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Cigarette smoke (CS) is a major risk factor for chronic lung diseases and promotes activation of pattern recognition receptors in the bronchial epithelium. NOD‐like receptor family, pyrin domain‐containing 3 (NLRP3) is a pattern recognition receptor whose activation leads to caspase‐1 cleavage, maturation/release of IL‐1β and IL‐18, and eventually pyroptosis. Whether the NLRP3 inflammasome participates in CS‐induced inflammation in bronchial epithelial cells is still unclear. Herein, we evaluated the involvement of NLRP3 in CS‐induced inflammatory responses in human primary bronchial epithelial cells. To this purpose, human primary bronchial epithelial cells were stimulated with CS extracts (CSE) and lytic cell death, caspase activation (‐1, ‐8, ‐3/7), cytokine release (IL‐1β, IL‐18, and IL‐8), NLRP3, pro‐IL‐1β/pro‐IL‐18 mRNA, and protein expression were measured. The impact of inhibitors of NLRP3 (MCC950), caspases, and the effect of the antioxidant N‐acetyl cysteine were evaluated. We found that CSE increased pro‐IL‐1β expression and induced activation of caspase‐1 and release of IL‐1β and IL‐18. These events were independent of NLRP3 and we found that NLRP3 was not expressed. N‐acetyl cysteine reverted CSE‐induced caspase‐1 activation. Overall, our findings support that the bronchial epithelium may play a central role in the release of IL‐1 family cytokines independently of NLRP3 in the lungs of smokers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alterations in airway epithelial homeostasis increase viral respiratory infections risk. Viral infections frequently are associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations, events that dramatically promote disease progression. Mechanism promoting the main respiratory viruses entry and virus‐evocated innate and adaptive immune responses have now been elucidated, and an oxidative stress central role in these pathogenic processes has been recognized. Presence of reactive oxygen species in macrophages and other cells allows them to eliminate virus, but its excess alters the balance between innate and adaptive immune responses and proteases/anti‐proteases and leads to uncontrolled inflammation, tissue damage, and hypercoagulability. Different upper and lower airway cell types also play a role in viral entry and infection. Carbocysteine is a muco‐active drug with anti‐oxidant and anti‐inflammatory properties used for the management of several chronic respiratory diseases. Although the use of anti‐oxidants has been proposed as an effective strategy in COPD exacerbations management, the molecular mechanisms that explain carbocysteine efficacy have not yet been fully clarified. The present review describes the most relevant features of the common respiratory virus pathophysiology with a focus on epithelial cells and oxidative stress role and reports data supporting a putative role of carbocysteine in viral respiratory infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Creativity and Innovation Management has grown substantially over the last couple of years, both quantitatively and qualitatively. From 2016 to 2021, the number of submissions has grown from 287 to 395. Most of the growth was realized in Asia: The number of submissions from that continent increased from 72 in 2016 to 193 in 2021. The rest of the world remained (close to) stable: 215 in 2016 and 203 in 2021. Equally important, the Thomson ISI Impact Factor increased from 1.423 in 2015 to 3.051 in 2021 and further to 3.644 in 2022. This is not where our ambitions end, though. We want to be the ever‐better outlet for authors researching, and practitioners working in, the fields we cover. Editing a journal with the ambition to continuously increase its quality while dealing with a substantial growth requires teamwork—teamwork among the editors and the editorial office, teamwork between the editors and their reviewers and, as surprising as this may sound, teamwork between the authors and their reviewers in a top‐quality reviewing process. The purpose of this piece is to present and discuss some reviewing standards. In particular, we aim to share with our reviewers what we think is an excellent reviewing process. Furthermore, we formulate our ideas about what it is that makes a review an excellent one. The title of this piece is deliberately ambiguous. It denotes that Creativity and Innovation Management strives for reviewing excellence—as in an excellent reviewing process. It also denotes that we reach for the stars and hope to one day receive and, hence, review only excellent submissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Clinical trials have demonstrated rapid antidepressant effects with intravenous (IV) ketamine for major depressive disorder, with relatively less research specifically for bipolar depression. Herein, we describe the real‐world effectiveness of repeated ketamine infusions for treatment‐resistant bipolar depression. Methods: This study was conducted in a community clinic in Mississauga, Ontario (Canadian Rapid Treatment Centre of Excellence; Braxia Health). In this observational study (NCT04209296), patients with treatment‐resistant bipolar I/II depression (n = 66) received four sub‐anesthetic doses of IV ketamine (0.5–0.75 mg/kg) over a two‐week period. Symptoms of depression, suicidality, anxiety, and functioning were assessed with validated self‐report measures. Results: Statistically and clinically significant antidepressant effects were observed in the overall sample, as measured by the Quick Inventory for Depression Symptomatology‐Self Report‐16 (QIDS‐SR16) with further reductions in depressive symptoms observed after each subsequent infusion (n = 66; mean QIDS‐SR16 reduction of 6.08+/−1.39; p < 0.0001). Significant reductions of suicidal thoughts (QIDS‐SR16‐Suicide Item) and anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder‐7) were also observed with functional improvements on the Sheehan Disability Scale (p < 0.0001 on all measures). Moreover, the response rate (QIDS‐SR16 total score decrease ≥50% from baseline) was 35% and remission rate (QIDS‐SR16 total score ≤5) was 20% after four infusions. Infusions were generally well tolerated with treatment‐emergent hypomania observed in only three patients (4.5%) with zero cases of mania or psychosis. Conclusions: Real‐world effectiveness of IV ketamine for bipolar depression was observed. Repeated doses were associated with greater symptom reduction and adequate tolerability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Alpine orogenic edifice of Corsica (northern Tyrrhenian Sea) offers the possibility to investigate the mode through which continental crust responds to the propagation of regional shortening at convergent plate margins. The geology of Corsica has been traditionally described as separating domains affected by the Alpine tectonism (Alpine Corsica) from those that did not experience the Alpine tectono‐metamorphic overprint (Hercynian Corsica), but recent studies show that most of Hercynian Corsica was thermally reset in post‐Eocene times, questioning this paradigm. The continental units formed at the expenses of the stretched continental margin of the European plate and consist of Hercynian granitoid basement rocks and cover sequences (Permian volcaniclastics and Mesozoic sedimentary successions). By integrating meso‐ and microstructural investigations with metamorphic thermobarometry and 40Ar–39Ar geochronology along three E–W trending structural transects running across the basement section exposed below the Alpine orogenic wedge, we document middle‐late Eocene (c. 50–33 Ma) westward‐verging syn‐metamorphic (low‐grade blueschist facies) thick‐skinned, basement‐involved thrusting. Significantly, crustal shortening in the continental basement predated of c. 15–10 Ma the subduction zone metamorphism in the oceanic‐derived Schistes Lustrés Complex. When the P–T–t–deformation history as reconstructed from the Corsica basement is integrated with the regional scenario of the Alpine–Apennine orogeny, a tectonic reconstruction is proposed, which frames the Alpine orogeny in Corsica within the Apennine–Maghrebian subduction system in the retroside (retrowedge) of the Apennine orogenic wedge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Alpi Apuane (northern Apennines) represent a key area for understanding the processes related to the Apennines building and geodynamic evolution of the central Mediterranean, but the timing of tectono‐metamorphic events is still debated. White mica from cover rocks of the Massa and Apuane units was investigated by the 40Ar‐39Ar in situ and step‐heating techniques. Samples recorded several episodes of deformation developed under low‐grade conditions and resulting in a D1 composite schistosity followed by a variably developed D2 retrograde crenulation. In the Massa Unit, D2 crenulation was accompanied by replacement of muscovite‐phengite by paragonite, whereas the composition of phengite from the Apuane Unit does not vary noticeably, irrespective of whether phengite is aligned along D1 or D2 schistosities. Both units exhibit a significant intrasample scatter of in situ ages and variably discordant age spectra from step‐heating data, due to partial reequilibration of white mica along a deformation path lasting ≥10 Ma, with dates approaching the time of younger events as retrogression becomes more pervasive. The onset of deformation has a minimum age of ∼20 Ma, as documented by 40Ar‐39Ar data for the composite D1 foliation in the Massa Unit. D2 deformation shows a common temporal evolution at the scale of the region and is recorded for at least ∼2.5 Ma, starting not after ∼12.5 Ma and ending at ∼10.5 Ma. Results highlight the importance of a detailed microscale characterization and of a careful preselection of samples, as compositionally different domains a few millimeters apart may yield different results because of compositionally driven strain partitioning. Key Points: Intrasample scatter of 40Ar‐39Ar in situ ages is due to partial reequilibration of white mica along a deformation path lasting at least 10 MaChemical and isotope reequilibration of white mica was more pronounced in pelitic layers because of compositionally driven strain partitioningOnset of deformation in the Alpi Apuane has a minimum age of ∼20 Ma and D2 deformation started not after ∼12.5 Ma and ended at ∼10.5 Ma [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we aim to investigate the impact of professional networks on Innovative Work Behavior in the healthcare setting. We investigate a community of 181 primary care physicians in Italy. Social network analysis techniques and ordinal regression model were used to understand to what extent the degree of collaboration and advice among physicians impacts on their propensity to adopt innovative treatments in clinical practice. Our findings document that the more central physicians are in their professional network occurring with peers, the more likely they are to display an innovative behavior. Results also show that the more connected the physicians are with colleagues employed in hospital settings, the more likely they are to display an innovative behavior. Finally, we found that the degree of centrality in the professional network with peers moderates the relationship between centrality in the network with hospital colleagues and their propensity towards innovative behavior. This study provides managers with new insights into the relational determinants affecting innovative behavior in the workplace and suggests the use of analytical tools to formalize and integrate the professional relationships of different individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a full characterization of a 20 cm-thick tephra layer found intercalated in the marine sediments recovered at Site U1524 during International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 374, in the Ross Sea, Antarctica. Tephra bedforms, mineral paragenesis, and major- and trace- element composition on individual glass shards were investigated and the tephra age was constrained by 40Ar-39Ar on sanidine crystals. The 40Ar-39Ar data indicate that sanidine grains are variably contaminated by excess Ar, with the best age estimate of 1.282 ± 0.012 Ma, based on both single-grain total fusion analyses and step-heating experiments on multi-grain aliquots. The tephra is characterized by a very homogeneous rhyolitic composition and a peculiar mineral assemblage, dominated by sanidine, quartz, and minor aenigmatite and arfvedsonite-riebeckite amphiboles. The tephra from Site U1524 compositionally matches with a ca. 1.3 Ma, rhyolitic pumice fall deposit on the rim of the Chang Peak volcano summit caldera, in the Marie Byrd Land, located ca. 1,300 km from Site U1524. This contribution offers important volcanological data on the eruptive history of Chang Peak volcano and adds a new tephrochronologic marker for the dating, correlation, and synchronization of marine and continental early Pleistocene records of West Antarctica. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients with McCune‐Albright Syndrome (MAS) should always attend regular follow‐up. Beside the endocrinological aspects, the screening must take into account osteoarticular complications such as scoliosis, even in patients without fibrous dysplasia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural Aquaporin (AQP) channels are efficient water translocating proteins, rejecting ions. Inspired by this masterpiece of nature, Artificial Water Channels (AWCs) with controlled functional structures, can be potentially used to mimic the AQPs to a certain extent, offering flexible avenues toward biomimetic membranes for water purification. The objective of this paper is to trace the historical development and significant advancements of current reported AWCs. Meanwhile, we attempt to reveal important structural insights and supramolecular self‐assembly principles governing the selective water transport mechanisms, toward innovative AWC‐based biomimetic membranes for desalination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resolvin D1 and miR-146a are independent distinctive parameters in children with moderate and severe asthma To the Editor, To date, a large number of mediators and biomarkers have been detected in childhood asthma, with a potential role in monitoring the disease course. Resolvin D1 and miR-146a levels, along with eosinophil and neutrophil counts and FEV SB 1 sb /FVC, were significantly different in MA and SA (Table S1). Resolvin D1 had the highest ability to characterize MA and SA; miR-146a, eosinophil and neutrophil counts and FEV SB 1 sb /FVC had a fair ability too (VIP >= 1, Figure 1). [Extracted from the article]

In the Tyrrhenian back‐arc basin, the Ventotene Volcanic Ridge (VR) represents a NW‐SE‐oriented morphological high, located 25 km north of Ventotene Island in the Eastern Pontine Islands. It is considered part of an alignment of volcanic edifices developed in the central‐eastern Tyrrhenian Sea, from the western Pontine Islands (WPI) to the Campanian Volcanic Region. The samples dredged along the VR are basalts to trachybasalts belonging to the transitional (TR) rock‐series, with a 40Ar‐39Ar age of 2.760 ± 0.039 Ma. Petrological and geochronological data link the VR basalts to the TR peralkaline rhyolites cropping out at the WPI (∼1.6‐1.1 Ma); here, during a time span of ∼4.5‐1.0 Ma highly differentiated products of high‐potassium calc‐alkaline (HKCA, ∼4.5‐2.9 Ma) and K‐alkaline (KA, ∼1 Ma) series were also erupted. Notably, the parental melts of the three rock‐series were recognized in the continental slope close to the WPI (TR, HKCA) and eastward, namely in eastern Pontine Islands (KA), at the VR (TR), and in the Campanian Plain (HKCA). All the parental melts show typical orogenic geochemical signatures being originated from a similar heterogeneous suprasubduction mantle source, without the involvement of anorogenic sources. Tectonically, the faults bordering the VR, associated to the Pliocene E‐W directed rifting stage of the Tyrrhenian back‐arc basin were characterized by a more intense activity during the time span ∼5.0‐2.0 Ma (the emplacement time of HKCA and TR series), while KA products are related to a later stage of extension deformation (<∼2.0 Ma) when the extensional direction changed to NW‐SE and the VR fault activity decreased. Key Points: Under‐investigated seafloor sectors controlled by complex geodynamic processesThe Ventotene Volcanic Ridge emplacement in a context of extensional deformations related to the opening of the Tyrrhenian back‐arc basinCoexistence in space and time of high‐K calc‐alkaline, transitional and K‐alkaline rock‐series sharing orogenic‐type signatures [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The NLRP3 inflammasome is formed by the sensor NLRP3, the adaptor ASC, and pro‐caspase‐1. Assembly and activation of the inflammasome trigger caspase‐1‐dependent cleavage of pro‐IL‐1β and pro‐IL‐18 into their secreted forms. Cigarette smoke is a risk factor for chronic inflammatory diseases and is associated with macrophage dysfunction. The impact of cigarette smoke on NLRP3‐dependent responses in macrophages is largely unknown. Herein, we investigated the effects of cigarette smoke extract (CSE) on the NLRP3 inflammasome in human monocyte‐derived macrophages (MDMs) and THP‐1 cells stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and LPS plus the NLRP3 inflammasome activator ATP. We found that CSE inhibited the release of IL‐1β and IL‐18 as well as the expression of NLRP3 acting mainly at the transcriptional level. Interestingly, we found that CSE increased the caspase‐1 activity via an NLRP3‐independent and TLR4‐TRIF‐caspase‐8‐dependent pathway. Activation of caspase‐1 by CSE led to a reduction of the basal glycolytic flux and impaired glycolytic burst in response to LPS. Overall, our findings unveil novel pathways leading to immune‐metabolic alterations in human macrophages exposed to cigarette smoke. These mechanisms may contribute to macrophage dysfunction and increased risk of infection in smokers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cigarette smoke exposure, increasing Toll‐like receptor 4 (TLR4) and reactive oxygen species (ROS), promotes inflammatory responses in airway epithelial cells. Chronic inflammation, microRNA (miRNA), and oxidative stress are associated with cancer development. Aims: The present study was aimed to explore whether cigarette smoke exposure, altering miR‐21 expression, promoted inflammatory responses and tumorigenesis processes in airway epithelial cells. Methods: Airway normal and cancer epithelial cells (16HBE and A549) were exposed to cigarette smoke extracts (CSE) or with/without agomiR‐21, and then it was assessed: a) miR‐21 expression; b) signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) nuclear protein expression and ERK1/2 activation; c) IL‐8 gene expression and protein release. An antagonist of TLR4 (CLI‐095) and the antioxidant flavonoid, apigenin, were also included to evaluate miR‐21 expression in CSE exposed cells. Results: It was demonstrated that: a) A549 cells constitutively expressed higher levels of miR‐21 and IL‐8; b) CSE increased STAT3 nuclear expression in 16HBE; c) in both cell lines, CSE and agomiR‐21 increased: miR‐21 expression; ERK1/2 activation and IL‐8 gene expression and protein release; d) TLR4 inhibition counteracted the effects of CSE on miR‐21 in A549; e) apigenin reduced miR‐21 and IL‐8 gene expression in both cell lines. Conclusions: Data herein provided identified for the first time new mechanisms supporting the crucial role of cigarette smoke‐induced miR‐21 expression in the amplification of inflammatory responses and in tumorigenesis processes within the airways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four mixed cyclodextrin-calixarene nanosponges were tested as possible Drug Delivery Systems, using Tetracycline antibiotic as a suitable model drug. The selected nanosponges featured a different composition ratio between the two host co-monomer components, and the possible presence of ionisable amine or carboxyl groups deriving from chemical post-modification. The pH-dependent absorption and release abilities of the materials were verified; in particular release kinetics showed the occurrence of a simple first-order profile. The antibacterial activity of nanosponge-tetracycline composites suitably prepared under sterile conditions was assayed towards both Gram-positive and Gram-negative typical bacterial strains, showing in some cases an interesting improvement of the biocidal activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pH‐responsive properties of cyclodextrin‐calixarene nanosponge co‐polymeric materials have been investigated. In particular, ISE‐H+ potentiometric titrations were carried out in order to evaluate the acid‐base properties and the actual amount of ionizable sites present in the materials. Moreover, the relevant pH‐dependent adsorption abilities were evaluated towards a set of selected model organic pollutant molecules by means of adsorption tests and by studying the corresponding adsorption isotherms. The latter ones could be suitably described by means of the Freundlich model. The whole of the experimental results enabled us to clarify some general aspects of the microscopic behavior of the nanosponges considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Alterations in the nasal epithelial barrier homeostasis and increased interleukin 33 (IL‐33) expression contribute to the pathogenesis of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP). Aims: As Notch‐1 signaling is crucial in repair processes of mucosa, the current study assessed Notch‐1/Jagged‐1 signaling and IL‐33 in the epithelium of nasal polyps biopsies from allergic (A‐CRSwNP; n = 9) and not allergic (NA‐CRSwNP; n = 9) subjects by immunohistochemistry. We also assessed, in a model of nasal epithelial cells, the effects of stimulation of Notch‐1 with Jagged‐1 on the expression of IL‐33 (by flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, and immunocytochemistry), Jagged‐1 (by flow cytometry), and p‐CREB transcription factor (by western blot analysis). Results: Ex vivo (a) in normal epithelium, the expression of Notch‐1 and IL‐33 were higher in NA‐CRSwNP than in A‐CRSwNP; (b) in metaplastic epithelium, the expression of Notch‐1, Jagged‐1, and IL‐33 were higher in NA‐CRSwNP than in A‐CRSwNP; (c) in hyperplastic epithelium, the expression of Notch‐1, Jagged‐1, and IL‐33 were higher in A‐CRSwNP than in NA‐CRSwNP; and (d) in basal epithelial cells, no differences were observed in the expression of Jagged‐1, IL‐33, and Notch‐1. The expression of Notch‐1 significantly correlated with the expression of IL‐33. In vitro, stimulation of Notch‐1 with Jagged‐1 induced the expression of (a) Jagged‐1; (b) IL‐33; and (c) p‐CREB transcription factor. The inhibitor of Notch‐1, DAPT, reduced all the effects of Jagged‐1 on nasal epithelial cells. Conclusions: The data herein provided support, for the first time, a putative role of Notch‐1/Jagged‐1 signaling in the overexpression of IL‐33 in the epithelium of nasal polyps from patients with CRSwNP. The current study assessed for the first time Notch‐1, Jagged‐1, and interleukin 33 expression in the epithelium of CRSwNP from allergic and not allergic exsmoker subjects. The data demonstrated a role of Notch‐1/Jagged‐1 signaling in a positive feedback upregulating Jagged‐1 expression and in promoting proinflammatory responses inducing p‐CREB and IL‐33 expression in nasal epithelial cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four new composite materials, formed by silver nanoparticles embedded in polyamino‐cyclodextrin nanosponge architectures, were designed exploiting the affinity of polyamino‐cyclodextrins towards Ag+ ions. These materials were characterized by means of different techniques (thermogravimetry, FT‐IR, solid state NMR, SEM, HR‐TEM), and tested as catalysts for the reduction of nitroarenes and the oxidative coupling of anilines. The results obtained showed synergistic activity between the supramolecular binding abilities of the nanosponge matrix and the catalytic properties of the metal nanoparticle, and open the way towards the design of new composite smart nanomaterials with improved catalytic performances. Synergism at the nanoscale: exploiting the inclusion abilities of nanosponges results in a remarkable improvement in the catalytic abilities of new silver nanoparticle composites towards typical probe reactions such as nitroarene reduction or aniline oxidative coupling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Inflammation and ageing are intertwined in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The histone deacetylase SIRT1 and the related activation of FoxO3 protect from ageing and regulate inflammation. The role of SIRT1/FoxO3 in COPD is largely unknown. This study evaluated whether cigarette smoke, by modulating the SIRT1/FoxO3 axis, affects airway epithelial pro‐inflammatory responses. Human bronchial epithelial cells (16HBE) and primary bronchial epithelial cells (PBECs) from COPD patients and controls were treated with/without cigarette smoke extract (CSE), Sirtinol or FoxO3 siRNA. SIRT1, FoxO3 and NF‐κB nuclear accumulation, SIRT1 deacetylase activity, IL‐8 and CCL20 expression/release and the release of 12 cytokines, neutrophil and lymphocyte chemotaxis were assessed. In PBECs, the constitutive FoxO3 expression was lower in patients with COPD than in controls. Furthermore, CSE reduced FoxO3 expression only in PBECs from controls. In 16HBE, CSE decreased SIRT1 activity and nuclear expression, enhanced NF‐κB binding to the IL‐8 gene promoter thus increasing IL‐8 expression, decreased CCL20 expression, increased the neutrophil chemotaxis and decreased lymphocyte chemotaxis. Similarly, SIRT1 inhibition reduced FoxO3 expression and increased nuclear NF‐κB. FoxO3 siRNA treatment increased IL‐8 and decreased CCL20 expression in 16HBE. In conclusion, CSE impairs the function of SIRT1/FoxO3 axis in bronchial epithelium, dysregulating NF‐κB activity and inducing pro‐inflammatory responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolutionary relationship between the base and face of the cranium is a major topic of interest in primatology. Such areas of the skull possibly respond to different selective pressures. Yet, they are often said to be tightly integrated. In this paper, we analyzed shape variability in the cranial base and the facial complex in Cercopithecoidea and Hominoidea. We used a landmark-based approach to single out the effects of size (evolutionary allometry), morphological integration, modularity, and phylogeny (under Brownian motion) on skull shape variability. Our results demonstrate that the cranial base and the facial complex exhibit different responses to different factors, which produces a little degree of morphological integration between them. Facial shape variation appears primarily influenced by body size and sexual dimorphism, whereas the cranial base is mostly influenced by functional factors. The different adaptations affecting the two modules suggest they are best studied as separate and independent units, and that-at least when dealing with Catarrhines-caution must be posed with the notion of strong cranial integration that is commonly invoked for the evolution of their skull shape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Histone deacetylase expression/activity may control inflammation, cell senescence, and responses to corticosteroids. Cigarette smoke exposure, increasing oxidative stress, may negatively affect deacetylase expression/activity. The effects of cigarette smoke extracts (CSE), carbocysteine, and beclomethasone dipropionate on chromatin remodeling processes in human bronchial epithelial cells are largely unknown. The present study was aimed to assess the effects of cigarette smoke, carbocysteine, and beclomethasone dipropionate on histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3) expression/activity, N-CoR (nuclear receptor corepressor) expression, histone acetyltransferases (HAT) (p300/CBP) expression, p-CREB and IL-1 m-RNA expression, neutrophil chemotaxis. Increased p-CREB expression was observed in the bronchial epithelium of smokers. CSE increased p-CREB expression and decreased HDAC3 expression and activity and N-CoR m-RNA and protein expression. At the same time, CSE increased the expression of the HAT, p300/CBP. All these events increased acetylation processes within the cells and were associated to increased IL-1 m-RNA expression and neutrophil chemotaxis. The incubation of CSE exposed cells with carbocysteine and beclomethasone counteracted the effects of cigarette smoke on HDAC3 and N-CoR but not on p300/CBP. The increased deacetylation processes due to carbocysteine and beclomethasone dipropionate incubation is associated to reduced p-CREB, IL-1 m-RNA expression, neutrophil chemotaxis. These findings suggest a new role of combination therapy with carbocysteine and beclomethasone dipropionate in restoring deacetylation processes compromised by cigarette smoke exposure. J. Cell. Physiol. 232: 2851-2859, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pathogen inactivation treatments such as INTERCEPT aim to make sure blood and blood-derived products are free of pathogens before using them for transfusion purposes. At present, there is no established quality control assay that assesses the completeness of the treatment. As INTERCEPT is a photochemical treatment known to generate reactive oxygen species we sought to use the antioxidant power (AOP) of the blood product as a marker of treatment execution. In this perspective, we evaluated an electrochemically based miniaturized system, the EDEL technology, for measuring the AOP in both platelet concentrates (PCs) and plasma.Study Design and Methods: Aliquots were withdrawn from PCs or plasma units before and after INTERCEPT treatment and a few microliters were directly deposited into the EDEL sensor for the AOP measurement. The result is expressed in EDEL, an arbitrary unit (micromolar equivalent of ascorbic acid).Results: The INTERCEPT treatment resulted in a significant decrease of the AOP. An AOP threshold of 66.5, 89.0, 59.8, and 131.5 EDEL was determined for apheresis PCs collected from female and male donors, buffy coat PCs, and plasma units, respectively. Below the threshold value, INTERCEPT treatment is considered to be executed. Additionally, we showed that the presence of the photosensitizer in combination with the ultraviolet A illumination is required to observe the AOP decrease.Conclusion: The measurement of the AOP of PCs and plasma units can be used to document the completeness of the INTERCEPT treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The severe pulmonary damage observed in COVID-19 patients developing acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) lies on the prompt release of both damage-associated molecular patterns and pathogen-associated molecular patterns due to the viral cytolytic effect leading to the alveolar-capillary barrier leakage. In light of these observations, several authors have identified the epidemiological interconnection between obesity and severe COVID-19 in the intrinsic proinflammatory secretion from the dysfunctional adipose tissue of patients with obesity. In this sense, it seems more plausible that a higher BMI influences the prognosis of affected patients because of the detrimental effects of obesity on respiratory compliance, further reducing the respiratory reserve. [Extracted from the article]

In the outdoor environment and under real operational conditions, photovoltaic (PV) systems are affected by several parameters which cannot be considered constant, principally PV cell temperature and incident radiation, and neither of these will in practice be uniform across a PV array or even an individual module. This last aspect results in non‐standard IV characteristics that can exhibit more than one local maximum. The challenge of the maximum power point tracker is finding the true maximum power point (MPP) in the face of all the variation and complexity the real environment imposes on the PV behaviour. It must do this quickly and effectively so the algorithm which controls the DC/DC converter that controls the PV system terminal voltage and thus its operating power point has to be fast and precise. This study proposes a new algorithm that is demonstrated to be highly effective in tracking the MPP under real operating conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paleo-Pacific margin of Gondwana records a prolonged history of convergence during the Cambrian-Early Ordovician Ross-Delamerian and the Middle Ordovician-Early Silurian Lachlan orogenies. This study describes structure, petrology, and geochronology of a set of NW-SE striking ductile shear zones that crosscut the Ross age, Early Cambrian granitoid rocks of the Wilson Terrane in the Deep Freeze Range (North Victoria Land, Antarctica). The shear zones developed under amphibolite facies metamorphic conditions (650-700°C and 0.5-0.7 GPa) and show a systematic top-to-the-NE sense of shear. The shear zone activity interferes with emplacement of late, subhorizontal leucocratic dikes and combined U-(Th)-Pb (zircon and monazite) and 40Ar-39Ar (biotite and phengite) geochronology constrains the shearing event at ∼470 Ma, with the sheared granite yielding U-Pb zircon crystallization ages of ∼508 Ma. The reconstructed P- T path followed by the granite protoliths indicates an anticlockwise trajectory, suggesting the synshearing amphibolite metamorphism was associated with the burial of an early formed, Ross continental crustal section. These new findings are interpreted as evidence of a renewed, Ordovician episode of orogenic construction at the paleo-Pacific margin of Gondwana that predated the onset of the Lachlan orogeny in the region. A polycyclic reactivation of the Ross age Wilson Terrane of North Victoria Land is suggested, which is used to propose a unitary framework for the space-time transition from the Ross-Delamerian to the Lachlan orogeny along the proto-Pacific active margin of Gondwana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Variscan crystalline basement of the Calabria–Peloritani terrane (CPT) in southern Italy was partly reworked by ductile and brittle shear zones throughout the Alpine tectonic evolution (from thickening to exhumation). Although evidence of extensional tectonics in the CPT has already been found and roughly constrained to the Oligocene onward, no attempt has ever been made to directly date brittle fault movements. Structural (meso- and micro-scale), kinematic and petrographic analyses and 40Ar–39Ar laser experiments reveal that the pseudotachylyte-bearing shear zones of the Palmi area in southern Calabria formed in response to extensional shearing ∼33.5 Ma ago and overprinted compressional tectonic structures. Results provide the first direct evidence of Middle Oligocene co-seismic faulting in the area and confirm the role of extensional tectonics in promoting the Oligocene exhumation of the Calabria basement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geodynamic models for the Antarctic sector of the active Early Palaeozoic Palaeo-Pacific margin of Gondwana are based on the nature and age of the deep crust of the Robertson Bay terrane, the outermost lithotectonic unit of the margin. As this crustal block is covered with thick turbidite deposits, the only way to probe the deep crust is through the analysis of granulite xenoliths from Cenozoic scoria cones. Low-K felsic xenoliths yield the oldest (Middle Cambrian) laser-probe U–Pb ages on zircon areas with igneous growth zoning. This finding, along with the positive whole-rock εNd(500Ma), suggests that these felsic rocks derived from a juvenile magma formed during the Early Palaeozoic Ross orogenic cycle. Mafic xenoliths have geochemical-isotopic compositions similar to those of modern primitive island arcs, suggesting the involvement of subducted oceanic crust in their magma genesis and accretion of juvenile crust at the Antarctic margin of Gondwana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mylonitic granites from two shear zones in northern Victoria Land (Antarctica) were investigated in order to examine the behaviour of the U–Th–Pb system in zircon and monazite and of the 40Ar–39Ar system in micas during ductile deformation. Meso- and micro-structural data indicate that shear zones gently dip to the NE and SW, have an opposite sense of shear (top-to-the-SW and -NE, respectively) and developed under upper greenschist facies conditions. In situ U–Pb dating by laser-ablation inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry of zircon areas with well-preserved igneous zoning patterns ( c. 490 Ma) confirm that granites were emplaced during the Early Cambrian to Early Ordovician Ross–Delamerian Orogeny. Monazite from the Bier Point Shear Zone (BPSZ) mainly yielded U–Th–Pb ages of c. 440 Ma, in agreement with in-situ Ar laserprobe ages of syn-shear muscovite and with most Ar ages of coexisting biotite. The agreement of ages derived from different decay schemes and from minerals with different crystal-chemical features suggests that isotope transport in the studied sample was mainly controlled by (re)crystallization processes and that the main episode of ductile deformation in the BPSZ occurred at c. 440 Ma. Cathodoluminscence imaging showed that zircon from the BPSZ contains decomposed areas with faint relics of oscillatory zoning. These areas yielded a U–Pb age pattern which mimics that of monazite but is slightly shifted towards older ages, supporting previous studies which suggest that ‘ghost’ structures may be affected by inheritance. In contrast, secondary structures in zircon from the Mt. Emison Shear Zone (MESZ) predominantly consist of overgrowths or totally recrystallized areas and gave U–Pb ages of c. 450 and 410 Ma. The c. 450-Ma date matches within errors most monazite U–Th–Pb ages and in-situ Ar ages on biotite aligned along the mylonitic foliation. This again suggests that isotope ages from the different minerals are (re)crystallization ages and constrains the time of shearing in the MESZ to the Late Ordovician. Regionally, results indicate that shear zones were active in the Late Ordovician–Early Silurian and that their development was partially synchronous at c. 440 Ma, suggesting that they belong to a shear-zone system formed in response to ∼NE–SW-directed shortening. Taking into account the former juxtaposition of northern Victoria Land and SE Australia, we propose that shear zones represent reactivated zones formed in response to stress applied along the new plate margin as a consequence of contractional tectonics associated with the early stages (Benambran Orogeny) of the development of the Late Ordovician–Late Devonian Lachlan Fold Belt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents a computational analysis of the molecular characteristics shared by the adenylation domains from traditional nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs) and the group of the freestanding homologous enzymes:α-aminoadipate semialdehyde dehydrogenase,α-aminoadipate reductase and the protein Ebony. The results of systematic sequence comparisons allow us to conclude that a specificity-conferring code, similar to that described for the NRPSs, can be recognized in such enzymes. The structural and functional roles of the residues involved in the substrate selection and binding are proposed through the analysis of the predicted interactions of the model active sites and their respective substrates. The indications deriving from this study can be useful for the programming of experiments aimed at a better characterization and at the engineering of this emerging group of single NRPS modules that are responsible for amino acid selection, activation and modification in the absence of other NRPS assembly line components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients' mean PSA plasma levels were 1.13 ng/ml, with no one patient with PSA plasma levels exceeding the upper limit of the normal range (4 ng/ml). We read with interest the paper by Ruan et al. reporting that in patients with COVID-19 there is no direct urogenital involvement, being SARS-CoV-2 RNA undetectable in the urogenital secretions.1 It is well known that subjects with SARS-CoV-2 infection may be asymptomatic or experience mild symptoms although patients may develop acute respiratory distress syndrome because of a SARS-CoV-2 related interstitial pneumonia requiring non-invasive and invasive ventilation, intensive care unit (ICU) and leading also to death above all in aged subjects with multiple comorbidities.2 Other organs out of lungs have been identified as target of the SARS-CoV-2 and all tissues expressing the putative SARS-CoV-2 receptor ACE2, a fundamental protein allowing SARS-CoV-2 docking to the host cell, have been quoted as possible targets of the virus.3 As recently demonstrated, in addition to the protein ACE2, SARS-CoV-2 utilizes the transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2) to enter within the host cell and for viral spread.3 These proteins have been shown to be expressed in many different tissues such as lungs, colon, liver, kidney, and also in the prostate.4 Thus, prostate could be a putative target of SARS-CoV-2 although very scarce data have been reported on prostate involvement among male patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. [Extracted from the article]

Keywords: bilayer membranes; biomimetic; desalination; self-assembly; water channels EN bilayer membranes biomimetic desalination self-assembly water channels 1 1 1 02/03/21 20210201 NES 210201 B Aquaporins (AQPs) are biological water channels b known for fast water transport, with complete ion exclusion. This Review by M. Barboiu et al. on page 2224 discuss the incipient developments of the first biomimetic membranes and their water filtration performances using AWCs and natural strategies to implement new paradigms for desalination. Bilayer membranes, biomimetic, desalination, self-assembly, water channels. [Extracted from the article]