178 research outputs found
Records of Chrysomya albiceps in Northern Italy: an ecological and forensic perspective
No full textKnowledge of the carrion-breeding insects present at a local level is important and necessary for defining the post-mortem interval. Climate changes and globalisation are affecting species ranges and population dynamics. In this note, we report the incidence of Chrysomya albiceps (Diptera: Calliphoridae) on dead human bodies and carrion in Northern Italy. These data confirm the spread of this species in the Northern regions. The partial sequencing of a 583-bp region of the cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 gene of an Adriatic population did not reveal any difference compared to the same genomic region in the African and South American populations of this specie
De "l'ouvrier masse" à l'"entrepreneurialité commune": la trajectoire déconcertante de l'operaisme italien
No full textFrom Loulon to the Fortress of the Black Camel. The routes of the Arab incursions in Cappadocia
No full textThe aim of this chapter is to try to identify the itineraries followed by Arab armies when entering Cappadocia during their incursions across the Anatolian plateau between the 7th and the 10th centuries AD. The analysis of the distribution of a series of ‘territorial markers’ and of itinerary information recoverable from the Arabic sources led to the detection of those routes and to a better understanding of the Arab military strategies in central Anatolia, as well as of the continuity/discontinuity of the post-Classical Cappadocian Road network; more specifically, the Graeco-Roman system of communication. In particular, it is argued that routes which were only of secondary importance during the Roman period acquired a new relevance starting from the end of the 7th century and, similarly, that main routes became less utilised, illustrating a clear shift in the organisation and exploitation of the landscape. Recent palaeoecological analysis of annually laminated sediments from Lake Nar have made it possible to reconstruct the changes that occurred within the Cappadocian landscape, confirming the hypothesis proposed on the basis of archaeological and topographical data
The nef gene of human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV1) is required for optimal virus replication in fully activated primary T lymphocytes
No full textEffects of chronic dietary cadmium on hepatic glutathione levels and glutathione peroxidase activity in starlings (Sturnus vulgaris)
No full textThe effects of chronic exposure to dietary cadmium on the levels of hepatic glutathione (GSH) and on the activity of the glutathione peroxidase enzymes (GSH-Px) were studied for the first time in starlings (Sturnus vulgaris). Thirty-three individuals (17 females and 16 males) were divided into three groups: One represented the untreated control and two were respectively fed with diets containing 10 and 50 ppm cadmium chloride (CdCl(2)). The total duration of treatment was 22 weeks. The three groups respectively accumulated mean hepatic Cd residues of 2.29, 75.71, and 208.49 ppm. Hepatic GSH increased in the treated groups respectively 24% and 52% in comparison to controls. Total GSH-Px activity in the liver was inhibited in the group fed with 50 ppm, due to inhibition of the selenium-dependent fraction of the enzyme, while the selenium-independent fraction did not change significantly. During the treatment, after 14 weeks of exposure to cadmium, the 50 ppm-treated group showed a 47% decrease of the activity of the selenium-dependent GSH-Px and a 50% increase of the somatic liver index in comparison with controls
Effects and fate of sediment-sorbed linear alkylbenzene sulphonate (LAS) on the bivalve mollusk Mytilus galloprovincialis Lmk.
No full textThe toxicity of LAS on aquatic animals has been evaluated in particular relation to its concentration in water, although it is well known that sediments play an important role as repositories and sources of many contaminants, including surfactants. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of sediment-sorbed LAS on the marine mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis exposed to sediments drugged with 132 mg/kg dry weight of LAS mixtures. Four experiments were performed and some physiological parameters (filtration, oxygen uptake, nitrogen excretion) were measured on control and treated animals. In order to study uptake and release of sediment-sorbed LAS by mussels, quantification of weight, percentage of organic matter, LAS concentration and LAS homologue distribution on faeces were determined. Results showed no significant differences in physiological responses of treated mussels compared to controls, and the absence of a toxic action of LAS contaminated sediments. Moreover one notable aspect was that higher LAS concentrations were found in faeces than in uningested sediments recovered from water. This fact is tentatively explained either as the result of decreased desorption in the mussel intestinal tract with respect to circulating water, or as enrichment in fine particles by mussel filter feeding activity
RILIEVI SULL’ INSORGENZA DI TURBE DELL’ECCITAZIONE MIOCARDICA IN SOGGETTI ANZIANI IN CORSO DI INFLUENZA
No full textCirrhotic thrombocytopenia is a multifactorial condition: evidence of reduced platelet production and incresed platelet destruction
No full textBackground: Thrombocytopenia is a common manifestation of liver cirrhosis (LC), but the underlying mechanism is not fully understood. The purpose of our work was to evaluate the platelet kinetics in LC of different etiology by examining platelet production and destruction.
Patients: 91 consecutive LC patients (36 HCV, 49 alcoholics, 15 HBV) were enrolled in the study. As controls, 25 cases with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), 10 with aplastic anemia (AA), and 40 healthy blood donors were studied.
Methods: Plasma thrombopoietin (TPO) was measured by ELISA. Absolute reticulated platelet (RP) count was determined by Thiazole Orange method. Plasma glycocalicin (GC) was measured by monoclonal antibodies. Platelet associated and serum circulating antiplatelet antibodies were detected by flow cytometry. The B-cell monoclonality in the PBMC were performed by isotype-specific immunoglobulin fingerprinting.
Results: The serum TPO was significantly (p<0.0005) lower in the patients with LC (29.9 ± 18.1 pg/ml) than in normals (82.3 ± 47.6 pg/ml). The GC index was 1.96 ± 1.40 in HCV+ LC (p<0.0005 vs. normals 0.9 ± 0.2), 1.79 ± 1.51 in alcoholic LC (p<0.006) and 1.71 ± 1.69 in HBV + LC (p<0.006). In the patients affected by ITP, the GC index was 12.9 ± 4.4 (p<0.000002). The absolute levels of RP were 4.233 ± 2.367 109/L in alcoholic LC (p<0.0000000012 vs normals) 4.996 ± 3.143 x 109/L in HBV+ LC (p<0.006) and 6.629 ± 7.409 x 109/L in HCV+LC (p<0.005). The prevalence of platelet-associated and circulating anti-platelet antibodies was higher in HCV+ LC than in healthy subjects (p<0.0064), than in alcoholic LC (p<0.018) and than in HBV+ LC (p<0.0001). The B-cell monoclonality was found in 8 (27%) of the HCV-positive patients, whereas no monoclonality was found in HBV (p<0.004) or alcoholic patients (p<0.003).
Conclusions: Patients with LC present a decreased plasma TPO, an accelerated platelet turnover and a low platelet production. These findings indicate that cirrhotic thrombocytopenia is a multifactorial condition, involving both increased platelet clearance and impaired thrombopoiesis. The HCV-LC is characterized by an increased prevalence of autoimmune phenomena, including anti-platelet antibodies and, as consequence, a platelet turnover more accelerated than in HBV or alcoholic LC
Studies on the mechanisms of HTLV-I leukemogenesis.
No full textThe factors that regulate low viral expression and long latency after HTLV-I infection are poorly understood. To study the possible mechanisms involved in the regulation of gene expression and cell transformation, we studied whether (1) methylation could play a role in viral transcription, and (2) tax product could favor chromosomal instability. The results indicate that methylation of HTLV-I LTRs blocks their transcriptional activity and that tax protein triggers DNA damage
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