Monothalamous soft-shelled foraminiferal image dataset from the Kveithola Trough (NW Barents Sea).

We present an image dataset of monothalamous soft-shelled Foraminifera (Monothalamea, [1]), an important component of benthic foraminiferal assemblage in sediment cores collected during two oceanographic expeditions that contributed to the MSM30-CORIBAR project (Ice dynamics and meltwater deposits: coring in the Kveithola trough, NW Barents Sea). 9 subsamples of sediment cores were collected during different years (2013-2016) in the Kveithola Trough, a glacially carved system in the NW Barents Sea. Cores were retrieved using a multi-corer (MUC) and a giant box-corer (GBC) and the subcores for foraminiferal analyses were obtained using Plexiglas tubes inserted manually into the cores. These subcores were sliced at 0.5 cm intervals down to 2 cm sediment depth and then every 1 cm down to 10 cm. Two staining methods, Cell Tracker Green (CTG) and Rose Bengal (RB), were used to distinguish between living and dead individuals. Then, the fixed sediment samples were sieved through 63 and 150 µm mesh screens and preserved in 10 % borax-buffered formalin. Six species and 37 undescribed morphotypes were recognized and included in this image dataset. Relatively few species of soft-shelled, monothalamous foraminifera have been described compared to a much larger number of undescribed morphotypes recognised from across the marine realm. Few researchers study with their taxonomy because of the time and difficulties that morphological identification involves. In addition, because "soft", delicate monothalamids rarely fossilize, they are generally overlooked by micropaleontologists. However, they are abundant and diverse and represent an important faunal component of marine as well as freshwater ecosystems. Further information about these frequently overlooked protists will help to address important knowledge gaps and enhance our ability to manage and conserve the planet's resources responsibly. In particular, our image dataset highlights the importance of monothalamous soft-shelled foraminifera in this peculiar Arctic environment and contributes to the first species/morphotype checklist for the area. We hope it will serve to fill gaps in knowledge regarding the ecology and biodiversity of benthic foraminifera, helping users to identify monothalamids species and morphotypes in Arctic waters and beyond. This data article is associated with the research papers: "Benthic foraminiferal assemblages and environmental drivers along the Kveithola Trough (NW Barents Sea)" by [2].

Connexin 26 Expression in Mammalian Cardiomyocytes.

Connexins are a family of membrane-spanning proteins named according to their molecular weight. They are known to form membrane channels mediating cell-cell communication, which play an essential role in the propagation of electrical activity in the heart. Cx26 has been described in a number of tissues but not in the heart, and its mutations are frequently associated with deafness and skin diseases. The aim of this study was to assess the possible Cx26 expression in heart tissues of different mammalian species and to demonstrate its localization at level of cardiomyocytes. Samples of pig, human and rat heart and H9c2 cells were used for our research. Immunohistochemical and molecular biology techniques were employed to test the expression of Cx26. Interestingly, this connexin was found in cardiomyocytes, at level of clusters scattered over the cell cytoplasm but not at level of the intercalated discs where the other cardiac connexins are usually located. Furthermore, the expression of Cx26 in H9c2 myoblast cells increased when they were differentiated into cardiac-like phenotype. To our knowledge, the expression of Cx26 in pig, human and rat has been demonstrated for the first time in the present paper.

Radiation-induced acute dysphagia : Prospective observational study on 42 head and neck cancer patients.

PURPOSE: Acute toxicity in head and neck (H&N) cancer patients treated with definitive radiotherapy (RT) has a crucial role in compliance to treatments. The aim of this study was to correlate doses to swallowing-associated structures and acute dysphagia. METHODS: We prospectively analyzed 42 H&N cancer patients treated with RT. Dysphagia (grade ≥ 3) and indication for percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) insertion were classified as acute toxicity. Ten swallowing-related structures were considered for the dosimetric analysis. The correlation between clinical information and the dose absorbed by the contoured structures was analyzed. Multivariate logistic regression method using resampling methods (bootstrapping) was applied to select model order and parameters for normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) modelling. RESULTS: A strong multiple correlation between dosimetric parameters was found. A two-variable model was suggested as the optimal order by bootstrap method. The optimal model (Rs = 0.452, p < 0.001) includes V45 of the cervical esophagus (odds ratio [OR] = 1.016) and Dmean of the cricopharyngeal muscle (OR = 1.057). The model area under the curve was 0.82 (95% confidence interval 0.69-0.95). CONCLUSION: Our results suggested that the absorbed dose to the cricopharyngeal muscle and cervical esophagus might play a relevant role in the development of acute RT-related dysphagia.

Selective zircon accumulation in a new benthic foraminifer, Psammophaga zirconia, sp. nov.

Benthic foraminifera are single-celled eukaryotes that make a protective organic, agglutinated or calcareous test. Some agglutinated, single-chambered taxa, including Psammophaga Arnold, 1982, retain mineral particles in their cytoplasm, but the selective mechanism of accumulation is not clear. Here, we report the ability of a foraminiferal species to select and accumulate zircons and other heavy minerals in their cytoplasm. In particular, the use of Scanning Electron Microscope coupled with an Energy Dispersive X-ray microanalysis system (SEM-EDS) enabled a representative overview of the mineral diversity and showed that the analysed Psammophaga zirconia sp. nov. individuals contained dominantly crystals of zircon (51%), titanium oxides (27%), and ilmenite (11%) along with minor magnetite and other minerals. The studied specimens occur in the shallow central Adriatic Sea where the sediment has a content of zircon below 1% and of other heavy minerals below 4%. For that reason we hypothesize that: (i) P. zirconia may be able to chemically select minerals, specifically zircon and rutile; (ii) the chemical mechanism allowing the selection is based on electrostatic interaction, and it could work also for agglutinated foraminifera (whether for ingestion, like Xenophyophores, or incorporation in the test as in many other described taxa). In particular, this aptitude for high preferential uptake and differential ingestion or retention of zircon is reported here for the first time, together with the selection of other heavy minerals already described in members of the genus Psammophaga. They are generally counted among early foraminifera, constructing a morphologically simple test with a single chamber. Our molecular phylogenetic study confirms that P. zirconia is a new species, genetically distinctive from other Psammophaga, and occurs in the Adriatic as well as in the Black Sea.

Biomineralization of Schlumbergerella floresiana, a significant carbonate-producing benthic foraminifer.

Most foraminifera that produce a shell are efficient biomineralizers. We analyzed the calcitic shell of the large tropical benthic foraminifer Schlumbergerella floresiana. We found a suite of macromolecules containing many charged and polar amino acids and glycine that are also abundant in biomineralization proteins of other phyla. As neither genomic nor transcriptomic data are available for foraminiferal biomineralization yet, de novo-generated sequences, obtained from organic matrices submitted to ms blast database search, led to the characterization of 156 peptides. Very few homologous proteins were matched in the proteomic database, implying that the peptides are derived from unknown proteins present in the foraminiferal organic matrices. The amino acid distribution of these peptides was queried against the uniprot database and the mollusk uniprot database for comparison. The mollusks compose a well-studied phylum that yield a large variety of biomineralization proteins. These results showed that proteins extracted from S. floresiana shells contained sequences enriched with glycine, alanine, and proline, making a set of residues that provided a signature unique to foraminifera. Three of the de novo peptides exhibited sequence similarities to peptides found in proteins such as pre-collagen-P and a group of P-type ATPases including a calcium-transporting ATPase. Surprisingly, the peptide that was most similar to the collagen-like protein was a glycine-rich peptide reported from the test and spine proteome of sea urchin. The molecules, identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry analyses, included acid-soluble N-glycoproteins with its sugar moieties represented by high-mannose-type glycans and carbohydrates. Describing the nature of the proteins, and associated molecules in the skeletal structure of living foraminifera, can elucidate the biomineralization mechanisms of these major carbonate producers in marine ecosystems. As fossil foraminifera provide important paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic information, a better understanding of biomineralization in these organisms will have far-reaching impacts.

Deregulation of adipokines related to target organ damage on resistant hypertension.

Resistant hypertension (RHTN) includes patients with controlled blood pressure (BP) (CRHTN) and uncontrolled BP (UCRHTN). In fact, RHTN patients are more likely to have target organ damage (TOD), and resistin, leptin and adiponectin may affect BP control in these subjects. We assessed the relationship between adipokines levels and arterial stiffness, left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and microalbuminuria (MA). This cross-sectional study included CRHTN (n=51) and UCRHTN (n=38) patients for evaluating body mass index, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, plasma adiponectin, leptin and resistin concentrations, pulse wave velocity (PWV), MA and echocardiography. Leptin and resistin levels were higher in UCRHTN, whereas adiponectin levels were lower in this same subgroup. Similarly, arterial stiffness, LVH and MA were higher in UCRHTN subgroup. Adiponectin levels negatively correlated with PWV (r=-0.42, P<0.01), and MA (r=-0.48, P<0.01) only in UCRHTN. Leptin was positively correlated with PWV (r=0.37, P=0.02) in UCRHTN subgroup, whereas resistin was not correlated with TOD in both subgroups. Adiponectin is associated with arterial stiffness and renal injury in UCRHTN patients, whereas leptin is associated with arterial stiffness in the same subgroup. Taken together, our results showed that those adipokines may contribute to vascular and renal damage in UCRHTN patients.

High-circulating leptin levels are associated with increased blood pressure in uncontrolled resistant hypertension.

Leptin and aldosterone have been associated with the pathophysiological mechanisms of hypertension. However, despite studies showing the association of leptin with intima-media thickness, arterial distensibility and sympathetic nerve activation, the relationship between leptin and blood pressure (BP) in resistant hypertension (RHTN) is unknown. We aimed to assess the correlation of plasma leptin and aldosterone levels with BP in uncontrolled controlled RHTN (UCRHTN) and CRHTN patients. Plasma leptin and aldosterone levels, office BP, ambulatory BP monitoring and heart rate were measured in 41 UCRHTN, 39 CRHTN and 31 well-controlled HTN patients. No differences were observed between the three groups regarding gender, body mass index and age. The UCRHTN group had increased leptin when compared with CRHTN and well-controlled HTN patients (38.2±21.4, 19.6±8.7 and 20.94±13.9 ng ml(-1), respectively; P<0.05). Aldosterone levels values were also statistically different when comparing RHTN, CRHTN and well-controlled HTN patients (9.6±3.8, 8.1±5.0 and 8.0±4.7 ng dl(-1), respectively; P<0.05). As expected, UCRHTN patients had higher heart rate values compared with CRHTN and well-controlled HTN patients (86.2±7.2, 83.5±6.7 and 83.4±8.5, respectively; P<0.05). Plasma leptin positively correlated with systolic (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP), and aldosterone (r=0.43, 0.35 and 0.47, respectively; all P<0.05) in UCRHTN, but neither in the CRHTN nor in the HTN group. Simple linear regression showed that SBP, DBP and aldosterone may be predicted by leptin (r(2)=0.16, 0.15 and 0.19, respectively; all P<0.05) only in the UCRHTN subgroup. In conclusion, UCRHTN patients have higher circulating leptin levels associated with increased plasma aldosterone and BP levels when compared with CRHTN and HTN subjects.

Evidence that muscle cells do not express the histidine-rich glycoprotein associated with AMP deaminase but can internalise the plasma protein.

Histidine-rich glycoprotein (HRG) is synthesized by liver and is present at relatively high concentration in the plasma of vertebrates. We have previously described the association of a HRG-like molecule to purified rabbit skeletal muscle AMP deaminase (AMPD). We also provided the first evidence for the presence of a HRG-like protein in human skeletal muscle where a positive correlation between HRG content and total determined AMPD activity has been shown. In the present paper we investigate the origin of skeletal muscle HRG. The screening of a human skeletal muscle cDNA expression library using an anti-HRG antibody failed to reveal any positive clone. The RT-PCR analysis, performed on human skeletal muscle RNA as well as on RNA from the rhabdomyosarcoma (RD) cell line, failed to show any mRNA specific for the plasma HRG or for the putative muscle variant. When the RD cells were incubated with human plasma HRG, a time-dependent increase of the HRG immunoreactivity was detected both at the plasma membrane level and intracellularly. The internalisation of HRG was inhibited by the addition of heparin. The above data strongly suggest that skeletal muscle cells do not synthesize the muscle variant of HRG but instead can actively internalise it from plasma.

Survival of benthic foraminifera under hypoxic conditions: results of an experimental study using the CellTracker Green method.

We present results of an experimental study, in which benthic foraminiferal faunas have been kept under strongly hypoxic conditions. Sixteen short sediment cores from a 35m deep site in the Adriatic Sea were incubated for a maximum of 69days. Some of the cores were air-bubbled and remained well oxygenated throughout the experiment. The other cores were bubbled with nitrogen; the overlying waters of these cores became strongly hypoxic, whereas the sediment remained virtually without oxygen. Live foraminifera have been inventoried with the CellTracker Green method. Our results show that all dominant taxa survive strongly hypoxic conditions. Nouria polymorphinoides and Nonionella turgida show a clear tendency to move to the sediment surface in the nitrogen-bubbled cores, whereas Bulimina spp. and Eggerella scabra do not show such a migrational response. We suggest that this is a response to the concentration of nutritional resources at the sediment-water interface.

A simultaneous outbreak of Serratia marcescens and Klebsiella pneumoniae in a neonatal intensive care unit.

We describe two concurrent outbreaks of Serratia marcescens and Klebsiella pneumoniae in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Over a 16-month period, a total of 27 infants were either colonized (N=14) or infected (N=13). There were 15 cases of S. marcescens and 11 cases of K. pneumoniae. Both micro-organisms were involved in one fatal case. Seven preterm babies developed septicaemia, two had bacteraemia, three had respiratory infections and one had purulent conjunctivitis. The S. marcescens and K. pneumoniae isolates were investigated by three molecular methods: enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus polymerase chain reaction (PCR), arbitrary primed PCR with M13 primer, and random amplification of polymorphic DNA. Different patterns were found in the 16 S. marcescens epidemic isolates from 16 newborn infants. The major epidemic-involved genotype was linked to the first nine cases and this was subsequently replaced by different patterns. Eight different typing profiles were also determined for the 13 K. pneumoniae isolates from 12 newborn infants. Four K. pneumoniae bacteraemic strains proved to be identical. In conclusion, the typing results revealed that two different micro-organisms (S. marcescens and K. pneumoniae) were simultaneously involved in invasive nosocomial infections in preterm newborns. Two simultaneous clusters of cases were documented. Heterogeneous genotypes among both species were also demonstrated to be present in the NICU at the same time. A focal source for both micro-organisms was not identified but cross-transmission through handling was probably an important route in this outbreak. Strict adherence to handwashing policies, cohorting, isolation of colonized and infected patients, and rigorous environmental hygiene were crucial measures in the containment of the epidemic.

A calpain-like proteolytic activity produces the limited cleavage at the N-terminal regulatory domain of rabbit skeletal muscle AMP deaminase: evidence of a protective molecular mechanism.

On storage at 4 degrees C, rabbit skeletal muscle AMP deaminase undergoes limited proteolysis with the conversion of the native 85-kDa enzyme subunit to a 75-kDa core that is resistant to further proteolysis. Further studies have shown that limited proteolysis of AMP deaminase with trypsin, removing the 95-residue N-terminal fragment, converts the native enzyme to a species that exhibits hyperbolic kinetics even at low K+ concentration. The results of this report show that a 21-residue synthetic peptide, when incubated with the purified enzyme, is cleaved with a specificity identical to that reported for ubiquitous calpains. In addition, the cleavage of a specific fluorogenic peptide substrate by rabbit m-calpain is inhibited by a synthetic peptide that corresponds to residues 10-17 of rabbit skeletal muscle AMP deaminase; this peptide contains a sequence (K-E-L-D-D-A) that is present in the fourth subdomain A of rabbit calpastatin, suggesting that the N-terminus of AMP deaminase shares with calpastatin a regulatory sequence that might exert a protective role against the fragmentation-induced activation of AMP deaminase. These observations suggest that a calpain-like proteinase present in muscle removes from AMP deaminase a domain that holds the enzyme in an inactive conformation and which also contains a regulatory region that protects against unregulated proteolysis. We conclude that proteolysis of AMP deaminase is the basis of the large ammonia accumulation that occurs in skeletal muscle subjected to strong tetanic contraction or passing into rigor mortis.

Use of human chondrocyte cell cultures to identify and characterize reactive antibodies in rheumatoid arthritis sera.

OBJECTIVE: To study the reactivity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) sera with human chondrocyte populations isolated from normal cartilage and expanded in vitro. METHODS: Human articular chondrocytes were cultured as adherent (non-differentiated) cells on plastic dishes or in suspension (differentiated) on dishes previously coated with a thin layer of 1% agarose. Sera from 28 RA patients and 5 paired synovial fluids were tested on lysates from chondrocytes and fibroblasts as control by immunoblot. Antigen expression on the cell membrane was evaluated by flow cytometry in a few sera. RESULTS: In 9/28 RA sera IgG antibodies specific for chondrocyte antigens (97 kDa, 74 kDa, 67 kDa, 60 kDa, 54 kDa, 48 kDa and 37 kDa) were detected. Twelve sera reacted with proteins expressed both on chondrocytes and fibroblasts and 7 with fibroblasts only; two sera had no reactivity. When lysates from adherent or suspension chondrocytes were compared, RA sera reacted with higher intensity and detected more antigens on chondrocytes cultured in suspension. Flow cytometry assay demonstrated that RA sera are able to recognize antigens expressed on the cell membrane of the human chondrocytes. CONCLUSION: Our data indicate that: a) 32% of the RA sera contain antibodies reactive with antigens expressed exclusively by chondrocytes, but this value rises to 75% if antigens expressed both by chondrocytes and fibroblasts are considered; b) the reactivity of fully differentiated chondrocytes in suspension culture is higher than the reactivity of chondrocytes cultured in monolayer; and c) some of the chondrocyte-specific antigens identified are associated with the chondrocyte membrane. Thus, in vitro cultured chondrocytes may be used to study both the specificity and the biological activity of autoantibodies in RA.

[New techniques in nutritional surveys and food educational programs: volumetric dietetics for portion size assessment]. / Tecniche innovative per la sorveglianza nutrizionale e l'educazione alimentare: la dietetica per volumi.

Data in literature show that body weight in adults and children seems to be related to portion sizes more than to food choices and people are more reluctant to give up favourite foods than to reduce portions. So several scientific societies in USA have recently emphastzied the need to select appropriate portion sizes. At the same time, studies on cognitive strategies show that the best method to help people to remember how much they eat is visualisation/comparison to tridimensional visual aids. So a new technique for evaluating portion sizes, based on comparison of portions to volume of usual objects (baseball, dice, deck of cards) appeared in the last years, in nutritional surveys and food educational projects. Our team, since 1990, appointed a volumetric assessment based on comparison of foods to the fist, palm, fingers of the examined subject; this system has been experienced with success for a long time both in individual dietetics and in food educational projects or surveys. Since the interest for this new technique is rising, the aim of this review is to introduce the method and to delineate the applications in nutritional surveys or educational projects in national and international literature. This method, simple practical and intelligible, seems to be addressed to a wide development in the future.

Symptomatic infections by toscana virus in the Modena province in the triennium 1999-2001.

We report nine cases of clinical manifestations by Toscana virus (TOSV) diagnosed at the Centre for the Diagnosis of Viral Diseases of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, in the inhabitants of Modena province (Emilia Romagna region), in the triennium 1999-2001. TOSV was involved in six cases of meningitis, two of meningoencephalitis and one case of febrile erythema without meningeal manifestations. Six TOSV-infected patients had stayed for a few days in a different area of the Tuscany region before the onset of clinical manifestations so, only three cases of infections by TOSV had an autochthonous origin.

Severe encephalopathy associated with reactivated human herpesvirus 6 in a six year-old immunocompetent child.

When a six year-old immunocompetent child affected by encephalitis was subjected to virological studies, human herpesvirus 6 variant B2 resulted to be the cause of illness. Laboratory diagnosis based on the finding of human herpesvirus 6 genome in the cerebrospinal fluid of the patient both at the beginning of the disease and on the occasion of a relapse which occurred forty days after the patient's hospital discharge. The presence of high-avidity IgG to human herpesvirus 6 detected in the patient's serum at the time of the first hospital admission proved that he had suffered from a past infection by human herpesvirus 6. In the consequence of this, the human herpesvirus 6 DNA finding in the patient's cerebrospinal fluid was to ascribed to virus reactivation. In the light of virological and serological results, the clinical case described underlines the ability of human herpesvirus 6 to cause neurological disorders not only during primary infections but also during infections supported by rescued virus.

Human herpesvirus 8 DNA in the cerebrospinal fluid of a patient with sensory impairment.

This note reports the finding of human herpes virus 8 DNA in the cerebrospinal fluid of a woman with sensory impairment correlated with a basal disease suspected to be multiple sclerosis.

Recent trends in the HIV epidemic among injecting drug users in Northern Italy, 1993-1999.

OBJECTIVE: To monitor and describe the time trends of the HIV epidemic among intravenous drug users (IDU) attending drug dependence treatment centres (DDTC) in Northern Italy. DESIGN: A cohort of all seronegative IDU attending DDTC in Lombardy between 1993 and 1999; all had been tested for HIV at least twice. Periodic sample interview surveys were done to assess risk behaviours. METHODS: The incidence rates of HIV infection were calculated using the person-year (PY) method and expressed as the number of cases per 1000 PY at risk. Background HIV prevalence was calculated by dividing the number of positive cases by the total number of IDU tested at all DDTC in Lombardy. RESULTS: Between 1993 and 1999, 135 seroconversions occurred in 7945 subjects followed for 19 671 PY, yielding an incidence rate of 6.9/1000 PY. Ninety seroconversions occurred among the 6563 males and 45 seroconversions among 1382 females (incidence rates 5.5 and 14.0, respectively). Among the males, the incidence of HIV was 4.5 in those aged less than 25 years and 5.8 in those aged 25 years or more. Among the females, the corresponding figures were 21.1 and 10.3. HIV prevalence decreased over time, and it was higher among females. Sexual behaviours at risk were more common among females. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of HIV infection among IDU in Northern Italy was stable between 1993 and 1999. The higher incidence and prevalence among females and the different prevalence of risk behaviours between genders suggest an increasing role of heterosexual transmission.

Regulation of skeletal muscle AMP deaminase: lysine residues are critical for the pH-dependent positive homotropic cooperativity behaviour of the rabbit enzyme.

Reaction of rabbit skeletal muscle AMP deaminase with a low molar excess of trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS) results in conversion of the enzyme into a species with about six trinitrophenylated lysine residues per molecule which no longer manifests positive homotropic cooperativity at pH 7.1 or at the optimal pH value of 6.5 in the presence of low K+ concentrations. Substitution of the reactive thiol groups with 5,5'-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid) does not protect the enzyme from the TNBS-induced changes of the catalytic properties, indicating that cysteine residues modification is not at the basis of the effects of TNBS treatment on AMP deaminase and strongly suggesting the obligatory participation of lysine residues to the constitution of a regulatory anionic site to which AMP must bind to stimulate the enzyme at alkaline pH. The TNBS-treated enzyme is also completely desensitized to inhibition by ATP, but not to inhibition by GTP and stimulation by ADP. This observation suggests a connection between the operation of the hypothesized anionic activating site, responsible for positive homotropic cooperativity, and the inhibition exerted by anionic compounds that compete for the same site, among them the most efficient metabolite being probably ATP.

Outbreak of aseptic meningitis by echo 4: prevalence of clinical cases among adults.

Twenty five cases of meningitis occurred in urban areas surrounding a city (Modena) in Northern Italy, in the period May-July 1999. When the patients were admitted to the Infectious Diseases Division of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia Hospital and studied by virological and serological methods, the meningitis proved to have an enteroviral origin and enterovirus ECHO 4 type was responsible for all cases of illness. An epidemiological characteristic of the enteroviral meninigitis outbreak was the adult age in 23 out of the 25 patients (mean age 24.50 +/- 7.84 years). The monthly distribution of the aseptic meningitis cases was the following: five cases occurred in May, 13 in June and seven in July. The origin of the spread of the virus infection and the reason for its sudden end remained unknown. The unusual drop in temperature which occurred in the geographic area involved in the aseptic meningitis outbreak at the beginning of August could have interfered with the slowdown in virus circulation.