Protective effects of olive oil antioxidant phenols on mercury-induced phosphatidylserine externalization in erythrocyte membrane: Insights into scramblase and flippase activity.

In several physiopathological processes, phosphatidylserine (PS), normally sequestered to the inner leaflet of the plasma membrane, becomes exposed to the cell surface. In erythrocytes (RBC), PS externalization is a crucial event for the removal of aged/damaged cells but can also be associated with increased prothrombotic activity. Structurally related olive oil antioxidants, including hydroxytyrosol (HT), are able to significantly reduce the percentage of PS-exposing RBC, when cells are exposed to toxic compounds such as the heavy metal mercury (Hg).

Toxicological effects and potential reproductive risk of microplastic-induced molecular changes in protamine-like proteins and their DNA binding.

Today, plastic pollution is a widespread problem in all ecosystems and has a particularly severe impact on marine ecosystems and external fertilisers such as the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis. The present study aims to assess the toxicological reproductive health effects in this organism following exposure to two concentrations of polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) (0.5 and 1 μg/L), representative of conditions in the Mediterranean Sea.

Visual experience shapes bodily representation of emotion.

Philosophers and experimentalists have long debated whether bodily representation of emotion is grounded in our sensory experience. Indeed, we are used to observe emotional reactions expressed through the bodies of others, yet it is still unknown whether this observation influences how we experience affective states in our own bodies. To delve into this question, we developed a naturalistic haptic task and asked a group of early ( = 20) and late ( = 20) blind, as well as sighted individuals ( = 20) to indicate where in the body they perceive changes associated with affective states.

The Multifaceted Impact of Environmental Pollutants on Health and Ecosystems.

Environmental pollutants have pervasive and far-reaching effects on both ecosystems and human health [...

Molecular and toxicological mechanisms behind the effects of chromium (VI) on the male reproductive system of Mytilus galloprovincialis: First evidence for poly-ADP-ribosylation of protamine-like II.

Studies on the molecular mechanisms of heavy metal toxicity in invertebrate reproduction are limited. Given that PARP-catalysed ADP-ribosylation is also involved in counteracting heavy metal toxicity and maintaining genomic integrity, and that PARylation is implicated in chromatin remodelling but its role in sperm chromatin remains to be elucidated, we investigated the effects of chromium(VI) at 1, 10 and 100 nM on the reproductive health of Mytilus galloprovincialis. The damage to the gonads was assessed by morphological analyses and the damage indices PARP and ɣH2A.

Prediction of Pesticide Interactions with Proteins Involved in Human Reproduction by Using a Virtual Screening Approach: A Case Study of Famoxadone Binding CRBP-III and Izumo.

In recent years, the awareness that pesticides can have other effects apart from generic toxicity is growing. In particular, several pieces of evidence highlight their influence on human fertility. In this study, we investigated, by a virtual screening approach, the binding between pesticides and proteins present in human gametes or associated with reproduction, in order to identify new interactions that could affect human fertility.

Who Is the Intermediate Host of RNA Viruses? A Study Focusing on SARS-CoV-2 and Poliovirus.

The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked a surge in research on microbiology and virology, shedding light on overlooked aspects such as the infection of bacteria by RNA virions in the animal microbiome. Studies reveal a decrease in beneficial gut bacteria during COVID-19, indicating a significant interaction between SARS-CoV-2 and the human microbiome. However, determining the origins of the virus remains complex, with observed phenomena such as species jumps adding layers to the narrative.

Dissecting abstract, modality-specific and experience-dependent coding of affect in the human brain.

Emotion and perception are tightly intertwined, as affective experiences often arise from the appraisal of sensory information. Nonetheless, whether the brain encodes emotional instances using a sensory-specific code or in a more abstract manner is unclear. Here, we answer this question by measuring the association between emotion ratings collected during a unisensory or multisensory presentation of a full-length movie and brain activity recorded in typically developed, congenitally blind and congenitally deaf participants.

MRI Digital Artery Volume Index (DAVIX) as a surrogate outcome measure of digital ulcer disease in patients with systemic sclerosis: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Vascular fibrosis is a key manifestation of systemic sclerosis that leads to the narrowing of small and medium arteries, causing vascular clinical manifestations including digital ulcers and pulmonary arterial hypertension. We investigated the potential of the MRI-based Digital Artery Volume Index (DAVIX) as a surrogate outcome measure of vascular fibrosis by using it to quantify and predict the burden of digital ulcer disease in patients with systemic sclerosis.

Methods: Two independent cohorts of patients participating in the prospective observational study STRIKE were consecutively enrolled from the Scleroderma Clinic of the Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust, Leeds, UK.

Small noncoding RNAs and sperm nuclear basic proteins reflect the environmental impact on germ cells.

Background: Molecular techniques can complement conventional spermiogram analyses to provide new information on the fertilizing potential of spermatozoa and to identify early alterations due to environmental pollution.

Methods: Here, we present a multilevel molecular profiling by small RNA sequencing and sperm nuclear basic protein analysis of male germ cells from 33 healthy young subjects residing in low and high-polluted areas.

Results: Although sperm motility and sperm concentration were comparable between samples from the two sites, those from the high-pollution area had a higher concentration of immature/immune cells, a lower protamine/histone ratio, a reduced ability of sperm nuclear basic proteins to protect DNA from oxidative damage, and an altered copper/zinc ratio in sperm.

How Male and Female Literary Authors Write About Affect Across Cultures and Over Historical Periods.

Unlabelled: A wealth of literature suggests the existence of sex differences in how emotions are experienced, recognized, expressed, and regulated. However, to what extent these differences result from the put in place of stereotypes and social rules is still a matter of debate. Literature is an essential cultural institution, a transposition of the social life of people but also of their intimate affective experiences, which can serve to address questions of psychological relevance.

A Metabolomic Analysis to Assess the Responses of the Male Gonads of after Heavy Metal Exposure.

In recent years, metabolomics has become a valuable new resource in environmental monitoring programs based on the use of bio-indicators such as . The reproductive system is extremely susceptible to the effects of environmental pollutants, and in a previous paper, we showed metabolomic alterations in mussel spermatozoa exposed to metal chlorides of copper, nickel, and cadmium, and the mixture with these metals. In order to obtain a better overview, in the present work, we evaluated the metabolic changes in the male gonad under the same experimental conditions used in the previous work, using a metabolomic approach based on GC-MS analysis.

Impact of Heavy Metal Exposure on Spermatozoa: A Metabolomic Investigation.

Metabolomics is a method that provides an overview of the physiological and cellular state of a specific organism or tissue. This method is particularly useful for studying the influence the environment can have on organisms, especially those used as bio-indicators, e.g.

Possible Molecular Mechanisms Underlying the Decrease in the Antibacterial Activity of Protamine-like Proteins after Exposure of to Chromium and Mercury.

Natural bioactive compounds represent a new frontier of antimicrobial molecules, and the marine ecosystem represents a new challenge in this regard. In the present work, we evaluated the possibility of changes in the antibacterial activity of protamine-like (PL) proteins, the major nuclear basic protein components of sperm chromatin, after the exposure of mussels to subtoxic doses of chromium (VI) (1, 10, and 100 nM) and mercury (1, 10, and 100 pM) HgCl, since these metals affect some properties of PL. After exposure, we analyzed the electrophoretic pattern of PLs by both acetic acid-urea polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (AU-PAGE) and SDS-PAGE and determined the MIC and MBC of these proteins on different gram+ and gram- bacteria.

Information load dynamically modulates functional brain connectivity during narrative listening.

Narratives are paradigmatic examples of natural language, where nouns represent a proxy of information. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies revealed the recruitment of temporal cortices during noun processing and the existence of a noun-specific network at rest. Yet, it is unclear whether, in narratives, changes in noun density influence the brain functional connectivity, so that the coupling between regions correlates with information load.

A Molecular Mechanism to Explain the Nickel-Induced Changes in Protamine-like Proteins and Their DNA Binding Affecting Sperm Chromatin in : An In Vitro Study.

Nickel is associated with reproductive toxicity, but little is known about the molecular mechanisms of nickel-induced effects on sperm chromatin and protamine-like proteins (PLs). In the present work, we analyzed PLs from by urea-acetic acid polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (AU-PAGE) and SDS-PAGE and assessed their binding to DNA by Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay (EMSA) after exposing mussels to 5, 15, and 35 µM NiCl for 24 h. In addition, a time course of digestion with MNase and release of PLs from sperm nuclei by the NaCl gradient was performed.

The structure underlying core affect and perceived affective qualities of human vocal bursts.

Vocal bursts are non-linguistic affectively-laden sounds with a crucial function in human communication, yet their affective structure is still debated. Studies showed that ratings of valence and arousal follow a V-shaped relationship in several kinds of stimuli: high arousal ratings are more likely to go on a par with very negative or very positive valence. Across two studies, we asked participants to listen to 1,008 vocal bursts and judge both how they felt when listening to the sound (i.

Molecular Alterations and Severe Abnormalities in Spermatozoa of Young Men Living in the "Valley of Sacco River" (Latium, Italy): A Preliminary Study.

The Valley of Sacco River (VSR) (Latium, Italy) is an area with large-scale industrial chemical production that has led over time to significant contamination of soil and groundwater with various industrial pollutants, such as organic pesticides, dioxins, organic solvents, heavy metals, and particularly, volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In the present study, we investigated the potential impact of VOCs on the spermatozoa of healthy young males living in the VSR, given the prevalent presence of several VOCs in the semen of these individuals. To accomplish this, spermiograms were conducted followed by molecular analyses to assess the content of sperm nuclear basic proteins (SNBPs) in addition to the protamine-histone ratio and DNA binding of these proteins.

Olive Oil Phenols Prevent Mercury-Induced Phosphatidylserine Exposure and Morphological Changes in Human Erythrocytes Regardless of Their Different Scavenging Activity.

Phosphatidylserine (PS) translocation to the external membrane leaflet represents a key mechanism in the pathophysiology of human erythrocytes (RBC) acting as an "eat me" signal for the removal of aged/stressed cells. Loss of physiological membrane asymmetry, however, can lead to adverse effects on the cardiovascular system, activating a prothrombotic activity. The data presented indicate that structurally related olive oil phenols prevent cell alterations induced in intact human RBC exposed to HgCl (5-40 µM) or Ca ionophore (5 µM), as measured by hallmarks including PS exposure, reactive oxygen species generation, glutathione depletion and microvesicles formation.

The Contribution of Shape Features and Demographic Variables to Disembedding Abilities.

Humans naturally perceive visual patterns in a global manner and are remarkably capable of extracting object shapes based on properties such as proximity, closure, symmetry, and good continuation. Notwithstanding the role of these properties in perceptual grouping, studies highlighted differences in disembedding performance across individuals, which are summarized by the field dependence dimension. Evidence suggests that age and educational attainment explain part of this variability, whereas the role of sex is still highly debated.

Reliability of slice-encoding for metal artefact correction (SEMAC) MRI to identify prosthesis loosening in patients with painful total hip arthroplasty - a single centre, prospective, surgical validation study.

Objectives: To validate reliability of slice-encoding for metal artefact correction (SEMAC)-MRI findings in prosthesis loosening detection by comparing them to surgical outcomes (gold standard) in symptomatic patients following hip arthroplasties. To evaluate periprosthetic anatomical structures in symptomatic patients to identify an alternative cause of hip symptoms.

Methods: We prospectively followed 47 symptomatic patients (55 hips, 39 painful hips - group P and 16 control hips - group C) at our institution from 2011 to 2016.

Morphological, Gene, and Hormonal Changes in Gonads and In-Creased Micrococcal Nuclease Accessibility of Sperm Chromatin Induced by Mercury.

Mercury is one of the most dangerous environmental pollutants. In this work, we analysed the effects of exposure of to 1, 10 and 100 pM HgCl for 24 h on the gonadal morphology and on the expression level of three stress genes: , and . In this tissue we also evaluated the level of steroidogenic enzymes 3β-HSD and 17β-HSD and the expression of PL protein genes.

Default and control network connectivity dynamics track the stream of affect at multiple timescales.

In everyday life, the stream of affect results from the interaction between past experiences, expectations and the unfolding of events. How the brain represents the relationship between time and affect has been hardly explored, as it requires modeling the complexity of everyday life in the laboratory setting. Movies condense into hours a multitude of emotional responses, synchronized across subjects and characterized by temporal dynamics alike real-world experiences.