Volatile fraction of milk: comparison between purge and trap and solid phase microextraction techniques

The aim of this research was to validate the results obtained previously by purge and trap (PT) and to investigate the ability of solid phase microextraction (SPME), a more rapid and less expensive technique, to discriminate drinking milk subjected to different heat treatments (i.e., pasteurization, ultrahigh temperature, "in-bottle" sterilization) and produced at different factories. The data obtained by both methods were processed by multivariate statistical analysis. PT and SPME showed comparable repeatability, although with different performances for the yield of extraction, and allowed the three milk categories to be distinguished. Within the chemical class of methyl ketones, 2-heptanone was found to be the most discriminating compound, and the possibility of using the concentration of this volatile as a marker for heat treatment was investigated.     

Organochlorine and Metal Accumulation in Fish (Phoxinus phoxinus) Along a North-South Transect in the Alps

Southern populations of the European minnow fromremote oligotrophic mountain lakes along an Alpinenorth-south transect accumulated more p,p DDE andPCBs than northern populations. As these semi-volatileorganochlorines predominantly evaporate in warmcountries, higher rates of condensation (deposition)are assumed to occur in the southern slopes of theAlps. The higher accumulation of lead and cadmium insouthern population is rather attributed to geogenicand specific environmental impacts than to atmosphericdeposition. Increasing liver ratios of [glutathionedisulfide]/[glutathione], a potential indicator foroxidative stress, from north to south reflect thegenerally higher toxic load at remote sites at thesouthern edge of the Alps. However, histopathologicalchanges in the liver did not correlate withaccumulated toxicants indicating that deposition doesnot lead to severe lesions but induces specificmechanisms for detoxification.     

Mutations in dynein link motor neuron degeneration to defects in retrograde transport

Degenerative disorders of motor neurons include a range of progressive fatal diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), spinal-bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA), and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Although the causative genetic alterations are known for some cases, the molecular basis of many SMA and SBMA-like syndromes and most ALS cases is unknown. Here we show that missense point mutations in the cytoplasmic dynein heavy chain result in progressive motor neuron degeneration in heterozygous mice, and in homozygotes this is accompanied by the formation of Lewy-like inclusion bodies, thus resembling key features of human pathology. These mutations exclusively perturb neuron-specific functions of dynein.     

Depleting neuronal PrP in prion infection prevents disease and reverses spongiosis

The mechanisms involved in prion neurotoxicity are unclear, and therapies preventing accumulation of PrPSc, the disease-associated form of prion protein (PrP), do not significantly prolong survival in mice with central nervous system prion infection. We found that depleting endogenous neuronal PrPc in mice with established neuroinvasive prion infection reversed early spongiform change and prevented neuronal loss and progression to clinical disease. This occurred despite the accumulation of extraneuronal PrPSc to levels seen in terminally ill wild-type animals. Thus, the propagation of nonneuronal PrPSc is not pathogenic, but arresting the continued conversion of PrPc to PrPSc within neurons during scrapie infection prevents prion neurotoxicity.     

Cytokinins in iris bulb-scales under flower-inducing conditions

Cytokinin activity was detected by means of the soybean callus test in the scales of Iris hollandica Hoog cultivar ‘Prof. Blaauw’ during the cold treatment for flower formation. A component of the biological activity extracted from the bulb scales coeluted with zeatin riboside when subjected to high-performance liquid chromatography. It is suggested that the cytokinins in the scales may be involved in flower formation.     

Molecular characterization of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cichorii pathogenic on chicory (Cichorium intybus)

Fusarium oxysporum is a ubiquitous soilborne ascomycete responsible for vascular wilt in many plant species worldwide. This species comprises more than 120 putative host-specific formae speciales capable of causing marked economic losses. In summer 2009, wilt symptoms, including chlorosis and poor development of the root system, were observed on cultivars of chicory (Cichorium intybus) in northern Italy. The causal agent isolated from symptomatic tissues in this case was identified as F. oxysporum on the basis of both morphological features and molecular analyses. In this work, we attempted to characterize the isolates of F. oxysporum from C. intybus by both biological and molecular approaches. Pathogenicity trials performed on five species of the Asteraceae family with isolates of F. oxysporum from C. intybus indicated that the pathogen has a unique host range, infecting chicory only. Neither lettuce nor endive, lawn daisy or Paris daisy developed the disease. Five cultivars within C. intybus species were tested, and the cv. ??Clio?? was the most susceptible. Phylogenetic analyses relative to the ribosomal intergenic spacer (IGS) and translation elongation factor 1-alpha (EF1-??) assigned isolates pathogenic to chicory to a single cluster, distinct from other pathogenic F. oxysporum. In light of these findings, we propose to designate this organism as Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cichorii.     

Design and Synthesis of Pro-Apoptotic Compounds Inspired by Diatom Oxylipins

Oxylipins are a large and diverse family of fatty acid derivatives exhibiting different levels of oxidation of the carbon chain. They are involved in many biological functions in mammals, plants and diatoms. In this last group of organisms, they are suggested to play a role in the reproductive failure of copepod predators, showing clear pro-apoptotic effects on newborn nauplii. In this work, these compounds were tested for the ability to induce mitotic arrest in sea urchin embryos. We show for the first time that oxylipins have an increased efficacy in their corresponding methylated form. Natural oxylipins were also used as an inspiration for the rational design and synthesis of stable chemical analogs with apoptotic activity against tumor cell lines. This approach led to the synthesis of the linear C15-ketol (22) that was shown to induce apoptosis in human leukemia U-937 cells. These results are proof of the concept of the use of eco-physiological considerations as a platform to guide the search for novel drug candidates.     

Multilobular tumour of bone of the thoracic wall in a cat

Multilobular tumour of bone is a rare neoplasm of the skull in middle-aged, medium-to-large breed dogs even if a few cases have also been described in cats and one horse. The aim of the present paper is to show both the computed-tomography features and the pathological findings of the above neoplasm affecting the thoracic wall of a cat. To the best of the authors' knowledge, such anomalous tumour localisation has never been reported and imaged in feline medicine.