Search

The anatomy of the Southern Apennines is a matter of compelling debate. Both thick-and thin-skinned tectonic models are proposed due to paucity of deep seismic constraints. We present new and well-defined information on the velocity structure of the mountain range by using an innovative nonlinear tomographic technique applied to refraction-wide-angle reflection data. The velocity-interface model shows a high-velocity region, with values exceeding 7 km/s, at 8-9 km depth. Such large velocities cannot be related to sedimentary rocks, and imply the presence of shallow crystalline rocks, i.e., the basement involvement in the thrust belt. The integration of our results with other geophysical data (local earthquake tomography, Bouguer and magnetic anomalies) confirms this interpretation, which strongly supports thick-skinned tectonics and has significant implications for the seismotectonics and hydrocarbon potential of the Southern Apennines. Our inversion approach can be effective in other orogenic wedges, when seismic reflection profiling fails to uniquely resolve deep complex structures. Keywords: Southern Apennines, crustal structure, nonlinear tomography, thick-skinned tectonics.

Trehalose is added in drug formulations to act as fillers or improve aerosolization performance. Its characteristics as a carrier molecule have been explored; however, the fate of trehalose in human airway tissues has not been thoroughly investigated. Here, we investigated the fate of nebulized trehalose using in vitro human air-liquid bronchial epithelial cultures. First, a tracing experiment was conducted using 13 C 12 -trehalose; we measured trehalose distribution in different culture compartments (apical surface liquid, epithelial culture, and basal side medium) at various time points following acute exposure to 13 C 12 -labeled trehalose. We found that 13 C 12 -trehalose was metabolized into 13 C 6 -glucose. The data was then used to model the kinetics of trehalose disappearance from the apical surface of bronchial cultures. Secondly, we evaluated the potential adverse effects of nebulized trehalose on the bronchial cultures after they were acutely exposed to nebulized trehalose up to a level just below its solubility limit (50 g/100 g water). We assessed the ciliary beating frequency and histological characteristics. We found that nebulized trehalose did not lead to marked alteration in ciliary beating frequency and morphology of the epithelial cultures. The in vitro testing approach used here may enable the early selection of excipients for future development of inhalation products., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is the collective term for chronic immune-mediated diseases of unknown, multifactorial etiology, arising from the interplay between genetic and environmental factors and including two main disease manifestations: ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease. In the last few decades, naturally occurring alkaloids have gained interest because of their substantial anti-inflammatory effects in several animal models of disease. Studies on mouse models of IBD have demonstrated the anti-inflammatory action of the main tobacco alkaloid, nicotine. In addition, anatabine, a minor tobacco alkaloid also present in peppers, tomato, and eggplant presents anti-inflammatory properties in vivo and in vitro. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory properties of nicotine and anatabine in a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) mouse model of UC., Results: Oral administration of anatabine, but not nicotine, reduced the clinical symptoms of DSS-induced colitis. The result of gene expression analysis suggested that anatabine had a restorative effect on global DSS-induced gene expression profiles, while nicotine only had limited effects. Accordingly, MAP findings revealed that anatabine reduced the colonic abundance of DSS-associated cytokines and increased IL-10 abundance., Conclusions: Our results support the amelioration of inflammatory effects by anatabine in the DSS mouse model of UC, and suggest that anatabine constitutes a promising therapeutic agent for IBD treatment., Competing Interests: Competing interestsAll authors are employees of Philip Morris International., (© The Author(s) 2020.)

Exposure to cigarette smoke (CS) causes detrimental health effects, increasing the risk of cardiovascular, pulmonary diseases and carcinogenesis in exposed individuals. The impact of CS on Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) has been established by a number of epidemiological and clinical studies. In fact, CS is associated with a higher risk of developing Crohn's disease (CD) while inversely correlates with the development, disease risks, and relapse rate of ulcerative colitis (UC). To investigate the effect of CS exposure on experimental colitis, we performed a comprehensive and integrated comparative analysis of colon transcriptome and microbiome in mice exposed to dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) and CS. Colon transcriptome analysis revealed that CS downregulated specific pathways in a concentration-dependent manner, affecting both the inflammatory state and composition of the gut microbiome. Metagenomics analysis demonstrated that CS can modulate DSS-induced dysbiosis of specific bacterial genera, contributing to resolve the inflammation or accelerate recovery. The risks of smoking far outweigh any possible benefit, thus smoking cessation must always be encouraged because of its significant health benefits. However, the inverse association between active smoking and the development of UC cannot be ignored and the present study lays the foundation for investigating potential molecular mechanisms responsible for the attenuation of colitis by certain compounds of tobacco when decoupled from combustion.