Microparticles from dental calculus disclose paleoenvironmental and palaeoecological records.

Plants have always represented a key element in landscape delineation. Indeed, plant diversity, whose distribution is influenced by geographic/climatic variability, has affected both environmental and human ecology. The present contribution represents a multi-proxy study focused on the detection of starch, pollen and non-pollen palynomorphs in ancient dental calculus collected from pre-historical individuals buried at La Sassa and Pila archaeological sites (Central Italy).

Environmental DNA metabarcoding reveals the effects of seafloor litter and trawling on marine biodiversity.

Environmental DNA (eDNA) techniques are emerging as promising tools for monitoring marine communities. However, they have not been applied to study the integrated effects of anthropogenic pressures on marine biodiversity. This study examined the relationships between demersal community species composition, key environmental features, and anthropogenic impacts such as fishing effort and seafloor litter using eDNA data in the central Tyrrhenian Sea.

What, where, and when: Spatial-temporal distribution of macro-litter on the seafloor of the western and central Mediterranean sea.

The progressive increase of marine macro-litter on the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea is an urgent problem that needs accurate information and guidance to identify those areas most at risk of accumulation. In the absence of dedicated monitoring programs, an important source of opportunistic data is fishery-independent monitoring campaigns of demersal resources. These data have long been used but not yet extensively.

Exploring fishing threat at fleet segment and subregional scale: Least expert knowledge and a resilience versus disturbance-based approach as conservation's tools for cartilaginous fish.

Based on an explorative but rigorous elicitation framework, we obtained the bycatch fishing probability at the fishing fleet segment level using expert estimates. Based on the knowledge of three scientific experts, we developed a new and creative structured method for smart and fast fishery-related risk assessments for species of high conservation concern. In order to test the method here propose, we applied it to 76 cartilaginous fish species (included in the IUCN Red Lists) and on five different fishing segments at both Italian and Mediterranean scale.

Phthalate esters (PAEs) concentration pattern reflects dietary habitats (δC) in blood of Mediterranean loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta).

Phthalic acid esters (PAEs) are classified as endocrine disruptors, but it remains unclear if they can enter the marine food-web and result in severe health effects for organisms. Loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) can be chronically exposed to PAEs by ingesting plastic debris, but no information is available about PAEs levels in blood, and how these concentrations are related to diet during different life stages. This paper investigated, for the first time, six PAEs in blood of 18 wild-caught Mediterranean loggerhead turtles throughout solid-phase extraction coupled with gas chromatography-ion trap/mass spectrometry.

Genetic assessment reveals inbreeding, possible hybridization, and low levels of genetic structure in a declining goose population.

The population numbers of taiga bean goose () have halved during recent decades. Since this subspecies is hunted throughout most of its range, the decline is of management concern. Knowledge of the genetic population structure and diversity is important for guiding management and conservation efforts.

Heterogeneous validity of daily data on symptoms of seasonal allergic rhinitis recorded by patients using the e-diary AllergyMonitor®.

Background: Patient-generated symptom and medication scores are essential for diagnostic and therapeutic decisions in seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR). Previous studies have shown solid consistencies between different scores at population level in real-life data and trials. For clinicians, the evaluation of individual data quality over time is essential to decide whether to rely on these data in clinical decision-making.

Balancing selection, genetic drift, and human-mediated introgression interplay to shape MHC (functional) diversity in Mediterranean brown trout.

The extraordinary polymorphism of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes is considered a paradigm of pathogen-mediated balancing selection, although empirical evidence is still scarce. Furthermore, the relative contribution of balancing selection to shape MHC population structure and diversity, compared to that of neutral forces, as well as its interaction with other evolutionary processes such as hybridization, remains largely unclear. To investigate these issues, we analyzed adaptive (MHC-DAB gene) and neutral (11 microsatellite loci) variation in 156 brown trout ( complex) from six wild populations in central Italy exposed to introgression from domestic hatchery lineages (assessed with the LDH gene).

Genetic structure, phylogeography, and demography of (Bivalvia) from East Pacific as revealed by mtDNA: Implications to conservation.

Wild populations of the pustulose ark, (Bivalvia), an emblematic species of the East Pacific mangrove ecosystem declined in South American countries (Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru) mainly due to overharvesting and habitat loss or degradation. Understanding the genetic aspects of geographic variations and population structure of , currently unknown, appears as a priority to fishery authorities in order to elaborate integrated and collaborative conservation policies for fishery management, aquaculture, and stock enhancement programs. We used mtDNA sequence data to investigate haplotype diversity, genetic structure, and demography of .

Genistein antagonizes gliadin-induced CFTR malfunction in models of celiac disease.

In celiac disease (CD), an intolerance to dietary gluten/gliadin, antigenic gliadin peptides trigger an HLA-DQ2/DQ8-restricted adaptive Th1 immune response. Epithelial stress, induced by other non-antigenic gliadin peptides, is required for gliadin to become fully immunogenic. We found that cystic-fibrosis-transmembrane-conductance-regulator (CFTR) acts as membrane receptor for gliadin-derived peptide P31-43, as it binds to CFTR and impairs its channel function.

Targeting Smoothened as a New Frontier in the Functional Recovery of Central Nervous System Demyelinating Pathologies.

Myelin sheaths on vertebrate axons provide protection, vital support and increase the speed of neuronal signals. Myelin degeneration can be caused by viral, autoimmune or genetic diseases. Remyelination is a natural process that restores the myelin sheath and, consequently, neuronal function after a demyelination event, preventing neurodegeneration and thereby neuron functional loss.

Effects of parasitic infection and reproduction on corticosterone plasma levels in Galápagos land iguanas, and .

In vertebrates, one main feature of stress response is the release of glucocorticoids (corticosterone in reptiles), steroid hormones whose synthesis is regulated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA). In the Galápagos Islands, populations of land iguanas are differentially impacted by a tick-transmitted apicomplexan hemoparasite of genus , which could cause diseases and ultimately reduce fitness. Using competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), we examined baseline plasma corticosterone levels of two syntopic and highly parasitized populations of the land iguana species and in Wolf volcano (Isabela Island).

Phosphatase activities of a microepiphytic community during a bloom of Ostreopsis cf. ovata in the northern Adriatic Sea.

It is becoming more apparent that increased organic nutrient loads deriving from anthropogenic activities and natural processes frequently cause the eutrophication of coastal waters. Concurrently, an increasing number of phototrophs have been shown to make use of organic nutrients, mainly through indirect studies of surface enzyme activities or through direct studies of growth in media containing organic-only nutrients. The potential utilization of dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) by microepiphytic-mats associated with frequently problematic, toxic dinoflagellate Ostreopsis cf.

Autophagy in malignant transformation and cancer progression.

Autophagy plays a key role in the maintenance of cellular homeostasis. In healthy cells, such a homeostatic activity constitutes a robust barrier against malignant transformation. Accordingly, many oncoproteins inhibit, and several oncosuppressor proteins promote, autophagy.

Phospho3D: a database of three-dimensional structures of protein phosphorylation sites.

Phosphorylation is the most common protein post-translational modification. Phosphorylated residues (serine, threonine and tyrosine) play critical roles in the regulation of many cellular processes. Since the amount of data produced by screening assays is growing continuously, the development of computational tools for collecting and analysing experimental data has become a pivotal task for unravelling the complex network of interactions regulating eukaryotic cell life.

Static and dynamic water molecules in Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase.

Understanding protein hydration is a crucial, and often underestimated issue, in unraveling protein function. Molecular dynamics (MD) computer simulation can provide a microscopic description of the water behavior. We have applied such a simulative approach to dimeric Photobacterium leiognathi Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase, comparing the water molecule sites determined using 1.

Apoptosis of human monocytes/macrophages in Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection.

Tuberculosis (TB) is still a major health problem, both as a single disease entity and as a cofactor in AIDS. The interaction between macrophage and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) is a critical step in the establishment of an early chronic infection. This study analyses the capacity of MTB to induce apoptosis in cells obtained by broncho-alveolar lavage (BAL) from patients with reactive pulmonary tuberculosis and from AIDS patients with disseminated pulmonary tuberculosis.