During chronic kidney disease (CKD), typical alterations in the gut microbiota are observed. The kidney no longer plays the role of the main excretory organ as this function is performed by the ...intestine. In CKD patients, an alteration of intestinal permeability and a degradation of the protective mucous layer are observed. These changes in the intestinal barrier allow the passage of bacterial material from the intestine to the bloodstream through the intestinal wall. This phenomenon contributes to the induction of the chronic inflammatory state, typical of CKD. In nephropathic patients, there is an increase in circulation of p-cresyl sulfate (p-CS), indoxyl sulphate (IS), indole-3 acetic acid (IAA) and trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), all gut-derived uremic toxins. The changes in gut microbiota composition are related to CKD stage and this phenomenon is exacerbated in hemodialysis (HD) adult and pediatric patients. Interestingly, it is observed a positive shift in gut microbiota composition after renal transplantation and at the same time a reduction of circulating gut-derived uremic toxins. Either gut dysbiosis or uremic toxins accumulation contribute to the CKD onset and progression.
Chronic degenerative non-communicable diseases (CDNCDs), in particular chronic kidney disease, induce gut microbiota (GM) dysbiosis, which, in turn, worsens the progression of CDNCDs and patients' ...quality of life. We analyzed literature studies to discuss the possible positive and beneficial impact of physical activity on GM composition and CV risk in CKD patients. Regular physical activity seems to be able to positively modulate the GM, reducing the systemic inflammation and consequently the production of uremic gut-derived toxins, which are directly correlated with the increase of cardiovascular risk. In particular, the accumulation of indoxyl sulphate (IS) seems to be able to induce vascular calcifications, vascular stiffness and cardiac calcifications, while p-Cresyl sulphate (p-CS) seems to be able to exert a cardiotoxic action through metabolic pathways, capable of inducing oxidative stress. In addition, trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) can alter lipid metabolism, inducing the production of foam cells and causing an accelerated atherosclerosis process. In this context, a regular physical activity program seems to represent an adjuvant non-pharmacological approach to the clinical management of CKD patients.
SARS-CoV-2 is a new Coronavirus identified as the cause of Coronavirus disease in 2019 (COVID-19). The epidemic spread in China and beyond its borders, involving 114 countries with more than 5 ...million dead. On March 11, the WHO declared the spread of SARS-CoV-2 to be a pandemic and encouraged nations to adopt harsh restrictive measures. Therefore, patients more and more often turn to dental offices only for emergencies. Healthcare professionals, including dentists, are at high infectious risk. In fact, the closeness to the oral cavity and nasopharynx and the use of drills or ultrasonic devices that cause aerosol release, make dental professions at high risk of bacterial and viral infections. The way patients are treated has changed. In fact, it should be mandatory to carry out a pre-treatment telephone triage and the use of mouthwashes to reduce bacterial load. In the current pandemic, it is necessary to adopt specific safety protocols that can protect dental operators as well as limit the spread of the virus. The purpose of this review is to present an overview on ways to reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 contagion in dentistry by focusing on the immediate situation as well as by looking towards the future.
To reach the review purpose, we selected a series of studies using keywords "COVID-19" OR "SARS-CoV-2" in association with "dentistry" AND "safety protocols" AND "healthcare procedures" AND "individual protection dispositive" AND "air transmission" AND "droplet". We selected papers exclusively in English language, up to 1st January 2022.
During future phases of the pandemic, everywhere in the World, it is necessary to impose all dentistry team both a serological screening and the vaccination, as already established for all health staff in Italy.
For own safety, it is an important for the whole dentistry category constantly update the devices and the protocols adopted, as well as monitoring the real infectious threats, which may occur.
Fabry's disease (FD) is a genetic disorder of lysosomal storage characterized by the intralysosomal accumulation of globotriaosylceramide (Gb3). This genetic mutation causes a total or partial ...deficit of the α-galactosidase (GAL) enzyme activity. FD has an incidence of 1:40000-60000 born alive. Its prevalence is higher in specific pathological conditions like chronic kidney disease (CKD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the FD prevalence in Italian renal replacement therapy (RRT) patients from Lazio region.
485 patients in RRT (hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and kidney transplantation) were recruited. The screening test was performed on venous blood sample. The latter was analyzed using specific FD diagnostic kit, based on the analysis of dried blood spots on filter paper.
We found 3 cases of positivity to FD (1 female and 2 males). In addition, 1 male patient was identified with biochemical alteration indicative of GAL enzyme deficiency with a genetic variant of the GLA gene of unknown clinical significance. The FD prevalence in our population was 0.60% (1 case out 163), it rises to 0.80% (1 case out of 122) if the genetic variant of unknown clinical significance is considered. Comparing the three subpopulations, we observed a statistically significant difference in GAL activity in transplanted patients compared to dialysis patients (p<0.001).
Considering the presence of an enzyme replacement therapy able to modify FD clinical history, it is essential to try to implement FD early diagnoses. However, the screening is too expensive to be extended on large scale, due to the low prevalence of the pathology. The screening should be performed on high-risk populations.
The enzymes from hyperthermophilic microorganisms populating volcanic sites represent interesting cases of protein adaptation and biotransformations under conditions where conventional enzymes ...quickly denature. The difficulties in cultivating extremophiles severely limit access to this class of biocatalysts. To circumvent this problem, we embarked on the exploration of the biodiversity of the solfatara Pisciarelli, Agnano (Naples, Italy), to discover hyperthermophilic carbohydrate‐active enzymes (CAZymes) and to characterize the entire set of such enzymes in this environment (CAZome). Here, we report the results of the metagenomic analysis of two mud/water pools that greatly differ in both temperature and pH (T = 85 °C and pH 5.5; T = 92 °C and pH 1.5, for Pool1 and Pool2, respectively). DNA deep sequencing and following in silico analysis led to 14 934 and 17 652 complete ORFs in Pool1 and Pool2, respectively. They exclusively belonged to archaeal cells and viruses with great genera variance within the phylum Crenarchaeota, which reflected the difference in temperature and pH of the two Pools. Surprisingly, 30% and 62% of all of the reads obtained from Pool1 and 2, respectively, had no match in nucleotide databanks. Genes associated with carbohydrate metabolism were 15% and 16% of the total in the two Pools, with 278 and 308 putative CAZymes in Pool1 and 2, corresponding to ~ 2.0% of all ORFs. Biochemical characterization of two CAZymes of a previously unknown archaeon revealed a novel subfamily GH5_19 β‐mannanase/β‐1,3‐glucanase whose hemicellulose specificity correlates with the vegetation surrounding the sampling site, and a novel NAD+‐dependent GH109 with a previously unreported β‐N‐acetylglucosaminide/β‐glucoside specificity.
Databases
The sequencing reads are available in the NCBI Sequence Read Archive (SRA) database under the accession numbers SRR7545549 (Pool1) and SRR7545550 (Pool2). The sequences of GH5_Pool2 and GH109_Pool2 are available in GenBank database under the accession numbers MK869723 and MK86972, respectively. The environmental data relative to Pool1 and Pool2 (NCBI BioProject PRJNA481947) are available in the Biosamples database under the accession numbers SAMN09692669 (Pool1) and SAMN09692670 (Pool2).
The metagenomic investigation of the solfatara Pisciarelli (Naples) reported here revealed a rich CAZome, the collection of the environmental carbohydrate‐active enzymes (CAZy), offering the opportunity to discover novel CAZy with new biochemical property. Our study represents the first CAZome study of a hydrothermal vent revealing CAZyme families previously unknown in Archaea, putative enzymes with promising potential for utilization in next‐generation biorefineries, and novel glycoside hydrolases with interesting substrate specificities and stability.
Microbes produce a huge array of secondary metabolites endowed with important ecological functions. These molecules, which can be catalogued as natural products, have long been exploited in medical ...fields as antibiotics, anticancer and anti-infective agents. Recent years have seen considerable advances in elucidating natural-product biosynthesis and many drugs used today are natural products or natural-product derivatives. The major contribution to recent knowledge came from application of genomics to secondary metabolism and was facilitated by all relevant genes being organised in a contiguous DNA segment known as gene cluster. Clustering of genes regulating biosynthesis in bacteria is virtually universal. Modular gene clusters can be mixed and matched during evolution to generate structural diversity in natural products. Biosynthesis of many natural products requires the participation of complex molecular machines known as polyketide synthases and non-ribosomal peptide synthetases. Discovery of new evolutionary links between the polyketide synthase and fatty acid synthase pathways may help to understand the selective advantages that led to evolution of secondary-metabolite biosynthesis within bacteria. Secondary metabolites confer selective advantages, either as antibiotics or by providing a chemical language that allows communication among species, with other organisms and their environment. Herewith, we discuss these aspects focusing on the most clinically relevant bioactive molecules, the thiotemplated modular systems that include polyketide synthases, non-ribosomal peptide synthetases and fatty acid synthases. We begin by describing the evolutionary and physiological role of marine natural products, their structural/functional features, mechanisms of action and biosynthesis, then turn to genomic and metagenomic approaches, highlighting how the growing body of information on microbial natural products can be used to address fundamental problems in environmental evolution and biotechnology.
Air‐conditioning systems harbor microorganisms, potentially spreading them to indoor environments. While air and surfaces in air‐conditioning systems are periodically sampled as potential sources of ...indoor microbes, little is known about the dynamics of cooling coil‐associated communities and their effect on the downstream airflow. Here, we conducted a 4‐week time series sampling to characterize the succession of an air‐conditioning duct and cooling coil after cleaning. Using an universal primer pair targeting hypervariable regions of the 16S/18S ribosomal RNA, we observed a community succession for the condensed water, with the most abundant airborne taxon Agaricomycetes fungi dominating the initial phase and Sphingomonas bacteria becoming the most prevalent taxa toward the end of the experiment. Duplicate air samples collected upstream and downstream of the coil suggest that the system does not act as ecological filter or source/sink for specific microbial taxa during the duration of the experiment.
Context. Diacetylene, C4H2, has been identified in several astronomical environments through its infrared spectrum. In contrast, monodeuterated diacetylene (DC4H) has not been detected in space so ...far owing to the low isotopic abundance of deuterated species but also to the rather poor laboratory spectroscopic characterisation of this molecule. Aims. The aim of this work is to provide accurate spectroscopic parameters for DC4H to achieve reliable predictions for both its spectra at millimetre and infrared wavelengths. Methods. We studied the rotational spectrum of DC4H in the range 85–615 GHz by millimetre-wave spectroscopy and the infrared spectrum below 1000 cm-1 by high-resolution, Fourier-transform spectroscopy. Several pure rotational transitions were recorded in the ground state and in excited vibrational bending states. The three fundamental bands v6, v7, and v8 have been identified and assigned in the infrared spectrum. Results. The rotational transitions were analysed together with the infrared data in a global fit that produces very accurate ro-vibrational parameters. The observed frequencies and wavenumbers are reported to provide precise guidance for astronomical searches.
Context. Diacetylene, C sub(4)H sub(2), has been identified in several astronomical environments through its infrared spectrum. In contrast, monodeuterated diacetylene (DC sub(4)H) has not been ...detected in space so far owing to the low isotopic abundance of deuterated species but also to the rather poor laboratory spectroscopic characterisation of this molecule. Aims. The aim of this work is to provide accurate spectroscopic parameters for DC sub(4)H to achieve reliable predictions for both its spectra at millimetre and infrared wavelengths. Methods. We studied the rotational spectrum of DC sub(4)H in the range 85-615 GHz by millimetre-wave spectroscopy and the infrared spectrum below 1000 cm super(-1) by high-resolution, Fourier-transform spectroscopy. Several pure rotational transitions were recorded in the ground state and in excited vibrational bending states. The three fundamental bands upsilon sub(6), upsilon sub(7), and upsilon sub(8) have been identified and assigned in the infrared spectrum. Results. The rotational transitions were analysed together with the infrared data in a global fit that produces very accurate rovibrational parameters. The observed frequencies and wavenumbers are reported to provide precise guidance for astronomical searches.
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