Cell-Type-Specific Regulation of Cocaine Reward by the E2F3a Transcription Factor in Nucleus Accumbens.

The development of drug addiction is characterized by molecular changes in brain reward regions that lead to the transition from recreational to compulsive drug use. These neurobiological processes in brain reward regions, such as the nucleus accumbens (NAc), are orchestrated in large part by transcriptional regulation. Our group recently identified the transcription factor E2F3a as a novel regulator of cocaine's rewarding effects and gene expression regulation in the NAc of male mice.

Terahertz and Infrared Plasmon Polaritons in PtTe Type-II Dirac Topological Semimetal.

Surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) are electromagnetic excitations existing at the interface between a metal and a dielectric. SPPs provide a promising path in nanophotonic devices for light manipulation at the micro and nanoscale with applications in optoelectronics, biomedicine, and energy harvesting. Recently, SPPs are extended to unconventional materials like graphene, transparent oxides, superconductors, and topological systems characterized by linearly dispersive electronic bands.

Transcriptional characterization of cocaine withdrawal versus extinction within nucleus accumbens.

Substance use disorder is characterized by a maladaptive imbalance wherein drug seeking persists despite negative consequences or drug unavailability. This imbalance correlates with neurobiological alterations some of which are amplified during forced abstinence, thereby compromising the capacity of extinction-based approaches to prevent relapse. Cocaine use disorder (CUD) exemplifies this phenomenon in which neurobiological modifications hijack brain reward regions such as the nucleus accumbens (NAc) to manifest craving and withdrawal-like symptoms.

Rift Valley Fever Virus: An Overview of the Current Status of Diagnostics.

Rift Valley fever is a vector-borne zoonotic disease caused by the Rift Valley fever virus (Phlebovirus genus) listed among the eight pathogens included in the Bluepoint list by the WHO. The transmission is mainly vehicled by and mosquito species. Symptoms of the disease are varied and non-specific, making clinical diagnosis often challenging, especially in the early stages.

An efficient and accurate semi-analytical matching technique for waveguide-fed antennas.

Several RF and microwave radiating devices, such as horn antennas, Fabry-Perot cavity antennas, and aperture-fed focusing devices, are excited through rectangular waveguides. The impedance matching of the overall system (from the waveguide feed to the radiating aperture) is a task of crucial importance that is often addressed by means of brute-force parameter-sweep full-wave analyses or blind optimization algorithms. In both cases, a significant amount of memory and time resources are required.

Arthroscopic Treatment of a Subchondral Bone Cyst via Stem Cells Application: A Case Study in Equine Model and Outcomes.

Subchondral bone cysts in horses represent one of the main causes of lameness that can occur in different anatomical locations. The study describes the treatment in regenerative therapy of the intracystic implantation of adipose tissue mesenchymal stromal cells (AMSCs) included in platelet-rich plasma (PRP). The ability of AMSCs to differentiate in osteogenic cells was tested in vitro and in vivo.

Evidence of an upper ionospheric electric field perturbation correlated with a gamma ray burst.

Earth's atmosphere, whose ionization stability plays a fundamental role for the evolution and endurance of life, is exposed to the effect of cosmic explosions producing high energy Gamma-ray-bursts. Being able to abruptly increase the atmospheric ionization, they might deplete stratospheric ozone on a global scale. During the last decades, an average of more than one Gamma-ray-burst per day were recorded.

Assessing the Load, Virulence and Antibiotic-Resistant Traits of ESBL/Ampc from Broilers Raised on Conventional, Antibiotic-Free, and Organic Farms.

Poultry is the most likely source of livestock-associated Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamase (ESBL) and plasmid-mediated AmpC (pAmpC)-producing E. coli (EC) for humans. We tested the hypothesis that farming methods have an impact on the load of ESBL/pAmpC-EC in the gut of broilers at slaughter.

Magnetic fields and apoptosis: a possible mechanism.

The potential therapeutic uses of electromagnetic fields (EMF), part of the nonionizing radiation spectrum, increase with time. Among them, those considering the potential antitumor effects exerted by the Magnetic Fields (MFs), part of the EMF entity, have gained more and more interest. A recent review on this subject reports the MFs' effect on apoptosis of tumor cells as one of the most important breakthroughs.

Antibiotic consumption is a major driver of antibiotic resistance in calves raised on Italian cow-calf beef farms.

Although its importance, little information is available on antibiotic-resistance in cow-calf beef farms. This study aimed to determine prevalence and risk factors for antibiotic-resistant organisms in this livestock system. Fifty-four farms from Central Italy were included to assess the presence of antibiotic-resistant indicator Escherichia coli and of ESBL and/or AmpC-producing E.

Longitudinal study on antibiotic susceptibility in commensal E. coli from geese raised in free-range production systems.

The transmission of antimicrobial resistance bacteria from animals to humans has become an important concern. The extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) -AmpC- producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-AmpC EC) and quinolones resistant E. coli are of particular interest.

in Calves in Central Italy: Prevalence, Molecular Typing, Antimicrobial Susceptibility and Association with Antibiotic Administration.

The emergence of as the main agent of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea has raised concerns about its potential zoonotic role in different animal species. The use of antimicrobials is a major risk factor for infection. Here, we provide data on infection in dairy and beef calves in Umbria, a region in central Italy.

Metabolic diagnoses of recurrent stone formers: temporal, geographic and gender differences.

Background: Metabolic factors underlying the recent increase in stone prevalence over the past decades are not well understood. Herein, we evaluate temporal, geographic and gender-specific trends in metabolic risk factors in recurrent kidney stone formers.

Patients And Methods: A systematic literature review of metabolic risk factors for stone formation was conducted, inclusive of the last four decades.

A cryogenic magneto-optical device for long wavelength radiation.

We present here a small-scale liquid helium immersion cryostat with an innovative optical setup suitable to work in long wavelength radiation ranges and under an applied magnetic field. The cryostat is a multi-stage device with several shielding in addition to several optical stages. The system has been designed with an external liquid nitrogen boiler to reduce liquid bubbling.

Fabrication and spectroscopic characterization of graphene transparent electrodes on flexible cyclo-olefin substrates for terahertz electro-optic applications.

We demonstrate graphene on flexible, low-loss, cyclo-olefin polymer films as transparent electrodes for terahertz electro-optic devices and applications. Graphene was grown by chemical vapor deposition and transferred to cyclo-olefin polymer substrates by the thermal release tape method as layers on an approximate area of 4 cm. The structural and electromagnetic properties of the graphene samples as well as their spatial variation were systematically mapped by means of µRaman, terahertz time-domain and mid-infrared spectroscopy.

Transport to the Slaughterhouse Affects the Shedding and Modifies the Fecal Microbiota of Finishing Pigs.

Contaminated pork is a significant source of foodborne Salmonellosis. Pork is contaminated at the slaughterhouse and the intestinal content is the predominant source of for carcass contamination. The prevalence of -positive pigs increases significantly when the time of transport to the slaughterhouse is longer than two hours.

Antibiotic-resistant commensal Escherichia coli are less frequently isolated from poultry raised using non-conventional management systems than from conventional broiler.

Poultry production is the fastest growing meat sector worldwide. In the last five years, growing concerns have been expressed by international health agencies and consumers about the transmission of antibiotic-resistant bacteria from poultry meat to human. Consequently, poultry producers have adopted alternative production systems based on reduced antibiotic usage, including organic and antibiotic-free (AF) production.

Host genotype and amoxicillin administration affect the incidence of diarrhoea and faecal microbiota of weaned piglets during a natural multiresistant ETEC infection.

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is the aetiological agent of postweaning diarrhoea (PWD) in piglets. The SNPs located on the Mucine 4 (MUC4) and Fucosyltransferase 1 (FUT1) genes have been associated with the susceptibility to ETEC F4 and ETEC F18, respectively. The interplay between the MUC4 and FUT1 genotypes to ETEC infection and the use of amoxicillin in modifying the intestinal microbiota during a natural infection by multiresistant ETEC strains have never been investigated.

Nonmelanoma skin cancer associated with Hydroxyurea treatment: Overview of the literature and our own experience.

Nonmelanoma skin cancer is the most common malignant tumor in the fair skin population, with each year several millions of diagnosed cases. Their most common risk factors are fair skin, a history of excessive ultraviolet light exposure, chronic inflammatory skin conditions, exposure to radiation, and contact with arsenic. Certain drugs can also be associated with a higher risk of nonmelanoma skin cancer.