Investigating strontium isotope linkage between biominerals (uroliths), drinking water and environmental matrices

This study presents the mineralogy and strontium isotope ratio (87Sr/86Sr) of 21 pathological biominerals (bladder and kidney stones) collected from patients admitted between 2018 and 2020 at the Department of Urology of the San Pio Hospital (Benevento, southern Italy). Urinary stones belong to the calcium oxalate, purine or calcium phosphate mineralogy types. Their corresponding 87Sr/86Sr range from 0.707607 for an uricite sample to 0.709970 for a weddellite one, and seem to be partly discriminated based on the mineralogy. The comparison with the isotope characteristics of 38 representative Italian bottled and tap drinking waters show a general overlap in 87Sr/86Sr with the biominerals. However, on a smaller geographic area (Campania Region), we observe small 87Sr/86Sr differences between the biominerals and local waters. This may be explained by external Sr inputs for example from agriculture practices, inhaled aerosols (i.e., particulate matter), animal manure and sewage, non-regional foods. Nevertheless, biominerals of patients that stated to drink and eat local water/wines and foods every day exhibited a narrower 87Sr/86Sr range roughly matching the typical isotope ratios of local geological materials and waters, as well as those of archaeological biominerals from the same area. Finally, we conclude that the strontium isotope signature of urinary stones may reflect that of the environmental matrices surrounding patients, but future investigations are recommended to ultimately establish the potential for pathological biominerals as reliable biomonitoring proxies, taking into the account the contribution of the external sources of Sr.

Measurements of neutrino oscillation parameters from the T2K experiment using 3.6×1021 protons on target

The T2K experiment presents new measurements of neutrino oscillation parameters using 19.7 ( 16.3 ) × 10 20 protons on target (POT) in (anti-)neutrino mode at the far detector (FD). Compared to the previous analysis, an additional 4.7 × 10 20 POT neutrino data was collected at the FD. Significant improvements were made to the analysis methodology, with the near-detector analysis introducing new selections and using more than double the data. Additionally, this is the first T2K oscillation analysis to use NA61/SHINE data on a replica of the T2K target to tune the neutrino flux model, and the neutrino interaction model was improved to include new nuclear effects and calculations. Frequentist and Bayesian analyses are presented, including results on sin 2 θ 13 and the impact of priors on the δ CP measurement. Both analyses prefer the normal mass ordering and upper octant of sin 2 θ 23 with a nearly maximally CP-violating phase. Assuming the normal ordering and using the constraint on sin 2 θ 13 from reactors, sin 2 θ 23 = 0 . 561 - 0.032 + 0.021 using Feldman-Cousins corrected intervals, and Δ m 32 2 = 2 . 494 - 0.058 + 0.041 × 10 - 3 eV 2 using constant Δ χ 2 intervals. The CP-violating phase is constrained to δ CP = - 1 . 97 - 0.70 + 0.97 using Feldman-Cousins corrected intervals, and δ CP = 0 , π is excluded at more than 90% confidence level. A Jarlskog invariant of zero is excluded at more than 2 σ credible level using a flat prior in δ CP , and just below 2 σ using a flat prior in sin δ CP . When the external constraint on sin 2 θ 13 is removed, sin 2 θ 13 = 28 . 0 - 6.5 + 2.8 × 10 - 3 , in agreement with measurements from reactor experiments. These results are consistent with previous T2K analyses.

May a comprehensive mineralogical study of a jackstone calculus and some other human bladder stones unveil health and environmental implications?

This paper represents the first result of an active collaboration between the University of Sannio and the San Pio Hospital (Benevento, Italy), started in the 2018, that aims to a detailed mineralogical investigation of urinary stones of patients from Campania region. Herein, selected human bladder stones have been deeply characterized for clinical purposes and environmental biomonitoring, focusing on the importance to evaluate the concentration and distribution of undesired trace elements by means of microscopic techniques in the place of conventional wet chemical analyses. A rare bladder stone with a sea-urchin appearance, known as jackstone calculus, were also investigated (along with bladder stones made of uric acid and brushite) by means a comprehensive analytical approach, including Synchrotron X-ray Diffraction and Simultaneous Thermal Analyses. Main clinical assumptions were inferred according to the morpho-constitutional classification of bladder stones and information about patient's medical history and lifestyle. In most of the analyzed uroliths, undesired trace elements such as copper, cadmium, lead, chromium, mercury and arsenic have been detected and generally attributable to environmental pollution or contaminated food. Simultaneous occurrence of selenium and mercury should denote a methylmercury detoxification process, probably leading to the formation of a very rare HgSe compound known as tiemannite.

Three-dimensionally Patterned Scaffolds Modulate the Biointerface at the Nanoscale

The main aim of cell instructive materials is to guide in a controlled way cellular behavior by fine-tuning cell-material crosstalk. In the last decades, several efforts have been spent in elucidating the relations between material cues and cellular fate at the nanoscale and in the development of novel strategies for gaining a superior control over cellular function modulation. In this context, a particular attention has been recently paid to the role played by cellular membrane rearrangement in triggering specific molecular pathways linked to the regulation of different cellular functions. Here, we characterize the effect of linear microtopographies upon cellular behavior in three-dimensional (3D) environments, with particular focus on the relations linking cytoskeleton structuration to membrane rearrangement and internalization tuning. The performed analysis shown that, by altering the cellular adhesion processes at the micro- and nanoscale, it is possible to alter the membrane physical state and cellular internalization capability. More specifically, our findings pointed out that an increased cytoskeletal structuration influences the formation of nanoinvagination membrane process at the cell-material interface and the expression of clathrin and caveolin, two of the main proteins involved in the endocytosis regulation. Moreover, we proved that such topographies enhance the engulfment of inert polystyrene nanoparticles attached on 3D patterned surfaces. Our results could give new guidelines for the design of innovative and more efficient 3D cell culture systems usable for diagnostic, therapeutic, and tissue engineering purposes.

In vitro study of intestinal epithelial interaction with engineered oil in water nanoemulsions conveying curcumin

The development of innovative nano-bio-encapsulation systems continues to be an area of intense activity as the demand of improved delivery systems is constantly increasing in several fields including nanomedicine. For this purpose, an important goal is carrying out appropriate engineering of the surface of these nanocarriers to satisfy the organ target features for an effective in situ release and elucidate the mechanism of action which most of the time is neglected. Here, an oil-in-water (O/W) nanoemulsion coated with a polysaccharide layer film - i.e. a glycol chitosan modified with a thiol moiety - was used as nanocarrier to convey a promising poorly water-soluble nature based drug, curcumin. The final nanocarrier was completely bio-compatible and bio-stable. We investigated the enhancement of the effect of curcumin loaded in our system across monolayers of intestinal epithelial cells CaCo-2 in Transwell culture. Such in vitro platform resulted suitable to evaluate the functionality of the proposed nanocarrier and its adhesion towards the mucosal epithelial layer and, as applicative example, to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects exerted by the encapsulation of curcumin.

Extracellular superoxide dismutase induces mouse embryonic fibroblast proliferative burst, growth arrest, immortalization, and consequent in vivo tumorigenesis

AIMS

Rat sarcoma virus (RAS)-induced tumorigenesis has been suggested to follow a three-stage model consisting of an initial RAS activation, senescence induction, and evasion of p53-dependent senescence checkpoints. While reactive oxygen species act as second messengers in RAS-induced senescence, they are also involved in oncogenic transformation by inducing proliferation and promoting mutations. In the current work, we investigated the role of extracellular superoxide dismutase (SOD3) in RAS-induced senescence and immortalization in vitro and in vivo. We used a mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) primary cell model along with immortalized and transformed human cell lines derived from papillary and anaplastic thyroid cancer.

RESULTS

Based on our data, sod3 RNA interference in H-RasV12-transduced cells markedly inhibited cell growth, while sod3 over-expression in MEFs initially caused a proliferative burst followed by the activation of DNA damage checkpoints, induction of p53-p21 signal transduction, and senescence. Subsequently, sod3-transduced MEF cells developed co-operative p21-p16 down-regulation and acquired transformed cell characteristics such as increased telomerase activity, loss of contact inhibition, growth in low-nutrient conditions, and in vivo tumorigenesis. Interestingly, as previously reported with RAS, we showed a dose-dependent response to SOD3 in vitro and in vivo involving transcriptional and non-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms.

INNOVATION

SOD3 may mediate H-RasV12-induced initiation of primary cell immortalization.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results indicate that SOD3 influences growth signaling in primary and cancer cells downstream of the ras oncogene and could serve as a therapy target at an early tumorigenesis phase.

Brief report: Mesenchymal stromal cell atrophy in coculture increases aggressiveness of transformed cells

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are able to influence the growth abilities of transformed cells. Here, we show that papillary thyroid cancer TPC1 and HEK 293T cells interact physically with human primary bone marrow-derived MSCs followed by evanescence of MSC cytoplasm. Interestingly, transformed cells were able to connect only to apoptotic MSCs that had lost their migration ability, whereas naïve MSCs avoided the direct contact. The interaction stimulated the proliferation of the cocultured transformed cells, activated mitogen and stress signaling, and increased resistance to cytotoxins. Consistent with in vitro data, the MSC interaction stimulated transformed cells had enhanced ability to grow and metastasize in vivo. The parental control cells showed mild tumorigenicity as compared to MSC interaction stimulated cells yielding measurable tumors in 31 days and 7 days, respectively. Our coculture model system describes how adjacent transformed cells absorb stromal cells thereby leading to the stroma-driven evolution of moderately carcinogenic cells to highly aggressive metastatic cells.

Zeolitized tuffs in pedotechnique for the reclamation of abandoned quarries. A case study in the Campania region (Italy)

The present study aims to assess the evolution of different proto-horizons as embryonic soils built by pedotechnologies for the reclamation and management of derelict and damaged lands, such as abandoned quarries. The model proto-horizons were assembled by utilizing coarse limestone gravel or zeolitized Phlegraean Yellow Tuff (PYT) as mineral components and commercial compost-amendments or a phosphorite-poultry manure mixture as organic matrices for growth of a pasture-grass under controlled conditions. The evolution of the model proto-horizons was followed by an evaluation of the stability and modification of the organic matter (OM) with reference to plant development. The results suggest that the natural carbonatic substrate occurring in limestone quarries was unable to sustain significant plant growth, while the PYT was suitable and efficient as a pedogenic substrate because it supported plant growth and induced a conspicuous accumulation of OM due to root activity. In particular, OM, including humic and non-humic components, greatly increased in the PYT treatment with the phosphorite-poultry manure mixture showing a concurrent trend toward humification. Conversely, an overall tendency toward degradation of OM was detected in the PYT model proto-horizon treated with commercial compost. Feasibility estimates show that quarry restoration costs appear reasonable where environmental impacts are high.

[Angiotensin II stimulates endothelin-1 release from human endothelial cells]

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is an endothelium-derived vasoconstrictor peptide isolated from the culture supernatant of porcine aortic endothelial cells. This 21 amino-acid residue peptide has potent vasoconstrictive properties in vitro and in vivo. ET-1 action involves phosphatidylinositol turnover, calcium mobilization and protein kinase C activation. Endothelial cells have distinct receptors for different operating through hydrosoluble hormones. The aim of this study was to investigate on a possible role of angiotensin II (ANG II) to modulate the release ET-1 from human endothelial cells in vitro. These data revealed a time- and a dose-dependent increase of ET-1 production in response to ANG II. This mechanism may have important pathophysiological implications in vivo. In fact, a double-mechanism of secretion of ET-1 from endothelial cells could exist: one active in a physiological condition and an other in response to a vasoconstrictor stimuli (as well as ANG II). Furthermore, these results may suggest an additional favourable effect of ACE-inhibition in human hypertension therapy.