Long-Term Responses of Mediterranean Mountain Forests to Climate Change,Fire and Human Activities in the Northern Apennines (Italy)

Ecosystems - Fagus sylvatica (beech) dominates the montane forests of the Apennines and builds old-growth high-conservation value stands. However, recent severe drought-induced diebacks raise...     

The effect of peptidoglycan enriched diets on antimicrobial peptide gene expression in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of feeding rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) peptidoglycan (PG) enriched diets on antimicrobial peptide (AMP) gene expression. Fish were divided into 5 groups and fed diets containing 0, 5, 10, 50 and 100 mg PG/Kg, and sampled 1, 7 and 14 days later. The expression of eight AMP genes (four defensins, two cathelicidins and two liver expressed AMPs) was determined in skin, gill, gut and liver, tissues important for first lines of defence or production of acute phase proteins. Up-regulation of many AMPs was found after feeding the PG enriched diets, with sequential expression seen over the time course studied, where defensins were typically expressed early and cathelicidins and LEAPs later on. A number of clear differences in AMP responsiveness between the tissues examined were also apparent. Of the four PG concentrations used, 5 mg PG/Kg did not always elicit AMP gene induction or to the same degree as seen with the other diets. The three higher dose groups generally showed similar trends although differences in fold change were more pronounced in the 50 and 100 mg PG/Kg groups. Curiously several AMPs were down-regulated after 14 days of feeding in gills, gut and liver. Nevertheless, overall the PG enriched diets had a positive effect on AMP expression. Further investigations now need to be undertaken to confirm whether this higher AMP gene expression correlates with protection against common bacterial diseases and if PG enriched diets have value as a means to temporarily boost the piscine immune system.     

Placental tissue metabolome analysis by GC-MS: Oven-drying is a viable sample preparation method

Abstract

Analysis of the human placenta metabolome has great potential to advance the understanding of complicated pregnancies and deleterious fetal outcomes in remote populations, but samples preparation can present unique challenges. Herein, we introduce oven-drying as a simple and widely available method of sample preparation that will facilitate investigations of the placental metabolome from remote and under-studied populations. Placentae from complicated and uncomplicated pregnancies were prepared in three ways (oven-dried at 60?°C, fresh, lyophilized) for metabolome analysis via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Multiple computer models (e.g. PLS-DA, ANN) were employed to classify and determine if there was a difference in placentae metabolome and a group of metabolites with high variable importance in projection scores across the three preparations and by complicated vs. control groups. The analyses used herein were shown to be thorough and sensitive. Indeed, significant differences were detected in metabolomes of complicated vs. uncomplicated pregnancies; however, there were no statistical differences in the metabolome of placentae prepared by oven-drying vs. lyophilization vs. fresh placentae. Oven-drying is a viable sample preparation method for placentae intended for use in metabolite analysis via GC-MS. These results open many possibilities for researching metabolome patterns associated with fetal outcomes in remote and resource-poor communities worldwide.     

Multiple Sclerosis in the Mount Etna Region: Possible Role of Volcanogenic Trace Elements

Background

Trace elements have been hypothesised to be involved in the pathogenesis of Multiple Sclerosis and volcanic degassing is the major natural sources of trace elements. Both incidence of Multiple Sclerosis in Catania and volcanic activity of Mount Etna have been significantly increased during the last 30 years. Due to prevailing trade winds direction, volcanic gases from Etna summit craters are mostly blown towards the eastern and southern sectors of the volcano.

Objective

To evaluate the possible association between Multiple Sclerosis and exposure to volcanogenic trace elements.

Methods

We evaluated prevalence and incidence of Multiple Sclerosis in four communities (47,234 inhabitants) located in the eastern flank and in two communities (52,210 inhabitants) located in the western flank of Mount Etna, respectively the most and least exposed area to crater gas emissions.

Results

A higher prevalence was found in the population of the eastern flank compared to the population of the western one (137.6/100,000 versus 94.3/100,000; p-value 0.04). We found a borderline significantly higher incidence risk during the incidence study period (1980–2009) in the population of the eastern flank 4.6/100,000 (95% CI 3.1–5.9), compared with the western population 3.2/100,000 (95% CI 2.4–4.2) with a RR of 1.41 (95% CI 0.97–2.05; p-value 0.06). Incidence risks have increased over the time in both populations reaching a peak of 6.4/100,000 in the eastern flank and of 4.4/100.000 in the western flank during 2000–2009.

Conclusion

We found a higher prevalence and incidence of Multiple Sclerosis among populations living in the eastern flank of Mount Etna. According to our data a possible role of TE cannot be ruled out as possible co-factor in the MS pathogenesis. However larger epidemiological study are needed to confirm this hypothesis.     

Complex Patterns of Chromosome 11 Aberrations in Myeloid Malignancies Target CBL,MLL, DDB1 and LMO2

Exome sequencing of primary tumors identifies complex somatic mutation patterns. Assignment of relevance of individual somatic mutations is difficult and poses the next challenge for interpretation of next generation sequencing data. Here we present an approach how exome sequencing in combination with SNP microarray data may identify targets of chromosomal aberrations in myeloid malignancies. The rationale of this approach is that hotspots of chromosomal aberrations might also harbor point mutations in the target genes of deletions, gains or uniparental disomies (UPDs). Chromosome 11 is a frequent target of lesions in myeloid malignancies. Therefore, we studied chromosome 11 in a total of 813 samples from 773 individual patients with different myeloid malignancies by SNP microarrays and complemented the data with exome sequencing in selected cases exhibiting chromosome 11 defects. We found gains, losses and UPDs of chromosome 11 in 52 of the 813 samples (6.4%). Chromosome 11q UPDs frequently associated with mutations of CBL. In one patient the 11qUPD amplified somatic mutations in both CBL and the DNA repair gene DDB1. A duplication within MLL exon 3 was detected in another patient with 11qUPD. We identified several common deleted regions (CDR) on chromosome 11. One of the CDRs associated with de novo acute myeloid leukemia (P=0.013). One patient with a deletion at the LMO2 locus harbored an additional point mutation on the other allele indicating that LMO2 might be a tumor suppressor frequently targeted by 11p deletions. Our chromosome-centered analysis indicates that chromosome 11 contains a number of tumor suppressor genes and that the role of this chromosome in myeloid malignancies is more complex than previously recognized.     

Acute treatment with relaxin protects the kidney against ischaemia/reperfusion injury

Although recent preclinical and clinical studies have demonstrated that recombinant human relaxin (rhRLX) may have important therapeutic potential in acute heart failure and chronic kidney diseases, the effects of acute rhRLX administration against renal ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury have never been investigated. Using a rat model of 1‐hr bilateral renal artery occlusion followed by 6‐hr reperfusion, we investigated the effects of rhRLX (5 μg/Kg i.v.) given both at the beginning and after 3 hrs of reperfusion. Acute rhRLX administration attenuated the functional renal injury (increase in serum urea and creatinine), glomerular dysfunction (decrease in creatinine clearance) and tubular dysfunction (increase in urinary excretion of N‐acetyl‐β‐glucosaminidase) evoked by renal I/R. These beneficial effects were accompanied by a significant reduction in local lipid peroxidation, free radical‐induced DNA damage and increase in the expression/activity of the endogenous antioxidant enzymes Mn‐ and CuZn‐superoxide dismutases (SOD). Furthermore, rhRLX administration attenuated the increase in leucocyte activation, as suggested by inhibition of myeloperoxidase activity, intercellular‐adhesion‐molecule‐1 expression, interleukin (IL)‐1β, IL‐18 and tumour necrosis factor‐α production as well as increase in IL‐10 production. Interestingly, the reduced oxidative stress status and neutrophil activation here reported were associated with rhRLX‐induced activation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase and up‐regulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase, possibly secondary to activation of Akt and the extracellular signal‐regulated protein kinase (ERK) 1/2, respectively. Thus, we report herein that rhRLX protects the kidney against I/R injury by a mechanism that involves changes in nitric oxide signalling pathway.