Publications by authors named "Cecilia Osera"

The complex scenario of multiple sclerosis (MS) pathology involves several mechanisms, including oxidative stress response. The heat shock proteins (HSPs) are important for the protection of the cells; however, their role in MS is not clear. The present research is focused on the response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to oxidative stress and to the involvement of HSP70-2 (a protein coded by the HSPA1B gene, located in the MHC class III).

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Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic pathology affecting the Central Nervous System characterized by inflammatory processes that lead to demyelination and neurodegeneration. In MS treatment, disease modifying therapies (DMTs) are essential to reduce disease progression by suppressing the inflammatory response responsible for promoting lesion formation. Recently, in addition to the classical injectable DMTs like Interferons and Glatiramer acetate, new orally administered drugs have been approved for MS therapy: dimethyl fumarate, teriflunomide and fingolimod.

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We evaluated whether specifically and directly targeting human antigen R (HuR), a member of embryonic lethal abnormal vision (ELAV) proteins family, may represent a new potential therapeutic strategy to manage diabetic retinopathy. Nanosystems loaded with siRNA silencing HuR expression (lipoplexes), consisting of solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) and liposomes (SUV) were prepared. Photon correlation spectroscopy analysis, Zeta potential measurement and atomic force microscopy (AFM) studies were carried out to characterize the complexation of siRNA with the lipid nanocarriers.

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Purpose The redox milieu, together with reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, may play a role in mediating some biological effects of extremely-low-frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMF). Some of us have recently reported that a pulsed EMF (PEMF) improves the antioxidant response of a drug-sensitive human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell line to pro-oxidants. Since drug resistance may affect cell sensitivity to redox-based treatments, we wanted to verify whether drug-resistant human neuroblastoma SK-N-BE(2) cells respond to a PEMF in a similar fashion.

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We previously demonstrated that nELAV/GAP-43 pathway is pivotal for learning and its hippocampal expression is up-regulated by acute stress following repeated cocaine administration. We therefore hypothesized that abstinence-induced stress may sustain nELAV/GAP-43 pathway during early abstinence following 2 weeks of cocaine self-administration. We found that contingent, but not non-contingent, cocaine exposure selectively increases hippocampal nELAV, but not GAP-43, expression immediately after the last self-administration session, an effect that wanes after 24 h and that comes back 7 days later when nELAV activation becomes associated with increased expression of GAP-43, an effect again observed only in animals self-administering the psychostimulant.

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Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) A is a master regulator of neovascularization and angiogenesis. VEGFA is potently induced by hypoxia and by pathological conditions including diabetic retinopathy and tumorigenesis. Fine-tuning of VEGFA expression by different stimuli is important for maintaining tissue vascularization and organ homeostasis.

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Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) have been linked to increased risk of cancers and neurodegenerative diseases; however, EMFs can also elicit positive effects on biological systems, and redox status seems crucially involved in EMF biological effects. This study aimed to assess whether a short and repeated pulsed EMF (PEMF) could trigger adaptive responses against an oxidative insult in a neuronal cellular model. We found that a 40 min overall (four times a week, 10 min each) pre-exposure to PEMF did not affect major physiological parameters and led to a significant increase of Mn-dependent superoxide dismutase activity in the human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell line.

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In neurogenerative diseases, comprising Alzheimer's (AD), functional alteration in autophagy is considered one of the pathological hallmarks and a promising therapeutic target. Epidemiological investigations on the possible causes undergoing these diseases have suggested that electromagnetic fields (EMF) exposition can contribute to their etiology. On the other hand, EMF have therapeutic implications in reactivating neuronal functionality.

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Genetic and environmental factors contribute to disease Multiple Sclerosis (MS) susceptibility, the most prevalent neurological pathology affecting young individuals in Western countries. We focused our attention on HSP70-2, an inducible chaperon induced under stress conditions. Genotype analysis of HSP70-2 (+1267 A/G) polymorphism revealed a significant association between the minor allele G and presence of MS (OR:1.

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In B. subtilis swarming and robust swimming motility require the positive trigger of SwrA on fla/che operon expression. Despite having an essential and specific activity, how SwrA executes this task has remained elusive thus far.

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Protein kinase C (PKC) is a family of serine/threonine phosphotransferases ubiquitously expressed and involved in multiple cellular functions, such as proliferation, apoptosis and differentiation. The C1 domain of PKC represents an attractive drug target, especially for developing PKC activators. Dialkyl 5-(hydroxymethyl)isophthalates are a novel group of synthetic C1 domain ligands that exhibit antiproliferative effect in HeLa cervical carcinoma cells.

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Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder involving deposition of misfolded proteins in vulnerable brain regions leading to inexorable and progressive neuronal loss and deterioration of cognitive functions. The AD brain displays features typical of chronic inflammation as defined by the presence of activated microglia and by an excessive amount of neuroinflammatory components such as cytokines and acute-phase proteins. This review aims to shed light on the role of the immune processes involved in AD, focusing on a family of inflammatory modulators belonging to the acute-phase proteins and crucial components of the humoral arm of innate immunity: pentraxins.

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It is well known that physiological functions and pathological conditions of cells and tissues can be influenced not only by chemical molecules, but also by physical stimuli such as electromagnetic waves. In particular, epidemiological studies suggest possible associations between exposure to electromagnetic fields and an increased risk of tumors and neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease. However, depending on the dose and on the length of treatment, the electromagnetic stimuli can be harmful or induce a cytoprotective cellular response, suggesting a possible application in medical therapy.

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Poly-gamma-glutamic acid (gamma-PGA) is an extracellular polymer produced by various strains of Bacillus. Iotat was first described as the component of the capsule in Bacillus anthracis, where it plays a relevant role in virulence. gamma-PGA is also a distinctive component of 'natto', a traditional Japanese food consisting of soybean fermented by Bacillus subtilis (natto).

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We demonstrate that transcription of the gene swrAA, required for swarming migration in Bacillus subtilis, is driven by two promoters: a sigD-dependent promoter and a putative sigA-dependent promoter, which is inactive during growth in liquid Luria-Bertani medium and becomes active in the presence of the phosphorylated form of the response regulator DegU or on semisolid surfaces. Since sigD transcription is enhanced by SwrAA, this finding reveals that swrA expression is controlled by a positive feedback loop. We also demonstrate that the positive action of SwrAA in swimming and swarming motility is prevented in strains carrying a deletion of the two-component system degS-degU and that this effect is independent of swrAA transcription.

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