Fluctuations of grass pollen content in the atmosphere of East Perugia and meteorological correlations (year 1989)

Summary Gramineae pollination from a pollen monitoring station located in the eastern suburb of Perugia and meteorological correlations are reported. The data refers to the year 1989. Grass pollen peak pollination was from May to July; in this period the influence of relative humidity and of temperature on pollen concentration was very high. Phenological observations, to identify the time of maximum stamen extension in the most common genera in the area, are also reported. During the period of investigation the counts of pollen grains over four-hour periods showed a regular diurnal rhythm with peaks of concentration in the four-hour period 16.00–20.00. Aerosporological data and meteorological data related to four-hour periods were correlated following different criteria.     

Hyperthermic treatment of chromomycosis with disposable chemical pocket warmers

A case of chromomycosis in which hyperthermia proved effective is reported. The patient was a 56-year-old male bean curd maker who, without any previous history of minor trauma, developed on the extensor side of the left upper arm an eczematous lesion that underwent gradual radial expansion. The lesion showed a well-defined, 7×10 cm infiltrated erythematous plaque with the central area healed and, at the upper and lower borders, adherent scales and crusts on the surface. Histological examination revealed granulomatous changes in the dermis, as well as sclerotic cells within giant cells and microabscesses. On culturing,Fonsecaea pedrosoi was isolated. The patient was treated with disposable chemical pocket warmers, which were secured over the lesion with a rather tight elastic bandage, so that they kept the affected area warm for 24 hours a day. After a month of such hyperthermic treatment, the erythema and infiltration had decreased considerably, and microscopic examination and culture of the crusts both yielded negative results. Examination of biopsy specimens of the lesion after the third month showed that it had cicatrized. The treatment was stopped after 4 months, and no relapse occurred. We also summarize the published results of local hyperthermic treatment of chromomycosis in Japan.     

The "Alzheimer's disease signature": potential perspectives for novel biomarkers

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive and neurodegenerative disorder which involves multiple molecular mechanisms. Intense research during the last years has accumulated a large body of data and the search for sensitive and specific biomarkers has undergone a rapid evolution. However, the diagnosis remains problematic and the current tests do not accurately detect the process leading to neurodegeneration. Biomarkers discovery and validation are considered the key aspects to support clinical diagnosis and provide discriminatory power between different stages of the disorder. A considerable challenge is to integrate different types of data from new potent approach to reach a common interpretation and replicate the findings across studies and populations. Furthermore, long-term clinical follow-up and combined analysis of several biomarkers are among the most promising perspectives to diagnose and manage the disease. The present review will focus on the recent published data providing an updated overview of the main achievements in the genetic and biochemical research of the Alzheimer's disease. We also discuss the latest and most significant results that will help to define a specific disease signature whose validity might be clinically relevant for future AD diagnosis.     

A High-Content Small Molecule Screen Identifies Sensitivity of Glioblastoma Stem Cells to Inhibition of Polo-Like Kinase 1

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common primary brain cancer in adults and there are few effective treatments. GBMs contain cells with molecular and cellular characteristics of neural stem cells that drive tumour growth. Here we compare responses of human glioblastoma-derived neural stem (GNS) cells and genetically normal neural stem (NS) cells to a panel of 160 small molecule kinase inhibitors. We used live-cell imaging and high content image analysis tools and identified JNJ-10198409 (J101) as an agent that induces mitotic arrest at prometaphase in GNS cells but not NS cells. Antibody microarrays and kinase profiling suggested that J101 responses are triggered by suppression of the active phosphorylated form of polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) (phospho T210), with resultant spindle defects and arrest at prometaphase. We found that potent and specific Plk1 inhibitors already in clinical development (BI 2536, BI 6727 and GSK 461364) phenocopied J101 and were selective against GNS cells. Using a porcine brain endothelial cell blood-brain barrier model we also observed that these compounds exhibited greater blood-brain barrier permeability in vitro than J101. Our analysis of mouse mutant NS cells (INK4a/ARF^−/−, or p53^−/−), as well as the acute genetic deletion of p53 from a conditional p53 floxed NS cell line, suggests that the sensitivity of GNS cells to BI 2536 or J101 may be explained by the lack of a p53-mediated compensatory pathway. Together these data indicate that GBM stem cells are acutely susceptible to proliferative disruption by Plk1 inhibitors and that such agents may have immediate therapeutic value.     

Species of the genus Quercus in Italy: Characterization by means of leaf surface observation

Abstract

We propose a study of the main species belonging to the genus Quercus in Italy, characterized and identified by means of leaf surface observation, with special attention devoted to waxes, trichomes and stomata. Comparing our results with the classification proposed by SCHWARZ (1984), we find that species belonging to Schwarz's subgenus Quercus are recognizable because their waxes are structured in vertical scales; the two other subgenera (Sclerophyllodrys and Cerris) present smooth wax structures, their distinctive feature being the shape of the stomatal rima, which is roundish in Sclerophyllodrys and elliptical in Cerris. The study characterizes Quercus pubescens Willd. and Quercus petraea Liebl. by analyzing some morphometric traits; but the authors feel that further research is needed on these critical taxonomic entities. Lastly, the study examines forms of was degeneration correlated to the phenomenon known as oak decline.     

Identification of HLA-B44 subtypes associated with extended MHC haplotypes

The HLA class I antigen B44 is found in each of two different extended major histocompatibility haplotypes (allele combinations of HLA-B, HLA-DR, and complement genes BF, C2, C4A, and C4B in linkage disequilibrium). Using isoelectric focusing, two variants of HLA-B44 were identified. The basic variant was found in all cell lines with the extended haplotype HLA-B44, DR7, FC31, and the acidic variant in all cell lines with the extended haplotype HLA-B44, DR4, SC30. The occurrence of each antigen variant with a unique extended haplotype explains previous observations concerning the nonrandom association of B44 variants with DR antigens.     

Regulation of beta-galactoside transport and accumulation in heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria.

Galactose-grown cells of the heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria Lactobacillus brevis and Lactobacillus buchneri transported methyl-beta-D-thiogalactopyranoside (TMG) by an active transport mechanism and accumulated intracellular free TMG when provided with an exogenous source of energy, such as arginine. The intracellular concentration of TMG resultant under these conditions was approximately 20-fold higher than that in the medium. In contrast, the provision of energy by metabolism of glucose, gluconate, or glucosamine promoted a rapid but transient uptake of TMG followed by efflux that established a low cellular concentration of the galactoside, i.e., only two- to fourfold higher than that in the medium. Furthermore, the addition of glucose to cells preloaded with TMG in the presence of arginine elicited a rapid efflux of the intracellular galactoside. The extent of cellular TMG displacement and the duration of the transient effect of glucose on TMG transport were related to the initial concentration of glucose in the medium. Exhaustion of glucose from the medium restored uptake and accumulation of TMG, providing arginine was available for ATP generation. The nonmetabolizable sugar 2-deoxyglucose elicited efflux of TMG from preloaded cells of L. buchneri but not from those of L. brevis. Phosphorylation of this glucose analog was catalyzed by cell extracts of L. buchneri but not by those of L. brevis. Iodoacetate, at a concentration that inhibits growth and ATP production from glucose, did not prevent efflux of cellular TMG elicited by glucose. The results suggested that a phosphorylated metabolite(s) at or above the level of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate was required to evoke displacement of intracellular TMG from the cells. Counterflow experiments suggested that glucose converted the active uptake of TMG in L. brevis to a facilitated diffusion mechanism that allowed equilibrium of TMG between the extra- and intracellular milieux. The means by which glucose metabolites elicited this vectorial regulation is not known, but similarities to the inducer expulsion that has been described for homofermentative Streptococcus and Lactobacillus species suggested the involvement of HPr, a protein that functions as a phosphocarrier protein in the phosphotransferase system, as well as a presumptive regulator of sugar transport. Indeed, complementation assays wit extracts of Staphylococcus aureus ptsH mutant revealed the presence of HPr in L. brevis, although this lactobacillus lacked a functional phaosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphortransferase system for glucose, 2-deoxyglucose, or TMG.     

Biochemical characterization of hepatic microsomal leukotriene B4 hydroxylases

omega-Hydroxylation of leukotriene B4 (LTB4) has been reported in human and rodent polymorphonuclear leukocytes; preliminary information indicates that this metabolism is cytochrome P-450 dependent. Therefore, these studies were initiated to characterize the cytochrome P-450-dependent metabolism of LTB4 in other tissues. LTB4 was metabolized by rat hepatic microsomes to two products, 20-hydroxy(omega)-LTB4 and 19-hydroxy(omega-1)-LTB4. The formation of these metabolites was both oxygen and NADPH dependent indicating that a monooxygenase(s) was responsible for these reactions. The apparent Km and Vmax for LTB4 omega-hydroxylase were 40.28 microM and 1202 pmol/min/mg of protein, respectively. In contrast, the apparent Km and Vmax for LTB4 (omega-1)-hydroxylase were 61.52 microM and 73.50 pmol/min/mg of protein, respectively. Both LTB4 omega- and (omega-1)-hydroxylases were inhibited by metyrapone in a concentration-dependent fashion. However, SK&F 525A inhibited LTB4 (omega-1)- but not omega-hydroxylase. In contrast, alpha-naphthoflavone decreased LTB4 omega- but not (omega-1)-hydroxylase activities. The differences in the Km apparent for substrate as well as the differential inhibition by inhibitors of cytochrome P-450 suggest that the omega- and (omega-1)-hydroxylations of LTB4 in hepatic microsomes are mediated by different isozymes of P-450. Furthermore, several additional characteristics of LTB4 hydroxylases indicate that these isozymes of P-450 may be different from those which catalyze similar reactions on medium-chain fatty acids, such as laurate and prostaglandins.