Expression and Localization of aquaporin‐1 in Temporomandibular Joint Disc with Internal Derangement

Background: Internal derangement is the most frequent arthropathy affecting the temporomandibular joint, where its commonest form is anterior disc displacement with or without reduction. Despite the frequency of the disorder, the biochemical features of displaced discs are still unclear. Methods: We investigated the expression pattern and localization of aquaporin‐1, an important channel protein involved in plasma membrane water permeability, in patients with anterior disc displacement (both with and without reduction), with a view to assessing the characteristics of local tissue responses to the microenvironmental changes induced by abnormal mechanical loading of the displaced disc. Protein expression was studied by immunohistochemistry in different areas of discs from 18 patients with anterior disc displacement with or without reduction and in four normal controls. Results: A greater proportion of cells immunopositive for aquaporin‐1 were detected in diseased than in normal discs. Whereas protein expression was substantially similar in the different areas of normal discs, a significantly larger number of immunopositive cells were detected in the posterior band of displaced discs without reduction and in the anterior and intermediate bands of those with reduction. Conclusions: These findings suggest that aquaporin‐1 is expressed and upregulated in temporomandibular joint with anterior disc displacement (both with and without reduction)

Morphogenetic changes in essential oil composition of Hypericum perforatum during the course of ontogenesis.

Bertoli, Alessandra/0000-0002-0701-5163 WOS: 000291275300010 PubMed: 21639687 Context: In the past few years, an increasing interest in the volatile secondary metabolites of Hypericum perforatum L. (Guttiferae) has been arising. Objective: The present study is a contribution to better understand the relationship between the morphological variations and volatile composition during the phenological cycle. Materials and methods: Leaves at the stages of vegetative, floral budding, flowering and green capsule, buds, full opened flowers and green capsules were assayed for essential oil (EO) components by gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and GC-mass spectrometry (MS). Results: Significant amounts of sesquiterpenes (oxygenated 26--50% and hydrocarbons 20--40%) and oxygenated hydrocarbons (13--38%) characterized the all analyzed samples showing peculiar fluctuations during the seven phenological stages. Although monoterpenes were present in much lower amounts (monoterpene hydrocarbons 0.4--6%; oxygenated monoterpenes 0.8--6%) they were considered also important discrimination for several stages. The green capsules and the full opened flowers collected at flowering stage were clearly distinguished in terms of EO compositions from the other samples. Discussion: For the first time, the EO composition of Turkish wild Hypericum perforatum was monitored by the hydrodistillation of different plant organs collected at different seven stages in order to point out the modification of target volatiles related to each phenological step. Conclusions: Based on the EO composition monitored during these seven morphological stages by GC-MS, principal component analysis and cluster analysis, significant metabolite modifications were observed during the phenological cycle which involved the levels of specific volatile target compounds belonging to the chemical classes of hydrocarbons, monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes

A multi-methodological protocol to characterize PDO olive oils

An analytical approach including Panel Test, Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was proposed to characterize Italian “Colline Pontine” PDO olive oils (40 samples) of two consecutive crop years. Our approach has evidenced the high quality of these olive oils. Only 6 of 40 olive oils samples were defined as “defective” by the official Panel Test due to the detection of negative sensory attributes. The low variability of isotopic data monitored by IRMS confirmed that the olive oil samples all came from a limited geographical area. NMR spectra did not evidence any chemical composition anomaly in the investigated samples. In order to assess the influence of harvesting year over the olive oil chemical composition, the NMR analysis was extended to other 22 olive oil samples of a third harvesting year. NMR data were submitted to two different statistical methods, namely, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and principal component analysis (PCA) allowing olive oils of three consecutive harvesting years to be grouped

Evaluation of volatile constituents of Cochlospermum angolense.

The chemical composition of the essential oils obtained from the leaves and roots of Cochlospermum angolense (Welw) growing wild in Angola was analyzed for the first time by capillary gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The investigation led to the identification of 67 and 130 compounds from the leaves and roots, respectively. Both oils were strongly characterized by the presence of sesquiterpenoids (68.8% in the leaves and 53.2% in the roots), while monoterpenoids were present in minor percentages (9.8% in the leaves and 26.2% in the root). The main constituents of the leaves were germacrene D (9.4%), α-cadinol (7.4%) and 10- epi-cubenol (6.2%), while the most abundant compounds in the root essential oil were the sesquiterpenes β-caryophyllene (19.7%) and isoborneol (6.6%). The analysis by HS-SPME of the roots, leaves, fruits and seeds were also reported for the first time. Different volatile profiles were detected

Ouabain Enhances Cell-Cell Adhesion Mediated by beta1 Subunits of the Na(+),K(+)-ATPase in CHO Fibroblasts

Adhesion is a crucial characteristic of epithelial cells to form barriers to pathogens and toxic substances from the environment. Epithelial cells attach to each other using intercellular junctions on the lateral membrane, including tight and adherent junctions, as well as the Na(+),K(+)-ATPase. Our group has shown that non-adherent chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells transfected with the canine beta1 subunit become adhesive, and those homotypic interactions amongst beta1 subunits of the Na(+),K(+)-ATPase occur between neighboring epithelial cells. Ouabain, a cardiotonic steroid, binds to the alpha subunit of the Na(+),K(+)-ATPase, inhibits the pump activity and induces the detachment of epithelial cells when used at concentrations above 300 nM. At nanomolar non-inhibiting concentrations, ouabain affects the adhesive properties of epithelial cells by inducing the expression of cell adhesion molecules through the activation of signaling pathways associated with the alpha subunit. In this study, we investigated whether the adhesion between beta1 subunits was also affected by ouabain. We used CHO fibroblasts stably expressing the beta1 subunit of the Na(+),K(+)-ATPase (CHO beta1), and studied the effect of ouabain on cell adhesion. Aggregation assays showed that ouabain increased the adhesion between CHO beta1 cells. Immunofluorescence and biotinylation assays showed that ouabain (50 nM) increases the expression of the beta1 subunit of the Na(+),K(+)-ATPase at the cell membrane. We also examined the effect of ouabain on the activation of signaling pathways in CHO beta1 cells, and their subsequent effect on cell adhesion. We found that cSrc is activated by ouabain and, therefore, that it likely regulates the adhesive properties of CHO beta1 cells. Collectively, our findings suggest that the beta1 subunit adhesion is modulated by the expression levels of the Na(+),K(+)-ATPase at the plasma membrane, which is regulated by ouabain

Potential impact of functional biomolecules-enriched foods on human health: A randomized controlled clinical trial

Naturally occurring milk compounds have recently been investigated for their health-promoting properties; in fact, their anti-microbial, immuno-modulatory, antioxidant and anti-thrombotic activities, have increasingly gained interest within the scientific community. We have reported a translational, randomized, controlled clinical trial (RCT) on human subjects with a moderate to high cardiovascular risk, and a body mass index (BMI) >25.1 kg/m2, to evaluate the clinical impact of biomolecules-enriched Mediterranean Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) milk and its derived dairy foods, produced with innovative breeding techniques. The experimental arm involved patients that followed a diet including the above-described products (treated group; n= 11); the control arm was based on a diet including cow milk and its dairy products (control group; n= 9). The results of this study have been statistically evaluated, pointing out a specific significance related to the comparative analysis of the blood pressure among the 2 arms; in fact, this value showed a significant improvement in an extremely short experimental time. Nevertheless, this study also reported not-significant results that were indicative of an interesting and promising tendency in modulating specific diet-depending haematological and biomedical values. In conclusion, this RCT has assessed that the foods derived from buffalo milk naturally enriched with biomolecules, was able to improve the overall blood glucose levels, the BMI and the body weight. These preliminary results are suitable for the design of future strategies in the prevention of cardiometabolic diseases, thus improving the overall quality of life and the policies of healthcare management

Characterization of essential oil and effects on growth of Verbena gratissima plants treated with homeopathic phosphorus.

Plant models offer a method to examine the efficacy of homeopathic solutions. Homeopathic Phosphorus (P) dynamizations were evaluated on the linear growth and dry biomass of Verbena gratissima, a plant native to Brazil. The yields and chemical characterization of the essential oil are also given. Plants exhibited phenotypic plasticity after the homeopathic Phosphorus treatments. The dynamization 9CH, in particular, interfered with plant growth, height, diameter of stems and total dry mass. 9CH treatment showed the highest yield of essential oil. The essential oil composition of V. gratissima varied according to the different dynamization used. Homeopathic Phosphorus provided the greatest amount of β-pinene, trans-pinocarveol, trans-pinocamphone and trans-pinocarvyl acetate in comparison with controls

Multi-layer spiral CT with 2D, 3D and 4D volume rendered electronic reconstructions of wax models and natural bone made by Giuseppe Astorri kept at “Luigi Cattaneo” Museum in Bologna

The Museum’s collection of normal and pathological wax anatomical models provides a clear understanding of the developments in medical knowledge that took place during the 18th and 19th centuries. In this period the interest of the anatomists began to move from normal anatomy to pathological anatomy. The wax modelers made both types of wax anatomical models: normal and pathological. Our study investigates through the works of Giuseppe Astorri the differences between these two types of models, revealing hidden structures and materials used in a completely non-invasive way. The Computer Tomography (CT) analysis was carried out using an experimental CT system specifically designed for the analysis of Cultural Heritage materials, developed by the X-ray imaging research group at the Physics and Astronomy Department of the University of Bologna. The results of this project can also be shown through a dynamic 3D (i.e. 4D) virtual projection using a device capable of emulating a holographic representation