with lower mortality hazard

Curcumin and Novel Synthetic Analogs in Cell-Based Studies of Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder that is associated with the most common type of dementia and is characterized by the presence of deposits of the protein fragment amyloid beta (A\u3b2) in the brain. The natural product mixture of curcuminoids that improves certain defects in innate immune cells of AD patients may selectively enhance A\u3b2 phagocytosis by alteration of gene transcription. In this work, we evaluated the protective effects of curcuminoids in cells from AD patients by investigating the effect on NF-\u3baB and BACE1 signaling pathways. These results were compared to the gene expression profile of the clearance of A\u3b2. The minor curcumin constituent, bisdemethoxycurcumin (BDC) showed the most potent protective action to decrease levels of NF-\u3baB and BACE1, decrease the inflammatory cascade and diminish A\u3b2 aggregates in cells from AD patients. Moreover, mannosyl-glycoprotein 4-beta-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase (MGAT3) and vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene mRNAs were up-regulated in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from AD patients treated with BDC. BDC treatment impacts both gene expression including Mannosyl (Beta-1,4-)-Glycoprotein Beta-1,4-N-Acetylglucosaminyltransferase, Vitamin D and Toll like receptor mRNA and A\u3b2 phagocytosis. The observation of down-regulation of BACE1 and NF-\u3baB following administration of BDC to cells from AD patients as a model system may have utility in the treatment of asymptomatic AD patients

Proteostasis and ALS: Protocol for a phase II, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre clinical trial for colchicine in ALS (Co-ALS)

Introduction: Disruptions of proteasome and autophagy systems are central events in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and support the urgent need to find therapeutic compounds targeting these processes. The heat shock protein B8 (HSPB8) recognises and promotes the autophagy-mediated removal of misfolded mutant SOD1 and TDP-43 fragments from ALS motor neurons (MNs), as well as aggregating species of dipeptides produced in C9ORF72-related diseases. In ALS-SOD1 mice and in human ALS autopsy specimens, HSPB8 is highly expressed in spinal cord MNs that survive at the end stage of disease. Moreover, the HSPB8-BAG3-HSP70 complex maintains granulostasis, which avoids conversion of dynamic stress granules (SGs) into aggregation-prone assemblies. We will perform a randomised clinical trial (RCT) with colchicine, which enhances the expression of HSPB8 and of several autophagy players, blocking TDP-43 accumulation and exerting crucial activities for MNs function. Methods and analysis: Colchicine in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Co-ALS) is a double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre, phase II RCT. ALS patients will be enrolled in three groups (placebo, colchicine 0.01 mg/day and colchicine 0.005 mg/day) of 18 subjects treated with riluzole; treatment will last 30 weeks, and follow-up will last 24 weeks. The primary aim is to assess whether colchicine decreases disease progression as measured by ALS Functional Rating Scale - Revised (ALSFRS-R) at baseline and at treatment end. Secondary aims include assessment of (1) safety and tolerability of Colchicine in patiets with ALS; (2) changes in cellular activity (autophagy, protein aggregation, and SG and exosome secretion) and in biomarkers of disease progression (neurofilaments); (3) survival and respiratory function and (4) quality of life. Preclinical studies with a full assessment of autophagy and neuroinflammation biomarkers in fibroblasts, peripheral blood mononuclear cells and lymphoblasts will be conducted in parallel with clinic assessment to optimise time and resources. Ethics and dissemination: The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Area Vasta Emilia Nord and by Agenzia Italiana del Farmaco (EUDRACT N.2017-004459-21) based on the Declaration of Helsinki. This research protocol was written without patient involvement. Patients' association will be involved in disseminating the study design and results. Results: will be presented during scientific symposia or published in scientific journals

Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells Expanded Inside the Nichoid Micro-Scaffold: a Focus on Anti-Inflammatory Response

Purpose Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) represent a promising source for stem cell therapies in numerous diseases, including pediatric respiratory system diseases. Characterized by low immunogenicity, high anti-inflammatory, and immunoregulatory features, MSCs demonstrated an excellent therapeutic profile in numerous in vitro and preclinical models. MSCs reside in a specialized physiologic microenvironment, characterized by a unique combination of biophysical, biochemical, and cellular properties. The exploitation of the 3D micro-scaffold Nichoid, which simulates the native niche, enhanced the anti-inflammatory potential of stem cells through mechanical stimulation only, overcoming the limitation of biochemical and xenogenic growth factors application.Materials and Methods In this work, we expanded pediatric bone marrow MSCs (BM-MSCs) inside the Nichoid and performed a complete cellular characterization with different approaches including viability assays, immunofluorescence analyses, RNA sequencing, and gene expression analysis.Results We demonstrated that BM-MSCs inside the scaffold remain in a stem cell quiescent state mimicking the condition of the in vivo environment. Moreover, the gene expression profile of these cells shows a significant up-regulation of genes involved in immune response when compared with the flat control.Conclusion The significant changes in the expression profile of anti-inflammatory genes could potentiate the therapeutic effect of BM-MSCs, encouraging the possible clinical translation for the treatment of pediatric congenital and acquired pulmonary disorders, including post-COVID lung manifestations