Fas Antigen and Sporadic Alzheimer’s Disease in Southern Italy: Evaluation of Two Polymorphisms in the TNFRSF6 Gene

Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor Super Family 6 gene (TNFRSF6), also known as FAS, encodes the Fas antigen, a cell surface receptor mediating cell apoptosis, situated on chromosome 10q located near the region of linkage to sporadic Alzheimer’s disease (sAD). FAS levels have been reported elevated in the brain of AD patients. Due to both positional and pathobiological criteria, the association of the FAS antigen with this pathology is of great interest. We have tested two SNPs in the FAS gene in 223 Italian patients with non-familial AD from Southern Italy (Calabria region) and 211 healthy control subjects. No significant differences in allelic and genotypic distributions were found between cases and controls, or late and early-onset AD patients, thus suggesting that these polymorphisms do not represent an AD risk factor in our population.     

Eae19, a new locus on rat chromosome 15 regulating experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) and its animal model, myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (MOG-EAE), share a complex genetic predisposition with contributions from the major histocompatibility complex class II genes and many other genes. Linkage mapping in F(2) crosses between the susceptible DA rat strain and the resistant ACI or BN rat strains in various models of autoimmune neuroinflammation have repeatedly displayed suggestive linkage to a region on rat chromosome 15. A direct study of this region was undertaken in congenic strains by transferring resistant ACI alleles to the susceptible DA background. Phenotypic analysis demonstrated lower maximal and cumulative EAE scores in the DA.ACI-D15Rat6-D15Rat71 (C15), DA.ACI-D15Rat6-D15Rat48, D15Rat126-D15Rat71 (C15R3b), and DA.ACI-D15Rat23-D15rat71 (C15R4) strains compared to the parental DA rat strain. Linkage analysis was then performed in a (DA x PVG.AV1)F(7) advanced intercross line, resulting in a LOD score of 4.7 for the maximal EAE score phenotype at the peak marker D15Rat71 and a confidence interval of 13 Mb, overlapping with the congenic fragment defined by the C15R3b and the C15R4 strains. Thus, a new MOG-EAE locus with the designation Eae19 is identified on rat chromosome 15. There are 32 confirmed or predicted genes in the confidence interval, including immune-responsive gene 1 and neuronal ceroid lipofuscinose gene 5. Definition of loci such as Eae19 enables the characterization of genetically regulated, evolutionary conserved disease pathways in complex neuroinflammatory diseases.     

Exclusive Decoration of Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Env with High-Mannose Type N-Glycans Is Not Compatible with Mucosal Transmission in Rhesus Macaques

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) envelope (Env) proteins are extensively decorated with N-glycans, predominantly of the high-mannose type. However, it is unclear how high-mannose N-glycans on Env impact viral spread. We show that exclusive modification of SIV Env with these N-glycans reduces viral infectivity and abrogates mucosal transmission, despite increasing viral capture by immune cell lectins. Thus, high-mannose N-glycans have opposed effects on SIV infectivity and lectin reactivity, and a balance might be required for efficient mucosal transmission.     

Cerebellar Predominant Increase in mRNA Expression Levels of Sirt1 and Sirt3 Isoforms in a Transgenic Mouse Model of Huntington’s Disease

Neurochemical Research - The potential role of Sirt1 and Sirt2 subtypes of Sirtuins (class III NAD+-dependent deacetylases) in the pathogenesis of Huntington’s disease (HD) has been...     

Effects of the Diet on the Microbiota of the Red Palm Weevil (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae)

Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, also known as the red palm weevil, is regarded as the major pest of palm trees. Although studies of the microbiota associated with this species have been performed in recent years, little attention has been dedicated to the influence of the diet in shaping the host bacterial community. Here, we investigated the influence of food sources (i.e. palm tissues vs apple based substrate) on the microbial diversity associated with RPW, which was compared with the microbiota associated with wild individuals of the sister species Rhynchophorus vulneratus. The bacterial characterization was performed using a culture independent approach, i.e. the 16S rRNA pyrotag, and a culture dependent approach for a subset of the samples, in order to obtain bacterial isolates from RPW tissues. The bacterial community appeared significantly influenced by diet. Proteobacteria resulted to be the most abundant clade and was present in all the specimens of the three examined weevil groups. Within Proteobacteria, Enterobacteriaceae were identified in all the organs analysed, including hemolymph and reproductive organs. The apple-fed RPWs and the wild R. vulneratus showed a second dominant taxon within Firmicutes that was scarcely present in the microbiota associated with palm-fed RPWs. A comparative analysis on the bacteria associated with the palm tissues highlighted that 12 bacterial genera out of the 13 identified in the plant tissues were also present in weevils, thus indicating that palm tissues may present a source for bacterial acquisition.     

Enzymatic Evaluation During Biodegradation of Kerosene and Diesel by Locally Isolated Fungi from Petroleum-Contaminated Soils of Western India

The current study suggests that the fungal isolates P. decumbens PDX7, P. janthinellum SDX7, and A. terreus PKX4 degraded kerosene by 95%, 96%, and 75% and diesel by 79%, 75%, and 70% after 16 days based on the ability of utilizing these compounds as sole carbon sources. GC-MS chromatograms revealed that n-alkane fractions are easily degraded; however, the rate is lower for branched alkanes, n-alkyl aromatics, cyclic alkanes, and polynuclear aromatics displaying delayed and lower degradation. The ratio of aromatic/aliphatic hydrocarbons >0.8 indicates the efficiency of these fungi in removing the aromatic hydrocarbons of the petroleum products. All of the treated fungal strains exhibited higher MnP, laccase, and dehydrogenase activities on the twelfth and sixteenth days as compared to the initial fourth and eighth days. In addition, P. decumbens PDX7 and P. janthinellum SDX7 displayed higher enzymatic activities as compared to A. terreus PKX4. Fungal isolates were also tested for their growth on various xenobiotic compounds as sole carbon sources.     

Differences between Pinus pinea and Pinus pinaster as bioindicators of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

The potential of Univariate and Multivariate Analysis and specifically Principal Components Analysis (PCA), has been employed to assess the performance of pine needles as bioindicators of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and particularly emphasize the crucial importance of making a distinction between different pine species if more than one is sampled. Four sampling sessions were done in 29 sites and needles of two common pine species (Pinus pinaster Ait. in 19 sites and Pinus pinea L. in 12) were collected and analysed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and PCA. The results obtained indicated significant differences between species, attributed to their different morphology. The mean total PAH concentration of the P. pinaster needles are over two times higher than P. pinea's. This difference is lower when the results are presented in lipid weight, but still statistically significant. Samples from the two sites with adjacent trees reinforce these conclusions, showing significant differences in terms of PAH mean concentration and aromatic ring patterns.     

Cytologic diagnosis of pulmonary nocardiosis: a report of 3 cases

BACKGROUND: Nocardiosis is an uncommon infection and presents as an opportunistic infection in an immunocompromised host. Pulmonary infection by Nocardia may be difficult to diagnose based on clinical and radiologic features, as these are not specific. Sputum examination, bronchoalveolar lavage and transthoracic ultrasound/computed tomography-guided fine needle aspiration cytology offer a simple means of procuring material for diagnostic evaluation. Very few articles have described the morphologic appearance of this uncommon pathogen in cytologic material. CASES: Three cases occurred in patients with an underlying immunocompromised state. Patient 1 was on steroid therapy for nephrotic syndrome, patient 2 was on immunosuppressant therapy after renal transplantation, and patient 3 was HIV positive. A diagnosis of pulmonary nocardiosis was suspected on Papanicolaou stain. Modified Ziehl-Neelsen stain and silver methanamine stains were useful in confirming the diagnosis. CONCLUSION: A high index of suspicion for nocardiosis must be maintained while assessing cytologic material in immunosuppressed individuals as it may be masked by the intense inflammatory exudate associated with this infection. A meticulous search may reveal the presence of delicate, thin, faintly stained, branching filaments of Nocardia on routine Papanicolaou stain. Special stains and culture studies are useful in confirming the diagnosis.