New association between red wood ant species (Formica rufa group) and the myrmecophilic spiders Mastigusa arietina and Thyreosthenius biovatus

Ants belonging to the Formica rufa species group, counting 10 representatives in Europe, are often referred to as red wood ants (RWAs). These dominant, mound building species are known to host in their nests an extremely diverse fauna of associated myrmecophilic arthropods, among which are the two W-Palaearctic spider species Mastigusa arietina (Thorell 1871) and Thyreosthenius biovatus (O. Pickard-Cambridge 1875). The actual host range of these spiders within the Formica rufa group is little known, due to the taxonomic uncertainties that have characterized RWAs in the past. We conducted a large-scale survey for assessing the occurrence of both spider species in association with different RWAs, with a focus on an accurate identification of the ant species. We recorded co-occurrence data for 5 European representatives of the Formica rufa group, and we reported for the first time on the co-occurrence of M. arietina with Formica aquilonia Yarrow 1955, Formica lugubris Zetterstedt 1838 and Formica paralugubris Seifert 1996, and of T. biovatus with F. aquilonia. We found no association between the rate of presence/absence of the two spiders and host ant species or sampling localities, which suggests a non-selective exploitation of RWA hosts by the two myrmecophilic spiders

First record of the genus Thyreosthenius (Araneae: Linyphiidae) from the Iberian Peninsula with notes on the host preference of the myrmecophilic T. biovatus

The presence of the spider genus Thyreosthenius Simon, 1884 (Linyphiidae) is for the first time confirmed in the Iberian Peninsula with an observation of the myrmecophile species T. biovatus (O. Pickard Cambridge, 1875). Four adult females and two sub-adult male specimens were collected inside mound nests belonging to the red wood ant species Formica lugubris Zetterstedt, 1838 in the Aragon and Catalonia regions of Spain. This represents the second known record of an occurrence of T. biovatus in association with F. lugubris, and the first for Continental Europe. In addition, the existing information on the host preference of this species is reviewed and discussed in relation to the new data from the Spanish Pyrenees

Editorial: Chronic autoimmune arthritis, infections and vaccines

The link between autoimmunity and infection continues to represent an intriguing immunologic conundrum for scientist and a frequent clinical challenge for patients and physicians. Patients with chronic autoimmune arthritis indeed have an increased risk of infections, mainly due to the dysregulation of their immune system and the use of immunosuppressive therapy. Infections in these patients are more frequent, have a more severe clinical course, eventually with prolonged viral persistence, compared to the general population and represent a frequent cause of death. Besides, infections can trigger autoimmune diseases via different immunologic mechanisms such as molecular mimicry, epitope spreading, by-stander activation and can also induce disease relapses. SARS-CoV-2 infection represents a dramatic example of this complex connection. It is known, indeed, that different autoimmune manifestations can complicate SARS-CoV-2 infection such as uncontrolled host-immune response leading to life-threatening condition known as cytokine release syndrome, or autoimmune hemolytic anemia, immune thrombocytopenic purpura, Guillain-Barre syndrome, and the detection of different autoantibodies. This Research Topic includes seventeen contributions, fifteen original articles and two review articles, providing several new insights into the efficacy and safety of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in autoimmune patients, immunologic biomarkers for diagnosis and therapeutic outcome of autoimmune arthritis

Endothelial cells, endoplasmic reticulum stress and oxysterols

Oxysterols are bioactive lipids that act as regulators of lipid metabolism, inflammation, cell viability and are involved in several diseases, including atherosclerosis. Mounting evidence linked the atherosclerosis to endothelium dysfunction; in fact, the endothelium regulates the vascular system with roles in processes such as hemostasis, cell cholesterol, hormone trafficking, signal transduction and inflammation. Several papers shed light the ability of oxysterols to induce apoptosis in different cell lines including endothelial cells. Apoptotic endothelial cell and endothelial denudation may constitute a critical step in the transition to plaque erosion and vessel thrombosis, so preventing the endothelial damaged has garnered considerable attention as a novel means of treating atherosclerosis. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is the site where the proteins are synthetized and folded and is necessary for most cellular activity; perturbations of ER homeostasis leads to a condition known as endoplasmic reticulum stress. This condition evokes the unfolded protein response (UPR) an adaptive pathway that aims to restore ER homeostasis. Mounting evidence suggests that chronic activation of UPR leads to cell dysfunction and death and recently has been implicated in pathogenesis of endothelial dysfunction. Autophagy is an essential catabolic mechanism that delivers misfolded proteins and damaged organelles to the lysosome for degradation, maintaining basal levels of autophagic activity it is critical for cell survival. Several evidence suggests that persistent ER stress often results in stimulation of autophagic activities, likely as a compensatory mechanism to relieve ER stress and consequently cell death. In this review, we summarize evidence for the effect of oxysterols on endothelial cells, especially focusing on oxysterols-mediated induction of endoplasmic reticulum stress

Monte Carlo-based 3D surface point cloud volume estimation by exploding local cubes faces

This article proposes a state-of-the-art algorithm for estimating the 3D volume enclosed in a surface point cloud via a modified extension of the Monte Carlo integration approach. The algorithm consists of a pre-processing of the surface point cloud, a sequential generation of points managed by an affiliation criterion, and the final computation of the volume. The pre-processing phase allows a spatial reorientation of the original point cloud, the evaluation of the homogeneity of its points distribution, and its enclosure inside a rectangular parallelepiped of known volume. The affiliation criterion using the explosion of cube faces is the core of the algorithm, handles the sequential generation of points, and proposes the effective extension of the traditional Monte Carlo method by introducing its applicability to the discrete domains. Finally, the final computation estimates the volume as a function of the total amount of generated points, the portion enclosed within the surface point cloud, and the parallelepiped volume. The developed method proves to be accurate with surface point clouds of both convex and concave solids reporting an average percentage error of less than 7 %. It also shows considerable versatility in handling clouds with sparse, homogeneous, and sometimes even missing points distributions. A performance analysis is presented by testing the algorithm on both surface point clouds obtained from meshes of virtual objects as well as from real objects reconstructed using reverse engineering techniques

A new trans-Ionian spider species for the Italian fauna: Habrocestum graecum Dalmas, 1920 (Araneae, Salticidae)

The salticid spider Habrocestum graecum Dalmas, 1920, until now only known from Greece, is for the first time recorded in Italy. Observations on ecology and behavior are also reported and pictures of its habitus and genitalia are provided. Furthermore, the first DNA barcode sequence for H. graecum is produced and made publicly available. The species has been observed in Puglia, in South-Eastern Italy, and a trans-Ionian dispersal pattern is most likely the cause of its presence both in Greece and Southern Italy, as reported for other taxa with similar distribution in different animal groups

C2C12 murine myoblasts as a model of skeletal muscle development: morpho-functional characterization

In this study, the differentiation of C2C12 cells, a primary line of murine myoblasts, was investigated by a multiple technical approach. Undifferentiated cells, and those at intermediate and final differentiation times, were studied at the reverted microscope, by conventional and confocal immunofluorescence, and by transmission and scanning electron microscopy. The general monolayer architecture changed during differentiation from fusiform or star-shaped cells to elongated confluent cells, finally originating long, multinucleated myotubes. Sarcomeric actin and myosin are present also in undifferentiated myoblasts, but progressively acquire a structured pattern up to the appearance of sarcomeres and myofibrils at about 5 days after differentiation induction. Myotubes show a particular positivity for actin and myosin, and M-cadherin, an adhesion molecule characteristic, as known, of satellite cells, also seems to be involved in their assembling. Rare apoptotic patterns, as evidenced by the TUNEL technique, appear during myoblast maturation

POS1061 THE ITALIAN PROSPECTIVE SIRENA STUDY: FOCUS ON EARLY PSORIATIC ARTHRITIS COHORT AND GENDER DIFFERENCES

Background:Limited data on early Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) are available1,2.Objectives:To describe baseline data of PsA patients naive to any DMARDs.Methods:SIRENA study is an Italian, prospective Registry of Spondyloarthritis patients diagnosed according to ASAS criteria and naïve to any DMARDs. Data on demographic and clinical characteristics of PsA cohort were collected and analysed, also by gender.Results:203/350 (58%) subjects included in SIRENA Registry had PsA (mean age 51.9 years) and in 190/203 (94%) CASPAR classification criteria were fulfilled. In 70% of patients the diagnosis was performed within 24 months from symptom onset. At baseline, 194/203 (95.6%) had mainly peripheral manifestations, 74.4% of patients had skin psoriasis, 40% nail psoriasis, 39.3% clinical enthesitis and 25.9% dactylitis. Mean SJC66 and TJC68 were, respectively, 3 and 7.2; mean PhGA was 46.3; 14.7% of patients were in MDA.The higher tender joint count in women (mean TJC68 9.3 in women vs 5.3 in men) resulted in a higher disease activity according to DAPSA (high disease activity: 11.5% women vs 4.1% men), a higher joint VAS score (mean score 47.1 women vs 39.8 men) and a lower prevalence of MDA (8.3% women vs 20% men). We observed a higher prevalence of moderate or severe psoriasis in men (BSA≥3%: 37% men vs 27.8% women) while all PROs collected (PtGA, pain VAS score, sleep VAS score, BASFI, BASDAI, HAQ-DI, WPAI) were worse in women.The most common comorbidities were cardiometabolic (35.5%), endocrine (9.4%), and gastrointestinal disorders (7.4%). Cardiometabolic disorders were more frequently reported by men, endocrine and gastrointestinal disorders by women; depression exclusively by women.Conclusion:This analysis provides real-life data in a cohort of early PsA subjects. Relevant gender differences were observed, with women showing a higher disease activity and more joint pain and men having more severe psoriasis. Women also perceived a worse disease burden.References:[1]Theander E, et al. Ann Rheum Dis 2014; 73:407–413.[2]Nas K, et al. Mod Rheumatol 2017; 27(2):345-349.Table 1.Baseline dataPsAAll patients (n=203)Women (n=98)Men (n=105)Age (years), mean (SD)51.9 (13.1)51.1 (13.2)52.7 (13.0)Men, n (%)105 (51.7)0 (0)105 (100)BMI (kg/m2), mean (SD)25.9 (4.4)25.4 (4.9)26.4 (3.9)BMI categories^, n (%) Obese40 (21.2)20 (22.2)20 (20.2) Overweight44 (23.3)15 (16.7)29 (29.3) Under/normal weight105 (55.6)55 (61.1)50 (50.5)Comorbidities > 5%*, n (%) Cardiometabolic72 (35.5)28 (28.6)44 (41.9) Endocrine disease19 (9.4)15 (15.3)4 (3.8) Gastrointestinal15 (7.4)10 (10.2)5 (4.8) Depression/Anxiety8 (3.9)8 (8.2)0 (0) Hepatic diseases7 (3.5)1 (1.0)6 (5.7)Clinical assessmentCRP (mg/dl), median (min-max)0.40 (0 – 7.12)0.31 (0 - 5.40)0.49 (0 - 7.12)SJC66, mean (SD)3.0 (4.0)3.2 (4.0)2.7 (4.0)TJC68, mean (SD)7.2 (8.8)9.3 (10.3)5.3 (6.6)Dactylitis, n/tot assessed (%)35/135 (25.9)12/63 (19.1)23/72 (31.9)Enthesitis, n/tot assessed (%)66/168 (39.3)39/80 (48.8)27/88 (30.7)Psoriasis skin, n (%)151 (74.4)68 (69.4)83 (79.1)Psoriasis nails, n/tot assessed (%)62/155 (40.0)29/75 (38.7)33/80 (41.3)Fibromyalgia, n (%)6 (3.0)5 (5.2)1 (1.0)VAS, mean (SD) [range: 0-100] PhGA score46.3 (25.8)51.2 (25.4)41.7 (25.4) Joint score43.3 (26.8)47.1 (25.2)39.8 (27.8) Skin score20.3 (24.0)17.8 (23.1)22.6 (24.8)DAPSA, mean (SD)22.3 (14.1)26.8 (15.4)18.7 (11.9)DAPSA categories^, n (%)High disease activity13 (7.4)9 (11.5)4 (4.1)Moderate disease activity83 (47.2)43 (55.1)40 (40.8)Low disease activity71 (40.3)24 (30.8)47 (48.0)Remission9 (5.1)2 (2.6)7 (7.1)MDA°, n (%)23 (14.7)6 (8.3)17 (20.0)BSA categories, n (%) 3-10% (moderate psoriasis)35 (24.6)13 (21.2)22 (27.1) >10% (severe psoriasis)12 (8.5)4 (6.6)8 (9.9)* A patient could report one or more comorbidities. ^The sum does not add up to the total because of some missing values. ° According to Coates et al. (Ann Rheum Dis. 2010;69: 48).Disclosure of Interests:Alen Zabotti: None declared, Michele Maria Luchetti Speakers bureau: Honorary fees for conferences and workshops by Janssen, Abbvie, Novartis, Lilly, Celgene, Pfizer, Carlo Selmi Speakers bureau: Honoraria and/or speaker bureau from AbbVie, Amgen, Celgene, Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, Sanofi-Regeneron, Grant/research support from: Research support from Amgen, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, Roberta Ramonda Speakers bureau: Honoraria and speaker fees from Novartis, Abbvie, Pfizer, MSD, Janssen, Rosa Daniela Grembiale: None declared, Lorenzo Dagna Consultant of: Consultation honoraria from Abbvie, Amgen, Biogen, Celltrion, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi-Genzyme, and SOBI, Salvatore D'Angelo Speakers bureau: Consulting fees and/or speakers bureau from AbbVie, Biogen, BMS, Celgene, Janssen, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Sanofi and UCB, Giacomo Cafaro: None declared, Salvatore De Vita: None declared, Mara Felicetti: None declared, Silvia Marelli Employee of: Janssen-Cilag SpA, Daniela Frigerio Employee of: Janssen-Cilag SpA, Ennio Favalli Speakers bureau: Consulting fees and/or speaking engagements from AbbVie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Lilly, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Pfizer, Galapagos, Sanofi-Genzyme, and UCB