First Measurement of Hard Exclusive π^{-}Δ^{++} Electroproduction Beam-Spin Asymmetries off the Proton

The polarized cross-section ratio σ_{LT^{'}}/σ_{0} from hard exclusive π^{-}Δ^{++} electroproduction off an unpolarized hydrogen target has been extracted based on beam-spin asymmetry measurements using a 10.2  GeV/10.6  GeV incident electron beam and the CLAS12 spectrometer at Jefferson Lab. The study, which provides the first observation of this channel in the deep-inelastic regime, focuses on very forward-pion kinematics in the valence regime, and photon virtualities ranging from 1.5  GeV^{2} up to 7  GeV^{2}. The reaction provides a novel access to the d-quark content of the nucleon and to p→Δ^{++} transition generalized parton distributions. A comparison to existing results for hard exclusive π^{+}n and π^{0}p electroproduction is provided, which shows a clear impact of the excitation mechanism, encoded in transition generalized parton distributions, on the asymmetry.

Observation of Correlations between Spin and Transverse Momenta in Back-to-Back Dihadron Production at CLAS12

We report the first measurements of deep inelastic scattering spin-dependent azimuthal asymmetries in back-to-back dihadron electroproduction in the deep inelastic scattering process. In this reaction, two hadrons are produced in opposite hemispheres along the z axis in the virtual photon-target nucleon center-of-mass frame, with the first hadron produced in the current-fragmentation region and the second in the target-fragmentation region. The data were taken with longitudinally polarized electron beams of 10.2 and 10.6 GeV incident on an unpolarized liquid-hydrogen target using the CLAS12 spectrometer at Jefferson Lab. Observed nonzero sinΔϕ modulations in ep→e^{'}pπ^{+}X events, where Δϕ is the difference of the azimuthal angles of the proton and pion in the virtual photon and target nucleon center-of-mass frame, indicate that correlations between the spin and transverse momenta of hadrons produced in the target- and current-fragmentation regions may be significant. The measured beam-spin asymmetries provide a first access in dihadron production to a previously unexplored leading-twist spin- and transverse-momentum-dependent fracture function. The fracture functions describe the hadronization of the target remnant after the hard scattering of a virtual photon off a quark in the target particle and provide a new avenue for studying nucleonic structure and hadronization.

Observation of Azimuth-Dependent Suppression of Hadron Pairs in Electron Scattering off Nuclei

We present the first measurement of dihadron angular correlations in electron-nucleus scattering. The data were taken with the CLAS detector and a 5.0 GeV electron beam incident on deuterium, carbon, iron, and lead targets. Relative to deuterium, the nuclear yields of charged-pion pairs show a strong suppression for azimuthally opposite pairs, no suppression for azimuthally nearby pairs, and an enhancement of pairs with large invariant mass. These effects grow with increased nuclear size. The data are qualitatively described by the gibuu model, which suggests that hadrons form near the nuclear surface and undergo multiple scattering in nuclei.These results show that angular correlation studies can open a new way to elucidate how hadrons form and interact inside nuclei.

International Harmonization of Nomenclature and Diagnostic Criteria (INHAND): Non-proliferative and Proliferative Lesions of the Non-human Primate (M. fascicularis)

The INHAND (International Harmonization of Nomenclature and Diagnostic Criteria for Lesions Project (www.toxpath.org/inhand.asp) is a joint initiative of the Societies of Toxicologic Pathology from Europe (ESTP), Great Britain (BSTP), Japan (JSTP) and North America (STP) to develop an internationally accepted nomenclature for proliferative and nonproliferative lesions in laboratory animals. The purpose of this publication is to provide a standardized nomenclature for classifying microscopic lesions observed in most tissues and organs from the nonhuman primate used in nonclinical safety studies. Some of the lesions are illustrated by color photomicrographs. The standardized nomenclature presented in this document is also available electronically on the internet (http://www.goreni.org/). Sources of material included histopathology databases from government, academia, and industrial laboratories throughout the world. Content includes spontaneous lesions as well as lesions induced by exposure to test materials. Relevant infectious and parasitic lesions are included as well. A widely accepted and utilized international harmonization of nomenclature for lesions in laboratory animals will provide a common language among regulatory and scientific research organizations in different countries and increase and enrich international exchanges of information among toxicologists and pathologists.

Nervous System Sampling for General Toxicity and Neurotoxicity Studies in the Laboratory Minipig With Emphasis on the Göttingen Minipig

The use of minipigs as an alternative nonclinical species has increased in the last 20 years. The Society of Toxicologic Pathology (STP) has produced generic "best practice" recommendations for nervous system sampling in nonrodents during general toxicity studies (Toxicol Pathol 41[7]: 1028-1048, 2013), but their adaptation to the minipig has not been attempted. Here, we describe 2 trimming schemes suitable for evaluating the unique neuroanatomic features of the minipig brain in nonclinical toxicity studies. The first scheme is intended for general toxicity studies (Tier 1) to screen agents with unknown or no anticipated neurotoxic potential; this approach using 7 coronal hemisections accords with the published STP "best practice" recommendations. The second trimming scheme for neurotoxicity studies (Tier 2) uses 14 coronal hemisections and 2 full coronal sections to investigate toxicants where the nervous system is a suspected or known target organ. Collection of spinal cord, ganglia (somatic and autonomic), and nerves from minipigs during nonclinical studies should follow published STP "best practice" recommendations for sampling the central (CNS, Toxicol Pathol 41[7]: 1028-1048, 2013) and peripheral (PNS, Toxicol Pathol 46[4]: 372-402, 2018) nervous systems.

Tauopathy in human and experimental variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

Cerebral accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau (phospho-tau) occurs in several neurodegenerative conditions including Alzheimer disease. In prion diseases, phospho-tau deposition has been described in a rare genetic form, Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease, but is not considered part of the neuropathological picture of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Aim of this study was to investigate whether changes related to phospho-tau accumulation are present in the brain of patients with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) that shares with Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease abundant prion protein (PrP) deposition in amyloid form. The analysis was extended to experimental mouse models of vCJD. We detected a large number of phospho-tau-immunoreactive neuritic profiles, often clustered around PrP amyloid deposits, not only in the cerebral cortex, but also in the cerebellum of all vCJD patients examined, in the absence of Abeta. Although less constantly, phospho-tau was localized in some perikaria and dendrites. The biochemical counterpart was the presence of phospho-tau in the detergent-insoluble fraction of cerebral cortex. Phospho-tau-immunoreactive neuronal profiles were also found in association with PrP deposits in mouse models of vCJD. These findings suggest that the abnormal forms of PrP associated with vCJD trigger a tauopathy, and provide a paradigm for the early stages of tau pathology associated with cerebral amyloidoses, including Alzheimer disease.

The efficacy of tetracyclines in peripheral and intracerebral prion infection

We have previously shown that tetracyclines interact with and reverse the protease resistance of pathological prion protein extracted from scrapie-infected animals and patients with all forms of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, lowering the prion titre and prolonging survival of cerebrally infected animals. To investigate the effectiveness of these drugs as anti-prion agents Syrian hamsters were inoculated intramuscularly or subcutaneously with 263K scrapie strain at a 10⁻⁴ dilution. Tetracyclines were injected intramuscularly or intraperitoneally at the dose of 10 mg/kg. A single intramuscular dose of doxycycline one hour after infection in the same site of inoculation prolonged median survival by 64%. Intraperitoneal doses of tetracyclines every two days for 40 or 44 days increased survival time by 25% (doxycycline), 32% (tetracycline); and 81% (minocycline) after intramuscular infection, and 35% (doxycycline) after subcutaneous infection. To extend the therapeutic potential of tetracyclines, we investigated the efficacy of direct infusion of tetracyclines in advanced infection. Since intracerebroventricular infusion of tetracycline solutions can cause overt acute toxicity in animals, we entrapped the drugs in liposomes. Animals were inoculated intracerebrally with a 10⁻⁴ dilution of the 263K scrapie strain. A single intracerebroventricular infusion of 25 µg/ 20 µl of doxycycline or minocycline entrapped in liposomes was administered 60 days after inoculation, when 50% of animals showed initial symptoms of the disease. Median survival increased of 8.1% with doxycycline and 10% with minocycline. These data suggest that tetracyclines might have therapeutic potential for humans.

A novel phenotype of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

An atypical case of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is described in a 78-year-old woman homozygous for methionine at codon 129 of the prion protein (PrP) gene. The neuropathological signature was the presence of PrP immunoreactive plaque-like deposits in the cerebral cortex, striatum and thalamus. Western blot analysis showed a profile of the pathological form of PrP (PrP(Sc)) previously unrecognised in sporadic CJD, marked by the absence of diglycosylated protease resistant species. These features define a novel neuropathological and molecular CJD phenotype.

Conversion of the BASE prion strain into the BSE strain: the origin of BSE?

Atypical neuropathological and molecular phenotypes of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) have recently been identified in different countries. One of these phenotypes, named bovine "amyloidotic" spongiform encephalopathy (BASE), differs from classical BSE for the occurrence of a distinct type of the disease-associated prion protein (PrP), termed PrP(Sc), and the presence of PrP amyloid plaques. Here, we show that the agents responsible for BSE and BASE possess different biological properties upon transmission to transgenic mice expressing bovine PrP and inbred lines of nontransgenic mice. Strikingly, serial passages of the BASE strain to nontransgenic mice induced a neuropathological and molecular disease phenotype indistinguishable from that of BSE-infected mice. The existence of more than one agent associated with prion disease in cattle and the ability of the BASE strain to convert into the BSE strain may have important implications with respect to the origin of BSE and spongiform encephalopathies in other species, including humans.

Expression of capsaicin receptor immunoreactivity in human peripheral nervous system and in painful neuropathies

We describe the expression of the capsaicin receptor (TRPV1) in human peripheral nervous system (PNS) and its changes in sural nerve and skin nerve fibers of patients with painful neuropathy. Dorsal root ganglion (DRG), root, and spinal cord autopsy specimens from subjects without PNS diseases were immunoassayed with anti-TRPV1 antibodies. Bright-field and confocal microscope studies using anti-TRPV1, protein gene product 9.5 (PGP 9.5), and unique-beta-tubulin (TuJ1) antibodies were performed in skin biopsies from 15 healthy subjects and 10 painful neuropathies. The density of intraepidermal nerve fiber (IENF) labeled by each antibody was quantified. Sural nerve biopsies from three patients with painful, one patient with nonpainful diabetic neuropathy, and two patients with multifocal motor neuropathy used as controls were immunoassayed with anti-TRPV1 antibodies and investigated by immunoelectron microscopy. TRPV1 strongly labeled laminae I and II of dorsal horns, most small-size and some medium-size DRG neurons, and small-diameter axons of dorsal roots. In sural nerve, TRPV1 was expressed within the cytoplasm of most unmyelinated and some small myelinated axons, in the muscular lamina of epineural vessels, and in the endothelium of endoneurial vessels. The density of IENF labeled by TRPV1, PGP 9.5, and TuJ1 did not differ. TRPV1 colocalized with TuJ1 in all IENF and dermal nerve bundles. Painful neuropathies showed a diffuse loss of TRPV1-positive axons both in the sural nerve and in the skin. Our findings demonstrated that TRPV1 is normally expressed throughout the nociceptive pathway of PNS and that TRPV1-positive peripheral nerve fibers degenerate in painful neuropathies.

Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: the extent of microglia activation is dependent on the biochemical type of PrPSc

In prion-related encephalopathies, microglial activation occurs early and is dependent on accumulation of disease-specific forms of the prion protein (PrPSc) and may play a role in nerve cell death. Previously, we found that different types of PrPSc (i.e. type 1 and type 2) coexisted in approximately 25% of patients with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD); and a close relationship was detected between PrPSc type, the pattern of PrP immunoreactivity, and extent of spongiform degeneration. To investigate whether microglial reaction is related to the biochemical type and deposition pattern of PrPSc, we carried out a neuropathologic and biochemical study on 26 patients with sporadic CJD, including all possible genotypes at codon 129 of the prion protein gene. By quantitative analysis, we demonstrated that strong microglial activation was associated with type 1 PrPSc and diffuse PrP immunoreactivity, whereas type 2 PrPSc and focal PrP deposits were accompanied by mild microglia reaction. These findings support the view that the phenotypic heterogeneity of sporadic CJD is largely determined by the physicochemical properties of distinct PrPSc conformers.

Defective tumor necrosis factor-alpha-dependent control of astrocyte glutamate release in a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer disease

The cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha) induces Ca2+-dependent glutamate release from astrocytes via the downstream action of prostaglandin (PG) E2. By this process, astrocytes may participate in intercellular communication and neuromodulation. Acute inflammation in vitro, induced by adding reactive microglia to astrocyte cultures, enhances TNFalpha production and amplifies glutamate release, switching the pathway into a neurodamaging cascade (Bezzi, P., Domercq, M., Brambilla, L., Galli, R., Schols, D., De Clercq, E., Vescovi, A., Bagetta, G., Kollias, G., Meldolesi, J., and Volterra, A. (2001) Nat. Neurosci. 4, 702-710). Because glial inflammation is a component of Alzheimer disease (AD) and TNFalpha is overexpressed in AD brains, we investigated possible alterations of the cytokine-dependent pathway in PDAPP mice, a transgenic model of AD. Glutamate release was measured in acute hippocampal and cerebellar slices from mice at early (4-month-old) and late (12-month-old) disease stages in comparison with age-matched controls. Surprisingly, TNFalpha-evoked glutamate release, normal in 4-month-old PDAPP mice, was dramatically reduced in the hippocampus of 12-month-old animals. This defect correlated with the presence of numerous beta-amyloid deposits and hypertrophic astrocytes. In contrast, release was normal in cerebellum, a region devoid of beta-amyloid deposition and astrocytosis. The Ca2+-dependent process by which TNFalpha evokes glutamate release in acute slices is distinct from synaptic release and displays properties identical to those observed in cultured astrocytes, notably PG dependence. However, prostaglandin E2 induced normal glutamate release responses in 12-month-old PDAPP mice, suggesting that the pathology-associated defect involves the TNFalpha-dependent control of secretion rather than the secretory process itself. Reduced expression of DENN/MADD, a mediator of TNFalpha-PG coupling, might account for the defect. Alteration of this neuromodulatory astrocytic pathway is described here for the first time in relation to Alzheimer disease.

Role of plasminogen in propagation of scrapie

To investigate whether plasminogen may feature in scrapie infection, we inoculated plasminogen-deficient (Plg(-/-)), heterozygous plasminogen-deficient (Plg(+/-)), and wild-type (Plg(+/+)) mice by the intracerebral or intraperitoneal (i.p.) route with the RML scrapie strain and monitored the onset of neurological signs of disease, survival time, brain, and accumulation of scrapie disease-associated forms of the prion protein (PrP(Sc)). Only after i.p. inoculation, a slight, although significant, difference in survival (P < 0.05) between Plg(-/-) and Plg(+/+) mice was observed. Neuropathological examination and Western blot analysis were carried out when the first signs of disease appeared in Plg(+/+) animals (175 days after i.p. inoculation) and when mice reached the terminal stage of illness. At the onset of symptoms, PrP(Sc) accumulation was higher in the brain and spleen of Plg(+/+) and Plg(+/-) mice than in those of Plg(-/-) mice, and these differences were paralleled by differences in the severity of spongiform changes and astrogliosis in the cerebral cortex and subcortical gray structures. Immunohistochemical analysis of the spleens before inoculation did not show any impairment of the immune system affecting follicular dendritic or lymphoid cells in Plg(-/-) mice. Once the disease progressed and mice began to die of infection, differences were no longer apparent in either brains or spleens. In conclusion, our data indicate that plasminogen has no major effect on the survival of scrapie agent-infected mice.

A family with Alzheimer disease and strokes associated with A713T mutation of the APP gene

Three members of an Italian family with autosomal dominant dementia and multiple strokes had the A713T mutation of the APP gene. The neuropathologic examination of the proband disclosed Alzheimer disease (AD) with severe cerebral amyloid angiopathy and multiple infarcts. This indicates that the A713T mutation of the APP gene, lying at the gamma-secretase cleavage site, can be responsible for AD with symptomatic cerebral amyloid angiopathy.

Percutaneous fine-needle biopsy of deep thoracic and abdominal masses in dogs and cats

Percutaneous fine-needle biopsy was used to investigate thoracic and abdominal masses in the dog and cat. One hundred and thirty-two cases were included in the study; 20 cases were excluded from the comparative study due to poor cellularity or blood contamination (retrieval rate 86.8 per cent). One hundred samples (56 dogs and 44 cats) were classified by cytology as neoplastic. All the cytological diagnoses of neoplasia were confirmed by histological samples obtained either by non-surgical methods, at surgery or during postmortem examination. No false positive diagnoses of neoplasia were made. Thirty-two samples were cytologically classified as 'negative for neoplasia'. Subsequent histological examination revealed 18 true negative and 14 false negative results. The procedure had an overall 89.4 per cent (118 cases out of 132) agreement between the diagnosis of inflammatory disease versus neoplasia, with a sensitivity of 87.8 per cent, a specificity of 100 per cent, a predictive value of a positive test of 100 per cent and a predictive value of a negative test of 56.3 per cent.

Structural properties of Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker disease amyloid protein

Prion protein (PrP) amyloid formation is a central feature of genetic and acquired forms of prion disease such as Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease (GSS) and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The major component of GSS amyloid is a PrP fragment spanning residues approximately 82-146. To investigate the determinants of the physicochemical properties of this fragment, we synthesized PrP-(82-146) and variants thereof, including entirely and partially scrambled peptides. PrP-(82-146) readily formed aggregates that were partially resistant to protease digestion. Peptide assemblies consisted of 9.8-nm-diameter fibrils having a parallel cross-beta-structure. Second derivative of infrared spectra indicated that PrP-(82-146) aggregates are primarily composed of beta-sheet (54%) and turn (24%) which is consistent with their amyloid-like properties. The peptide induced a remarkable increase in plasma membrane microviscosity of primary neurons. Modification of the amino acid sequence 106-126 caused a striking increase in aggregation rate, with formation of large amount of protease-resistant amorphous material and relatively few amyloid fibrils. Alteration of the 127-146 region had even more profound effects, with the inability to generate amyloid fibrils. These data indicate that the intrinsic properties of PrP-(82-146) are dependent upon the integrity of the C-terminal region and account for the massive deposition of PrP amyloid in GSS.

[Informed consent in the light of the new medical deontologic code and of the state's laws]

The Authors in the light of the legislative directives as well as of some juridical judgements and the new deontological code for medicine, especially from the articles 30 to 35, consider how information should be given to the patients. Furthermore the Authors underline how a correct information does not exclude the explicit consensus expressed by the patient before being submitted to any diagnostic and/or therapeutic treatment and how the patient's consensus should be collected. In addition the Authors briefly examine some juridical judgements that in the last years have been cause of tensions for physician and emphasize some of the fundamental rights of citizen in an up to date view of the medicine.

Analysis of the receiver response in lidar measurements

We report on the calculation of the effective telescope area in lidar applications by a ray-tracing approach. This method allows one to consider the true experimental working conditions and hence to obtain accurate values of the effective telescope area as a function of the height. This in turn allows the retrieval of the signal from the ranges where the overlap function is not constant (e.g., lower ranges), thus increasing the useful range interval. Moreover, we show that the spherical mirrors are more appropriate than the parabolic ones for most of the lidar measurements, although a particular alignment procedure, such as the one we describe, must be used.

Self-aligning lidar for the continuous monitoring of the atmosphere

In a lidar system an accurate transmitter-receiver alignment is essential for correct results. Usually this optical adjustment is time consuming and requires the intervention of highly qualified personnel. As a solution to this problem, a fast and precise automatic alignment procedure is presented, based on a simple model of the transmitter-receiver overlap. The lidar mounted at the Naples University is used to test this method. A centering precision of few microradians is obtained through dedicated software controlling a gimbal-mounted mirror. The automatic alignment procedure is then assessed. In particular, the correctness of the center and of its error is determined. Finally, the system is applied to the monitoring of tropospheric aerosols, leading to the continuous retrieval of profiles with fine spatiotemporal resolution.