Parallel All-Optical Assay to Study Use-Dependent Functioning of Voltage-Gated Ion Channels in a Miniaturized Format.

Voltage-gated ion channels produce rapid transmembrane currents responsible for action potential generation and propagation at the neuronal, muscular, and cardiac levels. They represent attractive clinical targets because their altered firing frequency is often the hallmark of pathological signaling leading to several neuromuscular disorders. Therefore, a method to study their functioning upon repeated triggers at different frequencies is desired to develop new drug molecules selectively targeting pathological phenotype.

Enumeration of and determination of spp. and verotoxigenic in shellfish ( and ) harvested in Sardinia, Italy.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the occurrence of spp., Verotoxigenic (VTEC) and enumerate in shellfish ( and ) collected before and after depuration from two class B harvesting areas located in Sardinia (Italy). All the samples were analyzed for spp.

All-Optical Miniaturized Co-culture Assay of Voltage-Gated Ca Channels.

Light-activated proteins enable the reversible and spatiotemporal control of cellular events in optogenetics. Optogenetics is also rapidly expanding into the field of drug discovery where it provides cost-effective and noninvasive approaches for cell manipulation in high-throughput screens. Here, we present a prototypical cell-based assay that applies Channelrhodopsin2 (ChR2) to recapitulate physiological membrane potential changes and test for voltage-gated ion channel (VGIC) blockade.

Occurrence, Seasonal Distribution, and Molecular Characterization of and in Shellfish ( and ) Collected in Sardinia (Italy).

In this study, we investigated the occurrence, seasonal distribution, and molecular characterization of pathogenic vibrios in Mediterranean mussels () and grooved carpet shells () from two harvesting areas of Sardinia (Italy). Samples collected before and after depuration were submitted for qualitative and quantitative determination of spp. spp.

Clonal relationship among Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolated from Mediterranean mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) and grooved carpet shells (Ruditapes decussatus) harvested in Sardinia (Italy).

The aim of the present study was to investigate the genetic variability of Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains isolated from naturally contaminated Mediterranean mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) and Grooved carpet shells (Ruditapes decussatus) from three harvesting areas of Sardinia (Italy) using a combination of different typing methods: traditional phenotypic systems and molecular techniques. Ninety-nine putative V. parahaemolyticus strains isolated from shellfish collected before and after purification were included in the study.