Cnidarian Primary Cell Culture as a Tool to Investigate the Effect of Thermal Stress at Cellular Level.

In the context of global change, symbiotic cnidarians are largely affected by seawater temperature elevation leading to symbiosis breakdown. This process, also called bleaching, is triggered by the dysfunction of the symbiont photosystems causing an oxidative stress and cell death to both symbiont and host cells. In our study, we wanted to elucidate the intrinsic capacity of isolated animal cells to deal with thermal stress in the absence of symbiont. In that aim, we have characterized an animal primary cell culture form regenerating tentacles of the temperate sea anemone Anemonia viridis. We first compared the potential of whole tissue tentacle or separated epidermal or gastrodermal monolayers as tissue sources to settle animal cell cultures. Interestingly, only isolated cells extracted from whole tentacles allowed establishing a viable and proliferative primary cell culture throughout 31 days. The analysis of the expression of tissue-specific and pluripotency markers defined cultivated cells as differentiated cells with gastrodermal origin. The characterization of the animal primary cell culture allowed us to submit the obtained gastrodermal cells to hyperthermal stress (+ 5 and + 8 °C) during 1 and 7 days. Though cell viability was not affected at both hyperthermal stress conditions, cell growth drastically decreased. In addition, only a + 8 °C hyperthermia induced a transient increase of antioxidant defences at 1 day but no ubiquitin or carbonylation protein damages. These results demonstrated an intrinsic resistance of cnidarian gastrodermal cells to hyperthermal stress and then confirmed the role of symbionts in the hyperthermia sensitivity leading to bleaching.

[Review of 87 cases of scoliosis surgically treated]. / Revisione di 87 casi di scoliosi operata.

BACKGROUND: The authors compared the results and complications in surgical treatment of idiopathic scoliosis with Harrington's rod instrumentation with subtrasversal wires in dorsal treat. METHODS: A research on 87 cases operated on for idiopathic scoliosis from 1987 to 1995 is carried out. The 87 cases include 65 females and 25 males, 16 years old in average (range, 11 to 30). The curvature in Cobb's degrees and rotation of vertebrae with Raimondi's method on radiographs take just before, 15 days later and an year later on operation was measured. The patients have been divided into two groups: the first of 77 patients operated with Harrington's rod instrumentation; the second of 10 patients operated with Harrington's rod instrumentation and subtrasversal wires. RESULTS: In a general analysis without taking in to consideration the type and the seriousness of curvature it was obtained a better correction and derotation of vertebrae in patients of second group. The same group with wires had obtained a better correction and derotation of vertebrae in dorsal scoliosis from 40 degrees to 60 degrees and in the double scoliosis, while the first group obtained better results in dorsal scoliosis from 60 degrees to 80 degrees and in derotation of vertebrae on dorsal treat of double scoliosis. One case of pseudarthrosis in every group was observed. Any neurological complication were observed. CONCLUSIONS: The conclusions is drawn that the application of subtrasversal wire improves the Harrington's technique for the correction and derotation of dorsal and double scoliosis without neurological complications sometimes present with subliminar wires.