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Arundo Donax L. is a natural material used for traditional vernacular architectures. Main issues and applications are briefly presented. Actually, there are not guidelines or standards for the use of Arundo Donax as a construction material. In this perspective, the paper deals with the investigation on the mechanical characteristics of the Arundo Donax through experimental tests. In particular tests in compression on single culms are shown. Therefore the architectural project of a gridshell in common canes, tied with hemp ropes and covered by lime mixed with Arundo Donax inerts is illustrated. The Arundo Donax shows good performance capabilities in compression comparable with traditional building materials, in addition it is renewable non-polluting, recyclable and suitable for sustainable architecture.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major public health problem in developed countries with over 17 million deaths per year. In the last decade, several infectious agents rather than any single pathogen, including Chlamydia pneumoniae and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), have been shown to contribute to the development of atherosclerosis and subsequent cardiovascular events by inducing systemic inflammation and/or acting directly on the vascular wall. For the first time, we evaluated C. pneumonia DNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from HIV patients by real-time polymerase chain reaction in order to shed light on C. pneumonia as a co-factor with HIV in the development of CVDs. C. pneumonia DNA was not detected in our virologically suppressed HIV patients (37 copies/mL). This finding may be related to high CD4+T cell count (500 cells/μl) found in HIV patients suggesting functional cell-mediated immunity as a fundamental mechanism for the clearance of chlamydial infection in this population. Larger studies are needed to confirm this hypothesis.

Chlamydia pneumoniae is responsible for respiratory tract infections and has been associated to chronic diseases such as atherosclerosis. The involvement of C. pneumoniae in chronic diseases may be correlated to its ability to induce persistent forms in which Chlamydiae remain viable but are not cultivable. The aim of our study is to investigate C. pneumoniae specific gene activities associated with the development of Chlamydial persistence in a cell culture system in the presence of penicillin G. Chlamydia-infected HEp 2 cells were incubated with or without penicillin G for up to 72 hours. The relative mRNA expression levels of early and late genes in treated and untreated cell cultures were determined by Real-time RT-PCR. Our results revealed a consistent down-regulation of Chlamydial hctA and hctB genes (p=0.012 and p=0.003 respectively) in association with up-regulation of htrA gene (p=0.002) during penicillin G-induced persistence suggesting these gene sets as leading candidate for in vivo investigation of the development of persistent Chlamydial infection. In conclusion, the Chlamydial expression pattern of hctA, hctB, and htrA genes may be helpful to identify target molecules to diagnose and treat Chlamydia-associated chronic diseases.

Chlamydia pneumoniae (C. pneumoniae), a respiratory pathogen, has been implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, an inflammatory progressive disease, characterized by the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. Among several types of inflammatory cells involved in the atherogenesis process, recently particular attention has been directed toward the mast cells. Experimental studies have provided several mechanisms by which C. pneumoniae and mast cells could play a role in all stages of atherosclerosis, from initial inflammatory lesions to plaque rupture. C. pneumoniae, as well as mast cells, may actively participate both through the production of cytokines and matrix-degrading metalloproteinases and by provoking apoptosis of atheroma-associated vascular cells, key events in plaque rupture. This mini-review provides a brief overview on adventitial inflammatory effects of C. pneumoniae and mast cells and their potential role in plaque instability. In addition, in this paper we review the role of mast cells in innate immunity.

The complexities of the dynmic processes and their control associated with bio- and ecological systems offer many challenges for the control engineer. Applying dynamic modelling and control can aid understanding of their complexities. Moreover,using such complex systems as test-beds for new control methods can highlight their limitations (e.g. in relation to system identification) and thus act as a catalyst for methodological advance. This paper continues the theme of exploring opportunities and achievements in applying modelling and control in the bio- and ecological domains.