The role of astrocytes response triggered by hyperglycaemia during spinal cord injury.

Objective: This manuscript aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the physiological, molecular, and cellular mechanisms triggered by reactive astrocytes (RA) in the context of spinal cord injury (SCI), with a particular focus on cases involving hyperglycaemia.Methods: The compilation of articles related to astrocyte responses in neuropathological conditions, with a specific emphasis on those related to SCI and hyperglycaemia, was conducted by searching through databases including Science Direct, Web of Science, and PubMed.Results and Conclusions: This article explores the dual role of astrocytes in both neurophysiological and neurodegenerative conditions within the central nervous system (CNS). In the aftermath of SCI and hyperglycaemia, astrocytes undergo a transformation into RA, adopting a distinct phenotype. While there are currently no approved therapies for SCI, various therapeutic strategies have been proposed to alleviate the detrimental effects of RAs following SCI and hyperglycemia. These strategies show promising potential in the treatment of SCI and its likely comorbidities.

Associations among sexual assault, posttraumatic stress, drinking to cope with anxiety, and alcohol use based on gender identity and sexual orientation.

BACKGROUND: Sexual assault (SA) is experienced by a substantial proportion of emerging adult college students and is associated with elevated rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use. This study examines the mediating role of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in the associations among SA severity, drinking to cope with anxiety, and average weekly drinks while considering the moderating roles of gender identity and sexual orientation. METHODS: A total of 2160 college students who were diverse in gender (cisgender women, 64.4%; cisgender men, 30.6%, and transgender and gender diverse [TGD] individuals = 4.9%) and sexual orientation (heterosexual = 68.0%, LGBQ+ = 32.0%) completed measures of SA severity, PTSS, drinking to cope with anxiety motives, and average weekly drinks. RESULTS: The mediation model for the full sample indicated significant indirect effects of SA severity on drinking to cope with anxiety through PTSS, but not on average weekly drinks. Moderation analyses revealed differential relationships between the variables based on both gender identity and sexual orientation. For instance, the association between SA severity and PTSS was stronger for cisgender women and TGD individuals than cisgender men, and for LGBQ+ individuals than heterosexual individuals. While the association between PTSS and average weekly drinks was only significant for cisgender men, the association between PTSS and drinking to cope with anxiety was significant for both cisgender men and women but not TGD individuals. Furthermore, the association between SA severity and drinking to cope with anxiety was stronger for cisgender women than cisgender men. CONCLUSIONS: Findings from this study demonstrate sexual orientation and gender identity differences and similarities in the associations of SA severity, PTSS, drinking to cope with anxiety, and alcohol use. Results are discussed in relation to the self-medication hypothesis and tailoring interventions for diverse groups.

Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective actions of resveratrol after experimental nervous system insults. Special focus on the molecular mechanisms involved.

After different types of acute central nervous system insults, including stroke, subarachnoid haemorrhage and traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, secondary damage plays a central role in the induction of cell death, neurodegeneration and functional deficits. Interestingly, secondary cell death presents an attractive target for clinical intervention because the temporal lag between injury and cell loss provides a potential window for effective treatment. While primary injuries are the direct result of the precipitating insult, secondary damage involves the activation of pathological cascades through which endogenous factors can exacerbate initial tissue damage. Secondary processes, usually interactive and overlapping, include oxidative stress, neuroinflammation and dysregulation of autophagy, ultimately leading to cell death. Resveratrol, a natural stilbene present at relatively high concentrations in grape skin and red wine, exerts a wide range of beneficial health effects. Within the central nervous system, in addition to its inherent free radical scavenging role, resveratrol increases endogenous cellular antioxidant defences thus modulating multiple synergistic pathways responsible for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic properties. During the last years, a growing body of in vitro and in vivo evidence has been built, indicating that resveratrol can induce a neuroprotective state and attenuate functional deficits when administered acutely after an experimental injury to the central nervous system. In this review, we summarize the most recent findings on the molecular pathways involved in the neuroprotective effects of this multi target polyphenol, and discuss its neuroprotective potential after brain or spinal cord injuries.

Utero-placental apoplexy during induction of therapeutic abortion in a 18-week pregnancy.

Utero-Placental Apoplexy, or Couvelaire Uterus, is a third-trimester major obstetrical complication, occurring especially during labor. It consists of placental abruption followed by an acute intradecidual hemorrhage produced by the rupture of the uterus-placental spiral arterioles leading to a retroplacental hematoma. This hemorrhage infiltrates the uterine wall up to intra- and retro-peritoneal areas. We provide a case report, on which no previous literature is available, of a utero-placental apoplexy during induction of therapeutic abortion.

Mycoremediation effect of Trichoderma harzianum strain T22 combined with ozonation in diesel-contaminated sand.

This study aimed to determine the ability of the fungus Trichoderma harzianum strain T22 (Th-T22) to utilize diesel fuel as a carbon source. The potential use of Th-T22 for diesel bioremediation in an artificial soil was tested by inoculating a diesel-sand mixture with a fungal mycelial suspension of Th-T22. Given the ability of ozone to degrade compounds with low biochemical reactivity, the effect of a pre- and post-ozonation was also evaluated. The survival, growth and sporulation of Th-T22 throughout the bioremediation trial were monitored in all the treatments. In the post-ozonation treatments, the biodegradation percentages of diesel removal were 70.16% and 88.35% in Th-T22-inoculated sand treated or untreated with the antibacterial streptomycin, respectively. The results showed that ozonation alone caused good removal efficiencies (41.9%) but it was much more effective if combined with Th-T22 in a post-ozonation regime, whereas pre-ozonation negatively affected the subsequent biodegradation, likely due to its disinfectant and oxidizing effect on Th-T22. The results obtained demonstrated the significant mycoremediation ability of Th-T22 in diesel-contaminated sand and its possible use as a bioremediation agent for diesel spills in polluted sites.

CO2 and N2O from water resource recovery facilities: Evaluation of emissions from biological treatment, settling, disinfection, and receiving water body.

Water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs) contribute to climate change and air pollution, as they are anthropogenic potential sources of direct and indirect emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Studies concerning the monitoring and accounting for GHG emissions from WRRFs are of increasing interest. In this study, the floating hood technique for gas collection was coupled with the off-gas method to monitor and apportion nitrous oxide (N2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from both aerated and non-aerated tanks in a municipal water resource recovery facility, in order to investigate its carbon footprint (CFP). To our knowledge, this is the first time that the chamber technique was applied to evaluate gas fluxes from the settler, where an emission factor (EF) of 4.71 ∗ 10-5 kgCO2,eq kgbCOD-1 was found. Interesting results were found in the disinfection unit, which was the major contributor to direct N2O emissions (with a specific emission factor of 0.008 kgCO2,eq kgbCOD-1), due to the chemical interaction between hydroxylamine and the disinfectant agent (hypochlorite). The specific emission factor of the biological aerated tank was 0.00112 kgCO2,eq kgbCOD-1. The average direct CO2 emission was equal to 0.068 kgCO2 kgbCOD-1 from the activated sludge tank and to 0.00017 kgCO2 kgbCOD-1 from the secondary clarifier. Therefore, taking into account the contribution of both direct N2O and CO2 emissions, values of 0.069 kgCO2,eq kgbCOD-1, 0.008 kgCO2,eq kgbCOD-1 and 0.00022 kgCO2,eq kgbCOD-1, were found for the net CFP of the aerated compartment, the disinfection unit and the clarifier, respectively. The plant energy Footprint (eFP) was also evaluated, confirming that the aeration system is the major contributor to energy consumption, as well as to indirect CO2 emission, with a specific eFP of 1.49 kWh kgbCOD-1.

Halogen atom effect on the photophysical properties of substituted aza-BODIPY derivatives.

The influence of halogen atom substitution (Br and I), in different amounts and positions in an aza-BODIPY skeleton, on the photophysical properties of some aza-BODIPY derivatives has been investigated by using density functional theory and its time-dependent extension. The heavy atom effect on excitation energies, singlet-triplet energy gaps and spin-orbit matrix elements has been considered. The maximum absorption within the therapeutic window has been confirmed for all the aza-BODIPY derivatives. The feasible intersystem spin crossing pathways for the population of the lowest triplet state, that will depend on the values of the spin-orbit matrix elements, the energy gap as well as the orbital composition of the involved states have been found to most likely involve the S1 and T1 or T2 states. The outcomes of computations support the potential therapeutic use of these compounds as photosensitizers in photodynamic therapy.

Deep vein thrombosis of the lower limb secondary to lumbar discal hernia compression: a rarity? Review of the literature.

This case report is about a 70-years-old female patient, suffering from discal hernia, with compression of the iliac vein, that led to the formation of deep vein thrombosis of the lower limbs. The angio-CT scan revealed the starting point of the L4- L5 compression where a voluminous discal hernia caused deep vein thrombosis, with the involvement the femoro-popliteal venous axis. Blood samples and PET-CT scans excluded other possible etiologic factors. This case demonstrates how a voluminous discal hernia can cause venous thrombosis.

Curative gastric resection for the elderly patients suffering from gastric cancer.

The improvement of the socio-economic conditions and the progress of medicine have extended the life span of the world's population and as a result, the number of patients with malignant neoplasms has increased. Gastric cancer is the third most common cancer (after lung and prostate) and the second leading cause of death caused by cancer (after lung bronchogenic cell carcinoma) in males; while it's the fifth cancer by frequency and the fourth cause of cancer death in females. It presents a peculiar geographical distribution with a lower incidence in Western Europe and North America, and higher incidence in the Far East, South America and Eastern Europe. Its incidence in Italy is 122 cases per 100000 inhabitants in males and 83 cases per 100000 inhabitants in females (in Italy). It occurs more frequently in old age, is quite rare in individuals under the age of 45. The aim of this work is to analyze the clinical and pathological characteristics of gastric carcinoma and the feasibility of curative surgery in patients over 75, identifying the factors affecting mortality, morbidity, survival and quality of life after surgery. These data have been compared with those of younger patients to assess the correct type of surgery.

Excitotoxic cell death induces delayed proliferation of endogenous neuroprogenitor cells in organotypic slice cultures of the rat spinal cord.

The aim of the present report was to investigate whether, in the mammalian spinal cord, cell death induced by transient excitotoxic stress could trigger activation and proliferation of endogenous neuroprogenitor cells as a potential source of a lesion repair process and the underlying time course. Because it is difficult to address these issues in vivo, we used a validated model of spinal injury based on rat organotypic slice cultures that retain the fundamental tissue cytoarchitecture and replicate the main characteristics of experimental damage to the whole spinal cord. Excitotoxicity evoked by 1 h kainate application produced delayed neuronal death (40%) peaking after 1 day without further losses or destruction of white matter cells for up to 2 weeks. After 10 days, cultures released a significantly larger concentration of endogenous glutamate, suggesting functional network plasticity. Indeed, after 1 week the total number of cells had returned to untreated control level, indicating substantial cell proliferation. Activation of progenitor cells started early as they spread outside the central area, and persisted for 2 weeks. Although expression of the neuronal progenitor phenotype was observed at day 3, peaked at 1 week and tapered off at 2 weeks, very few cells matured to neurons. Astroglia precursors started proliferating later and matured at 2 weeks. These data show insult-related proliferation of endogenous spinal neuroprogenitors over a relatively brief time course, and delineate a narrow temporal window for future experimental attempts to drive neuronal maturation and for identifying the factors regulating this process.

Early spread of hyperexcitability to caudal dorsal horn networks after a chemically-induced lesion of the rat spinal cord in vitro.

Hyperexcitability of dorsal horn neurons has been shown to play a key role in neuropathic pain following chronic experimental spinal cord injury. With a neonatal in vitro spinal cord injury model, we show that a chemically-induced lesion leads to rapid gain-of-function of sublesional dorsal horn networks biased to hyperexcitation. The expression of the GABA synthetic enzyme GAD65 was significantly reduced at the same level of the spinal cord, suggesting a compromised inhibitory system. We propose that our model could be useful to test early approaches to contrast spinal cord injury-induced central sensitization of dorsal horn circuits.

Delayed neuroprotection by riluzole against excitotoxic damage evoked by kainate on rat organotypic spinal cord cultures.

Kainate-mediated excitotoxicity of organotypic spinal cord cultures is an in vitro model advantageous to investigate basic mechanisms of acute spinal injury and its pharmacological neuroprotection. Using such cultures, the putative neuroprotective agent riluzole applied at 5 µM (plasma therapeutic concentration) was studied for its ability to prevent neurotoxicity evoked by 1 h administration of kainate. We monitored real-time release of glutamate, release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) (cell damage marker), occurrence of cell pyknosis, the number of surviving neurons and motoneurons, and cell culture metabolic activity. Co-applied riluzole strongly blocked the kainate-evoked early rise in extracellular glutamate (via calcium dependent or independent processes) and suppressed LDH release (limited to <20% of total). Although there were no significant cell losses within the first h after kainate washout, pyknosis, fewer neurons and motoneurons were observed 24 h later. MTT assay demonstrated that surviving cells were metabolically competent. Co-application of kainate and tetrodotoxin also failed to protect spinal cord slices 24 h later. When riluzole application begun at kainate washout and continued for 24 h, significant neuroprotection was observed for neurons in the central and dorsal regions, while ventral horn cells (including motoneurons) were not protected. Our data suggest that riluzole neuroprotection against excitotoxicity was feasible, although it paradoxically required delayed drug administration, and was not extended to the ventral horn. We propose that riluzole was acting on yet-unidentified processes downstream of glutamate release and receptor activation. Deciphering their identity and role in cell death mechanisms may be an important goal to develop neuroprotection.

Effects of the rearing season on carcass and meat quality of suckling Apennine light lambs.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the rearing season (autumn vs winter) on the carcass and meat quality of light lambs, obtained according to the traditional farming system usual in central Italy. Eighty carcasses from 60 d+/-3 old unweaned Apennine single birth male lambs, permanently reared indoor, half in autumn (receiving milk from ewes permanently pastured) and half in winter (which dams did never acceded to pasture), were weighed, classified according to the EU classification system for light lambs, and their Longissimus lumborum meat was analysed for pH, colour, drip and cooking losses, proximate composition and fatty acids profile of intramuscular fat. Most of the carcasses fully responded to the 1st quality EU requirements and no effects of the rearing season was evident on carcass characteristics. On the contrary, L. lumborum of lambs born and reared in autumn, receiving milk from ewes permanently pastured, evidenced a lower Lightness L* (P=0.02), a higher Chroma C* (P=0.01), with a higher fat content (P=0.04) than lambs reared in winter, which dams were permanently stall-fed. Moreover the intramuscular fat of the former was characterized by a greater PUFA concentration (P=0.01), a more favourable n-6/n-3 ratio (P<0.001), and a higher CLA content (P<0.001) than the latter, as a result of the difference related to the sheep traditional feeding system.

Effects of loading methods on rabbit welfare and meat quality.

The effects of different loading methods on the welfare, carcass characteristics and meat quality traits of hybrid commercial rabbits were investigated. 384 male rabbits, 82 days old, were transported from the farm to the slaughterhouse. At the farm, 192 rabbits were loaded onto the truck smoothly (S) and 192 rabbits were loaded roughly (R). The S loading method consisted of carefully placing each rabbit into the transport crates. In the R method, the loading was hurriedly and carelessly executed by the transport operator, throwing each animal into the crates fixed on the truck. Live weight before and after transport as well as slaughter data were recorded for each rabbit, and a subset of 80 carcasses were evaluated for meat quality. Blood samples from 80 rabbits were analysed for haematological and biochemical parameters. A significant neutrophilia (P<0.001), lymphocytopaenia (P<0.001) and an increase in serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (P<0.01), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (P<0.001) and creatine kinase (CK) activities (P<0.001) were recorded in all rabbits after transport, independent of the loading method. A twofold increase in serum corticosterone concentration (6.23 vs. 14.88 ng/mL; P=0.001) was observed in all rabbits following transport. Results suggest that the stress parameters analysed were more influenced by transport and handling itself rather than by the different loading methods. The results showed that there was no adverse effect of loading method on carcass traits. Furthermore, the stress condition evidenced by haematological and biochemical parameters prior to slaughter did not affect meat quality.

Kainate-induced delayed onset of excitotoxicity with functional loss unrelated to the extent of neuronal damage in the in vitro spinal cord.

While excitotoxicity is a major contributor to the pathophysiology of acute spinal injury, its time course and the extent of cell damage in relation to locomotor network activity remain unclear. We used two in vitro models, that is, the rat isolated spinal cord and spinal organotypic cultures, to explore the basic characteristics of excitotoxicity caused by transient application of the glutamate analogue kainate followed by washout and analysis 24 h later. Electrophysiological records showed that fictive locomotion was slowed down by 10 microM kainate (with no histological loss) and fully abolished by 50 microM, while disinhibited bursting with unchanged periodicity persisted. Kainate concentrations (> or =50 microM) larger than those necessary to irreversible suppress fictive locomotion could still elicit dose-dependent motoneuron pool depolarization, and dose-dependent neuronal loss in the grey matter, especially evident in central and dorsal areas. Motoneuron numbers were largely decreased. A similar regional pattern was detected in organotypic slices, as extensive cell loss was dose related and affected motoneurons and premotoneurons: the number of dead neurons (already apparent 1 h after kainate) grew faster with the higher kainate concentration. The histological damage was accompanied by decreased MTT formazan production commensurate with the number of surviving cells. Our data suggest locomotor network function was very sensitive to excitotoxicity, even without observing extensive cell death. Excitotoxicity developed gradually leaving a time window in which neuroprotection might be attempted to preserve circuits still capable of expressing basic rhythmogenesis and reconfigure their function in terms of locomotor output.

Effects of selenium source and level of supplementation on the performance and meat quality of lambs.

Objective of this study was to evaluate the performance, the quality and oxidative stability of meat, the total Se and specific selenoamino-acids content of muscle of lambs that were fed diets supplemented from different Se sources and at different levels. Forty-eight Apennine lambs 30day old (12.78±0.94kg) received, during a 63day period, a total mixed ration (TMR) which was either Se unsupplemented (Control group - background only- 0.13mg/kg Se) or supplemented with Na selenite (0.30mg/kg Se as sodium selenite) or selenium enriched yeast (0.30mg/kg and 0.45mg/kg Se as Se-yeast). Growth performance, feed to gain ratio, carcass and meat quality (pH, drip and cooking losses, colour, GSH-Px activity and chemical analysis) did not show any difference between the treatments. Meat colour and oxidative stability during 9 days of refrigerated storage were unaffected by dietary supplementation, suggesting that, at the levels of Se used in this experiment, dietary Se, even from an organic source, had limited potential for reducing lipid oxidation. Selenium supplementation raised the Se content in muscle (P<0.001) with the greatest increase when Se-yeast was fed. Although selenite increased total Se, it did not influence total or specific selenoamino-acids in this tissue. On the contrary, Se-yeast supplementation led to an increase in muscle Se-methionine content. We conclude that Se supplementation can increase significantly muscle Se levels and produce, particularly when Se-yeast is fed, a source of Se enriched meat as Se-methionine.

Power Doppler ultrasonography with time-signal intensity curves in monitoring hepatocellular carcinoma and liver metastases after intralesional therapy.

PURPOSE: Analysis of time-intensity curves allows evaluation of the patterns of lesion enhancement before and after treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of time-intensity curves in monitoring intralesional therapy of focal hepatic lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty patients underwent intralesional therapy with either radiofrequency thermal ablation or percutaneous ethanol injection. Contrast-enhanced power Doppler ultrasound with analysis of time-intensity curves was performed one day before and one day after treatment. Targeted biopsy was then obtained to confirm the imaging findings. RESULTS: Before treatment, all lesions showed time-intensity curves characterised by high peaks of signal intensity and plateaus. Complete tumour necrosis, confirmed by targeted biopsy, was observed in patients showing no intralesional flow signals and time-intensity curves with low peak of signal intensity and absence of plateau after treatment. Biopsy confirmed the presence of residual neoplastic tissue in one patient exhibiting perilesional vascularity, absence of intralesional flow signals, and a time-intensity curve with high peak of signal intensity and plateau. CONCLUSIONS: According to our findings, time-intensity curves characterised by high peak of signal intensity and plateau might reflect the presence of perilesional or intralesional neoplastic tissue and provide important information on the effectiveness of the treatment.

Contrast-enhanced colour-Doppler sonography versus pH-metry in the diagnosis of gastro-oesophageal reflux in children.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of contrast-enhanced colour-Doppler ultrasound (CDUS) in the diagnosis of gastro-oesophageal reflux in children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and twenty children (68 boys and 52 girls aged between 1 month and two years) with a clinical suspicion of gastro-oesophageal reflux (postprandial vomiting, weight loss, failure to thrive, anaemia, night-time coughing and crying, regurgitation, etc.) were studied by contrast-enhanced CDUS and subsequently by 24-hour pH-metry. Results of the two techniques were compared using the McNemar test. RESULTS: Gastro-oesophageal reflux was detected on CDUS in 84 patients and with 24-h pH-metry in 86. In all cases of reflux, CDUS visualised the passage of contrast material from the stomach into the abdominal and middle and distal third of the thoracic oesophagus, enabling assessment of the segment of oesophagus involved by the reflux. Compared with pH-metry, CDUS had a sensitivity of 98% (p<0.0001 with McNemar's test). CONCLUSIONS: In consideration of the results obtained and particularly of the low level of invasiveness, contrast-enhanced CDUS could be used to monitor children undergoing medical or surgical treatment for the complications of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease.

Functional study of the transplanted kidney with power Doppler US and time/intensity curves.

PURPOSE: Power Doppler ultrasound (US) with time-intensity curves was used to study renal graft function both in the absence of disease and with complications (acute tubular necrosis and chronic rejection) in an attempt to identify pathognomonic patterns. Time-intensity curves allow representation of the kidneys' wash-in and wash-out phases after intravenous administration of sonographic contrast material. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-six asymptomatic renal transplant patients (36 men and 20 women), 19 of whom had altered creatinine clearance levels, were studied by power Doppler US with time-intensity curves followed by biopsy. Ten asymptomatic patients with normal creatinine clearance levels were used as controls. RESULTS: Time-intensity curve analysis enabled identification of three groups of patients: group A, consisting of 27 patients showing peak enhancement between 50 and 65 s from intravenous administration of contrast material; group B, consisting of 16 patients with peak enhancement between 135 and 235 s; group C, consisting of three patients with peak enhancement between 100 and 130 s. CONCLUSIONS: Data showed significant variations according to renal graft function (no abnormality, acute tubular necrosis or chronic rejection). Although confirmation by a larger series is required, our findings appear to indicate pathognomonic patterns in patients with chronic rejection and acute tubular necrosis.