F-Neuroprostanes: A Role in Sperm Capacitation.

F-neuroprostanes (F-NeuroPs), derived from the oxidative metabolization of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are considered biomarkers of oxidative stress in neurodegenerative diseases. Neurons and spermatozoa display a high DHA content. NeuroPs might possess biological activities.

Detection of Specific Antibodies against Toscana Virus among Blood Donors in Northeastern Italy and Correlation with Sand Fly Abundance in 2014.

Toscana virus (TOSV) is a Phlebovirus transmitted by phlebotomine sand flies and is an important etiological agent of summer meningitis in the Mediterranean basin. Since TOSV infection is often asymptomatic, we evaluated the seroprevalence in blood donors (BDs) in the Bologna and Ferrara provinces (Northeastern Italy)-the areas with the highest and lowest numbers of TOSV neuroinvasive cases in the region, respectively. A total of 1208 serum samples from BDs were collected in April-June 2014 and evaluated for the presence of specific TOSV-IgG by ELISA.

Asymptomatic Leishmania infantum infection in blood donors living in an endemic area, northeastern Italy.

Objectives: Human leishmaniasis can be severe and fatal, yet in the Mediterranean region only a small percentage of infections progress to clinical disease. We evaluated the percentage of asymptomatic Leishmania infection in the Bologna province, northeastern Italy.

Methods: We examined the presence of specific antibodies by Western Blot (WB) and parasitic DNA by real time PCR in peripheral blood of 240 blood donors residing in the Bologna province.

Increased F-Isoprostane Levels in Semen and Immunolocalization of the 8-Iso Prostaglandin F in Spermatozoa from Infertile Patients with Varicocele.

Polyunsaturated fatty acid damages lead to alterations in sperm function. This study aimed to investigate the involvement of F-isoprostanes (F-IsoPs), oxidized lipid products from arachidonic acid, in sperm quality impairment. For this purpose, F-IsoP levels in semen and F-IsoP localization in spermatozoa were explored in infertile subjects affected by idiopathic infertility or varicocele, as well as in fertile men.

Could Oxidative Stress Regulate the Expression of MicroRNA-146a and MicroRNA-34a in Human Osteoarthritic Chondrocyte Cultures?

Oxidative stress and the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) play an important role in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis (OA). Accumulating evidence has demonstrated the involvement of microRNAs (miRNAs) dysregulation in disease development and progression. In this study, we evaluated the effect of oxidative stress on miR-146a and miR-34a expression levels in human OA chondrocytes cultures stimulated by H₂O₂.