Search

Flower senescence is a fascinating natural process that represents the final developmental stage in the life of a flower. Plant hormones play an important role in regulating the timing of flower senescence. Ethylene is a trigger and usually accelerates the senescence rate, while cytokinins are known to delay it. The aim of this work was to study the effect of 6-benzylaminopurine (BA) on petal senescence by transcript profile comparison after 3 or 6 h using a cross-species method by hybridizing petunia samples to a 4 × 44 K Agilent tomato array. The relative content of ethylene, abscisic acid, anthocyanins, total carotenoids and total phenols that determine the physiological behaviours of the petal tissue were measured. BA treatment prolonged the flower life and increased the concentrations of phenols and anthocyanins, while total carotenoids did not increase and were lower than the control. The ethylene biosynthetic and perception gene expressions were studied immediately after treatment until 24 h and all genes were repressed, while ethylene production was strongly induced after 4 days. The microarray analyses highlighted that BA strongly affected gene regulation after 3 h, but only 14% of genes remained differentially expressed after 6 h. The most affected pathways and genes were those related to stress, such as heat shock proteins, abscisic acid (ABA) catabolism and its signalling pathway, lipid metabolism and antioxidant defence systems. A gene annotation enrichment analysis using DAVID showed that the most important gene clusters were involved in energy generation and conservation processes. In addition to the ethylene pathway, cytokinins seem to be strongly involved the regulation of the ABA response in flower tissues.

Isoprene strengthens thylakoid membranes and scavenges stress-induced oxidative species. The idea that isoprene production might also influence isoprenoid and phenylpropanoid pathways under stress conditions was tested. We used transgenic tobacco to compare physiological and biochemical traits of isoprene-emitting (IE) and non-emitting (NE) plants exposed to severe drought and subsequent re-watering. Photosynthesis was less affected by drought in IE than in NE plants, and higher rates were also observed in IE than in NE plants recovering from drought. Isoprene emission was stimulated by mild drought. Under severe drought, isoprene emission declined, and levels of non-volatile isoprenoids, specifically de-epoxidated xanthophylls and abscisic acid (ABA), were higher in IE than in NE plants. Soluble sugars and phenylpropanoids were also higher in IE plants. After re-watering, IE plants maintained higher levels of metabolites, but isoprene emission was again higher than in unstressed plants. We suggest that isoprene production in transgenic tobacco triggered different responses, depending upon drought severity. Under drought, the observed trade-off between isoprene and non-volatile isoprenoids suggests that in IE plants isoprene acts as a short-term protectant, whereas non-volatile isoprenoids protect against severe, long-term damage. After drought, it is suggested that the capacity to emit isoprene might up-regulate production of non-volatile isoprenoids and phenylpropanoids, which may further protect IE leaves.

The Cape Gannet Morus capensis (Lichtenstein, 1823) is a seabird endemic to southern Africa, breeding at only six localities, three in Namibia and three in South Africa. The population is currently estimated to be 151 000 pairs (Crawford et al. 2007). After the breeding season, some Cape Gannets disperse north, along the west coast of Africa, while many follow sardine Sardinops sagax schools eastward. The species is usually restricted to the continental shelf of Africa and rarely seen more than a few hundred kilometres offshore (Crawford 2005). In spite of this relatively restricted distribution, vagrants of this species have been reported in Australia, New Zealand, Amsterdam Island (Indian Ocean), Spain, Argentina, Brazil and Perú (Berteaux 1991, Ramírez Llorens 1996, García-Godos 2002, Vooren 2004, Crawford 2005). Fil: Rebstock, Ginger A.. Wildlife Conservation Society; Estados Unidos. University of Washington; Estados Unidos Fil: Agüero, Maria Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentina Fil: Boersma, P. Dee. University of Washington; Estados Unidos Fil: Ebert, Luis Augusto. Wildlife Conservation Society; Estados Unidos Fil: Gómez Laich, Agustina Marta. Centro Universitário Leonardo da Vinci; Brasil Fil: Lisnizer, Nora. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentina Fil: Svagelj, Walter Sergio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentina Fil: Trivellini, Maria Magdalena. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia "San Juan Bosco"; Argentina

Background. The aim of this retrospective study is to verify whether some maternal features are related to pregnancy outcome in cases of emergency mid-trimester cerclage when membranes are protruding through the dilated cervix. Methods. Between 1988 and 1996 twenty-three pregnant patients with dilated cervix and protruding membranes were treated with emergency cerclage. At the time of cerclage, gestational age ranged from 17 to 27 weeks (median 22). Results. Pregnancy was prolonged from 0 to 20 weeks (median 4). Eleven living infants were born (46%); median gestational age at delivery was 25 weeks (range 21-39) and median birth weight 700 g (range 350-3980 g). Obstetric histories, white blood cell count, and vaginal-cervical and urine cultures obtained on admission were analyzed in the two following groups: data from patients with good pregnancy outcome (live births) versus those from patients with poor outcome (stillbirths and neonatal deaths). No significant difference was found between the groups for t...

The plant hormone ethylene is involved in many physiological processes, including plant growth, development and senescence. Ethylene also plays a pivotal role in plant response or adaptation under biotic and abiotic stress conditions. In plants, ethylene production often enhances the tolerance to sub-optimal environmental conditions. This role is particularly important from both ecological and agricultural point of views. Among the abiotic stresses, the role of ethylene in plants under nutrient stress conditions has not been completely investigated. In literature few reports are available on the interaction among ethylene and macro- or micro-nutrients. However, the published works clearly demonstrated that several mineral nutrients largely affect ethylene biosynthesis and perception with a strong influence on plant physiology. The aim of this review is to revisit the old findings and recent advances of knowledge regarding the sub-optimal nutrient conditions on the effect of ethylene biosynthesis and perception in plants. The effect of deficiency or excess of the single macronutrient or micronutrient on the ethylene pathway and plant responses are reviewed and discussed. The synergistic and antagonist effect of the different mineral nutrients on ethylene plant responses is critically analyzed. Moreover, this review highlights the status of information between nutritional stresses and plant response, emphasizing the topics that should be further investigated.

Il presente lavoro di tesi si inserisce nell’ambito dei Classical Reception Studies e tratta nello specifico di un aspetto della ricezione ovidiana. Lo studio prende in esame un corpus di riscritture inglesi del mito di Tereo, Procne e Filomela narrato nelle Metamorfosi di Ovidio (met. 6, 424-674). Si delinea dapprima la ricezione pre-novecentesca del mito, che comprende sia autori canonici come Geoffrey Chaucer, William Shakespeare, i vittoriani Arnold e Swinburne, sia autori meno noti. La seconda parte del lavoro è intesa come premessa teorica e critica alle riscritture del secondo Novecento, ma si pone più in generale come obiettivo quello di esaminare la fortuna letteraria e critica delle Metamorfosi ovidiane nel tardo Novecento, che ha visto un rinnovarsi dell’interesse verso l’autore, in particolare nell’ambito del postmodernismo. Speciale attenzione è data al genere della riscrittura e a un corpus di testi critici femministi che rileggono il mito e la figura di Filomela. La terza parte dello studio prende in esame quattro riscritture ad opera di autrici a partire dagli anni Settanta, e si chiude soffermandosi sulla fortuna di Filomela in ambito anglofono. This dissertation deals with a branch of Classical Reception Studies, the lively field of the Ovidian reception. The study examines a wide corpus of English rewritings of the myth of Philomela, Tereus and Procne which is told in the Metamorphoses (6, 424-624). The first part is devoted to the pre-twentieth-century reception of the myth, which includes both canonical authors, such as Geoffrey Chaucer, William Shakespeare and the Victorian poets Arnold and Swinburne, and less known writers. The second part provides a theoretical and critical premise for the rewritings of the late twentieth century, but it also aims to examine the literary and critical reception of Ovid’s poem in the second half of the century, which saw a renewed interest in the ancient poet, especially in the field of postmodernist literature. Special attention is paid to the genre of rewriting and to a corpus of feminist critical texts that re-read the figure of Philomela. The third part of the dissertation analyses four rewritings by female authors from the 70s onwards, ending with a section on the reception of the figure of Philomela in English-speaking works.

The study focuses on the interaction between reactive oxygen species and hormones that regulate the programmed cell death in plants of Melissa officinalis exposed to ozone. Interaction between hormone and redox signaling pathways has been investigated in ozone-stressed (200 ppb, 5 h) lemon balm to verify if the response resembles the biotic defense reactions. In comparison to controls, plants exhibited foliar injury and the cell death was induced by (1) biphasic production of hydrogen peroxide and superoxide radical; (2) hormonal regulation of ozone-induced lesion formation with a significant production of ethylene, salicylic, jasmonic and abscisic acid; (3) ozone degradation to reactive oxygen species and their detoxification by some enzymatic (such as superoxide dismutase) and non-enzymatic antioxidant systems (such as ascorbic acid, glutathione and carotenoids), that worked in cooperation without providing a defense against free radicals (such as confirmed by the modification of the antioxidant properties of leaf tissue). This integrated view showed that reactive oxygen species interact with hormonal signaling pathway regulating cell death and the sensitivity of lemon balm to ozone.

Hernia repair is the most common surgical procedure in general surgery in Italy and in the Lombardy region. In the last decade, the use of mesh, the concept of a tension-free technique, and the postoperative rate of recurrences after Bassini or Shouldice operations have completely changed the surgical approach to hernia repair. For this reason, we sent a questionnaire to 148 surgical departments in the Lombardy region to investigate about total hernia operations performed in 2000 in Lombardy, the surgical approach, the surgical techniques used, the type of anesthesia and the hospital stay. One hundred five out of 148 surgical departments returned the questionnaire, and we collected information on a total of 16,935 surgical operations for hernia: 16,494 were performed using tension-free techniques. The inguinal anterior approach is the one of choice for primary and recurrent inguinal hernia, whereas the open preperitoneal and laparoscopic approaches are limited to bilateral and recurrent hernias. The majority of cases were treated under locoregional anesthesia and with a hospital stay of two nights.

Our objectives were to assess the plasma coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) levels in normal pregnancy, in pregnancy with a spontaneous contractile event, in spontaneous abortion and in threatened abortion. Six hundred and fifteen CoQ10 levels were analyzed in 483 pregnant women: 350 patients were employed to design a normal curve; 66 patients with spontaneous contractile activity underwent two or more CoQ10 analyses in different trimesters; 49 patients presented spontaneous abortion, and 18 patients threatened abortion. The normal curve of plasma CoQ10 levels rises during each trimester of pregnancy, while there is a correspondence between a low CoQ10 level and spontaneous abortion. Furthermore we found a statistically significant difference between the plasma CoQ10 value in spontaneous contractile activity, mainly in the third trimester. We found an increase in the plasma CoQ10 level in relation to the contractile activity of the uterine muscle. Further studies are necessary to explain the involvement of this marker on pregnancy in clinical practice.

Cholelithiasis is considered uncommon in infancy, childhood, and adolescence. We performed a prospective, controlled study showing that children with Down's syndrome have a significantly higher prevalence of cholelithiasis (4.7%) compared with controls (0.2%). Clinicians should be aware of the risk of gallstones in children with Down's syndrome.

Leaf yellowing or petal senescence is the main postharvest disorder for many cut flowers. Plant hormones such as cytokinins are able to inhibit leaf yellowing in some cut flowers and potted plants. In our experiments, we applied thidiazuron aiming to delay leaf yellowing and 1-methylciclopropene (1-MCP) for inhibiting flower senescence of cut stock flowers during vase life. Cut flowers were pulse treated with water (control), 5 M TDZ, 500 nL L -1 1-MCP or combinations 5 M TDZ+500 nL L -1 1-MCP, 5 M TDZ+500 nL L -1 1-MCP+10 L L -1 ethylene or 10 L L -1 ethylene. All treatments were applied for 24 h (pulse), except for the 1-MCP that was applied for 6 h. The effect of treatments was evaluated by chlorophyll determination, petal fall, leaf yellowing appearance, vase life and ethylene production. Pulse treatment with TDZ was able to delay leaf yellowing in light during whole experimental period (30 days). During the first days after TDZ treatment, the chlorophyll b biosynthesis was strongly induced, after 5 days were the initial val- ues, 3-fold higher while the total chlorophyll did not change. The TDZ stimulated ethylene production such as 1-MCP as soon as after 24 h. The ethylene production was found in cut flowers treated with ethylene, reaching 9 nl g -1 h -1 in leaves and 6.5 nl g -1 h -1 in detached flowers. The 1-MCP dramatically reduced the efficiency of TDZ even if the vase life of cut

From January 1986 to December 1990 70 HIV-seropositive pregnant women were seen at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Rome, Italy. All of them delivered in our Hospital Center and their babies were enrolled in pediatric follow-up. Sixty-five patients (93%) were drug-addicted, only 6 of them showing signs of HIV infection (lymphoadenopathy). The authors report the results of a clinical study demonstrating that asymptomatic HIV infection did not affect the regular course of pregnancy. Moreover, they show that there was no progression of disease during pregnancy, vertical transmission was 24%, the infected babies were of low birth weight (2,586 +/- 527 vs. 3,100 +/- 470 g) and the incidence of premature delivery was higher (30 vs. 8%) than in noninfected controls.

In this retrospective study, we review our data on 203 drug-addicted pregnant patients, considering two different aspects of the question: maternal and fetal. We report the findings relative to maternal metabolic, endocrinological, neuroendocrinological and immunological studies performed in our department over the past 13 years. Moreover, we study fetal involvement in drug-addicted pregnancy and report the findings of our fetal behavior and urodynamic studies. The last section of this study deals with perinatal outcome. In particular, we report a high incidence of small-for-gestational-age fetuses and premature deliveries.

The effect of the complex relationship between ethylene and abscisic acid (ABA) on flower development and senescence in Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L. was investigated. Ethylene biosynthetic (HrsACS and HrsACO) and receptor (HrsETR and HrsERS) genes were isolated and their expression evaluated in three different floral tissues (petals, style-stigma plus stamens, and ovaries) of detached buds and open flowers. This was achieved through treatment with 0.1 mM 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) solution, 500 nl l(-1) methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), and 0.1 mM ABA solution. Treatment with ACC and 1-MCP confirmed that flower senescence in hibiscus is ethylene dependent, and treatment with exogenous ABA suggested that ABA may play a role in this process. The 1-MCP impeded petal in-rolling and decreased ABA content in detached open flowers after 9 h. This was preceded by an earlier and sequential increase in ABA content in 1-MCP-treated petals and style-stigma plus stamens between 1 h and 6 h. ACC treatment markedly accelerated flower senescence and increased ethylene production after 6 h and 9 h, particularly in style-stigma plus stamens. Ethylene evolution was positively correlated in these floral tissues with the induction of the gene expression of ethylene biosynthetic and receptor genes. Finally, ABA negatively affected the ethylene biosynthetic pathway and tissue sensitivity in all flower tissues. Transcript abundance of HrsACS, HrsACO, HrsETR, and HrsERS was reduced by exogenous ABA treatment. This research underlines the regulatory effect of ABA on the ethylene biosynthetic and perception machinery at a physiological and molecular level when inhibitors or promoters of senescence are exogenously applied.

Aerosol marine strongly affects the growth and development of urban, garden and landscape plants. Few studies have focused on the effects of sodium chloride on plant growth, which is usually applied through irrigation water or substrate media. Even less information is available on the eco-physiological responses of plants to marine aerosol. The aim of this work was to evaluate the physiological responses of different plant species to seawater nebulisation treatments. Plant species that are commonly used along sea fronts were selected as being potentially useful for the study. Plants were bought from a local nursery and included: Acacia cultriformis, Callistemon citrinus, Carissa edulis microphylla, Gaura lindheimeri, Jasminum sambac, Westringia fruticosa. Plants were placed in a randomised block design in a greenhouse and treated for 5 s with seawater or irrigation water (control) using a nebulisation system once every day for 77 days. In the seawater aerosol-treated plants, the following parameters were monitored: leaf area damage using an image analysis tool, chlorophyll a fluorescence, hormonal changes and cation concentrations. We found that seawater aerosol treatment leads to: (i) leaf necrosis; (ii) chlorophyll loss; and (iii) a decrease in chlorophyll a fluorescence. The ion exclusion mechanism might have played a key role in the tolerance mechanism. Ethylene production increased in all species as a good biomarker and the strong increase in ABA content in the sensitive species may play a role in the plant's adaptation to stress. The chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters such as Fv/Fm and the performance index were the most affected by treatment and led to a screening sensitive (A. cultriformis and G. lindheimeri) and tolerant (W. fruticosa) species.

No AbstractOSTRICH 2010, 81(2): 167–169

3 Abstract: Interactions of garden botanical composition with human senses generate sensations and emotions that may give pleasure and welfare to observers. Among the garden plants, roses are the most important for the wide range of varieties and flower colours. This review is focused on physiological factors that regulate flower longevity and colour persistence in roses that are generally used for garden decorations. Genes that encode for pigments biosynthesis can be used for improving flower colours. The colour persistence of flowers is tightly related to senescence. In fact, senescence associated genes have been discovered and the study of their function may be useful for genetic improvement for extending the flowering periods. The flower colour and the length of the flowering periods are very important factors that contribute to the garden beauty. Colours cannot be objectively appreciated because they can be differently appreciated by the observers. Therefore, sensations and emotions that rose alone or in combinations with other shrubs and perennials in a garden cannot be predictable.

La cordocentesi (prelievo di sangue fetale dal funicolo ombelicale) è una tecnica ben nota nella pratica ostetrica di diagnosi e terapia. In mani esperte questo approccio diagnostico è facilmente applicabile ed ha un alto tasso di successo; come procedura invasiva presenta basso rischio per il feto e per la madre. Valutazioni etiche, inoltre, la rendono più adatta a future terapie intrauterine, in particolare nel campo della cura delle malattie genetiche.