Organisms sharing the same habitats may differ in small‐scale microhabitat requirements or benefit from different management. In this study, set in Italy, we focused on two species of high ...conservation value, the cerambycid beetle Rosalia alpina and the bat Barbastella barbastellus, which often share the same forest areas and in several cases the same individual trees. We compared the potential distribution and, at two spatial scales, the niches between such species. The predicted distributions largely overlapped between the beetle and the bat. The niches proved to be similar on a broad scale, yet not on the plot one. Compared with B. barbastellus, R. alpina tends to occur at lower altitude in more irradiated sites with lower canopy closure and uses shorter trees with wider diameters. B. barbastellus occurred more often in trees within forest or along its edges, whereas R. alpina lays eggs in trees found in clearings. B. barbastellus plots were more frequent in forest, R. alpina plots in forested pasture and open‐shredded forest. Overall, exposure to sun influenced more critically site and tree selection by R. alpina, as a warm microclimate is essential for larval development. Although B. barbastellus reproduction may be favored by warmer roosting conditions, bats may also find such conditions in dense forest and in strongly irradiated cavities high up in tall trees that project above the canopy. We emphasize that subtle differences in the ecological requirements of syntopic taxa could be missed at broad scales, so multiple‐scale assessment is always advisable.
Purpose
Radioiodine I-131 (RAI) is the therapy of choice for differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). Between 5% and 15% of DTC patients become RAI refractory, due to the loss of expression/function of ...iodide metabolism components, especially the Na/I symporter (NIS). We searched for a miRNA profile associated with RAI-refractory DTC to identify novel biomarkers that could be potential targets for redifferentiation therapy.
Methods
We analyzed the expression of 754 miRNAs in 26 DTC tissues: 12 responsive (R) and 14 non-responsive (NR) to RAI therapy. We identified 15 dysregulated miRNAs: 14 were upregulated, while only one (miR-139-5p) was downregulated in NR vs. R tumors. We investigated the role of miR-139-5p in iodine uptake metabolism. We overexpressed miR-139-5p in two primary and five immortalized thyroid cancer cell lines, and we analyzed the transcript and protein levels of NIS and its activation through iodine uptake assay and subcellular protein localization.
Results
The finding of higher intracellular iodine levels and increased cell membrane protein localization in miR-139-5p overexpressing cells supports the role of this miRNA in the regulation of NIS function.
Conclusions
Our study provides evidence of miR-139-5p involvement in iodine uptake metabolism and suggests its possible role as a therapeutic target in restoring iodine uptake in RAI-refractory DTC.
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•UV/H2O2 oxidation process is effective for BE removal from aqueous matrices.•MCF photoreactor technology is a valid and useful tool in AOPs studies.•The kinetic constants of HO ...radicals attack to BE and its by-products are estimated.•BE removal through UV/H2O2 process is modeled in different aqueous matrices.•Genotoxicity tests suggest the risk of long term effects of BE by-products.
Benzoylecgonine (BE), the main cocaine metabolite, has been detected in numerous surface water and treatment plants effluents in Europe and there is urgent need for effective treatment methods. In this study, the removal of BE by the UV254/H2O2 process from different water matrices was investigated. By means of competition kinetics method, the kinetic constant of reaction between BE and the photogenerated hydroxyl radicals (OH) was estimated resulting in kOH/BE=5.13×109M−1s−1. By-products and water matrices scavengers effects were estimated by numerical modeling of the reaction kinetics for the UV254/H2O2 process and validated in an innovative microcapillary film (MCF) array photoreactor and in a conventional batch photoreactor. The ecotoxicity of the water before and after treatment was evaluated with four organisms Raphidocelis subcapitata, Daphnia magna, Caenorhabditis elegans, and Vicia faba. The results provided evidence that BE and its transformation by-products do not have significant adverse effects on R. subcapitata, while D. magna underwent an increase of lipid droplets. C. elegans was the most sensitive to BE and its by-products. Furthermore, a genotoxicity assay, using V. faba, showed cytogenic damages during the cell mitosis of primary roots.
Both primary prevention and secondary prevention of coronary artery disease are being widely investigated.
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,
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Preventive cardiology would benefit from the introduction of noninvasive techniques ...that accurately quantify the extent of coronary atherosclerosis. The studies conducted to date on the regression of coronary artery disease have used arteriographic techniques.
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These methods are invasive and costly, and they require lengthy and elaborate analysis by expert investigators. Furthermore, long follow-up times are necessary to detect small changes in the minimal luminal diameter at the level of focal stenoses. However, small gains in luminal diameter have been shown to correspond to substantial . . .
To assess the variability and reproducibility of a volumetric calcium score calculated with electron-bean computed tomographic (CT) scans of coronary arteries.
Two sets of electron-beam CT scans were ...obtained in patients with coronary calcification (group A) or known risk factors for coronary arterial disease (group B). The second set or scans was obtained after a brief interval (group A, n = 52) or after 1 year with no risk modification (group B, n = 27). Traditional (plaque area and attenuation) and volumetric calcium scores were calculated for each patient and lesion.
The median percentage change for individual lesions in group A was 13% for the volumetric and 19% for the traditional score. The overall reduction in error with the volumetric score was 40% (P < .001). The median percentage change for group A patient totals was 9% for the volumetric and 15% for the traditional score (P < .001). In group B patients, the median volumetric score increased by 44% after 1 year.
The volumetric score showed better reproducibility than the traditional score, and its variability was considerably less than the score increase in untreated patients after 1 year. The reproducibility of the volumetric method makes it useful for assessing the progression of coronary arterial disease on serial electron-beam CT studies.
Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) are copper-containing enzymes which promote the degradation of recalcitrant polysaccharides like cellulose or chitin. Here, we have investigated the ...thermostability of an LPMO from
(TaLPMO9A). TaLPMO9A was found to retain most of its initial activity after incubating at 100 °C while its apparent melting temperature (
) is 69 °C at neutral pH. Interestingly, our studies show that
TaLPMO9A,
TaLPMO9A and deglycosylated TaLPMO9A can fold back to their original conformation upon lowering the temperature. In the presence of β-mercaptoethanol the protein does not refold. Activity of TaLPMO9A and refolded TaLPMO9A was studied by an Amplex® Red assay as well as by TaLPMO9A catalysed oxidation of phosphoric acid swollen cellulose (PASC). These studies confirm the functional regain of TaLPMO9A activity upon going through one cycle of unfolding and refolding. The thermal unfolding and refolding of TaLPMO9A was measured spectroscopically. Utilizing the two-state model, detailed thermodynamic parameters were obtained for
TaLPMO. Furthermore, we have investigated the kinetics of TaLPMO9A unfolding and refolding. Our results have implications in understanding LPMO stability, which is crucial for the efficient application of LPMOs as biocatalysts during biomass degradation.
•A literature summary on nitric acid mediated oxidation of benzyl alcohol is provided.•Experimental evidence of a ionic mechanisms for benzyl alcohol oxidation is presented.•A kinetic model is ...proposed to describe the process in the presence of mixed acids.•Kinetic parameters estimation to predict the reacting system behaviour is presented.•A possible innovative reactor pattern is suggested for a safe and convenient process.
Benzyl alcohol oxidation by means of nitric acid or mixed acids for benzaldehyde production is a very attractive process enabling quantitative conversion and high purity. However, a number of discrepancies can be found in the past literature about the reaction mechanism and the kinetic behaviour of the system. In the present investigation, by running the reaction in a batch system under homogenous conditions, a radical mechanism was ruled out and experimental evidence of an ionic reaction network was provided. No induction period was found possibly due to a low amount of nitrous acid produced by dissociation of concentrated nitric acid. The reaction rate is significantly increased by the addition of sulfuric acid. A mathematical model is proposed based on benzyl nitrite as the key intermediate which is in equilibrium with benzyl alcohol and irreversibly decomposes with a significant yield of benzaldehyde. The model is capable to predict the behaviour of the reacting homogeneous phase system at varying initial conditions. The estimated kinetic and thermodynamic parameters are reported. The kinetic modelling carried out in this work would also be relevant to run the selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol in other reactor schemes, such as continuous flow (micro) reactors.
Preserving species within protected areas (PAs) does not guarantee adequate levels of protection if not coupled with conservation of functional connectivity for a target species. We propose an ...analytical framework to assess the effectiveness of PAs in preserving habitat and functional connectivity for mobile vertebrates. We implemented it in central Italy by using as a case study a bat species (common noctule,
Nyctalus noctula
) to: (i) determine suitable areas by means of Species Distribution Models (SDMs); (ii) identify potential commuting corridors through a functional connectivity analysis; (iii) develop a new tool to rank corridors according to their functional irreplaceability; (iv) implement a gap analysis on both suitable areas and functional corridors; and (v) propose management recommendations for the conservation of
N. noctula
. The SDM output and a set of proxies of commuting routes were used to build a resistance layer for the connectivity analysis. The resulting functional corridors were ranked according to their isolation (distance to other corridors and to suitable areas) to obtain an irreplaceability index, with isolated corridors scoring high values. The PA effectiveness assessed by overlapping the PA map with the SDM and the ranked functional corridors highlighted that PAs cover just a small portion of suitable sites (20.3%) and functional corridors for the species (20.8%). The irreplaceability index allowed us to identify those areas inside and outside the PAs that critical for persistence of the species in question require immediate protection regimes. The approach we present could be easily extended to other taxa and offers sound insight on how to promote the conservation at landscape scale.
Tumorigenesis is associated with the deregulation of multiple processes, among which the glycosylation of lipids and proteins is one of the most extensively affected. However, in most cases, it ...remains unclear whether aberrant glycosylation is a cause, a link in the pathogenetic chain, or a mere consequence of tumorigenesis. In other cases, instead, studies have shown that aberrant glycans can promote oncogenesis. To comprehend how aberrant glycans are generated it is necessary to clarify the underlying mechanisms of glycan synthesis at the Golgi apparatus, which are still poorly understood. Important factors that determine the glycosylation potential of the Golgi apparatus are the levels and intra-Golgi localization of the glycosylation enzymes. These factors are regulated by the process of cisternal maturation which transports the cargoes through the Golgi apparatus while retaining the glycosylation enzymes in the organelle. This mechanism has till now been considered a single, house-keeping and constitutive function. Instead, we here propose that it is a mosaic of pathways, each controlling specific set of functionally related glycosylation enzymes. This changes the conception of cisternal maturation from a constitutive to a highly regulated function. In this new light, we discuss potential new groups oncogenes among the cisternal maturation machinery that can contribute to aberrant glycosylation observed in cancer cells. Further, we also discuss the prospects of novel anticancer treatments targeting the intra-Golgi trafficking process, particularly the cisternal maturation mechanism, to control/inhibit the production of pro-tumorigenic glycans.
Although open landscapes are typically regarded as inhospitable matrix for several species of forest bats, their role may be crucial for maintaining gene flow among otherwise isolated populations ...occurring in distant forest fragments. The barbastelle (Barbastella barbastellus) is a bat species previously known to depend on mature forest and dead trees in its wide yet fragmented range. We tested the general hypothesis that viable populations of this bat may persist in open landscapes whose current structure is the result of historical deforestation. We unveiled the roosting and foraging ecology of B. barbastellus in a clay badland area of central Italy where forested habitats are absent and woody vegetation is scarce. Bats in badlands used rock crevices in lieu of the typical maternity tree-roosts and largely foraged in non-forest habitat, alongside riparian vegetation, where they found moth-rich hunting sites. Body condition and sex ratio did not differ from those documented in a source population found in mature forest in the same region. Our study identifies the hitherto overlooked importance of apparently unsuitable landscapes for the conservation of bats regarded as forests specialists and highlights that such environments and the associated occurrence of favoured prey should be carefully considered in management plans.
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