Clinical and prognostic significance of central and obstructive apneas in patients with transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis.

Aims: Central (CA) and obstructive apneas (OA) are highly prevalent in patients with chronic heart failure (HF) and transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR-CA) is an increasingly recognized HF etiology. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and impact of CA and OA in patients with ATTR-CA.

Methods: Consecutive patients with ATTR-CA underwent a 24-hour ambulatory cardiorespiratory monitoring to evaluate the prevalence and severity of breathing disorders.

Astrocytic centrin-2 expression in entorhinal cortex correlates with Alzheimer's disease severity.

Astrogliosis is a condition shared by acute and chronic neurological diseases and includes morphological, proteomic, and functional rearrangements of astroglia. In Alzheimer's disease (AD), reactive astrocytes frame amyloid deposits and exhibit structural changes associated with the overexpression of specific proteins, mostly belonging to intermediate filaments. At a functional level, amyloid beta triggers dysfunctional calcium signaling in astrocytes, which contributes to the maintenance of chronic neuroinflammation.

An open computational toolbox to analyze multi- and single-unit sympathetic nerve activity in microneurography.

Microelectrode recordings from human peripheral and cranial nerves provide a means to study both afferent and efferent axonal signals at different levels of detail, from multi- to single-unit activity. Their analysis can lead to advancements both in diagnostic and in the understanding of the genesis of neural disorders. However, most of the existing computational toolboxes for the analysis of microneurographic recordings are limited in scope or not open-source.

Human and mouse cortical astrocytes: a comparative view from development to morphological and functional characterization.

The vision of astroglia as a bare scaffold to neuronal circuitry has been largely overturned. Astrocytes exert a neurotrophic function, but also take active part in supporting synaptic transmission and in calibrating blood circulation. Many aspects of their functioning have been unveiled from studies conducted in murine models, however evidence is showing many differences between mouse and human astrocytes starting from their development and encompassing morphological, transcriptomic and physiological variations when they achieve complete maturation.

Centrin 2: A Novel Marker of Mature and Neoplastic Human Astrocytes.

As microtubule-organizing centers (MTOCs), centrosomes play a pivotal role in cell division, neurodevelopment and neuronal maturation. Among centrosomal proteins, centrin-2 (CETN2) also contributes to DNA repair mechanisms which are fundamental to prevent genomic instability during neural stem cell pool expansion. Nevertheless, the expression profile of CETN2 in human neural stem cells and their progeny is currently unknown.

Requirement of Mucosa-Associated Lymphoid Tissue Lymphoma Translocation Protein 1 Protease Activity for Fcγ Receptor-Induced Arthritis, but Not Fcγ Receptor-Mediated Platelet Elimination, in Mice.

Objective: Fcγ receptors (FcγR) play important roles in both protective and pathogenic immune responses. The assembly of the CBM signalosome encompassing caspase recruitment domain-containing protein 9, B cell CLL/lymphoma 10, and mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma translocation protein 1 (MALT-1) is required for optimal FcγR-induced canonical NF-κB activation and proinflammatory cytokine release. This study was undertaken to clarify the relevance of MALT-1 protease activity in FcγR-driven events and evaluate the therapeutic potential of selective MALT-1 protease inhibitors in FcγR-mediated diseases.

Ex vivo analysis of human memory B lymphocytes specific for A and B influenza hemagglutinin by polychromatic flow-cytometry.

Understanding the impact that human memory B-cells (MBC), primed by previous infections or vaccination, exert on neutralizing antibody responses against drifted influenza hemagglutinin (HA) is key to design best protective vaccines. A major obstacle to these studies is the lack of practical tools to analyze HA-specific MBCs in human PBMCs ex vivo. We report here an efficient method to identify MBCs carrying HA-specific BCR in frozen PBMC samples.

Role of ascorbic acid in the inhibition of polyphenol oxidase and the prevention of browning in different browning-sensitive Lactuca sativa var. capitata (L.) and Eruca sativa (Mill.) stored as fresh-cut produce.

Background: Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and, to a minor extent, peroxidase (POD) represent the key enzymes involved in enzymatic browning, a negative process induced by cutting fresh-cut produce such as lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and rocket salad (Eruca sativa). Although ascorbic acid is frequently utilised as an anti-browning agent, its mechanism in the prevention of the browning phenomenon is not clearly understood.

Results: The activity of PPO and POD and their isoforms in lettuce (a high-browning and low-ascorbic acid species) and rocket salad (a low-browning and high-ascorbic species) was characterised.

Ozone tolerance in Phaseolus vulgaris depends on more than one mechanism.

Two bean cultivars with different sensitivity to ozone, i.e. the O3-sensitive Cannellino and the O3-tolerant Top Crop, were exposed to acute O3-stress (165 nL L(-1)) with the aim of evaluating physiological and biochemical traits that may confer O3-tolerance.

Concomitant tumor and minor histocompatibility antigen-specific immunity initiate rejection and maintain remission from established spontaneous solid tumors.

Nonmyeloablative hematopoietic cell transplantation can cure patients with hematologic malignancies but has reported limited success against solid tumors. This is possibly because of profound peripheral tolerance mechanisms and/or suboptimal tumor recognition by effector T lymphocytes. We report that in mice developing spontaneous prostate cancer, nonmyeloablative minor histocompatibility mismatched hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and donor lymphocyte infusion of unmanipulated lymphocytes combined with posttransplant tumor-specific vaccination circumvents tumor-specific tolerance, allowing acute tumor rejection and the establishment of protective immunosurveillance.

Antioxidant defences and oxidative damage in salt-treated olive plants under contrasting sunlight irradiance.

The interactive effects of root-zone salinity and sunlight on leaf biochemistry, with special emphasis on antioxidant defences, were analysed in Olea europaea L. cv. Allora, during the summer period.

The effect of salinity on photosynthetic activity in potassium-deficient barley species.

The interactive effects of salinity and potassium deficiency on the growth, mineral elements and photosynthetic performance were investigated in wild (Hordeum maritimum L.) and cultivated barley (Hordeum vulgare L. var.

Bioactive compounds during storage of fresh-cut spinach: the role of endogenous ascorbic acid in the improvement of product quality.

Spinach is rich in bioactive constituents such as vitamin C, flavonoids and phenolic acids. In this work, the biochemical modifications occurring during one week of storage at 4 degrees C were evaluated both in intact and in fresh-cut spinach. Results showed that vitamin C concentration is less affected by storage in fresh-cut spinach with respect to intact spinach.

Effect of rootstocks and harvesting time on the nutritional quality of peel and flesh of peach fruits.

The influence was evaluated of four rootstocks (Ishtara, Mr. S 2/5, GF 677 and Barrier 1) and of harvesting time (early, middle, late) on the quality characteristics and nutritional value (vitamin C, phenols, carotenoids, total antioxidant capacity) of 'Flavorcrest' peach. The better rootstocks were Mr.

Arabidopsis thaliana MYB75/PAP1 transcription factor induces anthocyanin production in transgenic tomato plants.

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) cv. Micro-Tom plants were transformed with the Arabidopsis thaliana (L.

Vasculature-targeted tumor necrosis factor-alpha increases the therapeutic index of doxorubicin against prostate cancer.

Background: Poor penetration and uneven distribution of doxorubicin in tumors limits the efficacy of this drug in patients with prostate cancer (PC). Aim of the study was to investigate whether pre-treatment with NGR-TNF, a tumor necrosis factor-alpha derivative able to target tumor vessels and alter vessel permeability, increases the penetration and the efficacy of doxorubicin in pre-clinical models of PC.

Methods: Wild type C57BL/6 mice bearing androgen-independent TRAMP-C1 PC and transgenic adenocarcinoma of the mouse prostate (TRAMP) mice, which spontaneously develop PC and metastasis, were treated with repeated cycles of doxorubicin, administered either alone or following NGR-TNF.

Interactions of water stress and solar irradiance on the physiology and biochemistry of Ligustrum vulgare.

We studied the interactive effects of water stress and solar irradiance on physiological and biochemical traits in Ligustrum vulgare L., with special emphasis on antioxidant enzymes and flavonoids. Water relations, photosynthetic performance, plant growth, activities of antioxidant enzymes and of phenylalanine-ammonia-lyase, and concentrations of nonstructural carbohydrates and phenylpropanoids were measured in plants growing in 12% (shade) or 100% (sun) sunlight and supplied with 100 or 40% of daily evapotranspiration-demand over a 4-week period.

Peripheral T-cell tolerance associated with prostate cancer is independent from CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells.

CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells (Treg) are thought to suppress the natural and vaccine-induced immune response against tumor-associated antigens (TAA). Here, we show that Treg accumulate in tumors and tumor-draining lymph nodes of aging transgenic adenocarcinoma of the mouse prostate (TRAMP) male mice, which spontaneously develop prostate cancer. TAA overexpression and disease progression associate also with induction of TAA-specific tolerance.

CO2 fixation and chlorophyll a fluorescence in leaves of Ramonda serbica during a dehydration-rehydration cycle.

Changes in CO(2) photo-assimilation and PSII photochemical efficiency in Ramonda serbica leaves during a dehydration-rehydration cycle were examined. The rate of CO(2) photo-assimilation was greatly reduced during dehydration, but recovery was complete with rehydration when the relative water content of leaves reached values similar to those of well-hydrated, control leaves. The results showed that the response of R.

Effects of ozone exposure or fungal pathogen on white lupin leaves as determined by imaging of chlorophyll a fluorescence.

Chlorophyll fluorescence has been used routinely to investigate photosynthetic activity in plants subjected to both biotic and abiotic stresses. The aim of this work was to compare the perturbations in photosynthesis induced by ozone and by a pathogen. By using a conventional fluorometer a similar response pattern was observed in inoculated and O(3)-fumigated leaves.

Prolonged exposure of dendritic cells to maturation stimuli favors the induction of type-2 cytotoxic T lymphocytes.

Dendritic cell (DC) maturation influences the priming and polarization of T lymphocytes. We recently found that early activated DC (i.e.

Type 2 cytotoxic T lymphocytes modulate the activity of dendritic cells toward type 2 immune responses.

Activated CD8+ T cells can differentiate into type 1 (Tc1) cells, producing mainly IFN-gamma, and type 2 (Tc2) cells, producing mostly IL-4, IL-5, and IL-10. Tc1 cells are potent CTL involved in the defense against intracellular pathogens and cancer cells. The role of Tc2 cells in the immune response is largely unknown, although their presence in chronic infections, cancer, and autoimmune diseases is associated with disease severity and progression.

Biochemical study of leaf browning in minimally processed leaves of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. var. acephala).

A series of biochemical parameters, including the concentration of total ascorbic acid (ASA(tot)) and the activities of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), polyphenol oxidase (PPO), and peroxidases (PODs), was investigated during cold storage (72 h at 4 degrees C in the dark) in fresh-cut (minimally processed) leaves of two lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. var. acephala) cultivars differing in the susceptibility to tissue browning: Green Salade Bowl (GSB), susceptible, and Red Salade Bowl (RSB), resistant.

On the role of flavonoids in the integrated mechanisms of response of Ligustrum vulgare and Phillyrea latifolia to high solar radiation.

The role of flavonoids in mechanisms of acclimation to high solar radiation was analysed in Ligustrum vulgare and Phillyrea latifolia, two Mediterranean shrubs that have the same flavonoid composition but differ strikingly in their leaf morpho-anatomical traits. In plants exposed to 12 or 100% solar radiation, measurements were made for surface morphology and leaf anatomy; optical properties, photosynthetic pigments, and photosystem II efficiency; antioxidant enzymes, lipid peroxidation and phenylalanine ammonia lyase; synthesis of hydroxycinnamates and flavonoids; and the tissue-specific distribution of flavonoid aglycones and ortho-dihydroxylated B-ring flavonoid glycosides. A denser indumentum of glandular trichomes, coupled with both a thicker cuticle and a larger amount of cuticular flavonoids, allowed P.