Global warming-related response after bacterial challenge in Astroides calycularis, a Mediterranean thermophilic coral

A worldwide increase in the prevalence of coral diseases and mortality has been linked to ocean warming due to changes in coral-associated bacterial communities, pathogen virulence, and immune system function. In the Mediterranean basin, the worrying upward temperature trend has already caused recurrent mass mortality events in recent decades. To evaluate how elevated seawater temperatures affect the immune response of a thermophilic coral species, colonies of Astroides calycularis were exposed to environmental (23 °C) or elevated (28 °C) temperatures, and subsequently challenged with bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS). Using immunolabeling with specific antibodies, we detected the production of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB), molecules involved in coral immune responses, and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) activity, involved in general responses to thermal stress. A histological approach allowed us to characterize the tissue sites of activation (epithelium and/or gastroderm) under different experimental conditions. The activity patterns of the examined markers after 6 h of LPS stimulation revealed an up-modulation at environmental temperature. Under warmer conditions plus LPS-challenge, TLR4-NF-kB activation was almost completely suppressed, while constituent elevated values were recorded under thermal stress only. An HSP70 up-regulation appeared in both treatments at elevated temperature, with a significantly higher activation in LPS-challenge colonies. Such an approach is useful for further understanding the molecular pathogen-defense mechanisms in corals in order to disentangle the complex interactive effects on the health of these ecologically relevant organisms related to global climate change

Equinins as Novel Broad-Spectrum Antimicrobial Peptides Isolated from the Cnidarian Actinia equina (Linnaeus, 1758)

Sea anemones are valuable for therapeutic research as a diversified source of bioactive molecules, due to their diverse bioactive molecules linked to predation and defence mechanisms involving toxins and antimicrobial peptides. Acid extracts from Actinia equina tentacles and body were examined for antibacterial activity against Gram-positive, Gram-negative bacteria, and fungi. The peptide fractions showed interesting minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values (up to 0.125 μg/mL) against the tested pathogens. Further investigation and characterization of tentacle acid extracts with significant antimicrobial activity led to the purification of peptides through reverse phase chromatography on solid phase and HPLC. Broad-spectrum antimicrobial peptide activity was found in 40% acetonitrile fractions. The resulting peptides had a molecular mass of 2612.91 and 3934.827 Da and MIC ranging from 0.06 to 0.20 mg/mL. Sequencing revealed similarities to AMPs found in amphibians, fish, and Cnidaria, with anti-Gram+, Gram-, antifungal, candidacidal, anti-methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, carbapenemase-producing, vancomycin-resistant bacteria, and multi-drug resistant activity. Peptides 6.2 and 7.3, named Equinin A and B, respectively, were synthesized and evaluated in vitro towards the above-mentioned bacterial pathogens. Equinin B exerted interesting antibacterial activity (MIC and bactericidal concentrations of 1 mg/mL and 0.25 mg/mL, respectively) and gene organization supporting its potential in applied research

Ion channels in the pathogenesis of endometriosis: A cutting-edge point of view

Background: Ion channels play a crucial role in many physiological processes. Several subtypes are expressed in the endometrium. Endometriosis is strictly correlated to estrogens and it is evident that expression and functionality of different ion channels are estrogen-dependent, fluctuating between the menstrual phases. However, their relationship with endometriosis is still unclear. Objective: To summarize the available literature data about the role of ion channels in the etiopathogenesis of endometriosis. Methods: A search on PubMed and Medline databases was performed from inception to November 2019. Results: Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), transient receptor potentials (TRPs), aquaporins (AQPs), and chloride channel (ClC)-3 expression and activity were analyzed. CFTR expression changed during the menstrual phases and was enhanced in endometriosis samples; its overexpression promoted endometrial cell proliferation, migration, and invasion throughout nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells-urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (NFκB-uPAR) signaling pathway. No connection between TRPs and the pathogenesis of endometriosis was found. AQP5 activity was estrogen-increased and, through phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase and protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT), helped in vivo implantation of ectopic endometrium. In vitro, AQP9 participated in extracellular signal-regulated kinases/p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (ERK/p38 MAPK) pathway and helped migration and invasion stimulating matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)2 and MMP9. ClC-3 was also overexpressed in ectopic endometrium and upregulated MMP9. Conclusion: Available evidence suggests a pivotal role of CFTR, AQPs, and ClC-3 in endometriosis etiopathogenesis. However, data obtained are not sufficient to establish a direct role of ion channels in the etiology of the disease. Further studies are needed to clarify this relationship

The burden of endometriosis on women’s lifespan: A narrative overview on quality of life and psychosocial wellbeing

Endometriosis is a chronic, inflammatory disease affecting more than 170 million women worldwide and up to 10% of women of reproductive age. As a consequence of inflammatory reaction and infiltration of anatomic structures, endometriosis can cause “pain symptoms” including dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, dyschezia, dysuria, and chronic pelvic pain. In this review, we summarized the impact of endometriosis on quality of life in all its aspects including sexual life, work, and social relationships. The data research was conducted using web‐based search engines and/or various electronic research databases querying for all articles related to endometriosis and quality of life from the inception of the database up to February 2020. Endometriosis has not only physical but also psychological effects, causing depression, anxiety, and compromising social relationships. Furthermore, endometriosis negatively impacts sexual life and social relationships. At last, the economic burden of endometriosis should not be underestimated, both individually and for the community, as this pathology leads to a loss of productivity at work and large use of health resources. Thus, endometriosis‐related symptoms control women’s lives compromising the quality of life in all aspects. In this review, we summarized the impact of endometriosis on various aspects of women’s lives

Long and very-long-chain ceramides correlate with a more aggressive behavior in skull base chordoma patients

Background: Skull base chordomas are rare tumors arising from notochord. Sphingolipids analysis is a promising approach in molecular oncology, and it has never been applied in chordomas. Our aim is to investigate chordoma behavior and the role of ceramides. Methods: Ceramides were extracted and evaluated by liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry in a cohort of patients with a skull base chordoma. Clinical data were also collected and correlated with ceramide levels. Linear regression and correlation analyses were conducted. Results: Analyzing the association between ceramides level and MIB-1, total ceramides and dihydroceramides showed a strong association (r = 0.7257 and r = 0.6733, respectively) with MIB-1 staining (p = 0.0033 and p = 0.0083, respectively). Among the single ceramide species, Cer C24:1 (r = 0.8814, p <= 0.0001), DHCer C24:1 (r = 0.8429, p = 0.0002) and DHCer C18:0 (r = 0.9426, p <= 0.0001) showed a significant correlation with MIB-1. Conclusion: Our lipid analysis showed ceramides to be promising tumoral biomarkers in skull base chordomas. Long- and very-long-chain ceramides, such as Cer C24:1 and DHCer C24:1, may be related to a prolonged tumor survival and aggressiveness, and the understanding of their effective biological role will hopefully shed light on the mechanisms of chordoma radio-resistance, tendency to recur, and use of agents targeting ceramide metabolism

Headache in Behçet’s disease: case reports and literature review

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of headache and its different patterns in patients with Behçet’s disease (BD) with and without neurological involvement and to investigate clinical correlations. Methods: Patients fulfilling the International Study Group criteria for Behçet disease (ISGc) were studied. Patients were invited to fill a “headache questionnaire”, which consisted of two sections: the first one included demographic and anamnestic data, family history for both headache and BD, disease duration and clinical manifestations of BD; the second section included items about headache, investigated accordingly to International Headache Society diagnostic criteria (IHS, 2004). Clinical history and current comorbidities-medications were collected. Each patient underwent a neurological examination to assess neurological involvement (Neuro-BD) and, if necessary, instrumental investigations. One hundred-fifty healthy subjects matched for age and gender were used as control group for comparison. Results: Of the 55 patients diagnosed as BD (ISG criteria) 41 patients adhered and were enrolled into the study. Headache occurred in 29 of BD patients (70,7%) and in 13 of Neuro-BD patients (92,8%). Migraine without aura did prove the most frequent type of headache in BD patients (with and without neurological involvement) and there were no differences in the frequency of the different pattern of headache between BD patients and controls. Conclusions: Headache is a frequent manifestation in BD and primary headache like migraine emerged as the most frequent type of headache. A careful search for headache should be included in the diagnostic work-up of BD since this manifestation may be related to the underlying disease

CC chemokine receptor 5 polymorphism in Italian patients with Behcet's disease.

Objective. To evaluate the potential role of CC chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5)Δ32 polymorphism in the susceptibility to and clinical expression of Behçet's disease (BD) in a cohort of Italian patients.Methods. One hundred and ninety-six consecutive Italian patients satisfying the ISG criteria for BD were followed up for 8 years, and 180 healthy age- and sex-matched blood donors were molecularly genotyped for the CCR5Δ32 polymorphism. A standard microlymphocytotoxicity technique was used to serotype HLA-B51. The patients were subgrouped on the basis of the presence or absence of clinical manifestations.Results. The distribution of the CCR5Δ32 genotype differed between BD patients and controls (P = 0.02). The CCR5Δ32 allele was more common in BD patients than in controls [P = 0.02, odds ratio (OR) 2.28 (95% CI 1.1, 4.8)]. Carriers of the CCR5Δ32 allele (Δ32/Δ32 + CCR5/Δ32) were significantly more common in BD patients than in controls [P = 0.02, OR 2.37 (95% CI 1.1, 5.1)]. Population-attributable risk was 7.1%. In categorizing patients according to gender, the association between CCR5Δ32 polymorphism and BD was similar in females and males (ORs 2.76 and 2.0, respectively). No significant differences were found when the frequencies of clinical manifestations were compared between CC5RΔ32 allele carriers and non-carriers.Conclusion. CCR5Δ32 polymorphism is associated with an increased susceptibility to develop BD. Chemokines may have a role in the pathophysiology of BD

18FDG-PET and large vessel vasculitis: preliminary data on 25 patients

Objective: To evaluate the predictive value of clinical and biochemical features when compared to 18FDG-PET in the diagnostic work-up of large vessel vasculitis (LVV). Methods: Twenty-five patients underwent 18FDG-PET for the clinical suspect of LVV. All of them presented history of systemic symptoms lasting ≥6 months and laboratoristic evidence of persistently high markers of inflammation. The patients were stratified according with: i) clinical manifestations, defined as presence of one or more ACR criteria for the classification of LVV; ii) laboratory investigations: Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) higher or lower than 50 mm/h, C-Reactive Protein (CRP) higher or lower than 2 mg/dl; iii) prednisone dose in the 4 weeks preceding PET examination. Results: The total number of positive PET was higher in the group without clinical ACR criteria and in the group with inflammation markers under the established cut-off. The number of scans consistent with LVV was higher in the groups presenting one or more clinical criteria for LVV but in those with very high ESR and CRP. In all the cases differences between groups were not statistically significative. A clear cut negative correlation between steroid dose and number of scans suggestive for LVV has been observed. Conclusions: Diagnosis of LVV remains challenging, especially in patients presenting with a constellation of non-specific symptoms and laboratory findings. In this study, both clinical and biochemical features show low correlation with a vasculitic pattern of FDG uptake. In our experience 18FDG-PET represents an useful diagnostic tool in early stages of LVV and a powerful instrument to follow the treatment responses

Risk of dengue occurrence based on the capture of gravid Aedes aegypti females using MosquiTRAP

We assessed the risk classification of dengue fever based on the capture of Aedes aegypti adults using MosquiTRAP, a type of sticky trap, in comparison with traditional larval infestation indices. A total of 27 MosquiTRAPs were installed, with one trap per block, and were inspected weekly between November 2008-February 2009. Infestation baseline data were obtained from a survey conducted prior to trap installation. The index generated by MosquiTRAP and house index (HI) classified the area "in alert situation". The set for risk of dengue occurrence proposed by the use of MosquiTRAP classify areas in the same way of the traditional HI