The Landscape of microRNAs in βCell: Between Phenotype Maintenance and Protection

Diabetes mellitus is a group of heterogeneous metabolic disorders characterized by chronic hyperglycaemia mainly due to pancreatic β cell death and/or dysfunction, caused by several types of stress such as glucotoxicity, lipotoxicity and inflammation. Different patho-physiological mechanisms driving β cell response to these stresses are tightly regulated by microRNAs (miRNAs), a class of negative regulators of gene expression, involved in pathogenic mechanisms occurring in diabetes and in its complications. In this review, we aim to shed light on the most important miRNAs regulating the maintenance and the robustness of β cell identity, as well as on those miRNAs involved in the pathogenesis of the two main forms of diabetes mellitus, i.e., type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Additionally, we acknowledge that the understanding of miRNAs-regulated molecular mechanisms is fundamental in order to develop specific and effective strategies based on miRNAs as therapeutic targets, employing innovative molecules.     

The effect of ionising radiation on photosynthetic oxygenic microorganisms for survival in space flight revealed by automatic photosystem II-based biosensors

Photosynthetic microorganisms are expected to be useful to maintain an oxygenic atmosphere and to provide biomass for astronauts in the International Space Station as well as in future long-term space flights. However, fluxes of complex ionizing radiation of various intensities and energies make space an extreme environment for the microorganisms, affecting their photosynthetic efficiency. To automatically monitor the photosynthetic Photosystem II (PSII) activity of microorganisms under space conditions an optical biosensor, which utilizes chlorophyll fluorescence as biological transduction system, was built; the PSII activity was monitored by the biosensor during balloon flights at stratospheric altitudes of about 40 km. The effect of space stress on quantum yield of PSII varied among the tested species depending on the growth light conditions at which they were exposed during the flights.     

State-of-the-Art on Wound Vitality Evaluation: A Systematic Review

The vitality demonstration refers to determining if an injury has been caused ante- or post-mortem, while wound age means to evaluate how long a subject has survived after the infliction of an injury. Histology alone is not enough to prove the vitality of a lesion. Recently, immunohistochemistry, biochemistry, and molecular biology have been introduced in the field of lesions vitality and age demonstration. The study was conducted according to the preferred reporting items for systematic review (PRISMA) protocol. The search terms were “wound”, “lesion”, “vitality”, “evaluation”, “immunohistochemistry”, “proteins”, “electrolytes”, “mRNAs”, and “miRNAs” in the title, abstract, and keywords. This evaluation left 137 scientific papers. This review aimed to collect all the knowledge on vital wound demonstration and provide a temporal distribution of the methods currently available, in order to determine the age of lesions, thus helping forensic pathologists in finding a way through the tangled jungle of wound vitality evaluation.     

Serum-Free Cultures: Could They Be a Future Direction to Improve Neuronal Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells?

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) are undifferentiated cells with multilinear potential, known for their immunomodulatory and regenerative properties. Although the scientific community is working to improve their application, concerns limit their use to repair tissues following neurological damage. One of these obstacles is represented by the use of culture media supplemented with fetal bovine serum (FBS), which, due to its xenogenic nature and the risk of contamination, has increased scientific, ethical and safety problems. Therefore, the use of serum-free media could improve MSC culture methods, avoiding infectious and immunogenic transmission problems as well as MSC bioprocesses, without the use of animal components. The purpose of our review is to provide an overview of experimental studies that demonstrate that serum-free cultures, along with the supplementation of growth factors or chemicals, can lead to a more defined and controlled environment, enhancing the proliferation and neuronal differentiation of MSCs.     

Cytokines from Bench to Bedside: A Retrospective Study Identifies a Definite Panel of Biomarkers to Early Assess the Risk of Negative Outcome in COVID-19 Patients

The main aim of this study was to identify the most relevant cytokines which, when assessed in the earliest stages from hospital admission, may help to select COVID-19 patients with worse prognosis. A retrospective observational study was conducted in 415 COVID-19 patients (272 males; mean age 68 ± 14 years) hospitalized between May 2020 and March 2021. Within the first 72 h from hospital admission, patients were tested for a large panel of biomarkers, including C-reactive protein (CRP), Mid-regional proadrenomedullin (MR-proADM), Interferon-γ, interleukin 6 (IL-6), IL-1β, IL-8, IL-10, soluble IL2-receptor-α (sIL2Rα), IP10 and TNFα. Extensive statistical analyses were performed (correlations, t-tests, ranking tests and tree modeling). The mortality rate was 65/415 (15.7%) and a negative outcome (death and/or orotracheal intubation) affected 98/415 (23.6%) of cases. Univariate tests showed the majority of biomarkers increased in severe patients, but ranking tests helped to select the best variables to put on decisional tree modeling which identified IL-6 as the first dichotomic marker with a cut-off of 114 pg/mL. Then, a good synergy was found between IL-10, MR-proADM, sIL2Rα, IP10 and CRP in increasing the predictive value in classifying patients at risk or not for a negative outcome. In conclusion, beside IL-6, a panel of other cytokines representing the degree of immunoparalysis and the anti-inflammatory response (IP10, sIL2Rα and IL-10) showed synergic role when combined to biomarkers of systemic inflammation and endothelial dysfunction (CRP, MR-proADM) and may also better explain disease pathogenesis and suggests targeted intervention.     

Supplementation with SCFAs Re-Establishes Microbiota Composition and Attenuates Hyperalgesia and Pain in a Mouse Model of NTG-Induced Migraine

Migraine is a common brain-disorder that affects 15% of the population. Converging evidence shows that migraine is associated with gastrointestinal disorders. However, the mechanisms underlying the interaction between the gut and brain in patients with migraine are not clear. In this study, we evaluated the role of the short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) as sodium propionate (SP) and sodium butyrate (SB) on microbiota profile and intestinal permeability in a mouse model of migraine induced by nitroglycerine (NTG). The mice were orally administered SB and SP at the dose of 10, 30 and 100 mg/kg, 5 min after NTG intraperitoneal injections. Behavioral tests were used to evaluate migraine-like pain. Histological and molecular analyses were performed on the intestine. The composition of the intestinal microbiota was extracted from frozen fecal samples and sequenced with an Illumina MiSeq System. Our results demonstrated that the SP and SB treatments attenuated hyperalgesia and pain following NTG injection. Moreover, SP and SB reduced histological damage in the intestine and restored intestinal permeability and the intestinal microbiota profile. These results provide corroborating evidence that SB and SP exert a protective effect on central sensitization induced by NTG through a modulation of intestinal microbiota, suggesting the potential application of SCFAs as novel supportive therapies for intestinal disfunction associated with migraine.     

A State of the Art of Antioxidant Properties of Curcuminoids in Neurodegenerative Diseases

Neurodegenerative diseases represent a set of pathologies characterized by an irreversible and progressive, and a loss of neuronal cells in specific areas of the brain. Oxidative phosphorylation is a source of energy production by which many cells, such as the neuronal cells, meet their energy needs. Dysregulations of oxidative phosphorylation induce oxidative stress, which plays a key role in the onset of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). To date, for most neurodegenerative diseases, there are no resolute treatments, but only interventions capable of alleviating the symptoms or slowing the course of the disease. Therefore, effective neuroprotection strategies are needed. In recent years, natural products, such as curcuminoids, have been intensively explored and studied for their therapeutic potentials in several neurodegenerative diseases. Curcuminoids are, nutraceutical compouns, that owen several therapeutic properties such as anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects. In this context, the aim of this review was to provide an overview of preclinical and clinical evidence aimed to illustrate the antioxidant effects of curcuminoids in neurodegenerative diseases. Promising results from preclinical studies encourage the use of curcuminoids for neurodegeneration prevention and treatment.     

Glass and Jamming Rheology in Soft Particles Made of PNIPAM and Polyacrylic Acid

The phase behaviour of soft colloids has attracted great attention due to the large variety of new phenomenologies emerging from their ability to pack at very high volume fractions. Here we report rheological measurements on interpenetrated polymer network microgels composed of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) and polyacrylic acid (PAAc) at fixed PAAc content as a function of weight concentration. We found three different rheological regimes characteristic of three different states: a Newtonian shear-thinning fluid, an attractive glass characterized by a yield stress, and a jamming state. We discuss the possible molecular mechanisms driving the formation of these states.     

Thermoacoustic Emission from Carbon Nanotubes Imaged by Atomic Force Microscopy

The thermoacoustic effect of isolated single‐wall carbon nanotubes aligned between electrodes is experimentally observed for the first time by imaging the emitted acoustic wave using an atomic force microscopy‐based technique specifically developed for the task. The capability of such a technique for single‐point thermoacoustic measurements is first verified on carbon nanotubes layers with two electrodes for injecting alternate electric current. The technique is then demonstrated to allow the acquisition, simultaneously with the topography, of images reflecting the pressure of the acoustic wave at fixed distance from the sample. Such a capability is used to collect images reflecting the amplitude of acoustic waves generated by isolated nanotubes and nanotube bundles by the thermoacoustic effect.