Aedes albopictus bionomics data collection by citizen participation on Procida Island,a promising Mediterranean site for the assessment of innovative and community-based integrated pest management methods

In the last decades, the colonization of Mediterranean Europe and of other temperate regions by Aedes albopictus created an unprecedented nuisance problem in highly infested areas and new public health threats due to the vector competence of the species. The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) and the Incompatible Insect Technique (IIT) are insecticide-free mosquito-control methods, relying on mass release of irradiated/manipulated males, able to complement existing and only partially effective control tools. The validation of these approaches in the field requires appropriate experimental settings, possibly isolated to avoid mosquito immigration from other infested areas, and preliminary ecological and entomological data. We carried out a 4-year study in the island of Procida (Gulf of Naples, Italy) in strict collaboration with local administrators and citizens to estimate the temporal dynamics, spatial distribution, and population size of Ae. albopictus and the dispersal and survival of irradiated males. We applied ovitrap monitoring, geo-spatial analyses, mark-release-recapture technique, and a citizen-science approach. Results allow to predict the seasonal (from April to October, with peaks of 928–9,757 males/ha) and spatial distribution of the species, highlighting the capacity of Ae. albopictus population of Procida to colonize and maintain high frequencies in urban as well as in sylvatic inhabited environments. Irradiated males shown limited ability to disperse (mean daily distance travelled <60m) and daily survival estimates ranging between 0.80 and 0.95. Overall, the ecological characteristics of the island, the acquired knowledge on Ae. albopictus spatial and temporal distribution, the high human and Ae. albopictus densities and the positive attitude of the resident population in being active parts in innovative mosquito control projects provide the ground for evidence-based planning of the interventions and for the assessment of their effectiveness. In addition, the results highlight the value of creating synergies between research groups, local administrators, and citizens for affordable monitoring (and, in the future, control) of mosquito populations.     

Growth factors and extracellular matrix proteins during wound healing promoted with frozen cultured sheets of human epidermal keratinocytes

In a murine model of full-thickness wounds, healing is stimulated by the application of human frozen cultured epidermal sheets. With immunofluorescence techniques, we studied, during this process, the spatial and temporal pattern of expression of: transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha); transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) isoforms 1, 2, and 3; platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF); and the extracellular matrix proteins fibronectin, collagen IV, and tenascin. The growth factors, with the exception of PDGF, were found to be located in the frozen cultured sheet of keratinocytes before and after its application to the wound, whereas collagen IV and tenascin were deposited in the connective tissue under the frozen cultures. None of these factors were detected in control wound beds. Monoclonal antibodies against collagen IV and tenascin showed that both were of murine origin. We propose that the frozen cultures of human keratinocytes promote faster reepithelialization through the release of growth factors such as TGF-alpha which directly enhance migration and proliferation of murine keratinocytes, and through the stimulation of murine subepithelial cells, by TGF-beta, to secrete basement membrane proteins such as collagen IV, laminin, and tenascin, which provide a provisional substrate that improves migration of the murine epidermal cells.     

The effects of reduced oxygen tension on swine granulosa cell

Follicular growth is characterized by an augmented vascularization, possibly driven by a fall in the oxygen supply. The present study was undertaken to investigate the effects of hypoxia on swine granulosa cells. At first, we quantified oxygen partial pressure (pO₂) in follicular fluid from different size follicles; the granulosa cells collected from large follicles (>5 mm) were subjected for 18 h to normoxia (19% O₂), partial (5% O₂) or total hypoxia (1% O₂). The effects of these conditions were tested on the main parameters of granulosa cell function, steroidogenesis and cell proliferation, and on vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), nitric oxide (NO) and superoxide anion (O₂⁻) production. Oxygen tension in follicular fluid was negatively related to follicular size, pointing out a gradual reduction during follicular growth. Severe hypoxic conditions determined a reduction of both 17β estradiol and progesterone production, while partial hypoxia did not seem to affect them. Hypoxia increased VEGF as well as O₂⁻ production in swine granulosa cells without impairing cell growth; in addition, it decreased NO output.

We may conclude that physiological hypoxia could play a pivotal role in the follicular angiogenic process stimulating VEGF synthesis by granulosa cells. ROS are possibly involved in hypoxic signalling.     

Zika Virus Infection and Stillbirths: A Case of Hydrops Fetalis,Hydranencephaly and Fetal Demise

Background

The rapid spread of Zika virus in the Americas and current outbreak of microcephaly in Brazil has raised attention to the possible deleterious effects that the virus may have on fetuses.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We report a case of a 20-year-old pregnant woman who was referred to our service after a large Zika virus outbreak in the city of Salvador, Brazil with an ultrasound examination that showed intrauterine growth retardation of the fetus at the 18^th gestational week. Ultrasound examinations in the 2^nd and 3^rd trimesters demonstrated severe microcephaly, hydranencephaly, intracranial calcifications and destructive lesions of posterior fossa, in addition to hydrothorax, ascites and subcutaneous edema. An induced labor was performed at the 32^nd gestational week due to fetal demise and delivered a female fetus. ZIKV-specific real-time polymerase chain reaction amplification products were obtained from extracts of cerebral cortex, medulla oblongata and cerebrospinal and amniotic fluid, while extracts of heart, lung, liver, vitreous body of the eye and placenta did not yield detectable products.

Conclusions/Significance

This case report provides evidence that in addition to microcephaly, there may be a link between Zika virus infection and hydrops fetalis and fetal demise. Given the recent spread of the virus, systematic investigation of spontaneous abortions and stillbirths may be warranted to evaluate the risk that ZIKV infection imparts on these outcomes.     

Human locomotion on snow: determinants of economy and speed of skiing across the ages

We explore here the evolution of skiing locomotion in the last few thousand years by investigating how humans adapted to move effectively in lands where a cover of snow, for several months every year, prevented them from travelling as on dry ground. Following historical research, we identified the sets of skis corresponding to the 'milestones' of skiing evolution in terms of ingenuity and technology, built replicas of them and measured the metabolic energy associated to their use in a climate-controlled ski tunnel.Six sets of skis were tested, covering a span from 542 AD to date. Our results show that: (i) the history of skiing is associated with a progressive decrease in the metabolic cost of transport, (ii) it is possible today to travel at twice the speed of ancient times using the same amount of metabolic power and (iii) the cost of transport is speed-independent for each ski model, as during running. By combining this finding with the relationship between time of exhaustion and the sustainable fraction of metabolic power, a prediction of the maximum skiing speed according to the distance travelled is provided for all past epochs, including two legendary historical journeys (1206 and 1520 AD) on snow. Our research shows that the performances in races originating from them (Birkebeiner and Vasaloppet) and those of other modern competitions (skating versus classical techniques) are well predicted by the evolution of skiing economy. Mechanical determinants of the measured progression in economy are also discussed in the paper.     

Golgi Cell-Mediated Activation of Postsynaptic GABA(B) Receptors Induces Disinhibition of the Golgi Cell-Granule Cell Synapse in Rat Cerebellum

In the cerebellar glomerulus, GABAergic synapses formed by Golgi cells regulate excitatory transmission from mossy fibers to granule cells through feed-forward and feedback mechanisms. In acute cerebellar slices, we found that stimulating Golgi cell axons with a train of 10 impulses at 100 Hz transiently inhibited both the phasic and the tonic components of inhibitory responses recorded in granule cells. This effect was blocked by the GABA(B) receptor blocker CGP35348, and could be mimicked by bath-application of baclofen (30 μM). This depression of IPSCs was prevented when granule cells were dialyzed with GDPβS. Furthermore, when synaptic transmission was blocked, GABA(A) currents induced in granule cells by localized muscimol application were inhibited by the GABA(B) receptor agonist baclofen. These findings indicate that postsynaptic GABA(B) receptors are primarily responsible for the depression of IPSCs. This inhibition of inhibitory events results in an unexpected excitatory action by Golgi cells on granule cell targets. The reduction of Golgi cell-mediated inhibition in the cerebellar glomerulus may represent a regulatory mechanism to shift the balance between excitation and inhibition in the glomerulus during cerebellar information processing.     

A covalent modification of NADP+ revealed by the atomic resolution structure of FprA,a Mycobacterium tuberculosis oxidoreductase

FprA is a mycobacterial oxidoreductase that catalyzes the transfer of reducing equivalents from NADPH to a protein acceptor. We determined the atomic resolution structure of FprA in the oxidized (1.05 A resolution) and NADPH-reduced (1.25 A resolution) forms. The comparison of these FprA structures with that of bovine adrenodoxin reductase showed no significant overall differences. Hence, these enzymes, which belong to the structural family of the disulfide oxidoreductases, are structurally conserved in very distant organisms such as mycobacteria and mammals. Despite the conservation of the overall fold, the details of the active site of FprA show some peculiar features. In the oxidized enzyme complex, the bound NADP+ exhibits a covalent modification, which has been identified as an oxygen atom linked through a carbonylic bond to the reactive C4 atom of the nicotinamide ring. Mass spectrometry has confirmed this assignment. This NADP+ derivative is likely to form by oxidation of the NADP+ adduct resulting from nucleophilic attack by an active-site water molecule. A Glu-His pair is well positioned to activate the attacking water through a mechanism analogous to that of the catalytic triad in serine proteases. The NADP+ nicotinamide ring exhibits the unusual cis conformation, which may favor derivative formation. The physiological significance of this reaction is presently unknown. However, it could assist with drug-design studies in that the modified NADP+ could serve as a lead compound for the development of specific inhibitors.     

Wavelength dependence of the fluorescence emission under conditions of open and closed Photosystem II reaction centres in the green alga Chlorella sorokiniana

The fluorescence emission characteristics of the photosynthetic apparatus under conditions of open (F₀) and closed (F_M) Photosystem II reaction centres have been investigated under steady state conditions and by monitoring the decay lifetimes of the excited state, in vivo, in the green alga Chlorella sorokiniana. The results indicate a marked wavelength dependence of the ratio of the variable fluorescence, F_V = F_M − F₀, over F_M, a parameter that is often employed to estimate the maximal quantum efficiency of Photosystem II. The maximal value of the F_V/F_M ratio is observed between 660 and 680 nm and the minimal in the 690–730 nm region. It is possible to attribute the spectral variation of F_V/F_M principally to the contribution of Photosystem I fluorescence emission at room temperature. Moreover, the analysis of the excited state lifetime at F₀ and F_M indicates only a small wavelength dependence of Photosystem II trapping efficiency in vivo.