Flvcr1a deficiency promotes heme-based energy metabolism dysfunction in skeletal muscle

The definition of cell metabolic profile is essential to ensure skeletal muscle fiber heterogeneity and to achieve a proper equilibrium between the self-renewal and commitment of satellite stem cells. Heme sustains several biological functions, including processes profoundly implicated with cell metabolism. The skeletal muscle is a significant heme-producing body compartment, but the consequences of impaired heme homeostasis on this tissue have been poorly investigated. Here, we generate a skeletal-muscle-specific feline leukemia virus subgroup C receptor 1a (FLVCR1a) knockout mouse model and show that, by sustaining heme synthesis, FLVCR1a contributes to determine the energy phenotype in skeletal muscle cells and to modulate satellite cell differentiation and muscle regeneration.

Multifaceted nanoparticles: emerging mechanisms and therapies in neurodegenerative diseases

Neurodegenerative diseases are a major global health burden particularly with the increasing ageing population. Hereditary predisposition and environmental risk factors contribute to the heterogeneity of existing pathological phenotypes. Traditional clinical interventions focused on the use of small drugs have often led to failures due to the difficulties of crossing the blood-brain-barrier and reaching brain. In this regard, nanosystems can specifically deliver drugs and improve their bioavailability, overcoming some of the major challenges in neurodegenerative diseases treatment. This review focuses on the use of nanosystems as an encouraging therapeutic approach targeting molecular pathways involved in localized and systematic neurodegenerative diseases. Among this latter, Friedreich's ataxia is an untreatable complex multisystemic disorder and the most spread type of ataxia, that represents a test case to validate the clinical potential of therapeutic strategies based on nanoparticles with pleiotropic effects.

A life cycle scenario analysis of different pavement technologies for urban roads

In the past, lowest price was the award criterion, given that structural capacity and safety were assured. In the last years, environmental, energy, and long-term impacts have been introduced (climate change, resource depletion, energy consumption, generated solid waste, discharged water, and emissions). Unfortunately, the introduction of new pavement technologies and materials (i.e., waste plastics) affects maintenance and rehabilitation processes and call for accurate and timeliness studies and criteria. Consequently, this paper presents an energy and environmental assessment of an Italian urban road and considers different material-related scenarios that fully comply with emerging technologies. A life-cycle approach is applied to assess energy and environmental impacts of a typical Italian urban road, according to the ISO 14040 series. In more detail, the authors assess the energy and environmental profile of different scenarios of bituminous mixtures. The aim of scenario analysis is to identify the less impacting scenario from an energy and environmental point of view. For each analyzed scenario, the contribution of each life-cycle step to the total impacts and the energy and environmental hotspots are identified in order to define suitable options for improvement. The results of the analysis show that step of material production, including raw material extraction and resource supply, is relevant to almost all the assessed impact categories (average contribution higher than 50%). This is mainly due to the production of bitumen, which is a petroleum-based product. Moreover, the scenario analysis highlights that the pavement scenarios that are characterized by the use of recycled materials involve lower energy and environmental impacts, due to the saving of virgin raw materials and avoided impacts for disposal.

[Delirium and psychotropic substance abuse]

Delirium represents a common symptom in psychiatric diseases such as psychotic and affective disorders, organic illnesses and psychotropic substance abuse. The literature shows a high risk of developing psychosis in psychotropic substance abusers and a higher proneness to psychotropic substance abuse in people suffering from psychosis. The aim of this review is to discuss the relationship between substance abuse (cocaine, amphetamine, alcohol, cannabinoids, opioids, etc.) and the development of delirium, the way each molecule influences the pathogenesis of delirium, the neurochemical basis of delirium induced by psychotropic substances and the potential endophenotypes involved in a biologically plausible mechanism of mental diseases' pathogenesis.

[The psychopathology of delirium. Evolution of the research from Jaspers to Kapur]

Delirium represents a symptom of a thought disorder in which a belief is strongly held in spite of invalidating evidence. Many varieties of delirium have been described and this symptom is common in psychotic disorders (schizophrenia, brief psychotic disorder, chronic delusional disorders, etc.), affective disorders (major depressive disorder, psychotic depression, melancholic depression, bipolar disorder, etc.), organic illnesses and psychotropic substance abuse. Delirium has been deeply studied by psychopathology. Our work offers an overview of the most relevant psychopathological descriptions of delirium in the last century, from Jaspers to Kapur.

Cogeneration from thermal treatment of selected municipal solid wastes. A stoichiometric model building for the case study on Palermo

This paper aims to calculate the energetic and environmental effects of an integrated solid waste management system in Palermo, Italy. In particular, the thermal treatment of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) with energy recovery is assessed. The current characterization at the local scale is taken into account. Two different options of collection are taken into account: (1) unselected wastes; and (2) sorted collection, according to the current Italian regulation. Combustion process is analyzed and the following features are calculated: (1) stoichiometric content of air and air excess; and (2) temperature and enthalpy of flue gases. Energy recovery is performed in the hypothesis of Hirn cycle both with steam condensation to produce only power, and with bleeding cycle for the combined production of power and thermal energy. Total electric efficiency is assumed as representative index of the technological level of the assessed plant. Results show that the thermal treatment of selected MSW, associated with a cogenerative recovery of energy, represents a relevant sustainable strategy of waste valorization as an alternative to fossil fuels.

Interaction with CEP-1 beta-lactamase of RU 51746-2, the active form of the new oral cephalosporin RU 51807

RU 51746-2 (which is the water soluble Na-salt of RU 51763) proved stable toward the most common beta-lactamases tested, with the sole exception of CEP-1, a plasmid-determined enzyme which is homologous to chromosomal beta-lactamases of some enterobacterial species. We studied the interaction of RU 51746-2 with CEP-1 in an E. coli C600 derivative containing pNU104, a multicopy plasmid in which an up-promoter mutation has increased the level of beta-lactamase expression. We found that RU 51746-2 was indeed hydrolyzed with slow, but significant, rates, which might account for the high minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values (> 128 microg/ml) we found for this laboratory strain. However, when the same test was performed with an 100-fold dilution of the sonic extract, in order to obtain enzyme levels comparable to those usually found in clinical isolates, no appreciable hydrolysis could be measured. This suggests that the slow hydrolysis of RU 51746-2 has no clinical meaning, since the activity of this drug is virtually unaffected by the amount of beta-lactamases usually found in wild strains.